Our Kids

Phoebe had her 15 month check up and other than a serious case of stranger danger she was super. She is 21lbs 10.5oz and she is 31 3/4 inches long. So long and lean:) She even got two shots, yes two! Someone give me a medal:) She is no where near up to date on her shots but she is getting the ones for the most serious illnesses like meningitis etc. We get there.

Okay so stay with me on this one.

While in Texas we bought the girls their first James Avery rings. JA rings are something I has as a girl and cherished and still do. Jason has bought me several pieces from there and I love them. I wanted the girls to have some and we thought it was time. It was with the stipulation that they were to care for them and if they broke them or did not take care of them they would know they were not ready for “real” jewelry. I keep them in a cabinet and mind them and get them out when they want to wear them etc.

Today Piper wanted to wear her ring so I gave it to her. Sometime in the early evening she brought it to me and the jingle bell that dangled from the ring was crushed. Piper was distraught. I was upset but I knew that this was a time for discipline through consequence. She chose to crush her ring somehow and therefore she no longer had a special ring. She cried and I told her I was sorry that her ring was broke. She wouldn’t tell me what happened.

Later in the evening I asked her what happened to her ring. She wouldn’t tell me. She did however feel she could tell her sister and that her sister could tell me. This is what her sister told me:

“You know Jesus’ brother? The devil? Well the devil tells people to do bad things. The devil told Piper to crush her ring with her teeth and before she knew it she was crushing her ring and she didn’t even know it. That is how her ring got crushed.”

I have to admit I was at a loss for words. Later after I composed my thoughts I explained to Piper about free will and that although the devil may tell you to do something you still have the choice to do it or not. I went on to tell her that she chose to listen to the devil and that choice cost her her pretty ring. There was more crying after this explanation but it was shorter lived. In the end I don’t know if the consequence worked and I don’t know if she gets free will and I don’t know if I am ready for all this either:)

Ha! Last night Piper came out of her room until 9:30P, seriously 9:30 (see there is that seriously again). Anyhoo, how this child stays up so late is beyond me, she gets that from her dad for sure. I understand that she may not need as much sleep and even at 9:30 she is clearing about 9.5 hours of sleep but geesh! So quiet time last night was an epic fail. Now do I take quiet time from her tonight? Will it make any difference at all? These are the plaguing questions for today.

Okay so I say that to the kids a lot. For example, tonight I found a digital camera in the sandbox, for real. I picked it up and looked at Piper who had been playing with the camera and said, “seriously?” She said, “it doesn’t work.” In fact it does work but it needs batteries but that is beside the point, why was it in the sandbox? I mean get real people. Anyway, the point is that Piper is great at picking up my sayings and using them in context and “seriously” is one that she uses all the time. It is kind of funny to see her say it with the requisite eye roll, I imagine it won’t be funny when she is 15, ha!

Last Friday was a super day for Landis. We had not told her but Jason was taking the day off to take her to see Sesame Street Live! It was going to be a great day for Daddy and his sidekick. They went and had a great time listening to Elmo talk about eating healthy:) Afterwards they headed out for lunch and then came home. She was all smiles and I am sure her heart was full after feeling like a princess all day with her dad.

Independence is a theme running through our family! Piper and Lela are both growing in to their 6 year old selves. Piper can now shower herself, wash her hair and condition it without any help. She actually does a pretty darn good job of it too. The girls are great at setting the table, helping with the cooking and feeding the dog. Lela makes herself breakfast almost daily and they both pick out all their clothes and dress themselves in the mornings. We still have to remind/help them get their teeth brushed and do their hair but the morning routine is pretty awesome.

Phoebe is also very independent. We now have to arrive at school at least 10 minutes early so that she can walk by herself to the classroom to get Piper and Lela. No hand holding for her most of the time and she does like to stop and see the goats every day. She is funny because she prefers to walk on the rocks, hay or grass than the paved sidewalk. I wonder if this is a sign of the future and that she won’t take the path most commonly traveled in life?? Anyway, she is super cute and folks swoon as she toddlers her way around campus with her hat on and her big girl smile.

Landis has her “i did it myself” moments as well but more often than not I would rather she ask for help. Recently she did not make it on to the toilet before she went number 2. Instead of calling me she decided to clean it up herself with washcloths. By the time she figured the job was too big for her we had one hot mess. I went in with a smile and a that’s okay attitude and we got it cleaned up but it was a dry heave experience fo’ sure.

In other news we have been letting the girls have 30 minutes of quiet time activity before bed essentially extended their bedtime from 730P to 8P. Piper was not going to bed before 830P most nights and our thought was that if we give them more time to wind down maybe that would help. It is also a privilege so if she abuses the later bedtime by coming out of her room umpteen times she loses the privilege. So far it works 4 out of 5 times and I think the later bedtime is serving Piper well and Lela is conked out in minutes.