Jane Rides a bike!

As soon as it was warm enough, Jane was outside riding her bike every day all day! I noticed she could balance well enough, and I asked if she wanted me to take off her training wheels, she got really nervous and told me I could when she was 5 years old! I may have gotten a little stubborn because I knew she could ride without them. So I just took them off. She. had. a. fit. I tried to talk her into it, I tried bribing with a piece of gum (because that is usually magic), but she still wouldn't get on the bike. Finally, I took her to the store and let her pick out a basket and a bell and told her I would put it on her bike if she could ride it without the training wheels.

That worked!

Jane

This is my Jane. She is going through the most interesting stage right now, she has been crazy about taking baths. She wants to take them daily, actually many times a day. All of my kids love the water, and they all love to swim, so I just figured that is why she has spent so much of the past few weeks asking, begging and crying to get in the bath.

Finally, I just asked her, "Why do you like taking baths so much?"

"Because I am cold and the bath gets me warm."

"Can't we just use a blanket to get you warm?"

"No, mom. A blanket isn't warm enough." Then, "Mom, can we move?"

"You mean, move to a different house?"

"Yes. I want a warm house mom, I don't like this one anymore."

I guess we have been being a bit aggresive when it comes to trying to be frugal with the heat bill. It really doesn't help much though that she spends much of her day changing clothes, usually choosing to wear things she'd be cold wearing in the summer.

I'm paying for it one way (heating the water for the tub) or another (heating the house). Choices.

jane's new stage

Jane is going through a new stage that makes her as much fun as she is emotional! She has been playing with friends almost everyday and for many hours at a time. I have never had a barely 3 year-old so into friends. She can play all day long, but as soon as dinner is over, she is asking to play again. I have to tell her her friends are all asleep and we can play in the morning. As soon as the sun is up she is asking to go to Lyza's, Jaye's, Camryn's, or Livi's. I have made the imaginary rule that none of her friends are up until 10:00 am. That works great until she sees our neighbors Jaye and Connor on the trampoline and she looks at me all happy, "Mom! Jaye is outside!" as if Jaye happened to wake up early that morning and," Can I jump Mom? I won't go in her house!" since it sometimes takes me an hour to call her home after she follows Jaye into her house.

She is just such a people-person, when the kids bring home friends, she acts like they are there solely for her, and gets outraged when a friend of Ashlyn's doesn't like the "tag-along sister" always being there.

I guess I should be happy the reason they play so long is because they don't fight, they actually share and take turns! New stage, new challenges.

out with the old, in with the new (mostly)

Jane has had, and continues to have an obsession with clothes. Jane, like every two year old, has funny little habits. Her old one, was to dress up in a few of her favorite articles of clothing, then pile the rest of her clothes into a shopping cart. I don't like where this is going: obsessive shopper or bag lady. Hmmm...
Now, at night, or during nap time I find her in her room, setting out all of her clothes, one on top of the other, or into a train shape.
Me: "Jane, what are you doing?"
Jane: "I'm owrganizing, mom"
Me: "I need you to pick up your clothes and go to sleep"
Jane: "Actually, mom. I need to fold my shurts furst" (Most things start with, "actually, mom...")

When Jane was younger, she used to have what looked like fluffy muscles. I mean real definition, Michelin tire type rolls. Then, one day I discovered she could "suck in" and I called it "skinny" (I know, I am terrible. Spare me the lecture, it was just a trick she could do).
Today, I found her crying in the kitchen because the outfit she was trying to get on just didn't fit! It is, no kidding, a Build-A-Bear outfit. I was laughing so hard! Then to top it off, while I was taking the pictures, she concentrated on a "skinny" for old times' sake!

Last, but not least. Jane used to wear these shorts when she was about 6 months old. She found them in a pile of laundry (for Sidney), and thought I must have made a mistake and put them in the wrong pile, they must be her size! She thought she'd squeeze into these daisy dukes for the fun of it!!!
I love my Janey!

2 year-old fun!

So Jane is officially potty-trained (1 month and counting) and for some reason I think her bottom in Princess panties is just great fun. She has to dress herself and now the war is on! Most days a dress-up skirt and a purse are all she chooses. It is a battle to get her dressed when we leave the house and any "sleeves" shirt is completely shunned. I have outsmarted her on that by hiding all her short sleeved shirts and just pulling up the sleeves of her long sleeved ones. But now I get to continually pull them back up as she cries and stamps her feet whenever either slides an inch or two.
Wow! I wanted her to be potty-trained before the baby comes (December), but now find it to be a curse since she has found a real independence which seems to clash with the schedule I have sometimes with three children. I know, four is not going to be any easier, but too late now!

Jane is 2

Jane's second birthday! She was a little jipped since her birthday was on Sunday and Ben and I were just getting back from a trip that night, so unbenownst to our little lady, we celebrated a day late (which just happens to be my mom's birthday).

Jane was surprisingly excited for the cards and presents to open from us and her Grandparents. I loved to see her face when she knew it was something to be happy for but wasn't quite sure what that something was.

Ashlyn and Alex liked Jane's new toys as much as she did. They all played together for a while and the older two were good at convincing Jane it was their "turn".

We had a few neighbors over to celebrate. Jumping on the trampoline, eating cupcakes and playing with balloons. This one was Jane's favorite. It is a punching balloon and she played with her brand new Care Bear like it was the best bouncing toy ever!

If you must know they are "frog" cupcakes. I always seem to have these great ideas that don't quite pan out like they do in my head. I also had pigs and then some chocolate sprinkle ones I thought I may turn into bears, but after seeing the actual product of the others, I decided to quit while I was ahead!

Lucky for me Jane loved them and this morning Ashlyn asked if she could have them for her next birthday party! I love that my kids play along so well. They may not be a perfectly decorated cake with parachute guys or my little ponies, but they made Jane happy for her birthday and after all isn't that what it is all about?

I seem to be hard on myself when it comes to the details I struggle to get right, but I am blessed with children and a husband who really feel that its the thought that counts! I am glad Jane is two. She is acting so much older and saying more and more each day. She told the checker at the grocery store yesterday that it was her "happy birthday to me" day. She was found singing the song all day long (that and "I am a Child of God") . I just love to see her work things out for herself and show her independence. I know it is "the stage" she is in, but we all seem to think she is quite funny in whatever she does and says and we all love to try and teach her new things. It is funny how as soon as I finally let myself believe I was pregnant, Jane instantly aged in my mind. Suddenly I am worried about how long the transition into a "big bed" will really take and if potty training is possible before the new baby comes.

Jane is learning so much I barely beginning to think, "Okay, I can do this!"

First mischief!

So the funny thing about this experience was that I was writing in Jane's baby book, catching up and all, when I came across a section to write about her "first mischief". I thought and thought...the time she had her neighbor friend backed into a corner pinching her cheeks didn't really count as "mischievous" more like "mean". But then I walk into the kitchen a few days later to this! Wow! Talk about mischievous!

All this mess and I still love her! That is lots of hair product and though most of it was on her, there were some rather large glops of it in my carpet throughout the house too! Yeah! A moment to not only put into her baby book, but to blog as well, now that's a real treat!