Santa Scamper 2010

... or "Santa's Camper" in Lucia's words. Which sounds a little less appealing to me. :) But there we were again tonight, all bundled up (considering it was 19 degrees outside when we left the house at 5:15 p.m.) and ready to brave the cold. The girls enjoyed the "scamper" along College Ave downtown Appleton, and then seeing parts of the parade at the end (which we had to leave early for bedtime purposes). Lucia really enjoyed seeing her friend Kirsten too, whose family tradition we've joined the past two years now. I think it's quickly becoming one of ours too. :)


Papa and Rhea watching the parade.
And the family picture.

And here is the beginning of Lucia's Advent calendar for this year. I decided I wanted to make calendars I can reuse every year and looked around online for some inspiration. I ended up using only the dowel rod with hooks idea that I saw somewhere and went with my own concept for the rest of it. I'm not done (thinking about adding animals/shepherds... we'll see), but perhaps not before Dec. 1, or maybe not even this year. I'm making an identical one for Rhea, though it's not as far along since I'm not filling one for her this year yet

The Beginning of Winter

The high temperature today was 28 degrees Fahrenheit. Yes, the HIGH. So I thought that merited a post. Fall is officially over, and winter is here. The beginning of rain and snow, as well as a long case of the stir-crazies, I'm sure.

A few days ago Rhea was examining the rain drops on her window. Whenever she sees wetness outside, she says "ehgeh" for Regen (rain).And Loxley by the fire. I'm sure he'll spend lots of warm and cozy hours in the living room this winter.

Sunday afternoon after the girls woke up from their naps, we had popcorn time by the fire. Little ways to celebrate being a family, being home and enjoying each other make life so special. :)

T

Why Is the Sky Blue?

... so I always thought this question ("Why is the sky blue?") was figurative. Figurative for the many questions toddlers and preschoolers ask their parents, expecting them to always have the answers omniscient parents should. Also figurative for the response tired parents give to their preschoolers and elementary aged children when they've heard the 257th question of the day and don't want to think hard about what the answer might be and how to phrase it in such a way that their little one can grasp it. Or at least be satisfied with it. :)
But I hadn't quite anticipated being asked that very question, word for word. "Mama, why is the sky blue?" And I especially hadn't expected that it would come completely out of context, on a day when we hadn't spent any considerable time outside at all, when the sky was completely overcast and rainy, and when my daughter was sitting INSIDE, on the Starbucks (ahem, yes) toilet, gazing up at the painted ceiling. "Mama, why is the sky blue?" I had to grin inside, thought for a minute (trying to remember the answer that I had potentially read in some parenting magazine article or book - I mean, what other question would they use as the example question for constant spouts of inquisitiveness?), and then I stammered something about the atmosphere that is around the earth that we live on, and how it looks blue when we look up into it because of the sunlight. Uuuh, I still don't know if that's the correct answer, and I KNOW that the words atmosphere and earth mean nothing to Lucia, and that I was just trying to get her off the pot and back into Starbucks, so I didn't want to think about it much more.
And to make the point (of being able to remember what it's like to have a sweet three-year-old), while I've been writing this the past 5 minutes, I have listened to:
"Mama, what are you schreiben ('writing')?" (- "About the sky. See? 'Why is the sky blue?' ")
"I asked that!!" (- "Yes, you did.")
"What are you doing that for?" (- "So I won't forget some day that you asked that.")
"Are you going to send that to me and you?" (Uuh, not sure, she was probably assuming it's an e-mail. - "Yes, sort of.")
"Mama, why did you push that button?"
"Mama, why did you put a hole there? (i.e. the space between two words.)
"Mama, can I show you something on the computer?" (- "Not right now, it's Mama's turn.")
"Mama, are you done now?" (- "Not yet, please wait patiently.")
"I already waited patiently. Why do I have to wait patiently?" ... I didn't answer right away. Which then caused a "Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?" to ensue. (- "Because being impatient is impolite and then you can't show me anything on the computer." Then I had to laugh.)
"Mama, why did you laugh?"

etc. etc. etc. And the day is not over yet. ;-) I love my girls.

Snippets of the Day-to-Day

Mealtimes with Rhea are always interesting. Here she's playing some peek-a-boo. She's such a little clown (the Germans would say "Kasper" :) )!
"Where's Rhea??!"
"BOO!"

Lucia sitting with Loxley - who is somewhat patiently enduring the affection. :) She does pretty well with him, but even patient kitty cats can get overwhelmed by well intentioned 3-year-olds sometimes. :) And then there's Rhea. Not sure she's very well intentioned with him ever.

Helping me bake. Lucia's new passion is helping me in the kitchen. Every time she sees me at the stove, she exclaims, "Mama, I want to help you cook!! What should I do?!" :) Very sweet. Sometimes messy. But sweet nonetheless.

Story Times

Rhea has recently discovered her love for books - she oftentimes goes to find a "booCK" and brings it to one of us to read, or, if we just pull her on our lap to cuddle, she'll insist right away that we add a "booCK" to the mix. :) Here are a few pictures of the girls' story times.

Each in their own basket. For some reason, reading is much more fun when you're in a confined space.
Rhea's sweet little face - she's very quick to share squeals of joy... and just as quick to express her frustration and dislike... :-O We love her to pieces!

Big sister reading a book with little sister right after she woke up from her nap.

Rhea getting all cozy with Lucia... sweet moment (that didn't last all that long. ;-) )

Crying It Out...

...is not a fun way for Rhea to spend the time between 3:28 and 4:24 a.m., and neither is it for her parents. But we've embarked on this journey now, and thankfully we waited long enough and she stopped JUST before David's deadline; he said if she hadn't stopped at 4:30 a.m. he'd go back in. Phew! And we slept GREAT from about 4:45 until 7:00. :) So... hopefully this weekend she won't be quite so persistant and realize sooner that it's much more fun for all three of us if she just lies back down and goes to sleep.

... Ok, so somehow I got sidetracked on Friday when I wrote this, and now it's Monday evening and I'm getting back to my blog post. Except that I can share the AMAZINGLY GOOD NEWS that last night was the first night in over a month (or longer?!?!) that David and I (and Rhea and Lucia) have all slept through the night!! It was amazing!! To the point that I wasn't sure I even needed a nap today (but I took a short one just in case. :) ) I'm not expecting or even allowing myself to hope quite yet that this is going to be the new normal, BUT ... for now I'm thankful for one good night.
Friday night going on Saturday, Rhea cried for "only" about 40 minutes before she gave up, and Saturday night is was a very short but very furious protest of about 4 minutes or so. :)

So far the tears have been worth it. I think even Rhea would agree...

Uuhh...

... my three-year-old daughter just exclaimed: "Oh my GOODNESS!! WHAT should I WEAR?!?" I'm pretty sure she's never heard that from my mouth, or David's, for that matter. Or Rhea's. So... am I to conclude that little girls are born with this?! :)

Getting Ready for the Fair

Tonight, after supper, at the time when I am (and I'm sure all mothers are) usually looking at the clock thinking... "I almost made it! Not too much longer until bedtime!!!", I was trying to get a few more things done while the girls were playing together really well. So I decided to give them just a couple more minutes before I was going to interrupt to get the bedtime routines going. David was still at work (he didn't get home until after 7 pm tonight), and I was thankful for their being occupied and enjoying themselves. Then Lucia came to me and said, ever so sweetly, "Mama, would it be ok if I shut my door?" I said, "sure!", though I was a little confused because Rhea was IN her room (usually when she makes that request, she's trying to keep her little sister out and wants some quality 'alone time'). So I kept on accomplishing tasks listening to them giggle and laugh in Lucia's room until I finally decided that I was going to go put Rhea's pajamas on.

Then... my jaw dropped. I walked in to my children looking like this:


I almost busted out laughing, but I was able to control myself (initially). Since not too long ago we already had a marker incident (where it ended up on the carpet :-O ), I felt like I had to set a precedent on this one, as difficult as it was for me. First, we talked it through and I listened to Lucia's side of the story. "But Mama, it was SO MUCH FUN! And we were trying to get ready for the fair! I didn't hurt her! She really LIKED it! The marker tickled her face and she laughed and laughed! Mama, it made me so much fun! I just wanted to be a big girl like you and color on the face and get ready for the fair!" And eventually her story turned to tears, and that was even more heart-melting, because her tears turned purple before they dripped off her cheeks. I tried to explain to her that I was delighted that they had so much fun, and I was really happy they played so nicely together, but that she knew better than to color on her and Rhea's faces with markers. And that even though things are fun, it doesn't mean that they are always right and good to do. And that we need to do what is right first. And we talked through different options like coming to Mama when she has a fun idea like this one but isn't sure if (or ... knows for sure that) it's not ok, to ask if there's a better way to have that kind of fun. After the discipline, I just had to capture their faces and even got her story on video (though the second version was not nearly as funny and sweet as the initial rendering on my lap in her room.) Enjoy. :)

Lucia Quote of the Day

Lucia, on the potty, after going some tinkles: "Mama, there's no poopies."

*short, thoughtful pause*

"Mama, poopies are like muffins. Because muffins are big."

... uhhh, ok. I can see that. They can both be big.

Hallelujah

We were sitting WAY too long at breakfast because Lucia was having issues over eating her egg. After what seemed like HOURS (okay, maybe only 1 hour), we were finally down to her last bite. I said: "Only one more bite! Hallelujah!!" Lucia: "Don't say 'hallelujah' because that's what angels say." (So... I take it I'm not an angel.)

One More :) - On Life and Death

There was one more quick conversation with Kirsten at lunch time that I wanted to record:

K: "My mommy's not going to die."
Me: "You're right, not for a long time."
K (emphatically): "No, NEVER. She's not going to die. She's going to be REAL. FOREVER. She's not going to die her WHOLE LIFE."
Me: "You're right, Kirsten. She won't die her whole life."

Sweet 3-Year-Olds

Today I'm watching Kirsten, Lucia's little friend, while her mom is at work. Their usual sitter situation didn't work out, which both Lucia and Kirsten are thoroughly enjoying. :) I wish I had a way to record half of their conversations, but here's one that happened right after lunch:
K: "I have to tell you something."
L: "What?"
K: "I was up in Jesus when my mommy was in college."
L: "What?"
K: "I was up in Jesus."
L: "You mean high up in the sky?"
K: "Yeah! I was up in Jesus!"
L: "Wow! Did you kiss him and hug him?"
K (all weirded out): "Nah... I was up in Jesus before my mom got me, and then my mom got married and got me. That's how it was. And then I came to see my friends and family."

Priceless.

Another one during lunch:

K: "Most toys have Jesus in their hearts. You know? In their bellies."
Me: "You think so?"
K: "Yes."
Me: "I think only people can have Jesus in their hearts."
K: "No, and food!"
Me (at first confused): "Oh, you mean people can also have food in their bellies?"
K: "Yes."
Me: "You're right. Jesus in our hearts, and food in our bellies." :) (I decided against going into any human anatomy or deeper theology lessons at that moment... haha.)

The other night we went out to dinner at a Mexican restaurant. We had our food and then went out to the car to leave. I asked Lucia, "Did you like the food tonight at the restaurant?" Lucia: "Yes, it was yummy! What was it called?" Me: "Mexican food. We went to a Mexican restaurant - it's called El Azteca." Lucia: "Why was there brown men?" Me: (??) "Oh, you mean the men at the restaurant? "Lucia: "Yes. Why were they brown?" Me: "Because they are from Mexico. God gave the people in Mexico brown skin and us white skin." :-) That's the first time she has noticed or at least mentioned "diversity" in her world. A week ago Sunday we went to an Indian restaurant and she didn't mention anything there... I hope and pray she comes to deeply appreciate the diversity among us people, all created in God's image, and all beautifully different (and yet the same). :-)

Final anecdote (for this post :-) ):
Last night was Halloween, which Lucia got to participate in for the first time. She and Kirsten went trick-or-treating together (and probably managed five houses before they were officially done). The first house, Lucia followed Kirsten to the door and got some candy as Kirsten said her well practiced "Trick or Treat!!" The next house, Kirsten again performed flawlessly, and Lucia stood behind her all shy. So the lady said, "Would you like some candy too?" Lucia: "No thank you, I already got some in my purse." (... from the last house.) Even after asking a few more times (and we were trying to encourage Lucia to get some if she wanted some), she stood by her "no thank you." The lady finally MADE me take it for her (and then some for the baby (!!!) ) since she had it and was trying to get rid of it. All evening we kind of had to talk Lucia into taking some candy - she was rather reluctant, but then started catching on a bit. They were each allowed one choice of candy as we got home, and Lucia had half a bag of m&m's (because I let her count out 10 :) ). This morning, when Kirsten came over, Lucia wanted to tell her again about last night and going door to door, and she said: "... and I got lots of ... um... and... in my purse, I got lots of... um... um... um... I got lots of ... um..." and Kirsten finished the sentence for her: "treats!" Lucia: "Yeah! I got lots of treats." I relish the fact that Lucia couldn't even think of the word 'candy'. :-)
The little ladybugs:

Our little scarecrow (who is also acting like one these days :-/ )

Happy Fall! (No scary faces or traditions at our place. :) )