Addie is 5!

We celebrated 5 years of Addie on Earth this week!  We had a sweet party with family and neighbors.  Addie asked for a Rainbow Unicorn cake.  She art directed while I iced.  She insisted on eyelashes.  (Meet "Trollop" the Unicorn.  Her unique LSD icing will send you on a fabulous journey through the clouds, and over rainbows to a land of ice cream puddles and crepe paper castles...)

At five, Addie is really coming into her own.  She is confident and funny.  She loves to dance and can belt out a pretty impressive vibrato.  She can run, fast and forever!  She loves animals and insects, clothes and accessories.  And she is CRAZY for temporary tattoos.  We are hoping she gets this all out out of her system before she's legal for the permanent kind.

We love you, Addie Joy!  You make us laugh and sing.  You surprise us, a lot.  And we think you are pretty fantastic.

 Stats as of 3/8/2012: 42 lbs. and 47 in.  Skinny and T-A-L-L.

She's Good....and by that I mean diabolical.

How does a little sister get her justice-loving, rule following, people-pleasing big brother's goat?  She draws a picture of him scaring her, tears streaming down her sad little face and then hangs it on the fridge.  When big brother objected to the subject matter of the picture she quickly drew JESUS in the sky, looking down on him with contempt.  And then drew ropes around him because, "I tied him up for being mean."

Not sure what the floating heads are (cherubim?) or whom the fellow on the right may be.  I'm just happy she drew Jesus as judge and not our Elf on the Shelf.  This proves that our family holiday traditions are not confusing her theology.

Collaboration

 

Last month the kids and I repainted this old wooden parrot that had been living on the fence post by our front gate.  I bet it's been there for the last 20 years.  Most of its paint was gone and the wood was weathered.  The kids took turns painting bright colors and patterns on the parrot and when they were finished I painted on the black details and gave it a nice coat of varnish to finish it off.  I love how it turned out.  The parrot now lives in Daniel and Addie's room, perched above their window.  This piece marks our first successful collaboration.  Here's how our collaborative efforts usually go:

After reading my friend Greta's adventures in paper mache with her kids, I decided to pull out the paints this afternoon so the big kids could help me with a project.  I wanted to change a painting I had worked on a few years back (that I never really liked all that much) so I could hang it in Nathan's room.  The idea: Have the kids finger paint leaves on the trees.  The collaboration started out strong.  The kids wanted to add some more colors to the trees and I agreed and they actually looked great.

Then.  Then.  I asked the kids to paint stripes on the ground.  Daniel didn't want to paint stripes, he wanted grass.  I insisted on stripes.  That was me firing the first shot and within seconds the battle between creative kids and psychotic art director ensued.  "Daniel, you're using too much paint."  "Addie, don't put a green stripe next to a green stripe!"  "DANIEL!  You just dripped brown paint all over the sky!"  "ADDIE! YOU CAN'T USE A STICK TO PAINT! IT'S GETTING DIRT ALL OVER THE PAINTING!"  Kids, I'm so happy we shared this quality time; building memories.  I'm sorry your Mom does not know how to play well with others.  Please forgive me.

The painting actually turned out pretty well.

Please excuse the Cybill Shepherd frosted filter on these photos.  There were a lot of kid fingerprints on the camera lens.  Yes, I crabbed at them about that, too.

Nathan, I hope you appreciate the sacrifice your brother and sister made in their efforts to make your room look cool.

Photographic Memories

This week the kids had VBS.  Addie had a rough first day, which was no surprise.  But she really improved her attitude the following days when I told her I was getting a treat each day and if she was a happy girl at VBS, she could have one, too.  Yes, that's bribery.  Yes, that breaks a big rule in the book of Good Parenting.  But it worked, so I'm going to call it "motivation."

Today they brought photos of their small groups home.  Something tells me she was not as happy as she and her leaders let on.  This is the photo that 20/20 will use to describe her "less-than-idyllic childhood," when they do an expose on her tortured life as an artist, or actress...

...or serial killer.

Girl Clothes

I am now a regular Thursday shopper at Sappington Market.  So are several other friends.  I most often run into my friend Adriane there.  Yesterday we were checking out next to each other and the woman standing in line behind Adriane was causing a scene with her outfit.  She was a very attractive lady with a cute pink rosette in her hair, big sunglasses and several tatoos.  Her tight little top was very low cut and her skirt....whoa.  As Adriane put it, "We could could see ALL of her cheeks."  Adriane had all 4 of her kids in tow and her oldest daughter said, "Mommy, look.  That lady is so fancy."  Luckily they were in front of the lady or she might be fielding questions about the lady's quite visible rear end....right at child eye-level.

Ugh.  I will need to have some very frank discussions with my daughter about the way she dresses as she grows.  And now that she has moved into GIRLS sizes, and every bargain retailer and department store seems to think age 5 is when a girl ought to start dressing like a tramp, I won't feel bad about spending a little more on the skirt with the shorts underneath at Lands End.  Which begs a whole other discussion on socio-economics and girls...but some other time.

Addie Turned 4...over a month ago

We celebrated Addie's 4th Birthday during the whole month of March.  We started with a purple kitty cake and gifts from just our family on her actual birthday.  Here she is taking the 4-Year-Old Pledge...."I promise to share my stuffed animals with my friends, to actually brush my teeth instead of just sucking all the toothpaste off my toothbrush, to wear at least a jacket if it is below 40 degrees outside..."

Around the middle of the month we celebrated Addie's birthday with her class at school.  We sang to her and 3 other friends in her class with March birthdays and snacked on Rice Krispie Treats and donut holes, both smothered in sprinkles.

At the end of the month Nathan was baptized and Uncle Jason, Aunt Marie & Tucker flew in from Atlanta to celebrate.  We decided to celebrate Addie's birthday with the whole family that day, too.  This time the kitty cake was yellow.

The family added several My Little Ponies to her collection.  And lots of girly clothes, dress up gear, princess swag and art supplies.

And as excited as she was about all of the girly girl gear, one of the many things I love about Addie is she is rather well-rounded.  All of her make believe games of My Little Pony and Barbie involve an athletic contest or dinosaur attack.  She loves to wear skirts and jewelry but will promptly sit in a mud puddle in them.  And she LOVES bugs.  This is a picture of "Inky" who was so named because "when you squeeze his bottom ink comes out."  Pretty sure that's not ink.  Happy Birthday to my spunky, funny, and wonderful Miss Sassafras.

 

Update:  I found the random piece of paper I wrote Addie's stats on today, May 22, 2011.  Height: 43 3/4", Weight: 38 lbs.  For the record, that's gigantic for a 4 yr. old girl.

Quote of the Day

While getting ready for bed tonight, Addie took off her socks.  She asked me if she had stinky feet and I confirmed that she did.
She took a sniff herself and said, "My feet smell like sock throw up."

Quote of the Day

Miss Erin gave Addie some new dress up clothes today. She insisted on wearing the Sleeping Beauty dress to Target this afternoon. Not a battle I cared to engage in today. Addie twirled down the aisles in her lovely gown, drawing as much attention as she could.
The kids started to get kind of crabby at the checkout and both pouted when they were told that they couldn't get gum. We headed to the elevator and Addie pushed the "down" button. Daniel walked up behind her and pushed the button again...
Addie: Daniel! Don't do dat! Humph!
She pouted, gave him a small push, crossed her arms and turned her back to him.
Daniel, in disgust: Addie, you're such a princess.

Entourage

This is a picture of Addie's Entourage. Pictured left to right: Nathan's Cow, Baby Bunny (ears only visible,) Emma, Baby Kitty, Sherry, Mia (sometimes called Kelly), and Russel (who is a girl.) These critters take a starring role in most activities and make-believe. The cats come with us everywhere. They read books with us, meow bedtime songs and eat bowls of "cat" food that Lindy is always stealing. Lindy is getting fatter and fatter.

Emma is from Aunt Desi. Addie likes to put on a tank top so she can carry Emma around like she's in a Baby Bjorn.

Yesterday the cats took a nap and we made play-doh cakes. Addie was the baker. She made cupcakes to order, and kept calling me, "Miss." This girl makes me laugh.

Why I Write This Blog

I was cleaning out the art supply cabinet today and found a wrinkled piece of paper that read:
Addie - 3 yrs.
40 inches
33 1/2 lbs.
I jotted this down on the only scrap of paper I could find in my purse at her 3 yr. checkup. I threw it in the cabinet because that is where I keep her baby book...that is basically blank...thinking someday I would fill in the information. Who am I kidding?

47 Seconds

...Addie's current record for paying attention in dance class.



Yes, that is Daniel behind her. I signed him up because it was cheap, I didn't want to listen to complaining while he waited during Addie's class, and his skipping needed some work.

I don't know what was going on in Addie's head (as usual) but it looks like fun.

Photo Shoot - Part 2

More interesting shots by the kids. This eerie effect is achieved by strategic finger placement over the flash...

I like this shot because it captures what Addie's hair looks like most of the time.

My elbow, Nathan's legs, dog's rear end. I think the wadded-up leotard and tights make the artist's message very clear.

The underside of our couch is very hairy. Steve must have just vacuumed because the floor is surprisingly clean. (I know it was Steve because I don't ever bother to vacuum under the couch.)

Photo Shoot - Part 1

The kids have been experimenting with the camera lately. It's made for some fun surprises when I upload photos...

Not sure why the fly swatter she's holding evokes so much passion, but...

Quote of the Day

Addie was watching our "pet" tadpoles this evening...

Addie: Mom! That one's poopin'!

Me: Yep. Everyone poops.

Addie: It's poopin' an "O".

Me: Do you poop "O's"?

Addie: No. I poop "1's".


Nathan poops differential equations.

Life As We Know It

...has forever changed. One of the blessings and curses of being a firefighter is the rotating work schedule. Up until now our family has operated around Steve's random work schedule. We didn't have normal weekends, which gave us a lot of freedom to do "weekend" things on other days of the week. It seemed almost indulgent to have a family outing on a Tuesday morning when we knew most of the rest of the world wasn't able to. But now that Daniel has started Kindergarten 5 days a week, our family's schedule is becoming incredibly normal. It's a little sad.

But exciting at the same time. Daniel loves his teacher, Mrs. Wisdom (awesome name, huh?) and only has 5 kids in his class. 4 crazy boys and one sweet, yet spunky girl. The kids are going to become close friends over the next year and I'm eager to get to know their families, too.

Here's Daniel at his desk:

Addie started preschool this year. She LOVES it and asks to go every day. Her teacher is Mrs. Visintine. She seems like a real pro; not too tender, not too strict, and incredibly patient. Addie is giving up her afternoon nap to attend school so I am concerned she will throw herself on the floor and scream when things don't go her way...even more than usual. But so far so good.

The kids think it's really fun when they see each other in the hallways at school.

On the days that Addie is home, she is busy smothering and mothering Nathan.

And Lindy-dog tries to figure out where she fits in our ever-evolving pack. Poor dog is an emotional wreck.

The First Trip to the ER

(Addie, please forgive me for the mugshot.)

Addie slipped in the new tub today, probably because it doesn't have the thick coating of soap scum our old tub had. When she fell, she busted her chin open on the side of the tub. Of course, the person with medical training was not home, so I had to make the call on whether or not the injury required stitches. At Cardinal Glennon, they confirmed that yes, a band-aid would not do. But I was surprised when they told me they were going to glue it shut. The nurses were great. They made sure Addie was completely pain-free the whole time, they gave both of the kids popsicles while we waited and we even got to watch Tom and Jerry. The most uncomfortable part was for me, when I had to hold Addie's hands away from her face while they cleaned the blood and what-not from her chin. Instant heebie-geebies. Addie came through like a champ! Glue should wear off in a week and she'll be good as new.

Bunk Beds

Yesterday we went to Target so the kids could pick out bedding for their new bunk beds. I had to fight the urge to direct their choices. They had some super cute fish sheets and quilts for both boys and girls and the designer in me wanted the kids to have coordinated bedding. But the wiser voice in my head that is not my own told me to let it go. So Addie chose purple flowers and Daniel chose racing motorcycle/skateboard/train/car bedding that reminded me a little of Skidz...


They were both so excited to sleep in their new beds with their new sheets that they didn't want to read books. But once in bed they spent 2 hours talking, giggling, and climbing out of bed for much "needed" drinks of water. I guess every night will be a slumber party for awhile.

Corn on the Cob

Daniel and Addie LOVE corn on the cob. It's really the only vegetable they will regularly eat. I'm not sure it even counts as a vegetable. Anyway, corn on the cob just made an appearance at the grocery store and Daniel asked if we could buy those little corn holders that you stick in the ends of the cob. I guess they are meant to keep your hands free of butter? Not sure. But the VERY sharp ends do cause a mother of small children to second guess her decision to use them about half way through dinner.

I think the only thing the kids ate tonight was the corn. They ate it like typewriters, licked it like popsicles, and spoke extensively about its nutritional value. At one point Addie waved her corn cob in the air and shouted, "Hosanna! Yay for Jesus!" (Thank you Riverside teachers.)

Hooligan

I have hit my limit. I broke up at least 10 wrestling matches today. One was in front of the entire church congregation during worship and another in the middle of the dining room at my Grandmother's retirement center. I corrected the use of potty humor at the table at least 8 times. I had to repeat every instruction I gave today because it was not followed the first time. I handed out 5 time outs, and 2 spanks. You'd think it was my son who instigated all of this. No. It's the girl. She will be the end of me.

Butterfly Birthday Party

For her third birthday Addie wanted a Butterfly Birthday Party. For decorations, we attached butterflies to the ceiling fan, which was a great idea until we turned the fan on. It started out pretty; butterflies swirling around gracefully. But as the fan picked up speed things got pretty violent and tangled. I tried making cookie pops for favors. Those 5 in the pot are the only ones that turned out. The rest got stuck in the pans or I bumped the sticks trying to get them out of the oven. I will never make cookie pops again.

Addie wanted a butterfly cake. I looked online for a clever way to make a butterfly cake using round cake pans. That looked too complicated for me and my pregnant head so I shelled out the $12 for the butterfly-shaped pan at Hobby Lobby. I'm still having a hard time justifying the cost, so we will be having butterfly cakes for every appropriate occasion I can think of.

"Please let there be a Cinderella dress in one of these boxes..."

Addie did get the dress, and a bunch of other fun Cinderella and Barbie toys. The ratio of girl and boy toys in our house is evening out. And the biggest surprise was a big girl bike. She mastered forward in about 10 minutes. We're still working on stop. Pictures to come...

3 years of Addie...it's flown by. She is graceful and girly, moody and defiant. She loves princesses, glitter, dirt and potty humor. Left to her own devices she'd live on chocolate milk and gum, and spend her days watching TV and pretending to be a cat. All of this would require at least 4 wardrobe changes. Can't wait to see what year 4 will bring...