It's Not Raining. It's Not Pouring.

There was once upon a time when Lyla was the leader of bedtime theatrics. I never thought she would ease up on the constant negotiating, but she has finally settled into the law of the land and passed the torch to little brother. Max learned his most frequent bedtime requests from big sister ---- thirsty, hungry, fan on/off, bathroom, nightlight placement issues, etc. But last night his creativity went above and beyond.

The difference with Max, compared to Lyla, is he isn't afraid of walking downstairs to approach us with his request. Lyla has always preferred the route of screaming at us from above until she gets a response. Anyway, shortly after a rather smooth bedtime routine we were greeted by Max at the bottom of the staircase. He approached us and exclaimed it was raining in his bedroom. "It way-nee-ing my bed-woom." Kirk had to take the lead with this conversation, as I was burying my head in my sweatshirt trying to hide my laughter. His little voice saying "raining" is so cute. And it was the most random complaint I've ever heard, especially considering it wasn't even raining outside. The conversation continued down the road of hilarity as Kirk asked him if his bedroom was wet. Max answered by saying "Yes" and Kirk asked if he needed an umbrella or perhaps a towel. We noticed a slight smirk, as he responded by confirming an umbrella would indeed solve the issue --- "need un-bwel-lah." His tone was so very serious, but it was still clear it he trying to pull one over on us. He pouted as Dad sent him back to his room. Kirk checked on him shortly after, reporting there was no moisture found in Max's bedroom and he cooperated in lying back down.

I guess Max will have to add that one to the list of excuses that do not work. Haha!

Interesting. Hilarious. 

How do they come up with this stuff? 

Short Stories

We are in full Christmas mode over here & fully anticipating the arrival of Santa, 

but in the meantime I wanted to share a couple of recent memorable events with the blog.

1. Cockroach Victory

My fascination of cockroaches is probably equivalent to my fear of them. These pesky insects were never an issue in Idaho, but now I face them on a very regular basis. Well, after nearly three years of complaining about it, we finally scheduled an expert to come spray the habitat these creatures call home. However, it seems all this has done is create more madness, causing roaches to emerge from all cracks & crevices of our home. They warned us this may happen, but these freaks are seriously coming out from the depths of the earth since the spray-of-genocide happened. Luckily we are mostly finding them on their backs in a lifeless state, so at least that means the kill juice is working. It's not like we have an infestation or anything like that, just a random beast every once in awhile  --- typically in the bathroom. Hmm actually I'm probably in denial. We have likely, unknowingly, been coexisting with hundreds of roach families since they are literally coming out from everywhere now! No no no. Yuck. Ignorance is bliss. Anyway, the point of this story has nothing to do with me, actually. I think cockroaches are super creepy. Moving on.

It was after bedtime and the kids were already tucked in bed when Lyla started yelling for her Dad. I had left the house for a couple solo errands, but Kirk figured the sounds of Lyla were the typical nonsense that occurs on a nightly basis. To his surprise, Kirk entered her room and learned she was actually screaming about the presence of a cockroach on the wall. According to Kirk, the roach was so large it required a double take. He claims it was the biggest roach he has ever encountered --- and that says a lot, considering he is a Texas native. As he battled the cockroach to his death, Lyla watched wide-eyed. Kirk was victorious. He settled Lyla back in and as he left the room said, "Nobody messes with my Lyla girl." Lyla fell to sleep. Life was good again.

I returned home & Kirk filled me in on the details of the post-bedtime massacre. I was slightly disappointed he failed to take a photo of the godzilla-roach, considering he is well aware of my obsession. I think I became fixated on their anatomy after we captured nearly ten critters in a mason jar once, over the course of several days, before I decided it was setting a weird example to keep cockroaches in a jar as trophies of some sort. I accused Kirk of exaggerating the size, embellishing the facts, stuff like that. He finally drew a picture for a visual comparison and its body extended to about four inches long. However, I was still questioning the legitimacy of his story. Regardless, assuming Kirk was giving an accurate version of events, it seemed this sucker could have been the big daddy of the colony and clearly had a strong resistance to the kill juice from earlier in the week.

Now onto the point & cute part of this ridiculous story. Lyla woke up the following morning and I interrogated her about the cockroach story. I attempted to grill her for facts the night before, but sadly for me she was sound asleep, probably dreaming of cockroaches. She confirmed there was a rather large cockroach crawling on the wall in her room, she called for Dad, blah blah blah --- then she told me the sweetest thing. She said, "Dad got the cockroach out of my room and said nobody messes with his Lyla girl." She had the biggest smile on her face, glorifying in the fact that in that moment Kirk's one and only purpose was to protect her. It was adorable. She mentioned it at least two more times throughout the day. She is pretty happy about having such a heroic daddy.

I still can't get her little voice out of my head... "Dad says nobody messes with his girl." 

I love that girl. I hope she uses that line on boys when she's older.

Well. That story ended up being long enough to justify for its own post. The above could be summarized by stating, Kirk killed a cockroach for Lyla and afterwards he said, "nobody messes with my Lyla girl." She was quite pleased with this statement. Lol. Oh well. The next one is short and sweet.

2. "Bo" vs. "No"

If you are around Max often, then you know that when he says "bo" it means "no". For the longest time he refused to say "no" even though we all knew he was quite capable. He recently learned we adult creatures think it's pretty cute when he says "bo" and have even adopted the lingo for ourselves. He tends to work against the things adults find enjoyable and has worked very hard to correct his pronunciation. He is definitely in the stage of doing the exact opposite of what is expected of him, so reversing his vocal habits was a real treat for him. He now takes his time to articulate the sound each letter makes in the word "no." It even makes his nose scrunch when he does this, but I'm not going to tell him that's an equal trade for the adoration I had for "bo."

Max, we will miss you saying "bo" but hearing you say "nnnnnnoooo" is surprisingly just as great. Unless of course it's 5pm and you've said it [to me] 100 times in the span of one day. I have a hard time finding it cute at that point. Hehee. I still love you though!

The Hooligans

The weather has been cooler in the mornings and evenings, making it so nice for playing outside. We have been loving it. The kids played in the backyard for so long on Sunday that I had to keep checking to make sure nobody was injured or dead. They finally came in after nearly two hours and the first thing I noticed was the stinkiest smell coming from both of their tiny bodies. Bath time was definitely necessary. I asked Lyla what game they were playing for so long and she informed me they were playing airport. No further details were provided. Lol.

They are the funniest little people recently. Our brother-in-law, Jarem, is in town from Idaho and stopped by for a few hours on Sunday to watch some football. Lyla talked his ear off for so long that I was beginning to feel bad for him. She gets in these moods sometimes where she just talks and talks and talks and talks. I find my ears zoning in and out when she gets in these excessively chatty moods, often looking at the clock wondering how much longer she could possibly keep it going. Kirk admitted to bailing on Jarem for a few minutes only because he needed a break from Lyla. The fact that he was hiding from his talkative daughter made me giggle. 

The same crazy day, Max was creating his own madness. I was making dinner when I heard him throwing the Barbie car against the carpeted landing on our stairs. It went on for a few minutes, when I finally approached him and asked him to please stop. He wasn't really doing anything wrong, it was just very loud and repetitive. He continued a few minutes later and I approached him again to ask what the heck he was doing. He gave me the most hilarious look and said, "Hulk Smash." I wish there was a way to describe this moment better, definitely had to be there. His expression and tone of voice was perfect. I laughed so hard that I decided to let him continue being Hulk Smash. It was obviously an important mission. 

Then my last funny story happened at bedtime, no surprise there. These kids always try to work the system at bedtime. Anyway, we had already tucked both of them in when we heard the inevitable open of Max's door. It's his new thing to exit his bedroom and then run back in whenever he sees someone coming up the stairs. It's cute...until it goes on until 10:00 pm. He eventually crawls back into bed and goes to sleep without asking for assistance, so that's nice at least. I'm sure it's just another superhero mission in his mind. 

Anyway, on this particular night we heard some unusual noises, so Kirk went upstairs prepared to give the typical "get back in bed" lecture. He found Lyla & Max both standing near their own doorways, whispering across the hall. Big sisters get blamed for everything, so naturally Kirk questioned Lyla first. She replied that she just wanted to see Max one more time before bed. She must have sensed her dad's heart swell a bit, because she followed that remark by asking if Max could sleep in her bed. Kirk complied, against his better judgment, under the condition that they must stay in bed. They agreed and seemed so excited. We heard them talking for awhile longer and eventually there was silence, but when I went to check on them before taking myself to bed Max had returned to his own room. I can't say when or why. I'm realizing there is a lot that goes on that I have no idea about. Regardless, I'm so thankful these two hooligans have each other. 

Hello, February

Life is feeling normal again. It really is a constant roller coaster. I know I already mentioned it, but the holidays really wiped me out this year. I am finding some much needed peace in the mundanity of everyday life. I occasionally have to remind my adventurous spirit that my two little toddlers are creatures of habit and our family runs smoother when we follow a routine. 

The gray and gloomy skies took a break last week and we were finally able to spend some time outside. I love taking the kids to the park to burn off some energy because 1. they love it. 2. my house stays cleaner. 3. everyone sleeps much better after a couple hours of fresh air. A regular dose of sunshine seems to help stabilize my sanity, as well. Max climbed up the rock wall at the park, a skill Lyla only mastered this past summer. He is also jumping with both feet off the ground. His physical advancements ease my mind when I worry about his vocabulary not progressing as quickly as Lyla's has. I guess what's the point in talking when you have a big sister to do all the talking for you. 

I have decided to conduct an experiment this week in regards to Lyla taking naps.  It may seem odd that I would willingly retire nap time --- especially since she was still taking awesome naps, leaving me with a pretty easy going afternoon. The issue is bedtime rolls around and she takes nearly two hours to fall asleep. So. After a little brainstorming, I have allowed Lyla to ditch her nap. As much as I love my free time during the afternoon, I actually enjoy my alone time with Lyla just as much. That is, as long as she is in a good mood. In exchange for no nap, she is having a quiet-rest time followed by a three year old activity. [three year old activity: any activity that is typically ruined by little brothers.] Lyla is very appreciative of this new schedule and gets a smug little look on her face every time I take Max away for his nap. And, even more importantly, she is falling asleep within 15 minutes at night and sleeping soundly until morning. That means no creeping into our bed in the middle of the night. I am still declaring this an experimental phase of no naps, but it's working out really well so far. If she reverts back to being all psychotic and delirious in the late afternoon we will return to the land of naps. If you're a sleep snob, well listen up --- she is getting the same amount of sleep either way, it's just distributed differently.  

What else is new around here. Max is trying to do some growing up of his own too. He has decided he no longer requires a high chair during mealtimes. He sees Lyla sit at the table like a big kid and has decided he is entitled to the same. I really wasn't ready for him to make this transition because he doesn't like to stay put at the dinner table. He stands. Sits. Stands. Jumps. Gets down. Pets the dog. Gets back up. Drops food. Picks it up. Dances. --- all with his cheeks stuffed full. His middle name really should be danger. At least in the high chair he was contained, but his back-arching ways in protest to the high chair have prevailed in this disagreement. I always thought, as a parent, I would control every situation for my children. The truth is parents pick their battles, very carefully. The high chair isn't a battle worth fighting for me. It should only take a couple weeks for him to either start imitating Lyla by acting like a civilized child or crack his head open. 

Max is the proud new owner of big boy undies. big boy pants? Hm. Anyway, I wouldn't say we are officially potty training quite yet. I just want to familiarize him with the process and allow him to get comfortable with the idea of using the toilet. He already idolizes his big sister, so the opportunity to wear underwear was definitely exciting. He is eager to sit on the toilet as well, but his attitude changes as soon as his cheeks hit the seat. It's totally fine at this stage. My hope is that by the time he turns two in May, he will be more interested in making the switch. Toddlers seem to cooperate better when they think something is their own idea. I am SO looking forward to life without diapers!!!! I never thought that day would come, but I think the finish line is finally within reach.

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.