All of this stems from his complete love of Legos, in particular the Ninjago sets, which he was promised more of for his birthday. It doesn’t matter that he already has bins full of Legos, he always wants more. His favorite line seems to be, “Hey, Mommy, I have an idea – let’s go to the store and buy Legos!” We oblige these requests probably more than we should, but the fact that he plays with Legos for hours without making a peep, doesn’t seem like a bad thing to encourage. In a recent Ianism he even professed that when he’s older and has money, he’s going to buy a house and fill it full of Legos.

That brings to mind two of our other favorite Ianisms, which are: 1) “I like you and I love you!” (It’s never just one or the other…), 2) “Mommy!” What Ian? “Nothin’!” (Hysterical laughter ensues and he will do this several more times, getting to the point where he doesn’t even wait for me to say what…).

Despite his newfound interest in Lego Ninjas, Ian continues to think pirates are cool, and dresses up like one when Ally and he play princess and pirate together. He also still loves swords, and the crock full of them is firmly rooted by our front door, as full as ever.

When Ian was born, I was determined to never use the line, “You are such a boy!” But I’ve found myself using it more than I care to admit as he gets older. I guess I’m just at a loss to otherwise describe his boundless energy, refusal to sit down to pee, and general love of causing “non-premeditated” mass destruction. His favorite form of play is wrestling, and we spend untold amounts of time with him trying to body slam, squish and pin us. I guess some things really are innate, because we’ve never let him watch wrestling on TV. He’s still a peanut, so for now, it’s all good, but one day I know that will change.

His size is the only thing about him that is small – he has a rather deep voice compared to other young boys and packs a wallop of a personality, which features generous helpings of mischievousness, playfulness, and silliness. But there is a softer side to Ian as well, a side that can be very sweet and gentle. He is big on snuggling when he first wakes up or sleepy and loves it when I yank him back and forth as he tries to kiss me (and gets frustrated when I don’t let him win a kiss). And what a kisser he is – cupping your face in his hands and laying a huge lip locker on you – lock up your daughters!

Ian’s favorite lullaby is “You are my Sunshine,” and he always points out that he is my sunshine and I’d be sad if he was ever taken away. Maybe that’s why one night as I was putting him to bed (rare since he usually prefers Eric for bedtime), he said, “Mommy, I want to keep you forever.” My response was, “Little man you can, because you will absolutely own my heart forever.”

And that has been true from the moment he was born. Because even though he’s officially made me the “Executive Director of a Madhouse” as I like to joke, that’s life with Ian and just the way we like it. Happy birthday, Ian!

There have been plenty of other changes too, but ones that are harder to pinpoint. Every parent has those moments, when you look at your child and they’ve seemingly matured overnight. You can’t always identify what it is, the sound of their voice, something they’ve said, or just their general “look,” but you can feel it – they are older somehow. I seem to get that feeling every other day now. And it is both heartbreaking to be yet again reminded of how time flies, and exhilarating to see the young girl she’s maturing into.

Personality traits apparent since she was a toddler are developing further, in particular how outgoing she is, striking up a conversation with people everywhere she goes, currently any kid that appears to be her age. You’ll turn around and there she is, “Hi, my name’s Alexandra and I’m 6. What’s your name and how old are you?” She also has a take charge attitude, and tries to take the lead in most situations. While a good thing, I do spend time coaching her that there’s a difference between being a good leader and friend, and just being bossy and mean.

One quirk I thought she’d outgrow but hasn’t is her refusal to wear any shirts or dresses with buttons on the front. I don’t know when or how that one started.

Her taste in TV has changed as she now prefers Wizards of Waverly Place and My Babysitter’s a Vampire to the usual cartoons, but still enjoys Scooby Doo. I’m always happy to snuggle with the kids to watch Scooby, and they just discovered two of my other childhood favorites, He Man and She Ra, which we watch together too. She also loves jewelry (not to wear often, just to collect it seems) and makeup.

Alexandra was very proud of herself at her kindergarten graduation – getting her diploma and signing Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World” with her classmates. Alexandra’s teacher choked up as she was reading each student’s name, and we are so lucky she had a chance to learn from her. I am still amazed at everything she knows and can do now – reading, writing, addition, subtraction, counting money, telling time. That last one I wish they would have waited on though, as I can no longer fake her into an earlier bedtime!

Alexandra will start first grade in just a few weeks now. I still have trouble comprehending that. We’ve been slowly collecting the items on her school supplies list, and she’s had fun picking out what she wants. The prospect of the bus, a new school and whole class of strangers is enough to make even our outgoing girl feel a bit nervous though.

At her birthday party, surrounded by friends from her old school, current school and her neighborhood too, I was reminded of how lucky our girl has been in meeting and making friends throughout her preschool days. I’ve used that to chat about her concerns over her new school, and her opportunity to make even more great friends.

During one of our mother/daughter walks the other evening, Alexandra let go of my hand, and said, “Mom I’m a big girl now, so I don’t have to hold your hand all the time anymore.” I agreed, saying, “True, but my hand is always here whenever you want it.” She quickly grabbed it again and we walked the rest of the way home hand in hand.

I’m learning that growing up means letting go of our children in little ways every day – showing our confidence in their ability to stand on their own. And while it can be difficult to let go, that moment helped me learn something equally valuable – that Alexandra growing up and me being willing to let go, does not have to mean us growing apart. I’ll always be there to give her guidance as her personal “spotter” and whenever she needs me, while giving her space to mature into the woman she will one day be, and that’s what it’s all about.

This past Friday, Alexandra’s wish was granted. As we were going through the store after school, I offered to get some ice cream to take home. As my girl’s face lit up with a huge excited grin, I noticed that her smile seemed a bit different.

When she opened her mouth so I could get a closer look, I could clearly see her bottom left tooth was loose. “Oh, my gosh Mom,” she gushed with a look of awe, “I have my first wiggly tooth!! I didn’t know, I just thought my tooth was sticking out funny today!”

I admit to getting a bit teary-eyed at yet another reminder that my little girl isn’t quite so little any more.

As we headed to the checkout line, Alexandra proceeded to tell every person we passed about her wiggly tooth, and once in the car had to call Pappy and Grandma Hensell to fill them in.

At home, she ran into the house and immediately shared her big news with Eric, before beginning to wonder exactly when her wiggly tooth would come out. We were betting on it falling out within two more sleeps – before she went back to school on Monday.

I’d forgotten how much a loose tooth can bleed, which hers did a fair share of all day Saturday, up until dinner. And then it happened, as she was eating her pasta, she shouted, “Mommy! My tooth just came out!!”

Sure enough, there was her tiny tooth on her plate. That night, we placed the tooth in a baggie and she carefully put it under her pillow. At 5:50 a.m. Sunday morning, she came running into our room to say she’d heard the tinkling of bells overnight and found money under her pillow – the tooth fairy had come!

Needless to say, Alexandra was thrilled to be able to go to school today and share all the details with her friends.

This paid off recently, when Eric and I were both hit with an awful bout of the flu that left us too weak and sick to get out of bed and take care of our own kids. It’s something I hope we never experience again, but at least we know the kids can fend for themselves for a short while if it does.

Realizing we couldn’t even get the kids to school, we placed a distress call early Monday morning to Pappy, who dropped everything to come help care for all of us. While we were waiting for him to make the three plus hour trip, Alexandra was a wonderful help. Our big girl not only tried to take care of Eric and I, but she also got snacks and drinks for her brother and herself, and kept Ian entertained. We were so appreciative of what she did.

Of course Ian is a different story. His pint-sized, big blue-eyed appearance easily fools some into thinking he’s an angel. Ahem. I’m his mom, trust me, I know he is an absolute sweetheart most times, but he has an equally (and some days exceedingly) mischievous side that can’t pass up an opportunity to do something he shouldn’t whether it can cause bodily harm or not.

So, when Eric turns to me and asks, “Did you just hear the front door?” as we’re laying miserable in bed, all I could think was that it was too soon for my dad to have arrived. But then I heard it too.

I immediately attempted to get out of bed, which was not easy, and called to Alexandra to see what was going on. Her response was, “It’s not me, Mom, I’m getting us a snack!” And then it hit me – Ian! Once at the top of the stairs, I see my son making his way outside and began yelling for him to get his butt back in the house. His perfectly rationalized reply was that he’d only be a minute and needed to take some trash outside (which turned out to be a single sheet of paper).

It’s at times like this that Alexandra’s take charge attitude (and dare I say her bossiness) can come in handy. The girl does not mess around, and before I could shuffle down the stairs, she was out the door declaring to her brother, “Oh no you don’t mister! Ian Cooper, you get inside right now!” Impressively, Ian didn’t argue at all (she did have him by the arm), and he followed her right back into the house. After relocking the door, she sat him on the bottom step and gave him a little talking to about why that wasn’t a good idea. It was very clear that she is mini me in more than just looks alone.

Ian apologized, but I know that does not mean it won’t be repeated. Quite the contrary for sure, so Eric and I learned a valuable lesson – with Ian in the house, we need to invest in a much higher lock on the front door. While we didn’t have to worry about such things with Alexandra, Ian just can’t seem to help himself – if opportunity strikes, he’s going to jump on it. I swear he’s hardwired for mayhem sometimes.

I spent the rest of the time waiting for Pappy lying on the couch. Thankfully he arrived a short while later and spent the next two days taking care of and watching out for us, and we are ever so grateful. I don’t think I would have gotten much rest otherwise.

Boys are very different than girls – I didn’t think that much energy could be bundled into one small person. I understand the phrase “Moms of boys work from son up to son down” more every year. He reminds me a bit of a ping pong ball, always bouncing from one thing to another, and never stopping until he says he’s ready for bed.

Okay, that’s not entirely correct. Ian will sit still for a few things – that would be playing with his pirates or reading his two favorite books, Goodnight Goon and Shiver Me Letters. But my house bears the scars of his energy and desire to figure out what happens when you smash, rip, squish and scratch things. The other morning I woke to the sound of him poking a hole in his wall with one of his swords (his absolute favorite toy – we have an antique crock by the front door that houses his arsenal). He tells us he does things because he wants to see what happens, and while we don’t want to ruin that inquisitive nature of his, we do have to work to find better outlets for it! That’s why we’ve decided not to invest in any real remodeling projects for the house until he’s older, just to be on the safe side.

Ian has such an array of expressions, most mischievous, which tell the entire story. Being easy to read gives us a slight advantage, as we know certain faces mean he’s about to do certain things and we can try to beat him to it. Mostly this means wreaking havoc on his sister while she plays Barbies – the dolls are all orderly and ready to dance with the prince until Ian Monster comes crashing through.

While Ian is absolutely ornery and at times exhausting, he is also a delight and so much fun. He begs to be tickled endlessly, and can swing for hours straight and still want to swing more (the actual record to date is two hours with Pappy Hensell). He can seriously crack us up with what he says and his relentless fascination with his anatomy, which he also likes to chat about.

And despite the constant bickering, I can slowly see a bond forming between Ian and his sister. They spent several hours this weekend playing so well together. They also love to team up and try to tackle Mommy and Daddy, which is the fastest way to get them to work together. They also love to dance and sing together, getting down to everything from James Brown to Metric or Lady Gaga and everything in between with a good beat. It was funny to hear Ian tell his dad he was playing his music too loud the other day – one day it will be the reverse conversation I’m sure!

Ian also enjoys cooking, and he and Alexandra have taken to helping me make dinner. It makes the process take a lot longer, but I figure his future wife will one day thank me for it.

And while everyone told me boys were difficult to potty train, Ian has been rather easy and using the potty for months. His aim is good most times, but when he is distracted, he can miss, and miss big time. I wonder if there is a place he hasn’t marked. I know our yard has been sufficiently covered as he’s notorious for dropping his drawers in the yard whenever the urge hits – one day flashing a group of five teenage girls who thought he was the cutest thing ever. I’ll never forget one of the first times he peed in the toilet and exclaimed, “Oh wow, Mommy! I made bubbles!”

Ian has added a level of chaos to our lives that I’d never imagined. I don’t mean that in a negative way, it’s just we’re always go-go-go, and often times that is go-go-go after him!

That said, I’m so glad to have the opportunity to have a daughter and a son. I remember at the ultrasound, I was so betting on another girl, and there was our boy with his anatomy in full display (which has not changed one bit!). My first thought was, I don’t know how I will relate to a boy. But now I get it – my relationship with each of my kids is different and as much as I want to treat them the same to be fair, they need to be parented very differently for two reasons – because they are different people and as much as I believed I’d never say this, but also because of their gender. There are definite differences that transcend personality alone.

On his birthday in particular, I am reminded of the joy I felt when I learned that while I’d miscarried his twin, the other baby was still there – our Ian. He is a tough kid with a very tender heart and that fighting, spunky personality from the womb is still in place. I am very thankful and lucky (and yes, a little crazy too!) to be your mom, Ian – happy third birthday and I love you!

After a six month wait, Ian’s new nautical themed bedroom furniture finally arrived. Ian was so excited to sleep in his new crib (as he called it), and even kicked out his sister when she tried to test out the new bed with him.

Ian needed no time to adjust to his big boy bedroom, going right to sleep as soon as he snuggled under his new pirate bedding. That may also have something to do with the super comfortable memory foam mattress we bought for him, which I’m tempted to steal for myself.

While we’re still waiting on his nightstand and finishing up a few other details (including a treasure chest toy box being hand made by Pop Pop Emmons), the room already looks great, and Captain Ian is ready to set sail (for mischief, of course!).

кухни

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

On the sixth day at Disney, we were all ready to enjoy the Magic Kingdom one last time and head home. Even Ally said she was ready to be home again.

After another breakfast at the Crystal Palace, where I got my final fill of Pooh’s puffed French toast, we were off to ride the magic carpets, pirates, Thunder Mountain (Eric and Ally), Haunted Mansion, carousel, tea cups and finally the Barnstormer.

The kids then had the chance to meet Buzz Lightyear and Stitch before we did some shopping for souvenirs and took the boat back to the lodge for lunch and the bus ride to the airport. We managed to make this trip different from the other two by trying new shows, rides and places to eat. All in all, it was a very fun, but exhausting trip!

Luckily, Aunt Sammy and Josh were kind enough to be waiting at our house with supper ready, and Pappy and Grandma Hensell arrived Saturday morning too, to help take care of the kids and give Eric and I had a chance to recuperate!

We spent the first half of our fifth day at the Animal Kingdom, kicked off with breakfast with Mickey and friends at the Tusker House. We then went on the safari and took a train ride to Rafiki’s Animal Reserve, where the live (and enormous) spiders they had there left me grossed out, Ally got to meet Pocahontas, and the kids had a chance to pet rather smelly goats.

As Ian napped, Ally and Eric rode the rapids twice, getting soaked the second time. Eric and I then took turns riding Expedition Everest, which was a great coaster. We took the bus back to the lodge for lunch and a swim and were then off to the Magic Kingdom for another character dinner at the Crystal Palace.

The girls rode Thunder Mountain, while the boys rode Pirates and the magic carpets, and picked up a Jack Skellington wreath for our front door for Halloween. The kids ended their night with the SpectroMagic parade, where Ally chatted with one of the dragonflies, and then Wishes fireworks. Eric and I ended the night very late after packing up all our stuff for the trip home.