10.29.21 - Kid snippets: sometimes Jane kicks and bites

Clara: Jane do you want help cleaning the living room or do you want to do it by yourself?
Jane: Oh! You can help me.
Clara: Yeah do you know why I want to help you? Because you are my best sister ever!
Jane: Yeah. But sometimes I kick you and bite you.

10.20.21 - Kid snippets: Jane wants to be called "Maybe"

I recently introduced Jane to "Call Me Maybe," and she *loves* it. She keeps requesting that we listen to her "girl song." We've listened to it a lot this week and we were dancing to it tonight. Now she's requesting I no longer call her "Jane" and instead refer to her as "Maybe."

10.17.21 - Kid snippets: Jane's fresh breath

Every night after Jane brushes her teeth she wants to breathe in my face so I can see that her breath smells nice.

10.17.21 - Joy status: leisurely Sunday morning

Leisurely Sunday morning. With Jack and I both working full-time now, I'm normally running around trying to get done as much as possible even on the weekends. But today Jack is working, my in-laws are out of town, Clara is at my mom's house because she spent the night last night, and so the only people in the house are Jane, Calvin, and me. It's giving me the opportunity to pay a little bit more focused attention on them than I usually can.

We made chocolate chip pancakes. Jane helped a lot with pouring milk and cracking eggs and even putting some of the chocolate chips in. We ate them as we made them. It made the whole house smell wonderful and feel very cozy especially since it's nice and chilly outside (woooooo fall!) We listened to the entire Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack followed by the soundtrack to Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin.

Then Jane and I played a Thomas the tank engine memory game. We started with just 4 pairs of cards but slowly expanded until we were using 12. She's getting pretty good at it. After 5 or 6 rounds of that, she wanted to play Connect Four. I tried to teach her the real way but eventually let her and Calvin play their own version that involves racing to put as many pieces in as possible. They really enjoyed it.

Now I'm reclining on the couch brainstorming Christmas wish list ideas for the kids (at my mom's request because she gets started ridiculously early) and the kids are each doing their own thing in the living room peacefully. So nice to take a morning off and just hang out with them.

10.11.21 - Joy status: autumn day

Today was such an autumn day. 

Woke up to thunderstorms which the kids watched eagerly when they were supposed to be getting ready for the day. As I drove Jane and Calvin to in-home daycare, Jane (4yo) kept wistfully remarking at how beautiful the sky was with dark blue mixed with sunrise gold. She said "oh! It's such a lovely day!" It rained on and off all day and I loved it. Currently I am working out of an extra room at my mom's house, and when I got there this morning she had put up all of her fall decor on her front porch and in her living room and it was incredibly cozy. I had autumn squash soup for lunch. And then this evening I went on a long walk through a park by a lake with my sister-in-law and it was very breezy and cool and there were leaves of all kinds of colors covering the path the whole way. It was beautiful.

10.7.21 - Kid snippets: dancing to Can't Help Falling In Love

Tonight I tried to show the kids the second half of Labyrinth but for the most part they wouldn't stop doing other things, whining about stupid crap, and interrupting the movie. It was not what I'd hoped for.

But when it was over, Jane asked me if we could dance to lovely songs. So I put on the Elvis Presley version of "Can't Help Falling in Love" and the whole family danced to it three times. During one iteration, I held Calvin in my arms and danced with him while Jack did the same with Clara, and Jane twirled in her pretty dress between us all. It was pretty fantastic.

I think feeling that range of irritation to joy in the span of barely an hour is quintessential parenting.

10.4.21 - Kid snippets: What Calvin is thankful for

I asked the kids what they're thankful for.

Clara: I'm thankful for [lists every family member]
Jane: I'm thankful for every single day of the month, and I'm thankful for [also lists every family member].
Calvin: I tankful...boo, geen, yewwow, red, puhple

10.2.21 - Kid snippets: Jane spends the night at Jama's

Tonight is Jane's (my 4 yo's) first time spending the night by herself at Jama's house. I asked her a couple times throughout the week if she wanted to do it and she always said yes. We packed a tiny little backpack with her overnight stuff and when we got to the house she wanted to wear it for the very brief walk from our car to the front door. Then she kept the backpack on in the house and made sure that everyone saw that she had her backpack for spending the night.

We all stayed for dinner. When it was time for me to take the other two kids home I thought maybe Jane would be nervous. She definitely was not. She was happy for us to leave haha. She gave everyone a big hug and enthusiastically told us goodbye. Then, even though it was only about 7:00, she told Jama she was going to go put on her pajamas and brush her teeth to be ready to spend the night.

I'm very happy we live here so that my kids can have this one-on-one time with their grandparents and my shy girl in particular can get some undivided attention.

9.12.21 - Kid snippets: Clara already knows everything

The first week of school was complete and Clara still had to go back the following Monday.

Clara: How long do I have to keep doing this?
Me: Oh a long long time. All of your childhood and most of the time you are a teenager too. Get used to it because it's going to be many years.
Clara: But why do I have to go to school so much?
Me: Well there are a whole lot of things you'll learn that will help you get ready to be a grown up.
Clara: I already know what I need to know! I know math and ABCs and can read!
Me: There is actually going to be even more than that.

In other news today Jane used my mom's set of play dishes and tiny little table and chairs to make a pretend dinner for Clara and me. She even used all of her strength to pull a full size chair over for me since I can't sit in the children's chairs. Then she let us know that her and my empty plates were filled with gluten food and Clara's had gluten-free food. Then she happily poured us what she told us was coffee and we all pretended to eat together and she was thrilled.

And finally, just in the last week Calvin has started actually giving me kisses upon request instead of gleefully shouting no and running away.

8.28.21 - Kid snippets: Billiong or 100

Clara was describing her school to me.

Clara: Do you know how many kids are in the lunchroom?
Me: How many?
Clara: A BILLION kids!
Me: A billion, wow
Clara: Well maybe like 100

And randomly, Jane: When my mouth is talking, I get tired.

7.25.21 - Kid snippets: Where's my freaking pillow?

This afternoon when Jack picked us up from the airport, the girls and Calvin were delighted to see each other. Calvin just kept looking at them and giggling, which they returned in kind.

Also, tonight Jane realized her pillow wasn't at the head of her bed where it usually is.

Jane: What?? Mom! Where's my freaking pillow?
Me, already laughing: What did you say?
Jane, calmly: Where's my freaking pillow?

7.7.21 - Kid snippets: Is there someone in the dentist?

For some reason, Jane refers to the basement as the "dentist," so she was getting pretty annoyed with me when it took me a long time to understand what she meant by "Is there someone in the dentist?" (Also, no, there's no one in the dentist.)

5.31.21 - Kid snippets: Clara can lift two milk

We are listening to the soundtrack to The Princess and the Frog and there's a part where they say something about someone being beautiful.

Jane: Mom, just like I'm beautiful!
Me: Yes, you are beautiful. And you're also smart!
Clara: So am I. I'm smart.
Me: Yes you are. You guys are smart. And you know what else? You are hard workers!
Clara: Yeah just like we are smart but also strong!
Me: Yes, and you work hard. Even when things don't work right the very first time, you keep trying.
Clara: So strong you can lift milk!
Me: Okay, but-
Clara: Maybe even TWO milk!
Me: Okay.

5.28.21 - Kid snippets: Clara explains where babies come from

Clara explains pregnancy to Jane.

Clara: Jane, the baby stays in mommy's tummy and then in a few weeks it comes out of her vagina and then they cut the vine.
Jane: Hm. Yeah.

I think for their age that's pretty close.

5.17.21 - Joy status: Girls get to socialize with neighbors

Tonight Clara heard other kids playing outside in the apartment complex and asked if we could go outside. So we grabbed Jane's new giant bottle of bubble mix (from her birthday) and went to see what was going on. Clara is absolutely fearless when it comes to playing with other kids and immediately ran up to a group of girls and asked if she could play with them. They were happy to oblige, especially since Clara and Jane came with bubble mix.

All five girls played with the bubbles for quite some time and then started running around the complex playing tag and hide and seek and shrieking in delight. My kids don't play with other kids often enough so it was wonderful to watch. I got the sense the other girls felt the same way. It also makes me look forward to when we get to Missouri and they get to hang out with their cousins on a regular basis and have a social life.

5.15.21 - Kid snippets: Clara is a good sister

Jane and Clara are frosting cookies together.

Jane: Clara, you're a good sister.
Clara: Yep!

5.5.21 - Kid snippets: Jane and Sarah are introverts together

This one is actually from January, but I don't want to forget it. I didn't witness this; Sarah relayed it to me.

We hosted a hot chocolate potluck and had half a dozen guests. Three-year-old Jane (an introvert) approached Sarah (also an introvert).

Jane: Do you want to sit on the couch with me?
Sarah: Sure.
They sit. (The couch is across the room from where most people were hanging out.)
Jane: There are a lot of people in my house.
Sarah: Yeah there are.
They sit a moment.
Jane: Do you want to do a puzzle with me?
Sarah: Sure!
Then they did a puzzle together away from the crowd.

4.3.21 - Kid snippets

Clara tells me when she grows up, she'll have her own big house with four children named Joe, Ryan, Leia, and Reya. And **no grown ups**. I asked her if she'll have a husband, and she reiterated there will be **no other grown ups**. Just her and her children.

Also she will dye as many Easter eggs as she wants.

3.27.21 - Kid snippets: kids pretending to be puppies

About once a day, Jane lies on the ground, covers herself with a blanket, and asks me to "open the present." When I remove the blanket, she pops up saying "woof woof woof!" I say "Are you a puppy??" and she nods vigorously and sticks her tongue in and out. She's been doing this for weeks, maybe months.

This morning Calvin came up to me covered in his blanket yelling "Mama!" When I took the blanket off, he uncertainly stuck his tongue out and grinned. I said "Oh! Are you a puppy?" and he yelled "Yeah!" Then he crawled around a bit and repeated the process. As a big bonus, my still-not-speaking little guy announced "I-uh pup-puh!" I'm pretty sure this is his first attempt at a sentence.

3.26.21 - Kid snippets: stolen kid's book

Jane cannot find her book "If You Give a Pig a Pancake," so she has accused me of sneaking it away to my work.