Romantic Amy

AMY: Mommy, you know all the princesses, like Cinderella and Ariel and Belle and Snow White? Well, when they meet their prince, he kisses them on the lips. When I meet my prince, I'm going to say "No, no, no. You can kiss me on the cheek if you want to be my prince. That's it."

Bug season

Today Amy watched me chasing a mosquito through the kitchen, in an attempt to get rid of it. I finally did manage to catch it, and Amy ran over to see the final result.

She stared in horror at the tissue I had used to do the dirty deed. "Mommy", she gasped. "Look what you did! I think you deaded it!"

Top Five Reasons Why I love Taking the Girls To a Carnival

5. Watching Amy's face as the train ride whipped around the corner and down the track...a mix of sheer terror and complete glee.

4. Spending 9 dollars for the three girls to "fish" in a wading pool, all in the hopes of winning a cheap, plush toy for a prize.

3. Seeing poor Erin dissolve in tears of fear as the merry-go-round began it's circular journey...and then watching her snuggle happily in Dan's arms for the rest of the ride.

2. Cleaning melted chocolate ice cream off little faces, hands and legs.

1. Transforming three tired, dirty and sticky girls into sweet-smelling, clean babies after a quick bath, and then putting them happily into bed to dream about their beginning-of-summer adventure.

Get ready for kindergarten!

Today was a big day for Beth. She spent some time "visiting" the kindergarten classroom that she will attend next year, sitting in class with the current kindergarten students. She was quite nervous on the way there, although not nearly as apprehensive as Mommy was. The school is quite small for an elementary school, but compared to her tiny preschool it seemed enormous. Our nerves were diminished immediately, however, when the kindergarten teacher greeted her with a warm smile, took her by the hand, and led her into the classroom. Amy, Erin and I then went for a munchkin treat at Dunkin' Donuts before returning to pick up Beth.

She came bounding out of the classroom with a huge smile on her face. She clutched a picture of Noah's ark, and proudly pointed out the sticker that she earned on her paper. She chattered on and on about the story the teacher read to the class, and the nice girl named Lily that shared her crayons with Beth. As we walked up the street to the car she told me that the teacher was "one of the nicest teachers in the world", and that the school "was the most exciting place she's ever been". She is quite upset about having to wait an entire summer before starting there "for real". And, thankfully, she adores the uniform and can't wait to have her own beautiful plaid dress to wear.

I'd call this a successful introduction to kindergarten. She's excited and eager for the year to start. I'm so happy for her, but I'm going to savor this summer like no other. The thought of having her in a full-day kindergarten is taking some getting used-to for me! I will miss her constant story-telling, her laughter and exuberance. So this summer, I'm going to enjoy each full day with my little girl...she's growing up much, much too quickly.

Note To Self...

Serving as a chaperon for the preschool trip to the zoo is a wonderful experience. However, bouncing along on a school bus is not a pleasant way to travel when you are fighting severe pregnancy nausea...especially immediately following a trip to the foul-smelling reptile cage. But spending this special morning with Beth made it all worthwhile.

From the mouths of babes

Erin spoke her first sentence last night. It was "Hi, Mama!" Dan and I were thrilled. We then attempted to get her to say "Hi, Dada!", but she simply couldn't do it. She tried and tried, but it was like a complicated tongue-twister for her. "Hi...Ba..Ba..Ga.." was what kept coming out. But she never became frustrated. After numerous attempts, she simply broke into a big grin and just cried "Dada!" That was enough to make us smile.

It's oh-so-fun to watch her little personality developing. She's able to communicate her needs more and more clearly. She helps get herself dressed in the morning, and then holds up her tiny bare feet and demands "docks!" When she's thirsty she requests "cup", and when she's really tired she points to her crib and says "bed"! (Beth and Amy have never, ever asked to go to bed. Never. Ever.)

So tonight, after a "tub" and a "tory book", she and I snuggled up in her rocking chair. "I love you", I told her. Her little chubby hand reached up and patted me on my cheek. "Wub you", she responded.

Good night, little Erin. I can't wait to hear your little voice again in the morning.

Weekend Fun

We awoke Saturday morning to gorgeous weather. The girls hardly slept the night before because of their excitement about the "girl party" - Aunt Chloe's bridal shower, which was held here at our house. They have been eagerly anticipating this event for weeks now, mainly because they love to "help" open the presents, and also because cake is usually served at these all-female parties.

The men and babies headed off for a day at the zoo, while we surprised Aunt Chloe with a family party. Above you can see Beth and her cousin in action, "helping" with the gifts. The children were all well-behaved, and it was so fun to get together and celebrate with Chloe!

On Sunday the girls brought me breakfast in bed. Poor Dan was desperately trying to find some sort of food that might be slightly appealing to me first thing in the morning. A blueberry muffin was just the thing, and the girls surprised me with a new pocketbook that Beth had picked out just for me. We had a visit with Grandma and Pop that afternoon, too.

Mother's Day did bring back a lot of memories for Dan and me. Last Mother's Day we spent the night at the hospital with Amy, after her fall down the basement stairs and subsequent head injury. So this year, we said some extra prayers of thanksgiving for her health, and for all three (soon to be four!) of the little blessings we have in our lives. Hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day!!

The Great Outdoors

Erin is frightened by her own backyard.

I mean really, really frightened. Thanks to our former garage tenants (see below), she is petrified of anything with wings. The aforementioned birds have been evicted from our garage, but Erin still retains very clear memories of the creatures swooping down at her each time we climbed into the car.

So now, I have a 20-month-old that has panic attacks each time we venture outside. She refuses to walk anywhere out in the yard, and "playtime" for her consists of sitting in my lap sucking her fingers, while her older sisters run, jump, play in the sandbox, and climb on the jungle gym. Each bird or bug that flies by is greeted with Erin's screams of terror, while I try unsuccessfully to convince her that the birds are "nice".

Yesterday the girls and I decided to have a picnic lunch out in the yard. I spread a large blanket on the back lawn, and we all sat and enjoyed our lunches in the sunshine. Well, actually, Beth and Amy enjoyed their lunches...but Erin sat on my lap, with her legs wrapped tightly around my waist, and her arms clinging to my neck. She held her sandwich in one hand and ate while hanging in this position. I was forced to eat my bagel while dealing with this less-than-ideal seating plan. Beth and Amy are begging to eat outside every day, but until Erin relaxes a bit, I think we'll keep mealtime inside.

This could be a long, long summer. Let's hope she soon realizes that her "feathered friends" really can be pleasant acquaintances.

Making wishes

Yesterday Dan and I took the girls for a short walk after I returned home from work. Beth rode her bike, and Erin sat happily in the stroller. Amy chose to walk along with us rather than ride her bike. As we strolled, Amy chattered away. Then she turned to me and remarked, "Mommy, I'm really looking hard for a wish-washer. If you see any, let me know. I'm always so happy when I find a wish-washer".

I glanced over at Dan to see if he had any idea what she was talking about. He shrugged his shoulders and held up his hands as if to say "Don't ask me!" Amy continued to talk about this strange object, until finally I interrupted.

"Amy, what is a wish-washer?" I queried.

She looked at me in disbelief. "Mommy, a wish-washer. You know! You've seen lots of them before. Just keep looking!!"

So we continued to walk and chat, until suddenly Amy stopped short. "Oh!" she breathed. "Look! A wish-washer! I found one. I really, really found one!"

I followed her glance, and there, in a neighbor's yard, was a white, fluffy dandelion. Oh, I can remember loving those when I was a kid. We would make wishes and blow the fluff away, watching the white clouds float all around us. Amy apparently made up her own name for this weed, but she certainly knew exactly what to do with it.

She ran to the yard and gently picked the wish-washer. She jogged back to us, and then, in the middle of the side-walk, she closed her little eyes tightly. She scrunched up her face, deep in concentration, and then opened her eyes again. Then she blew...and blew...until all the fluff was floating on the wind...landing on her hair, and on the street around her.

She looked at us with a beautiful smile. "I wished!", she said happily. "I made a wish, but I can't ever tell you what it was. I'm so, so happy that we found a wish-washer".

I wonder just what it was that she wished for. I wonder where she came up with this adorable-sounding name for the dandelion. But most of all, I wonder how something as simple as a dandelion can make us stop and realize just how blessed we really are.

Next time you go outside, look around. See if you can find a wish-washer. And if you find one...what will you wish for?

New friends

Amy has a little friend in her gymnastics class. Her name is Charlotte, and the girls only see each other for their brief 45 minute class each Thursday morning. I usually chat with Charlotte's mother while we wait outside the gym each week.

Today Charlotte was not in class. In the car on the way home, I mentioned this to Amy.

"Did you miss Charlotte today, Amy?", I asked.

"Mommy, Charlotte was in class today", Amy insisted.

I corrected her, but she refused to budge. With that typical 3-year-old stubborn attitude, she set me straight.

"Mommy, she was there. She had on a different leotard this week...and her hair was a little different...and she grew taller...and they were calling her a new name...but it was definitely her".

And so, once again I am left to wonder... how can you possibly argue with a 3-year-old?