Life On Flossie's Pharm

Thursday, August 27, 2015

Dear Sydney,

Last month, you turned 3 years old. I'm finding that I don't get a lot of computer time lately. I steal it here and there when I can to pay a bill or to balance the checkbook, but I get a little too much help when I'm on the computer. Often, if you catch me sitting down to type, you'll sneak up beside me, and I'll see a tiny, pudgy finger eeeeeeasing up to press just one key on the keyboard. You can't stand it.

This year has been an explosive vocabulary year for you. You know ALL of the words now. And you say them. All. Of. Them. You almost constantly keep up a running monologue during the day. It's like when you wake up in the morning you have a 10,000 word quota to meet. If you don't meet that quota during daylight hours you'll lie in bed and night and just give an endless speech, sometimes hardly taking a breath in between, mixing in little snippets of songs just for fun. You often talk in your sleep at night. One night not long ago, you were lying in bed having a hard time sleeping. I was sitting in the rocker in your room until you dozed off. Your constant stream of words sounded something like this:

"Mommy. Look at my face. Ugh. You're killing me. What's wrong with you? Mommy can I have some water? Mommy? Please? Pleaseplease? Can I have some orange juice? Can I have a big girl cup? Mommy look at me. Watch this. Look at this. I'm stuck. See Mommy? Like this. See? Ow! I hurt my eye. See? Watch this. Mommy? Mommy? Mom? *now singing* IIIIIIII'lllll driiiiiiiiiive. In Daddy's caaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrr.....not Mommy's caaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrr.... I'm the BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!"

Most of the time I don't know if I should kiss your face or spank your bottom. Your antics absolutely crack me up. A good friend of mine said you would keep me on my toes and on my knees. She's absolutely right. As you and your brother grow, I find myself praying more than I ever have before.

You love music. You and I started taking a little music class once a week at our church last year, and something just clicked with you. They took a break over the summer, and you cannot wait for it to start back up. The first few times we went, you just sat in my lap and wouldn't really participate much. I was even thinking that maybe it just wasn't your thing, but one day while you were playing by yourself, I heard you singing some of the songs from class to your toys. Then we had to miss a couple of weeks for this and that, and you couldn't understand why we didn't go to your "Wachel cwass" that Thursday.

You're all about princesses right now. Your favorites seem to be "'Punzel" (Rapunzel) and Ariel. In fact, you went through a spell this year where you didn't want to brush your teeth, and Daddy started telling you he thought he saw Rapunzel sneak in your mouth. You'd open your mouth wide so he could find her and it would give us just enough time to swipe over your teeth with the toothbrush.

You got glasses this year. I must admit, you look pretty stinking cute in them. The first few days you had them, we stressed that if you needed a break from them, that was fine but you had to give them to Mommy or Daddy...not just lay them down in the floor. You've actually done a pretty good job following those directions. And now you leave them on pretty much all the time, although we still have good days and bad days.

You're becoming so independent. You want to dress yourself, put your shoes on by yourself, walk instead of ride in the shopping cart, brush your own hair... And you love helping with chores for the most part--feeding the dog, folding towels, putting groceries away--although I must admit your attention span for those things is pretty short. But you have a spirit that others can sense in the first 5 minutes they're around you. People seem to know that you are your own person and you won't be pushed around. I like that about you.

My Sydney-bug, I love your big personality and how you walk into a room like you own the place. I love how when you're tired in the afternoon, you ask me to "wock" with you and how you snuggle down so your head is right on my shoulder and your arm is looped around my neck. I love how you wake up like you're ready to conquer the world. I love how you ask me to twirl "wike a pwincess" with you. I love how your gorgeous red hair has golden highlights woven into it by the summer's sun. And I love watching you become who you are.

Mommy

Monday, June 1, 2015

A Weekend With The Girls

A few weekends ago we got to have a sleepover with 3 of our cousins. I remember staying at my aunt & uncle's house A LOT when I was a kid. And I don't think I ever wanted to go home. It's such a source of happy memories for me, it has been bothering me a bit that my kids aren't experiencing that. It was time to do something about it. So one Friday afternoon I picked up 3 of my nieces and

we made the trip back to Casa de King.

The weather was AWESOME that weekend. We spent the majority of the day Saturday playing outside. I love watching these girls together. Their birthdays are just two days apart. That being said, I kinda felt like I was taking care of twin 2 year-olds that weekend. While I've always had a deep respect for moms of multiples, it grew even more over those couple of days.

Even though Sam was outnumbered by the girls, he had a great time. In the days leading up to their visit, I was able to say, "We need to do fill in the blank so the girls can come over." Instant obedience. And I can't count the number of times since then that he and Sydney have asked when we are going to have another cousin sleep-over.

Popsicles and lemonade in big people cups. (Outside....of course. I'm a cool aunt, but I'm not crazy.)

I asked the girls to pick one fun thing each to do that weekend. Izzy immediately said she wanted to paint fingernails and toenails. Hers are the blue ones on the left. I'm not sure if you can tell by the picture, but she wasn't happy with just uniformly colored toes. She needed polka dots on hers.

All. Her. Idea.

Also, I love that you can see Sydney and Abby are holding hands on the right.

And what sleepover is complete without a little dress up? Someday it will be heels, pearls and make-up, but for now I like that it's super hero capes.

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Dear Sam,

You are now 5 years old. I didn't have a chance to get your letter to you on your birthday because we were celebrating in a BIG way. (I'm over a month late getting your letter to you because...well...that's how I roll these days. Be grateful I got it written at all.) You have been planning this birthday for months. You've been so very excited. We had a big countdown in the days leading up to your big day. A few months before your birthday you announced that you wanted a Spiderman birthday party with balloons, a Spiderman cake, and Rescue Bots wrapping paper. You even had it planned out down to what presents you would get from specific family members.

This year you started preschool. I'll admit, I was pretty nervous about it, but you were so very excited. You never shed a tear...not even on the first day. You simply gave me a hug and happily trotted off into your classroom. I managed to keep the tears at bay until I got into the car.

I can't believe how much your speech has improved. You tell long, involved, very detailed stories now. And if I break eye contact with you for even a second during the telling of said story, you have to start over at the beginning.

You are so hungry to learn. I mean...you absolutely crave knowledge. And you're such a pleaser. One little word of praise, and your whole face lights up. I'm so excited to see what that combination does for you. You are so. stinkin'. close. to reading. You insist on me telling you what every sign and label says. You are constantly telling me, "L is for lollipop, S is for swim, M is for Momo...." You learned 9 new Bible verses this year. I think I often don't give you enough credit for what you're capable of...I'm so glad you have teachers at your school who have pushed you to excel.

The one thing you are NOT interested in learning is how to write...or at least write well. I think it doesn't come easily for you. I can see you getting frustrated and then your attention drifts away. You'd much rather recite an entire passage from memory or describe in detail some picture that you've seen.

You are so full of energy. I just can't even... We learned this winter that if you don't get outside for a little while every day, you are much more likely to get in trouble. God bless your future teachers when the weather is bad. I feel like some kind of organized sport is in your future for your dad's and my peace of mine...and your safety.

You grew 4 inches this year. And I think you gained only 3 pounds. You aren't so much interested in eating much, which makes you long and lean. We joke that you eat about every third day or so, so on your "eating days" we try to keep food in front of you all of the time. You love meatloaf, hot dogs, plain cheeseburgers with nothing on them, all candy, frosting on cakes (you are your mother's son, after all), and pretty much any kind of fruit. And chocolate milk. You would drink chocolate milk all day if I would let you. You have the longest, skinniest legs. And your feet! I swear, we cannot keep you in shoes. You love to tell me, "Someday I'm gonna be as tall as Daddy." Yep...probably.

Sam, I love how polite you are. You might not be able to sit still for more than 3 seconds at a time, but you say "please" and "thank you" while you're bouncing off the walls. I love watching you concentrate as you're studying your Seek and Find books or memorizing every detail of an Avengers book. I love how you love to play dress up...but only in super hero costumes. I love that you passed up the opportunity to go the movies (something that I never thought you would do) because you didn't want to go see Cinderella because "that's a girl movie." I love how when Sydney and I walk into your classroom to pick you up, you proudly announce to your entire class, "Hey everybody! This is my sister Sydney!"

I think I've said this every year, but THIS is the year that is the most fun. I'm so happy I get a front row seat to see you grow up.

Love,
Mom

Friday, March 27, 2015

Springtime Fun

It looks like the Bluegrass is finally green again! I was seriously worried about Sam not reaching his 5th birthday if we didn't get outside and burn some energy. Both of the kids need to be outside, but it is especially true for Sam. If he goes more than a couple of days without getting some fresh air, he just goes bananas.

I've mentioned before, but my kids are absolutely obsessed with storm drains and tunnels. There is a pretty large one down the street from us, and there are usually a bunch of frogs lying around sunning themselves. Sydney loves to go "see da brogs." Molly does too. I'm pretty sure she thinks one of these days, she's going to catch one, but I have my doubts. My kids make way too much noise for her to sneak up on one. There is always a mass exodus into the water about the time we top the hill.

I'm thinking there is really only one way this can end, right?

They like to pretend fish too. Looks like we're going to have to get a couple of fishing poles, soon. Right now, they just use sticks and stir them around in the muck, then jerk them out saying, "I caught one!"

But so far, all we've managed to catch are a couple of old tires, a stinky shoe, and some crayons.

These days, I'm thankful for sunshine, kids with healthy imaginations, and soap. Very thankful for soap.

Monday, March 23, 2015

Feed The Birds.

We've been spending a lot of time at our local library lately. Sometimes if Sydney and I have a few errands to run while Sam is at school, we find ourselves with an hour or two to kill before it's time to pick him up. Rather than go home just to turn around and go back, we will drop in at the library. We recently discovered that they have preschooler play time every Thursday, so we've been making a point to go by for that. They always have a craft and lots of toys out, and the children's librarian is super sweet. Sydney beats a path to the children's area as soon as we walk in the door now. Fair warning if you are there when we are...please stay out of her way. She probably won't slow down.

A couple of weeks ago, we made a bird feeder out of toilet paper rolls, peanut butter and birdseed. We hung it outside our kitchen window so we could see the birds coming to eat. For the first couple of days, we didn't seem to have any visitors. I was kinda bummed. But lately, we've been having a couple of cardinals stop by a few times a day. There is a male and a female, but the female is a bit more skittish than the male. She never hangs around long enough for a picture.

I told Sam we should name them, so he decided we should name them Sam and Sydney. Hey...if it ain't broke, don't fix it, right?

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Baby It's Cold Outside!

We are so. over. winter around here. We were bundling up and getting outside for a few minutes every day, but lately it has just been way too cold or too wet and messy. And I can really tell a difference in the kids' behavior. Sam is like a caged animal right now. Lots and lots of energy with no good outlet. So I took to Pinterest to find some new ways to entertain the kids.

We made a couple of crafts, but I'm not the craftiest person in the world. We built an obstacle course out of laundry baskets and kitchen chairs. We made a hopscotch board out of masking tape on the floor.

We also played this Spiderman game. Masking tape across the doorway, and we threw little pom pom things at it. I thought it was pretty fun, but Sam wasn't all that excited...

...but then he put his Spiderman costume on to play, and it was instantly more fun. I guess if you're going to play a Spiderman game, you've got to go all in.

But the thing that the kids loved the most and have asked to do again (and again....and again) was shaving cream painting. I mixed food coloring with shaving cream and turned them loose in the bathtub. They thought it was the greatest thing ever. I'm not surprised. My kids are total water dogs.

I looked into swimming lessons at our local YMCA, and I think we are going to do that soon. With an indoor pool, I'm actually considering joining so I can just take the kids to burn off some steam from time to time. I wonder if they allow a fall and winter only membership?

Thursday, February 19, 2015

Cuppa Joe

Come sit and have a cuppa joe with me! If we were chatting over coffee (or tea...or Diet Coke...whatever your poison is), I would tell you:

I hate to admit it, but I'm glad Christmas is over. I. Love. Christmas. Really, I do. But by the time it's over, I'm always glad to pack the tree away and get things back to normal. And the second all of the decorations are down, I start itching for spring. I'm ready for sunshine and playing outside.

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Sydney might be the most frustrating child to dress...ever. She has been hanging out in that land between sizes since her growth spurt last fall. One size is just a bit too small, but the next size up is way too big. (Mostly, the legs are just too long...looks like I passed along my pants curse to her. I'm sure she'll thank me.) So my strategy for dressing her is going to be dresses. Lots and lots of dresses. Luckily, she looks cute in everything.

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I've struggled lately with reading my Bible. I used to use Journey magazine, but my subscription expired and I never renewed it. Since then, I've had a hard time staying focused. I do better with a devotional or plan of some sort, so I've been on the hunt for a good one. Right now, I'm using a chronological reading plan. It's designed to read the entire Bible in a year, but I'm not going to do that. I'm enjoying really taking my time and working through the reading assignments. The chronological plan is really helping me make sense of things and put all of the stories I learned years ago into perspective.

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Some parents don't want their children to watch too much television for fear that they will become couch potatoes. That thought is simply amusing to me. Am I the only one whose child has to act out the cartoons he watches? No lying around contributing to childhood obesity numbers around here. No...if there is a chase scene, Sam must race around the room at full speed. Slapstick humor? We of course have to reenact it. And don't even get me started on the dancing. My kids have got some serious boogie fever.

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A couple of weeks ago, Sam told me that he wanted a Spider-Man cake for his birthday. (He's been planning his birthday since his LAST birthday, but since Christmas, his planning has gone into overdrive.) Sydney chimed in that she wanted an Elsa cake for her birthday. And also an Ariel cake. And a Dora cake. (To my knowledge, she's never even seen Dora.) Each time she made an announcement, I simply agreed. Then, suddenly, without any warning, she was crying.
"Mommy!!! I just want caaaaaaaaaaaaaakkkkkkkeee!"

No drama here. No, sir...

Monday, February 16, 2015

Snow Day

We had a snow day today! And when I say we had snow, I mean we had about 11 inches (and counting) of snow. I got up thinking I was going to have to try to ski to work, but thankfully our administrators closed the clinic.

Sydney started asking to go play in the snow at exactly 6:58am. Sam ate two bites of breakfast then disappeared. He came out of his room wearing his snow bibs and declared it was time to go outside.

We started the process of getting everyone dressed and bundled up. The kids and the dog stood pacing and wriggling by the door while I wrestled them into hats, mittens and boots. And FINALLY, we were ready!

Bonus points for Shawn for buying us a new sled just last night. Sam loved it...Sydney fell off on her first trip down the hill and she was so over the sledding.

The snow was too powdery to make a snowman or snowballs, so we just had to make snow angels.

Even if the wind chill is -7, when you get smiles like these, it's totally worth it.

Personally, my favorite part about snow days is warming up with some hot chocolate in front of a fire and taking a long winter's nap.

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Dear God...

There are times when I'm convinced that God has a sense of humor. I'm most convinced of this when I listen to our children pray. I imagine God listens to them and has to stifle a chuckle or two, just like me. Here are some of our favorites as of late:

Sam during bedtime prayers: Dear God, Thank you for my birthday. (His birthday was 8 months ago, but we still thank God for it every night.) And thank you for my toys. And thank you for letting Nana and Bap come to my school. And thank you for my next birthday. Amen. Oh....and please help Mommy and Daddy pick up my toys.

Sydney before eating: (Singing) Thank you Father....thank you Father. I wanna play Mommy's phone. Amen.

Sydney at bedime: (I had started praying, and she interrupted me.) Mommy! I say prayers!!! Dear God, I wanna go Nana's house. And I take brother to school. Amen.