Tuesday, December 28, 2010

The Bigger Picture May be More Accurate

When I went to bed last night, I had in mind to post these
adorable pictures of my two littlest.


Peyton wanted to "read" Moira her night time stories.  
The cuteness was just killing me.
He picked all books that he knew well enough to tell on his own.
She listened really well, too.
When it was time for him to tell her good night, he offered her a kiss...
..which she was hesitant to receive.

Now, this afternoon, I still have posted these shots of adorableness for you.
But, I probably should not just leave it at that.
Just because, things around here aren't all cuteness.

This morning, when I went to the bathroom right after getting up, 
saw a toilet completely FULL of toilet paper.
My boy is learning independence & used the bathroom on his own when he got up.
And, he used an entire role of toilet paper to wipe.
Lovely.  Now I get to pull it all out again.

My baby girl has been raging for sugar treats constantly.  
She pushes the little chairs into the kitchen to try to grab 
whatever junk food she can find.
She rages when she is told no.  Screaming, biting, flailing.
This was all day yesterday & started again first things this morning.
I threw a bunch of Christmas sweets away.
(I bought some lundberg rice cakes at the store today 
& they seem to meet with her approval as a treat.)

Her fits carried on throughout the morning.  
I knew we had to go do our grocery shopping before things got even uglier.
We got ourselves together & got out the door.  
She was happy enough.  It looked like things would go okay.

We were shopping in the produce section.  Things were fine.
Things were normal.
All seemed good.
For some reason, Gillian kept sucking her thumb.
I don't know why.  She never does.
I asked her why?  She just kept sucking.
I asked her to please stop.
She stopped.
But then, her baby behavior continued & some major defiance came into play.
Major.  This time, this morning, 
I left a cart with our stuff in the produce section & 
took the kids all back out to the car.
The whole time we were going out to the car, she was mocking the whole situation.
There was no somberness.
We needed to talk in private.
I took all the kids into the back of the car & shut to door.
After we had a serious talk & I had all my tears blinked back, 
I went to open the door.
Oops.  You can't open the trunk door from the inside.  
I (34 weeks pregnant me) had to climb over two rows of seats to get out a side door,
and come around & let the kids back out.

Our cart was still in the place we left it, with all our stuff still there.
We finished our shopping without anymore incidents from the older set.
(Screaming did begin near the end from the babe.  But, that is typical of now days.  
She always wants "hold" & to get out of the cart 
before I am quite finished with the shopping.)

Now they are all napping.
I was going to be sewing.  
But, so far, I haven't done any.  
I am eating ice cream instead.

8 comments:

Nini said...

Oye yoi yoi! We know those types of days. Yes, we do. Somehow...despite the craziness of the day...despite the rudeness and the bad attitudes...despite the defiance and mischievous behavior, it is the (sometimes fleeting) moments of sweetness and care that make it all okay. And...good for you for eating ice cream. Have you tried Dreyer's Slow Churned French Silk yet? It is ridiculous. Please get some and eat it in the middle of the day!

Stef said...

Peyton is doing the same thing Kara is doing - independent potty going. In our house it equals the same things... big, giant messes in the bathroom; sometimes a clogged or overflowing toilet.
Moira is on a sugar high also just like Kara. Interesting. I began worrying that she'd be diabetic, but today, the Pediatrician told me its totally normal "just don't give into all their temptations, Mom! Keep the high fats and whole grains coming." - that was his advice.
Since Trisha has been here, she's commented that Kara is "a major handful" and "cries a lot". Sometimes it takes another person in our home to see things we're totally used to.
She does cry A LOT and she is a major, major handful :)

I believe these days are God's way of teaching us to be more thankful for the smooth flowing days :)

paisley and lace said...

Ha. I love that you gave us a snippet in to your real day instead of just leaving us with cuteness! I had plenty of those days, but don't really remember others being forthcoming about their own real days, and thought it was just me and my lack of good mom-ness. Thanks for sharing.

Krista said...

First off, I love the picture of Peyton trying to kiss Moira. So funny!

And we have been having similar Christmas Sweets meltdowns around here too. Not too bad, but still frustrating.

I have to admit, I laughed when I pictured pregnant you climbing over the seat to get out of the car. I don't remember why, but I have found myself having to do the same thing while Pregnant.

I am glad you sat down to enjoy some ice cream, on days like that the sweet moments at the end and ice cream make it all melt away.

Erin said...

Thanks for the feedback, ladies! Really!! :)

Reno said...

Ahhhhhhh.....God bless you friend. Dealing with 2- year-old tantrums and high maintenance baby here remembering God is working a good thing!

Julie Handel said...

I'll have a scoop with you Erin - way to persevere :)

Erin said...

Thanks for the feedback, ladies! Really!! :)