Max Hacks

There are often times I am puzzled by what goes on in the mind of a three year old. I've learned being three isn't always easy, sometimes people just don't understand you --- specifically, Max. This boy is a true bundle of joy in our lives, but that's not to say he can't be a complete pain the booty sometimes too. I'm grateful Lyla is past this phase of her adolescent development. Although the dramatics remain rampant, she is generally pretty rational and comprehends the logic in information presented to her. Then there are times with Max when I just have to laugh and remind myself that "this too shall pass." Let me enlighten you on some of his curious behavior.

As we were playing in the backyard this week, Lyla was making a wild creation using buckets of sand, water, and who knows what else. She was transporting a plastic cup full of water from the pool to the edge of the yard where the concrete meets the grass. She was minding her own business and seemingly enjoying herself. Suddenly, Max enters the scenario and insists this cup is in the way of his intended walking path. My initial response was the most obvious answer, just walk around the cup. He did not appreciate this response and I could tell a meltdown was brewing. It's moments like this when I just stare at him in disbelief for a few seconds. The insanity of throwing a fit over a cup being in your way is baffling. I gently explained the cup was there first and offered the second most reasonable option --- move the cup! I guess this made sense in his mind because he picked up the cup, moved it about a foot to the right, and continued walking. 

Max enjoys a ham and cheese sandwich a few times a week, usually cut into a shape with our dinosaur cookie cutter. However, there is a technique to follow if you wish to avoid any emotional distress. I make sure each layer of sandwich has adequate amounts of mayonnaise to ensure the layers do not fray apart as he takes bites. This is insane. My pre-parenting self would have thought someone to be completely out of their mind to be so accommodating to a three year old. But this is real life. There are some battles not worth fighting and these are the simple steps I take in order to avoid a meltdown over something as simple as a sandwich. He is similarly particular about a granola bar. If he is eating a granola bar and it breaks in half, either accidentally or intentionally, he melts into the ground over it. I've tried convincing him the bar tastes the same regardless, but he rejects that logic. At that point, I've been known to moisten the sugary fibers to "glue" the bar back together. Again, this is insane....but it's for my own protection!!!!

The last Max-ism that comes to mind is regarding his shoes, specifically shoes with laces. It took me many moons to realize Max requires the excess laces to be the same length and fall evenly over the center of the shoe. I have witnessed the walls closing in around him if his shoes are not just right. The day I finally realized what the problem was, my mind was blown. Insanity. You better believe his shoes get tied the correct [see: Max] way every single time. It's habit now. 

Maybe a three year old runs the show. Maybe we choose our battles. Maybe this is just life Max. He's lucky we love him so much!

Charlie & Matilda

We recently introduced Lyla & Max to two new [old] movies and their initial interest has quickly transformed into an obsession. The past few weeks it has been the only thing they want to do following nap time. It's become our afternoon snuggle-session ritual, as they recover from the fog frequently caused by naps. We are generally able to hang out on the couch for half an hour before they become energizer bunnies again. Then it's not uncommon for them to make Kirk sit down for the remainder of the movie when he arrives home. The repetition of their movie choice can start feeling a little...blah. But if I've learned anything from being a parent, none of these phases last for long.

It all started with the original Charlie & the Chocolate Factory movie. Max was instantly infatuated with the main character, Charlie. He even insisted on wearing a red scarf, just as Charlie does in the movie. It was a bit confusing at first before I figured out he wanted the scarf to hang over the back of each shoulder, again, just as Charlie. Talk about attention to detail! He has also renamed the movie Golden Ticket. It's my favorite when he says it  --- "doh-den tih-tet." Lyla took interest in the character known as Varuca Salt, which has been just about as terrifying as you could imagine. Although she swears she is only pretending, I've still had to bring her back to reality a couple times.

I was able to find the movie Matilda at the library this week and it distracted them from the above mentioned movie. This was one of my childhood favorites and I've been thinking for awhile about how much they [especially Lyla] would enjoy it. Just as I thought, Lyla was captivated by the magic and intelligence portrayed by Matilda. Fortunately for me, Lyla forgot all about Varuca Salt and has since been acting as Matilda. This includes wearing a ribbon tied around her hair, bringing a stack of books to the dinner table, and focusing her vision on certain items very intently hoping to initiate some magic. 

It's been entertaining watching them act out scenes from each movie during their free time. I've enjoyed playing different roles as well, including Grandpa Joe and Principal Trunchbull. They are reluctant to stop playing pretend even when Mommy becomes bored of it, this includes continuing their games of fantasy in public places. The fun never stops for these two.

Final Visitor of 2015

My Grandpa Rick & Becky were able to sneak down for a visit & we enjoyed spending the past few days with them. I'm always amused while watching Lyla & Max and their persistent methods of convincing people to join their world of pretend. They had Grandpa eating at the restaurant, getting check-ups, and playing multiple rounds of hide and seek. Lyla was also excited to impress him with her simple addition skills & ability to spell her own name. Grandpa has always taken a lot of pride in all of his grand kids and any of their academic related achievements. 

Grandpa decided the kids were ready for the true test of will power known as "the feather trick." The object of the game is to lay very still as a feather, or similar tickle device, is lightly pulled across your face. I can still remember fighting the urge to laugh and itch my own face when I was little. I think my kids are pretty lucky for the opportunity to have such fun-loving relationships with their great-grandparents and make similar memories as I made with my grandparents long ago. 

We visited not one, but two quilt shops, at the request of the quilt-shop-connoisseur, Becky. In addition to all the quilting, she has also made 162 pillow cases over the past year that have been distributed to children in need all over the globe. That's some serious charity work, I don't know why Grandpa refers to the sewing/quilting obsession as a cult. Haha! I think Grandpa and the kids agreed the quilt shops were a boring experience. Surprisingly, I find browsing at fabric enjoyable, although I don't even sew. Perhaps I should start...however, as warned by Grandpa, membership to the cult is not cheap. Afterwards, Grandpa got ice cream for the kids, which helped them forget all about the torture known as quilt shops.

It's always fun for me to listen to the countless number of stories Grandpa has to share about his own childhood and reflections of being a parent. I become increasingly more intrigued by how the world is perceived through the eyes of the older generation. I can't help but wonder about what daily life was like for people 50+ years ago. I'm grateful my grandpa is still around to answer some of my questions. He claims he is going to work on getting some of his stories on an audio file so we will have them forever, maybe being reminded on my blog of how AWESOME I think that is will help motivate him to get started. 

Grandpa, I think you should start with the story about how you got stung by several wasps when you were younger and found an isolated area to wait for your unavoidable death sentence. Spoiler: He survived the attack. He compared that story to one about me, around the same age as Lyla. I had a bladder infection and refused to tell anyone that anything was wrong. Apparently, he could hear me as I sat and cried behind a closed bathroom door, pretending everything was just fine when I came back out. I don't think I've changed much, in that regard. According to Grandpa, it's nothing more than a genetic trait. Haha!

Birthday for a Superhero

We had a birthday party yesterday to celebrate the one and only Maxwell. Although a majority of the guests were adults, I always have fun creating a festive atmosphere at the house for the little kids. I think I would still decorate regardless of an actual party or not. It's my favorite thing. It will likely only be enjoyable for me for a short time  ---  fast forward a few more years and the kids will start making their own demands for their birthday. I admit, I suspect I will feel slightly disappointed when Chuck E. Cheese makes it to the birthday party request list. That disappointment will remain silent, of course, and I will pretend that Chuck E. Cheese is the most awesome place ever! I suppose it probably is when you are nine. Yes, I am hoping to avoid Chuck E. Cheese until someone turns nine. And until that time comes, I will be in charge of the party!!! Umm control freak cough cough cough....Ha.  :)

Alright. The weather forecast predicted rain all weekend, so we made the decision to cancel the water slide we reserved for the party. There has been some major flash flooding going down lately and we didn't want to risk it. Well. It turns out the weather report was wrong, big surprise there. <- Not. The water slide would have been really fun, but everyone had a good time anyway. And most importantly, Max never knew the difference about the lack of water slide at his birthday. I mean...he is only two...his expectations are very low. We have several more birthday parties in years to come to possibly incorporate a water slide. Kirk had to bring out some good ol' logic to convince me that cancelling the water slide would be alright. 

Max opened his gifts from us first thing after waking up in the morning. I'm still questioning who was more excited about the present opening --- the birthday boy himself or his big sister. Spoiler alert: Lyla was the one bursting with excitement. Max received additional gifts from our family and friends. Olivia made him an awesome superhero blanket. He got a new Rockets hat, several toy cars, a giant batman, a bubble machine, and a sweet lego set. However, it was obvious that his most favorite gift came from his aunt and uncle --- a new bike! They even included a super tough looking helmet. Max is obsessed and has already tested out his new bike in the streets. It's a little bigger than the bike he was previously riding around, but I know it won't take him long to improve his skills and master this bike as well. 

We had cake and ice cream...duh. I only mention this because Max blew out his candles while we were still singing. He gets a free pass for being an inexperienced candle-blower-outer, but I still lit them again at the end of the song because I'm a freak like that. Then, I'm unsure if anyone else even realized what he was doing, but he started singing again to himself before blowing out the candles for the second time. I love his little singing voice. He is adorable. 

Overall, I think Max had a wonderful day, surrounded by so many people who love him. There was non-stop playing and adventure going on until 8:00 p.m. And when I finally put him down for bed, he fell asleep in under one minute. He was exhausted in the very best way. I stared at him for a few minutes to let it sink in that he really is two years old now. I simply can't believe it. I do my best to soak in every moment with my babies, their body language, facial expressions, the sweet sound of their voices, and touch of their skin --- but it all seems to happen too fast no matter how hard I try to slow things down. 

Maxwell, I am blessed beyond measure to have you. Thank you for choosing me to be your Mom. I love you!

Max is Two!

The past few months have been so busy that I hadn't given much thought to the fact that my baby boy was nearing his two year mark on this earth. Then we got settled in back at home after living in Idaho for several weeks and reality sank in. Holy crap! My little boy is turning two! I can still remember being in labor at the hospital and then it seems Lyla only turned two not very long ago. I honestly think I blinked once. 

Max is more in denial than myself. I told him repeatedly about his upcoming birthday and his only response to me was "NO." I kept explaining to him that I didn't want to admit it either, but the fact is it was going to happen no matter what. Then each time we would chat about his age he would hold up only one finger and tell me "ONE" with a very firm tone. It seems so opposite from my other child who is so eager to grow up. I'm having to pull one along while holding the other one back.  

Anyway, I committed to making these dorky lists until age two with each child. My brain likes to follow these types of patterns. Although I will continue to share Max's funny stories and achievements, this will be his last list on my blog because I decided awhile back that after age two the list trend becomes too redundant.

the skills & life experience of a two year old:

1. He rides a bicycle. What's up with that? I'm unsure how he even gained this skill because before we left for Idaho I was still hunched over pushing him down the street. Then we returned from our trip and he is peddling like a pro out of nowhere. It's impressive.

2. In addition to his bicycle skills, he is a maniac on the playground. He climbs ladders and maneuvers around equipment with such ease. I really don't know what is considered average for physical development at this age, but he seems really advanced to me. He has no fear and is willing to attempt anything. 

3. On the other hand, I wish I could say he is speaking in sentences, but he still isn't interested much in building his vocabulary. I'm not overly concerned about it because he is finally trying to sound out words. And I can understand a good portion of his jibberish language, so I know it will develop more with time. I think I'm just feeling anxious because once again, that first child was so eager to speak words. 

4. For example, he says the word "ham" and he elongates each letter as he pronounces it. It's adorable. Ham is his new favorite snack. He will munch on it throughout the day. He also enjoys string cheese, eggs, and yogurt --- but only from the tube, don't you dare try to feed it to him from a spoon. He will yell nonsense at you. 

5. His fruit intake is slowly increasing, with cantaloupe still being the lead contender. I buy cantaloupe several times a week because it's the only way to get some fruit in that tenacious little body. He occasionally chokes down apples, grapes, and bananas. Berries are a no go, even when they are mixed with ice cream. He knows what he likes....and it is not berries. Ha!

6. He has never had much of a focus when it comes to TV watching, which is totally fine. However, he has a sudden adoration for Blues Clues. It had to of been an instant attraction, because I swear he watched it one time and was hooked. The only other thing he tends to watch on TV is superheroes and that is usually accompanied with his Dad. Oh, and he likes Frozen...of course. 

7. His hair has required four hair cuts in his lifetime. I always visioned my son having a long shaggy look to him during his childhood, but turns out Max's hair is more fitting with a short crew-cut type hairstyle. I blame the Johnson gene for blessing him with that dang widows peak. He is cute regardless and each time he get his hair cut I seem to cry because it always makes him look so much older.

8. He sleeps in a toddler bed due to his successful attempts at climbing out of his crib. We decided this option is better than a broken limb and the transition was relatively easy. My only complaint is now he has the ability to exit his room at his own leisure. And, unlike his big sister, his escape is always very stealth and never dramatic. He sneaks up on me sometimes! 

9. He still prefers me to rock him to sleep --- for both naps and bedtime! It continues to get more awkward for both of us to get in comfortable positioning, but I will continue to snuggle on him for as long as he lets me. I have no shame in rocking a five year old to sleep, but we will have to wait and see if that feeling is mutual. 

10. He is a bit aggressive if he doesn't get his way. He provides a full performance in the foot stomping and fist swinging category. It's quite hilarious, but I have to stop myself from laughing at him sometimes. I have this strange, hopeful feeling that maybe we've already peaked with that behavior, but then I'm reminded that we are just barely entering the "terrible two" stage. Maxwell...let's be friends. 

I love you! 

This last photo is from when we took Max to see the Avengers movie last weekend. He was very captivated with the first few scenes, but slowly lost interest and we had to bail early to avoid the people behind us blowing spit balls our direction. Kirk jokingly called me an idiot for taking pictures inside a movie theater, but I don't care. Max looked too dang cute. And in my defense, I was  snapping photos only during the previews! I'm sure future Max would be very disappointed in the if I didn't document his first real movie theater experience....Geeeeez....JK. 

Spring, Where Are You?

I am so unimpressed with this cold weather that's been lingering around in Texas. I keep find myself complaining to Kirk that I don't think it got this cold the first year we moved here. He claims my body has likely adapt to the change in climate. I guess that's possible. I honestly don't think I would ever take my kids out of the house during the winter if we still lived in Idaho. It's hard enough now getting them all bundled up and secured in their car seats with all that extra gear, not to mention they find it amusing to remove their socks and shoes in the car. Ugh! So annoying! Haha. Although 40 degrees still isn't cold enough for snow, it sure feels like it. Perhaps it's the humidity that is giving it that extra brrr factor. 

I'll admit it. I'm a wimp now. There was once a time I thought 40 degrees was a heat wave, now when the temperature falls anywhere below 50 feel like I'm going to get frost bite. The struggle is the real deal. As a result of not getting to play outside, we've been doing a lot of this....

We are still avid Frozen fans in this house. However, I am trying to expand our Disney movie exposure. Mostly for my own sanity. Kids these days just don't appreciate the classics though! There have been several moments of me getting completely absorbed in some movie from my childhood, while the kids lose interest and start making messes elsewhere. Then I'm quickly brought back to reality when Lyla approaches with a guilty look on her face and says, "I'm really sorry, Mommy." 

'

My nap experiment I mentioned a couple weeks ago has concluded and Lyla's requirement to take a nap is being determined on a day to day basis. It all depends on her overall mood of the day. I think she is slowly transitioning out of naps completely, but she isn't quite there yet. The days she doesn't nap have allowed us to spend some quality time together in the afternoon, while little brother is snoozing away. Some of our activities include making play dough, baking muffins, doing hair & make up, and playing dress up. This is stuff that Max usually likes to be involved in as well, but it's much easier with only one child. More fun too...sorry, Max. He can be a destructive little feller. 

With all this time indoors, Max experienced a big victory this week. He used the big boy potty for this first time! It honestly was not my doing whatsoever and all the credit goes to Lyla. It isn't unusual for Max to strip down to bare booty or remove his own soiled diaper. It's his new(ish) thing. I continue to encourage him to use the potty, but he pretty much just looks at me like I'm crazy anytime I suggest he do so. Well, his bare little bum was running around one morning, when suddenly Lyla instructed him to sit on the potty. He obeyed her command. She then explained the steps to him in her cute little Lyla voice. I could tell she was growing impatient, as she bolted for the kitchen and came back with a sippy cup for Max. She continued to tell Max he needed to drink water so he could go potty. Once again, he obeyed her command. This was all very amusing to me. I pretty much just sat back and observed the whole process. Max ended up GOING POTTY and it was a celebration had by all. It did feel a little strange giving him praise since he did only manage to get out about a teaspoon of urine, but he was clearly trying to impress Lyla. And that is freaking adorable!

Memorable Moments

Love these guys so much! 

Lyla's first sleepover with her friend Jordyn!

Please excuse the laundry & potty in the background, he just looks too cute.

Lyla painted her nails with watercolors. Ha!

This is how most of my nights end. 

It's not unusual for Max's cheeks to be stuffed full, as they are here.

He set up his superheros on the stairs while watching Hulk on YouTube.

Kirk said he wanted a picture of three of his favorite things. Aww! 

Sunday Funnies

Story 1:

Lyla has officially reached the age where she cannot be trusted with a secret. Kirk's been drooling over a pair of new shoes for several weeks, but refused to pull the trigger and buy them for himself. So, I figured it was a good opportunity to surprise him for Valentine's Day. I was super excited, especially since it gets increasingly more difficult for us to surprise each other as time goes on. The shoes arrived during the afternoon while Kirk was at work and upon their arrival, I expressed my excitement to Lyla and Max. I took the shoes out of the box to admire them, then quickly stored them in the upstairs closet, eager for Valentine's Day to come. 

Well. Here comes the part when I learned my lesson. 

Kirk walked in the door from work and not even one minute later Lyla says, "Mom, let's give Dad his Nike shoes." I gave her the look of death and told her to be quiet, unsure if Kirk was even paying attention. She responds to my reaction with another honest remark of, "Oh never mind, Dad. I can't tell you, it's a secret. Sorry." By this point Kirk is listening, half chuckling and half confused. Then Lyla, very assertively, walks up to Kirk and tells him the new shoes are black like his shirt. Ugh! He obviously knew she was talking about the shoes he has been wanting after she made that last comment. There was no point trying to bounce back at that point and he ended up getting his gift two days early. I was slightly disappointed in Lyla's lack of ability to keep a secret, but it was mostly hilarious. I guess I didn't actually expect a three year old to keep a secret. It's just the first time she has truly sabotaged me, so I was a bit stunned.

Story 2:

I know a lot of parenting experts frown upon the use of reverse psychology. Apparently it's cruel to play mind games with your children. However, my own experiences are leading me to believe otherwise. Max is going through a phase of wanting to do everything on his own. He is becoming very self aware. He is a big boy and he can do it himself. As such, he will likely do the exact opposite of anything you ask him to do. This story happens to relate to his eating habits, which seem to be evolving. He continues to eat most foods, but his ability to focus is lacking. He is easily distracted and it takes him f.o.r.e.v.e.r  to eat a full meal. However, if you tell him not to eat, he gets great satisfaction in doing the opposite. The other night he ate seven pieces of broccoli during dinner. This all happened because we told him not to. He thought it was hilarious to disobey. The gene of rebellion lives on!!! The reverse psychology trick didn't work long for Lyla. I think it only took her one day to realize we were trying to outsmart her and she can't have any of that! Max is still young and naive, so it is working out quite well on him. I'm going to take advantage of this trick for as long as I can. If I pay for psychological damage later in life from tricking my child into eating vegetables, so be it.

Story 3:

As many people already know, Kirk has bestowed his love for Superheroes to his children. Lyla and Max can recognize all the characters and have all their names memorized. Kirk is a proud father. Ha! DC Comics is the favored series in our house, Flash in particular for Kirk.  I've banned the "boom" game in the past, which is just lingo for playing superheroes. We still read lots of books, have lots of action figures, own several items of clothing, and watch all the movies. However, Max is beginning to comprehend the rules better, so the real life game is slowly making a comeback. 

Anyway, Kirk owns a Flash t-shirt. It was a gift from the kiddos for Christmas. At the request of Lyla, Kirk wore this shirt three days in a row after work. Initially, he attempted to avoid wearing the same shirt multiple days in a row by claiming it was dirty. Lyla didn't see this as an issue. She dug through the dirty clothes to find the shirt and put it in the washer. She even started it herself, although I'm sure there was no soap. Then she promptly transferred it to the dryer when it finished. Needless to say, Kirk wore the shirt again. 

 

What I Wore Wednesday [on Monday]

Monday morning started out as pure torture. We were alerted first thing in the morning (6am) to Miss Lyla going totally ballistic. It appeared she was still in the fog from a nightmare, as she was mumbling something about misplacing a Barbie. It seemed totally ridiculous at the time, but who am I to minimize her fears. In her three year old mind losing a Barbie is a completely justifiable nightmare!! We finally calmed her down, but by that time her screams had echoed throughout the house and everyone was already very much awake. It was obvious that she still needed more sleep since she angrily told me, "you're not my best friend no more," after denying her request to have mac & cheese for breakfast. Then, just as Kirk left for work, the kids started clawing at each other's faces and I saw myself sitting on the edge of a very miserable Monday. There was way too many tears and not nearly enough coffee.

Generally I like to spend Monday at home to get all the laundry done and focus on any neglected housekeeping, but since we were off to such a pitiful start I had to change up our routine a bit. I decided  to get everyone ready and get away from the negative energy looming around the house. We spent an hour playing outside, soaking in some sunshine. It's always brings a smile to my face to see Lyla ride her bike. She is improving so much. We took the car to the car wash. The kids are always fully mesmerized by this experience, plus they think the car wash is the only place they can devour in peanut butter crackers. Somehow it's become a special car wash treat. We visited Kirk at work and brought him some lunch. We returned home with happier attitudes and hopefully a better forecast for the rest of our week.

For the record: Lyla's no nap experiment has been revoked until further notice. 

Also, as mentioned in a previous post, my sister in law requested my participation in this What I Wore Wednesday movement, buuuut I can't always commit to all three of us looking presentable on Wednesday. Sooo I'm breaking the rules and doing a What I Wore Monday. Deal with it. 

Lyla Estelle:
 Printed Peasant Top: TJ Maxx
Orange Ruffle Leggings: TJ Maxx
Pink Sparkle Flats: Ross (Wedding Shoes)

Maxwell Monte:
Blue Striped Top: Target
Lightweight Khaki Pants: Carters
Nike Free 5.0: Nike Outlet

Kaili Magdelina:

White Swoop Neck Tee: Target
True Religion Jeans: Nordstrom Rack [Circa 2009]

Grey Slip-On Suede Sneakers: American Eagle
Necklace: Lucky Brand

I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to choose outfits for the kiddos today without any toddler intervention or opinion. It's pretty rare for that to happen these days. However, they did choose their own shoe attire for the day.

My sister is super awesome and fashionable. You can check out her blog by clicking here --->
www.organizecleandecorate.com