May 29

Spring Fever

Spring is here and summer previews! My fast-growing seven year olds are beyond excited to see the leaves sprouting on the trees, the sunshine and warmth that it brings which immediately equals the need to wear sandals, shorts and tank tops. In particularly stylish fashion, the girls attended several events over the past month sporting their heavy winter coats, with long summer dresses and increasingly snug flip flops, or shorts and a tee with a scarf and winter vest or hoodie.

What have we been up to the last eight weeks? Sicknesses. And note, that is written in plural! Why?! Well, let me tell you- we finished two rounds of strep medicine for Reagan, who was unable to kick it after a full ten days of amoxicillin the first time. After that a cough started, but she was strep negative…and ended up with clogged ears resulting in a double ear infection, with one ear drum close to bursting. Her pain tolerance for ear aches continues to be high. About the time we started round two of Reagan’s medicine Emerie started the intense throat cough, no fever but greatly effecting her sleep or doing anything without fits. This then passed to the medicated Reagan, and then to Harper, and has since rotated between the three in variable levels for the past FIVE weeks. We’ve tried everything: different allergy medicine, inhalers with Albuterol, daily nose spray, pedialite popsicles for extra hydration and electrolytes, extra sleep, an oral steroid, and even one round of medicine for Harper, in case it was bacterial when she couldn’t kick it. In the midst of this rotation Harper also caught one of the later letter flus (Flu Q or something ridiculous!), with no cough, but over a 104 degree fever for four days straight, with Tylenol only able to bring it down to about 100. Crazy temps!!

It is also interesting to see how identical kiddos react differently to different illnesses plaguing our household all at once, and then repeat. After several weeks, the unproductive throat cough is more of an annoyance than anything else and brings out the non-verbal mom shaming whenever we leave the house, but the girls handle it in stride with minimal complaints. I am probably complaining more than them after this long! Needless to say, our household seems to believe winter remains in effect and that equals all the sickness. One day Reagan even put herself down for a nap (which is a first) on the bean bag, another day Emerie napped on the way home from the valley; and Harper, who naps the least of the three, hasn’t caved into any but definitely rocked her fevers by wearing tank tops and adult scarves for skirts to “cool off.” Silly girl.

I have tons of little notes relating to cute things, or funny comments, from the past two months without a posted blog. Here are a couple, so that I can actually get this one written and posted:

Emerie one day walking in from the back deck: Mom, can you help me? Harper won’t and she keeps saying when there’s an Emerie, there’s a way. And not helping!
Reagan, bringing over fresh salmon chowder courtesy of our neighbors: Here, Mom, it’s fish and carrots. Carrots AND fish. Yuck. Scoffs. Such judgment!
Harper painted me a custom painting for Mothers Day, made me mommy and me ornaments from a craft set, and it was very sweet. Reagan wrote a sweet letter to me and Emerie made me a couple drawings.
Emerie came home from school with the most reading hours in her class for the month of April, and very excited to pick a prize out for it!
Emerie has told me several times that she wants to drink more milk because her, and I quote, bones are hurting. Growing spurts!

Mother’s Day this year was spent out in Palmer, enjoying the Mother’s Day festival at the fairgrounds, on the first real beautiful, sunny day of the year. We spent a handful of hours outside doing things I enjoy, including Craig buying hoodies for all us girls, checking out different craft booths, drinking fresh lemonade and eating Garcia’s mini chimis (mmmm…). The girls bounced on the big kid, harness trampoline for the first time. It took a little convincing for all three, and as predicted, Reagan enjoyed it once she was comfortable, Harper jumped a good amount and didn’t mind the height, Emerie was a little too ambitious and did not take that well, but it was funny. It was a nice day spent with family and an event we will have to hit again.

Another staple spring event in our family: the annual dance recital, also known as the second most exciting event of the year (behind Daddy/Daughter dance). It’s a full-on production requiring a lot of preparation: three separate costumes EACH (covered in ridiculous amounts of glitter), stage makeup wrestled on three resistant kids who don’t like their eyes touched, and three heads of fancy hair and ballerina buns sculpted with industrial-strength hairspray, then smothered in colorful glitter in the girls’ colors. Everyone has been counting down the days until they could wear their outfits and hit the stage like tiny divas.

This year marked a major milestone: they went to the pre-show rehearsal and didn’t boomerang back to us until the end. That’s right — no mid-show impatience for their turn, no my ballet slipper is too tight! Just 100+ kids corralled backstage by what I assume were patient professionals, while Craig and I… wait for it… actually sat down, visited with other adults and their beloved Miss Tawni (who joined us!), and watched a show uninterrupted. It was magical- and not just because we were still covered in glitter.

The night went smoothly (ignoring the coughing) and all three girls bravely twirled, leapt, and shuffled their way through three full routines. They began with a sweet ballet number in tutus, all graceful arms and serious faces in their big, blue tutus, and wrapped it up in a flurry of pink and sass in their tap outfits. At one point Harper proudly led the group with a few steps and did a great job. And for some reason this year, it was actually possible to tell who was who from the audience. Maybe sitting closer played into this equation, because last year I spent half of each routine squinting at the stage and trying to decode whether that was Harper or Reagan executing a plié. This time their teachers strategically placed them close together, as if to say, here you go, parents. You’re welcome. And we thank them!!

I’ll have a proper wrap-up soon to celebrate the girls finishing first grade (how are we already heading into second?!), but that update’s a story for another day. For now, we’re diving headfirst into summer and whatever adventures come our way- soaking up the sunshine when it arrives and trying really hard to convince the girls that swimsuits in 45-degree weather do not equal beach day.

Their front teeth are finally making a comeback, and our house looks like an explosion of glitter glue, up-cycled fairy villages, plant and flower based soup contraptions, and reams of paper in every shape and size everywhere. Every surface becomes a canvas for painted masterpieces and phonics-fueled love notes or demanding instructions, all delivered by three fiercely accessorized fashion icons in confidently clashing and very impractical outfits. And don’t forget the cough…always the cough…More updates to follow; I probably need to go vacuum again…wish us luck!

❤

Dec 24

Mom Days: Surviving & Thriving

This past week, only a week before Christmas, Craig trekked across the country for a three night stay at a conference in Texas and we had a four day “girls day.” For the record, this is a terrible time to host a conference for anyone with kids, getting all the things ready before not only the Christmas holiday, but also for two weeks home over Christmas break, but what can you do! My anxiety was running high leading up to his trip, which started at a balmy 4 AM, which the girls took quite personally that he didn’t wake them up and say bye with a hug. Once we overcame that morning drama, I stepped up my mom game and had a few things planned to keep everyone busy and tired out until his return.

After a busy workday wrapping up tasks before two weeks off, I told the girls if they played nicely while I made dinner they could watch one of the beloved DVDs from the 90s from Grandma Anne, specifically The Swan Princess (which I do not actually remember watching!). In some ultimate universe everyone built cities with Lincoln logs and Emerie did a frozen puzzle, and no one fought for over a full hour!! In that time I successfully made zucchini cookies, grilled veggies, and made Mac and cheese and chicken for the girls. In addition to the movie, everyone enjoyed apple-cranberry sparkle juice in fancy glasses and a gingerbread cookie. Day one of survival, achieved, and everyone went to bed for the last day of school in 2024, which is somehow already here!

I should also mention the girls all excitedly agreed I should do a three night stay at Shiloh’s house so they can have dad time and I can have a break. There was much discussion on this topic after bedtime; I could hear them continue to discuss it once I left the room. Shiloh’s house specifically because he and Craig do guys nights together and so he is associated with kid free time (which is funny since he has 6 kids!). By the end of Craig’s trip their advice morphed into staying at Auntie Janelle’s house instead, a little more realistic 🙂

At bedtime that night everyone wanted to fill in the vacancy on Craig’s side of the bed, which I didn’t cave into. Emerie definitely won that argument, wandering in at some ungodly hour of night, climbing across my sleeping figure, and stretching across more than half the king sized bed. Later that morning she rolled out of MY bed while I’m brushing my teeth, looks at me with a deep brow and says, Mom, before you and dad die you need to teach us how to make breakfast. I’m sorry to say this- I mean I’m really sorry- but we need to know before you die or we will be really hungry. Wow kid. What kind of dream was she having??

Day two involved heavy complaints from all three for staying in school Child Watch for too long- you know after begging to participate- and we had a quiet evening doing crafts and playing with…wait for it, scented slime. Yes, it is no surprise I dislike slime, and neither does my couch or carpet!! My rational here was purchasing something abnormal and beneffitting from that entertainment for a bit, which worked like a charm. While it’s mostly confined to the kitchen table (Harper’s definitely wanders even after constant reminders), it led to a couple hours of creativity and excitement. Harper made soup with sprinkles and a cherry, Reagan made cute little slime people, and Emerie made every contraption imaginable in a lot of happy squeals and Mom, look at me! comments.

We spent the morning of day three sans Dad just hanging at home and starting the day- and Christmas break- slow and chill. Harper climbed into my bed early that morning, but I managed to soothe her back to sleep until around 8:30; I was definitely not ready to start another solo parent day at 5:00 AM.

Christmas activities were on my mind; first cookie decorating at the mall with other home school kids and later a hot cocoa and gingerbread village stop at Captain Cook Hotel with Aunt Janelle and Paris, and a good photo op! Cookie decorating ended up being a kidless hour for the moms, with adults not required to participate, so we had a nice little mom date in the middle of our Friday. After stopping downtown to check out the tiny gingerbread village and sip a yummy drink, we played at home the rest of the afternoon and exchanged gifts with Aunt Janelle and Paris. The girls are beyond thrilled at their new stuffed animals; a pink seal for Harper, a purple, big eyed turtle for Emerie, and a panda dressed as a green dinosaur for Reagan. All three have carted their new babies around the past few days.

The day ended with a fun trip to the girls’ dance school for an evening of fall session routines. Twenty performances in ninety minutes—whew! The girls did fantastic, performing two routines: one jazz and one ballet. With only one other kid from their class there, all three got adorably distracted at different moments, watching their teachers closely whenever nerves made them forget the steps. But they all finished with proud smiles and bows, which was the best part! I wasn’t sure how they’d handle the evening crowd, but they sat mesmerized, cheering everyone on and loving every second, especially when their teachers took the stage for a few dances. I love how relaxed and supportive this dance school is—it’s all about fostering a love for dance, fun, and staying active. The girls are already impatient with excitement for the spring recital in May on the big stage!

Before one more dance display the following morning with more classmates, we ended the late night with a living room sleepover by the Christmas tree. This is one of my favorite memories as a 90s kid, sleeping out by the twinkling Christmas tree and basking in the excitement of the holiday season. Since Alaska is so dark by solstice, with Anchorage only a little over five hours of daylight a day (and some of that is dusky), holiday lights really make the house feel cozier and less cold and wintry. I pulled out the couch and everyone climbed into their sleeping bags, with a LOT of stuffed animals friends brought down to keep them company- you know- in the midst of the siblings sharing the same pull out couch. It won’t be many more Christmases before all three won’t fit across, but for now it worked perfectly. I settled into the nearby armchair with my iPad, enjoying a quiet movie while the hustle and bustle of the day faded. The girls eventually drifted off to sleep after minimal arguing on their close proximity. And honestly, is there anything better than that moment of calm at the end of a busy day? It was always my favorite part of the day when the girls’ were busy toddlers, and even better with some holiday spirit in the mix. Sitting in a peaceful living room, the glow of the Christmas tree, listening to the gentle rhythm of sleepy breaths. It’s the kind of moment that makes your heart feel full, knowing everyone is safe, content, and dreaming. Not much in life can top that kind of magic. And while Emerie ended up in my bed again at some point, stating she wasn’t comfortable (and therefore wanted to make me less comfortable in my bed from her marathon sleeping!), it remained a quiet night for all.

After dance round two the next morning, with a lot of more classmates participating and only two dances, the girls received their ribbons and the dance session concluded. We cleaned up the house a bit and played, and just like that, Craig returned and we made it! It was few months since I’d had a few solo days with the kids, and realistically, it turned out much easier than the irrational worries my mind led me to dwell on. Sure, all three have their own ways of showing they miss the parent who is away—some pouty moments here, a bit of extra clinginess there—but it didn’t derail the days. They’ve grown and learned to roll with it, and I’m working on accepting the idea everything doesn’t have to go completely smoothly. A couple of FaceTime calls and a steady stream of random photos goes a long way in keeping everyone connected and comforted. Staying busy was the real lifesaver, with fun distractions, little crafts or projects, and keeping our routine. It was a good reminder that sometimes, the worry is worse than the reality, and I need to remember that!

As we start Christmas break and finish the rest of the holiday related activities, I look forward to making more memories and pushing through this dark season and toward 2025.

Merry Christmas! ❤

May 26

Dance, Dance, Baby

This spring part of Harper’s dance class included an official recital, with a big stage, a custom leotard, and about 120 other kids ages three and up. Since Craig ordered the costume, each week she runs up to her teacher, Miss Jess, and asks if the order was in yet. She was so excited to not only see it but wear it.

The last day of spring session everyone had a mini performance during the standard class time, with parents invited in to watch each kiddo perform skill routines. Because the girls are split out into two separate classes across the hall from each other, with Harper dancing and Reagan and Emerie tumbling in gymnastics, Craig and I knew we had to split to accommodate everyone, with performances offset by about fifteen minutes. Luckily Aurora Kids has a great setup and suggested Emerie and Reagan go first so I could sneak out to Harper’s class, after their floor and beam routines.

Both girls were somewhat shy to go first in their group, but overall committed to showing off newfound skills. Reagan did her first tumble and mini cartwheel without teacher assistance and her last backwards roll with a little help. She then immediately darted back to her spot and away from the crowd. Emerie also did her first tumble on her own but with a dramatic landing, her arms and legs flailed out on the mat with a silly laugh. She was also all smiles at the end. It wouldn’t be a floor performance without both of them picking a wedgie from their leotards, in case you were curious! Both did their beam routines with the help of one of the teachers and Emerie added a touch of personality with the goofy faces and tongue out.

Craig stayed to watch the bar performances while I watched Harper’s class perform a ballet and tap routine. Both Emerie and Reagan followed their teacher’s instructions well on different bar skills, and if I had to pick a favorite routine for Emerie, it is definitely this one. She again showed off some of her skills completely unassisted after class when we were all back together. Harper made sure to be front and center for both dances and right next to her teacher; pretty consistently to how she’s acted throughout the whole session.

All three were thrilled to go up front and receive their participation medals and played with them at home ever since now that they are jewelry and decoration. All in all, the entire session went much smoother than a year ago, and everyone is asking when they get to go back, which is only another week away. On the behavioral side, Harper going to solo made a huge difference on her listening, while we still have to intervene with Emerie from time to time, who can easily distract Reagan from listening.

The girls were excited at early school pickup on the big day; it was the first time I’ve picked them up during regular school pickup and right after nap time. Harper was thrilled to get dressed up and wear her outfit, have fancy eye shadow and her hair slicked back into a “ballerina bun” with a matching ribbon. After claiming to want orange eye shadow all week, she opted for a pink and teal that meshed together to look like colorful sparkles. Who knew finding kid makeup would be so difficult to find and we ended up with a big set that included every color imaginable.

Craig and I took only Harper to the fancy recital at the local college and left Emerie and Reagan home for an evening with Uncle Will. Emerie could care less that Harper dressed up and went solo with her parents, while Reagan stood at the front window and cried as we loaded up in the car; she wanted to go. Little did we know it would be a three hour performance, so thank goodness we didn’t bring everyone or we never would have made it through the whole thing.

After checking in and finding seats at the show, Harper was content looking around the full auditorium and finding her classmates, who all sat on the left side with us. The room was filled with so many sparkles and colorful dance leotards. I would guess about six dances occurred before Harper went back with her fellow Tiny Tappers to queue up for their ballet performance. After every single dance she asked is it my turn yet? When is it my turn?! She was also offended any time her favorite teacher, Miss Jess, wasn’t on stage dancing, which cracks me up. She did enjoy watching the routines once she got over that part, and was thrilled each time a princess related song came on.

Unsurprisingly for her routine, Harper confidentially walked out on stage and showed absolutely no fear in front of a crowd, pointedly going to the front both times. The amount of people in the room and the cheering didn’t phase her at all; I’m guessing she will be a crowd pleaser in the future and I can’t wait to see! For ballet she was placed right behind the teacher, and of course at the perfect angle to be difficult for filming, but moved around enough we could see her smiling face. At one point she lost focus and appeared to try to find us out in the dark crowd. Afterward she went backstage and came back to her seat for a few more performances, changing into tap shoes for the last routine. About halfway through the whole show she went backstage once more and stayed until her dance and the show finale.

Her tap performance to Aladdin’s Friend Like Me was super cute, and hilariously and in true Harper style, she turned at one point and shook her butt at the whole crowd and laughed. Being the oldest one in class, she also refused to let any one else stand on her front row tape spot, scolding the littles that tried to. So funny! Overall she followed this routine a bit better- I think the whole group did following Miss Mary- and everyone was all smiles at the end.

At the end all classes went on stage for the finale bow, showing how many kids and how well coordinated it was. It’s impressive to coordinate one-hundred plus kids and twenty-nine dance routines back to back and it was well done. You could also tell it was getting late and kids around the auditorium feeling it. We quickly headed to the car ahead of the crowd, but Harper made us turn around for a picture with Miss Jess on stage. She also cried the ENTIRE way home that her teacher couldn’t come home with her, not that it has ever happened, showing how overtired she really was after three hours of solid stimulation.

It was a good evening overall and enjoyable with only one kiddo! Emerie and Reagan would never sit that long and instead enjoyed a fun evening with pizza and a movie. Both were awake when we arrived home at almost nine. While they immediately fell asleep in their beds, Harper whined for a while longer about her teacher and fought sleep hard.

It was a new feeling for me, enjoying watching my little have fun in a new environment and getting to enjoy it without pestering the other two to be quiet. I never considered the thought I could be a dance mom- clearly if you’ve seen me dance- but who knows! Miss Jess noted at the end of the performance that Harper really enjoys class time and has improved greatly from a year ago. She continues to claim she’d rather dance than go to gymnastics so it will be interesting to see if she sticks to that decision for fall session. And she’s already asking when the next performance is and when we can order another fancy outfit. Bring on next year!

❤

Jan 23

Winter, Dance and Those Wild Children

So far 2023 started off without anything too significant or exciting happening. Lots of winter, snow, working hours and wild children. The kittens continue to grow and change each day, and it’s prompting a lot of old memories for this mom on life “back in the day” with three rambunctious babies. That day was only a few years ago, but it feels like a whole lifetime with how much things have changed!

For example, the girls’ unique personalities became evident even before they were speaking, and each had a slightly different attitude on things throughout development, and it’s still true today. Harper refused to roll over, adamantly indicating that was a skill not worthy of her time, and yet she was the first of the three to walk, with Reagan right behind her. The similarities are pretty funny in the kittens, because one kitten slowly started walking forward, with the second observing closely, and the third less interested at first. Within an hour, the first was walking, the second was mimicking the first at a slower pace, and the following day number three gained the skill and joined the club. In our case, Harper was the first to take her steps forward unassisted, with Reagan carefully watching and learning immediately after, and then Emerie not long after that.

When it comes to containment, you might remember the full “cage” that spanned our entire living room for quite a long time, from crawling to climbing to walking and until escaping. And the baby gates, which blocked off each level of the house and the loft. One kitten (named Wallace) was the first to figure out how to escape out of totes and boxes if he used a sibling as a step stool. The girls did this exact thing, figuring out how to boost one another out of their fenced in play area and into freedom, before mom and dad fully baby proofed the rest of the house and blocked off the stairs. Persistence is key!

Personalities are also similar. One kitten is the “wild child” of the three, has a need for speed, was the first to take steps, and always instigates the troublemaking with the siblings. Doesn’t that sound like one Miss Harper? Another kitten (named Wesley although it might be Winston now?) is far more timid than his brother, but will pay close attention to the activities at hand, holding out the longest before participating. He’s a sweet soul. Does that sound like Miss Reagan, especially when she was smaller and more shy? The smallest kitten (Winnifred, i.e. Winnie Rose- because the girls insisted she had to have a middle name!), is also shy, needs one of her eyes scrubbed off occasionally so it’s not shut with goobers (i.e. eye issues), her siblings gang up on her a bit because they are bigger than her, and she loves to cuddle and be rescued from the chaos. Sounds like Miss Emerie to me!

It is also funny to watch Molly and her obvious annoyance and frustration at her three littles running in three directions. I greatly understand her sentiments and still live in that today, although nothing like it was two years ago. She will take naps up high on her climber, where she can keep an eye on the crowd, knowing they can’t reach her!

For the most part the girls are pretty aware of the kittens wandering the house, and if not there is my constant “don’t step on the kitten!” reminders. I’ve only caught them a couple times with compromised kittens. The first time all three were downstairs in the bathroom, with a paper shoebox full of water in the sink, trying to give Winnie a bath. As you would guess, she was not impressed; and luckily I caught them before she was fully submerged. The second time all the kids were jumping on Grandma Sue’s bed (I.e. the guest room bed) with two very terrified kittens trying not to die. No kittens were harmed in either incident!

On the non-kitten front- you may all be shocked to learn the love for the song Shake It Off has finally depleted. In fact, I now get demands to NOT play it, after several years of constant replaying more than any one person wants to hear it. We definitely had some really cute memories (and videos) of the littles shaking their bald heads and tiny butts to it. Uncle William is now educating everyone on other songs by the songstress and pushing us into a new era of music. Different music videos are also quite the hit; of course they don’t follow the intricate meanings behind the scripts and scenes, but they all excitedly love her outfits, shoes, and sparkling wonders. Some of the most exciting parts are the funniest things, such as her dress changing from white into red and her fancy shoe choices!

A new session of dance started last weekend. Since age three’s dance class was so very miserable for us parents, with the tantrums, not listening, and times dragging all three out kicking and screaming in front of throngs of disbelieving singleton parents, we held off for a full year before trying again, and this time with a new tactic: dividing them up. This is the first time we’ve tried this method for any activity, although we talked about it when transitioning into the four year old daycare class, and ended up keeping them together, which has worked out so far. In efforts to maintain some parental sanity, Emerie and Reagan are in gymnastics at 11:15 on Saturdays while Harper starts dance class at 11:30, with the younger group until she turns five in March. The parent area is in between the two rooms, so we can see both sides easily and provide stern looks through the window when they act out.

Last year Harper did the best by far, in terms of listening and behavior and actual participation,while Emerie and Reagan fed off each other and missed half the classes due to needed intervention to minimize disruptions. All three strongly desired to climb all the mats and swing on the equipment when everyone else was listening and out on the dance floor. It was a disaster and the most money I’ve probably ever spent to be so miserable!

The first week of round two went much better. There was discussion on who was in gymnastics and who was in dance, and of course major disagreement with our plan, but once class started, it went well! Emerie is definitely meant to tumble and climb on things, and it greatly impresses me when she runs across the balance beam, knowing she has a a bifocal and weaker eye sight than her peers. Reagan also seemed to enjoy the class, only having one moment of the pure pouty face, which I did not help with by taking photos and saying I sent them to Grandma Sue. Harper, across the hall, had a wonderful first class and didn’t need any intervention. She wore her princess heels as her tap shoes, and seemed to really enjoy herself. The roughest part of the whole activity was when Reagan and Emerie were done and waiting for Harper’s class to wrap up. Reagan threw down to go into the room to “watch” her sister, and managed to throw a fit in front of everyone when she didn’t get her way.

Every day in between the two classes the girls asked what day it was and what day dance and gymnastics falls on. What’s funny is how they define the days of the week at this point in their lives:

Sunday – means no school and some fun activity with cousins or the boys
Monday – ugh school. I’m tiiiiiired!
Tuesday – no one ever asks about this day
Wednesday – this is school pizza day
Thursday – no one ever asks about this day or “is it the weekend yet?”
Friday – chocolate milk and show-and-tell day at school!
Saturday – the weekend and now dance day

Week two went well also, and I’m hoping the trend will continue. The gymnastics teacher told me after class that she split Reagan and Emerie into separate groups for their breakout activities after she heard one encouraging the other not listen. Emerie started the class out a bit feisty and not wanting to be there, but pretty quickly started having fun. She’s great at tumbling and always pops up with a big smile. Reagan constantly comes over to ensure our eyes are glued to her body as she participates. She proudly flipped over one of the bars (assisted) and after a few tries could almost do it by herself. Harper happily tapped around in her new tap shoes and black sheer sleeved leotard. It cracked me up she was in black from head to toe- black leotard, black tights, black ballet slippers, and a black sheer skirt. Oh and don’t forget the black scrunchie, accessories!

Speaking of accessories, the last week or so Harper is constantly wearing her Mirabel glasses. They have no glass so they don’t get smudged and dirty; she seems to think she looks like Emerie in them. The funniest part is that I constantly call her Emerie when looking out the of the corner of my eye, even tho she doesn’t have green glasses!

I swear the last few days must have a full moon, because the crazy cabin fever from the kids is ROUGH. They’ve impressively trashed the house several times, drowned the downstairs bathroom with toilet water (and who knows what else), worn a dozen outfits a day, gone through clothing drawers and closets they’ve never opened before and dumping things out, and been wildly crazy with the back talking, fighting and not listening. Guys- we are so tired. I’m not sure if this shift can be attributed to the dead of winter, an impending development shift or sickness, my working longer hours than normal at work, or something else, but they are wild. New name calling popped up as well; Reagan’s insult of choice is now you spit-head. That, and you-toilet-water-poop-spit. I’m pretty sure she’s not going for “shit head”, since I have no idea where she would have heard that from (yeah yeah but really we don’t say that), so I believe she really means spit. And reminds us spit is gross, so she thinks it’s quite the insult. Such fun.

This month’s theme songs are from the live action Aladdin film, where Disney added a new song by Jasmine that the girls adore called Speechless. It’s girl empowerment and she takes down her enemies in song and the girls think it’s just amazing. It’s a pretty song in my opinion too! Every drive includes it and all three love singing along. Harper has her own lyrics to the melody and it’s hilarious, with SPEECHLEEEEESS three times louder at the end of each relevant line. They also like the songs by the genie guy and when Aladdin and Jasmine are running (first seen). It’s really nice to be able to watch another live action movie besides Maleficent, which is much darker! And little do they know one of their birthday presents is fancy Jasmine dresses that I bought during after Christmas sales. You ain’t never had a friend like meeee!

I can’t believe we are almost a month into the new year, but here we are. Kittens are growing everyday and so are my little ladies. While I look forward to spring just around the corner (quite optimistically I might add), I’m also excited for them to celebrate my birthday this year and Valentine’s Day. After that they’ll be turning half a decade, which I am NOT ready for.

❤

Sep 26

Future Ballerinas

Now it’s anyone’s guess what part of the girls’ DNA contains a skill in dancing, but right now we are definitely on a I want to be a ballerina life train. With that in mind, we’ve been eyeing dance classes around town, trying to figure out where to go amidst the current COVID chaos and finally landed on a three-year-old ballet and jazz dancing class by our house that occurs once a week.

To no one’s surprise, I already purchased matching pink, purple and teal sequin leotards off Amazon that fit just right, with a plan to purchase ballet slippers and tap shoes once we went to class (super cute ones here!). The girls begged for ballet slippers for a couple of weeks and randomly start dancing around the house or demanded for the fancy tutus so they can embody said ballerinas. Apparently crowns are an important part of the outfit too, according to them.

Class the first week went well overall, with one of the three teachers noting afterwards they did great for their first hour long class, especially with three of them to distract one another. The shy newbies resisted venturing into the gym full of fun, gymnastic equipment for about five minutes and then curiosity won the fight. In no time all three were climbing on the bars, swinging on the rings and walking across the balance beam excitedly.

After a few minutes of open gym time, all the little dancers gathered on the hardwood floor, with teachers showing them dance moves and other fun coordinated steps, moving with hoola hoops, running to music and using bean bags to assist the effort.

Overall I’d say Reagan participated the very most the first week, only coming over to me once and going right back when I told her she’d get a treat for staying with the group. Emerie rejected her glasses immediately, which we didn’t push, and definitely enjoyed the free time more than the structured. Harper was a bit in the middle, enjoying some of the dance moves and swinging on the bars. There is much anticipation regarding tap shoes, since we didn’t have them yet and she really wanted to march with the other glittery tots.

Week two was much improved. After a cold, a windy park visit and three very grumpy, continually bickering toddlers for the morning, everyone joined in on their second dance class without any adult intervention…for an entire hour! We tried to stay out of sight and keep them from that distraction and it worked quite well. A few times over the hour one would wander off and sit on the fun padding along the wall or hang from the bars, sometimes convincing a sister to join; after some convincing by a teacher, they all rejoined on their own!

The tap portion of the class was definitely a huge hit, especially with the little, black tap shoes! Lots of big smiles and running across the dance floor resulted in much happy discussion on the way home.

The ballet shoes were finally ready for purchase at the start of the third week of class (since it’s very hard to get three pairs in the same size from a small, family business and they ordered more for us!). The girls all sat quietly while one of the kind employees helped me put them on. This week I hauled everyone solo- it started off fine; fine as I’m no one ran off from the car or threw a fit in the waiting room, and proceeded to go downhill from there.

It went as out as smooth as I expected on the first week. All three rotated running off to the mats, not listening and needing to come sit in the waiting room to calm down, and then back to running off and climbing on mats they weren’t supposed to. The teachers were very patient chasing them (one, then two, then three). If I only had one kid to get complaint, making them sit in the sidelines and watch is doable because I can keep them still. Trying to keep three kids? Not so doable. Sorry of my life. If every week goes like this one, dance class will be very short-lived memory in their lives.

I’ll end on a sweeter note, that the girls claim they LOVE dance class and ask when they get to go throughout the week. They love their dance leotards and tap shoes and seem to really enjoy the balance beam. If we can get them to listen better, I’m sure more and more dance moves will emerge in our living room as we move into more indoor activities for the winter.

The Douglets

Triplets in Alaska

dance