My Three Girls

Jordyn:

Turning 9 in about a month and she is definitely not a “little kid” these days.  I am very cognizant of not letting my girls grow up too fast.  I am protective about what they watch, listen to, who they play with, what I buy them, how they dress, etc.  I just think kids these days grow up WAY too fast and being an innocent child is such a special, sweet thing.  But, even with that effort, she IS getting more mature and I can just tell her ideas and opinions are getting more defined.  And I can also tell I’m lagging behind in how to communicate with her.  I think she finds me controlling…even when I’m suggesting the simplest thing…and we are struggling with respectful communication.  I don’t put the full blame on her…though I’m sure she doesn’t agree…because I know I’m still fumbling along learning exactly how to handle an extremely opinionated, guidance-resistant child.  I so badly want her to feel confident, secure and valued.  I just often feel so under-prepared to guide her lately.  I know she knows I love her and I tell her all the time, plus I really try to tell her all the things she is doing wonderful at.  But all she seems to focus on is any constructive criticism I give.  I often wonder if I can really be what she needs me to be.  But I will keep trying.

Jordyn is such a passionate person.  She is always up to try new things – much more like her dad than mom in that way.  She loves to play games, to do anything active, and to always be moving.  She likes to be the leader of the pack.  She loves to play teacher and is very good at it.  She is really good at taking care of her little cousin Kylee. She LOVES when I give her new challenges (which I need to be better at).  She loves Achievements every other Wednesday night at church and has a great leader, Sister Huff.  She sings very beautifully…and is learning more about projecting her voice in her Glee class.  She has become a wonderful dancer this year, and really pushes herself hard at it.  She is a great student and has found that 3rd grade is a little less “fun” and a little more challenging.  She has struggled to stay on top of her reading goals and, though she is a great reader, we are working on ways she can better retain what she reads so she can pass her A.R. tests on each book.  I also love how receptive Jordyn is to scriptures, lessons and gospel topics.  We recently got these LDSRock CDs of scriptures set to music and all three girls walk around singing them now! 

I love you Jordyn.  You are beautiful and I know you will be great at whatever you put your mind to!  Thank you for making me stretch much farther than I think is possible, teaching me about myself, and bearing with me as a first-time parent!

 

Lexi:

It must be interesting to be the middle child of three girls.  And to be the only child with blonde hair.  Lexi has to hear over an over from strangers about her sisters’ red hair.  She asked me the other day why everyone always talks about their hair!?  I hope…and I think…Lexi knows she is beautiful.  I hope she always remembers that and knows it is not because of hair color at all.  Lexi is a very naturally compassionate person.  She effortlessly thinks of others.  She does not have the need to be center of attention or in control.  Lexi has always known what she likes/wants.  Anything Lexi does is deliberate and on purpose.  She always wants to share with me…thoughts, ideas, treats.  I am Lexi’s primary teacher this year and I asked her on Sunday how she handles being the only normal kid in that class.  That sounds rude, but it’s true.  The other three seem like they should be in nursery still, rather than getting baptized this year!  She is an ideal student, very self motivated and on task.  Lexi has natural dancing abilities.  She is flexible and coordinated. She can do over 20 flips on the bar at recess…and has lots of friends at school. Lexi is also Jordyn’s best friend (and vice versa) and I love that.  She will also be baptized later this year!

This year, Lexi has started feeling some anxiety surrounding school.  Part of me thinks that having a perfectionist teacher with a child who is already a perfectionist is the cause.  But at the same time, she adores Mrs. Stone and has never once NOT wanted to go to school.  The way her anxiety manifests is that she cannot eat in the morning, and if she tries she will often gag and sometimes throw up. It is only breakfast time on school days.  That is it.  Never any other moment of her life, but five mornings a week. The most she will eat is half an apple and only if I slice it REALLY thin (apple chips she calls it).  It make me sad, I don’t like picturing her hungry, we’ve talked a lot about it…and my feeling right now is to let it ride itself out.  It is not interfering with her life significantly, but it is something to stay aware of and sensitive to.  It also helps me feel more confident about our decision to let her do 2nd grade twice.  It sounds like such a silly decision if I base it on grades or behavior at school.  She is spot on.  But having a end-of-November birthday has always been a concern of mine and we have decided (along with mrs. Stone) that she will benefit greatly in the long run from the additional emotional maturity of being older in her grade rather than way younger.  I think the anxiety will lessen as she matures and it will boost her confidence.

I love you Lexi.  You are beautiful and have always been my little butterfly and I love the warmth you bring to our family!

 

Peyton:

Peyton is a combination of all of Lexi and Jordyn’s strong-willed points.  Lexi is much more easy going now, but her first five years were filled with battles about clothing, hair, timing, everything.  Lexi knew what she wanted and was not into being convinced to do it differently.  I finally learned that most of my battles were pointless and I surrendered to only picking the most important things…and things smoothed out.  So Peyton was born to a different mothering style which was much more open to accepting strange outfits, un-fixed hair, wearing dress-up shoes for the day.  Thank goodness because she has blown the opinionated, strong willed, sassy-pants attitude out of the water!  I am so thankful she’s a thumb sucker because that thumb is like a magic pill of calmness.  The minute it goes in, she turns into a soft, cuddly baby again.  The minute I told her she could not have chips before bed tonight, she started yelling and stomping and whining (too tired also) and saying “I HATE bed-nite!!” (for some reason she mixes good night and bed time and call it “bed-nite”).  The less I react, the better.  She knows I will not change my mind and if I stay patient through all of her resistance, she will cooperate surprisingly quickly.

Peyton has a late October birthday and so I will wait to start her in Kinder one year later than she actually could go.  That way I don’t have to face what I am with Lexi.  So I get another year with Peyton.  Which I am, for the most part, glad about.  She is my last and there is a totally different feeling.  I’m much less overwhelmed…which is strange because I’m so busy.  But it’s different than pregnant/nursing/toddler/lots of LITTLE kids suffocating type overwhelmed.  We hop in the car while sisters are at school and run tons of errands.  She goes with me to work at Trinkets, she goes with me to deliver flyers for Watch Me Draw, she has play dates with Kayla and Paxton, she goes to dance class, she spends time with Grandma while I go to San Fran.  Jordyn always says how lucky Peyton is…and I always remind her that she was once 4 too!  Peyton keeps our family laughing.  She says and thinks the funniest things.  She has always been like a mini-adult…but cuddly.  She talks to me all the live long day and asks me so many questions, and also says so many logical things.  Like “Dad…the Golden Gate Bridge isn’t gold…it’s RED!” when we were in SF.  I have always loved how Jordyn and Lexi take care of her, include her, and love her.  We always have our fair share of fighting, but there is so much love and friendship between these three girls and it makes me so thankful.

Peyton, thank you for being the spice to my life and my little sidekick.  You are beautiful and I love you so much!

San Francisco Part 2 – The City!

Jo and Lex first began their fascination with San Francisco when Mrs. Stone took them each on their “trip around the world” in her 2nd grade classroom.  She would tell them all the things she absolutely loves about San Francisco and their excitement grew and grew.

 

Then…mommy started going to college in San Francisco.  And it became even more mysterious.

 

And FINALLY….last weekend, they got to experience it firsthand!  They were so excited.  It’s a three hour drive for us…and we decided we would just do a day trip this time.  Which was fine because by 7:00, they were tired and cold and driving home sounded good. 

 

The whole time Jordyn kept saying “Mom, I feel like I’m in a dream!”.  We saw the Golden Gate Bridge, Bay Bridge, Fisherman’s Wharf, Pier 39…but we didn’t get to do a trolley this time which was a disappointment. 

 

 

 

 

         

This was such an amazing street vendor.  He made these amazing paintings out of spray paint in like 4 minutes and sold them for $10.  We ended up buying one that was black & white of the city, with the Golden Gate Bridge at the bottom.  I’ll post a final pic soon.  It was totally amazing!

 

‘Twas a fun family day!  Can’t wait to do it again!

San Francisco Part 1 – Maren’s Party

When Maren sent us the invitation for Maren’s 2nd birthday party, it seemed like perfect incentive to make it up North to see Shana and family, and also to take the girls into the city for their first time.  So we drove up to Oakland for her party at Pump it Up and had a great time!  Shana did a great job, especially considering she is barely two weeks post-partum! 

 

 

(My childhood friend Jammie was also there, with her girls)

Notes Around the House

The girls are at such sweet, impressionable and sponge-type ages.  They love to make-believe, pretend to be moms & teachers, and soak-up things we expose them to.  I know it is a special window of time and I am enjoying it. 

One of the fun things is the notes sprinkled all around the house.

 

Tucker left notes for all the girls when he left for one of his business trips…and this was Jordyn’s response:

 

 

Lexi’s Valentine to us:

 

 

This has been on Jordyn’s room for a while.  She doesn’t really uphold this rule :-)

This is another “teacher chart”:

 

This one is interesting.  Lexi kept saying she wishes she had a secret door in her closet.  So one day, she brought me in her closet and showed me that she actually drew the “door” to that secret room.  If you look closely, the “door” is cracked and you can see some of the things inside.  I don’t encourage my girls to write on our walls, but I didn’t get mad at this hidden work of art.  (Jordyn helped out too).

 

 

Lexi’s door.  She, too, doesn’t enforce this rule :-)

Does Supernanny Teach Laundry Organization?

I seriously need a lesson or two on how to properly organize, store, rotate and categorize clothing for three girls.  What fits who?  What to keep?  What season to have out (when you live in near-year-round warmth)?  Where to put the in-between sizes so I don’t forget?  How to keep it all straight? 

It feels overwhelming, and their closets and drawers can get un-organized in the blink of an eye. 

 

What I tell myself to make it all better is “at least they HAVE clothes, and they are clean and there are plenty” and – organized or not - they are blessed :-)

 

When Daddy Comes Home

Action shots of what happens when Daddy comes home from a business trip:

 

Park – Sun - Girls

I will admit that I lack in the taking-my-kids-to-the-park department these days.  Back in the days where we didn’t have the structure of school days, I would need outings such as this.  Nowadays, being home seems to be a precious commodity…but I do have pangs of guilt as we drive by the parks and see kids playing.

Finally, last Monday it was 67 degrees and perfect and we just couldn’t resist popping by for an hour.  Got some fun pics of these cuties.