Category Archives: preschooler

Every year it’s the same…

Can I just hold onto fall for just a little bit longer? We had our first snow flurries yesterday and I am really just not ready for that kind of cold wind to become just another daily occurrence even though it happens every year and we should just be used to it already. One thing is for certain, we’re getting a snowblower this year. If anything, that will ensure that we don’t get nearly as much snow as usual. Neither of us feel like shoveling several feet of snow in sub-zero temps this year, though.

So, in the spirit of not giving in to winter, here are some fall pictures I haven’t posted yet.

Sure, there will be more of this in the upcoming months, the blanket just might be heavier and hopefully the nuk will be gone… her teeth are being affected and we’re going to have to lose the nuk.

Painting punkins! Really, we’ll paint anything in our house. Enzo has always been really good about keeping crayons, markers, paints, etc on actual paper or specified places, but you can’t leave Phoebe alone for a second. It is imperative to only have washable art supplies in her reach because she will make art wherever she feels like it, and especially if she feels like she’s taking a stand against “The Man” aka Mom and Dad who like suppress her artistic expression.

We’ll see if Phoebe changes her mind about the cold and snow, but even if she doesn’t, Enzo will want to go outside and play. I’m thinking maybe we’ll get some food coloring and make some art in the snow to mix it up a bit. It’s fun using different seasonal mediums with the kids.

Okay, maybe winter won’t be thaaaat bad. We’ll see.

The Little Things

It was a very busy and slightly crazy weekend, both personally and the world in general. There was no missing the news this weekend and how horrible it was. I admit, it starts to make me wonder what kind of world we’ve brought two children into. I admit I often avoid the news because it’s either all very trivial celebrity gossip or it’s just very awful. Both make me shake my head, just for very different reasons. Honestly, I’m not even sure what to say when it comes to the state of the world we live in. It makes me sad that there has to be so much hate and violence, though. I’ll never understand it. So, this weekend I focused on my family. We celebrated the 2 years that Phoebe has been with us and then on Sunday we went and bought her a big girl bed. These pictures aren’t from this weekend, but from a few weeks ago when they helped me make a pie.

As you can see, Phoebe was also due for another trim, but she’d rather have her hair in her eyes then let me trim it for her… which I guess I can’t say that I blame her for that. I’m not a hair stylist for a reason. Anyhoo, it’s always hit or miss with the kids in the kitchen. Some days they’re thrilled to help out, and others not so much, so when Enzo asked if he could help, I couldn’t refuse and he pulled his chair up to the counter. Phoebe is never one to be left out and pulled a chair over as well. Thankfully, Key Lime pie is pretty easy to make and what’s not to love about crushing up graham crackers?

I’m sure Phoebe would argue that sneaking bits is probably the best part, but Enzo was far too intent on getting the right amount so we could do the actual fun part, which is when you get to push the button. I love how excited they get at the thought of just pushing a button to make something happen. I often forget about taking joy in the little things, but the kids have been helping me remember that it’s often in the little things that we find the most joy. Whether it be coloring in a coloring book or sipping hot cocoa and watching it storm or putting flannel sheets on the bed when the weather gets cool… it doesn’t have to be much.

While we were at Target yesterday with the kids, a woman actually walked over to me and smiled and said, “I just wanted to tell you how adorable your family is. It made my day to see you all.” So often I feel like we’re a chaotic mess and it was such a huge thing what she said. Usually I try to keep the kids corralled, but we didn’t today and while it may irritate some people that our kids are giggling and having a great time looking at everything, there are people who also find joy in seeing two very happy kids shopping with their parents and having a grand time. It may have even been her words that kept me from getting frustrated with them when the didn’t want to listen and Enzo kept removing things from shelves and Phoebe would suddenly run down an aisle out of the blue. Granted, having a parent for each of them helps, but this stranger’s words also helped me take a step back and just watch them from someone else’s point of view. I could either get irritated like some people, or I could smile and laugh like so many others watching them interact with each other and everyone and everything around them. I chose the latter. I think we all just need to slow down a bit and learn to smile more.

Threenager

I had one of those random moments today where I looked at Enzo and he seemed so much older than his 3.5 years. My little boy did not seem so little, and a tiny part of me was reminded that someday he won’t really need me. Okay, he’ll always “need” me on some level, but he won’t depend on me as much as he does now, and I had a glimpse of what this would be like this morning at the dentist. Don’t get me wrong – it was incredibly helpful that I didn’t have to bounce back and forth between both kiddos since Phoebe had to be convinced to allow the hygienist to clean her teeth. Still, though… one minute they’re dependent on you for everything and then they start to say, “I do it!” and then they are actually doing it without any assistance whatsoever.

I was really impressed with Enzo this morning as he hopped up on the table/chair/whatever and just casually started chatting and not once was he uncertain or did he need me. I was so focused on trying to help with Phoebe that I suddenly realized I hadn’t checked on Enzo and he was just totally relaxed, watching TV while his teeth were cleaned. This of course helped a lot when it came to Phoebe as she could watch him and she always wants to do what Enzo is doing. (We ended up getting her some undies after this day in the photos when she insisted on wearing two pairs of Enzo’s underwear over her diaper. She’s a tad indecisive at times… not sure where she gets that from). 😉

On the downside, Phoebe also likes to mimic Enzo and his particular brand of preschooler cursing, so that’s fun (“No Poo Poo/Boo Boo/Bee Bee!” etc in the whiniest voice ever). I also take no responsibility whatsoever for his new favorite exclamation “What the heck?!” He’s also quite fond of Donald Duck’s signature phrase “Ah, phooey!” which is admittedly more child-friendly. I’m really just more impressed that he uses these phrases at the appropriate times… so there’s that. Now I’m curious as to what other sayings/phrases/words I overuse and which they’ll decide to point out.

In any case, they’re getting too big too fast, are sassy and are also cavity free. We do, however, have to begin Operation Take Back the Nuk with Miss Phoebe as her teeth are becoming affected. If you should hear something in the distance that sounds a little like someone’s heart being ripped out, fear not! It’s probably just the soul-wrenching cry of our toddler being forced to walk around without her beloved nuk.

Oh, the Randomness of Kids…

Sometimes it amazes me how up and down and all over the place small children can be. Their moods can go from happy to sad to mad to silly and back again all in a matter of minutes. What I really love, though, are the random things that they’ll bring up – often out of nowhere.

So, when Enzo suddenly asked for a trumpet one day, I was surprised, but not entirely. Apparently he needed a trumpet like Quincy (from Little Einsteins), so I told him I’d see what I could find. Part of me figured he’d forget after a day or two, but when he asked the next day if I was going to the store to get him a trumpet, I realized he wasn’t going to let this one go. Hooray for Amazon and Prime shipping.

He was ridiculously excited when his trumpet showed up and after testing it out inside the house announced that he needed to take his trumpet outside, which is what we did. We really don’t need any excuses to get out on a nice day, but he very happily ran around tooting his horn. He gets very serious when playing it and while it’s still early to see what kind of interests will stick with him as he gets older, I wouldn’t be too surprised if music was one of them.

Both kids are very into music, which I love. Lately both kids have been enjoying dance parties in the kitchen and it’s a nice alternative to them asking for TV, so even if it means listening to lots of Disney tunes and The Gummy Bear song, I’ll take it. With luck their musical taste will change with time, right?

Through Enzo’s Eyes: Arboretum

While I love to encourage the kids’ curiosity and adventurousness, it can be difficult to keep tabs on them at times, and even more so when there are lots of people around. There are a lot of cool things to see at the Arboretum and also lots of places for kids to run around, so it was nice to be able to give Enzo something to do that kept him close by and encouraged him to explore his surroundings. So, I gave him my phone and let him snap away.

I love seeing what he sees.