Saturday, November 11, 2017

Currently, Chief is... {4 years}

It just so happens that Miss Chief was born precisely on our first anniversary, so it's just a coincidence that we're currently at Walt Disney World as she turns four years old.  We're really here to celebrate our fifth anniversary and re-live our honeymoon- albeit a slightly different feel than our honeymoon, what with two kids in tow.  But oh my goodness, she is, in fact, four years old now.  It's like I blinked and a whole year passed by.  Let's see how she's grown over that year.

making this whole big sister thing official in December
Growing taaaaaaaaall!  She's got her some long, skinny legs and has pretty much lost all her baby fat, so if you're not paying attention, you could mistake her for a teenager- especially when she's being sassy ;)  She's pretty solidly in a size 5 now, and we shop in the kids section where she's an XS.  Size 4 t-shirts still fit so her closet is full of tops; she could probably go a whole month without wearing the same shirt more than once.

saving babies at the March for Life
Eating much more sophisticated flavors than I was as a four-year-old.  Living in this area, we have an incredible variety of restaurants to choose from, and she's got a "usual" dish for every cuisine- Indian, Chinese, Italian, Mexican, Japanese, Greek...

enjoying a snow day
Talking with quite the mature vocabulary.  She learns a new word at school probably once a week and is good about incorporating it into conversations as often as she can.  They also teach a light smattering of Spanish at her daycare, so she can count to ten and tell you the words for all the colors.  Lately, she starts almost all of her sentences with "Hey, you know-" and then she'll share a little a little anecdote about her day or a fact she learned in school or give her spin on a joke from one of her TV shows.  She has a hard time waiting her turn in a conversation- especially if Mr Geek and I are talking about something among ourselves, she'll interrupt with whatever thought popped into her head, so we're trying to help her work on that.  I do love the long, thoughtful conversations we have on the drive home if I pick her and her brother up from daycare- when she's slightly tired, she's really rather insightful.

preschool glamour shots, because imagining her as a 13-year-old is what I need right now
Making facial expressions that are all her own.  She's got her daddy's sense of humor and her mommy's bossy streak, but her little grumpy face or her "y'all are so not cool" side-eye are completely hers. 

letting out her inner diva at her first dance recital
Listening to songs from her favorite Disney movies- especially Moana, which I think she can recite in its entirety.  She's also sort of obsessed with the show The Lion Guard and loves listening to the theme song, since they use it for warm up in her dance class.  She'll sing to her baby brother if he's upset- normally either the ABC's or Twinkle, Twinkle, but sometimes she makes up her own silly song and he'll stop crying and watch her dance around like a fool. 

falling in love with her baby brother
Sleeping so much better than she was a year ago.  She'll even take the occasional nap at daycare!  (Never at home.  Naps are for quitters.)  She loves that we get to include her baby brother in bedtime prayers, and extra hugs and kisses with him is really the only thing she does to procrastinate going to sleep.  This summer, we upgraded to a king sized bed, and handed down our queen mattress to her.  About a month ago, she was having mild nightmares, and we'd wake up to find her snuggled in between us.  But mostly, she like to take advantage of having her own large bed- large enough for Mommy or Daddy to sit with her even after prayers have been said.  We really have no excuse for not staying and cuddling, so most nights, someone does, until she falls asleep.  She can make even the biggest bed feel small, though- by sleeping entirely horizontal, and filling every spare square inch with stuffed animals.

getting ready to go to the theater
Loving her baby brother, much more than she ever thought she would; the responsibilities of being a big sister; picking out her own outfits; pretty much the entire Nick Jr lineup; finding her sight words on signs and menus and in books; sounding out words to figure out how to spell them; her red tricycle; ballet class; collecting stickers; trying out the filters on Instagram stories.

Hating when Mommy and Daddy are at work and we can't all be together; the suggestion that maybe it might be time for bed, even thought the actual bedtime routine isn't all that bad; not being able to choose her own outfit; pretty much any activity that requires sitting still and/or being quiet; having mealtime conversation cut off so that she can, you know, eat.

Where has the time gone?

Much love,
The Geeks

Friday, November 10, 2017

Five

Photo by One Photo Gallery
Wood is the traditional gift for the fifth wedding anniversary; silverware is the modern gift.

Bringing your kids along on a second honeymoon is the Geek fifth anniversary gift.

on our honeymoon, five years ago
I've been thinking a lot about the phrase "made for each other" lately.  It's always been easy to see how we complement each other- his goofiness alleviates my seriousness, my fashion sense compensates for his inability to coordinate colors, my love of cooking pairs perfectly with his love of eating- but ever sense our little boy arrived, I've been reflecting on how we're not just compatible, we're perfect for each other.  Specifically, he's perfect for me.

We're both walking in a sleep-deprived haze lately, and I thought maybe I'm just not coping as well as he is, but I realized the other day that he's just powering through, putting on a happy face, and purposefully choosing patience- patience with the kids, patience with life's little annoyances, and patience with me.  Something will happen which will annoy the heck out of me, and I'll start chewing over a fight that I'm sure will happen, when he totally surprises me with a joke or a sweet gesture.  He can completely disarm me, and I'll swallow the witty argument I was about to make, saving us from what would have otherwise been an unpleasant evening. 

That sleep deprivation is making it difficult to be particularly eloquent right now.  I can't properly describe how he is exactly what I need, so you'll just have to trust me. 

These have been the best five years of my life; the next five are shaping up to be even more exciting.

Let's go have a Mickey ice cream bar!

Much love,
The Geeks