Gratitude and Trust

As parents, Josh and I want to give the kids every opportunity we can. Above all else, we want them to be happy. We are always looking for fun things for Dylan to experience, places to take him, and we let him participate in things that we think he will enjoy. We always joke that he's been to more Cardinal games and goes to the movies more often than 75% of the people we know. I hate using the word "spoiled" because it's so negative. To me, when you start expecting things like that instead of appreciating them, that is when you become spoiled. I don't have a problem with spending the time/money on things that he likes or wants as long as he is grateful for them. So here's the dilemma. Lately Dylan has been getting an attitude and sounding really unappreciative. Just a few examples: I got him some stuff he likes at the grocery store and he said "um, is this ALL?, well I'm not going to eat this jello because after dinner I won't be starving." And when I asked him if he had fun at the 4th of July celebration he said "no, fireworks are boring". After that comment I decided we needed to have a long talk about being grateful. I told him if that's how he felt then we don't need to go anywhere anymore. He can be bored at home. Especially with Josh gone, it takes a lot of effort to get him and Sophia ready and out of the house to go to t-ball, swimming, movies, shopping, or even just a trip to play with other kids. This isn't the first time I've mentioned this stuff to him, but this time I had to figure out how to really make it click in his head. The idea seems easy, but explaining concepts like gratitude, appreciation, truth, and trust to a child is pretty tricky. He would get that being ungrateful was bad but he wasn't comprehending much more than that. Finally as we continued the conversation he said "being grateful means I have a lot of toys and there are kids that don't have toys, so I should like my toys." Yes! He's getting it! Obviously it goes beyond toys, but he grasps the basic concept and that's all I wanted for now. To build off of that, he went through all of his toys and decided that he could afford to give some toys to the kids that have none. I was so proud of him. We've also had conversations about being honest, and how if you want to be trusted you shouldn't tell lies. I try to keep it pretty light but he knows this is important stuff. Last week he wanted to help me clean, so he started wiping off the island with a washcloth. I looked over and he was smacking the washcloth against the wall. I asked what he was doing and he said that was what you had to do to make it clean. I told him I wasn't sure about that. He stopped what he was doing, looked at me and said "well I hope you trust me". Yup, I do buddy, and you are doing a really good job.

I know this isn't the end of these conversations, but I have hope that he won't grow up to be a spoiled kid that has no idea how great his life is. I refuse to have a tiny boy version of Veruca Salt in my house. I'm so glad I didn't have to take it to the extreme and start cancelling everything we have planned. If I did that, we wouldn't have cute pictures like this: 

Learning new things everyday

Dylan asked to wear his Under Armour shoes to school today. Normally I have him wear his Vans because

1. His Under Armour shoes are white, and he isn't exactly known for being clean and

2. He can't tie his shoes, and the Vans just slip on. 

Rather than start an argument (that I would probably lose) at 8am, I agreed to let him wear the ones he wanted. 

I picked him up from school, and on the way home he told me his friend KJ taught him how to tie his shoes. He said he was really good at it, and when we got out of the car he would show me so that I would know how to do it too. We pull into the garage, and this is what he shows me....

 

I couldn't help but smile when I saw his shoes as I imagined two 4 year olds sitting on the playground figuring out how to keep his shoes from coming untied. Very creative. I didn't want to break it to him that it wasn't the way his shoes are tied (I guess technically he can tie them however he feels like it). I told him that there are a lot of ways to tie shoes, and I would show him how I tie them. That way he can be awesome at all the different ways to tie shoes. His response? "Well yeah because I'm 4 years old." 

On a side note, he also started swim lessons on Monday. He's signed up for 4 weeks, Mon-Thurs. At that point we'll see if he wants to keep going. I just want him to be comfortable without floatation devices in the pool. I'm not expecting an olympic swimmer, but with Dylan, we may just get something crazy like that. 

Learning how to float

Who has an iPod?

Ah technology! I love it. I know it wasn't that long ago, but sometimes I wonder how in the world we all got through the day without cell phones. What if there was an emergency and you were driving, how would someone get ahold of you? How did you call the police if you were in a car accident? I can only imagine the fun shiny stuff we'll have by the time Dylan and Sophia are adults. 

Recently Josh and I broke up with BlackBerry. We had been wanting iPhones for a while, and with Josh's deployment, the iPhone has so many more advantages. Since I can listen to my music on my iPhone, I didn't really have any use for my iPod anymore. It wasn't too long ago that I left my iPod on the table, and Dylan grabbed it and started listening to the music while he danced around the house. It was hilarious. So I told him that once I got my new phone, he could have the iPod. 

Fast forward to last week. I was cleaning the backyard, and found that a few unnamed siblings had left my iPod out there. (If you are in shock that I was outside cleaning the backyard, let me tell you it was not fun...or pretty.) I had never officially given the iPod to Dylan because I hadn't seen it in a while. So when we came inside I told him that the iPod was his now, but I still had to charge it because it was dead. Despite that, he carried it around all night. He asked if he could lay next to the iPod on the couch, and then he fell asleep. I left the iPod on the table, and carried him to his room. Around 3am, he came in my room crying and he came next to me and said "mommy?" in the saddest little voice ever. Usually he just climbs in the bed and falls back asleep. I asked him what was wrong (thinking maybe he had a bad dream, was missing josh, or something like that), and he said "I can't find my iPod!". Then he proceeded to cry harder. I got out of bed, grabbed the iPod off the table and handed it to him. He held it as he slept, and still had it in his hand as he walked out of the room in the morning. What kind of craziness did I just start? 

Of course he refused to talk about anything other than the iPod until I charged it. I also made a separate playlist of songs that he can listen to. The last thing we need is him walking around the house singing "move b*%&! get out the way!". No one has to tell me that it is crazy that a 4 year old has an iPod. I know it is!! That was my first iPod and Josh bought it for me when I was pregnant with Dylan. But what can I say? It was just going to sit in a drawer and not get used anyways. And he is really cute when you catch him singing the songs. 

Sophia's Half Birthday!

Ok, so technically her half birthday was 2 days ago. I was way too sleep deprived to blog until today. So here it goes! 

Sophia is 6 months old! Lots of drooling, biting, and hands in the mouth, but still no teeth! She's slowly getting used to the idea that I can't hold her all day. She'll sit on the couch and play, scoot around on the play mat, or hang out in the exersaucer for short periods of time throughout the day. The only time she will sit quietly in the swing is if I put her in there within the first hour of her waking up. Maybe she'll still too tired to fight it at that point, but any other time of the day, she arches her back so I can't even buckle her in. She sits really well by herself, but I always put the boppy behind her so she doesn't smack her head on the ground when she throws herself back.

 Tuesday she went to her 6 month well baby check up. She weighs 14lbs, 14 oz and is 25.25 in long. I was actually expecting her to be a lot bigger. The doctor says she looks great, and is right on track for her growth. She had to get 3 shots, and she started crying as soon as I laid her on the table. 

Out of curiosity, I pulled out Dylan's calendar that has all of his check up info and milestones to see where he was at 6 months. At his 6 month appointment, he was 14lbs and 26.25in. I was surprised because Sophia seems a lot chunkier than I ever remember Dylan being. Maybe since he was an inch longer, his weight was a little more stretched out. I flipped ahead to his 7 month and saw that within the 2 weeks after he turned 7 months he got his first 2 teeth, started crawling, moved from his belly to sitting up by himself, and pulled himself up to standing using his toy chest. OMG! I can only imagine Dylan running around the house (screaming like the Hulk), and Sophia crawling after him trying to keep up. To think that may be reality in a month or so is scary! 

The next day (Wed), Sophia woke up with a fever, and a red bump on her leg from her shots. She wanted me to hold her, but she would cry if my hand even brushed up against the bump. After a very fussy day and a lot of protesting from Dylan, we all went to bed early. I expected Dylan to put up a fight about going to bed early, but some of the things he says are ridiculous. He went to his room, and yelled "fine! I'm just going to be late for everything! I'm going to be late for the circus and for swim lessons!" I told him not to worry about being late because with his attitude he isn't going to the circus or swim lessons. He ran out crying saying he wanted to go, then finally agreed to lay down. 

Sorry I got a little sidetracked by Dylan's craziness. Anywho, here are Sophia's 6 month pictures.

And then the paparazzi goes too far...

 

 6 more months until her 1st birthday! This is also a reminder that there are only 6 months until Christmas. :) In case you were wondering, YES, I have started thinking about her 1st birthday party!!! Who am I kidding, I started thinking about it months ago. I may or may not already have 2 presents in my closet for her. I'm not 100% set on anything yet, but I really like the theme Sophia in One-derland (like Alice in Wonderland). I'll keep ya posted!

 

Random cuteness from Sophia

Uh, oh! Someone tried to escape from the bouncy!

Her first time on a carousel at Peter Piper Pizza

Working on her sippy cup skills

to cut or not to cut?

This kid needs a haircut. I think his last haircut was 2 months ago when Josh was home for a week in April. They usually go to the base to get their hair cut, but I'd feel kind of awkward walking into the barber by myself. So I can either find another place to take him, cut it myself (which may result in the need for him to wear a hat), or let it grow out. I'm liking the idea of letting his hair grow. I miss his mohawk! We had to cut his hair short because the lady at the base was not well versed in the mohawk (or faux-hawk) fashion of hair. hmm..decisions, decisions! 

Father's Day

"Dad-A son's first hero, a daughter's first love" 

Dylan and Sophia are lucky to have such an amazing dad. He's the kind of dad that isn't too busy to get down on the floor to play with you. The kind of dad that realizes that having the opportunity to spend time with your kids is a privilege, not an inconvenience. Their faces light up every time he's around. Sophia can't take her eyes off of him and tries to grab the phone when we video chat. She may be little, but she knows love. Dylan wants to be just like him. I totally credit him with Dylan's crazy sense of humor and fearless ways. This is the first Father's Day that Josh has spent away from home (He was home on R&R for his first Father's Day). I know it's hard for him to be away, and we all miss him like crazy. Someday the kids will understand that not all dads wear a suit and tie to work. Their dad wears combat boots. He's our hero, and we are proud of him. Hopefully we were able to bring a smile to his face today, and remind him that he's the best dad that two kids could ask for.