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Terrible Twos

  
     Caution! Though she looks sweet and innocent, this child is a raging being of superhuman will primed to explode at a moment's notice. While normally happy and smiley, for no real reason whatsoever she will hurl shrieks, screams and tears at you kicking and undulating on the floor like some sort of banshee bent on the destruction of your very sanity.
     Try not to make eye contact as her supply of alluring cuteness knows no end. She will unleash it at will completely undermining your ability to deny more chocolate milk, a second sucker or another ride on the carousel. Also known to crawl into your lap with blanket in hand and set up camp. If this happens, forget about your chances of ever being seen again and pray that someone notifies your next of kin.
     Often seen in the company of Grandmothers who seem to strengthen her resolve. It is well know that the Grandmother species provides a steady supply of sugar and coddling. This is a partnership certain to result in exponential disaster and strengthening of inhuman tantrum resolve.
   

If cornered, we advise that you grant her wishes to be held, carried or read book after book after book after book...after book. Do not run, her facial features seem to have some sort of magnetic draw that has been found to be 100% irresistible. Despite reports or opinions to the contrary, this child is undeniably caught in the grips of the terrible twos. 

Bad Report

My mind is drawing a bit of a blank on whether or not I have mentioned this yet so in case I haven't, Ru and Sailor are both attending preschool part time this year. Last week, Sailor got her first bad report. While picking her up from school, her teacher informed me that she had been uncooperative, not listening, talking back, not participating and she started a fight with her sister on the playground. At home she has been flexing her terrible two muscles and pushing and testing our boundaries. Her attitude is always pretty great but their are pockets of defiance and rebellion. I have been shaming myself a bit and wondering what has made her act like this. Ruby has never had a bad report though we have had trying times with her in the home and she wasn't in preschool at Sailor's age so the situation is truly unique to us. In any case, we had a serious talk with her and before she goes back next week we are going to have another one to remind her how not to act. Lets hope this isn't the beginning of something and that this will be the last bad report of her preschool career. I am sure some will follow from k-12 but she got off to an early start.

Back to School

     Since the girls started back to preschool later than most, the pictures are coming later. This is old hat for Ruby (she'll just be going more days this year) but it is a brave new world for Sailor. On her first day I was expecting some wailing and gnashing of teeth but she was a trooper and did not even hug me goodbye. It was a little sad but with two days a week where they will both be gone I'll actually have a few hours to kill.

Ruby's Choice

     Earlier this week, Ruby was in The Reading Room (our hallway bathroom) and decided to look at the 2013 Harley-Davidson bikes book. I picked one of these up last time I was at the dealership and it has been sitting around the house ever since. Later the same day, Ru came up to me with the book and told me this was the motorcycle she wanted. It is a 2013 Sportster Forty-Eight, not a bad choice and understandable that she would like it as my current bike is built on the same platform.
     I have bene thinking ever since about what I will say and do when she gets older and the conversation becomes a little less make-believe and a little more real. I am sure as she grows into her teenage years (and begins to despise and dislike her parents and all that we enjoy and represent) that she will probably not want a bike anymore just on principle. In the event that she does, what will I say and how will I act? I know I could start her young on a mini-bike and let her grow into bigger bikes learning how to ride safely as she goes but the thought can be a bit scary.
     It is a hard decision for me, walking the line as a rider and as a father. I lost a good friend to a motorcycle accident in High School. I gamble it all every time I get on the road so I am not a stranger to the risks...and I am not sure I am willing to put it on the line when it comes to my children. I will not discourage them and I am thinking they'll get a lot of closed lot time. When they get on the road will be based on their ability and maturity as they get older if they want to pursue it.
     Every time something like this comes up I am reminded that even though they don't always seem like it, these are the easy times. With us providing a safety net and a lot of the decision making the girls are free to stumble and fall with little to no consequence. As they grow and the net slowly pulls out from under them, the work we do now will be that much more important and the stakes much, much higher. All we can do is give it our best. Here's to hoping the foundation sticks.

Domestic God

     So olivia and the girls were gone all last week. I'm sure you can imagine the craziness that has been going on at this house without adult or female supervision. I know what you are thinking: maybe copious amounts of beer, shots, motorcycle riding, video gaming, etc. Nope...baked goods.

      There were some bananas I forgot about on the window sill that were too ripe to eat. They were, however, ripe enough for banana bread. I was determined not to let them go to waste. I've never baked anything from scratch in my life but I had ingredients, an oven and the internet so how hard could it be? I googled recipes, picked the first one, followed directions and in one hour I had two loaves of excellent banana bread.

      Don't think for a minute though that this was all I did this week. There was also laundry, dishes, vacuuming, cleaning, etc. I think my domestication is complete. In all honesty, routine is just really hard to break so staying busy was the only way to stay sane in a house that had (temporarily) lost it's pulse. Three girls are scheduled for arrival later today and I am ready to see them. I could also use some help enjoying the fruits of my labor. 

Choose Your Own Adventure

     olivia is usually the one who gets the girls down for bed and before sleep, she reads them a couple books. Lately, Ruby has been really stoked on my old Choose Your Own Adventure books. In case you do not remember these from when you were younger, they do not read straight through. Every few pages or so you are faced with a choice that will effect the outcome of the story.
     We have to read them to her aloud. The best part for me is when we get to the choices. It's pretty awesome to see the gears turning in her head and the internal weighing of options. We've always been pretty good about encouraging her independence and I think these are a great way for her to learn about decisions and consequences.
     I put her to bed the other night and read one to her and she was most sad when her choice resulted in a very brief story time. There is nothing keeping her from trying again another night. The great thing about these books is the added readability. The one above alone boasts 40 possible endings.
     Ru is very selective right now about which ones she does and does not want you to read to her. She goes by the covers which I think is a solid indicator. I'm sure these will see a lot of use in the future. We have a pretty good collection of them. I'm pretty sure they will keep the girls busy and engaged for a bit.

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Toy Shopping

 

     Part of the girls' Easter present from my Mom was two little purses with $5.50 in them. The idea was for the girls to get to go shopping and pick a small toy and use their own money to buy it. I never need an excuse to go to the mall and I was excited to see the selection and evaluation process. 

     Basically what this became was an hour of  lets pick up and play with everything in the store while Dad tries to keep everything in its place so security doesn't get called. The stuffed animal section of the store has a sign that says "Please don't let children sit on the animals." Thankfully it didn't say anything about jumping up and down on them or dragging them around by their tails. 

     The girls quickly learned that the big, awesome toys can't be had for $5.50. I also had to talk Ruby down from the proverbial ledge over the first thing she grabbed in the store: a small stuffed tiger. Pretty sure you weren't aware of this, but there are about 5 stuffed tigers in this house already. Sailor spent a lot of time putting things in her mouth and I had to explain a couple times that a play gun was not an appropriate toy for a three year old, even if it was pink.

     In the end, Ruby picked a miniature Slinky and Sailor a plastic flutophone. Watching them at the counter was fun too and the clerk was a good sport. After all this time thinking we were just wrecking shop, I'm sure he was relieved to get $10 out of the deal. We capped our trip with lunch in the food court and a trip up the elevator. As the carousel is still MIA, we had to take what we could get.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

     Ruby is getting really into letters and writing so we figured it was time to move her into her first real book. We selected Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory not only because it is a classic that olivia and I both love but also because Ruby loved the movie and we figured her interest in it would translate into her interest in the book. It also has some pictures so we aren't going cold turkey from her other books and she still gets her normal picture book story time.
     Every night before she goes to bed we read one chapter. So far she is really into it and asks a lot of questions. Its kind of amazing that an energetic go, go, go personality like hers will become completely calm and sedate to listen to the story. She was upset last night that we only did one chapter but it did end on a bit of a cliffhanger so I understand her frustration. 
     At one chapter a night it will take us about a month to finish it. Actually, it will take a bit longer because if she doesn't behave, we will be taking away story time as a punishment. I am excited about her interest and can't wait until she is selecting books and reading them on her own.

Anniversary Continued

So my mother-in-law took the girls Wednesday to Sunday leaving olivia and I alone to have some anniversary celebration time. We watched DVD's, drank beer, consumed countless coffees, ate quality food, bowled badly, caught up on sleep, read and in general just enjoyed the time together.

Thanks for all the Anniversary wishes, we had a great one.

Beard...

On the way to school the other day, Ruby told me when she grew up she wanted to grow a beard like Daddy. I had to break the news to her that she would never have one. I told her that little boys that grow up to become men grow beards and little girls grew up to be women and have long hair. I told her if she wanted, she could grow long hair like mommy.

She told me no, she was going to grow a beard with a "I don't take no for an answer" attitude. Later in the week, we took some photos and cut and paste my beard onto hers. She thought this was the funniest thing she had ever seen. I said "Are you sure you still want a beard" and she said "Yep, a great big one." I guess that settles it...

Halloween

Halloween is right around the bend. This year we are letting Ruby pick her costume. She bounces back and forth between Spidergirl and a Kitty-Cat. A couple costume catalogs have come to the house and she loves flipping through them and will occasionally say that she wants to be every costume on each page.

Last night when she was getting ready for bed, we were laying down talking. There was a break of silence and she asked what was wrong. I told her I was just thinking and she asked if I was worrying about what Sailor was going to be for Halloween. When I told her no she asked what Mommy and I were going to be. I told her we were going to be her and her sister's Mommy and Daddy.

It seems like the Halloween I knew is a child is fading away in favor of themed festivals and church Trunk and Treats. The holiday was always a blast for me. I have so many awesome memories of walking and running around the neighborhood carrying a sack full of sugar. One year the bottom of my bag was blown out thanks to condensation from a Capri Sun. Thankfully I was close to home and able to scrape most of my loot up and make it back to the house.

I am glad the traditional style of Trick-or-Treating is still around for at least a few more years so I can share it with the girls. There are already so many things I loved from when I was younger that they will never experience, every little bit has become important. Tradition is a huge part of family and it is tough at times to mix the old with the new. We do are best to adapt, it's all we can do.

Schedules and Changes

Taking a look back at the early days of this blog, I used to write a lot more. Things have gotten busier around here as the girls have gotten a little older. Our schedules are radically different than they were when our arrangement changed and I came home. We've gone through many changes lately, all for the better, but I am hopeful that these differences will allow me to return to form.

Late last year and early this year I started a couple social media experiments just to see where they would go and to also kind of see what all the buzz was about. I've been talking to my wife about it in depth. The bottom line is that the outlets that yield the smallest reward are going to be cut loose. This, with the changes above, should allow me to focus on the outlets that are important and do yield rewards.

That being said, I truly appreciate each and every one of you who take the time to look at, read and comment on this blog. Seeing your reactions to the pictures or hearing that a story or incident made you laugh is truly a great reward. I hope to share more in the near future and look forward to your feedback. 

Taking a week off...

Mess

We've been watching a lot of the tv show Hoarders lately. I am (perhaps overly) minimalist and organized. My wife is all about clean but has a much higher threshold for clutter than I do. Call me paranoid but I've already started worrying about how our habits will effect the kids. At the end of the day we make Ruby help clean up. At first she fought kicking and screaming and would only move one or two things. As time has gone on she has more and more of an interest and does more and more.
My niece is really into cleaning. Apparently you can give her a rag and she'll dust the entire house. I remember when I was young I earned part of my allowance by doing chores. I think this is a smart system that we'll use when they get older.
I had lofty goals and aspirations when we first talked about kids. My thoughts were to get them started as soon as possible, totally old school. Maybe pick them up a shady factory gig when they are still in single digits. When they are big enough to push a mower we could get them doing some mowing and landscaping around the neighborhood. By the time they are driving age they can buy their own car. After that no more toting them to the factory, they can drive to their office job. Once they learn to live off of the meager funds they will have left after they have to start supporting us they can start their own college fund and 401k. I know it sounds a little harsh but if they invest wisely, they can retire early. 
Like so many other areas with the girls, I want them to get the best parts of my wife and I and none of the bad. Realistically, I will be happy if they are clean and neat but not white glove obsessed or germaphobes.

Autonomy

We've always tried to foster an independent nature for the kids. We are not afraid to let them try doing things themselves even if we feel like they will fail. Ruby has taken this and ran with it and now so much so that if you won't let her do it, she gets very upset and unhappy until you let her. She is quick to ask for help when she needs it so we feel like this is a win.

Getting dressed has become a big part of her day. It is always fun for us to see the outfits she comes up with. Here are a few shots from the past couple weeks.

 

On a related note, Sailor is in full-on hold the bottle herself mode. Sometimes she kicks it one handed with the other arm hanging out the side of the swing.