Leap Day Cuties

February 29 signifies an extra day every leap year, so I thought I'd use this opportunity to add some bonus pictures of our cuties from this month.

This picture (along with the one above) was taken at lunch the other day. Our silly clowns were making faces at each other, and had the exact same expressions! Luke and Leah have such different features, and I get quite excited when I see a family resemblance in moments like these:



Luke can look so much older than his age sometimes. This one is a preview of my little college student, reading his new book. Is he really just 3 years-old?



But then he can pose with his Mickey hat and "glubs" and reassure me that there will be many more young child adorable moments to cherish:



Speaking of adorable, Luke insisted on wearing his safari hat through this entire episode of Jungle Mickey recently:



Ever the ham, I think that these 3 pictures belong in Luke's official campaign portfolio. Doesn't he look like a politician waving and smiling at his constituents?






Our little Renaissance Man also enjoys leisure activities and games. Here he is showing off his athleticism and sportsman-like behavior on the tennis court with Bean, and taking a leisurely swing after his exercise:





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Leah has really started becoming her own little person lately. No longer the passive observer, she actively pursues what she wants, "talks" all the time (by babbling incoherently and telling us "stories"), and crawls faster than we can catch her! She has discovered that when she wants to play with one of her brother's toys (like the cash register), she better take it somewhere "safe", like under the table, so that we can't find her:



She's also started pushing our chairs around. I remember Luke "rearranging" the same furniture at this age, and it makes me laugh to see how proud Leah is of her accomplishment:



Leah's new favorite things are the delicious Harry and David's pears that Grandpa sends us as special treats. The other night while I was making dinner, Leah stole one off the counter unnoticed, and all of the sudden, it was very quiet, except for a slurping sound coming from the other room. I found Leah in her walker, devouring the pear whole, and pleased as punch with herself:





This picture was taken yesterday when we had some new friends over for a playdate. Colette is one month younger than Leah, and it amazes me that like her big brother, Leah is starting to tower over peers the same age. The little girls loved the water table outside, and we enjoyed a sunny, 74 degree day here to end February!



Here's another one of our sweet little Blue Eyes, who entertains us and makes us laugh every day with her delightful personality and smiles:



Happy Leap Day!

The Itsy Bitsy Spider

Scene: Winterhoff Family Garage- 8:30 a.m. Friday morning.

Luke is playing with his construction vehicles in the garage. Mommy hurriedly carries Leah out to the car and buckles her in, while prompting Luke to "please stop digging in your 'struction site and get in the car so we are not late for preschool..."

Luke, completely unaware of any need to hustle and bustle (for it's only the 67th time that we've done this morning routine since September), responds, "But Mommy, I'm playing with this cute little spider..."

Mommy rolls her eyes and turns around, prepared to brush away whatever tiny little creature Luke has befriended. She gasps when she sees an arachnid the size of a small mouse scurrying across the garage floor.

(Those of you familiar with Mommy's character know her tendency to be a bit dramatic, but seriously, this spider was out of a scene from Jurassic Park).

Luke chases the gargantuan beast with a stick, calling out, "Come here, you cute spider!". Mommy grabs one of Daddy's enormous sneakers and hurls it at the beast, while she inwardly screams with fright.

The spider proves no match for the size 12 Nike. Luke asks Mommy, "Why did you smush the spider with Daddy's shoe?"

Mommy responds with a quick white lie: "Oh, he is just sleeping, honey. Let's go to school now."

Luke pauses, prods the deceased spider with his stick, and nods in agreement: "Yes, he will take a nap while I am at school".

Everyone gets in the car. On the drive to preschool, Mommy makes a mental note to call the exterminator and reinstate our preventative pest control policy. She wonders how to explain "eternal rest" to Luke when he gets home from school and notices that the spider is still sleeping, and decides that next time, truth may be a better policy.

Luke can be heard singing the "Itsy Bitsy Spider" from the backseat, complete with hand motions. Leah giggles with delight at her brother's shenanigans.

Mommy's penance for lying: She can't get the song out of her head for the rest of the day...

Our New Lawn Service

This picture officially falls into the category of "Things that Make Me Dissolve into a Puddle." Watching the boys mow the lawn together today was one of the cutest things that I have ever seen. Luke followed Mark around the entire lawn, carefully "mowing" over Daddy's missed spots with his Fisher-Price lawn mower, and stomping around in his fireman boots. Oh, how those boys have stolen my heart!

Lessons in Parenthood- Part 2

We went to Gigglebugs last week. It is one of those indoor jumping, bouncy-house places that are great for young children to expend lots of energy and completely exhaust themselves. Gigglebugs is one of Luke’s favorite places to go, and he ran in, squealing with glee, thrilled to spend a morning at such a fun-filled place. I sat and watched my 3 ½ year old son as he approached other children, tentative at first, but then joyfully bouncing right in the midst of these new friends-for-a-day. All was going well until I noticed that one boy in particular seemed to be picking on Luke. This other child pushed Luke, shouted at him, and taunted him by repeatedly invading the very loose boundaries that preschoolers seem to place on personal space. I glanced around for the other child’s mother, to see if she was also watching our sons, but couldn’t find her. I decided to let the situation play out to see what Luke would do, despite my Mama-Bear instincts which were screaming for me to go rescue my child from this bully.

To his credit, Luke tried to ignore the other boy, but after a few minutes, my son ran to me, distraught, and said, “Mommy, that boy called me a GIRL!”

“Maybe he was confused,” I replied, hoping to diffuse the situation, but also realizing that to an almost 4 year-old boy, being called a girl was terrible, indeed.

Luke continued, “No, Mommy, I TOLD him that I was a BOY, and he kept calling me a GIRL! WHY did he do that?”

I tried to explain to Luke that sometimes people say unkind words. “You can just walk away and play with someone else,” I told him.

“But WHY was he mean to me? I wanted to be his friend!” A tear rolled down Luke's face, and my heart broke. I wiped away the tear, gave my firstborn a kiss, and encouraged him to go back and join the other children on the slide.

Although I put on a brave face for Luke, what I really wanted to do was to scoop up my son in my arms, smother him with love, and take him back to our safe “bubble”, where there are no sticks and stones and hurtful words. I wanted to tell the bully and his mother that age 3 ½ is way too young to have to learn that sometimes people say hurtful things, and that not everyone in the world adores you as much as your mommy.

We got in the car, and for the rest of the day, Luke (who processes many of his concerns and thoughts by repeatedly asking questions) asked, “But Mommy, WHY are some people not nice to me?”

I sighed and longed for just a few more years of wide-eyed innocence. My children jubilantly greet the world each day with loving, eager hearts, and they deserve to be embraced and loved right back in all of their encounters right now. Like any mother, my heart is so full of love for my children that I would do anything to protect them, to shelter them from bullies and broken hearts, and to fight their battles for them.

However, as someone who is extremely sensitive, I KNOW first-hand the importance having a thick skin, and I've consciously worked as an adult to not be so influenced by the “bullies” that we all face as a part of life. It is a continual learning process for me, and because of this, I know how extremely valuable it is to give my children the tools they’ll need to shake off criticism and hurt. I want to teach them the skills necessary to handle life’s inevitable disappointments, to thrive despite obstacles, and to impart to them a clear sense of self-worth and confidence, so that they will grow into strong, successful adults.

I know that as my children grow, we will learn together...the lessons of parenthood and of growing up. There I will be, wearing my heart outside of my body, longing to catch my babies every time they fall, yearning to always kiss their boo boos and shelter them from harm, and yet letting them have the room to grow into who they were meant to be. You see, I know that my children will become confident, independent beings, who will handle the life's challenges beautifully, because they will have the most secret weapon of all: Their mother's unconditional love, which is boundless and steadfast.

My Funny Valentines

Happy Valentine's Day! My plan was for us to eat our way through Valentine's Day this year. I had grandiose visions of heart-shaped treats and red food at every meal. I woke up early this morning, decorated the table, prepared breakfast, and set out Luke's Valentine's cards. When the kids woke up, I told them that I had a surprise for them: Heart-shaped muffins for breakfast! And Luke promptly told me that he was disappointed (I'm not sure he fully understands the meaning of that word or its implications on holiday-crazy Mommy) and that he wanted Cheerios instead. Still hoping for 1 out of 2 children to appreciate my efforts, I got my camera out to capture Leah's reaction to her breakfast, which was not quite what I had hoped:


If she could speak, I'm sure she'd be saying, "Mom, are there carrots AND zucchini in this muffin? I thought it was supposed to be a treat." Insert eye roll here.

I was certain that lunch would be better received, until Luke asked very politely for macaroni and cheese instead of the heart-shaped sandwiches that I had planned. This is the same child that begs for "p-jelly" the other 364 days/year and never deviates. Since the day was about love, I happily accommodated my son's request (and didn't give the usual speech about how I'm not a short-order cook), and in return, he rewarded me one of his painfully cheesy grins:


(Can someone who has older children please let me know at what age the normal smile returns?)

At least Leah was thrilled with her heart-shaped grilled cheese and watermelon. If we're keeping score, we're 1 for 4 with Mommy's food attempts so far today:



And then there was dinner. The plan was to feed the children early, so as to not have a romantic table for 4, and then have a grown up dinner at home after they went to bed (if Mommy and Daddy could manage to stay awake past 7:30 p.m.). Here are my funny Valentines with their dinner pizzas:


Another fake smile...


Daddy came home from work to find a topless woman dining at our house. He asked for a little less diaper next time...

Luke ended up napping today, which meant a late bedtime for him, so we resorted to plan B. We popped in a Mickey Mouse video while Mommy and Daddy feasted on lobster tails, sherried chicken, twice baked potatoes, roasted asparagus, adult beverages, and chocolate covered strawberries. No pictures of this delicious dinner- we were too busy scarfing it all down in the 22 minutes that we had while Mickey was on. We sure do know how to turn over a table!

The other big part of Valentine's Day week was Luke's preschool party yesterday. Luke was so excited about his party that he woke up at 4:45 a.m. and couldn't go back to sleep. What a start to a Monday morning! Continuing along with our food theme, Luke "helped" me make the heart-shaped Rice Krispie treats that we gave to his friends at school. I grabbed my camera to take a picture of our goodies, and came back to see that one was missing (and someone had a very guilty look on his face!):


The party was adorable, as usual. The kids made treat bags, exchanged Valentines with all of their friends, decorated sugar cookies, and sang a special song to all of the Mommies:


I made Valentine's fruit cups for the party, which went largely untouched by the preschoolers when they realized that another mom brought in individual bags of Fritos for each child. Next year, we're going for donuts on February 14 and calling it a day. Nonetheless, here's a picture of my creations, so I can document that I tried:


This picture is not necessarily flattering of any of us, but it's the only one I have of me with the children from Luke's Valentine's party at preschool, and at least we are all in red:



And what would Valentine's Day be without presents given with lots of love? Here are L&L's reactions to some of their new Valentine's Day gifts:





Here's our final, parting picture for this day of love: Our sweet, sweet Leah in her Valentine's Day dress. Because you're only a baby once, and there's something so darling to a holiday-crazed mother about seeing her little girl in a red dress covered with hearts:


Hugs and Kisses to all of our family and friends today!

Lessons in Parenthood

Luke, Leah, and I had a lunch date at Chick-fil-a last week. Mark was out of town, and when Daddy’s not home, the days seem to go by faster if we break out of our normal PB&J lunch routine. So this little diversion was a great way to break up a dull, stay-at-home Thursday. I managed to order our food, secure Leah in a high chair, and corral Luke for a few minutes to eat his chicken nuggets when I saw a little boy having a huge tantrum in the middle of the restaurant. Knowing that on another day, this could very well be my life, I sent that other mother sympathetic vibes until I heard her say to her screaming son (in an unnecessarily loud voice): “You are being very bad! Do you want me to pull down your pants in front of all these people, show them Woody and Buzz, and spank you?”

And I cringed. Rather than reflecting on the whether shaming one’s preschooler with threats of public nudity is an appropriate parenting technique, I couldn’t get past the fact that this woman referred to parts of her son’s anatomy as “Woody and Buzz.” Not once have either of these names appeared on the top 1,000 words that Mark/I use when educating our children about anatomical terms.

We continued to eat our lunch, and I couldn’t shake my disbelief. I felt empathy for this poor child, that his Woody and Buzz may be exposed in a public place, that other patrons of the restaurant may witness such an unpleasant incident…

And then the child bent over to pick something up off the ground, revealing his Toy Story themed pull-ups under his jeans. I almost laughed out loud when I realized that Cowboy Woody and Buzz Lightyear were prominently featured on the boy’s pull-ups, and that of course his mother was referring to these characters (and not some very private parts which shall not be further discussed on this blog). I emitted a huge sigh of relief, and realized that despite my best efforts not to jump to conclusions and previously judge that mom, I still had lots of learning to do. The lessons of parenthood do indeed go "to infinity and beyond…"

Visitors!

We've had several important visitors recently, which has caused lots of fun and excitement at our house. First were our friends from Atlanta, who came for an overnight visit last week. Luke was excited to have his friend, Ashleigh, here for a pajama party/sleepover, and as you can see, he was eager to try out her comfy bed:



Ashleigh fit right into our nighttime routine of bath and stories. There's always room for one more in the tub, and Mark was Super-Dad reading books to all 3 children:





The next morning, we took the girls to the Children's Garden in downtown Greenville while Luke was at preschool, and got some cute pictures of them hugging/posing for the Mamarazzi:







This one is my favorite: It makes me laugh and laugh. So much love in that hug!



Ashleigh also brought Leah a special Princess Potty to try when she is ready. Here is Leah proudly sitting like a big girl on her new potty:


I love their secret girl talk here. I think that Ashleigh is giving Leah tips on "How to be a Princess":



Clifford, Luke's classroom mascot, also came to visit us for a couple of days as part of "Clifford's Adventures". I was very tempted to give Clifford a bath in our washing machine, since he visits all of the friends in Luke's class, but I was fearful that I would be the mom who ruins the beloved class mascot and is shunned for eternity. Clifford slept with Luke, read stories with him, and was adored by our little man (gotta love the cheesy smiles below):








Lastly, Bean and Poppy came to visit for a few days this week while Mark was out of town. I usually dread when Mark travels for work, but having B&P here made the week such a treat for me. I was so thankful to have their help with the children, and they gave me a stay-at-home vacation, by giving me company during the day, cooking, doing chores, and baby-sitting. I was even able get my hair cut and go shopping alone! Thank you for the gift of your visit and help, Bean and Poppy. We love you!

(I was terrible at taking pictures during Bean and Poppy's visit, but did get a couple of cute ones of Luke and Poppy together. They are such special buddies!):

Wordless Wednesday