This morning, Dave was all set for his first field trip with Brandon. They were going to a museum that I went to when I was younger, so it was quite a trip headed up north for them. They had to be at school by 8am. So they headed out while I queued up the ceremony for the royal wedding so Peyton and I could watch. My mom kept me up for Diana’s wedding, and while I wasn’t too interested at the time, I do remember watching parts of it live. Luckily, we now have DVR so that I didn’t have to wake Peyton up, although she did come into our room at 3am, so we easily could have. We watched the 20 minutes around the ceremony, and she was very engaged, asking who the different people were. I only told her those people I could identify, like Harry, Pippa, and the parents. She was half asking questions, and the other times, she was very quiet, and just watched. She sat in my lap, and then on the couch.
After awhile, she was a little antsy, and asked to go to school. We headed out, and when we got there, the classroom was in full swing. It’s the classroom where we normally start, but usually she’s one of a few. She went to sit at the table, and I heard her ask Koko for “Cheerios.” That’s usually how I’m able to separate easily for her. Koko told her she’d have to wait until snack. She was soooo upset! She came over to me, crying inconsolably, like her huffy cry, and she couldn’t stop. I think the teachers thought she was sad because I was leaving. I know she was said because she didn’t get her Cheerios, as is her usual routine. I tried to spend more time with her, but it backfired. If I were a little later, she would have been dropped off in her own classroom, and that would have been easier. She just didn’t know what time it was. Poor thing.
I was able to go grocery shopping, then I ran to the gym. I ran there, and was in contact via text with Dave. He was telling me what I know and see when I go on field trips. You know which kids are more troublesome, and stay with the teachers, and which kids are easier to handle. Dave had Brandon and two more – a good kid, and a troublemaker. He said without the troublemaker, he would have been fine. But the other kid didn’t listen to him. Finally he knows what I go through when I attend. It’s not easy! They were looking at a Madagascar beetle, and one of the kids raised his hand and when called upon said, “Is this like the cockroaches in my garage?” It was the kid in Dave’s group. Note to self NOT to have playdates at that kid’s house. The good kid fell asleep on the bus, and I asked Dave if they were still planning to have naps when they got back to school at 215pm. They were about 15 minutes late. Brandon told Dave, “Can I stay here and sleep? You can come and get me tomorrow.” The mats were already laid out, ready for the kids to sleep.
Berries; Run
We were watching a show how a Southern Cal theme park makes pie. They were using boysenberries, tons of them, and mixing them all up. Brandon saw it and said, “What is a poisonberry anyways?” We giggled, then told him what it was. I don’t know if he’ll be eating any of that pie.
Sadly, we didn’t get selected for the run in October. No necklace for me this year. Maybe we’ll try again next year. I did breathe a sigh of relief, and can focus on the run in January I’m thinking of signing Brandon up for the 1 mile. I know he’ll do it. He’s eligible for that and the 200meter dash, but I know he can do that one. I do picture him giggling through the entire 1 mile. I told him he’d have to run it himself and follow directions. I don’t know that I’ll waste any money on Peyton running. She can be stubborn, and if she doesn’t want to run, she isn’t running and there’s nothing anyone can do about it. Picture the mule, whose owner is trying to pull the reins and it won’t budge. That’s Miss P. When she does run, she pulls her arm back like a train, to “help” her momentum. Even the guy at the running store noticed it last year.
Healthy choices? Restless night; Lost
Last night, we went to 31c per scoop of ice cream night. There was no line, but maybe because we went before dinner, right when the event started. Shame on us Dave and I gave our orders first, making the kids wait for us, so we could coordinate cups/cones. Brandon was the next to order, and he chose rainbow sherbet, which is what he had for his birthday. He said, “I picked it because it was healthier.” I think he picked it because it made his whole mouth turn blue. Peyton “chose” raspberry yogurt. I asked her what she wanted and her response was, “The pink one.” I gave her a choice between strawberry and raspberry, both yogurt. So while Dave and I were chowing down on chocolate things (mine was 50% reduced fat oreo mint), the kids were eating fruitier choices. I asked Peyton if I could try it, and she simply said, “No,” and scooted her cup a little away from me. She did it a second time, about half way through her scoop, when I asked again. Little snot. Brandon immediately offered me a taste, but I told him I knew what rainbow sherbet tasted like. He was so sweet to offer though.
This morning, on the way to school, Brandon asked me what breakfast was. I looked at our sheet from school, and told him it was french toast. He said, “That’s not healthy, because of the syrup. I don’t want any.” Sure enough, as we entered the classroom, he bypassed the eating table, and went to sit with Alessandro and color.
Peyton still cries out in her sleep for me, like she’s either calling for me or fighting with me, I’m not sure. Either way, she seems to understand the concept of not bothering me until morning, but her sub-conscious hasn’t figured that out. I also wonder if she is a sleep walker, because sometimes I feel she comes into our room, and if no attention is given to her, walks right back out, and back to her bed.
Yesterday morning, I swear I lost Peyton in our house. I was helping Brandon brush his teeth, and usually Peyton is close by watching us. This time, she wasn’t. So I called her name, and she answered, “What?” sounding a bit far away. I checked Brandon’s room; she usually likes to read in there, with all the books he has. She wasn’t there. I called her name again and asked her where she was. She responded, “Um, here.” I checked the computer room. Not in there either. I was getting a little worried, but at least she was responding. I was going to check my room, when I passed her and saw her up on her bed reading a picture book. She looked confused as to why I was calling her name so many times.
Still adjusting
Last night, Peyton fell asleep quickly, but when I went to sleep around 11pm, I went upstairs first. I was brushing my teeth with the electric toothbrush, so I couldn’t really hear well, and I thought it was Dave coming in behind me. To my surprise, I heard shuffling feet, and I knew it wasn’t him. I looked down, and saw Peyton coming toward me. I ignored her, thinking maybe she’d go away. I
continued brushing, and when I turned around, she was gone. Dave did come up after another minute, and I told him she’s lurking around. I looked into her room, and she had climbed back into her bed. I went in to change her diaper and kiss her goodnight again. I’m glad she went back on her own without having to tell her. She did come in at the same time, around 615am this morning.Tough love
I was telling Bonnie today that I thought we were too tough on Brandon, and we were softer on Peyton. Brandon is three years older, therefore the expectations of him are higher than of Peyton. And we expect him to teach Peyton “the way”. Until today. Peyton had a rough day after I picked her up. She was whiny, and cried when I grabbed her to go. She cried harder when I asked her if she wanted to go home to see brother. “I don’t wanna see Bruddah…waaah….” Same with Daddy. I got her home, and she whined she was hungry. She didn’t eat all her lunch, so I knew she’d be hungry. Since Dave was still prepping dinner, I gave her the leftovers from lunch. She nibbled on the quesadilla, which she had gobbled up the night before. Dave made her a fresh one this morning. Then she poured her milk into her bowl, on top of the tortilla. She mixed them back and forth. I took it away and told her she was all done. She whined, and when she said she was ready, we gave it back to her. She immediately went back to pouring the milk. Again, away. And more crying. When she settled down, we tried once more. Brandon was happily gnawing on some green beans
Dave just made. We asked Peyton is she wanted green beans and hummus. She said she did. So we told her she needed to finish her dinner before getting more food. She took a huge bite, then another and it was gone. I told her the milk had to be finished, properly, then she could have some green beans. “I ready for green beans. May I have green beans, please?” Finally. She cracked. She ate two rounds of green beans and a spoonful of hummus, watching Brandon closely. Brandon was sitting nicely at his seat, so uncharacteristically quiet. I think he was scared because he knew we weren’t messing around. Peyton finished up her food, while Brandon was eating one pack of candy from his school Easter hunt. Peyton asked Brandon for one gummy, but he was too busy to share. She was still somewhat naughty as she ended up stripping off her diaper and prancing around with no clothes on. Dave ended up removing her and giving her a bath. Turns out she was super tired, as I put her to bed right before 8pm, and she didn’t even bother coming out, even though I left to go change. By the time I was changed to go running, she was asleep! 805pm. Let’s see if she stays that way.Manic Monday
This morning, I saw a light outside our bedroom door. I swore I heard both kids’ voices, so I yelled, “Turn off the light, Brandon!” The rule is he can turn on the bedroom light after 645am, after which he can start getting ready for school. I got up out of bed to go grab Peyton from his room. As I opened my door, I realized it was the bathroom light that was on, and Brandon was going potty. Peyton’s door was still only open just a crack, meaning she was still inside. Oops. I went in to check on her, and she said, “Stay in own bed, ‘turn light off’, Mommy.” I think she was saying that she stayed in her own bed until she heard me say, “Turn the light off, Brandon!” She was still sleepy, so I grabbed her to take her into our room. I snuggled with her until my alarm went off. Dave had come in after showering and getting ready to leave. Peyton said, “Goodbye ladies and germs.” This is what Dave says to us whenever he leaves in the morning. He hung around and was just looking at
We finally ate breakfast, and headed out in the car. Brandon was telling me something, and I told him I was driving. Then he trailed off, and when I stopped at a red light, I asked him what he was talking about. He said, “I dunno. I’ve got short term memory loss.” How does he know what that is?? Right before I dropped Brandon off at school, Peyton asked me, “Who’s gonna pick me up first?” I said, “Mommy.” She then said, “Daddy pick you up, Bruddah.” Brandon said, “Hrmph.” I asked him why he said that. He said, “Because I have my toys in here.” Toys = his golden egg.
Granddaughter; Easter
Peyton saw a picture of another family’s four generations and said, “This is my granddaughter.” Funny that she knew that there were granddaughters (two generations-worth).
Easter Sunday started off a little early for us, as Peyton came into our room at 3am. I think she got confused on what time it was. She just came in, and said, “Mommy, Mommy.” I whispered to her that it was too early, and that she should go back to bed. She listened, and I heard her go right back to bed, and step up onto her boxspring, the up on her bed. I thought that was the end of it, but she came back after about an hour and told us her diaper was wet. This time, Dave went to go change it, and she was back in bed until 715am. We may need to look into the baby alarm clock, that has a bunny instead of the actual time for her to know when it’s okay to come in. The morning went by quickly, as we were going to head out to the Brown’s by around 945am. Peyton was excited, since she put her girlie sandals, and jacket on all by herself. After doing so, she said, “I ready Easter egg hunt.” It was only 940am, but we put her in the car anyways. We had our filled eggs, food and camera all ready to go. We were the first to arrive, and Logan was watching some TV. Brandon and Peyton happily joined in, and then more people started to arrive. The eggs were all “hidden” – some were easier to find than others. There was one special golden egg in the mix. Since Brandon was the biggest kid, he was given restrictions on eggs. Initially, I had only told him he could find 12 eggs. But since there was an abundance of them, he was told he could find only two colors, so he picked blue and green. Later, Mckayla was only told to find pink and purple. The golden egg was up for grabs by anyone. The kids had a great time looking for eggs, and even the littlest were able to join in. Dave gave Brandon a hint to find the golden egg: “Look high and low.” As soon as he said it, Brandon found it in the umbrella. Dave was the one who had hidden that egg, so it was a questionable hint. We all enjoyed lunch, and had some cake for Stuart’s birthday. Shortly after, it was time to head home for naps. Unfortunately, Peyton fell asleep in the car and woke up by the time we got home. That was the end of her nap for the day. Brandon was cranky, and we knew he needed a nap. So he slept, while she just rolled around and bothered Dave who was trying to sleep. Later Dave took Peyton to the park, and after they came back, and after dinner, I took Brandon walking with me to get my 30 minutes in. We just ended up walking to the intersection where our gym is, then walked back, and it was a perfect 30 minutes! Both kids are in bed by 730pm since it was a long day with short naps for both of them.
Rude Awakening
Last night, I was startled awake by Peyton’s cry. It was a hurt cry, not like her short outburst cries when she’s dreaming. I ran over to her room to find her in between her rocker and her bed. She had somehow gotten stuck off her bed. She was standing by the window, behind the curtain. I have no idea how she got that way, but there is about a foot of bed
that isn’t covered by rail on purpose, so she can’t get trapped. She got trapped in a different way, and was disoriented from being asleep. I felt so badly for her, I ended up staying the rest of the night with her. I could tell she was content, since she had fallen back to sleep with a smile on her face. I hope she knows to sleep in the middle of the bed.Before and After; Kyle’s
I was planning to go running this evening, so I tucked Brandon in and told him where I was going. He was stalling and said, “Now, remember to stretch your arms and legs, so you don’t get hurt. Remember.” I thanked him for his concern, and then told him to go to sleep. After I came back, I went upstairs to shower up. I checked in on Peyton, and then called down to Dave to come up. I wanted him to look at her. He said, “She hasn’t moved, right?” Then I asked him, “Did she fall asleep with no clothes on?” That got his attention. He came up to find her as I had – no clothes on. Whatsoever. No diaper. Nothing. I wonder if it’s just a winter baby who can’t take the heat. It’s not even that hot, but since her room faces the sun in the afternoon, her room is warmer than her former spot on our floor. Dave didn’t know when she had removed her clothes, but she sure looked content. I was just worried about her peeing all over her bed.
Going in reverse, we went to Kyle’s birthday party earlier today. It was at the same place Brandon had his, only a few buildings down at his parents’ gym. It was a huge room that had a play structure with a big curvy slide, that must have been three stories tall, a Kinect game attached to a large screen, fooz ball table, air hockey table, pop a shot, a real basketball hoop with adjustable backstop, and bouncy house. It was a lot of fun! Brandon and Alessandro had a blast and Peyton did her best to keep up. The boys were so gentle with her, she wasn’t able to climb up onto one side to get to the slide, and Brandon and Alessandro (mostly Alessandro) were pushing and pulling her up. Kyle’s dad said even he won’t go down the slide because he’s too scared. Peyton went up and down, with a big smile on her face. Dave was only in there part of the time, and the other part of the time, we let the boys watch her. I heard some thumps, as she took her lumps going over the obstacles. She chose to climb over instead of duck under, because she was following the boys. She got up, and plowed on through. She did this over and over and over. There weren’t a lot of kids, so it was safer for her. They were all gentle with her, too. They even had a free form hockey area, and each of the kids had sticks. That was a little nerve-wracking as Brandon had never had access to one of those, and they weren’t wearing gear. Luckily everything was plastic, but it was hard plastic. We told him it was a foul when the stick goes into the air. Peyton got into it, too, and Alessandro said, “Aww…look at the baby’s doing it!” It was funny to hear her referred to as “the baby”. Brandon got his fill of air hockey, and while Dave and I were taking turns in the Pop a shot game, Peyton got her finger smooshed on the table, courtesy of her brother. We kept warning to boys to watch their fingers, but it ended up that Peyton was too sneaky. I dunked her hand in a cup of ice, and she was good to go. I think it shocked her more than hurt anything. She’s had her finger in a door, so this was nothing! Dave and I had our fun, too. We played horse, well, actually, only got to HO (Dave) to H (me) since we had to go watch the kids. The winning shot was one handed, while holding Peyton . Dave underestimated what an “easy” shot it was, given we were right under the basket. I believe he also lost in Pop a shot. Something about the balls being too small for his hands. Something. Or his back hurting. We had pizza and cake, but since it was a free for all, Brandon wasn’t interested in pizza. He only came over for cake. Peyton has replaced Ashlyn’s name in the birthday song now with Kyle. Peyton bumped into one of the bigger girls coming out of the slide by accident, and Peyton gave the girl the dirtiest look. She look like she was going to start something with her! She was twice her size! But we saw her softer side as after we left, we went to get dinner. We parked behind a car with two hounds in the back of a smaller car with a fence up. They didn’t have much room to move around, and the owner was talking to them as he was leaving. They were howling at him, and Peyton said, “Aww…look at the doggies, Mommy!” She waved at the dogs, and said, “Hi, doggies!” One turned around and stared at her, and stopped barking. She said, “The doggie looking at me.” I carried her out of the car, she put her hand up and said, “Stop, doggy!” Then she whined and said, “Doggie gonna eat my finger.” When we got back out, the car was gone. Thankfully, the owner didn’t leave the dogs in there too long.
Extreme fan; Sarcasm
We were sitting on the couch with the kids, and suddenly, Dave said, “Go Dodgers!” Dave said most of his coworkers are riding him about his LA allegiance. Brandon burst into tears. Dave couldn’t believe what he was seeing. The last time Dave said it, Brandon took a swipe at him. I told him is wasn’t okay that Brandon tried to hurt Daddy, and that he was entitled to his opinion. Geez, I don’t want to raise an EXTREME fan. We were both amazed that he was crying. Totally have to tone it down around here. Maybe it’s the two pennants I put up in his room after they won last October. Maybe.
Peyton has trouble drinking her milk. I think it’s because she doesn’t like the nonfat milk, as she usually slurps that down. While trying to get her to drink more, Brandon piped in with, “Drink your milk so you can grow big and strong like brother.” Peyton replied, “Oh wow,” and couldn’t have sounded any more disinterested. Brandon seems to have picked up the sarcasm bug as well. Peyton was being silly, dancing around, when she slipped on a book that was on the ground, falling down by Brandon, who was doing his homework at the table. Brandon looked down at her and said, “Nice.”
We took another walk to return the movie to the box again. This time, I took Peyton in the stroller while Brandon walked with us. Dave was still at work. We had come home early after Brandon’s Easter egg hunt at school. Miss Tarez gave Peyton 5 eggs to take home. We emptied them out, and Brandon picked two pieces of candy to keep, while Peyton got one. Initially, Brandon picked two jelly bean packs, while Peyton went straight for the chocolate hershey egg. Seeing this, Brandon changed his mind and wanted chocolate, too. He did also get stickers and a Beauty and the beast bouncy ball. I had the kids gather the candy up into another bag to bring over on Sunday. I told Brandon we can save it for Auntie Julie. So he listened, as was happily putting the candy in the bag along with Peyton, one piece at a time, telling me which was for Auntie Julie, then he said, “But we can save some for Uncle Robert, too.” Still get a kick that he can match up spouses. Peyton’s still singing Happy birthday to Ashlyn, randomly. Anyways, while we were walking, we were playing our alphabet game. We were on “L” and the first word Brandon said was “Literacy.” I had to ask him to repeat it, since I didn’t think I heard him right. To check his vocabulary, I asked him if he knew what it meant. He said, “Knowing how to read.” I should have asked him to use it in a sentence. Peyton was just soaking it all the words in, sometimes repeating us.