What's New?

Can someone explain to me how a million and eight thoughts of what I want to blog about next go through me head each day and then when I finally make enough time open the flood gates of stories to share, I've got nothing?

It's really not fair. I just don't get it.

I have been thinking that it's been a long time since I've written a little personality- progress report on those there monkeys of mine, so let's start with that shall we?
How about the little monkey first? The little monkey is commonly referred to as "Lincoln" and most often "Turdlett." He gained notoriety as Turdlett during his experimental phase of estimating exactly what toys will and won't fit into the toilet. And speaking of toys, who really needs toys when it's more fun to open and close the toilet lid? We seem to be a little bit past that phase, but the name stays. When he gets himself into any type of mischief whatsoever, he is my little Turdlett indeed.

Monkey is also one of my son's latest monikers. Have you ever heard the saying, "Just because you can, doesn't mean that you should?" I'm guessing that my little bruiser will hear that more times than he hears his own name by the time he reaches kindergarten. Monkey likes to climb. Like Elaina at the same age, he can't get enough of going up and down his slide eleventy hundred times in a day. He thinks he is big stuff climbing up all of the 4 steps of the ladder and has taken to standing at the top platform, not holding onto anything, but beaming from ear to ear at his greatest endeavor as a Turdlett. The climbing doesn't end there. My grandma used to laugh at Elaina when she went through this climbing/ exploring phase and joked that we needed to tie bricks to her ankles to keep her on the ground. Every day since, I've been searching for some bricks and string to use for Lincoln. The boy is a non-stop climbing machine. His prize and claim to fame is climbing himself atop the kitchen chairs, parking his hiney squarely in the seat and making an "mmmmm" noise. Apparently, the boy is ready to eat. Mmmmm.

Just to round out Lincoln-Turdlett-Monkey's update, on the topic of eating, again the boy is a machine. I think God realized that maybe he didn't spend enough time on Elaina's eating mechanism and made it up to us twofold with Lincoln. Lordy, that kid can eat. Oh, and he needs to eat dinner at 6:00 each and every evening. He's not too particular with the timing of any other meal, but if it's 6 p.m. and the kid is not being fed, he will most certainly let you know about it. Loudly. And while I didn't think it was possible for kids to eat and like such a vast variety of foods, I can't think of a single food that Lincoln hasn't been entirely crazy about up to this point. He's hardly picky and even surprised us by eating everything from salmon to chips and salsa. Trust me when I tell you that I've never seen anything like this before. We plan to do everything in our power to keep him this same way. Trust me when I tell you...Now we can't talk about food and kids without mentioning Elaina. Oh, wait, yes we can! There's nothing new to report on Elaina's eating habits or lack thereof. She eats what she likes, she likes what she eats and calls it a day. Her menu, however limited, doesn't consist of junkie foods and she is somehow continuing to grow and thrive and that just is about all we need to maintain any degree of happiness at the dinner table. It is what it is. Gone are the days of bribery an struggling. We still encourage and offer and remind her of all of the great foods that her tummy would like and yet, no progress.

While what I'm about to say next absolutely qualifies for TMI overload, skip this section if you wish: Despite her love affair with string cheese and other binding foods, she has done exceptionally well at putting her poopy in the potty. It was only a few short months ago that she would make herself absolutely miserable and struggle to hold herself that over the better part of a week, she became so terribly miserable that OF COURSE it pained her like no other to just GO already. It's almost like she's jumping the last few hurdles in the race to become a big girl. This is progress. This is necessary. And this is my baby growing up so fast.

The POOP report ends HERE.

In other happenings of the life of a three year old... Elaina has proven at her tender age that she does indeed, have the whole world by the tail. From the things she says and the things that she does, there are becoming fewer and fewer moments that my jaw doesn't just about drop in wonderment of how this little girl thinks and feels. Every single day, this child makes me so proud to be called her mother. And a beautiful privilege at that.

Some things that do register in Elaina's list of all time favorites include the movie The Land Before Time. Remember that one? I think I was all of 13 when that came out and I remember thinking how I couldn't wait to have kids to share that same movie experience with. She still loves books. I've caught onto her little trick of trying to get me to read a book when we're trying to rush out the door in the morning or when it's bedtime and the last book has been read. It goes something like this: She asks to me to read her just one more book. I tell her no due to bedtime/ leaving the house and welcome her to read what she thinks the pictures "talk" about in the book. She points to the words and ever-so-innocently asks, "but Momma, what does this part say?"
And before I forget, the latest thought that's been weighing on my mind and list of things to blog about is Halloween costumes. Lincoln is set to be the cutest puppy dog on the block and Elaina... well, I don't know what Elaina is going to be. She still wants to be a mermaid, but, um, y'all know that we live in Ohio right? You can never plan a Halloween costume that doesn't come with the option of layering eight pieces of clothing underneath and still uphold a great costume. And the ever so slight detail that mermaids have tails and don't walk. Part of me is leaning toward the kids having sort of matchy-match themed costumes and then again, I have no imagination or creativity and find myself at a loss. But what I do have is YOU!! Please people, please... what can Elaina be for Halloween? Any ideas of how to make her a warm, walking mermaid or a matchy friend of a puppy?