Chit-Chat with Ben + Claire

Me: Do you want to take a bath?
C: Yeah, but a short bath. Not a long bath.
Me: Why not a long bath?
C: Because my fingers will get lines on them.

-----------------

B: [Sigh] OH. That guy is smoking.
Me: Where? In that truck?
B: Yeah. But it's okay, because he's a grandpa.

-----------------

C: Um, hey Mommy. When I'm four, I can, um... drive the car.
Me: Silence {and big eye emoji}

Algae Pools + Tough Month Ahead

We were so spoiled in IL with the posh pool life. We paid a hefty tax bill for great schools and a killer water park just 3 miles from home, but dang, was it nice.

Our closest pool (outside of condominium complexes or gyms) is 12 miles away. That's a 24-mile round trip to let Benjamin work his mad skillz in the water! And... they don't have memberships. It's pay-per-use. I'm considering making very good friends with someone in that HOA facility I run by at night. Because I never see anyone in that pool and it's so stinking close to home.

We went to one public pool and Benjamin killed it with the double flume slides. The kid is a maniac. So much, that the second pool we went to, the lifeguard yelled at us (among other reasons), for Benjamin being "too wild" in the pool. She said he needed to be in the shallow end if he was going to act crazy. And then we got yelled at for like 3 other things at different times and I about asked for my money back.

So we went back to pool #1. The double flume. It's in a totally sketch area of Reno, attached to this questionable middle school and behind one of the county libraries that is the size of a modular classroom (low taxes affect everything, it turns out). The first time we pulled up, the school alarm was blaring because God knows why, and no one seemed to be alarmed (see what I did there? Hardy Har Har). It's only open from 1-4pm, so the kids were warned that we would be spending a lot of time there because we were paying and skipped Claire's nap for this.

We stayed an hour. The kids got their fill apparently, but I obliged because I noticed this slimy green algae lining the entire pool interior. And of course, Claire pooped in her swim diaper. Thank God for these reusables for the environment and my pocketbook, dude, but tossing those Little Swimmers is way the heck easier to clean when the kid has el accidente. I told her she could have a Starburst today if she just told me before she pooped so I didn't have to clean her butt today. She pooped three times. None of which earned her a Starburst. Don't sign us up for the potty training bus yet. I'll pass.

sludge pool. be warned.

As we exited, I brought the POOL SLUDGE to the manager's attention who explained to me that while they chlorinate everyday and "regularly" clean, the "dead algae" just returns because they never have a chance to drain the pool, even in winter. I threw up some big eyes right then, because all places that experience winter weather, drain their pools. The reason they don't? Vandalism. So I left, vowing that pool was forever off the list and made sure to scrub the kiddies down well with soap after that incident (and well, Claire needed it anyway, because, code brown). One lady I met there with her kids (who randomly approached me to show me a HUGE splinter under her nail) told me about some of the casino pools and how it's possible I can just walk in and that she's never had a problem. So that's how things are done in Reno! Hah. I guess people just keep their swimming to the Truckee River, which is spectacular in every way, honestly. And free.

Hello Truckee River. Fresh Tahoe water... ahhhh.

Switching gears, the house update. It's exhausting, honestly. We have an offer we've accepted and it's a good one. And we're happy for the most part. About as happy as two people can be who are paying basically two mortgages, two times utilities, a lawn service and still without any of their actual furniture in their empty rental (paying top dollar for) in Reno. We knew this was the option we'd choose in order to stay together, but moving and selling a house, in particular, is pricey. And so is the list of inspection not-so-related expensive garage doors they want us to provide. But that's neither here nor there. It's just, we're feeling stretched thin and also in the process of buying a new car because moving requires new tags and our almost 15 year old car is on its last leg and very well will fail their emissions test anyway. And that cursed premium gas is going to do us in with this 40+ mile commute and my 24-mile round trip adventures to find another, hopefully algae-free pool.

It's a car we're really excited about and one that is very popular in Northern Nevada (seriously, ever other car), Oregon, Colorado, Washington, Northern California, Maine and some of the upper Eastern states. Any guesses? But new cars also come with a heavy price tag and of course the costs are feeling extra heavy these days.

We'll get through it, but as super sensible people who really thrive on saving money, it pains us to see the money we're spending and will continue to spend until our house closes at the end of next month.

Tomorrow though, you'll find us back hiking trails and engaging in a nature program along with lunch out in the Galena Creek Regional Park, because if there is one thing Reno has that totally trumps anything our high-tax state of Illinois didn't, it's free and plentiful nature escapes in real woods with real trails and real elevation gain into the {real, not trash hill} mountains. Benjamin has placed his request for a hike with a stream. It's the real deal so, challenge accepted.

Double Difficult

Thank goodness we don't live in an apartment or condo with shared walls. I'm not sure how our wall-sharing neighbors would handle all. the. screaming. Whether it's from my kids (90%) or me at them (10%), there seems to be always someone yelling lately.

I totally regret the 10%, but sometimes it's just all I can handle and I blow my top. It's mostly to get the noise, their noise, to stop immediately. But ironically, raising my voice is the very thing that puts the icing on the headache cupcake.

Benjamin, as most of my readers know, has always been difficult. Since he was around two, he's been more than spirited. Explosive. I feel like I've written about this before. They have the book, The Spirited Child. And Love and Logic is great, for the more rational child. But what we needed was the extreme, The Explosive Child to really fully understand how he ticks. I need to go back and read that book again. Clearly I'm rusty. It's not pretty most of the time, but we have managed to (mostly) keep the insanity at bay if we can calm ourselves enough to remember the principles outlined in the book. But like today, I just had no patience for that.

Claire has learned all of her brother's nasty ways and immediately resorts to, "I will kick the wall. I will spit on you" when she isn't getting her way. But still, she appears to have some remorse eventually for her actions.

Benjamin asked me if I was drinking a beer with dinner tonight because of Claire's poor behavior (to his credit, her behavior was worse than his today). The answer was no, but it sort of morphed into yes as the night progressed.

Bedtime was early tonight, because Dad's out of town and moving is stressful and the kids have no toys (and those are really all just excuses).

Four and two. Phew. Some days I'm thrilled because they can be playmates, but just flip the coin and they can be absolute terrors to one another without either of them having a reasoning bone in their bodies. It takes a lot out of a mama.

I for sure threatened the babysitter card tonight.

Piñata Creating. Mayo es, ¿verdad?

So I'm a little late.

The day before Cinco de Mayo, I saw a picture of a friend making a pinata with her daughter and it occurred to me that we didn't have a thing to do that afternoon. Paper mache is easy to manage and the kids would love it. I texted my neighbor for her leftover newspaper (she receives, we don't) and grabbed those up before mixing up a batch of flour and water for the afternoon indoor fun activity (since it appears it may never get warm in the Midwest ever).

Jumped on the bandwagon and the kids mostly enjoyed he process. Claire wasn't a fan of the mess (though typically she's ALL GOOD with coloring herself in full arm sleeve tattoos with marker). Benjamin kinda took the bull by the horns and jumped right in. I ended up finishing it, like almost all projects, because attention span was lacking after 30+ minutes. I'd say Benjamin tackled 60% of the paper mache solo, so I consider it a success.

It wasn't dry in time for a Cinco de Mayo celebration smash, so we had it laying on the deck in the sunshine to bake for some days. And finally, on May 16th, we decorated with pieces of colorful tissue paper and the hot glue gun. I stuck some twine in the sides and we popped popcorn on the stove to add to the inside as confetti/treat. The kids stuffed it before we hung it. Benjamin received some fairly negative marks from his teacher via email that day, so there was no chance I was putting anything sugary in there.

I hung it from a tree in the backyard and Benjamin took some major whacks to it and eventually we gave up on our incredibly sturdy construction and dumped the popcorn in bags and snacked away.

Sometimes it really is all about the process, as the product lay there, somewhat forgotten for ten days before we picked it back up and continued on (when I was just ready to send it out for trash pickup instead). Believe it or not, the breaking was rather anticlimactic.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that every single Easter while growing up, my adorable husband and his equally adorable family would make these very same balloon pinatas and break them open as an Easter celebration activity with the cousins. The tradition lives on.

Day in Pictures: Monday, April 11

6:00 Claire is up awfully early today, which is even worse when I couldn't get to sleep last night. Go in and tuck her again, hoping she's back to sleep soon.

6:45 She's up for good. Snuggle in bed, get gym clothes on and get Claire dressed for the day.

7:15 Benjamin's curtain is open, as I can see light under the door. Walk in, snuggles with him. Dress him while distracted with tickles because otherwise he would wear his Mickey superhero shirt or his creepy shirt and I would really like him to have a little variety so it looks like I actually buy him clothes.

7:25 Downstairs and Claire's crying over something. Get cinnamon toast started while B makes a "creation" out of the Hi-Ho-Cherry-O (butter + Vietnamese cinnamon I bought at a spice shop in Lincoln Park). Make smoothie (spinach, ice, apple, almond milk, banana). I hated the combo. Drank a cup despite hating it because I hate wasting food. Kids manage to eat at some point.

8:00 Teeth brushed, shoes on, jackets, on. Buckled in the car and off to the dropoff line at the Early Childhood Center B attends.

(I know about the jacket. It's SO rare, I promise. Not that it's an acceptable excuse, but we live .6 miles from school.)

8:15 Drive over to the YMCA and drop Claire in the kidcare. Run a quick treadmill 4 miles up tempo, practicing speedwork with inclines. Just bought a running watch to start running outside more since we're canceling our gym membership next month to save cash and because warmer weather means outdoor pool and outdoor running! Awkwardly avoid eye contact with one of Benjamin's former preschool classmate's mom as I walk by to grab the cleaner to wipe off my treadmill. She's nice, but she was running hard and I was in a hurry. And also, they go to different preschools now, so it's basically like the bloods and crips.

 9:15 Shower, blowdry my hair, apply makeup and make myself presentable. Listen to the senior women talk about how the maintenance workers aren't mopping properly and "sloshing" the lockers with the cleaner. They told the front desk people about the negligence, don't worry. I was worried.

Try to calm down about how much you love my gym "shower" shoes.

10:30 I was the Mystery Reader for B's class this morning. I brought 4 options and ended up reading In My Heart and Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus. B thinks that book is hilarious. Sister was stoked to come sit with brother in his class. The feeling was mutual.

Signing in (with official sticker with my face and labeled, "mystery reader" even.) You can tell she is thrilled.

She knows the way. It's the very last classroom in the school and she hasn't forgotten. #stoked

11:00 Finally leave B's school with two kids who wanted to sit and play in the lobby forever. Head to a store to buy something they were out of and let the kids walk through the toy aisle for a few minutes. Ended up buying a roll of washi tape and also lost my children for a solid three minutes. I guess at least they were together. Found them near the fresh flowers where there was a woman keeping them captive. (They would be in a cart but they fight over who gets to sit in the top part, so we had to walk.)

12:00 Home for lunch. They had PB/cream cheese sandwiches and for dessert, Lucky Charms marshmallow treat we made yesterday (because leftover cereal from St. Patty's and surplus of marshmallows).

The moment you realize your husband stole the last of the takeout pizza from last night.

"Mom, it's warm outside. Let's go lay out there and eat our lunch."

1

2:50 Brush Claire's teeth and upstairs to sing "How I Wonder What You Are" and kisses before nap. Kids kiss through railing. 

1:00 Claire is yelling about being cold because she intentionally removes her blankets so I have to come in there and cover her back up. Sly. Cover her back up and head downstairs where B is yelling my name because there's a big mess Claire created that he doesn't want to clean up. He writes his name twice on the whiteboard easel for me entirely unassisted (requirement) and then selects The Cat in the Hat old school DVD from the library to watch. We love us some Dr. Seuss.

1:15 I do the dishes, remove stinking gym clothes from bag and realize I left my makeup bag at the YMCA. Call YMCA and have them hold at the front desk for me. Also, jot down a quick meal plan for the week on a piece of mail form the Art Institute. Because not a gym day, tomorrow's look for storytime: hobo.

2:45 Hear Claire kicking the crib rails, signaling all free time is up and nap is officially over. She woke cranky. Super. I set up some puzzles for them to run and grab mixed pieces and place. It worked well until Benjamin started shoving. And then tears. Eventually the puzzles were completed.

3:30 Outside to pull some weeds, tend to a smidge of yard work and chalk art with the kiddos. Still in jackets and not quite park all afternoon sort of weather at upper 40s.

She reaches the pedals fully now. When did that happen? 

 5:00 Back inside and reading Highlights High Five Magazines and then time to think about dinner because Claire has already grabbed a string cheese and opened it at this point. Kids have PB & cream cheese sandwiches (same as lunch, their choice) and string cheese. B finishes quick (rare) and chooses an ice cream bar for dessert (I bought for myself and hate. Anyone else love pawning off crappy treats on their kids instead?). Claire never finishes but manages to eat some of my dinner later.

5:30 Call my mom while prepping dinner and kids are eating. Used mandoline to make french fries and whipped up a quick chili on the stove. Chili fries for dinner.

7:00 Upstairs for bath. B flips out because he has a real fear now that all his bath toys will get sucked down the drain. His face is almost in tears every night as we try to explain that the plug prevents them from going down, and that they are all too big anyway. Still emotional.

7:30 Pajamas on and requesting rocketships from Dad and then a book in B's bed.

7:45 Prayers and kisses and bedtime for Benjamin as Claire hops in my bed. I close/lock his door first and then take Claire in her bed, as they both insist Mom does the final goodnight. Bedtime for the littlest immediately follows and finally... rest.

Claire at 24 Months

...er, 26 months. How's that for being prompt?

You know those kids (ME), who always received the classic, "pleasure to have in class" on their report card? Well she's that kid (too). Her dad was also that kid, so we're at least relieved to have one of our kids following our lead.

She and Benjamin just may be polar opposites, but they love each other and I'm not just saying that. Really, they kinda have some deep attachment I'm not sure I expected from kids who couldn't be more different. Naptime just doesn't happen unless she has brother to sing her a few songs and give her and hug and kiss first.

Her first words when she wakes up in the morning usually revolve around other people or caring for them. "Buh Buh sleeping?" "Babies over dare." "Mommy happy?" "I kiss-uh you."

Kind of an emotional basketcase sometimes because she is so concerned about the happiness of her people, but such an unexpected and needed balance for our family. She has more love in her body than most people. It's her God gift.

She can count to 12 and say her HIJ's (not ABC's, hah) and sings a multitude of songs. She has vocabulary for days and is ridiculously articulate, but she can't tell one color from the next to save her life. Really, either she's colorblind (plausible but doubtful), or she simply doesn't care. Animals are also either bunnies or dogs, no matter what. Though, I did hear her mention a bear recently. Am I failing my children by not placing more emphasis on learning animal sounds? Because being in storytime tells me she should definitely know useless things like cows going "moo" and chickens going "cluck" (which is not what they sound like to me).

She repeats what you say and studies your every move. Thank goodness she's still rear facing (B wasn't at her age but she's my baby........) because she'd know the moment I popped a chocolate bar into my mouth since she is perceptive as can be.

She has no real desire to watch TV and only entertains books but she's turning a corner on her intrigue, it seems. She's just starting to take interest, but we're not sure if she's bringing us books because she thinks we like them, or because she has genuine interest in reading the contents. Losing interest in a story is pretty quick, except if it's a potty book. Lest you assume we have some potty training savant on our hands, she happily still poops in her diaper and replies "I do not" when we ask if she has a diaper that needs changing.

See that photobomber on the right? Coincidentally walking out of TJ's when we were (and I was being a mamarazzi) was the nurse who I saw during all of my pregnancies. She has talked me down from some tough stuff, that woman. Kinda special because Claire was a tough pregnancy and now she's two and dang. We are so happy we have her.

She's the ultimate helper. She wants to carry bags at the grocery store for me, help me brush my teeth and manage going down stairs on her own. She wants to be competitive and go first and copies brother's language of teasing and competition. "I want to talk!" "It's my castle, my castle!" "My help you." "No, my first!" She has her own style and is particular about selecting out clothes and pajamas, but is easier swayed than her brother, at least at this age. She's learned a bit quicker by studying his wise guy moves.

Claire is the kind of kid you know is just going to handle life well. The hardest thing about being her parent is worrying about how the world is going to disappoint her. She's just an all-in kind of kid who wants to be valued and loved and involved. She makes friends wherever she goes but is quick to make sure Mom or Dad (or Buh Buh) are close by for a quick check-in.

Favorites List (at 2 Years):

Food: Yogurt, Cream Cheese, Meatballs, Fruit

Treat: Marshmallows, Lollipops

Breakfast: Waffles, Yogurt with Cheerios inside (easier to eat with a spoon and less runny)

Lunch/Dinner: Peanut butter sandwich, mac n' cheese, meatballs, chicken nuggets

Songs: Row Your Boat, How I Wonder What You Are (Twinkle Star)

Colors: Colors? Yeah, she doesn't know those yet

Clothes: Anything with Hearts. "Zips with pockets" (hoodies). Cupcake pants.

Game: Hide and Seek, Chase
Activities: Whatever her brother is doing, people involved games/play, mothering her babies, puzzles

Obsessions: Talking (really, nonstop!), Eating, Stickers, Baby Dolls

Books: Ham (Green Eggs and Ham), any color book, any potty book, train books

Movies: Not much into the screen, but does know who Elmo is and also Elsa and Anna. She also knows "Poppins" and other characters and songs from shows her brother likes.
TV Shows: (see movies)
Toys: Those $3.50 baby dolls from Target (best!), Melissa & Doug Puzzles, Magnatiles, Target baby stroller, Scuttlebug Ride-On Toy 

Restaurant: Happy to eat anywhere. :)
Dessert Place: Dunkin' Donuts (which she can spot and call "donuts" when driving by)
Words/Sayings: "I do not like the ham!" (mimicing Dr. Seuss), "Mommy Happy?" Repeating all things and giving a play-by-play of what is happening: "Buh Buh School", "Mama brush teeth?" "Daddy sleeping?"
Dislikes: Doctors, strangers, animals attempting to approach her, people dressed in animal costumes, disappointing her people, being told no (tears ensue), baby wipes

Claire's a petite little chicken (my nickname for her, among others) that is growing her hair ever-so-slowly but won't entertain a bow on her head like ever. My feminist roots kinda celebrate that. She's 30th percentile-ish, just continuing the trend of my lightweight little ones and still a wee bit short to reach those pedals perfectly on that Radio Flyer tricycle we scored free from our neighborhood friends. I presume she'll be riding a bike before her brother at this rate, which is kind of great because he needs that boost of jealousy to get him into gear. They offer a great balance for each other and for us as parents.

She's the cautious kid and will shriek at the top of her little lungs if a moving creature approaches her (even a turtle). Dogs both intrigue her and scare the daylights out of her. She tolerates the pool while her brother will jump in the deep end just to see if you're paying attention.

The way she's nurturing and caring for her people makes us believe she might make a perfect nurse. She might be a lefty and her utter disregard for colors is comical as she can tell me details about how to do laundry using correct vocabulary, but the blue shirts from the red shirts are totally lost on her.

We're enrolling her in 2yo preschool just two days a week starting in August. It's the same program Benjamin attended and I think she'll just love it. From there, she's really the kid you can throw in any educational environment and she'll adapt and thrive based on her interest to please and keeping the standards she has set for herself intrinsically. She's Type-A for sure, a pleaser and a rule follower. Benjamin is a Type-B rebel who follows no rules. But somehow, she's softening him up and bringing a little healthy competition to the table.

I remember vividly telling the OB 26 months + 1 week ago to just get her here alive. I didn't care how, but I needed her here and alive. We're pretty dang lucky to have her to complete our family of five. <3 p="">

Dual Pool Party Bash Celebrating Two and Four

I didn't actually think about their birthdays being back-to-back months as something awesome. But when they are young, it turns out you can take advantage of a dual birthday party. Pay one fee. All the friends are the same anyway (at this age) and you only have to plan one party.

It was pretty sweet. I sent out an Evite, paid the YMCA $185 for 1hr of pool rental with 1 lifeguard, locker room + 1 hour in the party room with friends for dinner and cake. They supplied pizza for 12 kids (which is apparently FIVE large Domino's Pizzas and Honest Juice boxes, a tablecloth, napkins, plates, and a party host to setup, help, and clean up). We added in two more Costco pizzas (totally unnecessary given how much they supplied) and a Costco sheetcake, bringing the grand total to like $225.

And bonus, we had 2/3 of a large cake left and a whole Costco pizza, which then became our #fatkid indulgences for the rest of the week.

I bought some party favors as well along with pool toys, so the price was probably closer to $250. I threw a bunch of little birthday squirt toys in the pool and each one had an attending child's name on it, along with some filler shapes and things. I also bought some (really lame) bird dive toys that just ended up being the things the adults had to retrieve when the whole thing was over.

I try to only include the very most flattering photos of myself. 

The favor for each kid was a Buzz Lightyear bag filled with 2 markers and some individually packaged Crayola Model Magic I found on Amazon. I used the same party favors for his school gift to classmates, as special desserts aren't an option. I'm kind of obsessed with the stuff. Like kinetic sand, I might like it more than my kids. Good thing, because we have like 50 of those little packages left!

Benjamin and Claire wanted to place the candles on their cake themselves, so I just let them. I didn't anticipate them wanting to put on all the candles in the package, but hey. It was their party and it made them happy. Same cake, but Claire put on her 2 and Benjamin put on his 4. I bought a cool Buzz Lightyear and rocket candle at the Wilton tent sale last summer and then promptly dropped and broke Buzz's head off when I got home. I melted him back on and he was back in business.

Decorations were just some Mickey Mouse Clubhouse hanging party streamers above the kid's table that were leftovers from our California celebration with family. Throwing a party somewhere other than your home is brilliant because cleanup and planning is a snap. Noted for all years to come.

B and C have birthday heads that hang from the mantle all month + birthday countdowns! 

On Benjamin's actual birthday, I decorated his doorway with streamers and stuffed a bunch of balloons in his room after he fell asleep. Instead of excitement when he woke up, he was matter-of-fact about telling me there were a bunch of balloons in his room, complete with a confused look on his face. We had cinnamon rolls with 4 candles for breakfast, followed by a day of bday crowning and favor giving at school and an afternoon at a local ball factory/play zone where we went down tall slides and shot foam balls from cannons for about 2.5 hours. We completed the evening with dinner out at Noodles and Company, per the birthday boy's request.

Three birthdays in three months is no joke. And that, my friends, concludes birthday season. 

$10 IKEA Art Transformed

I'm a sucker for the As-Is section at IKEA. I see low tags and great potential. Sometimes it totally pays off, like when we scored that single panel Werna curtain for our bedroom re-do for $10 instead of having to buy the pair at $50. Or the castle tent (BEBOELIG) for $10 from being a floor model. Or the toddler bed (with mattress) that was also a floor model for $60 out the door. Or even the kid's kitchen that retails for $80 that we bought for $30.

We kinda sorta love scoring deals. But you guys knew that. It's just plain fun. 

This was one of the flops though. I saw potential, but this art piece sat in the basement closet for years. In an effort to declutter and sell a bunch of stuff (which was a success!), I uncovered this old piece of framed art. The goal was to take out the old art and replace it. The frame alone was totally worth $10, being quite large. I didn't want the art, though I have nothing personally against seeing the female anatomy. I just don't really want this woman hanging on our walls. 

Benjamin's been begging for projects lately, and I'm trying to use this enthusiasm from my typically art-hating kid to cultivate some learning experiences around here. Plus, it makes for a more exciting week when the kids are engaged and not tearing up the house for no good reason. Winter, hurry the heck up and turn into spring already. 

Before and after of the naked lady transformation right here and now. (Which was super fun googling to find the image because I forgot to take a "before" picture, but then it occurred to me to just look on the back of the frame for the correct IKEA name to put into the google searchbar. Um, right.)

The picture is raised, but stuck to the matting. The white matting is just stapled on the back, so really it's a frame without the backing... not as valuable of a frame. Claire and I picked up two bottles of cheap acrylic paint at Michael's for $.79 each when we went to score that grab bag a couple weeks ago. I chose teal and she chose a wine color. We had the mustard color from a year ago when Benjamin was Daniel Tiger for Halloween and I made him a DT watch to match his outfit.

We have (what seems like an endless supply of) a collection of cheap dollar store painter's tape that I don't recommend ever using to paint a room. Frog tape ALL the way and worth the cost. But for art projects? Yeah, sure. Super easy to peel off because they barely stick anyway. I painted two layers of white acrylic paint over the lovely lady and her black background and then taped away, intentionally creating a heart because I'm always thinking of Andrew and hearts make me think of how much I love him and simultaneously how much I love his brother and sister. The heart was also strategic to cover up the actual heart (and um, breasts) of the former art behind it. My next step was using plastic wrap to cover the matting because I didn't want that ruined during the kid painting session.

We started out organized and while I knew they would probably mix paint, I didn't realize it would become a goal. Dip one, two, three and then paint the art. Okay. So kids always find a way to make it more interesting. I helped a little, but mostly just participating and not trying to improve. B spent the majority of time on the heart and I spent time focusing on mustard because they didn't use much for some reason. 

We replaced some art in our formal living room (turned bounce house/playroom) after selling the furniture in there (should be a post in itself, stay tuned!) to make it a more purposeful and fun space for the kiddos. We even took the mountain goat art from our entryway and shifted art a bit elsewhere to make the spaces work better. 

bounce house deflated, but not the action this room gets... anymore! Boring to BOMB.

Claire is Two!

Our sweet little chicken (nickname because, short, erratic hair) is now officially 2.

This absolutely delightful little miss has changed our lives in so many ways. When brother is high strung, she is calming. When things are hard, she hugs harder. When something exciting is happening, she's laughing and smiling from ear to ear. She eats actual food. Gasp. She senses our needs and is full of love and comfort. She's the best at hide and seek, has herself a mean sweet tooth and knocks out fine motor activities like a boss. She loves to be with her people, no matter what we are doing.

She cuddles up to her brother, even when he's pushing her away. She calms him like no one else can.

She can count to 11 all on her own, knows the entire ABC song and is ridiculously adorable singing the ending part.

She still sleeps in a crib because she loves the security and comfort, but it's probably her mom's decision most because I don't feel like locking another kid in their room at night. She naps, but can skip that nap and rally like a champ. She doesn't want to miss life.

Baby dolls are her favorite. She totes around a small baby and a Mickey Mouse stuffed animal most places and defends them with intense screaming.

She hugs with her entire body. Her very favorite word is "hugs" and when she says it, she usually fully envelops her body within your arms and must have her head rested on yours with her hands tucked inward.

She's terrified of all characters, both real and fiction, despite having been to both Disneyworld and Disneyland in her first 24 months of life. Strangers take a bit to warm up to, as she reminded her doctor this morning for her perfect 26th percentile checkup. "All done." "No more doctors." "Doctor ouchie." "Mama hug." That intense grip she had on my arm at the doctor this morning is similar to the grip she had on her Gawbee and Grandpa when meeting Minnie, Mickey and the princesses at Disney last week.

She loves the gym daycare dropoff, children's museum and only tolerates our interest to water exposure about 2-3x each week. And baths are just the worst thing about bedtime for her.

She's just the most wonderful last child we could've ever imagined. Smart, considerate, loving, fun. The insanity of her high risk pregnancy was worth every single bit to have her here with us, enriching our lives.

Chit Chatty

I generally do my grocery shopping during weekday mornings when Benjamin is at school for a few reasons: 1. one fewer child, 2. grocery stores and Target are the only places open at 8:30 a.m. and we're already in the car and 3. somewhere to go! Claire particularly loves the car carts or even better, the mini ones she can ram into other unsuspecting shoppers' shins.

Leaving the first (of two) grocery stores this morning, one guy commented how Claire was "speaking a language only a mother could understand." And I suppose because I definitely understood her rattling off all the items in our cart that he was correct. But, I'd give her more credit than that. She's bold with speech. She talks a lot and has quite the impressive vocabulary.

Benjamin is at the nonstop talking and question-asking stage. If I dare talk to Elliot when he gets home from work, Benjamin will become frustrated and then say, "Mom, you're not letting me talk!" Our adult conversation time happens between the hours of 8-10 p.m. and that is all.

Claire is following suit and is definitely yapping all the livelong day. It's adorable and sort of exhausting, but I encourage those little dendrites in formation and talk to her all day. Poor husband doesn't get much conversation at night because I'm so tired from talking all day. Conversations about toys and books and not throwing food on the floor for the 683rd time, but still talking.

I don't recall Benjamin talking all day at her age. I know his speech was fine, but she's particularly chatty in comparison. I attribute much of that to having a big brother and listening to the sophisticated (for her age) conversation that takes place between us. I try not to dumb-down language, but it's so darn difficult when she refers to all treats as "paw-coles." And so I sometimes use that adorable language because she's my last baby and I can if I want to, okay?

She's also privy to knowing wonderful words like booger, of which she pronounces incredibly well. And then laughs. And if you're really lucky enough to have your face within reach, locates one and goes in for the dig. Thanks, Benjamin.

Empathy Brownie

Claire typically has storytime at our local library Wednesday mornings while Benjamin is in school. The session just ended, so I invited over a mom who lives in my neighborhood for a playdate this morning.

Just as she was leaving and I was grabbing my things for preschool pickup, the phone rang. The school nurse called to inform me Benjamin had fallen and scraped his forehead, been cleaned up, given a bandage and an ice pack. Paperwork was added to his backpack about his fall and signs to look for in case of a concussion.

As he walked out of the school, I could tell he wasn't himself. He definitely had a goose egg and a scratch along with that bandage and ice pack. His backpack had the routine paperwork. We go to the park in front of his school every single day after school. Today, he said he wanted to go home. He reluctantly allowed Claire a few minutes of swing time and we were off. He didn't appear to have a concussion and no spoilers here (he didn't!). I assume he was both feeling a headache from his small head injury and also in an uncomfortable funk because he just hurt himself for the first time without Mommy present, had another (likely stranger) adult console him and another stranger (nurse) caring for him. He also probably felt embarrassed for having hurt himself at all and needing this attention.

Instead of going home so early, I figured we'd head to one of our favorite pizza places for a few slices. They love this place, especially because they have lollipops for the kids that they always choose as a treat when the meal is over.

We ordered and sat outside like we always do. Claire began to throw a fit. She was crawling on the table and screaming. And at that point, the wind was so strong that it was blowing our cups down. I schlepped our pizza and cups and napkins and stuff and two kids inside the restaurant and plopped down in a booth. Phew.

Claire continues the battle with no end. She's pulling me this way and that, grabbing at things, knocking down other things and insisting we move tables again. I helped her carry over her slice of pizza to another table and put it down. Then she promptly swoops it up and chucks it on the floor, face down, obviously. Luckily the cheese wasn't super melty, as it had plenty of time to cool off and coagulate at this point. It remained fully intact and the seemingly clean floor showed no signs of the fall.

I try to maintain some peace while tables of other patrons are eating their lunches, assuming they might get a break from the noise of the day. It wasn't so. I threw up the white flag and started grabbing our things, stacking our pizza for a quick exit, throwing away our full water cups, putting back condiments, stuffing excess stuff into the crevices of my purse and schlepping kids outside.

Another mom with her two kids stops me and hands me something (I had seen her purchasing at the counter). It was wrapped in a bag and she said, "You're doing great. I know those days. This is for you."

She handed me an empathy brownie.

And so we went home with a screaming baby who continued to tantrum for another half hour and throw food all over the (home) kitchen multiple times. And what happened to that pizza that landed face down? I peeled off and discarded the cheese (that touched the ground) that revealed the (untouched and buried) sausage and saucy crust of which I cut it into tiny pieces and fed to that angry baby. It's cleaner than the majority of the world has for lunch, I guess. #judgeme #goahead

Terrible twos, we welcome you again. Please be kind.

The Swimming Hole

The kids are pretty fond of the water. Benjamin much more than Claire, but both are decent fans of the pool. (But don't make sister take a bath. THE WRATH!) We've had a pool membership three years now and absolutely love it. This particular "pool" is actually a small waterpark with four waterslides, one small waterslide, a sand area, splash pad area, kiddie pool, swim lanes, zero-depth main pool and a smaller pool. There are free floats to use for the kids and passholders have additional perks.

I never have my phone on me to take photos at the pool (because water), but my mom shot these when she was in town last month.

A little extra mom love and some Claire bubble blowing action

It's all fun and games until there are swim lessons. Benjamin had two weeks of them (at the pool we go to), totaling 8 days. He reluctantly participated three days, happily participated three days, and refused the final two days. Of course, that meant his behavior chart (grumble, it's a must...) had a couple sad faces for those days and no treats following meals or any screen time. He'd gleefully tell his swim teacher, "I will see you tomorrow!!!" and then completely refuse the pool the next morning. There's no predicting his crazy.

As soon as the swim lessons ended, he practically sprinted into the pool and jumped into the deep end like it was HIS JOB. After sitting in the stroller, dry and bored and pouty for the previous 40 minutes.

As long as no one is forcing him, he's on board. The moment it becomes a requirement, he's backing out. Ah, the life of a mom with a stubborn fish. At least it's not because he's not afraid of the water and only because he's a total punk.

Insert exhausted mom emoji here. And maybe the beer one, too. But not the fish one. That's just cruel.