Preschool Grad

Abby had her preschool graduation this week. Unfortunately, I forgot the camera and all the pictures are on Sam's phone. 

Today was the last day of school and they had a water day.

I dropped Abby off and went home for Grant to have a nap and then we came back early so Clara and Grant could play for a while. Grant was more into the water than the girls. Clara was true to form and was too wimpy. She barely got wet before she informed me it was too cold. 

I can't even believe Abby is going to be starting kindergarten in the fall. I'm sad for her to go but I think it's going to be good for her. She's always more pleasant on the days she has school.

Casa Grande Ruins

We figured that we'd better visit our town's namesake before we move. (I didn't tell you we were moving, blogging world. Well, we are.)

The Casa Grande ruins (actually located in Coolidge, AZ, not Casa Grande, AZ--go figure) are the remains of an ancient Native American city. What we learned is  that nobody really knows what this structure, "the big house" was used for and nobody really knows what happened to the people who lived in this city. There are lots of theories, which are interesting but not particularly educational.

The girls enjoyed exploring the different rooms scattered around the grounds and they were really good during the movie. It was a pleasant morning spending time together as a family.

Another One Bites the Dust

Abby lost another tooth, though this one didn't come about too quickly...

The tooth was wiggly for a while, but she refused to wiggle it. Since the first lost tooth included blood, she was very nervous about losing another one. Sam was starting to worry the new tooth was going to come in in the wrong place. We tried bribery, scare tactics and begging. Finally, Sam took her to his office without really talking about it, sat her in the chair and just quickly pulled it out. Then, he took her to the dollar store to pick out a prize.

When this girl puts her mind to something (or to not doing something), it's hard to get her to budge. She does seem more prepared and ready to wiggle the next lose tooth that comes along.

Clara's Stiches

Clara was dancing around the living room in a tutu when she suddenly fell down and smacked her head into the coffee table. I immediately scooped her up and ran into the bathroom to get a towel to stop the bleeding. When I got her settled down on the couch, I removed to towel to check things out. The cut was gaping open but there was hardly any blood. I thought she probably needed stitches but the lack of blood was throwing me off. I couldn't get ahold of Sam so I called my BIL to get his opinion. When I sent him a pic, he said she should probably go in. As I was trying to figure out where to take her, Sam called back and said he could come home and take her in. 

After three hours in the ER, lots of screaming and a trip to the dollar store, she came home with 3 stitches on her beautiful face.

She has been healing well and I think scarring should be minimal thanks to the wonderful skin of a kid.

It's Tough Being the Baby Brother

Poor Grant gets subjected to girly things a lot. He is frequently covered in glitter or wearing jewelry. He doesn't seem to mind much. I think he's just glad he's being included because he is so often shut out from what the girls are doing. The other day, the girls put these tutus on him and it was cracking me up. You can tell by his face that he wasn't as amused.

In the Trenches

Sometimes I feel like I'm sailing the smooth seas of motherhood and other times, I feel like I'm in the trenches of an all-out war with my kids. For the past few weeks, it's been the latter. At first, I thought it was the after-effects of vacation. We always have a few rough days as we go through fun withdrawal. Unfortunately, the rough days have lasted for a few weeks now, so I don't think I can blame it on vacation anymore.

My first instinct is to go on a kid bash, unveiling all of their flaws and the frustrations they have caused but I know I would regret that when we return to smooth seas (I know it will happen. I know it will happen). I'll just say, things have been hard. I often end the day feeling very much at the end of my rope, at a complete loss for what I can do to help things get better (other than have a good cry and eat some ice cream).

I have found a few things that have helped and when I remember to put them into practice, ours days are more pleasant:

• Say yes more. Sometimes I find myself in a ridiculous power struggle with one of my kids and I don't even know why. I've told them no about something, without a real reason and I've decided to hold my ground when it's totally dumb. It's okay to take a step back and change your mind. It doesn't make you a push-over. It makes you human and a good human at that for admitting you were wrong. Let's be honest, kids hear a lot of No. It seems to be one of all baby's first words. It's got to be frustrating.
• Acknowledge their feelings. Sometimes you have to say no to things or do things that your kids won't like. I find it helpful to explain that I understand how they are feeling but there are just certain things that we do/don't do in this family.
• Give a legitimate reason. Instead of giving the mother go-to, "Because I'm the mom and I said so" or just a plain "No", it helps to give a valid reason. No, we can't go outside because I need to start making dinner. It's not a good time to play beads because we don't want Grant to swallow one. 
• Show an outpouring of love. This one is so hard. When I'm frustrated with one of my kids, I don't always feel like snuggling with them on the couch but sometimes, that's exactly what they need. A lot of outbursts come from kids needing a little attention. Unfortunately, freaking out might be the only way they can think of to get some.
• If all else fails, repeat the mantra, "I love my kids. I love my kids. I love my kids." And, maybe, go hide in the bathroom and eat some Pringles. 

Easter Fun

We started our week dying eggs with Grandma and Grandma. It's fun having them around to participate in holiday traditions with us.

We went to the library for an Easter Egg Hunt but I didn't have my camera. It was the start of a lot of egg finding.

We went to an Easter egg hunting activity with the cousins in Marana. Clara was excited to hug the bunny.

Grant and Abby weren't so sure about the bunny.

They had the egg "hunts" divided into age groups. Clara and Grant were in the baby to 3-year-old group, which was crazy since all of the kids had their parents with them. I say "hunt" because it was just a big open field full of eggs.

Abby got tons of eggs. The kids also had fun playing in bouncy houses and eating free Eegees. We spent the rest of the day playing with cousins.

On Easter morning, we did our traditional egg hunt and baskets at home.

After church, we went to Grandma and Grandpa's for Easter dinner, and yet, another egg hunt. We are up to our eyeballs in candy. I never took a picture of the kids together but here they each are in their cute Easter outfits.