Get a Load of These Guys...

So the big activity since the trios birthday has been daily bike rides. They often don't last long due to the heat, someone falling, or fatigue. It's been one month since they received their bikes and it's amazing how much stronger their legs are and how they can last a little longer each day. Zachary can push his bike like nobody's business...always demanding to be 'in the middle' meaning he wants to be in front but hasn't mastered that concept yet. Caleb can lift his legs up now and just glide around, acting like it's no big deal. He's great at steering and has great control. However, when he get's an itch of hunger or his body temp rises less than a tenth of a degree...he's done. Out of his comfort zone and needs to be restored immediately. Leah has been the slowest of the three to catch on to the balancing, pushing, and steering. She'd always say 'I don't want to go fast' so she scoot along slower than a snail and wouldn't let me push her. Now she loves to be pushed to keep up with everyone and although is still slower, has made great strides in her pushing and steering. The problem is when they all see something like a plane or a bug then all the sudden one of them goes down quick...usually followed by bleeding and Bandaids.

We head to the church parking lot for practice since there is a slight decline they can cruise on.

 

If you thought that was cool, check them out in their helmets! Doesn't get much better than this! Thanks to Gram Rox for making their bike ensemble complete. Now we're thinking we might actually need wrist guards though. :( 

Besides biking, since that takes up a very small portion of our day, the trio has been LOVING their new dress up clothes.  They are constantly changing in and out of things and getting into the characters. Leah is going to make a pretty good Jessie for Halloween....looks like her waistline isn't quite at small though which we totally laugh about all the time.  The boys have chosen NOT to be Buzz Lightyear for Halloween since there are more important superheroes to worry about but they do like to try Buzz on and jump off the couch saying, "to inscedity and deyond!"  We've taught them the right words, which they know how to say, but they like to laugh hysterically when they say it wrong.  Weirdos.

So when all the princess/Jessie Leah has been saved from all the bad guys, they all fall out of character and move on.  We've kept ourselves busy with other things such as fun activity/craft days with our friends Addison and Hazel!  I read some books about numbers then showed a couple animated books about Pete the Cat.  We then colored his groovy buttons, made new cool shoes, and handed out Pete masks. It was a hit.  But Pete is pretty awesome so what toddler wouldn't love him? The kids had a great time and there was no screaming, fighting, stealing, or physical harm.  I'll take it!

Another big hit of the house as of late has been Leah's tea set! I have learned through two broken pieces that the boys are NOT allowed to play with her, even if she invites them, unless I'm in the room. They are just not quite as delicate and tender with fragile things. But when we all get together for our party, the hostess pours everyone a cup of water, pretends to melt some marshmallows in, sprinkles some sugar and we all partake! Then of course we all hug and say thank you to our gracious host for such a wonderful time. Leah LOOOOOOVES it. It's hilarious. She can never get enough attention and control like that.

 

I've started 'school days' when we head to the library and sit down at a table to practice our letters and answer important questions about life like why water falls from clouds and what color oranges are. It's pretty fun. The kids enjoy it and I like the structure since they aren't in preschool and need some activities outside of our living room.  One day walking out of the library I grabbed The Sneetches book by Dr. Suess and also the video so of course they were all belly bumping each other the rest of the day pretending to be star-belly sneetches.  They don't really get the point of the story other than some have stars and some don't.  Oh well.  So we colored and made some stars of our own.

 

We're pretty structured Monday-Thursday but come Friday I'm ready to not get them out of pajamas, watch a whole movie by 8am, and take them somewhere they can get ALLLL their energy out. This past Friday it was the Heard Natural Science Museum with the LIVE Dinosaurs. It's an outdoor sanctuary that has walking paths, a butterfly garden (which they said, 'it's like magic!', a log cabin town, and animals to see. We did this last year and they were totally freaked by the dinosaur trail but this year they blazed on through waving hi to the dinosaurs as we went by. They burned so much energy walking the trails they could hardly make it to the car. It was painful...every last step until they made it. Let's just say it was a gooooood nap that day for everyone.

There are some days when I have moments where I really really really enjoy this stage for the kids.  I love their imaginations, their hugs, their honesty, and their excitement about the little things.  I try so hard to hang onto those moments because before I know it, a hard moment comes where I'm tested in my patience, soft-spokeness, and gentleness.  Usually I feel like I fail horribly and have to start over every day.  I even started a number on my whiteboard that kept a tally of how many days I could go without yelling.  I needed some accountability because when I'm home alone all day, no one sees my behavior or judges me on my mothering, but I like to be consistent and feel good when I put the kids down to bed.  My number hasn't reached very high but I'm trying.  I'm constantly telling Clark he needs to yell at the kids more so I can be the more 'calm and comforting one.'  Someone has to play each of the roles.  Seriously.  He hasn't taken me up on my offer yet.  :)

This is the first year I'm even remotely excited for Halloween.  We have a TON of Halloween books checked out at the library and I'm educating the trio about all the aspects of the upcoming holiday.  It's a weird one to explain and I don't want them to be scared so we're just focusing on the candy right now.  The other day during nap time I heard a door open and a plastic pumpkin being chucked into the hallway...then the door slamming.  Of course I was upset because now all the kids were awake but Zachary claimed his plastic pumpkin was scaring him and he wanted it out of his room right away.  Poor guy.  He's definitely the more 'scared of monsters and things in my closet' sort of dude.  Anyway, this will be our first, legit Halloween with the kids so we're looking forward to it!  As long as I don't have to dress up...I'm all for it!