On Being a 5-Year-Old Boy.

There are times when I think he is so grown up, completely ready for elementary school.  There are times when I think he is still so young, a toddler maturing at a snails pace.  Of course, both are true.  He is still very much a very young kid maturing at a snails pace, but one who has managed to grow into a kindergartener.  It sounds cheesy, but I believe this pull between little and big kid summarizes every category of his life. 

Physical.  He has always been and extremely active, physical and coordinated child.  As an "emerging big kid" this has not changed.  He is a leading scorer on his soccer team (not that they keep score) and wins most of the running races they have in practice.  If he asks you to race to the stop sign, you as an adult must run to keep up with him.  He is 100% idependant in the pool, including his dives to the bottom.  He is strong enough as a swimmer that he has been given instructions on how to help his sister should she fall in without adult supervision (and yes, those instructions include calling for an adult).

Yet he lacks the focus and attention to take his physical abilities to the next level.  He can be seen running down the field looking for us rather than the ball.  His stokes are unformed and sloppy because he is content with his current abilities.  He cannot yet ride on two wheels because he thinks he can't.  I know my boy, and know that the right shift or encouragement in any of these areas would push him towards success.

Play.  We are having more moments of quiet play mixed in with the wild child style we have grown ucustomed to over the past five years.  The other day he assembled an entire lego set by himself, and today required only minimal assistance on his new 520 piece set.  When he was done assembling, he put together a complex make believe rescue scenario for his creation to take part in.  During "quiet time" in his room he enjoys playing school, which is a game of his own creation that involves circle time and individual work stations for various students/stuffed animals.  He is always the teacher.  He builds increasingly complex creations with his magnatiles.  His restaurant play now includes taking your order by writing it down on a piece of paper.

Yet his super hero and ninja turtle play still lacks control.  He regularly takes his "fighting" games too far and he or his opponent (most frequently his sister, but also a parent or a friend) ends up in tears or feeling the need to tattle.  "Sam hit you!"  (love the toddler pronoun confusion stage that Annabelle is in right now!) He still feels the right to dictate the "right" way to play whatever it is we're playing, and will yell at his playmate for doing things wrong.  He still often requires suggestions on what he should do to fill his free time.

He enjoys playing games, but losing them is a challenge.  So is focusing on one that lasts longer than Candyland.

Emotional.  Sam has always been one to wear his heart on his sleeve - never do you wonder what he is thinking or feeling.  As he matures, I do see him attempt to put on a brave face in certain situations, telling himself or me that something isn't a big deal when Mama knows he is using the words to protect his own heart.  He has also learned the practice of hiding the truth.  Rarely, if ever, do I catch him in an outright lie, but he does "forget" or not mention things that he later admits were because he thought I'd be mad. 

Yet his responses to situations that do not go his way continue to resemble those of a 2 year old.  Unfortunately, I am not exaggerating on this one.  His first response is often a fit, including stamping, tears, yells, cries and negotiations.  Occasionally he is physical with it as well.  His teachers also tell me that his emotional responses have creeped into school, which is a sign that he is completely comfortable there.  He was an angel at school (their words, not mine) until this spring, so I know he is capable of better behavior.  Right now we are focusing on two words: Self-Control and Respect.  Sometimes just saying these words is enough to help him calm down, sometimes a more in-depth discussion is required.  Last week in the car he told me, "When I was little I didn't know about self control."  No buddy, you sure didn't!

Academics.  His teachers tell me he is smart!  He is just on the verge of reading.  He knows tons of sight words which he can easily put together and read out of books, and spells from memory.  He understand and can read simple "word families" (hat, cat, pat, bat) in books like Hop on Pop, but hasn't yet progressed to blending sounds.  As of this week and can count to 100 and clap the syllables in long and short words.  He is fascinated by science.  He can write all his upper case letters legibly and most of the lower case from memory, but really needs a line to put his words on and lacks the ability to space plan his words on the page.  He FINALLY enjoys coloring.

Here is where is lack of focus comes into play again.  He gets worn out from attempting to read after only a few minutes.  He gets distracted on his way to 100 and must count by tens to regain his place.  His handwriting is sloppy as he is more concerned with speed than accuracy.  One day, a few months ago, he came home with a completely colored-in picture.  Shocked, as every sheet his entire life has come home bearing a few quick crayon streaks across the page, I commented.  "Oh, I realized that if I take my time with the coloring then it looks really good.  Now I like coloring."  Hopefully we can have that light bulb moment in a few other areas, as well!

Social.  Sam loves being around people.  Always has, and I see no signs of that changing anytime soon.  He can play well with kids a few years older or younger than him, he is just happy to have a playmate.  Nothing is more disappointing to him than a vacant playground, and I do believe that a sibling is the best gift that we will ever give to him.  He can be a real leader in group play situations and isn't afraid to get the party started.  He craves having people in his house.  I have been shocked recently to hear him say that he wants to play by himself for a little while, but I consider that to be a grown up skill for him.

Sam's social challenges arise from his continued belief that he is the center of everyone's universe.  Honestly, it probably our key responsibility as parents to teach him that this is not the case, but that God is and that all he does should reflect that.  He gets that in his head but we have yet to see it reflected in his heart.  Practically it plays out like this: he gets an idea in his head of how things are going to go, in what order, etc and struggles when it doesn't play out that way.  He will obsess about doing what he wants to do, pester the one in charge until his way is achieved or he is disciplined.  He will pester his playmates, too, into playing his way, doing what he wants to do.  Of course, we see this much more with his closest friends, as he has mastered the very grown up skill of treating those closest to you the worst.  Some day this strong will, persistence and determination will serve him well, but he must learn to harness these attributes for good rather than evil!

Relational. There are days he is my buddy and I can talk to him like a real person.  His phrasing and intonation make me laugh they are so grown up.  He can be brought in on the side of the grown ups when we're trying to trick Annabelle.  He looks out for his sister and takes that responsibility seriously when they are outside alone.  One day I peeked out to see him standing behind her on the ladder of the swing set.  "Its ok, I'm right here.  Now put this foot right here (as he physically guides her foot down a step).  Now do the other foot...you got it!"  He'll even yell at me when I punish her.  He can and does make friends in any setting, be it a new park or a new school class.  At the same time, he can choose who his real friends are and tell you why he prefers their company over others'.

Let's see, what else about Sam at 5:

-He is mostly done napping, but there are still days that I can see his body and mind are just worn out and he needs more sleep.  If he could learn to SLEEP IN then he could drop the nap completely.  He'll have to in a few short months anyhow.

-He prefers to have his room clean and is capable of putting everything away on his own.  He'll try to convince you otherwise, but he game himself away the day he cleaned the disaster of a play room and his room and then proudly displayed his accomplishment to me.

-He has small jobs around the house that he is responsible for: he unloads the silverwear and plastic plates from the dishwasher, ensures all his dirty clothes end up in the hamper, cleans his room and bring the empty recycling bins back up to the garage.  He helps to set the table when I remember to ask him to.

-He still transitions a million times more smoothly if he is given a 3-5 minute warning that the activity will soon be changing.

-He's into playing Ninja Turtles but not really watching it, same with super heros.  He is still scared easily by shows, and the dark for that matter.  I love that tender side of his heart.  Cars 2 is his favorite movie right now, but he loves Frozen like the rest of the world.

-He likes Jammie Days.  We have these on Fridays sometimes, days we decide we just aren't going to leave the house and the three of us stay in our jammies.  I love that he loves his down time enough to request these, that he loves us and his home enough to appreciate them.  And I make every attempt I can to make them happen for him, because the months are few before he takes on a much more grown up schedule!

I'm sure I could write a million more lines about my boy.  How can you describe a person in one blog post?  But this is a good picture of where he is right now.  Although there are days that it takes everything in me to keep my cool with him (and sometimes I fail!), I love him more than words can say.  He has been pushing me as a mother and helping me grow as a Christian and a person since the day he was born, and I think the two of us will continue to grow together for years to come.  His willful personality and tender heart keep me coming back for more every single day.


5 years old.  One whole hand.  What will Sam be like in another 5 years?

Easter Weekend

What a great weekend!  I mean, it really really was.  The weather was amazing, the time was balanced between scheduled and free, the company was good, the holiday was great.  Its been awhile since we've had a 3 days weekend that I have enjoyed more!

And I guess that is the first note; Chris actually had the day off on Friday!  I don't think he's ever had Good Friday off before.  It was such a treat to have him home for a bonus day, especially after he had been out of town the few days prior.  We had no real plans that day, except for Good Friday service at 7:00pm, so the day was ours.  I got to go for a long run, the kids played with Daddy, we both got a few things done that needed to be.

Of course of one those things was dying our Easter Eggs.  Plenty of little bowls to go around this year, which was good since Annabelle really loved plopping them in an moving them from one color to another.  Sam was a bit more patient (What?!) but insisted on having all of his cups full at one time.  Good thing I hard boiled 2 dozen eggs!  Too bad I'm the only one who will eat them.  The fun did not stop once the eggs were died - there was mixing of colors to be done ("I'm doing science, mom!") and hands to be dipped.  Once the eggs were dry, there were some pretty awesome stickers to be applied!

 

 

Saturday morning was one of the most noteworthy to go on record in the Hunniford Household.  I woke up to bright sunlight streaming through my windows as my daughter cheerfully called out to me at 8:05am.  Sam did not wake for another 10 minutes.  That's right: both children slept in on the same day...a Saturday...a Saturday with no scheduled morning activities.  We all slept till 8:00am.  Honestly, that made the weekend right there.  The rest was the icing on the cake.

But the icing was pretty sweet, too.  Because as soon as we got up and dressed and fed and packed a few things into the car, we headed to Millican, TX for the day.  What's in Millican, you ask?  Nothing.  And that is the beauty.  We have friends who's parents own 35 acres out there, complete with a barn and a climate controlled barn room, on which you are free to do nothing all day long.  They invited a few families up for the day and it was great.  The kids rode the Gator, went fishing, played stomp rockets, caught bugs and picked bluebonnets.  The grown-ups chatted, the guys played horseshoes.  We ate BBQ and watermelon for lunch.  We even got Annabelle to take a bit of a nap.  Sam found a playmate that could match him almost perfectly in skill, force and enthusiasm for sword fighting, and parents laid-back enough to let the game continue. Annabelle waved to and greeted the deer head mounted on the wall.

It was peaceful and social all at the same time.  Annabelle appreciated ever single cow she saw out her window on the drive up, and both kids fell asleep on the drive home.  We ate dinner outside that night, because we are becoming addicted to this beautiful weather.

(There are no pictures from our day in the country, because we did not touch our electronics all day.  Ahh.)

We prepped our Resurrection Rolls before bed.  Sam was very "into" the whole process.  He bought into all the symbolism of the marshmallows being Jesus, preparing his body for burial with the spices, and sealing him in the tomb.  Annabelle was totally "into" tossing marshmallows into the butter and cinnamon.  And then licking her fingers.

 

Chris and I were a bit hurried to get things done on Saturday night after the kids went to bed; we had plans for 8:30 church and friends over immediately after.  The bunny had baskets to assemble, a movie to wrap and a swing to hang.  And a house to tidy up.  And lunch to prep.

What movie?  Umm, Frozen, duh.  To which you either respond, "You didn't own that yet?" or "Why, Sam isn't into Princesses, is he?"  Well, no we didn't own it yet and no, Sam isn't into princesses but both of my children are just as obsessed with this movie as every other child in America.  In fact, "Let It Go" is the first movie song that my daughter has sung along to.  It may always hold a special place in my heart.

What Swing?  Turns out, probably the coolest swing ever.  It was in constant use yesterday and has already been fought over today.  It replaced the baby swing on our front tree, holds 250 pounds, can spin and swing all kinds of different ways.  The Bunny rocked it this year.  They got their first glimpse of it as we backed out for church, so they were more than ready to be unbuckled when we got home!

Back to Sunday morning: the kids woke to hunt their hard boiled eggs, bunny baskets and the movie.  They were very excited about it.  Sam is getting to be much more skilled in his hunting, although he could still benefit from slowing down and focusing on the task at hand...but that is true in so many avenues of his life!  Annabelle, the more methodical of my children, is a better hunter than he was at her age.  And quite adorable when she declares "I find it!" with great enthusiasm after every single conquest.  They were each allotted a few bites of candy, which they ate instead of their resurrection rolls, and were torn away from their new movie to heard to worship. 

Worship was wonderful, as always.  My children looked adorable (always the most important part!), even if they don't smile well for a picture.  Sam once again participated in the Flowering of the Cross during the opening Hymns, this year charging forward all on his own, with great confidence, the first kid up there.  He sat quietly, working on his Children's Worship sheet, until the older kids were dismissed for Children's Worship.  Some days I have hope that he really is maturing on schedule!

Some family friends followed us home from church and stayed until the late afternoon.  We enjoyed a lovely lunch together, all 9 of us at our big table out by the pool.  We did our hunt for plastic and confetti eggs with the kiddos, plus our neighbor Eliza, and the kids did their best to resist eating all the candy at once.  They played outside for hours. The swung and climbed and ran and pretended.  My kiddos melted down a few times, and we eventually sent Annabelle for a nap around 3.  The adults visited for hours, sitting in the shade of our trees out front.

After they left we finally cleaned up the kitchen (and Sam's room and the playroom - wow!) and ate, what my grandmother would call, Supper.  Then it was back outside.  The neighbors came out to check out the new swing and we all stood in our yard for a bit chatting and swinging until it was time for jammies.  A lovely way to end a great weekend.

I love Easter.  I love what it celebrates, and I love that there is less pressure than Christmas.  Really, it allows for a much greater focus on the actual holiday.  Happy Easter, everyone!

Bonus Picture: A friend tipped me off to the idea of packing Sam's lunch in Easter Eggs.  Raspberries in one, grapes in another, bell pepper, cracker, sausage sticks.  His teachers raved about it, said it was like he was opening a present with each new egg.  Sam was beyond thrilled and ate every single bite.  I think this may be a new family tradition!

Potty Training 2.1

Potty Training is certainly one of parenthood's most special challenges.  I was more terrified to potty train Sam (potty training 1.0) than any other milestone we'd crossed, but he surprised me and he did so much better than I expected.  I think I had forgotten just how much work it really is - how much of your life must revolve around another's bathroom habits for a period of time...

So with all that forgetting, when Annabelle asked to sit on the potty at Grammy's house over Christmas I was cautiously excited.  When she pooped that first time, and then peed in the potty three additional times that day, I was pumped.  She was only 22 months old, and she WANTED to potty train!  Let's do this!

We returned to Houston and practiced several times per day on the potty.  She was occasionally telling us before she needed to poop and knew just what to do when we sat her on the potty.  I re-read the blog post I wrote about training Sam and considered that adequate preparation for such an enthusiastic student.  I made her a chart and picked a weekend in early January to officially potty train (potty training 2.0).

And wouldn't you know, my children are completely different people.  Sam, who showed no interest before our big weekend, was 75% potty trained by then end of day 2.  He wanted nothing to do with a timer but found great pride and accomplishment in placing his stickers on the chart.  Annabelle got excited by the timer going off and ran to the potty, but really didn't care whether we did a sticker or not.  She did well on day one, even went to a birthday party and stayed dry, but by the end of day two we were sitting somewhere around 10% trained. 

It became clear that she was holding it on the potty and letting it go about 5 minutes later in her panties.  She had made an active decision that she was not going to use the potty.  We decided she was too young to push and put a diaper back on her for bedtime.  She curled up in my lap for stories and snuggled like never before.  She was emotionally and physically exhausted.  We backed off.

We did, though, continue to practice.  Mostly when we were out, because she loves to check out any and all public restrooms.  She gradually gained her confidence back, and turned 2.

The weekend after her birthday we geared up for Potty Training 2.1.  This time I was better prepared for HER potty training personality.  I was ready to give her more of my undivided attention, to set her up for success.  And she did great!

Was she completely potty trained?  No.  But this time she was on board, more motivated and more willing to put up with the process.  By the end of our three day period I was nervous, but not afraid, to take her out in public in panties.  She was not accident free, but they were few a far between - sometimes days!  In fact, by the time we were about 10 days in we realized that she was actually only having accidents at home.  Hmm, maybe a bit lazy?

And then, all of the sudden, she went 10 days without a single accident.  I declared her potty trained and gave away the last of our diaper supply.  (Cute story: She saw them sitting in the car awaiting delivery to Baby Julia.  "Ahh!  I got daw-pers!!!"  "No no, honey, we're giving those to Baby Julia.  You're too big for diapers now, you wear panties!"  "Oh." and now she talks frequently about Baby Julia wearing diapers.)

Two days later, she had three accidents in one day.  Grr.  I asked her over and over "where does your poop go?" and she would reply "daw-pers" or "poop panties" with a flirtatious little smile.  She knew she was getting to me!  Again - these were ALL at home accidents.  PLEASE, no one tell her that I carry extra clothes with me, I really think she doesn't know.

So now here we are, 6.5 weeks in.  She has not worn a diaper since the morning on March 8, and I'd say she is mostly potty trained.  Now she comes to tell me immediately if she has an accident, "Mama, poop panties, bad."  Again, a big note of difference between my kiddos: Sam got very upset with each accident he had - they were truly accidents.  She doesn't care - I believe hers to be on purpose.  But we are back to those being few and far between, closer to one or two per week now.

Of course that accident count is during awake hours only.  This girl does NOT stay dry overnight.  Again, new territory for us - Sam night trained himself before we potty trained.  I was really hoping that if I left her in a situation where she would feel the wet all night and in the morning, that would motivate her to stay dry.  It has not, so I finally gave in and bought her a box of pull-ups for overnight.  And then she figured out the system and often hangs in her bed, her happy place, and doesn't call me until after she has peed in her pull-up.  Oh that makes me mad!  But all in due time...that's what I keep telling myself.

My girl enjoys picking out her own pair of panties each morning.  She looks through the stack for a particular princess, or sometimes pushes them aside in favor of a pair of hand-me-down Thomas underwear.  That's right, my girl wears boy underwear some days. 

So now the focus my shift to moving her towards independence and ownership of this process.  Yes, she asks to go sometimes, but we remind her a lot.  And she is 95% dependent on an adult to get her on and off the potty.  Its not that she can't do it, but she did fall in once when the seat slipped and she is pretty leery of repeating that experience.  And she is no good at pulling her panties, leggings and pants up.  I'm really really trying to be better about allowing the time for her to do it, but girlfriend is SLOW! 

I do envision myself at least somewhat involved in her potty life for at least the next 6 months, likely 9.  I am ok with that, but it makes me miss the "kids bathroom" in our old house - it's layout was much more conducive to multiple people hanging around the potty!  But I am glad we did, glad we went with it when we saw the signs.  There are so many milestones in parenting that are bittersweet, but saying goodbye to diapers is NOT one of them!

Grammy and Papa

We bought a house with a guest room.  And then that guest room sat unused for 10 months.  Until it had 3 different sets of visitors in one month.  Our guest room has finally felt some love...

Grammy and Papa came to visit for almost a week at the end of March!  Looking back, its funny to think that Annabelle was in diapers when my parents came at the beginning of the month, and she had no (awake) accidents when Chris's parents were here at the end of the month...but the details on that are for another blog post entirely.

They arrived Wednesday night with a bang - after bedtime, and in the middle of eating the re-warmed spaghetti, the power went out.  We found candles and flashlights but ultimately found a fire just outside the family room windows to be a fantastic source of light and entertainment for that first evening.

On Thursday, Daddy and Papa both had to work and Sam had school, so it was a pretty low-key day.  But there was much playing to be done, and even the execution of one or two designs from one of Sam's favorite shows, "Design Squad." 

Friday was awesome - but mostly for me.  With two extra adults in town, I FINALLY got to use my gift card to the spa - you know, the one I got for my birthday in August!  I had less than 2 hours worth of appointments, but spent 5 hours there.  Reading, relaxing, in the hot tub, on a chaise, sipping cantaloupe juice or coffee.  Ahhh.  It was wonderful.  And then I went home and made meatloaf for dinner and took the whole fam to soccer practice, because THAT is my real like.

Saturday morning Sam and I were out the door early for soccer pictures.  It is always always always colder and windier at the soccer fields.  We all froze so badly waiting for those pictures.  Oh my hands hurt just thinking about it.  By the time the game started at 9:15 it was already a bit warmer, but Annabelle was perfectly content to be held and cuddled the entire time while the rest of us clutched our coffee and I jacked Sam's socks up to his mid-thigh and he wore his jacket under his jersey (with no shirt under the jacket.  Seriously, the weather report was horrifically misleading).  He played great, though, and Grammy and Papa were happy to get a chance to see him play.

You would never believe that afternoon that I had been frozen a few hours before.  After naps we went to our Sunday School Class's Crawfish Boil.  What's that?  You've never been to one?  You must not live in the Gulf Coast.  I now love the tradition.  This one was planned out by some native Louisianans and they did a fantastic job - even had the biggest crawfish I'd ever seen.  I am now getting to be pretty good at cracking those things open!  The kids wouldn't taste it, but Annabelle enjoyed petting the live ones before they went in the pot.  I can't believe I didn't get a picture of that, or of me holding it for her!  And she kept waving at them in their little baby pool as they crawled around, completely unaware of their pending doom.  "Hi!  Hi!  Hi!"  Sam wouldn't touch, and was really too busy to look.  I mean, there were big kids and friends and a bounce house and and awesome swing and cookies and juice boxes and...When it was time to go he asked why we didn't stay very long.  We'd been there over 3 hours.

Sunday was Grammy's birthday!  After church we went to brunch and then enjoyed some more beautiful weather in the back yard.  Chris and Papa made the birthday dinner (my man can grill a very nice steak!) and we had giant cupcakes for desert.  Yum!  And no, it does not really require 3 people to blow out a candle, Sam could have handled that one all on his own.

Monday was more perfect weather so we hit the zoo, sad to send Daddy to work instead.  I mean really - I was neither hot nor cold the whole day, in the sun or the shade.  It wasn't too crowded, and I got to see a 7 week old elephant nurse.  I was far more captivated by the baby elephant than the children were, but I mean come on!  If you look closely, the elephant on the left has a baby under her and he is nursing.  And yes, they baby-proofed the elephant enclosure.  I'm embarrassed to say that Annabelle called the elephants "cows."  She seems to call small animals "woof woof" and big animals "cow."  We got her straightened out, but further education is required.  At least she does seem to be calling horses "neigh."

Sam has been climbing on this same elephant statue since he was younger than Annabelle.  This year he made it to the top.

Have you ever fed a Giraffe?  We did for the first time and its fun!  Sam was all over it - did all of his lettuce and most of Annabelle's.  My animal-loving lady was a bit intimidated when those giant heads started swinging around looking for lunch!  I have a feeling that one of my children might ask to repeat that experience every time we go!

And we topped Monday night off with dinner out for Tex Mex - because you can't come to Houston and not indulge in some fine Tex Mex. 

Tuesday morning was back to reality - Chris took his parents to the airport while I handed Annabelle off to a babysitter, took Sam to school and headed to my once-a-week job.  Everyone was sad to part ways, but a few of them will be seeing a lot of each other soon...

B&B

No, we did not jet away to a romantic little cottage that catered to all of our breakfasting needs - even better!  Becky and Benton came to visit!  All the way from Portland. 

Upon arrival, Annabelle called both her aunt and uncle by the name "Becky."  This was not confusing AT ALL.  Over the weekend she differentiated a bit, but her "Benton" is still quite muddled and hard to understand if you don't already have a guess at what she might mean.  She did "know" them though, clearly remembered both of them from Christmas.  I am thankful that she is now at the age that she really knows and cares about her people.

Unfortunately, it was rainy and chilly pretty much the entire time they were here.  So much for providing them with a break from their usual!  They promised that they didn't mind, they were just glad to get to spend time with their niece and nephew.  Very polite, but I know Becky, and that Florida girl was certainly hoping for more warmth and sun than she got!

In addition to the crummy weather, I'm sure that they didn't appreciate the little 24-hour bug that Benton suffered while he was here.  Always striving to be a considerate hostess, I agreed to suffer the bug right along side him, for the exact same 24 hour period.  We still have no idea what it was, what caused it, or why no one else got it.  We missed church and were pretty lazy most of Sunday, but I supposed it could have been worse.

So those were the negatives.  Anything good about their visit?  Of course!  Sam truly loves to play with Benton because the two match each other in energy levels.  It is so wonderful to have an adult around who can keep up with him!  Benton is more than willing to roll the kids around on the bed and participate in pillow fights.  He will also host - and participate in - wind sprint, relay races and speed drills outside.  Both Sam and Benton exerted full efforts, both breaking a sweat.  Annabelle ran aimlessly into the street, totally missing the point of the wind sprints, and the neighbor girl slowed to a trot after only 2 turns.

We managed a few outings as well.  We took them for some quality TexMex - they have amazing food in Portland, a foodie's dream, but they do not have our TexMex - at a new-to-us restaurant that included a playground.  Our table was mere feet from it, which meant Sam was free to live there minus the 4 minutes he ate as many bites of taco.  Annabelle wanted to be out there, but was scared off by the sand.  That girl better get over her sand issue fast...

Saturday we took them out to a local brewery.  Yes, Katy has a brewery!  We timed it all wrong and ended up walking in during the hardest rain of the day.  We were all pretty wet, but no one seemed to mind all that much.  Yes, the kids tagged along as well.  There was food and music in addition to the beer sampling, and plenty of climbing fun until someone in charge shut that down.  Sam also enjoyed running in and out of the rain and screaming.  100% boy.

Monday, after we were all back on our feet, we sent Chris to work and headed to the strawberry fields.  I'd been trying to get the kids there for weeks, but with the rain and cold it just wasn't happening.  Having two additional expert berry pickers with me, we decided to brave the cold and give it a whirl.  turns out that 47 and breezy is a bit of a chilly experience for berry picking!  (please remind my children of that when its 100 and sunny when we pick blueberries this summer!)  Sam did great, selecting a bucket full of excellent berries himself.  Annabelle got fed up with the cold, the mud and her runny nose about half way through and cried and fussed the rest of the time.  Could also have been the conditions in the port-a-potty that were so terrible that she refused to go.  Didn't bother Sam, though.  Yes, I got to take them both to the port-a-potty.  Special times.

But we made it through in record time - the fields were virtually empty - picked out some candy in the store and headed out with our 20lbs of berries.  Not a typo, folks.  And as I type here 5 days later, they are over half gone.  Annabelle cried in the car the entire way to lunch because I wouldn't let her eat the candy before lunch.  BUT Chick-Fil-A fixes all kinds of wrongs, and everyone was happy a full after some nuggets and play time.

Sam woke himself up early on Tuesday because he knew they'd be leaving that morning.  He has developed the ability to rise early when he knows something exciting or important will happen.  We were all sad to see them go, but were thankful they came for a visit. 

HLSR

Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.  I believe that to be the official name.  "The Rodeo" is all one must say though, and I'm pretty sure everyone in Texas will know what you mean.  It is a part of life down here, not to be missed.  My son, a born Texan, does in fact ask to attend each year now.  So attend we did!

I took the kiddos with some friends this year - my friend Kelly to be exact.  Sam and her Leo have been thick as thieves since they were babies, and now that they neither live near each other nor attend school together, we make an effort to do these types of outings together.  Sam was thrilled to have a buddy along, especially for the inside stuff, which he deemed to be boring compared to the "outside stuff and the rides."  Really?  He found the carnival to be more exciting than the educational exhibits in a giant arena?  I AM shocked!

 

 

 

Annabelle appreciated more of the indoor activities, though, because several involved looking at animals.  Cows of various shapes, pigs of different sizes, bunnies, chicks, and my personal favorite, the animal L&D/Postpartum wing.  Yup, they group a bunch of super-preggo and just delivered animals together in hopes of showing off some live births.  I've never seen one, but I just love peeking in at the newborns.

And we rode the light rail again - Honestly, it was Annabelle who was most excited about this ride.  Her train obsession right now is fierce.  I'm glad she got a kick out of it, since she was only tall enough for 2 or 3 carnival rides.

We departed the light rail around 1:15 with two worn out kids.  I grabbed 2 happy meals, settled everyone into their seat and managed to keep them both awake on the 25 minute drive home, at which point I placed 2 tired and full kids into their beds for naps.  Mommy score!

As an extra treat this year, Chris and I went to the Rodeo as well!  We actually went on a triple date with some new friends from the neighborhood.  We took a hired car to Reliant, and despite it being 40 minutes late, that is a great way to go.  No parking, no waiting in traffic, no shuttles.  There's awesome rodeo action first, including barrel racing, bull riding, calf scramble, wagon racing and mutton busting.  The mutton busting is 5-7 year olds - Sam is unfortunately uninterested but one of the guys we went with offered to train our sons together if we can convince them!

The concert was Maroon 5 and I actually enjoyed it!  I'm  not much of a concert girl (Chris isn't into them either, we're a great match!) but I like this one!  I really knew the words to every song that was played, which Chris says is a testament to how overplayed they are on the radio.  Great seats, a chopped beef sandwich and some nachos helped, too.

It was a fun night out and a great chance to hang with friends.  Chris and I are contemplating some boot purchases, but we're leaning towards our 10-year anniversary in Texas before making such a commitment.  We're 8.5 years in...are we Texans yet?

Siblings

These 2.  Sam and Annabelle.  It sounds funny to say "they're getting older," because they are 2 and 4, still so very young.  But for the first time I feel like I have 2 KIDS.  Not a preschooler and a baby, but two kids.  Yes, Annabelle could still be considered a toddler and Sam a preschooler, but next year she is a preschooler and he is a kindergartner.  In a few months our world changes a bit, and I can see them both growing and preparing for it.

One of the ways I am really enjoying watching them grow is in their sibling relationship.  They have always been fascinated with each other, but the fascination is slowly being replaced by a real relationship.

At times that relationship looks like a friendship.  They have favorite games to play together now.  They love to ride their Cozy Coupes around the driveway together.  One day, when the weather was nice enough to leave the doors and windows open, they played in those cars for 20 minutes while I was inside cooking dinner (one point to life on a suburban cul-de-sac, that would never have happened at the old house!).  They were engaging each other, playing WITH, not just near.

 

Another favorite of theirs is to play in Annabelle's crib.  She, of course, loves it because that is where Paci lives.  He loves it because it is a special privilege to be allowed to climb in with her.  But really, neither would stay long without the other.  They will hang in there for a long time together - I think our record is pushing an hour.  

One morning Annabelle called to announce that she was awake.  I went in to get her and she shunned me, demanding to see Sam.  The next day, when she called for him by name, I sent him in to greet her.  They were in there at least 20 minutes before either bothered to ask for me.

 She asks for him when she wakes up from a nap, and gasps with excitement and announces "Sam Side!" (Sam is inside!) when we drive past the preschool.  She has been known to walk to the back door and declare "Get Sam" when he is at school.

He is taking well to the big brother role, in all aspects.  He is my helper in potty training and her helper in times of need.  Two days ago when she was stuck in a giant indoor play structure, he hear her cry (yes, he recognized her cry) from one level up and when to pull her up with him.  He pulls her into his games and imaginative play, he likes to feel "big" when we let him in on "our side" of the story and he gets to play along in helping her to learn something.  And sometimes he yells at me for punishing her.  "You cannot yell at my sister!"

And sometimes he throws her under the bus for crimes they committed together, and sometimes he hits her on the head because she put his helmet on.  And sometimes she screams at him, or just in general so that we blame him.  "Annabelllllle!" and "Sam, NO!" are heard regularly.  And part of me gets frustrated, and part of me knows that this is all part of a real sibling relationship that I have the responsibility of helping them to form.

When they fight over toys that no one has touched in a month, I want to scream.  But when they fight over my lap, all seems right with the world.