This afternoon when I was tucking Anya in for her rest time, she said to me, “Mommy, I love you more than you love me because you love me up to the moon, but I love you even higher than the moon.” She wouldn’t let me top that with loving her to Mars or to the moon and back, and so I let her win for the moment, but let me just state for the record: Anya, you may love me higher than the moon, but I will always love YOU to infinity – and beyond. Thank you for being my sweet girl.

Share on Facebook

As the weather gets nicer, the kids and I are able to go on more walks, especially in the afternoon post-nap, pre-dinner lull. Anya’s favorite activity during these walks is to yell “tweet” at the birds and then tell me she’s talking to them in bird language. Sierra’s is to pick as many yellow flowers – dandelions – as possible. I should charge the neighbors for the weeding services she provides.

Today we went in a different direction from our usual route, and we came upon a house at the corner of the block whose lawn was a veritable field of dandelions. Sierra could barely contain herself, and even Anya took a break from her bird communion to appreciate the flowers, especially when she noticed the many “wishing flowers” – what she calls the dandelion puffs. She picked one and told me she was going to make a wish (I love that she remembered this after so many months of winter!), and then blew the seeds off with all of her 4-year-old might. She told me she wished to be a princess with a mean witch who turns into a nice witch.

Sierra was intrigued by the wishing flowers and wanted to have one, too. The girls probably picked 12 between the two of them and happily blew the seeds throughout the neighborhood (There goes our weeding business). I just loved watching their pure kid joy as they watched the little puffs take to the air. I hope these are the moments they remember.

Share on Facebook

Every kid is different, and I know that, but sometimes it still surprises me.   Sierra, who had been underfoot the entire time I was trying to make dinner (as she often wants to be), announced that she had to go potty again, even though I had taken her not 10 minutes before.  Already annoyed by how much she was hindering my ability to get dinner together, I told her that I was not going to take her since she had just went.  I insisted that she did not actually have to go and sent her to play.  I thought she went into the playroom.  Then a few minutes later I heard the sound of peeing and the words, “I really had to go potty.”  I went to the bathroom to find her sitting on the toiled (with no potty seat!), having pulled down her pants, gotten a stool, and climbed on by herself.  She was super proud of herself, especially because she was sitting right on the toilet like a big girl.

Anya never would have done that at this age (2 years and 4.5 months), so I was pretty shocked.  I’m not comparing them, but sometimes I forget to remember that they aren’t the same kid and that I can’t have the same expectations, both in terms of things Anya did that Sierra doesn’t do and vice versa.  I can’t wait to see what surprises Liam has in store for me!

Share on Facebook

According to Anya, these signs mean “watch out for unicorns.”

Share on Facebook

Sierra wanted to know where bugs sleep. I said in the dirt or on a tree. She considered this, then asked, “Do they put blankets on theirselves?”

Share on Facebook

Sierra is lying on the floor on her back, panting. “I’m relaxing,” she tells me. “You’re relaxing?” I ask. “Yeah, I’m a dog,” she answers.

Where do they get this stuff?

Share on Facebook

We had a lovely BBQ at our friends’ house this evening.  Their little girl – one of Anya’s first friends – has a really neat digital camera that Anya very much enjoyed.  She was having a lot of fun taking pictures of the grownups, the kids, the furniture… However, my favorite moment was when she took a picture of Lex, turned to me with a big smile, and said, “Look!  I took a picture of Daddy’s crotch!”

Share on Facebook

“Mama, have a snack please?” is definitely better than “SSSSNNNNNAAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCKKKKKKK!”  Thanks, Sierra.

Share on Facebook

Apparently Lex and I enjoy the theme song from Weeds and sing it often, because tonight Sierra sang out, “Little boxes on the hillside, little boxes made of ticky-tacky…”

Anya asked me a question tonight, and I told her I didn’t know the answer.  She said, “I don’t know either.  We can be I don’t know twins!”  This amused me.  A lot.

Share on Facebook

We went out to dinner with friends tonight.  Sierra, oddly enough, refused to taste my cake, even though she had been chanting, “Cake, cake, cake, cake!” up until the time it was brought to the table.  However, she was extremely excited when they brought the little (Andes-style) mints to the table and insisted that she wanted one.  Who am I to tell her what she will or won’t like?  I gave her one.  She took a tiny little bite, which she pulled out of her mouth to hand to me, and then took a bigger one, which she followed with an enormous shudder and the exclamation, “COLD!  BRRRRRR!”

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Share on Facebook