A Sure Sign You Are A Kid

My poor kids have the worst looking legs right now. Sophia especially! She came in, this evening alone, with three new scrapes on her legs and feet. She can't heal from the previous one before she gets another. Can you guess which ones are hers?

Not a Good Day!

Today was just not good. Not good at all. All of my happy thoughts on motherhood flew out the window and I was back to being the witch again. Sophia pretty much summed it up at dinner tonight. "Mom, I just don't like to behave!"

I'm praying I'm just hormonal, because I physically feel sick. My emotions are raging and I feel like I'm about to have a heart attack. My 3 and 2 year old are in a "NO" phase with everything I say. They completely ignore me. And after being ignored all day and constantly exhausted by how much talking I have to do, it's no wonder I'm ready to give them away by 5:00. EVERYTHING is a battle. From picking up your shoes, to putting your own food in your mouth, to brushing teeth. I feel like I'm invisible most of the time.
I knew it was going to be a tough day when we set out to go get lunch and my wallet ends up missing. I couldn't find it anywhere. We were all starving, which means I've got three (but particularly one) really cranky kids. We drove to the pool to see if anyone had turned it in. No luck there. So when we finally pull back in the garage, Sophia starts in refusing to get out of the car unless I carry her. I was just not in the mood. I wanted to go in the house and get lunch going. She always picks the most inoportune time to be stubborn. She would not get out of the car, so I left her in there. Gabriela, Julianne, and I were about done with lunch, when Miguel walks in. I sent him out there to give her a pep talk, but she still wasn't budging. This is one of those moments, where I stop and think: if I go get her then she won and we'll have to keep repeating this senario, so I just hold my ground. She never came in, but fell asleep in her chair. I had Miguel go get her out and carry her to her bed and then she refused to take a nap!
:ater, Miguel thought it would be a good idea for me to take the younger two with me to the grocery store after I dropped Gabriela off at dance. I've gotten into couponing, which means I  need to concentrate a little more at the grocery store. The Smiths in Orem has these little kid sized grocery carts, so I thought that might make them behave a little more. I was WRONG! The entire shopping trip I talked more than I've ever talked in my life. It was like herding crazed pigs. They would run and smash into each other and I was deathly afraid they were going to run into the back of my feet with those things. They would just pull anything off the shelf and throw it in. Smack into the displays almost sending them toppling over. Oh and did I mention that Sophia is dressed up in a dance costume. Yeah I know, it just added to the spectacle. I could feel the steam coming out of my ears. But it gets better. You see at the check stand I had the girls pull their carts into the aisle and told them to start unloading them. I forgot something and ran to the aisle behind me to grab it and when I get back. Julianne is gone. My first thought was to send Sophia after her, thinking she was just on the next aisle over, but no Sophia disappears too...WITH MY PURSE! I wanted to sit down right there and have a good cry. Wave my white flag, surrender, and go home. Call in the reinforcements. Where is my ghost hitter? My relief pitcher? Why, why, why???
I told the cashier that I would love to pay, but I have to go and find my kids first. It took a good couple of minutes to track them down and wouldn't you know it, while I'm trying to pay, they vanish again. I needed some handcuffs and chain them to me. So I'm walking around the grocery store with all my bags in the shopping cart looking for them. I see them behind me barrelling around a corner and I flag Julianne down. I wanted to pinch their heads off. I grabbed on to Julianne's arm and held on for dear life. She wasn't getting away again. She screamed all the way throught the parking lot until I put (o.k. maybe threw) her in the van, scolding them to no end and telling them how mad I was. I probably could have thrown up I was that mad.

And then there's dinner time. Sophia thought she would dig her heels in again. Begging and pleading for me to feed her. This is what they are notorious for. When I'm at my whits end, and don't want to look at them, they want me to do everything for them and wont let Miguel do a dang thing. I begged Sophia to hurry up and finish. I already had her sisters in bed. Once she finished, she then wanted a cookie like everybody else had. She eats it at turtle pace and meanders outside (I go and drag her inside after already telling her no) and then she goes and gets on the couch and stares out he window. Did I mention that I've asked her to go to the bathroom to get her teeth brushed like a thousand times already. I have to make her go in there and then she folds her arms and locks her mouth shut and then covers her mouth, all because she doesn't like the kind of toothpaste I put on her brush. I just said fine, you'll go to bed without having them brushed. I guess you can get holes in your teeth. I put her in bed and shut the door. Of course she comes out crying because she wants them brushed now. I brush her teeth, put her in bed and then look down. What do I see? OH, just my wallet lying on the floor empty! I think I'm going to kill someone. I proclaim, "Kids, You need a break from me and I most certainly need a break from you. Hopefully tomorrow will be better. Good Night."

Like I said, it just wasn't a good day. I can't wait for them to go grocery shopping with their kids someday. I'm going to come to just spy on them. That will be sweet revenge!

UPDATE: After I posted this, I went back to the store for some more shopping and when I went to check out. I pull out my wallet and I have no money! My girls took out all my money and credit cards from my wallet. I had to leave my stuff, drive home, and then go back to get it. It was like the knock out punch of the night! Those girls are going to get a talkin' to in the morning.

Snipets

This is what you get at 5:00 when you've been at the swimming pool for the last three hours. Sophia went and got her blankets for her and was tending to her baby sister until she passed out on the couch. Her parents, however, wanted to keep her awake long enough to eat dinner and then get her tucked in her bed for the night. There was no way we could have kept her up any longer. Bless her heart.

And on another note, this sunset yesterday night was amazing! I just couldn't get enough of it as I sat on my front steps watching the girls milk the last few minutes of daylight before coming in for the night. Oh, and the moon has been spectacular too!

Summer Fun

I love summer. I love my kids even more. I love dusk. It seems we all get a second wind at dusk. My kids have been going to bed LATE. But they've also been sleeping in which is SO NICE! We've been bike riding, running through sprinklers, putting the bubble machine to good use, and just takin' in easy!

I feel really blessed that I get to stay home with these kids. As we were riding our bikes from the school after voting, my heart was flooded with thankfullness that I get to witness these little girls grow up. I've been there for it all and am so glad I haven't had to miss a thing. Nobody knows these babies like I do. It may just about break me on some days, but I wouldn't miss being here for anything. No worldly luxuries could make me want to miss them growing up. Just feeling really blessed I guess.  Speaking about dusk, something overcomes my kids and they feel the need to strip to their underwear. It has happened on several occasions. I guess they feel free and uninhibited without clothes and their smiles couldn't get any bigger. Poor Julianne, she's desperate to discard whatever she can and she usually ditches her diaper if she can't get her shirt off. Luckily I got a semi discrete picture of her hiding behind the garden. Yep, she's fully naked behind there.

Swim Lessons

Wow! So we did our first ever swim lessons. Today was day two, and my kids LOVE IT!!! Sophia was a little hesitant yesterday and said she didn't want to do it as we were driving there, but oh boy, her tune changed once she saw the pool. I know for a fact, that she was the first one to get in the water in her class. I only wished it was a little more advanced, because she floats on her back in the bathtub, if you know what I'm saying. But hey, it is just a fun time for them to be in the water, and I don't have to be in a swimsuit. Her little buddy there is Brenna, and we ended up taking lessons at the same time as all the kids in our babysitting group. So it's fun for all!

Gabriela loves it a lot too. Her teacher told her to get her hair wet (meaning stick your head under water), yet she found a better way to do it.  But her teacher caught on to her shenanegans and told her to put her face in.  They then played a game where there was a fish in the middle and they had to swim out of the hoola hoop. Gabriela chose to be a star fish. How fitting. The only problem we have is that it is never long enough. And once again, Julianne has to be the bystander and watch her sisters have all the fun. Her times a comin' though.

Summer Jobs

Well, we really wanted the girls to start pulling there weight around here, so I made them a chore chart (I've tried this a billion times before), but I've put a new spin on it. You see, during Gabriela's kindergarten assesment, the teacher informed me that she didn't know her coins very well. She would be right. I haven't gone over that with the kids, so I decided to kill two birds with one stone. I made a chart with 10 small circles (dime sized) and drew a big picture of a dollar at the top. Each time they do a chore or help out they get a dime to tape to one of their circles. 10 dimes = one dollar. Brillant!!! Well the girls earned two dimes each today by helping us with these family tasks.   It started out innocently and then led to this!

  All the while, Gabriela sat on top of a dirt pile digging holes. So we had her catch up by shucking corn and putting dishes away. Maybe this time our charts will work (crossing my fingers and holding my breath!)

Vacation (Part I): Orange County

My girls are in love with their cousins. They talk about them all the time. They pray for them, declare them as their best friends, and love nothing more than to see them. When we realized that the pass that would take us to Yosemite would not be open when we left, I seriously concidered canceling the trip because I did not want to make a 15 hour drive to go camping. Then I had the idea to stop at Miguel's sister's house for a day or two to break up the trip and let the girls see their cousins. That sold me right there. The girls were ecstatic! It's actually a pretty neat thing we have in our family. We had a double wedding with his sister and both of us have three girls. Our two middle children are only twelve days apart. So it makes all the more fun.

Raquel, Gabriela, Sophia, Elena, Julianne, and baby Grace

We decided to hit the beach and we all drove out to Newport Beach on Memorial Day. It was a little crazy getting there and parking, but once on the beach we didn't have a problem. Actually we did have a little problem. There were NO BATHROOMS! Sophia had to go, and bless her heart, she wouldn't get in the water, so we had to strap a diaper on her, which she refused to use. That's why she's wearing the towel. She naked underneath.

I just can't get enough of this sweet kid. Her cheeks are absolutely edible. The beach was actually really cold and super windy. I would have enjoyed myself a lot more if I had brought my sweatshirt along with me.

Miguel tried to catch up on some reading and while doing so, Sophia ran off down the beach and by the time we started looking for her, she was already a footballs length away running full speed ahead. I had to run to catch up with her and lucky for me she fell down, so I had time to catch up. It seemed like she was always coming back from somewhere.

My kids love their uncle Mike. He's a real go getter and is full of energy and fun. He's not afraid to get right in there with the kids. He went to the dollar store and loaded the kids with all kinds of stuff for the beach, he build them a pit to shelter them from the wind (which they never used), helped them build a gigantic sand island complete with it's own lagoon, and even took Sophia out wave hopping. Like I said, he's awesome! By the end, my kids were asking for everything, second helpings of food, drinks, and so forth. The whole drive to Yosemite Gabriela kept asking, "when we are done camping, we are going back to Raquel's house, right?" We just can't wait for these guys to move back in two doors down. It will be a glorious day! We miss you guys!On our second day in Orange County, we met up with some our neighbors and fellow camping buddies, the Nielsons, and hit the Orange County Zoo. It is a small zoo that has animals that are native to that region, i.e. black bears, cougars, bobcats, coyotes. It was the perfect size for the kids. They got to pet all of these goats, but Julianne has a fear of animals lately, so she had to be carried.

We then took the train around the park and the kids loved it. It was a great day for all.

More thoughts on the Retreat!

If you are waiting for Vacation (Part I), well you'll have to wait a little longer. I just wanted to jot down some of my thoughts a week out from the retreat, now that I've had some time to reflect. One of the most powerful moments I had, was when I realized that my children are not going to look back and know that their mother loved them by the fancy car that she drove (I don't drive a fancy car), or the perfectly accessorized wardrobe she had, or the six pack abs she had going on. Nope! That's not how I knew my mother loved me. It was her availability, her hugs, her listening ear, her spending time with me. So why should I be stressing out about all of that stuff. It doesn't make me a better mom. (Well a new pair of shoes might make me feel better, and then I'm in a better mood, and I can deal with my kids a little longer), but in the long run it won't make me any happier than I am today. It was a powerful moment and I could feel the stress melt away. Thanks Allyson!

I also learned a lot about giving my children ownership. Ownership of everything really. I've been a little stressed about trying to get my kids to do chores and how to do rewards and such. This was a great topic and I've already used some of the ideas I got. For example, yesterday the girls room looked like I bomb had went off. I really wanted them to feel some responsibility for it and didn't want to just clean it up for them. So one of the ideas I got was to write down the specific chores on pieces of paper, like put movies away, pick up Legos, help Mom with the clothes, etc.  I then layed them face down on the floor and let them choose four. Out of those four, they could put one back, and well that was what Julianne got. I still had to stay on them to keep them on task, but overall, I didn't get much complaining, and the "I can't do it"s this time. It was GREAT! and they got their jobs done.

I learned a lot about organization and have implemented Mind Organization for Moms. My head is so clear now! I know what to do next and feel on top of things instead of behind them. That's worth a million bucks in and of itself. Check it out here.

In short, I feel at peace in what I'm doing as a mom. It really is the most important job out there. Mothering is a career and should be treated as one. We have to be deliberate these days in order to create the kind of family we desire. I often see pictures of an older more established couple surrounded by their children and then their grandchildren and think to myself, "Yes, that's what I want someday!" I want a close knit family that is bonded by traditions and love and memories. I can't just wish for that...I've got to make it happen. It's exciting. It's challenging. It's often times difficult. But it's all worth it!

Vacation (Part II): Yosemite National Park

Yosemite is beautiful! we got there Wed. afternoon after a six hour drive from southern California and were ready to get going. On Thursday, we hiked to Nevada falls. My little girls do not do well on hikes. Gabriela usually is the worst about it, but she was actually great. I think she was the first one out of the group to make it to the falls. Sophia however wanted to be in the backpack and Julianne wanted to walk. That's a problem because Julianne gets too busy doing this, that she forgets to walk.

We all finally made it.

After reaching the falls, we stopped for lunch, and ate on these massive boulders. If your kids like to climb rocks...then this is the place for you. They are everywhere and are humongous.

Have you ever seen a tree sitting on his bum?

On Thursday, we hiked to Yosemite Falls. This is the tallest waterfall in the U.S. and the fifth in the world.

More rock climbing.

I told you they were big!When you got to the base of the falls, it's like being stuck in a rain storm. The air is completely full of mist. Sophia loved it and kept wanting to run across the bridge. Julianne didn't know what to think. And as for Gabriela, well, she made it across and didn't look back.

Miguel turned into a mountain man on the trip. He grew a nice prickly beard. We even got to see some of his wisdom manifest itself in those grey hairs. 

 

It was picnic lunches every day. Here are all of our lovely neighbors and friends.

On Saturday, we biked up to Mirror Lake and the kids had a chance to get wet. They loved it and it was one of my favorite moments of the whole trip. They were kids just getting to be kids. It was timeless.

I tried to get a family pictures, but Julianne would not cooperate, as you can see.

My kids' personalities really came out when it came to the freezing water. Sophia is my adventerous one and she would get nervous and think it was cold, but she pushed through for the chance to play. She was jumping off rocks and was really brave. Gabriela is more cautious and does it more out of peer pressure than her own benefit. She doesn't want to be left out. All of the kids had made it out to this log, as seen above, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it and was really nervous. With a little coaxing, we managed to convince her to do it for a picture. She made it out there, got up on on the log, and took the picture. However, when she tried to get down, she slipped and fell completely under the water. She came up spattering and screaming, declaring that she almost drowned. I tried to play it up like, "way to go, that was awesome! Give me a high five!" We stripped her down and all of the other kiddos and put them in the sun to dry out. It was really fun.

We visited Bridalveil falls and it was an experience to be had. The waterfall was so full it was flooding the river and all of the sidewalks. You had to walk in water up to your ankles and fast moving to get to the base. It was raining down on us and there were multiple rainbows as you looked up at the falls. I have another picture that I'll have to post later. Sophis, once again, thought it was awesome.

On our way home from Glacier Point and Bridalveil Falls, we stopped to turn in the girls Junior Ranger papers. The Ranger was great in making them feel special. They sat up on the big desk, said a pledge, signed their names into a large record book, and then he made the entire visiors center give them a round of applause. Sophia was really embarrassed, but they were really proud of themselves.

P.S.: my kids are totally mismatched, becaue I ran out of clothes by the end of the trip. They are wearing whatever was left in their bags and wasn't soaking wet from earlier in the day.

We had a lot of fun, but would reccomend this trip for school aged kids. It's a lot of hiking and biking, and unless you really love to tote your kids on your back, carry them in your arms, or push them on their bikes, it's better to wait till they are older.