Big Boy Bed

A couple of weeks ago, we took the sides off of Barrett's crib and converted it to a toddler bed.  The first week or so, it was like he didn't even realize he could get out of bed.  He didn't fight us at all when we laid him down, and he definitely did not get up at night.  After all, who wouldn't want to sleep in this cozy bed?

Then, he started showing resistance to actually going to bed.  I held the door closed and got him to stay there, and he fell right asleep.  It required a little stamina and a lot of patience, but we made it.  Then we went to the lake this weekend, and he and Audrey were sleeping in the same room on bunk beds.  The first two nights went fine, but the third night, he was up half the night.  He would not stay in bed.  Finally, I shut him in the room with Audrey and let him yell for about 5 minutes.  He locked himself in the room in the process, so I didn't have to worry about him getting out. 

The first night home after the trip to the lake, he was up 3 separate times.  Once he actually walked in our room and woke me up by touching my face.  That was creepy.  The past two nights, I've had to resort to more desperate measures.  I couldn't get him to stay in his room when I put him down last night, and since Billy is gone, I couldn't stand there and hold the door for 20 minutes. I needed to get Audrey to bed.  So, I found a ribbon and tied his door knob to that of the guest bedroom.  When we moved in, I wondered why the doors were angled like they are; now I am thankful for it. 

I was pretty proud of myself, but I can't take credit for the idea.  We used to tie my brother's door to the bathroom door with a jump rope when I was a kid to keep him in his room.  After about 30 minutes, Barrett had quieted down, so I went in to check on him, but couldn't open the door.  Barrett had taken everything off of his bed...a blanket, a quilt, a pillow, 3 lovies, and 6 stuffed animals...piled them behind the door, and fallen on top of the pile.  I had to inch the door open while I moved things out of the way.  After putting him to bed, I went back to my bedroom chuckling to myself and got the best sleep I've had in 4 days. 

When I woke up this morning, I took a shower, got my makeup on, and started to go down to walk the dogs.  When I left my bedroom, I noticed Audrey's door was open, which is odd.  It is usually closed.  I looked in to make sure everything was ok, and this is what I found.

 

I guess he just got spoiled sleeping in the same room as his sister when we were at the lake. The cutest part of the picture is that Barrett is using Audrey's stuffed animal that fell out of her bed as a pillow.  So, tonight, the ribbon will remain on Barrett's door.  Let's hope Barrett moves past this phase quickly!

Turning 2

Barrett is entering the terrible twos, and I must say, we are off to a rough start.  For the second time in as many weeks, Billy departed for a week-long trip to New York.  Two weeks ago when he left, I got a call at 9 am from daycare informing me that they thought Barrett had pinkeye, and I needed to come pick him up.  At the doctor, we found out he had an accompanying ear infection.

Billy found out about his trip this week at the end of last week.  Since it was Barrett's birthday, we decided to get moving early and eat out for breakfast as a family.  After that, I dropped the kids off at school.  We made it until 9:30 before I got the call from daycare today. Yesterday, we noticed he had some bumps around his mouth, but thought it was from all of the sunscreen or some of the food he ate this weekend at the Lake that he doesn't normally have.  However, daycare noticed bumps on his hands too.  You've got it, hand foot and mouth disease. Really it's a contagious virus, and it goes away on its own; so I am not sure why it's called a disease. Nonetheless, that's what he's got. Poor kid! He didn't even get to eat the cupcakes we took to school. 

So, after spending the day at home with momma, we went to get some ice cream after dinner.  We drove through and brought it home to eat so as not to spread the nasty germs.  Despite not feeling well, Barrett enjoyed his treat. It's amazing how quickly he can get ice cream all over his face.  Happy 2nd Birthday Bubby!

All About Audrey

A post about good ol' Audrey is well overdue.  I try to do one around her birthday to recap her interests, quirks, and fun memories.  Sadly, I have fallen pretty far behind on that task.  So, here it is...a post all about Audrey!

Playin' Hooky
 On Audrey's birthday, Billy and I had planned to take off at noon and make an afternoon of Audrey centric activities for her birthday.  Unfortunately, we were dealing with tornado sirens and downpours all day, so that didn't happen.  That is why today, we both took the morning off to take her to the zoo.  The hilarious thing is her predictability.  I made one of her favorite breakfasts...homemade banana nut muffins.  Then, we went to the zoo.  The first thing she asked to do was get her face painted, so we indulged her.  After the zoo, we gave Audrey a choice of lunch, and she chose Bread Co.  Then we came home, planted flowers, did some puzzles, and played Scrabble.  Is she her mother's daughter or what? 

Dancing Queen



Audrey still loves her dance class.  She plans to be a ballerina when she grows up, and she knows she has to practice a lot to make that happen.  Billy and I, of course, will support her in whatever she wants to do.  But, let's face it...she is 5!  So, for now, she goes to her one class a week for tap and ballet.  This past weekend, she had her first dance performance on a stage.  The small children have choreography they do, but it is very much what you would expect from a preschool class.  It was fun to watch Audrey perform, and believe me, she loved being on stage.  More than that, however, she loved watching the older girls dance.  She really truly loves watching the artistry and strength of the "big girls."  So, even if she doesn't become a professional dancer, I have no doubt in my mind Audrey will always appreciate and enjoy quality dance performances. 

 



Ice Queen

 

 Does anyone want to venture a guess as to what Audrey's favorite movie, song, and Disney princess are currently?  If you guessed Frozen, Let it Go, and Queen Elsa, you are correct!  Audrey sings the songs from Frozen constantly.  Barrett is even starting to learn the words because she sings it so much.  In addition, she likes to fashion a purple superhero cape into the train of her princess gown so she can look like Queen Elsa.  Did I mention the tiara shaped headband?  If you've ever seen Frozen, you are aware that the hit song Let It Go is sung by Queen Elsa whilst she walks up a snow covered mountain.  While we don't have any mountains here in St. Louis, we do have a park across the street with a climbing wall formed from plastic that leads to the top of the jungle gym.  To Audrey, that is a snow covered mountain.  So, when we go to the park, she takes her train and tiara, stands at the top of the "mountain" and belts out songs from Frozen at the top of her lungs.  Fortunately, every other girl under the age of 10 is also obsessed with the movie and its songs, so no one finds this behavior the least bit unusual.  

Monkey Girl
I don't want to mislead people into thinking that Audrey pretends to be in Frozen 100% of the time.  There are times, about 50% of the time to be exact, that she partakes in other activities.  One of them is climbing like a monkey at the park.  She also likes doing flips on the rings.  It amazes me how strong she is getting!

Creepy Crawlies
Audrey has always been one to want to care for animals, not harm them.  Even some bugs catch her interest.  She will pick them up and call them her pets.  Please note that she still will not touch a worm.  Her favorite bugs are rollie pollie bugs and caterpillars.  Last weekend, she found a dead rollie pollie bug, and when she showed it to me, I saw it was clearly dead.  So, she asked if we could give it a funeral.  In proper fashion, we took it outside, and put it to rest under a landscaping rock.  Audrey also said a prayer for it. 

Baby Girl
Audrey's favorite toy, despite the Frozen obsession, is still her Bitty Baby.  Bitty Baby goes many places with us.  She went to Bloomington to Laurenn's graduation; she went to the zoo today.  She also goes to the lake, sometimes to the store, and to Sunday school.  Audrey loves taking care of Bitty Baby, but she also loves taking care of her brother.  I frequently find myself telling her, "Barrett is his own person, just like you.  You need to let him make his own choices."  He is at an age where he doesn't let her push him around and becomes very vocal when he wants to be left alone.  She has the best intentions (most of the time), but she is a big sis.   And telling little brothers what to do is what big sisters do. 

 

In closing, I must say that Audrey is becoming such a young lady.  She is sensitive and caring, while strong-willed and determined at the same time.  She wants to do what is right and becomes extremely upset when she realizes her poor choice caused harm to someone else.  For instance, when she got impatient last weekend and smashed my finger in the drawer, she started bawling and apologizing profusely as soon as she saw I was bleeding, and it took her longer to calm herself down than it did for me to get a band aid on my wound! 

 

This Thursday, she has her preschool graduation at Downtown Children's Center (DCC).  While she'll finish out the summer there, it will be a big milestone for our little girl.  Next step, kindergarten.  I have no doubt she's  going to do great.  DCC has done a great job of preparing her.  Still, it is hard to believe my little girl is so grown up. 

 

 

While I was writing this post, Audrey was napping.  When I went to get her, this is what she looked like.  I had to add it to the post.  Even though she is getting older, she still looks absolutely precious when she's sleeping.

 



 

Beauty Shop

I have a routine in the morning when I get ready.  Doing my hair is one of the easiest parts. I wash it, dry it with a round brush, and I am done.  It is super easy, and I love that. After years of practice, I have it down to a fine art.  When Barrett wakes up early, he comes in the bathroom with me and plays while I dry my hair.  Evidently, he has picked up on my habits. Too bad I just had his hair cut yesterday, because it is way to short for the round brush!  I wish the photo was better, but Barrett was moving the brush and dryer so much it was hard to capture.

  

Happy Mother's Day!

Growing up, I always loved my mom and my grandmas, my aunts, and all of the other strong women in my life.  I "knew" that motherhood wasn't easy.  I respected the choice that mothers made to put the needs and welfare of their children before their own.  However, until I became a mother, I didn't really understand.  I love my children dearly and wouldn't give them up for anything.  The way they smile at me and call me mama makes my heart melt.  But, that doesn't erase the days when, before lunch, I've had to clean baby poop that was smeared all over the carpet, clean up broken glass, and got my finger smashed in a drawer all as a result of said precious children (true story...all events transpired this weekend).  In those moments, I am admittedly jealous of my friends who on the same morning slept past 8, got in a good workout, and went to buy a birthday card for a friend (which they subsequently mailed).  I can't tell you the last time I actually remembered to mail a card I bought for someone's birthday! 

In those moments of chaos and frustration, it give me a much deeper appreciation for everything that the mother's in my life go through (or went through) every day.  Mother's give up so much financially, physically, and emotionally to raise children.  That is why today, on Mother's Day, I wanted to take a moment to honor the important mother's that are a part of my life. 

For my mom: Thank you for teaching me to be independent, even thought I know that was harder on you.  I love you and am so thankful that you are always there when I need you.

 

For my mother-in-law:  You raised such a wonderfully intelligent and caring son.  Thank you for equipping him with everything he needed to grow into the man I love. 

To all of the other amazing Mother's in my life:  What you have done and continue to do for your children is noticed, it is important, and it is appreciated!

Some weekends you sit around and look for things to do.  Other weekends, Sunday comes and you can't wait for your head to hit the pillow because it's been nonstop all weekend.  This weekend was the latter for us.  We had a Derby de Mayo party yesterday with the Phi Mu crew.  Then, today, we went to the Spirit of St. Louis air show after church.  Despite everything going on, Audrey and Barrett did pretty well.  Honestly, they surprised me by how well they did with all of the excitement.  Here is a quick rundown of some of the events and my observations.

• Audrey and Barrett won the best dressed couple competition at the Derby party yesterday.  I couldn't get them to pose together, but I have separate shots of them with the trophy.

 

 

• Barrett can sleep anywhere.  Last night, he was getting sleepy, so Billy laid him on Mandi and Jeremie's queen sized bed, which was right next to the kitchen were people were congregating.  He didn't make a peep.  I think next weekend we're going to try out the toddler bed for our little man.
• Barrett can sleep through anything.  He made it until 3:30 today without a nap.  As the Blue Angels started their show, I rocked him to sleep and then laid him in the wagon.  After 2 passes with full afterburners on (I don't exactly know what that means, but I can tell you it is really loud), Barrett didn't move a bit.  Our friends' little girl covered her ears; no one could believe Barrett didn't wake up. 

 

•  Audrey could watch Frozen 24 hours a day and not get tired of it.  She watched it at the party last night, and didn't move from the couch while it was on.  Even more surprisingly, she stayed up until 10:30 when we left and didn't whine the whole time, even though she was clearly very tired.
• If Audrey stopped watching Frozen, it would be to sing the songs.  Every time we go to the playground, she stands at the top of it and belts out one of the songs from the movie at the top of her lungs.  She has a superhero cape that she calls a princess cape.  She insists on wearing it any time we are at the playground.  At first, I tried to get her to stop singing if other people were over there, but the funny thing is, the other kids just join right in.  They all know the Frozen songs, and they all sing them incessantly. 

• Audrey thought the Blue Angels were really cool.  Even the acrobatic planes didn't impress her that much, but as soon as the Blue Angels did their first pass in the F-18s, she was laughing and smiling. 

 

• Both of my kids love the Waterway car wash.  We are part of their clean car club, which is a membership so that you get free washes.  As such, we are there at least once a week.  The kids walk in like they own the place, go straight to the sticker bin by the checkout, and then sit on the same bench and watch. 

 

 

Bowling...with a Ball!

Last weekend, Audrey went to a birthday part for a friend from her class.  It was a bowling party.  She had never been bowling before, in an actual bowling ally with an actual ball and actual pins.  When we were getting ready to go, I told her we were going to go bowling, and we needed to take socks with us.  Then, I started to explain how it worked, and she promptly informed me that she knows how to bowl, because she does it on the Xbox (Kinect). 

When we got to the party, she was a little taken aback, because this wasn't exactly like playing the Kinect bowling in our living room. I had to explain why she had to change her shoes.  Then, when she went to pick a ball, you would have thought she was picking out her wedding dress; she had to pick them up and look at them, and then find the perfect color.  Granted, the bright coral one she picked was really easy to pick out of the pack. 

When she finally got to bowl, they had the bumpers on, which I fully expected.  However, I was surprised to see a metal ramp that the children could use to get the balls going.  Once Audrey got the hang of it, she was actually really good.  She even started running up to the ramp to get more force behind the ball when she pushed it. She got 4 spares over the course of the day.  Unfortunately, the way preschoolers take turns usually means they aren't going on their own turn, so we don't have an actual score to share.  I was proud of her though. Just to give some perspective, I only saw one other child there get a spare and one that got a strike.  

I have always been a big proponent of playing actual games and not video games, but in this case, the video game actually helped.  I didn't have to explain the rules or the purpose of the game, and Audrey did really well.  She tried a few times to bowl "granny style," but wasn't as successful.  Still, she managed to get the ball down to the end and knock down some pins in the process.  She also seemed to have a lot of fun.  As much as she liked it though, it hasn't topped her love of dancing.  When I asked if she wants to quit dance class and take up bowling, she responded with a wrinkled nose and a firm "No."