My *brilliant* 4-year-old

Natalie & Bailey, summer 2012 in Orlando, Florida

Bailey really astonished me yesterday with her questions. We know kids say amazing things, but when it is your own child there's a moment of awe and pride that cannot be explained to others. When putting the two girls to bed, Bailey began to ask me if we could have another sister. I tried to let her down lightly and explained that nope, two girls was enough for me. Inside a thought process with many expletives like "Are you FO*&*U* kidding me? I haven't slept in years!! Why the h*&^ would I do that?!" But, I controlled myself and said, no sadly, it would just be the two of them. She follows up with the ever-dreaded, "How does the baby get inside the mommy?" Deliberate stalling on my part...ummm...I start in with of course God is necessary, and the mommy and the daddy need to decide it is right for their family, blah blah blah. That wasn't good enough, no, "but, how does it get INSIDE the mommy?" she probes. I try the tactic of explaining how the baby grows from a very small pinch to a great big baby, avoiding the word "seed" at all cost. Not good enough. "OK, but how does it get INSIDE?" Yeah, there was no winning with this four-year-old. I gave her a tight little snuggle and told her I loved how observant and inquisitive she was, and how she should keep it up and become a great scientist some day. I kissed my darling again, and told her I loved her to the moon and back. She retorted she loved me to Mars, and I her to Pluto. She looked at me and said, no joke, "Mom, Pluto isn't a planet anymore." You cannot make these things up.

Halloweeny

I had two little Halloween princesses this year. Rapunzel was gorgeous with her wizard hat and long Rapunzel braid, wand and sparkle shoes.

Natalie & Bailey, October 2012

She was in heaven after a fun day at school with a parade and party. Bags of candy, snacks and coloring books were all over the house. N, on the other hand, was done before we started. A long day wearing her costume and eating treats and she was ready for bed.  We got ready to go trick-or-treating in the cold drizzle with winter hats and layers and set out as a four some. We started at the Bersani's and visited cute Corina in her cowgirl costume. It was a busy night on Mosley drive. Our troubles began almost immediately. Nonnie is in love with Tinker Bell and was perfectly happy with her beautiful blue princess gown (and wings). Nothing slips past Bailey, however. She took every opportunity to clarify that though Nonnie thought she was Tinker Bell she really was caressed up like Cinderella. This was not in N's wheel house; I believe the exact words were "No I not B!" So along we trudged through the leafy city streets. Each time we made it up to a door stoop I was the only one "tricker-treating" and the battle resumed as soon as the unsuspecting homeowners said "wow what a beautiful Cinderella!"
Happy Halloween !

Nonnie-isms

Natalie is a bit of a repitious one. We hear many of the same phrases repeated often. She gets her point across, though, and her vocabulary is intimidating to most of her two-year old friends. Well, to their parents, at least.

Some of our current favorites:

Natalie and Aunt Laura, September 2012

Top!  (stop)
I had pun with my pends...I had fun with my friends
I have nose in wawer...I have water up my nose
aunt....um...kewy or waura...usually the wrong one
up up in the sky...for twinkle twinkle
Meatball meatball...for On Top of Spaghetti
I miss her...when anyone leaves
Melmo...Elmo, or Mickey for awhile
"Don't call me Nonnie, call me Tinker Bell"
   mmmm...the laughs never end!

Oh, my Nonnie.

Natalie is such a nut. With Bailey being a competent nearly-four-year-old, it is easy to forget she is not even two-and-a-half. One minute she's dancing with her pants off and a snow hat on, and the next she wants to be carried around the house like a baby. She's helplessly addicted to apple juice, and would rather not eat, thank you very much. Her vocabulary is astounding. It is hard to believe the words she is trying to say. My favorite right now is when someone needs to leave and she says (with super sad face intact), "I miss her." It is just so pathetic.

I want to remember how easy she was to potty train, mostly because I know that will probably be the last time I pair Natalie and "easy" together in a sentence. If she's not jumping on the bed, she's climbing over the back of the recliner. Another broken bone is imminent. My little "muffin" is built like a little boy ready to rock. Tonight she was body-slamming her big (and scarily skinny) sister finishing with leg-drop around her waist  Ugh.

I move between complete and utter horror at her choices and total awe and pride in her ability to stick to exactly what she wants. No one will ever call this girly a push-over. No, not her. She will do what she wants absolutely when she wants to. There is no doubt.

Stay-at-home-heroes

I have no idea how people (ahem..ok, women) do it. How the bloody heck do they stay at their houses with their *darling* children day in and day out with no end in sight? I think I would literally sell my kids. I know this sounds terrible, but I also know that most of my peers agree with me. Seriously, they are a whirl wind of activity, non-stop hurricanes of clutter and glue and stink and mess. I swear they walk into a room and everything jumps off of the walls and onto the floor. I have even gone to extreme lengths to limit their toys to the far reaches of the house, in the back corner of the basement, and I still manage to step directly on a sleeping baby doll and a computer while making dinner. It is an impossible job. There is no way to keep the house clean, keep my sanity and remain a functioning social adult while doing this job. It is just about this time, mid-summer, that I begin to feel this way.  I stay home during the summer, so I have only three lousy summers of reference, but I'm pretty sure I cannot handle this. I always thought there was no way I could be an administrator and give up my summers with my (at that point hypothetical) kids. Um, yes, I can give it up. It will be sad, and I'm sure I'll cry about what could have been, but I also think I might like them more at the end of the day. I have a sneaking suspicion they might like me more out of the house, too.

*Florida Fun*

Poppy and B in the pool in Orlando

We just returned from our first family vacation. We were lucky enough to travel with both of our parents and my siblings to Florida. A couple of weeks home and back into our groove, I can say it truly was a dream vacation. We started our trip in Tampa at our parent's timeshare in Redington Beach. The weather was fantastic, and brilliantly hot. We arrived late in the day and after seeing the beach and pool, my husband turned to B and told her they needed to go up and unpack. Aghast, she remarked, "We get to stay here?" It was as if she thought that we were going to turn around and fly back home. So sweet. The best part of the week was watching Natalie, just shy of two-and-a-half become a fish in the pool. She had really only swam once before and was hesitant to get her face wet. By the end of the week she (adding a mere ten years on my life) jumped in the pool alone without a life jacket on. Luckily, she clung to the side giggling like it was the funniest thing that she could possibly do. It was great, though, a moment of true pride for me, to watch her become an independent little muffin who was fearless and brave. Bailey was sensitive, though, to the praise Natalie was receiving. They doggie-paddled around the pool independently and jumped to us mercilessly. It was fantastic, and surprisingly, sunburn free! One afternoon while Natalie napped, Bailey went shopping at a beach store with her Mimi. She came back with a bracelet and neclace set for her sister that had little dolphins on it, "because she's such a little fishy!" As it always does when they generously think of each other, it touched my heart to see her think so fondly of her sister.

After a few feverish nights, a lot of family cuddle time in our king-sized bed, and enough sand to exfoliate even Dave's feet, we left Tampa for Orlando. Dave, our siblings, and me made a brief detour to Busch Gardens on our way. It was fun adult time with a few roller coasters thrown in. They have simply fun rides at that park. In Orlando we stayed at the Palisades Resort, a small condo complex nearby Disney. It was very nice inside, modern and clean. We opted for the two twin beds this time, and threw a couch mattress between us on the floor for the girls. One of our favorite memories is coming to bed to find them asleep holding hands. So precious... A little more swimming in the pool in Orlando, but most of our time was spent in quest of Mickey!! We did a full day at Magic Kingdom, dawn to dark. Though long, it was perfect. We were able to ride nearly every ride we wanted to without a wait, and snuck in for a character lunch buffet with Piglet, Pooh and friends midday. That may have been my favorite part of the adventure. Watching the girls absolutely thrilled to see the characters in action and be able to touch them. B, of course, was happy to look on from afar, but Natalie was all about the high-five. Though they aren't necessarily huge Pooh fans, it was still fun to see them so happy. A favorite photo from the trip is the two of them sitting in front of the Eyore topiary beeming.

Every little girl goes to Disney with the princesses in mind, and Bailey was no exception. After a brief wait, we were ushered into a "private" room to meet Belle, Cinderella and Repunzel. She absolutely loved Repunzel, and who wouldn't. The girls were so super sweet to her, it was a real pleasure to see. Sadly, Natalie was taking a brief, but much needed nap on her Mimi during the princess visit, so she missed it. Her thrill was meeting Mickey. She is still waking up asking if we are going to go see Mickey and Minnie a month later! Natalie also managed to fall in love with Goofy on the trip. So much so that she traded in her pacifier for a Goofy doll when we got home (Yeah!! Mom victory!)

Bailey & Natalie as we entered Magic Kingdom

The Magic Kingdom was a dream, truly, but a day was enough, especially such a full one. After the electric parade and a monorail trip back to the parking lot, the girls were exhausted. We slept in the following morning, and decided late that we were going to go at it one more time. We chose Hollywood Studios the second day. This park definitely does not have the "magic" but the shows were great. The Little Mermaid put the fear of God in Bailey, but Beauty in the Beast was so well done and beautiful. Unfortunately, a very rainy afternoon slowed us down. After Natalie took a long rainy nap on me inside a restaurant entry way, we headed back to our hotel. It was a nice way to spend our 8th anniversary :)

Mimi and Natalie at Downtown Disney

The trip home was uneventful and long, and everyone had pretty much had it with family time by then. It took me a few days, and the girls much needed rest, to appreciate how special it all was. I've listened to the girls play the past few days, and their adventures have changed. Now they are taking the elevator (our front closet) and the airplane (the computer room) to meet their boyfriends. Hmm. So many wonderful memories and things to look forward to doing again in the future. Today an airplane flew low overhead and Bailey mused that they might be going to Disney World. It really is the happiest place on earth.
Check us out,  Sitting at Eyore Topiary





Playing around the night before we fly home!

Sit with me

The other night I was rushing around making dinner in a mad dash as usual, and my daughter was calling to me "sit with me mommy". I kept saying I"ll be right there! By the time I finally sat she was in tears and cried on and off for hours, with breaks only coming when she passed out from exhaustion. I can't help but feel guilt. Life is so short. I need to remember to take the time to cuddle.

Imagining the Future

Bailey is such a little smarty lately. She's into puzzles and says the
most amazing things. She is learning about space in school right now and was very intently explaining to Dave and I how it was gravity holding us on Earth. Amazing! Dave looks over B's shoulder to catch Natalie stuffing money down her onesie. HMM. Worst yet, she had taken it from the Lenten change collection box.
So, Bailey will be a scientist and Natalie will be a stripper. At least they will make more money than their momma!