BEHAVIOR BAROMETER

After a long three years of feeling like I was drowning in motherhood and well, drowning in life really.... I feel like I've come up for breath. I'd even go as far to say that finally I feel like I'm backstroking my way across the Atlantic and I've got my three little baby ducks cruising behind in my wake. 

But today felt a little more like chasing wild barracuda in a hurricane! 

I knew my kids were tired after a late night adventure the night before, and I knew Rider was potentially coming down with a cold. But I wasn't prepared for the naughtiness and chaos that unleashed on my poor unsuspecting neighbors. When some neighborhood moms offered a warm seat in the sun to chat for a moment before getting kids home for naps - I obliged. Poor ladies, I'm sorry to have unleashed my boys on you. 

I feel like I have a pretty good system down at home and the kids know the rules, they know what's expected of them and for the most part they behave like normal 4 and 2 year olds. Not to mention that we have a time out spot and "system" in place at home, but I swear they go berzerk as soon as we leave the house! 

Suddenly all three kids (including my very capable of sharing 4 year old) could not share or take turns if their lives depended on it. Layla reverted back to an 18 month old of screaming, pouting, and whining. Owen would.not.stop climbing on top of his siblings in order to force himself in the little people car, of which was not big enough for two kids. And Rider whined the entire time until he pooped his pants. Suuuuper. 

I decided to corral them into the car one by one in an attempt to get outta dodge as soon as possible. That backfired. Rider was all over the front seat - hazard lights on, windshield wipers full blast dumping baggies of goldfish crackers in every nook and cranny available. Owen went kicking and screaming (and head butting... seriously never put your face near his when he's in a mood) into the car, and once there, poured diet coke all over the seats. Double suuuuuper. 

They make me afraid to leave the house sometimes because they have the potential to be award winningly sweet or mind blowingly naughty and I never know what I'm going to get. Would someone please invent a barometer to predict the behavior of my children? Thanks. I'll pay you in lifetime supply of dirty diet cokes. 

BUT I TOOTED

She's beyond obsessed with two things in this life.

1. Purple

2. Frozen

I'm pretty sure I could recite the lyrics to the Frozen soundtrack in my sleep, with my hand tied behind my back, a gun to my head and being dragged down the road behind a kidnapper van. 

It'. all.we.listen.to

ALL DAY

I love that she loves it so much. 

I'm just happy she finally likes something as much as she likes purple. 

3:49 IS THE BEST. 

Brush it off sister and change the subject... way to go girl.

We told her we'd make a CD of her own singing that she could listen to... that explains 3:11.
Her facial expression! Need I say more. 

YEAR OF THE HORSE

Last week was Chinese New Year and we celebrated the only way the Day Clan knows how...
over the top.

This is a long standing tradition that Kday and I cherish for numerous reasons, all of which have to do with Layla's adoption story and heritage. I hope to always instill a love and respect for her Chinese lineage. And let's be honest, who doesn't love an extra holiday to celebrate every year!?

Kday's mom always out does herself with the table decorations and prizes for the games. Chinese Bingo is a must.

With awesome prizes like these sweet shades Uncle Clay won.

The boys ate their weight in M&M's (or Rider calls them M-O nem nems), we ate our weight in chinese food and we celebrated through the night. Fortune sticks were drawn and I think I sealed my fate. We'll see, I may have made an illegal wish because I wished for something to happen next year... and my fortune said my wish wouldn't come true. It did however say a business wish would come true... do I dare predict again? Especially since I've sworn off more adoptions? Meh, who believes in that kinda stuff anyway. OH WAIT. I do! Like 100% believe in it because it predicted Layla 5 years ago and then again with the boys 2 years later! Eh, whatever. It also mentioned that someone seeks revenge against me for an imaginary wrong... yikes.

CHEERS TO THE YEAR OF THE HORSE!

IF THERE EVER WAS A VILLAN....

Dear January,

I loathe you.
But I will retaliate tomorrow. 

The end. 

I almost made it through the perils of a gloomy, cold, wet January unscathed. With less than 48 hours to  crossing the threshold into February,  the wrath of winter blues snuck in. My children and mother were the unsuspecting recipients of my tantrum. By 4:26 pm I had eaten through a half a bag of chips and cried all my makeup off. I knew the last 24 hours of January would be bearable because of my ski club and the glorious 10 inches of fresh powder I'll be shredding tomorrow morning... but getting to tomorrow felt like trudging through 45 miles of lava, uphill, and barefoot. So I did what any other defeated mother of three squalling toddlers would have done... wrestled the kids into their car seats and headed for freedom. Boondocks. I shelled out $15 for an hour of survival while the kids climbed around the indoor play zone. It was enough time to pull myself together,  buy a $5 pizza and chose to survive 24 more hours until the sweet relief of the sanity February brings. Good bye January. You scored one on me... but I plan to retaliate with friends, powder skiing, and a family date to Fiiz, the new fandangled soda shop in town.

IN BABY TALK - IT'S REALLY ONLY 24 MONTHS

Ohwee Bear is 2. 

I don't feel like talking about it. 

If I had my way he'd be a newborn forever. 

And if you ask him how old he is... he speaks the truth of my heart, "Baby." 

I love him for giving me pregnancy.

I love him for giving me labor and delivery.

I love him for being strong willed enough to ignore my infertility and demand to grow inside me.

I love him for giving me hope.

He is a force to be reckoned with...

January 2013

February 2013

March 2013

April 2013

May 2013

June 2013

July 2013

August 2013

September 2013

October 2013

November 2013

December 2013

This wild little man loves anything to do with bikes, outdoors and dogs.

When he's having a hard day I usually find him with his best friend. Kashi is so patient with Owen's energy. 

He cries a lot... always has, I'm sure he just feels stifled about 100% of the time because he likes to live larger than life and he's stuck inside a two year old size body. 

His spirit is bursting at the seams to bust out of the confines of a toddlers physical limitations.

Owen reminds us of an ever faithful and loving puppy, he wakes up bouncing and ready for fun at any moment of the day.

He rarely leaves our side and is most happy to go anywhere and do anything with mom and dad.

He loves to work. 

He's every bit me and every bit Kday, and how that works I have no idea. 

He's all things opposite.  (which is also me and Kday)

Stubborn and sweet

Hard and soft

Wild and snuggly

Non stop and sleep

Independent and needy

Fast and slow

Charming

Brave

Social

Open

Busy

Busy

Busy

But just like his mom... there's no such thing as too much love and attention. 

And just like his dad... there's no such thing as too much time on the bike or playing in snow.

Owen came to this life to live it to the fullest and we're merely trying to keep up.

xoxo - love to you little blondie.

Happy Birthday my Ohwee Bear. 

TRADE IN

My baby turns two in a few hours. It's making me a little crazy in the head, to say the least. I'm leaving the "baby" stage with a bitter-sweet taste as I'm already deep into the terrible two's with Rider. You could easily call the stage I'm in  - denial. Total denial that my boys aren't babies anymore. I'm certain I'll still refer to them as such, so don't be annoyed... it's a coping mechanism. The past two years have been the hardest, most challenging years of my life and it's really hard not to feel like I've missed out on  the greatness of raising two babies. I've tried to stop and smell the roses, but it's a lot easier to close your eyes, hold on for dear life, and forget about the scary parts. Two bouncing baby boys came hurling into my life and rocked my world. I miss snuggling newborn yumminess, I miss bottles, and baby bath chairs... I miss sleeping babies in my arms at church, swaddling, and bouncing and everything in between. I don't miss doing it with two babies at once and I've happily traded many of those things in for equally great tasks. I now enjoy hearing "good night mommy" and "wuv you too." I've traded bottles of formula for endless sippy cups of apple juice, sleeping church babies with nursery church babies, swaddling for tucking in and dance parties. With each birthday ticking by like a clocks hands, baby stages are being cashed in and the trade for toddlerhood is among us . Soon enough it will be backpacks and sack lunches and I'm positive I'll miss this super hard toddler phase. So I'm trying with all my might to see past the tantrums and time outs and focus on the fun loving wild boys nipping at my ankles.
So tomorrow we'll celebrate! I'll try to nitpick less and play more... and remind myself that I am blessed with three miracle babies and one day I'll miss this crazy stage.

DIRECTIONALLY CHALLENGED

We're still on the mend around here with residual coughs, headaches, sinus infections and such.  Cabin fever has hit an all time high for the kids, but for me.... it feels nice to be back in the routine of things and sticking around the house for more than 5 minutes. Holiday decorations are slowly making their way back to the storage room and preparations for my baby's birthday party are in the works.
People! He is turning two and it's freaking me right out. Looking foreword to toddler stages and a little sad to be missing the baby craze that monopolized every inch of my life the past 24 months.

Feeling a little like this: