Mmmm... Pizza....

I like cooking dinner. It's the perfect balance of creativity and monotony, with the added bonus of feeding my hungry people. Guilt free enjoyment. But some days I just don't feel like it, and today is one of those days. Lucky for me, we have to pick up Jon at work later on, so we'll pop into the pizza place near his office. I really prefer my homemade pizza, but I don't make it as often as I used to. I'm not sure why, really. Maybe I'm avoiding the event that pizza-making can become when there are little would-be pizza makers wanting to experiment. But I really need to add it to the rotation. Nothing beats homemade pizza.

Less lucky is the reason we're picking up Jon: his car is in the shop. It was an unfortunate week for this to happen, since there has been a lot going on. Mostly positive things, just a lot of them.

One event was Tiny Tot's Inside the Orchestra. It's an introduction to the symphony for the 6 and under crowd. We sat on the orchestra floor, with the instrumentalists all around, and they played various pieces. All the while the conductor made the music very interactive. What seemed to make the most impact on Anna was the 9 year old pianist, while Isaac enjoyed the little stuffed conductor puppet. Overall, my toddler did fairly well, but it was a good thing I brought along some coloring pages. Forty-five minutes on the floor is a long time for an active boy. It's a great program, and I highly recommend it if you're in the area.

Later that day we headed to Anna's dance class, which continues to be the bane of our existence. The class itself is fine, but getting her to attend is a chore. Usually Anna will get about half way through an extra-curricular activity before complaining about it, but her reticence began almost immediately this time. I think part of the problem is perfectionism. Perfectly normal for this age group, since kiddos are becoming aware that other people can see them. For kids like Anna, this means if they can't do something well they'd rather not do it at all (or maybe just do it at home). The other aspect may be her dislike of structure. I'm seeing this a bit when she talks about preschool, too. She would really rather do her own thing instead of following a teacher. Also perfectly normal, just a little challenging for the adults involved.
I wasn't sure how to handle this situation at first. I just made her go, sometimes sitting in on the class for awhile. Eventually she'd get into the groove. This week I decided I needed to tackle the problem directly. Of course, the easiest solution would be to just stop attending. But that didn't seem right. Instead I explained that we don't quit what we've started (particularly when "we" begged to take a dance class for a month beforehand). I also assured her that once this class is complete I will never, ever, sign her up for a dance class ever again. Boy, that made her think! And she went in with a slightly better attitude. I can't decide if I was too harsh. Guess we'll find out next week.

Around home, the kids have been enjoying the snow. We got a ton of it recently; the biggest snowstorm I've seen since we moved here. Where I grew up, it would take all winter to accumulate what we saw in a day and a half. Fifteen inches, I think? The snow piles beside the driveway are almost as tall as Anna. Jon made a great snow fort, complete with tunnel, and I got to snow shoe from our front door. This is the way winter is supposed to be! I love shoveling the drive way and playing in the drifts with the kids. Anna and Isaac are still growing into snow play, I think. They'll stay outside for only an hour or so before snow gets somewhere it shouldn't and I start hearing "It burns! It burns!"

 Isaac in the snow tunnel.

So other than wild weather, interactive music, and distressed dancers, there have been numerous dinners, many church meetings, school conferences and info sessions (still deciding on a kindergarten!), medical appointments, and now car repair -- all within a two week period. And yes, the vast majority of these are enjoyable and important activities. But no, I didn't feel like cooking today.

Not Quite Groundhog Day

It's been a little hectic around here lately. We've been doing a few things post-dinner the last couple of weeks (swimming, climbing wall, etc.) which makes things feel a little rushed in the evenings. I've also been taking advantage of the nice weather by taking the kids to the park, which gives me less time to do things around home. But it's hard not to be outside when the sun is shining and things feel spring like. I guess we've been to the park enough, in Anna's opinion. She flatly refused to head there now, so the kids are playing in the back yard. Playing together nicely, I might add. They've been doing that with greater frequency, which is nice.

Isaac's big news is that he recently got a big boy twin bed. The delivery guys showed up a little early (while I was still at the gym, actually) so Jon had to figure out where to put what. But it all worked out, and I'm quite happy with the bed we chose. Isaac's room is a little small, so we got a bed with drawers and also shelves for a headboard. We still need to move some things out of the room (like the change table), but the crib is gone and it looks like a little boys room now. Jon felt a little nostalgic about the crib, but I was so glad to see that thing go. We aren't going to resell it (it's a side-drop crib, likely recalled at some point in the last few years), so I guess it will hit the trash. I feel kind of bad about that - but not so bad that I'm willing to keep it in the basement.
Frankly, I'm looking forward to putting these baby things behind and moving forward. The change table will be the next big hurdle. I'll be glad to see that go too, but I'm NOT looking forward to hopping the potty train. Perhaps this is why I'm putting it off until Isaac is three.

Anna's inside the house now, and has changed into her P.J.s. Never mind that it's only 3 in the afternoon. She's turning more and more into a homebody every day, and not always for the better. It was like pulling teeth to get her to go to dance class this past week - the same class she had begged to attend. She's even grouchy during Isaac's story time at the library, and doesn't want to go to junior church. Part of her dance class hesitation comes from a tendency to avoid things she's not immediately good at. So how far do I push this? Do I make her go? Give up? I'm not sure giving up is the right answer. And it doesn't solve her general reluctance to go anywhere these days, which is completely baffling. She constantly wants to play with someone, so why not head out to these places which are rife with someones to play with? After all, I am no fun at all. I'm truly not. And while Isaac is fun, he also beats on his sister when the spirit moves him.

The silver lining here is that Anna still enjoys preschool. This bodes well for kindergarten, I think. I hope. I expect that Kindergarten will also help our relationship. I love my daughter, but I think absence makes the heart grow fonder sometimes. Or to put it another way, not being constantly together every minute of every day makes me appreciate my daughter more. And hopefully vice versa.

Spinning, spinning into the future...

In my last post I expressed concern about Anna's upcoming dance recital. I thought it was too much hoopla and too many backstage hours for such a tender age. I still think it was too much hoopla. But I needn't have worried about Anna. She did just fine playing with her classmates, watching the big girls in their costumes, and generally hanging out.
I should have been concerned about myself. Between the pre-rehearsal and pre-show primping, the packing of snacks and "quiet activities" and costumes, the coordination of naps and babysitters, this thing easily took two days of my life and hundred of dollars. And she was on stage for less than 10 minutes over two shows. I had the vague sensation, as I was sitting in the crowded auditorium, that my daughter's dance routine was being held hostage.
But oh, how she loved it! She was a little nervous, but performed wonderfully and wanted to do the whole thing again the next day. Despite my reservations I found myself bubbling with excitement by the time her class performed. It really is something to see your baby on the big stage. So here we are, days after the event, and I debate whether to enroll her with the same studio in the fall.
On the other hand, money doesn't grow on trees. Rec center classes, here we come!

The other notable event of the past couple of weeks was my birthday. I won't tell you the day or my age, but I will give you a hint: they are consecutive square numbers.
Jon's parents looked after the kids and we went for a leisurely dinner in the mountains. Although it was in the 90's in the flat lands, it was downright cold up there. Lovely! As an added bonus, Isaac did not have any meltdowns while we were gone. In fact, he had as much fun as Anna. Little does he know this means more babysitters in his future.

Speaking of Isaac and milestones, he is now 14 months old. Only a year ago he was an infant, a stationary observer of goings on. Now he's a spinning, running, dancing participant (not all of this is welcome as he also climbs the slide). Even Anna seems to have changed a lot recently: losing her baby fat, improving in agility, figuring out "jokes," learning deception (despite obvious flaws, this is indeed a hallmark of mental development), asserting her preferences with increased confidence (often loudly), deftly maneuvering the computer mouse (thumbs down from Mom). She is becoming a little lady, and I sometimes forget to respect her burgeoning self.

The last milestone I'm thinking of is on July 1st (which is also Canada Day!) On that day it will be two years since we bought this, our first house. I really like owning a home, particularly after the tiny apartments we lived in before. We haven't changed much of it, but it is undoubtedly ours. We did not realize how useful the layout or location would be when we bought it - it was simply the best one we saw during our two days of looking. We have been blessed since moving here, and I'm glad we followed God's gentle prod when deciding where and what to buy. I don't know if we'll be here forever, but I'm happy to be here now.

Dramatic Interludes

There have been a lot of ups and downs these past couple of weeks. To begin with, there was a surprising development at Jon's work place that caused us to re-evaluate our long term plans. Thankfully, that situation seems to have ironed itself out for now. We've also cried and rejoiced with friends who have had their lives turned upside down - some in good ways, some in sad ways. Closer to home, there was the cancellation of a weekend retreat that I was really looking forward to, although that may have been for the best. June is crazy busy for us, and we need the time to gear up.

Against the backdrop of these events is the everyday drama and swashbuckling adventures of our kiddos. This week's episode featured mistaken identities (is it Anna or Hannah who is scheduled for swim lessons?), ticking time bombs (in the form of babies who will explode if they wake up and find the sitter instead of mom), dramatic chase scenes (can mommy bike her children to the park before they kill each other?), attempted murder (occurring whenever bike rides took longer than 20 minutes), and extreme eating (how many berries can a baby consume before his health is at risk?). Spoilers: Hannah (oops); bomb failed to go off; yes, but barely; see previous; apparently more than baby currently consumes, however Mom's sanity is at risk due to constant changing of dirty diapers.

Isaac continues to develop in a myriad of ways. He's learned how to get down one or two steps without falling, and can follow basic verbal commands. Verbal production is slower compared to Anna, but hey he's a boy. So far he can say Mama, Dada, Anna, ca (for car), and dao (for dog). His "word" for food is something like a lip smack. He's a world class pointer and has finally begun waving. Both our kids were slow at waving, preferring instead to sob when Daddy leaves the house. I'm still amazed at how coordinated he is, and how stubborn. Which brings us to the skill Isaac's been working on the most: The Tantrum.
The Tantrum's form can take the shape of the "wiggly plank" (rigid and wiggly at the same time), or the "head throwback-back arch," or some combination accompanied by ear piercing shrieks that sound as if someone is sacrificing a baby goat. Anna also had her share of tantrums, but she could eventually be distracted. These days I would characterize her as emotional instead of stubborn - everything is a Thing but we can talk her down. Isaac seems more focused, more determined to reach his goal, and if a tantrum is required so be it. So there you have it. Anna has her dad's looks and her mom's dramatic personality, Isaac has his mom's looks and his dad's immutable personality.

Speaking of drama, there is one thing this week that's got my ire up. It's the hoopla surrounding Anna's dance recital. Since January she's been taking instruction at a dance studio (as opposed to the rec center), due to the convenient class times. I figured there would be some sort of costume fee, but it just didn't occur to me that the final cost could possibly be as high as it is. Just money, though, right? What's money in light of Anna's first big stage debut? However, now they're turning the recital practice (yes, the 3 year olds actually need to practice on stage like the big kids the day before the Really Big Show) into another recital. In short, there will be a legion of 2 1/2 to 4 year olds stuck back stage for three hours Friday evening (over the dinner hour, I might add), and three hours Saturday afternoon. They will be expected to do "quiet activities" back stage between their dance numbers. For three hours. That's six hours within a 24 hour period. Is it just me, or is that crazy? And don't try to tell me that there's not going to be pee in those costumes Friday night, because there's no way a stage mom is going to be able to deal with all that potty action. I know this won't matter in 20 years, but sheesh, wouldn't it be nice if Anna's first dance recital were a more mellow experience? Or am I being melodramatic?