I am really enjoying my time with this little lady these days. Sure, she’s busy and talky and spunky and completely exhausting… but she’s just so much fun.
With both big kids in school everyday and little brother not coming for another month, it’s just this little one and I most mornings. She’s so verbal, which is really fun. She’s playful and expressive and bright.
Simple things like feeling the rain from the balcony are so fun with a my tot during the times when I’m relaxed and living in the moment. I’m trying to be that way as much as I can these days. We’ve blown bubbles outside the library during a short stop, just because she saw them under the seat of the car and asked to. We’ve taken time looking at all the lifesize (to her) display of scarecrows at Hobby Lobby. We’ve sat and had a treat at the bakery together. Just the little things.
It’s me pushing the to-do list to the back of my mind when I feel I can and just embracing these days with my girl in this country before all of life changes…
All three of our kiddos share one room. Mostly, I love it. There are times when it’s not so great. Like when one of them wakes up the rest.
That had been happening a lot recently. Lil’ A was sleeping less hours and had long ago learned to climb out of her crib (which my other kids never did!). So she was waking up and getting out too early most mornings. I was starting to feel like I’d never know when I might find her out of bed, and doing who knows what?! We were all getting frustrated with her, especially Sweet N, who would be woken up most mornings when A would climb into her bunk bed to snuggle with her. Oh my!
So on a whim I explained to A one evening how this colored clock works that we’ve had for the big kids for awhile.
It’s one of those nifty clocks that you can set to change colors at a certain time of day (ours is 7am) so that kids who can’t get read time know when it’s okay to get out of bed. Keep in mind that she doesn’t really even know her colors, so I did NOT expect her to understand.
When will I learn.
Anyway I explained to her that she needs to stay in bed until the clock changes colors and turns green in the morning. Then I put her to bed. And I had no expectations.
But she got it!! I was in shock.
It wasn’t 100%, but she definitely understood.
She’d run out at 7am sharp yelling “Cwock turn geen! Cwock turn geen!”
So I quickly put a reward system in place… a sticker for each morning she stayed in bed until 7am… five stickers earned her ice cream!
She understood that too, of course.
And she quickly earned her five stickers and her ice cream! And we all rejoiced.
She seriously blows me away. She’s so stinkin’ smart! I’m very proud of her. And I’m very glad we’re all getting a bit more sleep now…
This was one of those times that she was quiet for too long…
She had found coffee beans.
And was eating them.
Whole.
No chocolate coating them or nothin’.
What kind of toddler thinks that is delicous?!
Oh my.
As I was waking the kids up at 6:30 on Saturday morning to load them up and drive downtown for the Hot Air Balloon Festival I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea or not.
Then as we walked blocks and blocks (myself 8 months pregnant) I really wondered if it was a good idea.
Then we got there.
And I realized it was a WONDERFUL idea!
Lil’ A was still her her pajamas. And she wasn’t a fan of the big balloons or the loud noise that the fans and the flames make.
Notice everyone in jackets? Except me, in a tank top? Yeah… I’ve been one overheated lady during most of this pregnancy…
She was just not sure.
The sky fills with balloons, it’s no neat!
Because there are so many balloons going up, it’s easy to get a very close view of how it all works, start to finish, from VERY up close.
Once all the balloons were in the air we relocated to wait for the “Wings of Blue” Air Force Sky Diving Team to start their demonstration.
A moment to pause and reflect on this girl’s hair.
How did she get so lucky?!
“Yook Mama! Up daaaair!!”
The team of divers did various tricks as they came down. And they trailed ribbons and smoke. And they always landed RIGHT in the middle of the crowd where we had cleared a circle. So much fun.
This guy had just completed some sky dive over 500 or something…
And THEN, on the walk back to the car, we saw a group of kids sliding down this halfpipe.
Well, if they’re doing it. Why don’t we try?!
From up top it looks very high and steep. I was quite surprised that my big kiddos weren’t scared.
What a morning of good quality fun. This city. My family. What a joy.
