Yesterday Anna had one of her friends over to play after school and in a short 3 hr span they did it all. They made bead bracelets, chocolate chip cookies, played in Anna's room, in the basement, colored elaborate pictures and so much more. During these playdates I get to witness 4 and 5 year old interactions first-hand. The conversations and dynamics are quite amusing!
At the end of the playdate I was preparing to get everyone ready to bring Anna's friend home. Anna's friend was very excited to go home so she could see her big sister (they are very close), which created some misunderstanding for Anna.
Anna (sad): "Sarah, why do you want to go home?"
Sarah: "I am excited to see my sister"
Anna: "Well, don't you want to stay and play?"
My attempt to help the situation resulted in this...
Me: "Anna, you know how when you are away it's sometimes sad to go home because you want to stay? But at the same time you're a little excited because it's fun to get home to see Emmett?"
Anna: "Yeah, well, I don't really think about that."
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In other news Emmett has moved from his crib to his big boy room across the hall. We attempted this several months ago with very bad results, but on a whim one day we thought we would try again. Things went VERY well for a full week - Emmett was extremely proud and did such a great job in his new bed. After 2 days of success, we closed the door on the nursery and told him that "that room is for Tyson when he comes to stay". Since then he has not attempted to go back into the nursery.
That said, after a week of sleeping well, things took a detour. 5am on Saturday I heard a door open and shut accompanied by the jingle of Emmett's bear and thought "oh no!"
Much to our dismay Emmett not only ventured out of his bed, but tried a doorknob (something he had not done before). Being tall he opened it with no issues. For a few days he was up and out a few times before bed and during naps exploring his new freedom. Since then he has settled back into his bed and when he wants to get up he camps himself on the floor by his door and snoozes there for a bit as well.
This weekend his room will be painted navy blue and new BIG BOY furniture and accessories will arrive shortly. What an exciting time - but bittersweet as we say goodbye to the baby stages in our home.
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Further proof that our little ones are growing are the stages they flow in and out of. Emmett is definitely 2 - not only letting us know that with his words, but with his temper tantrums as well. I have resorted to putting a lock on the pantry to curb his "snack" cravings (which are non-stop throughout the day), which in turn has created an angry monster when the answer is "no". Emmett stomps through the house stating "I MAD!!!" or runs for cover and fake cries. Ahhh, I forgot about age 2.
Another favorite antic of Emmett's is running away when it's time for a bath, for bed, for changing clothes or changing diapers. He will run away through the house for as long as he possibly can. Counting, time outs, taking things away...no, none of these things work. He just giggles and runs. I have to admit, as frustrating as this can be if you are in a hurry - it's equally funny. I have to stifle my laughs more than once a day. That and take multiple showers as it makes me sweat chasing and corraling that little one.
Anna is also exerting her independence and authority - issuing timeouts to Emmett if I am not in the room, and dictating what will happen, when, and how.
Just this morning Anna came into our room at 5:30am and asked if she could sleep with me. I reminded her that she can do that when her clock says 6. Quickly she sprinted back to her room in tears, then back to our room once again to exclaim "If you don't let me sleep in here with you now, then...then...I am going to be mad at you FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE!".
At 6 she returned all smiles stating "Will you please forgive me for talking like that mommy?"
Of course.
But, even in the midst of battles for independence there are many moments of sweetness that are never overlooked. Anna cares for and looks out for Emmett everywhere we go. She makes sure he is comfortable, happy and well-tended to. Emmett embraces all that Anna does and her friends with excitement and joy. He follows her and looks up to her faithfully. They play with each other for good portions of the day, making up elaborate make believe games and coloring intricate pictures. I hope they maintain this friendship well into their adult lives.
These days are definitely busy, and sometimes challenging, but I laugh every single day because of something one or both of these crazy kids do. Unfortunately I don't get to posting too much lately but I hope to break my camera back out in the coming weeks and put some more recent pics up soon.
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