My Girls, age 2

 It is now time to compare the girls when they were all the same age Vivian is now. Isn't it just the most fun game?!

While I was looking for pictures of Elisabeth and Julia at around 2 years old, I stumbled upon videos of Elisabeth as baby and toddler. Julia really liked seeing a very small Elisabeth while Vivian just kept saying, "That Yin-Yin!" (Yin-Yin=Vivian). But, Vivian was right in that Elisabeth looked and sounded a lot like Vivian does now. Lots of the same facial expressions, but way more brown curly hair than little blonde Vivian.

Elisabeth 

Julia

Vivian

As Ebeth keeps getting older (despite my threats to her not to), I forget things about little Ebeth. What her little voice sounded like. How much she sang all day long (soooooo much). That she used to be small enough to hold on my hip. I feel like I am too young to already have forgotten so much about my oldest child's baby and toddlerhood. Does this mean that some day I will be on this blog crying about how I can't believe how little she was at 11?! (say no!)

One thing I do love about looking back at old pictures and videos is that a lot of the clothes I see on Elisabeth and Julia, Vivian now wears. Hooray for being stubborn about storing and moving all those girl clothes with us for future children!

Isn't it funny how much they look alike but how much they all three differ? I feel all parents of multiple children should play this game, and let your kids compare the pictures. Julia noticed that she has the straightest hair, but that she and Vivian smile the same in pictures. 

A friend expecting her third child recently asked if going from 2 to 3 kids was the biggest adjustment. I would have to honestly say no. Vivian is by far our craziest child (yesterday she pushed over the kitchen garbage can just for fun, drew all over the dining area floor, dumped her water cup, and was generally the most two any two year old can be), but I wouldn't say that it was harder when she joined the family. Yes, my girls are not super close in age like some who have 3 or more kids, but I feel like when we had Vivian, the biggest adjustment was logistics of who would have which kids on busy schedule days. I am still holding firm that the biggest adjustment was going from zero kids to one kid. What a learning curve that was! And, Ebeth was our easy breezy kiddo! Totally should have taken advantage of that more than we did.  :)

I will say that the dynamic of having more than one sibling is interesting to watch. Evan and I each only have one sister, so we don't have any personal reference points for dealing with more than one sibling. Even though Elisabeth and Vivian are 9 years apart, they are really close. Vivian definitely relies on her like a surrogate parent when Evan and I are not around. Elisabeth often volunteers to help with Vivian and loves to cuddle, read to, play with V. Julia and Vivian are best buds. Vivian shadows Julia in all things and definitely wants to be Julia when she grows up. The Elisabeth and Julia dynamic is still the same--total opposites who either get along like angels or are fighting like rabid dogs. But, with Vivian in the mix, Elisabeth and Julia have more times where they get along and work together. Elisabeth remembers very well hearing the very same speeches I am now giving to Julia--"You have to treat her the way you want her to treat you", "Pick your battles", "If she's hurting you, MOVE AWAY! Don't sit there and let her hit you!". Elisabeth is now the wise older sister that Julia can turn to when Vivian is driving her crazy. It's really amazing to watch their relationships develop and evolve. 

 

One day this school year, I brought the younger two to eat lunch with Elisabeth on a school day. They love visiting Elisabeth and eating with her in the cafeteria. All three girls were sitting in a row and one of Ebeths's classmates sat down across from them. He looked up and slowly looked from Elisabeth to Julia to Vivian and then said, "Whoa, Elisabeth, it's like watching you grow up right in front of me! You all look the same!". Which is why I always label the back of our pictures--I'm worried that some day I will be too old and senile to be able to identify which girl it is at age 2 in a picture!

March Reading Log

I got 8 books read this month, which isn't too shabby considering two of them were non-fiction that took me a while to read.


1. Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond
Evan encouraged me to read this book. It's one of his favorites and I can see why. Diamond answers the how and why certain societies of the human race were able to dominate others through the impacts of farming, domesticating animals, writing, politics, and geographic location. It was fascinating to read. I found the history of domesticating crops and animals to be the most intriguing. Definitely a non-fiction read I'll be recommending to others.

2. The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer
This was a book on my list for a long time because I had had so many people recommend it to me. The Interestings tells the story of 6 teenagers who meet at a summer camp in the 60s and how their friendships continue to influence and shape their lives well into adulthood. The book is not action packed, no huge dramas, just good writing that slowly but deliberately unfolds the stories of characters. I found myself getting lost in the book more often than not. I'd say to myself, I'm just going to read for 15 minutes, start reading, look up, and it'd be an hour later. Wolitzer created such depth in her characters and plot that I can not wait to find her other books.

3. Labor Day by Joyce Maynard
This book was sad. It's not that I cried at all, but it was more of an achy sad for the characters. Told in first person by 13 year old Henry, you find out how meeting one man and spending 6 days with him changed Henry's whole life. I would definitely say that Henry's mom, Adele, was the strongest character in the book. I wanted to give her a big hug, make her some coffee, and fix her. Such a well written book and one I'd recommend...unless you hate being sad.

4. A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby
I have never read any of Hornby's books, but am familiar with the movie's they've become. After this one, I have no desire to read any more of his work. Half of the time, I felt like I was reading a mediocre high school prose round. It felt forced and sophomoric. I finished it because it wasn't terrible, but I am grumpy I spent $5 on it. The characters were either completely unlikable or under developed. However, I looked up the preview for the movie version, and they seem to have added the depth to the story line and characters that I craved in the book, so I may go see it. Might be the first time where the movie will be better than the book.

5. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
I have read all of Flynn's previous works. I really liked them and thought that she would just continue to get better as a writer. I was absolutely correct!! This is Flynn's best book by far!! Not as dark and gruesome as her first two books, Gone Girl was a great thriller. Without giving too much away, I was stereotypically rooting for Nick. Amy would have hated me. ;) I will be ranting and raving about this book to others until they read it or cease being my friend. It is smart, mind boggling, and fast paced. I can not wait for her next book to come out, whenever that may be!  Ooh, and the movie version has Ben Affleck as Nick--PERFECT!!!!!! And Neil Patrick Harris as Desi! Definitely going to see that in theaters!!

6. Six Weeks by John Lewis-Stempel
Evan asked me to read this book. It's the first WWI book I have ever read and I'm thankful that Evan recommended it to me. Six weeks was the average lifespan of young British officers once they were at the war front during World War I. Lewis-Stempel wrote this book in a way where I didn't feel like it was a text book, but in a manner where I was intimately being brought into the lives of these very young men. Beginning with where Great Britain pulled their young officers from (elite schools), the author leads you through the schools they attended (where patriotism and heroism was bred into them), to them eagerly enlisting, how they were thrown into life of an officer, and how short their lives ended up being and why. I truly learned the entire time I read this book because I know such an embarrassing little amount about WWI. This is a fantastic book and one I'd recommend to anyone with little knowledge about WWI looking to find out more.

7. Changeling: Book 1 of Order of Darkness by Philippa Gregory
I have been a fan of Gregory's work for a very long time now (The Other Boleyn Girl is still one of my favorite books), but I had no idea she had written a young adult series. Honestly, I was not impressed. It was missing her usual depth of characters and historic detail. I felt like she dumbed down her writing instead of adapting it to younger readers. But, despite her trying to gear this toward a younger audience, I wouldn't let Elisabeth read this yet because of some of the scenes (attempted rapes). I feel like there was a lot of potential to the plot and characters, but it just never met the goal. I was disappointed and will not be reading the next two books in the series.

8. The Reason I Jump by Naoki Higashida, translated by KA Yoshida and David Mitchell
A very quick read, this book is fascinating. Naoki, a boy with autism, was 13 years old when he wrote this book. His honest answers as to why people with autism do what they do or say is eye opening. Every parent, caregiver, or teacher of a child with autism should read this book. I will be passing on my copy for sure.


Ok, so I am currently at 18 books read in 2014. With a goal of 60 books, I'd say I'm doing well. Let me know if you have any books I should be reading!!!

Happy Housewife Crap

 I should be cleaning. I have been sick for a week (bronchitis...woot woot) and the house cleaning took a back seat while I tried my hardest to hack up my lungs.

I struggle with cleaning. It's the worst of the chores. 

I have dissected my cleaning aversion ad nauseum. I have analyzed who, what, when, where, why I am so bad at keeping up with chores to no end.

I just dislike it so much that I procrastinate until it gets to a point that I am then overwhelmed. I am well aware how ridiculous and annoying it is, trust me.

When I actually do get the gumption to tackle the cleaning in a timely manner on a daily basis, I love it! It makes me feel more at peace and calmer. I love our home some what orderly (please keep in mind, it can never be perfect, I do have people living in my house). I have zero desire to have a staged, magazine-esque home--I want people feeling comfortable and not like they have to chop off their left hand if they spill or accidentally make a mess--but, I don't want the other kind of uncomfortable where you don't want to sit on the couch because you're scared of what you'll be sitting on.

So, as I continue on my cleaning journey, I am open to suggestions right now. What organization methods work for you and your crew? Do you have a cleaning schedule? Things that must be done daily? How do you handle big cleaning projects like floorboards, doors, windows, etc. Do you have a set amount of clothing per person? Set places where toys are allowed?

I NEED ALL THE CLEANING IDEAS!!!! 

I am going to blog in a couple of days what is working for us and where we need inspiration, so if you are in a similar cleaning situation, stay tuned!!! 

Eisenhower is so excited about all the up and coming cleaning extravaganza he can barely contain his kitten self. 

I Mustache You a Question...

I'm sure you have all heard of Mustache March. If you have not, here is a quick history of the AF General who started the tradition.

In our house, mustaches are an every day affair. Evan has had one full time for since last November. My children are genuinely amazed by awesome mustaches and will point them out to me and Evan and have even complimented some men on their extraordinary mustaches (if it is a curled mustache, Julia will feel the need to compliment it).

 The other week, the older two girls had to get their sports physicals so they can play tball and softball this spring. The doctor was able to see them both at the same time, and at the end of the visit, told all 3 girls that they could pick a prize from her prize drawer. The younger two both squealed with delight when they saw these Groucho Marx disguises because they had mustaches.

 Evan has always enjoyed mustaches. His Halloween costumes usually are not complete without one. Here is his favorite Halloween mustache:

His real mustache:

Vivian likes to pet Evan's mustache. It's super cute.

 Evan was trying to see if his mustache would be a conductor of static electricity. :)

 I always find it very amusing when Movember (another month for growing mustaches or beards) or Mustache March roll around and wives of the men who participate start complaining. I guess what I don't understand is, for the majority of these women, if their husbands at all responded to their choice of hair cut the way these women do about mustaches or beards, there would be loads of hurt feelings and anger that their husbands were so mean, rude, etc. I know that if I decided to chop off my hair into a pixie cut Evan might be sad that all my long curls were gone (he is a fan of the curls), but he'd never make me feel guilty or stupid for wanting a short hair cut. That's how I feel about mustaches and beards. True, I actually do like them on Evan, but even if I didn't, it's not my face. I know of a couple of wives who said they'd refused to kiss their husbands until they shaved their facial hair! That's ridiculous. 31 days of not kissing your husband/boyfriend due to facial hair? That's 31 days you can't get back!

 I like this picture because in the background you can see a pic of Evan from high school when he performed in a play where his character had a mustache.

The girls will probably always be supportive of mustaches on their loved ones. Maybe even passionately so...

Vivian the Menace

You guys, I need to talk about Vivian for a minute.

The girl is crazy.

This morning, Vivian asked for a bagel because Julia asked for a bagel. I toasted a whole bagel, buttered both sides, gave each child one half of the bagel. Vivian screamed at me for 5 minutes straight because I gave her a bagel. After 5 minutes, she nicely asked for her bagel, dropped it three times because she insisted on holding her own damn plate (not her words, but if she knew swear words, she'd freaking be a pirate with them), and finally ate part of the bagel and threw the rest on the floor.

 After the bagel drama, she went into the back room, scooped out some cat litter, put it on our futon, and then apparently ate some because she came out whining and holding her tongue. Cat litter, people. Thank the Lord we use the natural stuff made of corn and cedar, but I feel that the fact that the cats use the litter box to urinate and poop negates the thankfulness that the litter is natural.

Obviously, I lost my mind when I realize what she'd done. I screamed jibberish that in my mind sounded like "UUUUUUUGH! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!?! YOU CAN'T EAT THAT!!!! YOU ARE THE GROSSEST PERSON ON THIS PLANET!" But, according to Julia, I basically just kept saying "Ugh!" and "Noooooo!".

I sent them upstairs to get dressed so we could go to the Y and I could dump Vivian off on unsuspecting caregivers. I cleaned up the mess, texted Evan that I was quitting being the mother of his children, and headed up to get ready myself.

I go upstairs into my room and realize upon entering that Vivian has already been there before me. She had swept everything off of Evan's nightstand, emptied my sock drawers, and was starting in on the contents of our sweater chest. Upon seeing me, she smiled a very ornery smile and said, "Mommy, I pooped." I chased her out of my room, texted Evan again, and tried to think of positive thoughts about Vivian. None came to mind, so I angrily picked up the mess and hurried to change. The quicker we got the Y, the more of a guarantee that I would not just leave Vivian on the stoop for the gypsies.

 I would like to say this is out of character for Vivian, but it is not. The child is crazy. She spends most of her time standing on our kitchen table (which we never let the other two do), trashing a room like a tornado, screaming in a voice so shrill I worry our wine glasses will shatter (and Lord knows I NEED those wine glasses to drink!). She requires more patience, more use of the phrase "be careful!!", more physical activity than the other two. She is our emergency room visit waiting to happen child.

But, oh my goodness, the child is adorable. She is stingy with her hugs and kisses, but we all trip over ourselves trying to receive them. She is the worst sleeper in the house, but can be so cheerful and pleasant in the mornings. She likes to cuddle on the couch and adores her older sisters (even though she totally tries to boss them around as if she was the boss of the Bonnett girls).

I guess that, even though there are days where I need a large "I am the mother of Vivian" glass of wine, I truly would not trade her in for the world.

Of course, I can say that now since she is quietly playing and not wrecking my house so my view is not skewed by her antics...

7 Quick Takes Friday

Another installment of 7 Quick Takes on Friday where I link up with Jen at Conversion Diary!!

1)

Man, I hate getting behind on laundry. I'm usually pretty good about doing at least one load a day, but I let it get behind a few days and now I have the Mt. Vesuvius of laundry piles in my basement. 

 2)

You guys! I made some of the best chicken last night!!! They were boneless chicken thighs. I tossed them in a rub mix (2tsp garlic powder, 2tsp chili powder, 1tsp salt, 1tsp paprika, 1tsp cumin, 1/2tsp black pepper). Put them in the broiler, 5 minutes on one side, flip, 5 minutes on the other side. Then, take 6Tbsp of honey and 2tsp of apple cider vinegar, mix together, and baste half on the chicken thighs. Broil one minute, flip them over and baste the other sides with the rest of the honey mix. Broil one more minute. Done. Holy moly, they were delicious!

 3)

Next week is Elisabeth's spring break. I am totally slacking this year in that I have no idea what we'll be doing for the week. Both of the older girls have asked what the plans are, but I just really hadn't thought about it yet. I kind of want to go to some places we haven't been yet, so I guess I'll be looking up things to do online. I really, really want to avoid the problem we had last year of going places that either a bunch of spring break camps were taking kids or other families had decided to attend. I forget we live in a huge city and the population is in the millions, so others like to take advantage of free days at museums too.

 4)

Two nights ago, Vivian woke up around 11:30am. I brought her to bed with us, but after over an hour of her tossing and turning, humming, and kicking me in the kidneys, I decided to re-rock her in her room and put her back in her crib. I had successfully laid her sleeping into the crib, but as I was shutting the door she woke up. I really really really had to go the bathroom, so I left her crying in the crib to hurry to the bathroom. I heard her stop crying as I was shutting the bathroom door and silently said a prayer of thanks that she'd settled down. As I was about to wash my hands, I hear the pitter patter of little feet and there's Vivian, crying at me as soon as she sees me. I assume Evan got her out and ask him why he did such a thing. "I didn't get her out." I stand there, holding a very grumpy Vivian, trying to figure out who did get her out, when Evan says, "She must have climbed out by herself." I kid you not, I started sobbing on the spot. If Vivian could just climb out of her crib, that means we need to change it to a toddler bed to keep her safe. If she's in a toddler bed, there is nothing keeping her from getting out of bed ANY TIME SHE WANTS TO to come wake me up. The kid already wakes up 1-2 times a night still, the thought of her getting out of bed to wreak havoc on my sleep even more was just too much. I put her back in her crib (to cry on my own), walked out of her room, turned around and there she was behind me. I did not actually see her climb out, but Evan says that I kind of screamed "What is she, magic?!" and started crying harder. I'm pretty sure that I must have scared her to death because she climbed into the bed with Evan to cuddle him (which she NEVER does, she usually wants nothing to do with him). I, in my manic state, continued crying in her room to myself, convinced I was never going to sleep again. I eventually calmed down and went back to bed. In the morning, after having a couple cups of coffee, I was talking to Evan about the crib escape, still convinced she magically flew out, when Evan says, "You know, the crib can still be lowered a couple of notches." People, this is why I love this man. He is rational when I am losing my mind. Needless to say, last night, there was not escaping and she slept till 3am when she usually wakes up to join us.

 5)

I'm really trying to consciously put my phone away more and not be on it all the time. It's a terrible habit that I know you all are more than aware of from all the articles, blog posts, etc. constantly telling you how you're missing out on life by looking at your phone so much. Well, I completely agree with all that that platform has to say, so I am trying to keep the phone checking to a minimum.  And you know what? I've totally read more books recently since being off the phone more than I have in long time. Go figure.

 6)

Next week I sign the girls up for tball and baseball. They are so very excited, which I love. I was never really interested in sports as a kid, but seeing them progress and improve each spring, it makes me really wish I had loved a sport growing up. So, fair warning, there are lots of baseball pictures in your future from this blog.  

 7)

Elisabeth is in Exemplary Drama at her school. It's for 5th graders only and is basically like drama club. She had to audition to get into it (they only take 20 students from all the 5th grade classes) and they do two big performances and then spend the spring going to the younger grades doing Reader's Theater performances during school hours. Her final big play was last month and it was a tribute to black history month. Elisabeth played Frederick Douglas. She needed black pants for the role, but didn't own any, so we had to buy them. It was really funny, because a couple weeks before the play she started reminding me, "Mom, I need my Fredrick Douglas pants." What an odd sentence to say.

Vivian is 2

On February 22nd, Vivian turned two. I kid you not, I feel like she went from a tiny baby to a toddler very, very quickly. Look how much she has grown:

 Vivian is so very...Vivian. She can be unbelievably sweet as sugar one minute and a rabid monster the next.

Vivian at the brand new age of two enjoys:
Peppa Pig
Driving her dump truck all around our yard with her good friend Mak.
Riding her little car around the yard with her good friend Mak.
Jumping on the trampoline.
Screaming.
Causing ruckus during Mass.
Playing tackle football with Evan on a nightly basis. (You should see her tackle face!)
Carrying a purse with her to stores.
Cuddling her teddy as she is rocked to sleep.
Begging for snacks from the pantry all the live long day.
Tormenting the cats.
Tormenting her sisters.
Tormenting her parents.
Going to the Y and playing with the kids.
Rice with soy sauce.
Climbing the equipment at the park as if she were a chimpanzee.
Slides.
Shoes, especially her brown shoes and her pink boots.
Juice of the apple and orange variety.
Dumping all of her toys every day. EVERY DAY.
Sitting on our laps.
Taylor Swift's "Never Ever Ever" song.
Waking up at 2am and joining us in bed.
Bath time (especially with bath paints and crayons).
Her Santa pajamas (aka: her Ho Hos).
Dinosaurs.
Contradicting anything and everything we say/ask/request/recommend.
Making us "cheers" our cups at dinner time, boots if she is wearing some at the same time as you, glasses if she has sun glasses on, or anything else she notices that you share in common with her.

On her actual birthday, Vivian was having none of the normal birthday attention. She refused to acknowledge our "Happy Birthday!"s that we kept saying, refused to say she was 2 (she still won't say it), refused to be happy about cake and presents later in the day. This is typical Vivian behavior, contrary to her core.

However, when her dearest friends Dutch and Mak came over to celebrate, she was ready to be compliant. Dutch and Mak got her the pink lawn chair. She was so excited.

 She received lots of help opening her presents.

 Peppa Pig's tree house!

 See? Finally excited:

 She looooooved that we sang to her. She danced and had the biggest smile the entire time.

And now, my babiest baby is two. May she stay small and squishy as long as possible. I love you, Vivian!