sticker charts are the solution to all life's problems

my kater-rooskie kater-rama,

welcome back!
it was a little bit rough there for a bit huh?
thank heavens that rotten behavior is over and done with [at least for now. wish it would stay away but i know better]
in retrospect, i think there was a whole lotta sibling jealousy going on.
mixed in with some emotional growing pains,
combined with schedule changes and the start of preschool at a new school...
that's a lot to throw on a 4 year old.

your dad and i realized that part of the problem was your increasing dependence on the iPad.
once we started limiting your time to a few short periods a day, we saw a marked improvement in your behavior.

we also implemented a sticker chart [which i swear is magic] and i believe it is the key to your turn-around.
you get a sticker for positive behaviors such as listening to us the first time we ask you to do something [instead of repeating ourselves 50 bajillion times] and for picking up your toys, making your bed and helping with evie, practicing your letters/sight words, etc.
we don't take stickers away but we do still take blankies away if needs be.
i can't remember the last time i had to threaten you with the loss of your beloved blankie
[it used to be at least 5 times a day]

once you fill up your sticker chart completely,
you get a new game on the iPad.
this has helped decrease the amount of times you ask for a new game [which used to be roughly 75 bajillion gagillion times a day. see also; in-app purchases are of the devil]


i don't want to toot our horns or anything....
but way to go all of us.
we're so awesome.

just kidding.
[kind of]

i'm just happy you're back to be our sweet, sensitive, fun-loving katers.
it sure is nice to be hugged instead of having a door slammed in my face.


love you more than sunshine kiddo.

sassy

miss kate:

or shall we say miss sass?

the last two or three days have been... interesting.
you're pushing boundaries like crazy and it's taken all my mothering will-power to not wallop you upside the head.
instead i've been threatening you with taking away your blankies [the ultimate punishment in your book since you only get them at bedtime and you claim you 'neeeeed' them to sleep because your 'head hurts if you don't have them']
yesterday i actually took them away but ended up giving just one [you have three] back to you after you sobbed for 5 minutes in your bed at bedtime.
i figured if i didn't give it to you, you would sleep terribly and there's nothing worse than a night without solid sleep, so i caved.
and i deeply regret it today.
you don't appeared to have learned anything.

if i didn't love you so dearly....

let's just leave it at that.
you're lucky kid i love you so much.

a failed attempt to expand your palate.

kate:

yesterday i was whipping up some amazingness for lunch
[as is the case every day. i'm a fantastic cook, you didn't know?]
and i put a small portion of a M&M cookie on your plate; hidden among the goldfish, mixed nuts and watermelon, strawberries and carrots [see? told ya]

it took you all of two seconds to realize what i had done.
and then it was hands on the hips and an exasperated sigh with a drawn out 'mooooooom! i told you i don't like cookies!'

well, excuse me kid.
just trying to get you to enjoy the finer things in life.
pardon my folly.

my ballerina

kate-

this summer we enrolled you in ballet and gymnastics classes.
you have loved both but you've declared that you prefer tumbling to dancing.
i think this has nothing to do the actual activity and everything to do with your teachers.
you dance teacher is a little, how does one put it lightly?...... grumpy.
she was most definitely not made for children's classes.

your tumbling teachers were a group of high-school gymnasts and their summer job was to teach classes at the rec center.
they had pandora set to the disney station, were energetic and full of smiles and compliments.
an easy win as far as like-ability.

regardless, you've had fun in both classes and i think we'll sign you up for dance/acrobatic class this fall.
as long as there is minimal/no make-up required and absolutely no booty-shaking involved.
"let them be little" as pinterest says.

a letter of thanks.

my dear kate:

thank you for being my rock today.
sometimes evie has fussy days [as we all do] and i hate to admit it,
but i don't handle fussiness as well as i would like.
when i can't figure out what's wrong and she cries and whines despite all i do,
i go positively mad.

i stand in the shower and cry.
i cry for my uselessness.
i cry because i hate that somethings wrong and she's suffering.
i cry in frustration at my lack of ability to handle her crying [now, that's ironic]
and i cry because somedays are just so overwhelming.
and then i laugh and cry all at the same time because i am so very aware at how stupid and irrational it is to cry because a baby is fussy.
oh to have better control over my emotions.


and that was most certainly what our 5 o'clock looked like.


but then you hug me and give me that sweet smile.
your eyes are tight with worry and you look 30 years old.
and suddenly i feel like the daughter and you the mom.
and i accept your hug and somehow i feel better.

i wish i could love you as perfectly as you love me.
you'll never know how much i [quite unfairly] depend on you.
thanks sweetheart.

tea time

Aunt Judy and Suzanne:

the tea set you got for kate is a favorite around here.
when i opened your gift at my baby shower 4 years ago i was so excited to someday have tea parties with my little girl.
and now that day is here.
and it's as much fun as i imagined it to be.
that tea set gets played with often and has held up well despite rambunctious party guests
[that princess jasmine sure gets rowdy]


thank you!

a gif for you all

this is a gif.
not a gift.
although i guess it could be considered a gif gift.
[i worked all weekend and didn't sleep yesterday so excuse the awful humor]

we took some family pics yesterday after church but before naps.
a recipe for disaster i thought-
but they actually turned out pretty good.
i'm still sorting through all 100 of them and finding the best ones.
[yes. i said 100. aren't you so glad you're not married to me?]

we used the tripod that came with my camera and the self-timer/continuous shooting.
it was quite an easy set up and kate loved watching me run across the yard [in wedges] after i pushed the shutter button.
i'll share them soon,
once i've weeded out the shots where evie's runny nose is out of control.
that poor girl- still teething, has a cold and we now suspect an ear infection.

where's kate?

kate:

FOUND:
in bed with crayons and paper.
every flower clip we have in your hair plus a few bows and a headband.
princess dress on.
broken watch on.

happy.

yo ho ho!

kate:

you're obsessed with 'jake and the neverland pirates'.
izzy is your favorite and if you're not wearing a princess dress then you're wearing your 'izzy clothes':
a bag around your neck for pixie dust and a bandana on your head with one little curl poking out.
a pink shirt and brown boots and you're all set.


[just didn't want to forget these little things that make up your life right now]

a weekend to remember

jank,

let's remember this last weekend forever, m'kay?
i didn't have to work and we got to spend the entire weekend as a family.
trips to target, date night, baseball in the backyard, mini-projects completed.
it was wonderful.

we left the house windows open so the sunlight and breeze could come in.
we repeated 'i love today' over and over again while playing with our kids on the floor,
while the birds chirped happily outside.

wish it could happen every weekend.
but it can't so i'll just be content with the last two days and leave it at that.
thanks for giving me such a good life.

[this one despises the camera right now. betcha couldn't tell :) ]

her favorite part is the cake, she'll pass on the frosting every time.

katers:

one of my favorite things to do is bake.

i love trying new recipes and sampling the dough/batter.

i love making pretty treats to take to friends and coworkers.

it's definitely become one of my passions.

and lately you've become my little assistant.

you're my taste-tester, sprinkle-sprinkler and my mess-maker.

and even though it means everything takes twice as long and is twice as messy;

i enjoy it.

i love seeing parts of me in you.

i love sharing my life with you.

i love spending those moments with you at my side.

[even if you hate smiling for the camera]

scaredy kate

oh sweet katers,

you have inherited my sensitive soul.
you have a tender heart and are easily scared.

today you were scrolling through my instagram feed
[you like to see all the pics of your cousins and friends]
and you happened upon a zombie pic.
you froze up and started shaking.
it made me so sad to see you truly frightened.
you had big tears in your eyes and looked at me with an expression that seemed to beg-
'fix it mommy. please take it away'

i did the only thing i could think of,
something my parents taught me long ago-
sing a church song.

i chose 'i am a child of god' and sang it at least 4-5 times while i snuggled you like never before.
amazing how quickly singing a peaceful song can usher in the Spirit and push out the bad.

you calmed down with my [awful] singing and we returned to our puzzles.
and i had a moment to reflect on how very little control i will have over your life in the coming years.
soon you'll be in school full time and i won't be able to shelter you from everything.

i'd keep you this age forever if i could.
but i can't.
so the best i can do is teach you how to cope with the things that frighten you.
i'll do my best.
it's a heavy task, this parenting gig.
but you make it so ridiculously worth it.

i love you.

ps. please forgive my atrocious singing

another sunny day

you'd think it would get old-
all this glorious sunshine.
maybe someday i'll wake up and think 'go away sun. i'm not in the mood today'
but that hasn't happened yet.

sunshine all around

dear yuma:

it's taken me awhile to adjust to calling you home.
we've been here 18 months and i'm finally feeling like a yuman.
i wear a jacket when it's 60 degrees, we keep our house at 80 degrees and i'm actually looking forward to 100 degrees [swimming!]
what you lack in greenery, shopping and proximity to family; you make up for in sunshine.
can't tell you how good it feels to be able to have a picnic outside in the middle of 'winter'.
feeling the sun on my face is a thing of beauty.

i'll spend the next few days soaking up all the vitamin d i can.
because then it's back to utah for brock's wedding where i will come face to face with my arch nemesis- the inversion.
or as i like to call it- 'the drainer of all energy and happiness'.
[for more info on what an inversion is, click here
utah, please be kind to us.
us yumans can only take so much sun deprivation before we become cranky.
[family members please take note: i require lots of cake bites and cafe rio to maintain happiness in cloudy weather]

yuma, you're growing on me.
can't say i love ya.... but i certainly really like ya.
and i most certainly love your sunshine.
keep up the good work.

the game that occupy our days

kate:

today we played 'captain hook and pirate princess'.

it consists of captain hook [me] squatting on his pirate ship [the ottoman]; looking through my telescope [cupped hands], trying to spot the pirate princess [you].

you dance and twirl in the kitchen until i find you and then with a hearty pirate growl,

i leap off the ottoman and a chase ensues.

the evil captain hook tries to steal the pirate princess's golden crown. 

captain hook can run easily on the carpet but must slip and slide and almost fall down if he runs on the tile [and i've almost really fallen down many, many times. klutzy me]

once the captain obtains the crown, he hides it and the princess must find it before 

the game can start all over again. and again. 

and again. 

and again.

[sooooo much fun after the tenth round]

see you tomorrow pirate princess.

love,

mom

happy MLK Jr Day.

i had a dream....

...that someday i would have a cute little family of my own and i would love them and they love me.
we would ride bikes and play in the sunshine together.
i would be a better person because of them.

somedays i truly live that dream [that would be today].

while other days [let's say.... thursday of last week] i'm so absolutely fed up with being my kids' everything, that all i can do at five o'clock in the afternoon is buckle them both into the car and drive as far as my gas tank would allowed into the barren desert, all the while praying they remain quiet so i can have a few moments of peace.


thank heavens for more good days than bad.

this is what waking up from a 3 hour nap looks like

well,
doesn't she look so very sad?

not to worry- 2 seconds later she was up and dancing around like the crazy kidlet that she is.
ahhh, preschoolers.
temperamental but oh so much fun.


kate,
your favorite thing to do right now is to tell us 'secrets'.
you twist our heads, lean in really close and loudly whisper whatever silliness you can think of, usually something like:
'ummmm..... evie is right over there.'
and then you giggle like you're the funniest person in the world.

it's rad.

one of the final swims, october 8th.

to our little watering hole-

you served us well these past 6 months.
you might be small,
but ye are mighty.

see you in april.
[maybe march if we're crazy]

when we first heard about the job opportunity in yuma,
my one absolute request was a private pool.
i knew we wouldn't always live somewhere quite so warm,
so we decided to live it up while we're here.
pool care comes included in our rental price,
which makes having our own pool all the sweeter.

this summer kate learned to swim without floaties and dive like a kitty cat.
[just go with it, she has some odd names for things]
evidence of my kid's awesomeness below:

thanks for indulging me.