Angels & Demons

aka: Toddlers!

Okay, I love my babies! Nothing can EVER change that. There are, however, plenty of times my lack of patience, temperament, or need for moving on with life during time-sucking temper tantrums can alter the appearance of my immeasurable love for my darling... little... cherubs... Ahem. Yes, nothing but love for those little guys. One second I'm melting over the way my two-year-old laughs in her sleep, then I cringe at his sudden nightmare wail. Or I may be trying to muffle the sound of her sweet little voice at 5am with the blankets to my ears when she says, "Mama, I haz go potty!" A little while later I rouse again to his giggles as my one-year-old's awake in his crib. One simply never knows what to expect next.

True a parent must be able to adapt on the fly, something I'm still really working on. Bekah wears Easy-Ups at night and one night didn't want the one I had out. "I want Pincess Dohr, not 'at Dohr!" I simply explained that this Dora was Princess Dora wearing her riding pants because she was going to ride Calico (a friend's horse we've ridden). Instant success! "Mama, I no want wear 'at shir... I want wear Dohr shir!" Seeing a theme here? "Bekah, these teacups are Dora's teacups for her hot chocolate." Success again!

One day, this will all come back to bite me. She'll be a teenager and I'll be the fool... though aren't I already? I taught her to say "Trick or Treat!" for Halloween. When I wanted to show her new feat off to my mother-in-law, I said, "Bekah, what will you say when someone opens the door?" *sigh* "Chocolate!" <giggles> "Tick-o-Teet!" I'm sure once VJ learns candy comes from strangers (bite your tongues!) he'll be all over this holiday.

And so I've gone on bragging about how fah-reeking cute I think my kids are without getting too into the latter half of the title. I'll not get gruesome about it as I'm in a good mood and need to think about trekking back and forth to the Y for swim lessons in the morning. *stupid hour-apart classes, wet bathing suit twice, ick* I'll just say breakfast can be an hour long ordeal of who wants what, or more like who doesn't want what, plus he can't get fed fast enough while she won't eat unless I threaten to throw her food 'down the big hole.' Screaming in only tolerable for so long while my husband and father are trying to sleep after working an overnight and it's not quite 'play outside' weather. Even when it is, it's hard corralling them with no fence. Did I mention the Shack has a lovely fenced-in yard!!! Eeeeeeeeeeee!!!

Soon enough we'll be able to spread our things around our own kitchen, let the kids play a little more freely, and not worry as much about whose things (which we can't relocate because they don't belong to us) they're touching. Time-outs don't always work. Even the mean kitty routine is wearing off... Oh, let me explain. She's watched Cinderella, or Cinnalella, and doesn't like the 'mean kitty' so we talk about not acting like a mean kitty. When she wants to hit/push/pinch/pull/tackle/etc her brother anyway she says, "Mama, I a mean kitty now!" Later, "Mama, I no want be a mean kitty!" Poor VJ... but then, payback's coming! He is about her size now after all!