Pitter Patter

Staley never gets out of bed at night.  Ever.  When she was just 2 and transitioned to her "big girl bed", we told her not to get out of bed...and she didn't...and she doesn't.  When we tuck her in at night, she stays there.  If she needs something in the night (which rarely happens anymore), she calls for us.  When she wakes up in the morning, she takes her time getting up, and sometimes will still call for us to let us know she's awake.

Adelie, on the other hand, enjoys the freedom that her big girl bed affords.  She always appears at our bedside when she wakes up in the morning, or shows up downstairs when her nap is done.  After we've tucked the girls in at night, it's not uncommon for us to hear the pitter patter of little feet above our heads.  Adelie will occasionally come downstairs to check in with us, but more often, we'll hear little footsteps for a minute and then all is quiet again.  We've often wondered what she's doing up there, but since it's generally brief and everything remains quiet, we've never felt it necessary to go up and check.

Tonight, out of the blue, Adelie told me, "Sometimes when I'm sleeping, I get out of my bed and go over to Staley's bed to cover her up."

Now when I hear that little pitter patter of feet above my head at night, it will just warm my heart and make me smile.

The Other Side

I find that I often blog about the wild, mischievous, active, crazy side of my middle child, because, let's face it, it's a big part of who she is.  And her shenanigans do make for some amusing blog posts.  But there are many other sides to Adelie, and I think it's important to focus on those to.  It's important to remember that Adelie is...

...a great sharer, often willingly sharing her most favorite toys with her siblings and friends

...a generous giver, happily giving special things that she has found or made to others

...affectionate, giving big hugs freely to anyone who asks.  I love how she wraps her little, wiry legs around me when I pick her up.  And how she cuddles on my lap and sits so still when I read her books.

...an enthusiastic participant, often getting as excited about Staley's grand ideas as Staley is

...a sincere compliment giver, never missing an opportunity to build someone up with a sincere compliment.  This morning as I was getting ready for church, Adelie exclaimed, "Wow, Mommy!  You are the fanciest girl in the whole world."  (Although, to be fair, she also honestly shares her not-so-favorable opinions freely as well.)

...a selfless cheerleader, giving sincere praise when Staley wins at a game or when Briggs masters a new skill, even when that means she loses the game or the focus is on someone else.

...confident, jumping right in and keeping up with the older kids at family gatherings, Story Hour, kid's choir, or Shining Stars

...social, never having any qualms about talking to people or making new friends, whether they are her age, big kids, or adults.  She was happily taking turns making pipe cleaner creations with the man sitting behind us at Staley's pre-school graduation while waiting for the program to begin.

...brave, never backing down from a challenge or avoiding trying something new.  (Sometimes I wish she was a little less brave, but I remind myself that her courage and belief in herself are traits that will take her far in life.)

...independent, always wanting to do things for herself.  She also plays very nicely on her own, happily getting lost in her own little world and not needing me to entertain her.

...funny.  She's just really, truly, honestly funny.

Yes, my little Adelie is a wild child.  But she is so much more than that.  And I love all the little things that make her who she is.

Really???

A little taste of a day in the life with Adelie:

When I was getting out of the shower this morning, Adelie came into the bathroom crying and told me that she hurt her belly.  I asked her how she got hurt.  Her response?  "I was jumping from the step stool onto Staley's bed and I missed."  Really???

Today at breakfast, I noticed Adelie tipping her half-full glass of milk up to her ear.  When I told her to put it down, she replied, "But this is my phone and I'm still talking."  Really???

After breakfast when Adelie was supposed to be bringing her dishes to the counter, I noticed her bowl on the floor with a little milk and cereal spilling out of it.  I asked what happened.  She told me, "My bowl was kind of heavy so I just threw it on the floor."  Really????

When we came in from playing outside to eat lunch today, I saw Adelie spitting.  When asked about it, Adelie informed me, "I was licking the dirt on my leg, but it was gross, so I spit it out on the floor."  Really????

Today after naps, we were all playing in the living room.  Suddenly, Adelie said, "Briggs bit my toe."  When I asked why he had bitten her toe, she replied, "Because I put my foot on his face."  Really???

At dinner tonight, Adelie took a bite out of her napkin.  When Zach asked her why she did that, Adelie responded, "To see if mom gets angry if I eat my napkin."  Really???

After dinner tonight, Adelie informed me, "It has to be bath night tonight.  I have corn stuff all over my legs."  Really???

There is never a dull moment with this one, but I sure do love her.

Really!!!

Good-Bye, Pre-school

First day of 4 year old pre-school

August 2015

Last day of 4 year old pre-school

May 2016

My baby girl is officially done with pre-school and on her way to Kindergarten!  How did this happen?  And why does she insist on growing up so quickly??  Staley loved everything about pre-school this year at First Federated Church.  She loved her teachers.  She loved her friends.  She loved recess and lunch time and music with Mr. Russ and the crafts and the learning.  And she especially loved spending two days each week with Lila.  I am so sad the girls won't have that regular time together next year.

The pre-school graduates

The girls celebrated the end of pre-school with their spring program and a little pre-school graduation.  I did not get Staley flowers or balloons or gifts to celebrate her graduation. (Really, people???  It's pre-school graduation.)  However, she did get a snazzy certificate AND a cookie with lemonade.  So winner, winner!

Performing in the spring program

Staley with her teachers Miss Nikki and Mrs. Lytle

Good-bye, Pre-school.

Hello, Kindergarten!!

 

Family

Zach and I are so lucky to have been raised in loving homes.  We are so lucky that the love and support from our families remains just as strong today.  And we are so, so lucky that our parents and siblings live close so that we can enjoy time with them on a regular basis. 

I love that our kids consider their cousins some of their closest friends.  And with beautiful spring weather, Mother's Day, and lots of spring birthdays in the family, we have had lots of family time in the past month.

Farm Park fun with Lila

Going to the zoo with Liam (and Caroline)

Matching hats

Matching dresses

Playing with Elliott outside after church is a weekly highlight

A little girl's time at the Mother-Daughter dinner

April birthdays

More April birthdays

May birthdays

Hooray for family!!

Validation

I had a garage sale on Friday and Saturday this week.  While I set up and manned the sale, Zach was in charge of the kids.  Now Zach is a very hands-on dad and jumps right in when he is home from work and on the week-ends.  He'll have the kids for part of a day or an evening on his own and always enjoys his time with them.  But by lunchtime on Saturday, he said, "Can we please switch?  I'll man your sale if you will do lunch and naps.  I don't know if I can handle much more."  Jokingly, he added, "You don't know how exhausting having all 3 kids on your own for a whole day can be."

I smiled a little as I got the kids fed (while simultaneously cleaning up the mess they had made in the kitchen that morning, picking up the house, and starting some laundry) and put them down for naps.  Because although I know my husband appreciates all I do, seeing him worn down and begging for a little reprieve gave me more validation than a sincere "thank you" ever could.

Just Walk Already!

Briggs CAN walk.  He'll stand up in the middle of a room and walk to a piece of furniture.  He's taken 7, 8, 9, even 10 consecutive steps to get somewhere.  But does he want to walk?  Not so much.  He only walks on his terms.  Otherwise, he's crawling.  Normally, I'm not opposed to crawling.  But it's spring.  Which means we spend lots of time outside.  Which means Briggs is wearing out the knees of his pants, getting grass stains, getting his hands filthy (and then sticking them in his mouth, of course), and making me avoid putting him in shorts so he doesn't scrape up his knees.  He's crawling in the yard.  He's crawling in the driveway.  He's crawling in the garage and at the park and on the sidewalk.  And all I really want is for him to just walk already.