Outsmarted by a seven year old?

Everly: How many Reece's Pieces can I have [as a snack]?

Me (with a wink):  As many as you are willing to give me.

Everly looked at me, thinking. Clearly, this caused a dilemma (which was kind of the intent): if she took ten, that meant she had to give me ten. But if she only gave me one, that meant she only got one. I was curious as to how she would handle this.

So she thought for a bit. And then, she did something I hadn't even considered.

She handed me the entire bag.

Because she wanted the entire bag.

The race to bedtime

As we get ready to head back to school after a wonderful break filled with many mornings sleeping in, the threat of no bedtime stories was made to help ensure that bedtime deadlines were met.  With two showers in our house, both kids are able to shower simultaneously.  This night, a race was declared.  At record pace, Cortlan emerged from the bathroom first, to the dismayed cries of Everly, who shouted, "It doesn't count!!  You had two-in-one [shampoo]!!"

Sometimes Plan B is Awesome

With plans to run with my running buddy suddenly derailed on Thursday, I was left with a few options:  1.  Run by myself at 8pm in the dark, 2.  Skip the run, or 3.  Figure out somehow to run that somehow incorporated the kids while John was at taekwondo.  I opted for #3.  It turned out to be one of the best decisions of my week.

The neighborhood across from ours is essentially a mile loop with cul de sacs that add another mile or so.  Though my original plan for the evening was to run about 5-6 miles, I knew that I had to adjust that goal if my kids were involved.  I decided that 3 miles would suffice.  The kids got their helmets and bikes and I laced up.

Initially, I thought my kids would be outpacing me by a bit.  We had a plan for them to ride around the cul de sacs until I caught up and then we would head to the next one.  It turns out that I can run up hills faster than they can ride up hills.  There were enough hills that we more or less took the same amount of time to make it around.  In some cases, I had to stop for a bit to wait, but they gave it their best.

The hills turned out to be a highlight for me, as behind me I heard Everly, pushing up the hill, yell "Victory is mine!!"

I started down the hill before they made it to the top.  But I knew when they were right behind, as Everly yelled, "Comin' in hot!!"

As we continued, finally finding a flat stretch where we could keep pace with each other a bit better, Cortlan said to me, "Mommy, I love that you love to run."  That meant the world to me.

And it only got better.  We finished the run/ride with a couple more stops (and Cortlan asking, "Next time we stop, can I have a hug?"), and made it safely home.  As I was tucking the kids in for bed, Cortlan tells me, "That was a happy moment in my life."

I completely agree.

Happy 6th birthday, Everly!

The evening before Cortlan turned 5, he cried.  He loved being five, didn't want to grow up, wanted to stay five forever, and, in fact, refused to acknowledge being six for a while.

Yesterday morning, Everly greeted me with a happy "Good morning!" and "Tomorrow is my birthday!  That makes today my birthday EVE!!"

Forever wanting to be bigger and more grown up, perhaps due to having an older brother, Everly has left the minor leagues - the 0-5 year old stage - never to return.  She is thrilled.  I am a bit emotional.  But I am following her lead.

Everly has only recently reached the advised weight for switching from a five-point harness car seat to a booster, but she has been waiting for this moment for years.  Last night, after she was in bed, we took the car seat that she has used for years out of the car and replaced it with a brand new booster.  This morning, when she saw it, it was suddenly like she finally made it to the big leagues.

The year of being five was a big one...getting her ears pierced, starting Kindergarten, learning to read.  And also of us figuring each other out a bit more.  I feel like I learned a lot about what makes Everly tick and how to work with her this year, resulting in more peace and more fun.  She is growing up and figuring things out, as well.

Everly makes us laugh all of the time.  She surprises us with her quick wit and timing.  Over the past year, she has wanted to be a doctor, a teacher, an actor, an artist, and a scientist.  I am loving watching her grow.

Happy birthday to our dynamo, Everly!

Vow(el)s

As I was reading a beautiful book called Blueberry Girl tonight to my kids, Cortlan asked, "Did you have to read a poem like this and hope it came true?"

"What?" I asked, confused as to what he was talking about.

"I mean for your wedding.  Did you read a poem like this for your wedding?"

"Oh, no.  But Daddy and I did read our vows," I responded.

Then, Everly piped in, as serious as ever. "What were they?  A, E, I, O, U?"

Still making me chuckle...

Yesterday, Cortlan, Everly, Elly and I took a walk to a nearby neighborhood where one of Cortlan's friends live.  We dropped him off for a play date and Everly, Elly, and I headed back home.  When we got home, we couldn't immediately find John.  He wasn't in the house or the garage, yet his car was in the driveway.  Looking out the window, we couldn't see him, either.  Everly's response?

"Maybe he got MAN-napped!!"

(Turns out, he was cleaning the grill.)

In the books...

Well, week one of summer is already in the books, and I already feel so refreshed.  It was a productive week, and a fun week, with a lot of silliness thrown in.

We started the summer learning ticket system again, which the kids were really excited about this year.  In fact, whereas last year, Cortlan hardly banked any tickets (he would earn just enough to use for the TV shows he wanted to watch), this year, he has caught on to the idea that he can earn more to do more things.  And now that he is a reader, he has a whole new way to earn tickets.  In the first week, they were able to earn enough to get a movie and ice cream.  We will see how things continue.

Speaking of reading, Everly is picking up on reading at a surprising pace.  Her interest in doing what her brother can do is so high, it is amazing.  Yesterday, she read to me Buzz! Said the Bee, Cookie's Week, and two beginning reader books based on the nursery rhymes Hickory, Dickory, Doc and The Cow Jumped Over the Moon, all with very little help from me.  It is exciting to see her excitement in learning both reading and math.

Between the four of us, we had several appointments, including an allergist appointment for Cortlan.  Lucky him, he began allergy shots this week.  His allergies have been so bad, we are hopeful that these shots will help in the long run and he won't need to be on three medications per day (that are already losing some effectiveness).

We went to the zoo with friends, which was awesome.  Seeing the elephants get a bath was a highlight, and watching the polar bears play under water was awesome.

We also went ice skating for the first time, thanks to a friend who is taking lessons and invited Cortlan as his buddy for "bring a buddy day."  We stayed after the lesson for a bit so Everly could get a chance to try it out, too.  The experience was comical to say the least, but the kids would love to go back again some day.

As I always try to do during the first week, I did get my windows and screens cleaned, thanks in part to my kids, who did pretty well with the whole teamwork thing.

We are excited to see what the rest of summer has in store.  I am certain we will get a few more items checked off of Cortlan's bucket list.

Learning new things all the time!

Bridges

"Mommy!  Watch me do a bridge!!"
Ok.  Let's see.

"Mommy!  Can I show you my bridge?"
Yep!  

"Mommy!  I am going to do a bridge.  Watch!"
I'm watching, sweetheart.

Everly's Evening Joke #2

Since two people have asked, I suppose a translation is in order:

What did the lamb have for lunch?  A baaaaaa-loney sandwich!

My poet (?)

Cortlan has really been coming into his own this year at school and I have been impressed with all he has learned this year.  But, the same is true for Everly.

We get daily reports e-mailed to us about Everly's day, and this was part of yesterday's:

I have to admit, I was a little impressed by the poem she wrote:

Happy 5th, Ev!

There is something about turning a whole hand full of fingers that makes things seem so different.  My baby girl is now five years old.  And she's not much of a baby anymore.

Less than a week ago, I took off of work so that I could take Everly for Kindergarten registration.  We walked into the school, checked in, and headed to the room where she would be evaluated.  She was quiet, but answered questions and said "thank you" when complimented on her shoes.  She walked surely to the first station with the woman escorting her, and I heard her answer confidently when asked her name, some rhyming words, letter sounds.  She moved easily to the next station with a sly grin on her face as she passed me, and then proceeded to catch bean bags, hop on one foot, and cut with scissors.  She moved from station to station, ready to show what she knows.  Ready to start.  Ready to do what it takes to get to go to school with her big brother.

We headed home and prepared for the next part of our day - the part for which Everly has waited years and that we promised would happen for her 5th birthday.  Grandma H. arrived at our house and we headed over to Grandma V.'s house to pick her up and travel to the mall, where Everly got her ears pierced.  She was tough.  She didn't flinch when the first ear was pierced.  She didn't move until about 10 seconds after the second ear was pierced, when she curled into me with a few silent tears.  She pulled herself together quickly, though, and was ready for a picture.

Fast forward a few days, and it is time for her to officially wake as a five year old.  It is hard to believe.

These five years have gone fast, but I have loved the adventure, the waiting to see what comes next.  And you just never know with Everly.  There is no doubt that she is a strong-willed, independent-minded girl who loves to get dirty as much as pretty, though.  We butt heads occasionally, but she is my kind of girl.  She is funny and smart and she seems to be learning to use her powers for good, as we have encouraged her to do - gaining attention in more positive ways than negatives lately, as she has learned that she can make us laugh as easily as she can make us scream.

My baby girl woke with a smile on her face on March 9th, ready to face the world as a 5 year old.  And me, ready to face the world with her.

Happy birthday, Everly-Beverly-Boo.  I love you.

What's making me laugh...

What's making me laugh these days?  Well, for one, Everly's reenactment of the combination of the these two commercials:

 And

Almost every Wednesday, at some point, she asks "What day is it?"  in her best camel voice.  She then follows it up with "Mike, Mike, Mike, what day is it?"  And if you don't answer, she will answer for you:  "Hump day!"  And if you do answer, she will follow it up with a "Woo Wooooo!" and "No cell phones!" for good measure.

How can you not laugh?  (I will try to get a video of it...so funny.)

Go Everly!

Never to be outdone by her big brother, shortly after the start of the school year, Everly requested that we take off her training wheels.  While she was a little wobbly at first, it didn't take long before she was off and riding.  These days, she is often leading the pack through the neighborhood, speeding around with the boys.

When life gives you lemonade...

Cortlan has been asking to have a lemonade stand for quite a while.  I keep telling him that it is something that takes work and preparation; you can't just wake up one day and decide that you will have a lemonade stand in an hour...especially if you also want to sell cookies and you are depending on your mom to have lemonade in the house.  Last week, we finally got on the same page and got all our ducks in a row.  The most important step - I bought the lemonade.  Once that happened, everything else fell into place.

The kids made their signs.

We made chocolate chip cookies...on a 92 degree day.  And the next day, we made the lemonade.

Soon, we were ready for business.

The kids worked well together as a team, which I was happy to see.  They asked, "Would you like ice?"  And they said, "Thanks for coming!"

They sold most of the cookies...and ate the rest.  They sold about three gallons of lemonade...and drank the rest.

What are they going to do with the money?  They already put it in an envelope...they are saving in hopes of a trip to Disney.

Summer Learning Ticket System

Knowing my shortcomings, I decided to let my kids hold me somewhat accountable for their learning this summer.  Yesterday, we implemented a Summer Learning ticket system.  My theory is this: If they know they are getting something out of it, they will have the motivation to initiate the process, whereas I would otherwise forget, blow it off, or seem like a nag about yet another thing.

The kids each decorated their ticket envelopes and journals, and we were on our way.  There are many ways to earn tickets: 1 ticket for writing a journal entry or reviewing sight words or completing a worksheet from the summer bridge book.  1 ticket if they clean up after themselves before bed without needing to be reminded.  30 bonus tickets for learning to ride a bike with no training wheels (a one time offer).  And a few more, as well.

Deciding what they could "purchase" with their tickets was much more challenging.  Seeing what they decided to do with their tickets on Day 1 was somewhat enlightening.

An incomplete list of examples of what can be purchased: 2 tickets will buy a 30-minute television program.  8 tickets gets a movie and popcorn at home.  15 tickets may be traded in for a Build a Bear outfit (hand-me-downs that are like new from someone we know) or Lego figurines or a trip to get ice cream.  30 tickets gets a trip to the Children's Museum or Chuck E. Cheese.  (We figured that learning to ride a bike was worth that reward.)

What did I think would happen?  I thought the kids would each earn 4-5 tickets.  I thought they would spend 2 and save the others in hopes of earning a bigger prize someday.

What happened?  The kids each earned 3 tickets in the morning.  Cortlan promptly spent 2 so he could watch Phineas and Ferb.  Everly's eyes lit up when she realized that she could spend hers on Band-Aids (if there was an actual boo-boo, she wouldn't get charged) and she promptly spent 2 on a Band-Aid that she plastered across her forehead.

Later in the afternoon, they each earned 1 more ticket as we did a "Sink or Float" activity.  They chose objects and wrote down in their journals whether they thought the objects would sink or float.  Then we tried the experiment and they recorded the results.  They enjoyed the activity.  Cortlan now had 2 tickets - enough for another TV show - and he spent them.  Everly now has 2 tickets in savings.

Cortlan asked to have his training wheels off and is now more motivated than ever to learn to ride his bike.  It will be interesting to see what he does with the 30 tickets...a trip to the Children's Museum (which he has been begging for) or 15 TV shows.  Tough call.  Everly is not much into TV.  I guess I better stock up on Band-Aids.

Random recap in photos

I am perpetually behind these days.  Mother's Day has come and gone.  Someday, I will post something about that.  But for now, here are some photo recaps of recent times:

Cortlan recovered from his surgery at home, but his friends didn't forget about him:

Neither did family and friends.  His aunt and cousins sent him a couple of special gifts in the mail:

Cortlan was getting a lot of special attention, which had Everly feeling a bit left out, so she and I went on a Mommy and Me trip to the mall, where we used a gift card for Build a Bear that she received for her birthday:

While he was out of school, Cortlan lost his first tooth (April 27th, 2013).  He may or may not have been disappointed with the $1 that the tooth fairy left him.  I may or may not have felt bad about that:

A robin decided that our window looked like something worth attacking, and did so repeatedly.  It became so annoying that we had to bring in Spiderman to save the day.  The robin has since avoided our window, but moved on to our neighbor's:

This was weeks ago, but Spiderman is still protecting our window.

Everly's reaction

And what was Everly's reaction to Cortlan's surgery?  Well, she was very happy to spend some time at Grandma and Poppy's house on Tuesday.  She tells me that she rode on the swings, that she and Poppy put a bunch of stuff on Cadi (my parent's dog), and that Poppy held her by her feet so that she could reach stuff from behind the couch.  I will have to confirm, but I feel as though this is probably pretty accurate.

She also told my parents that she would do Cortlan a huge favor by eating a Popsicle with him because it is way more fun if you don't have to do it by yourself.  So kind that she is willing to make such a sacrifice for her brother.

When I picked her up from school yesterday, she hadn't seen him since early morning the day before.  She said she missed him.  She also said, "I can't wait to see Cortlan!  Does he look the same?"

A little more Everly...

When she is not making me scream, Everly is quite the character.  Honestly, I could probably write post after post about how she has made me laugh recently.  Her favorite joke these days?

Everly What does a sheep have for lunch?
Me I don't know.  What?
Everly A baaaaa-loney sandwich!

I think a lot of the humor is in her delivery.  Maybe I will video tape this one and include it sometime.

She also has some prop humor going for her.  Like, on Saturday, when she came out of the house wearing this:

Or on Tuesday, when she decided to wear a mustache to school:

Yes, she did.  She walked right into school with that thing on her face.

My hope is that she uses her powers for good...and keeps us laughing.

Happy Birthday, Everly

On March 13, 2009, I sat in disbelief, looking at my newborn, wondering how the previous four days had passed in such a blur.  I have a four-day-old baby.  And a two-year-old.

Now, I sit here on March 13, 2013 and wonder, first, how the previous four days have passed in such a blur that I haven't had even ten minutes to sit and write Everly's birthday post.  And second, how the past four years have passed so quickly.  I have a four-year-old.  And a six-year-old.

There is nothing quite the milestones of children to bring you face to face with the reality of passing time.  I am not sure that I am ever going to get used to that.  As trite as it is to say, they grow so quickly.

In my twenties, time seemed to not matter so much for some reason.  The days bled into each other, and so did the months.  Years came and went without much fanfare.  I attended weddings, including my own, saw my friends buy houses, and then us, too.  Life was beginning and it was all ahead of us.  But days were days and months were months and years were years.

Time just seems so different now.  Days can bring tons of new words, new stories.  Or the ability to fix her own hair.  Or the desire to shower herself.  Days can mean more independence, crossing the street by herself, or buckling herself in the car.  Days can bring saying that a once beloved shirt is now "too sparkly."

Weeks bring the ability to do a flip on the bar at gymnastics.  Desire for a new haircut.  Wanting to read me a book.  Weeks can bring an attitude change about school.  New friends.  New interests.

And years.  Years bring me a four-year-old that loves to sing, that loves to draw, and learn, and write, and play with her baby dolls.  A four-year-old that still has just as much attitude as she did when she was months old.  One that still wants new shoes at every turn.  Years have brought me a strong-willed, intelligent little girl full of promise and a desire to please.  (Right, Mommy?)  A girl that strives for independence...until she wants help.  Years have brought me a four-year-old that loves to laugh and to make us laugh, too.  Years have brought me many good night hugs and kisses and "Mommy, will you sleep on me?"'s and "What do you want to dream about?"'s.

It is hard to imagine what the years ahead will bring me.  It is hard to imagine that someday I will have a teenage girl.  And then a girl in her twenties, maybe getting married.  Maybe buying a house.  Maybe having children of her own.

I think I am going to focus on the days.  The days are sweet.

Happy birthday, my baby girl.  Happy birthday, Everly.

A message from Cortlan, made with zero assistance presented to Everly when she woke on Saturday.  "Dear Everly, From Cortlan.  I love you Everly.  Happy Birthday."