"Poppy" goes the weasel

Take a good look at my dainty little girl's new toy. (Ellie herself added the train to the scene) This is a weasel ball...or commonly referred to in my house now as "my weeeeeeeedel!" Poppy came to town yesterday and after a stop at the Cracker Barrel for breakfast, we came home with full tummies and a much-needed weasel. Ellie was taken with them as we waited for our table...what little girl wouldn't be? So Poppy had to get her one (they are $7.99!) along with a bag of candy. Not that he would spoil her or anything, but he is totally wrapped around her cute little finger. And he knows it. We have had a good laugh watching her with it though. She is more interested in how it works and taking the ball apart to remove and replace the battery time and time again. "OPEEE Poppy!" quickly followed by "CWOSE it Poppy!" And he did. Weasel got quite a workout his first day home . He got to run around in the kitchen, inside a box, and out in the backyard...the only thing he couldn't do was climb our tree. Ellie was disappointed, but she forgave him. She just slung him over her shoulder and toted him back into the house where he roamed freely until one of us could catch him and turn him off.

Ellie has a good time with her Poppy and the feeling is entirely mutual. Although, on the way to the airport yesterday she did offer to throw him over to go get a "ha-burger". (She can be fickle.) But, they spent their time playing blocks, making music with her harmonicas, taking a walk, and just being silly together.

I think they are both very lucky.

Where does the time go?

I meant to keep up my blog while I was in WV with my sister's little angels, but I honestly don't know what happened! I'll blame them, since it's convenient and they aren't here to defend themselves. Seriously though, I was so worn out at the end of the day that it was all I could do to brush my teeth. I think I'm old. Who knew?

Overall, the week went well. I had to bring the hammer down on them once or twice but we had some fun and I think we're all still speaking. Ellie and I got to go see Quinn's soccer game where she yelled, "Go Quinn Go!" about a million times. I think they won, or at least he says they did. But then again, he always tells me that. I'm not sure he knows either. I like going and look forward to Ellie getting into those things. She was ready too...couldn't keep her off the field, but luckily E distracted her with some bug-juice. That worked temporarily. Later in the week E, Ellie, and I even got to go out to breakfast together. That was nice, as I don't get much grown up time to talk to my sister. There is usually an interruption on one end or the other, starting with some version of "MOM(MY)!!!!!"

Since we've been back home, Ellie has found a few new phrases and tricks to help add to my collection of gray hairs. Last night right before bed, she spied a package of M&Ms on the breakfast bar. "MMMMM!", she said. "Canny!" I told her "No candy", as she had already had a treat and brushed her teeth for bed. Before I could get to her, she had scrambled up onto the bar and was holding the package over her head...."Ta-daaa!" One step closer to her and she threw them across the room. Thinking that must be the universal signal for "I am SO ready for bed!" I scooped her up and off we went. Now, I have relaxed my stance on sweets a little in the last few months...rather, I've given up. No one listened to me anyway and I got tired of talking to myself. I do let her have some treats occasionally. But, you have to understand, these were dark chocolate peanut M&Ms...and quite frankly, they were MINE. Call me selfish, but she really had just brushed her teeth. :)

Ellie funny for the day:

Leaving the playplace today, as I put her in her car seat I handed her cup to her.

She looked at me and said , "Thanks, honey."

Rules for boys

Well, here we are, day #1. Everyone is where they should be...the boys at school and Ellie napping. The cat finally showed her face and is sleeping on the couch. This morning went pretty well, considering the people I was dealing with. Ellie woke the boys by jumping on their bed, but they were up and around faster than I thought they would be. A good start. We even negotiated having breakfast at home so that they could go to school just a little later. Quinn especially liked this, as his first words to me this morning were, "Hey woman, what's for grub?" Charming. He requested pancakes and sausage -- easy enough. So, they all ate together and I think I only heard the word "stupid" one time. Maybe twice. Quinn was dressed and ready (I thought) but Caden dragged his feet a little. After lighting a small fire under his butt, he was dressed too. A quick inspection of the two reminded me why you never take a little boy's word that he has completed any hygiene task. Here are the "boy rules" as I see them:

1. If my skin is wet, I have had an adequate shower.

2. If my toothbrush is wet, I must have brushed my teeth. You can further prove this to your aunt by taking the cap off of the toothpaste and showing her the opening while saying "See?"

3. Combing hair is an option usually reserved for people who want to look like a "president" or "fancy" You do not have to be fancy in the second grade, or the seventh apparently.

4. Two pairs of underwear worn at the same time make your pants feel "puffy".

5. "Put your plate in the sink" can be translated to "shove the plate about 5 inches from where you just finished eating, wipe your mouth on your shirt, and look for the TV remote."

6. Carrying your backpack to the car is very tiring and time consuming. Try begging someone to do it for you. If that doesn't work, let it slide down the stairs on it's own and pick it up at the bottom.

7. "Shot-gun!" is a four-letter word.

8. There are 1,000,000,000 different ways to sing the Coca-cola jingle on the way to school.

9. Never ask "do you think that girl is pretty?" loudly with the window down while a seventh grade boy gets out of the car.

10. There has to be something at Barboursville Elementary that you can buy with a dollar.

All in all, a good morning. We got through all these little challenges, and they even did what I told them to, eventually. No one was bleeding when they left and I haven't booked a flight home yet. Let's hope the afternoon goes as well.

My Boys

This morning I am off to WV to put in some "aunt" time with my boys Caden and Quinn. I am looking forward to it, but check back with me in about 24 hours! Ellie will be thrilled, as she loves all the attention and just runs her little legs off trying to keep up with them. No one makes her laugh like Quinn, and Caden is her hero...the guy who pushes her the highest on the "wing" in the front yard. (He hates when I knock on the window and tell him to take it down a notch...but he knows its coming).

I love watching the three of them together--the three little souls I love most in this world. It is especially gratifying, and mind-boggling, to watch those boys take care of my little daughter. These big boys, still babies in my heart and mind, who are so careful and sweet to her...who watch over her and find delight in her "little-girlness". They have loved her, without question, since the day they found out about her--just as I have them. Because of them, I feel like Ellie will always have someone, even when I'm gone. As Quinn told me once, "When I'm big and she's still little, I'll take care of her." And he will, too. He also wants to know what she will be doing when he's in college, because he'll probably be too busy then. So sweet. Caden doesn't express it the same way, but I see his love and concern for her in the way he is interested in helping with her care. The first day home, he wanted to feed her and help change her. (Quinn wanted to "milk" her, too.) Kind of neat for a then 10 year old boy. Neither of them have been jealous or felt put-out for one second --instead of taking away from them, she has enriched their lives and even they can see it.

So, off I go to these little guys who will no doubt argue with me and challenge my every word. They are a little like their mother, you know. :) But, oh how I love them...the one who taught me what real love was and the one who showed me the miracle of doubling a love you felt was already immeasurable. See you soon, guys. Thank you for loving us.

Bedtime Battles

Ellie has discovered sidewalk chalk. We bought some at Target today, along with a new spill-proof (yeah, right) bubble container and a watering can for when she wants to "help me mommy" with the flowers. I'm trying to find things to occupy her outside since that is where she wants to be lately. If we'd let her, I think she'd sleep in the backyard -- as long as the bugs all go inside first.

It was all I could do to get her back inside to take a toy-bath and get ready for bed. She asked for popcorn and had to "help me mommy" with it. "Cook it...push buttons", she said as she scooted her stool toward the microwave. How does she know these things? Someone must be tutoring her behind my back. She's sharp, this one. Like today when she head-butted me in the chin while I was trying to put her shoes on and when I said "Ouch!", she turned, rubbed my chin and said "much better". Glad I have someone to look out for me.

So, after toy-bath, we made popcorn. She was munching away, happily watching Dora and Diego for a while -- singing and repeating whatever that monkey of theirs was chattering about. Suddenly, she jumped up and dumped her few remaining popcorn kernels on the floor and began stomping the heck out of them. She had tried this before with a brownie and I guess she liked the result, so why not try a new medium? Now, I know she saw me sweeping the floor today, but I'm not convinced she cared. Here is how I handled it..bearing in mind all my years of studying child development:

Me: "Ellie, stop that!"
Ellie : (stomp, stomp, stomp!)
Me: "Stop that right now or you're going to bed!"
Ellie: (running now and throwing pieces she has picked up on the fly...oh, and laughing)
Me: (chasing her down, catching her by one arm, and dragging her kicking and spitting to the scene of the crime) "Now, you put all those pieces back in your bowl right now."
Ellie: "Wight Now!"
Me: "I mean it, Ellie. Pick them up."
Ellie: (fists clenched and behind her back...looking at floor)
So, as any reasonable adult would do, I took her little hand and tried to force her to pick them up. This doesn't work, by the way. She finally did pick up ONE kernel and when I said,"Now put it in the bowl" looked at me, dead in the eye, opened her fat little hand, and....DROPPED IT RIGHT BESIDE THE BOWL.

Score: Ellie-1, Mommy-0.

There really is something to be said about learning to pick your battles with a 2 year old. I'll clean up the rest later.















**More "Ellie-isms":
"charp" - a knife. Sharp.
"shake-shake" - sugar, Parmesan cheese, salt, etc. She'd love to have these all to herself.
"DeeeWord" - this is where MeeMouse, TeeBell, PeePan, Bumbo, Goo-kee and Tuto live. Tells me, "I wanna go dere, too!"
"Red" -- the answer for "what color is this?"

More later. :)

"

Random Ellie

Rain again today. They are saying "flash floods" for our area, along with tornado watches. Not a real soothing bit of information, but I have my cell phone, etc. handy in case we get word to head to the laundry room (the innermost room in the house). Piper is as nervous as a cat -- not an easy trick for an overweight dog. Ellie, though, sleeps soundly in her tented bed -- wonderfully oblivious to the storms outside.

She has had a big day. We went to an indoor playtime at one of the local churches this morning. It is the neatest thing...a huge gym with built-in climbers, slides, even a plastic tree you can climb in and out of. To say she loved it is an understatement. She LOOOOOVED it!

The kid loves "going"....just simply going. She is so interested in the world and everyone in it. I love that about her. When she realized that they had Capri-Sun drinks for snack time, well, that just about did her in! She expertly ripped the straw off and wanted to "twye it". We probably caused a small scene with the scuffle that followed...me trying to help guide the straw into the actual hole and Ellie convinced it could just go anywhere. "My TURN!" she screeched at me. Little Miss Independent. It will serve her well in life even if it does gray every hair on my head in the process.

Let's see...getting on another track here for a minute. (Not that I really had a direction today. Rather, I just needed some words to put down so I could have an excuse to post more pictures.) Ellie insisted today that she put on "panties" (i.e., a little mermaid pull-up). I told her that was fine, but when you wear panties you have to go to the potty. She said "Quinn wear panties, mommy. And Cadnen panties too!" I had to laugh. Later this evening, she worked her little body down into the pillowcase of one of our king-sized pillows and then realized she was stuck. She wriggled around, looking like a little caterpillar, screaming "Ayuda me Mommy!" (Guess that one's here to stay). By the time I got the camera, she was out.

I'll end my rambling tonight with a picture from the park yesterday of Ellie with her friend, Alexandra (or "Adandra' in Ellie-speak). Ellie loves her and she is a sweet, quiet little one. I told her mother that I hoped Alexandra's quietness would rub off on Ellie, but I'm afraid it will go the other way. Good luck, then!