Snow ice cream! So yummy!

And we have a "wee" little problem in this house with pee not hitting its intended target.  (Well, I assume it's the intended target.  Maybe they don't even intend to hit it, I don't know.)  After repeated warnings and various approaches, we finally said, No Standing To Pee.  This was my gentle reminder:

Now I feel ready to recieve the "Creative, Fun and Involved Mother" award.  Of course, being that that is my blog, I can pick and choose the family moments and discipline methods that I want to share with you.  Like you don't witness the discipline method I sometimes use.  It's called Yelling at Your Children.  It's not very creative, fun or effective.  I can also choose the photos.  For example, I didn't put the better ice-cream-making photo on here because I did not like how I looked in it.

So all of that to lead into my big confession:  Yesterday I wrote about Lydia's grouchiness.  I listed the times she had been mad that day.  Well, the irony was not lost on me (it was also not shared on my blog) that as I was sitting at the computer typing that very post, she was mad that I was doing that while she sat on the floor.  Sitting on the computer while your child fusses is not a recommended parenting strategy.  I don't recommend it.  I don't endorse it.  But I sometimes do it.  (She's peacefully sleeping right now, by the way.)

The end.  I feel better. :)

Crawling

Wasn't it just yesterday that I was saying she would crawl soon? Well, last night she did it.
Unfortunately, Kendall is in Deer Lake for several days.  I knew he was probably just passing the evening in his rented room, so I skyped him right away.  So we were (virtually) all there to cheer her on.

Frustrated

I have a frustrated, grouchy girl at home today. 

Maybe it's because she forgot how to crawl since last night.  It's like she knows there's more out there, but she just can't get there. 

She got very excited her when I carried her close to the front door.  Then, mad when I walked away.  So I helped her look out the front window by the door.  She was very excited because whenever I do that, the boys magically appear out there.  Unfortunately, they didn't appear this time.

She was mad when I was playing piano without her.  She was mad when she was sitting listening to music instead of dancing with me.  She was mad when I carried her to the "naptime dungeon" (a.k.a. her bedroom).  She was mad when I didn't let her stand in her highchair at lunch.

Poor girl.  She's on the brink of mastering a new skill, but doesn't quite have it.  That's frustrating.

I, for one, was not so frustrated that she forgot how to crawl this morning.  It's one more day that the boys can leave their castle set up on the living room floor.  It's one more day I can have my plants setting out.  It's one more day I don't have to look under the couches.  (I'm not saying that I have the same habit I had 25 years ago of shoving my belongings under the bed.  But I don't go looking for dirt.  If it hides itself under the couch, it can't expect me to rescue it.) 

Oh well.  Lydia will soon remember how to get around and become an expert.  This can only be put off for so long...

Silly Face

We're not sure if she does this to be silly or because her eyes are dry or what. But it makes us smile...

Eating

So Lydia has started this new spitting thing when she eats.  It's really funny and I tend to have a big reaction.  It's also gross and she can spray far.  Kendall has reminded me that my big reaction is only encouraging her.  I agree, though so far the cuteness has been worth ignoring the voice of reason.  Eli thinks it's fun to go to the other end of the table, out of range, and spit at Lydia, encouraging her more.  I think next time he does that, he will have to finish feeding her.

Here's a demonstration of the newfound activity: 
(Excuse the video quality.  The young videographer needs lessons.)

By the way, what do you think happens when I put my 2 messiest kids together with a bowl of scrambled eggs, charging the bigger one with feeding the smaller one?

Answer:   Sneezing, spitting, spraying, flying eggs and raucuos laughter.

Happy Girl

One Way to Soothe a Fussy Baby

This was Little Missy just a few weeks ago:

She was so happy with herself for being able to pull up onto her knees from a sitting position.  Well, not too long after this photo was taken, we discovered that she could pull herself to a standing position when we turned around to see her standing in her high chair.

She's not crawling yet, but she's at that stage where I know she could all of the sudden start crawling and be a pro within a matter of days.  Uh-oh.  Then life will change.  It's so easy when I can sit her on the floor and know that she'll be fine as long as there are no little pieces within a 4-foot or so area.  And the railing across our drop-off is still not up.   It's still being worked on, hopefully we'll get that soon.

Lydia always wants to stand.  No sitting still for that girl.  I had her on my own in church on Sunday and she was exhausting!  Of course it didn't help that the boys were dissolving into giggles over an "opera" voice they heard during singing.  It made me smile, though, because I remember many delicious giggles shared during inopportune moments.  (Including one time at a funeral.  I was an adult.  Who should have known better.  But I was nervous and sad and uncomfortable.  And I was with one of you.  Ahem.  Lanae.) 

Anyway, back to Lydia.  She is a Wiggle Worm.  Life will soon be very interesting with a crawler.  This Mama has some baby-proofing to do.

An Evening in the Hochstedler Household

Happy Valentine's Day!