Spring Soccer

Since we live in Texas we decided to sign the girls up for Spring soccer while the weather is decent and save dance, gymnastics or music for the summer. 

Norah played two seasons when she was 3 1/2 and 4 (but not since then), and this is Macy's first time. For whatever reason they are in the same division this season. The age spread should be interesting, but we are already enjoying the convenience of them being on the same team. Norah's friend Caroline is on the team as well.  

They were more than ready and excited for their first practice. 

With only one practice under our belts we expected the first game to be pretty interesting, but everyone caught on surprisingly well. Our team is a bit heavy with kids on the older end, which quickly proved to be helpful. 

I told Norah ahead of time I expected her be able to get into the pack, get the ball, and try to score since she is one of the older ones. As for Macy, we basically just encouraged her to see how often she can touch the ball. They both did a good job. 

In the end, both girls managed to score goals. Macy's celebration consisted of jumping up and down with her arms in the air and tongue sticking out (no photo, unfortunately). 

Macy got bumped a few times which resulted in tears. I told her that was part of soccer and she quickly responded, "No it's not." 

 
I believe the ball is actually in play in this picture. There are probably at least 20 parents standing on the sidelines yelling "go get the ball" (with a cup of coffee in their hands, of course). 

I remember many times during practice in years past we had no option but to stop because of the distraction caused by a train passing by. This time it was in the middle of the game when one kid decided he had to run over to the fence to see it up close and personal. One by one the kids from both teams left the field and ran over. 

The refs just sort of stood there and laughed. Not much you can do, I guess. Wait for the train to pass, then game on!

For almost a year we have been in a good rhythm with just swim on Wednesday nights. Adding soccer to the mix means we also have practice on Tuesdays and games on Saturdays. It's taking a bit to adjust and I anticipate two late nights in a row to result in at least one tired girl late in the week, but we'll figure it out. 

Go Dallas! 

Big Woofie & Spotty

For Christmas of 2013 Macy asked for a "woofie" (dog). We think she may have meant a real dog, but instead she got what quickly--and accurately--became referred to as "Big Woofie."

Big Woofie was a hit from the minute she pulled him out of the box. A year and a half later he still gets dragged all around the house and is consistently incorporated into pretend play or used as a pillow. He is also super cuddly when sleeping.

Forward to Christmas 2014 and Norah decided she wanted a big cuddly dog, too. Her school mascot is a Dalmatian, so when she saw a black and white spotted "Big Woofie" at the store she promptly added it to her Christmas list. This one became known as "Spotty" and is also very cuddly. 

Almost every night before Seth and I go to bed we peek in on the girls. (MAYBE sometimes I really need to end the day with a sweet, cuddly image of a certain 3.5 year old than whatever image from the evening would have otherwise been in my mind.)

Sometimes when we do that I can't resist pulling out my phone to snap a picture or two...

Quite Possibly the Slowest Eater in the World

It only took a handful of birthday parties for us to notice a trend: 

Literally...the party people clean up as much as they possibly can around her. Most of the other kids are already on their way home. The parents of the party kids have already started packing up. 

And there sits Macy, slowly enjoying every bit of her cupcake. 

It starts with the food - she typically isn't done with her plate before they start serving cupcakes - and just continues from there. We have even learned to try to move her along to prevent this from happening, but for some reason this is always how it ends. 

I can't help but be reminded of when I was nursing her and she never quite seemed ready to stop. I finally ended up cutting her off, even though it is not recommended since it can affect production. (I think she turned out okay.) 

We anticipate a struggle next year in pre-k when she has 25 minutes to eat at a table full of distractions and no one to remind her to continue eating. But we figure it won't take her long to learn her lesson...

Sweet and Spicy

When people ask me about Macy, my answer these days is that she is VERY three and a half. If they have parented kids that age--even if it was a long time ago--they seem to know exactly what I mean. 

We have this rub that we use on salmon sometimes. It is a delicious blend of sweet brown sugar with a bit of a bite from cumin, cayenne pepper and chili powder. 

A delicious blend of sweet and spicy - that's our Macy girl!

A long time ago some friends termed her irresistible hugs "Macy Melts." It's like she sort of just lets herself go and melts into every corner that she can. It reminds me of when they put that heavy cover on your chest when you get x-rays at the dentist. Macy Melts are simply awesome. 

Macy has generally always had a nice temperament, and has a giant smile that can light up a room. From a very young age we noticed that she sometimes smiles so big that her eyes are reduced to small slits. 

She often gently rubs my arm when we cuddle. And, oh my, the cuddling. Morning and after-nap cuddles are two of my favorite times of the day.

Macy is often the first one to share, and is quick to check on her sister when she is hurt. It is not uncommon for her to offer a hug and rub on the back as I am consoling Norah.

But then there's the cayenne-pepper-like spice. Oh my. Frowny face, arms crossed, with a little "I'm not going to be your best sissy" thrown in for good measure. The whining, the obstinence...OH the obstinence. 

I read an article recently about dealing with toddlers. The author noted that toddlers are simply required to say/do/think the opposite of what you say/do/think. If you say "green" they will say "blue" even if their all-time favorite color in the whole world is green. I shared this with Seth, and now we frequently reference the article in the middle of Macy situations. 

Especially since it often coincides with when she is tired, it is completely unpredictable. Norah even sometimes looks at us when a protest begins and shrugs her shoulders.  

A while back I started asking Macy whether she needs some love (cuddles) in order to move on from a fit. Now she often asks for love from a time-out in her room, at which point we know she is ready.

I'm okay with a little spice. I think it could serve her well in life...as long as it is balanced with PLENTY of sweet. So far so good!

January Round Up

I am going to ignore that my last post was in September. And that the topic of the post was our summer vacation in July. On to 2015…

We had a pretty relaxing holidays since we didn't travel this year, but toward the end I felt ready to get back into the routine. Right now it goes something like this: 

- Girls are up between 6-6:30. They color or work in their Brainquest workbooks in our room while we get ready. I leave around 7:30 and Seth and the girls soon after. (Seth does drop off.) 

- Macy is at the same school all day. Norah attends her school's after-school program for two hours, during which there is homework time, outside play, a variety of games and activities. As part of the program she also participates in Let's Dance, Artsy yet Crafty, and Drama Club--each one day per week. 

- I pick them both up by 5:30-5:45 and we start the dinner, bath (every other night) and bedtime routine. 

- Tuesdays is meeting night for me. Once a month I have PTA board, PTA general, Plaza Tots (babysitting co-op) and Plaza Moms meetings. The PTA board meetings are early enough that I catch bedtime and the others are late enough that I only miss the end of bedtime. 

- Wednesdays are swim night. The girls LOVE swim lessons and have progressed significantly in the past year. We don't plan to stop these anytime soon. 

- Bedtime is around 7:30. Norah tends to fall asleep really quickly, while we suspect Macy spends some time playing with and arranging the 20+ stuffed animal friends she insists on having in her bed. She also often comes back out to go potty. Overall bedtime is great these days, particularly compared to some phases we have had in the past. 

- Seth and I then have 1 to 1.5 hours before heading off to bed. 
___

We were proud of Norah for receiving the Student of the Month in her class for demonstrating the International Baccalaureate (IB) profile of Principled. The IB approach includes a focus on 10 profiles, such as Caring, Knowledgeable, Inquirer, Thinker, Open-Minded, and Principled. Each Student of the Month is chosen based on one of these profiles. She stood proudly with her Principal: 

In other Norah news, she has her first loose tooth. Since many of her friends and classmates started loosing teeth already, she has been waiting for this to happen. Let the toothless grin phase begin! 

By FAR, the activity that the girls do the most at home is play school. To us it appears to be the same thing over and over again, but they can literally spend hours doing it on the weekends. One is the teacher and the other is the student--typically the teacher's helper for the day--and it is nap time. Other students are played by stuffed animals, and the teacher tells them all where to lay. Then various students do things that result in the teacher moving them to a new nap location. Occasionally there are threats of sending a note home to mom and dad. And that's it! Doesn't that sound like a blast? 

We have started having family movie nights lately. Especially since the girls don't watch a lot of TV (none at all during the week), they love it. We most recently watched Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (the original). We typically make popcorn and they get to eat it on the couch while watching.

Hopefully there will be another blog entry soon...

Macy Girl

I am trying hard not to feel guilty about my lack of blogging. And I do realize that it is mid August and Macy's birthday was in June, but she still deserves an entry. 

Macy is quite the 3 year old. 

Memories of Norah at this age starting coming back to us in detail a few months before Macy turned 3. It started around the time I picked her up from school and her sweet, sweet teacher asked, "Soooo...how is Macy doing at home these days?" 

There is only one direction in which this conversation was headed. 

(Me): Uh, well, she's a bit of a challenge. How's she doing here? 

(Sweet teacher): Well, she roared at me today.

(Me): Roared? 

(Sweet teacher): Yes, roared. (She demonstrated by putting her hands up in the air like paws.)

Nice.  

We're definitely experiencing the so-called "terrible threes." Call them meltdowns, tantrums, "totally loosing it," or whatever you want. It definitely happens and it's not pretty. 

But there is also a completely lovable, totally sweet, irresistible side of Macy, which helps make up for the rest of it. 

My day does not feel right if it doesn't start out with one of her morning hugs. It's like she gives you everything she's got in that moment. And her hugs are often accompanied with, "I really do love you, Mommy." 

And her smile--it can light up a room. When she smiles extra big her cheeks push up so much that her eyes are barely open. This is especially pronounced in the morning when her eyes are still a bit swollen from sleeping. 

We have noticed lately that Macy can be quite sensitive. Sometimes when we tell her "no" or ask her not to do something--even if it isn't very harsh--she slowly starts to frown and she breaks down in tears. 

Another sign that we know we have a three-year old is her insistence on doing things, and doing them her way. This has also been a bit of an adjustment for Norah, as she doesn't get to control their play and make all of the decisions anymore. 

Generally, however, Macy and Norah are very sweet sisters.

They genuinely enjoy each others company, look out for each other and giggle a lot together. One of my favorite things is hearing them refer to each other as, "Sister." 

"Hey Sister, do you want to color?" "Look at this, Sister!" "Sister, come with me." 

One morning last week Norah and I walked down the hallway past Macy's room. Macy wasn't up yet, but just as we passed her door we heard it open. Norah excitedly said, "Ah - Sister!" I kept walking but Norah turned around to get Macy. When I came back into the hallway a few moments later, I found the two of them just standing there hugging. 

Of course there is the other side of the sister relationship as well, which includes pretty intense competition. For everything. Most kids fight over who gets to go first, but somehow ours have turned it into who has to go first. And who gets to open the door and who gets in the car first and who holds Mommy's hand and who pushes the cart and who carries the bag and who gets the purple bowl...and the green spoon...and the pink cup. And on, and on, and on. 

Some typical developmental topics: Macy is fully potty trained, and was pretty easy with only a handful of accidents. Unfortunately her biggest one was quite costly, as it happened on our couch cushion which resulted in a couch purchase since it soaked all the way through. She continues to be a great eater, though is painfully slow. I mean, painfully. We have had some sleep issues, mainly getting her to stay in her bed at night, but it has gotten better since she turned three. We have been emphasizing the difference between how a baby goes to bed and how a three-year old goes to bed, and it seems to have an impact. She still naps everyday. Most weekend naps are taken with Norah in Macy's bed. 

While Macy's verbal development seems typical overall she's not quite there with the pronunciation of the letter "r," which I find completely adorable. It sounds more like "owe" than "r" if on the end of a word, and more like a "w" if at the beginning. "Dowe" instead of "door," and "wing" instead of "ring." Then there are words that she just doesn't quite have right yet like "macamoni and cheese." And she refers to one of her teachers as "Gabalella" instead of "Gabriella."

Macy had a joint birthday party this year with two other kids in her class - Olivia and Henry. 

The party was at a kid's pool that is only about 1-2 feet deep in most places and has a structure in the middle with slides, tunnels and climbing walls. It was a great location for a party and the kids seemed to have a great time. 

Macy had an early birthday celebration several weeks early when we got together with Lisa, Scott and the kids to celebrate May and June birthdays.

While our little three-year old keeps us hopping (occasionally hopping mad) we choose to focus on the sweet cuddles and laughs that Macy brings to our lives. Definitely worth it!

Macy Talk

Macy is very communicative, and just generally at a really cute verbal stage:

When we got in my car to go to swim lessons Macy announced, "Mommy, you have a HEB car like Mimi's." She meant an SUV. (HEB is a grocery store.)

When getting ready for swim lessons Macy told Mimi, "I have a swim suit with strawberries and a swim suit with a fish, and those are my options." Guess she's been told about her options a few times. 

I asked Macy if she had to go potty. She said she didn't, so I told her she needed to go in two minutes. After a few minutes I said, "Okay, time to go potty," and she said, "No, Mommy, it's in two more minutes. I messed you up." 

Macy doesn't seem to know that the words "he" and "she" exist - it's always "him" and "her." "Her isn't eating because her isn't hungry." 

She also says, "do's" instead of "does." "My baby "do's" this with her hands." 

One morning this week she ran out to Seth in the kitchen and said, "Daddy - I have this really cute dress!"

For whatever reason the last part of the bedtime routine is for us to say "gaga" to each other (whether it is me or Seth putting her to bed). We have no idea where it came from, but we agree that if she willingly says it back it is a sign that she is truly ready to go to sleep and we won't hear another peep. 

She frequently tells me things like, "Mommy, I like your head and your ears." Or, "Mommy, I like your hands and your belly and your skin." 

I didn't teach her to say it, but I highly recommend it to other moms. It's good for the soul. 

Wacky Wednesdays

For several reasons, Wednesdays have quickly become the girls favorite day of the week. 

First, Norah has dance class immediately after early release at 1:30. The class has been going on since the beginning of the school year and she really seems to enjoy it. We send a leotard, tights, tap and ballet shoes every week. The class includes jazz as well. Apparently there will be a program of some sort at the end of the year, so we'll see what Norah has learned. The girls sometimes like to put on music and dance around at our house. When doing this, Norah occasionally does some sort of semi-awkward movement across the floor and I remind Seth that's what a couple hundred dollars gets us. 

Mimi has made it a regular part of her week to pick the girls up early on Wednesdays and spend the afternoon with them. Papa has done it a few times as well. Either way the afternoons seem to frequently involve ice cream and lots of fun for everyone. We appreciate that between dance and Mimi/Papa Norah doesn't have such a long afternoon with YMCA after-school care. 

As if that isn't enough, we started weekly swim lessons in February for both girls on Wednesdays. We go to a new place really close to our house that was opened specifically for this purpose. It's a really nice facility and the instructors seem great. We have been pretty impressed with the girl's progression. 

After about 3-4 lessons, Macy's instructor started helping her go all the way down to the bottom of the pool to retrieve a ring. Check out this video: http://youtu.be/BvE0KzRCF9M.

Norah is learning front and back stroke, and seems to swim farther and farther by herself underwater each week. Another video: http://youtu.be/042nFMWzT9o.

The lessons are at 6:30, so Wednesday evenings are a tad hectic and usually end in a late bedtime, but so far it's worth it. The girls LOVE swim and typically squeal with delight when I tell them it is time to get ready to go. 

One time on the way home Norah said, "Mommy, I really do wish we could just stay there all night." Last week when we were walking out Macy announced, "That was fun." 

Perhaps part of the enjoyment comes from the fact that we signed up with good friends. 

Check and Check

We have hit a few major milestones in this house that are worthy of note and perhaps even minor celebration. 

First, Norah is reading! Her pre-k teacher told us at the beginning of the year that her goal was to have at least 18 of her 23 students reading by the end of the year. At that point Norah seemed sort of far off, but when school started up again in January we started to see significant progress. Several weeks ago everything seemed to click. 

We have always tried to emphasize reading. It is a part of our bedtime routine and books are typically something we stick in an activity bag. Both girls often want books in the car and will spend time sitting around the house "reading." 

Most weeks, as part of her homework, Norah has a book to read and an accompanying book report. The book report consists of five questions for which she is to provide complete-sentence answers. We have several level 1 and 2 readers around the house that she enjoys reading, and she often encourages Macy to choose one of them at bedtime so she can read to her. 

I decided it was time to hit the library again to find more early reader books, and we came home with about 10 (plus three Curious George books picked out by Macy). 

Though admittedly painful at times to listen to her work her way through each page, it is absolutely thrilling to see Norah learn to read. 

As for Macy, the big news is that she is fully potty trained! The last time I posted about this she was only a week in, but she really never looked back. We still ask whether she needs to go before we leave the house and before nap, but otherwise she initiates it on her own. The only exception is nighttime, for which she still wears a diaper or pull-up. 

Norah was potty trained for months, but held out on going number two (she would wait every day until we put her to bed with a diaper then call us back within 5 minutes to tell us she needed a diaper change). Macy hasn't had any problems with this, either, and in fact she makes some really entertaining faces sometimes while sitting on the potty. 

The nice thing is that due to the (ah hem) difference in their body shapes they are wearing the same underwear. What is it about a little toddler bottom in underwear, by the way? Love. 

As a result of Macy's recent developments, the changing pad is out and I also realized that I I haven't been to Target in three weeks. Seth and I are very excited to be done with daytime diapers. 

Definitely Two

Macy really is "something," as my mom would say. It doesn't say much yet somehow it says everything. 

She's two. That probably sums it up for a lot of parents of two year olds. She wants to be very independent and often has to put things back in place for a split second so she can get it herself. Or walk back to whatever she considered the starting point of any given moment so she can walk herself or carry something herself. 

When this stage started we heard "No, MY do it!" over and over and over. She has since corrected herself and uses "I." We also frequently hear, "No, no, no, no, no" when she wants something done differently. 

Macy has strong opinions. Period. On a lot of things. Sometimes she insists on her "sissy." Other times she most definitely does not want her "sissy." Sometimes she wants a pink bowl and other time it's blue. Both girls are somewhat obsessed with choosing their plates/bowls/cups. I've started using the same ones whenever possible so there is not a choice. One time when I used matching cups Norah announced that she wanted the one on my right hand. I didn't acknowledge the statement, but simply placed the cups in front of them. Macy had a fit. She said "I wanted the one in your right hand," over and over again as if she had a clue which one that actually was. 

She insisted on wearing a tutu around the clock for about two weeks. The nighttime hours were covered by a pair of pajamas that came with a red tutu. This tutu went over the top of any pajamas she wore--picture pink, fleece, footed, monkey pajamas…with a red tutu. 

One day she had on a self-chosen outfit that included loose fitting patterned pants, a tutu and  a clashing patterned shirt. When she held up two different socks for Seth to put on he suggested that they find a matching pair. I said, "Seth, really. Look at her. Do you think matching socks will be noticed?" He quickly realized it was far from important and put on the socks Macy chose. 

Luckily, the super sweet and cuddly side of Macy remains, scattered amongst the demanding, opinionated moments. She gives awesome hugs and tells us she loves us. One night when I was telling her good night she said, "I love you…a lot of times." This has become the new standard for the whole family. 

Another sign of a two year old, Macy suddenly became interested in the potty. She was with Mimi at swim lessons one Wednesday a few weeks ago and since they were early she didn't have on a swim diaper. Mimi explained that she should to tell her when she needed to go potty. A few minutes later Macy said she needed to and off they went. She was mildly interested in the potty until the following Wednesday when Mimi was with them out in public again. Macy had to go potty so Mimi took off her diaper but didn't have another one so Macy just wore her leggings. Since then, for the past two weeks she has primarily been in underwear (except at night) and is doing great. 

I'm sure it will only be a matter of time until we are out of this phase. Until then, I'll be sure and get my fill of those awesome hugs to make up for the typical two-year old bits. 

Sleepy Time Struggles and Cuddles

We have reached a point of consistency with Norah's sleep. Bedtime battles are rare, as are midnight wakings, and she is working hard at staying quiet and in her room on weekend mornings if she wakes up and we are still sleeping. 

Macy, on the other hand…oh, Macy. She rarely wakes in the middle of the night and typically sleeps until about 6:30 in the morning (which is actually respectable for our household), but bedtime is…less than desirable. 

Rarely do we simply say "goodnight" and that's the end of it. Most often she leaves her bed and lays down on the floor by the door. She typically cries, and after trying the ignoring route for a while with zero success we have learned that if we go right back and ask if she is ready for us to put her in bed she'll answer "yes." We put her back in bed and while we usually don't hear anything more out of her she goes back to laying on the floor by the door and that's where she falls asleep. 

One night she fell asleep like this: 

And another night in her chair!

Why? JUST WHY?

But where she sleeps isn't that big of a deal -- we assume she'll eventually figure out that a bed is way more comfortable. We also find it ironic that once we are in our bed there is very little that could be done to get us back out again. 

And none of this is anywhere close to as bad as it was with Norah when she chased us to the door and screamed for 30-45 minutes before falling asleep on the floor.  

While we were in Goshen over the holidays, the girls shared a bed. All in all they did a really good job. We had some early morning wakings (usually Macy was the first), but considering they were sleeping in a different place, and together, we thought they did great. 

We enjoyed peeking in on them every night. Here is some of what we found: 

During the Gunden family Christmas the first weekend we were home they napped together at Lisa and Scott's. They fell asleep like this, holding hands: 

Ever since then they have taken naps together in Macy's bed. We lay with them until they fall asleep, which typically requires around 15 minutes of giggling and cuddling. They are usually either holding hands or Norah has her arm around Macy. They usually sleep for between 1 1/2 and 2 hours, and eventually emerge from Macy's room hand-in-hand. 

We have always talked about moving Macy into Norah's room, but would like to get Macy in a better routine before doing that. On the other hand, I wonder if she would do fine if she was in the room with Norah. We just might have to give it a try one of these weekends...

Catch up in Pictures

Hello. Long time no chat. So much to catch up on, and so little time. How about we do it in pictures?

First…a visit from Annie and Angie in early November.

Family pictures mid November.

Matching in stripes!

Thanksgiving at Lisa and Scott's. 

Thanksgiving lunch at Norah's school.

Norah and her good friend Caroline. 

We had breakfast with Santa at a neighborhood event, and a week later another breakfast with Santa at Macy's school (picture below). When Norah got a glimpse of Santa the second time she said, "Mommy, is there only one Santa?" I answered yes and quickly moved on to something else. Luckily it never came up again. Norah asked for a remote controlled car and a pencil sharpener (no lie.) Macy asked for a "woofie" (dog) and a ball. Norah also asked him to come early since we would be traveling to Goshen on Christmas Eve. 

Norah participated in her school program with both her after-school dance class (first two pictures) and her school class (reindeer picture). 

Norah and I joined friends Lisa, Sarah and Jessica to see the Nutcracker. It was so fun, and something I hope becomes a tradition. After the performance kids can go up on stage to meet the dancers and get signatures. Norah loved the whole thing!

We celebrated our family Christmas on the morning of the 23rd. 

We got this face from Macy whether she was opening bandaids or a gigantic stuffed dog. 

Macy is enjoying  few Christmas presents (stuffed dog, flashlight, and hat) while they watch a movie. 

We traveled to Goshen on Christmas Eve and discovered that another good reason to limit iPad use on a regular basis is so it is more novel for situations like airplanes. The girls were great travelers. 

Goshen for a week!

The girls got to play in the snow a few times with grandpa and Greta. 

And enjoyed some hot chocolate after coming in from the cold!

The girls also  did a lot of the usual, like reading and cooking with grandma.

We got to see great grandma and grandpa several times, and even Von and Dave for a few hours on the one day we overlapped in Goshen. It was fun to see great grandma and grandpa in their new place (how cozy)!

We drove back to Chicago on New Years Eve and stayed overnight at Mimi and Papa's (though unfortunately they were in Texas at the time) to make it easier to catch an 8:30am flight in the morning. Once home we unpacked and repacked the girls so that they could spend the next two days with Mimi and Papa while we worked. Then Saturday and Sunday we had the Gunden family Christmas. We started it off with some "Rudolph" drinks - a very special treat for the kids. 

Mikayla wanted to put on a "fancy" dress, and Aunt Li happened to have another very similar dress for Macy in a hand-me-down stash. 

After hanging out for the afternoon and opening gifts, Mimi and Papa helped the kids put on the 4th annual Gunden Cousin Christmas program. It included a reading by TJ, piano music from Luka, a song and dance from Norah and Jingle Bells from the two wee ones. 

Then they all changed costumes to sing "We Three Kings" and at the end of the song delivered gifts to their parents. It was super cute and the kids really got into it!

So that takes us through the first of the year, which only puts me about three weeks "behind." Hopefully more to come soon!