Sibling Sentiments

Lyla and Max have been quite the pair lately. Lyla is typically in the lead and it's obvious how much Max admires her. He is literally her shadow. They play together really well and can even play independently for 15-20 minutes before they need an adult to redirect their focus. The silence is always a dead giveaway if they are up to no good. I found small mountains of potting soil in every single one of my kitchen cupboards recently. I imagine they had a great time inventing that clever game! 

Lyla seems to understand the "no booming" rule I mentioned in an earlier blog post. Max, however, isn't catching on as quickly. He usually booms [hits] as a response to any time he doesn't get his way. Lyla doesn't react as aggressively any more. I think she understands it hurts people and that's not cool. She is happy to remind her brother of his naughty behavior whenever she deems necessary. And honestly, he knows better by now too. It's just that he is still in the phase of testing his limits as much as possible. At least their discipline platform is beginning to level out. The difference with Max is he gets the quiver lip, cries, and wants to hug when he gets scolded. This is a reaction I never saw from Lyla at that age. It makes me feel victorious in a bad way, perhaps that is his strategy! Ha! He really is so tender hearted. 

1. who me kiss him? 2. okay! 3. yay!

Today Max got in a little trouble. I can't even remember what about now. I do remember that Lyla was on his side though. She looked at me with such a serious expression as she said, "Please mom, just give him one more chance. He won't do it again." She is coming up with the most hilarious comments lately. I don't think Max even realized his sister was so proudly defending him! 

just living a life of luxury.

It's so nice to have Max on one nap per day. It makes our schedule so much easier. Our nap routine now begins with Max helping Lyla into my bed for her nap. This is something Lyla started on her own. She insists Max puts the blanket on and hands her a bottle all by himself. They both find this little exchange to be so hilarious. Then she usually says, "Okay mom, bring him closer for a kiss." Followed by, "Okay good. Now a hug." And then, "That's good enough. You can take him now." Sometimes I feel like saying "YES MASTER! ANYTHING ELSE?" but instead I just smile because I don't want to interfere with the special bond they are creating. Max waves to her and says "niigh niigh" as we leave the room. 

We go to the library for story time each week and I notice Lyla takes extra care of her little brother there too. She will lean in and whisper, "You need to listen, Max." or she helps him feel involved by asking him questions about the story. Oh, and she usually holds his hand too. Her nurturing instinct makes my heart feel so full. It's moments like these that make the daily battles and all the struggles of motherhood totally worth it.

Is It Pumpkin Day Yet?

We have been a busy bunch the past week. I am loving this Fall weather. The Texas heat can be cruel in the summer, but right now it is just perfect for me. I only wish the leaves on the trees would make some changes so I could enjoy Fall colors too. Halloween is on Friday, sharing the day with Max officially turning 17 months old. And that is nothing but surreal.

Max spotted a T-Rex costume at the Halloween store and his dinosaur noises were so adorable that I couldn't possibly force him to wear anything different. Lyla decided on a "scary fairy ballerina" for her costume. I can't wait to share pictures of our final presentation. I'm not even sure how she came up with the idea and I'm still figuring out what exactly the costume consists of. All is I know is that it's pink, it has wings, and it's scary. We had a couple practice runs with her "scary" make up. The only conclusion I have so far is that I am definitely not a make-up artist. Lyla was super impressed with my skills though, so I guess that's all that matters. 

We painted pumpkins. Lyla was so meticulous as she painted her pumpkin. It seemed unusual for her, but I guess that is normal considering she is evolving into a three old before my eyes. Max enjoyed painting as well. However, he was determined to touch all his body parts with the paint brush. It was all fine until he thought the dog needed a splash of color too. I know it's very impolite to disrupt a deeply concentrated artist, but that dang dog already has enough issues. 

Don't mind the lack of clothing in the photos. We have a no pants policy after 3 pm around here.

We are going to carve pumpkins with Kirk one evening this week. I'm curious whether Lyla will be intimidated by the pumpkin guts, as she was last year. I have a feeling Max will dive right in.

Found Photos

I found these two photos on my camera today.

 I don't know who took them. But they sure are cute!

1. The photo of Max is a little fuzzy, but he looks like a model. 

2. I wish Lyla would allow me to pig tail her hair more often. Ugh.

The Oil Ranch

 

Today we went to the Oil Ranch with Charli & Hali. First thing we took a hay ride pulled by a tractor. The driver stopped so everyone could feed the cows and it was amazing how far those cows could stick their heads inside the cart for food. I think it was a little too close for comfort for Lyla and I agree. 

We headed for the barn afterwards to take a look at some of the other farm animals. They had the typical cluster of hens, roosters, turkeys, pigs, goats. Those goats didn't like us very much though. Max was completely captivated by every single animal. He is so cute. I think he would do just fine living on a farm. 

All of the kiddos were excited to ride a pony. Lyla was especially brave and didn't hesitate at all when it was her turn to saddle up. I wasn't expecting Max to be tall enough...old enough...big enough...to ride, but the worker dude acted like it was no problem and pulled around the tiniest little pony for him. I thought Max might get freaked once we put him on the horse. Actually, I think he was freaked because his face remained frozen the entire ride, but he enjoyed it nonetheless. My little man doesn't like being left out of the fun. It was awesome. The pony rides were definitely my favorite. I won't be surprised if Lyla starts asking for a pony for her birthday. Is three too young for a pony? Ha!

Lyla milked a cow...kind of. She definitely had an unsure expression on her face as she reached for the nipples of a big momma cow. Her biggest concern was the whereabouts of the baby cow. We rode the choo choo train. Checked out the playground. Played with some water spouts. Lyla and Max took turns begging their aunt Charli to haul them around all over the place. Who needs legs when you have an aunt, right? She was a willing participant, well maybe not so willing. But she knows, just like everybody else, how easy it is to fall victim to Lyla & Max shenanigans. 

We finished the day by picking out some baby pumpkins and enjoying a picnic. It was a fun day!

I did consider that posting photos of a lactating cow to my blog might be weird. Buuuut I did it anyways. It's the thought that counts.  

Boom Town Hiatus

Today I did a very very bad thing. I took a trip down memory lane by looking at baby pictures of Lyla & Max. Holy crap. Now I've got that fever. Go away baby fever! Don't worry. My health will improve when the next meltdown happens. 

Speaking of meltdowns, we've been on a good streak lately. As long as everybody gets a proper nap, then we don't have any irrational break downs leaving someone lifeless on the floor. Yes, sometimes that lifeless person is me. It can get pretty dramatic around here. My only complaint right now is the hitting that occurs between siblings throughout the day. I can't blame them though because they've been inspired by this awesome game they play with dad every day when he gets home from work. 

It's a pretend super hero game called "boom town" and I dislike it very much. Actually, I enjoy it in the moment because all three of them really get into character. There is lots of hysterical laughing. Body slamming. Tackling dad. And BOOMING, of course. But no matter how you lay it down for a two year old and one year old, they just can't grasp that it's dad only game and it ends when dad says so. So I ended it. No more boom town because the non-stop booming the following day drives me insane. Maybe it can be reinvented when they are older and wiser. 

they really do get along, MOST of the time!

Lyla has outgrown most of her size 2T pants. She stills wears them, just looks like a super dork doing so. I purchased some new pants today in size 3T. I had to force myself to buy them because just by looking at the length and waist size at the store I thought they looked gigantic and there was no possible way they would fit her. Well, to my surprise, when she tried them on they fit perfectly. I told her to stop growing because it was going to make me cry. I made her stop for a picture and captured her expression perfectly as she said, "Yep, Mom. Daddy is going to cry too." 

I took it as a "just wait for what else I have in store for you" moment. 

If you don't find this hilarious, well then, apparently you had to be there. The stuff that is coming out of her mouth lately is cracking me up. 

Octoberish

I seriously cannot believe it is the middle of October already. It feels like we just had Halloween last week. It's so funny how time seems to pass so slowly as a child. Then suddenly you become an adult and every time you blink it's a new year. Time passes at frightening speeds these days. I admittedly spend some days dreaming of when my babies become self-sufficient creatures and no longer rely on me every second of the day. Then I have days like today when I truly enjoy every moment with them. There are moments when I feel this is all happening too fast. And I feel so sad when I think about them growing up. Why is motherhood so emotional? It occurred to me today that I only have two more years with Lyla before she starts her journey as a school kid. 

I am genuinely excited for my babies to spread their wings. I want them to make their own mistakes, learn lessons, make friends, and discover their independence. I know they are going to be awesome at life, but I am also so scared. They will get hurt and I'm not going to be there. They will get their hearts broken. They will trust someone who betrays them. They will feel disappointment. They will experience failure. Life is brutal. I have such a desire to protect them both from these things, but that would be an unrealistic expectation. I can only hope that I have done enough to help them be brave, be kind, and make smart choices. Above all, I hope they are never afraid to be open and honest with me and Kirk. It's so important to us that they know our unconditional love is present in every situation. 

Their newest request is to "be like dad" when they get out of the bath. 

My friend Laura and her mom, along with other events, have weighed heavy on my heart recently. Laura passed away a little over two years ago and, although her mom has found beautiful ways to honor Laura's memory, it will always be a raw wound for her. For me, even the brief thought of losing a child brings me to tears. I can't imagine how any parent finds strength to even get out of bed after such a tragedy. No parent should ever have to outlive their child. It seems so unfair no matter how I approach it. Lyla and Max have a long life ahead of them and they won't be under my wing for most of it. It scares me. It really scares me. 

Well. I apologize about those last few sentences getting all gloom and doom sounding. I know it isn't healthy to let my mind wander there. I learn a lot by putting myself in other peoples shoes and that is one situation that makes me feel so much heartache. It doesn't help that I have a little bit of that Grandma Paula worry gene. Anyway. Happy thoughts. 

We took Lyla and Max to a pumpkin patch this weekend. It was a fun event for little kids. They had tons of gross germy bounce houses. I was super impressed when Lyla climbed the tallest slide without any hesitation. She is acting so much older over the past few weeks. Max became ecstatic when he saw the choo choo train and went into complete trance mode when we took a train ride. He was also very fond of the baby piglet. Then we attempted the classic pumpkin photo, picked out some pumpkins, and came home. We have more Fall activities planned this week and I will post about them soon.

Maxwell looking for the choo choo train. He could hear it, but couldn't yet see it!

Lyla going up & down the big, intense slide. 

Music Class & A Tornado

The photo below is Lyla & Max at their music class that I mentioned in an earlier post. It's a really fun class geared to introduce these little seedlings to various types of music and instruments. Let's be honest...it's really just an hour of silly singing and dancing. Lyla is literally the loudest singer and Max is the most eccentric dancer in the class.  

It's pretty hands-on so I am unable to take photos of them in action. I was able to sneak this one in just as they were getting ready for a round of "I'm a Little Teapot" for the first time. They sang half of the song last week and get to sing the other half this week. I thought that was a little strange. But that's okay. Not my class. We just go with the flow. 

Max has entered a new phase of pure mischief. Anything he touches turns to mess! He is a tiny tornado, and although I adore him, I do hope it passes soon. I believe there is an actual cloud of crumbs and dirt that hovers above his head at all times. His ability to make messes has been on the rise since he learned to walk, but he is reaching all new levels. It is beyond ridiculous. Even on my very best day, I struggle to keep up with this kid. I usually keep the vacuum on stand by all day long in anticipation of more mess. Just this morning he dumped out all the dog food into the water dish, opened a box of flour onto the kitchen floor, and pulled all of my books off the shelf. This all happened before I could even get in one sip of coffee. How rude, Max. 

And yes, I realize some of these situations could be prevented by simple baby-proofing and it would save me from running around like a chicken with its head cut off. But that isn't exactly my style when it comes to these times of booming brain development. Unless the mess is posing a threat to his little life, I typically give Max the freedom to explore his surroundings and worry about the mess later. It's my philosophy and I'm sticking to it. My other logic is maybe the bookshelf or dog food will eventually lose its appeal and he will move on. I think it's safe to say that all humans, big or small, are naturally drawn to things we can't have!

Despite all that, I assure you Max would find a way to make his mark even with the most extreme baby-proofing tactics. I breathe deeply and remind myself that one day I  will miss his sticky little fingerprints appearing on everything I own. This goes for Lyla as well, she has her fair share of mischief. But I really do think there is something about being a BOY that causes so much more destruction. 

It is starting to feel like fall around here & I love it. Halloween is approaching and I'm excited for the holiday madness to follow. Lyla is tossing around the idea of a monster and a ballerina for Halloween. It's her first Halloween that she actually has input for her costume idea, so I'm looking forward to see what she decides. 

When Lyla Calls Your Name

Lyla has discovered a new bed time strategy. It's a game I used to play all the time. I am an expert at it, however, I find myself losing to a much younger opponent quite often! 

Let's see...some of her new excuses include:

1. "I need to go potty." 

The most logical attempt that I generally cannot ignore because I like to avoid soiled bedding. 

2. "I need a drink of water." 

Once again, I must consider other factors such as, when is the last time she drank water? Did she drink enough water today? I can't sleep when I am thirsty, so maybe one small drink of water will be okay.

3. "Will you read me another story?" 

I say yes to this request most of the time. My cut off is five, or sometimes three. Depending on how tired I am. LOL.

4. "Will you turn the fan on?" 

I ask myself, why would she want the fan on? The fan sucks. But okay, if you wish, I shall turn on the fan. Now go to sleep. 

5. "Will you turn my blankie to the soft side?" 

I have since learned to put her blanket on the soft side from our initial attempt. But she got me with this reasoning several times before I wised up. 

6. "Will you turn on the hall light?" 

I always comply with this request because I always slept with the hall light on as a kid. 

No hall light = monsters. Duh. 

And the latest & greatest....

6. "My bum is itchy." 

This is the one excuse I fear she is taking advantage of because one time I think her bum was actually itchy. So I pulled her out of bed and gave her a bath. Nothing worse than an itchy bum. However, now that excuse has turned into a new regular. 

Nope. Not falling for it, Lyla. Shut your eyes.

I look forward to more new material in the future. Silly girl. 

random wedding photo just because my people are cute.