More Love for the Endtable

If it sits next to your bed, is it an end table? Or is it a nightstand? Probably the latter, but I almost always call it the former, since I have never really taken the time to add "nightstand" to my everyday vernacular. (But "vernacular" is sure as heck there, because who can resist that word? It rhymes with "spectacular" for a reason, people.)

Bedroom furniture vernacular aside, Julia recently took advantage of the master bedroom chaos incited by Alexa to fashion Craig and I some marvelous gifts for our respective end tables. (Er, nightstands...whatever.) For me, a portrait, and for Craig, a tiger. Both sculpted with loving care out of easy-to-find household materials like dollhouse accessories, pom poms, pillows, and scarves. (Well, easy-to-find in this house brimming with female children, anyway.) This girl is clever and adorable in every way; such a valued part of the complex fabric of our family.

"To: mommy. from: Julia M.

here is a picture of you."

I say she captured my pom pom eyes quite accurately. Wouldn't you agree?

"to: daddy. from Julia M.
here is a tiger. Roar!"

Makes me sad for the day when our bedroom will be our own again.

Well, not really. But what a cute, clever gift from a cute, clever girl.

On Vacuums and Helpers

Two and a half years ago I lamented that Lex was getting tangled up in the vacuum cleaner cord instead of actually helping me vacuum. Now, at three-and-a-half, she is a veritable Mommy's little helper, vacuuming rooms, emptying the silverware from the dishwasher, and happily retrieving diapers and wipes when I need them for Spencer. I'm loving this Little Miss Helpful, let me tell you, even when she stops vacuuming after two seconds so she can finish up her episode of Sid the Science Kid. 

At this point, I'll take whatever help I can get.

P.S. Ever the diva, Alexa was a little unsettled when she saw her hair color in the baby picture of herself:
"Um, why is my hair red?"

P.P.S. Don't you love how the green on the vacuum cleaner matches our wall paint? No, it wasn't on purpose, but the convenient way it blends into the landscape may or may not explain why it sometimes sits against the wall for days at a time without being used...

The Webs We Weave

Ever since I was a little girl sharing a room with my messy (at the time) older sister, Laura, I have thrived on cleanliness, organization, and a general sense of order. In fact, one of the reasons that I wanted my own room so bad was because I just knew that I would be able to keep it clean all. the. time. (In fact, that was usually the argument I would use to try and convince my mom that I deserved my own space. Since it never worked, though, it will remain a mystery whether or not I would have actually been able to make good on that statement.) 

As a child, I was equally confident that my home as an adult would be a place or cleanliness and order. I mean, I'd be a stay-at-home mom; of course my house would be clean if I were home all day to keep it that way! (Ironically, I was also convinced that I would have plenty of time and energy to consistently play with my children and that I would encourage them to play creatively by building forts, digging in the yard, etc. I shudder at the thought.) 

Fast forward a few years to my actual home in Reality Land and--although it doesn't thrill me--I have come to accept the fact that our bathroom counters will probably always be covered with toothpaste, our mirrors and windows with fingerprints, and that I will likely never walk across the kitchen floor without crumbs sticking relentlessly to the bottoms of my bare feet...even after I just swept.

It's a good thing, too, otherwise I might not be able to handle the even bigger messes and shenanigans that commonly prevail around here, like when the girls decide to use their karate belts, jump ropes, and random necklaces to make a spider web across the bottom of the staircase.

Oh, what a tangled web we weave when we decide we'd like things clean.

A Room of One's Own

When Spencer turned three months, it was time. Time for him to move out of mommy and daddy's room...er, closet...and have his own. This meant removing Alexa from her own beloved room and into Savanna's. Thankfully, all of the kids involved in the switch took the transition well, though we wondered how Lex would fare since she had grown very accustomed to having a space to claim as her own.

Mainly she's fine because she has staked her claim in a different spot.

It's called "Mommy's Side of the Bed."

Yes, toys, books, clothes, and every accouterment a 3-and-a-half-year-old girl could ever desire are right there, at her tiny fingertips. Happily for me, they are also available for my own use in case I ever need them.

You know, important and useful items like...

a fuzzy pink backpack filled with stuffed animals
an assortment of dress-up shoes
a pink clipboard
a squirt gun
an inflatable guitar
a doll blanket
a squinky
a drawstring bag of tea dishes, dice, and a play binky
two headbands
and an assortment of children's stories, from The Lorax, to Chameleon's Colors, to Would You Rather be a Bullfrog?

I suppose I better keep them around in case I ever need them.

Spencer enjoying his new space...

...and Alexa enjoying mine

Dessert in the Desert

What do you get when you cross the adorable imaginations of Julia and Savanna with delicious brownies and ice cream? Why, an impromptu dessert party upstairs, of course. If you've never been to one (as I had not), they consist of enjoying ice cream in the playroom (with snacks for your favorite stuffed animals included, of course) as well as music, dancing, and games.

Some might call it a stall tactic to avoid going to bed on time on a Monday night.

I say bring it on.

The spread for the humans

The fare for the animals

Julia serenaded...

Spencer wondered why no one was putting him to bed...

Mommy and Lexa danced...

Vanna did an interpretive dance of "Jack and Jill"...

...and all the while the music played.

(By the way, this contraption is for cds according to the girls.)

We also enjoyed a few rounds of "Pin the Tail on the Chameleon," which, if
you didn't already know, is a great way to spend the time instead of going to bed.

And, can you believe it, these guys actually put their dishes in the sink.

Um, the play kitchen sink, that is.

It was so wonderful to delay the bedtime stress and have some very memorable moments together with these sweet, imaginative kids. Because, when the days of dessert picnics are gone, I'm pretty sure we won't know quite what to do with them anymore.