Those of you who know me, would say I can get along pretty well with most people I think. I have moved around a lot, and especially the past few years, and I have made some really good friends everywhere we've been the last little while. Besides Bryant, my Mom and my Sister however, I have very very few really close, talk to them everyday, hang out whenever possible kind of friends. Not that I don't enjoy hanging out with everyone I am friends with, I'm talking more on the "best friend" kind of scale. I had one, possibly two friends in Spokane that fit this category, I had some really good ones in Springfield (that was a special place for me!), and I have found one here in Boise as well.
My friend Courtney has been someone I can really count on these past few months. Our kids get along so well together for one thing, but mostly, she is a true, loyal friend to me. I know I can ALWAYS count on her. She has never once flaked out on me, or even told me "no" that I can remember. Despite the fact that she has a 4 year old and a 9 month old herself, she has watched BOTH of my girls A LOT the past few weeks while I try and get packed. It's quite a chore to pack and move in the first place, it's next to impossible to do it with two little kids underfoot. And unfortunately Bryant has been gone studying for his ever so important Licensure exam, so the task of moving has been placed mostly on my shoulders once again.
I have really really really appreciated being able to drop my kids off at the spur of the moment, and then after a long, hot day of packing and going to pick up the girls, being able to take a nice cool swim in their pool! Tonight, despite not feeling well today, I even got dinner.
We have been lucky to be by our long time best friends Ryan and Carissa while here in Boise as well, and they have also helped a lot.
I hope I'm the kind of friend to others as Courtney (and Ryan and Carissa) have been to me. I'm going to miss you terribly once we move next week!
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Graduation Announcement
The time has come for GRADUATION! YEAH--Finally! Many of you may be getting an announcement in the mail, but for those who didn't, Please know you are invited! We know most people will not be able to make a trip to Spokane for the actual graduation, so we are having an Open House of sorts in Bryant's honor in Boise/Kuna on June 18. This is a HUGE accomplishment, and one that has come with A LOT of sacrifice. I'm so proud of Bryant. This has been a very intense and busy program and he's juggled his school demands with his responsibilities as a husband and father wonderfully. If you're able to come and give him a much deserved congratulations, please stop by! We will be providing lunch, so I will just need to know an approximate number so we have enough food! Hope to see many of you soon!
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Life As We Know It....CRAZY!
The past 6 weeks since my last post has been crazy. Crazier than normal--though crazy seems to be the normal for us these days. Soon, things will slow down, I hope. I'm starting to get really tired!
Anyway, Bryant has had LOTS of job opportunities to pursue, and at the end of April, we headed down to Beaumont Texas to check one of them out. My Mom, bless her heart, came to Boise to watch our girls while Bryant and I went on this little trip. I don't know what in the world I would do without my Mom right now. She is so willing to help us out, and she loves my girls so much. She made it possible for Bry and I to take this trip. Otherwise, I don't know what we would have done. The company paid for our trip down there. But it would have been a nightmare if we had to take the girls with us. Thanks Mom for always being someone I can count on!
Without boring you will all the details of the trip, I will simply say, we LOVED Texas! We loved that it's a small town, but close to a big city-(Houston). We loved the clinic that was hiring. The other PT's were great, very friendly. It's a very Christian oriented place, and we felt very excited about the prospect. Plus, they did have a really good offer for us-especially for being right out of school.
We talked about it, we prayed about it, we talked about other jobs that were interested in Bryant, we prayed some more. The next day before we headed back into Houston to catch our plane, we made the big decision...Beaumont Texas would be our new home. We dropped off our acceptance of the job, to which the other PT's were so excited! We felt good about our decision, and I'm glad to say we STILL feel good about it.
So, it's time to once again get out the moving boxes and pack up. Story of my life this past year. I'm ready to be settled for a while. We hope to love Beaumont and are planning on finally buying a house down there.
Bryant takes his big licensure exam June 28 and then we are heading down south. We can't wait for the new adventures that await us down there, the fun places we will get to visit, the paycheck that we will finally get again, and making new friends and finding opportunities to serve them down there!
Anyway, Bryant has had LOTS of job opportunities to pursue, and at the end of April, we headed down to Beaumont Texas to check one of them out. My Mom, bless her heart, came to Boise to watch our girls while Bryant and I went on this little trip. I don't know what in the world I would do without my Mom right now. She is so willing to help us out, and she loves my girls so much. She made it possible for Bry and I to take this trip. Otherwise, I don't know what we would have done. The company paid for our trip down there. But it would have been a nightmare if we had to take the girls with us. Thanks Mom for always being someone I can count on!
Without boring you will all the details of the trip, I will simply say, we LOVED Texas! We loved that it's a small town, but close to a big city-(Houston). We loved the clinic that was hiring. The other PT's were great, very friendly. It's a very Christian oriented place, and we felt very excited about the prospect. Plus, they did have a really good offer for us-especially for being right out of school.
We talked about it, we prayed about it, we talked about other jobs that were interested in Bryant, we prayed some more. The next day before we headed back into Houston to catch our plane, we made the big decision...Beaumont Texas would be our new home. We dropped off our acceptance of the job, to which the other PT's were so excited! We felt good about our decision, and I'm glad to say we STILL feel good about it.
So, it's time to once again get out the moving boxes and pack up. Story of my life this past year. I'm ready to be settled for a while. We hope to love Beaumont and are planning on finally buying a house down there.
Bryant takes his big licensure exam June 28 and then we are heading down south. We can't wait for the new adventures that await us down there, the fun places we will get to visit, the paycheck that we will finally get again, and making new friends and finding opportunities to serve them down there!
Sunday, April 17, 2011
A Tribute to the '20's
Today is my birthday. I say this, NOT to have a big deal made about it, I say it more as a "I have come to terms with the fact that it is in fact my birthday" kind of attitude! Today, I turn the BIG 3-0. I don't quite know how this happened! I mean where in the world did the time go? I remember (and it doesn't seem like that long ago) that someone "in their 30's" was really getting up there!
I will admit, I've kind of been dreading today for a few months now. However, I was talking to my sister a few weeks ago and telling her how kind of sad I was that I was going to be 30 years old. And she said "April, you OWN your 30 years! You've accomplished so much. You have served a mission, gotten married, graduated from college, help your husband almost finish his Doctorate degree, and you have 2 beautiful kids. How on earth can you be sad about being 30?" At first, I thought--yeah, easy for you to say Kristin! You're only 22. You have 8 years left in your 20's! But then after a while, I thought, you know she's right! If I want to stay 25 or even 29 forever, I won't accomplish anything else in my life. And I am proud of what I have done in the last 10 years!
And so, I have decided to have a little "Tribute to my 20's" post..mostly for me, but I hope you all enjoy as well!
Here is goes:
20 years old: I left home for the first time after completing 2 years of college in California and went to Rexburg to attend BYU-Idaho. It was that first semester that I actually met Bryant! (Though there was nothing romantic there until after our missions, we became pretty good friends!)
21 years old: I left on a full time 18 month mission to Belgium, France and the Netherlands! It was a scary yet very exciting time in my life, and to this day, one of the best, most life changing choices I have ever made!
22 years old: Still on my mission for most of my 22 year, I learned French fluently (mostly because I lived with native french speaking sisters for quite a while who were very patient with me and help me perfect the language!), I met some of my best friends during this time (my missionary sister soul mates, I got to be companions with some of the best girls in the world, and I still love them all to pieces!, My testimony of my Savior grew more than anytime before and possibly since during this time as I learned to rely 100% on him for guidance and peace. I got to live in 2 of the most beautiful countries in the world (Belgium and France--and I realize I may be a little biased!) Yes, 22 was a good year!
*As a side note, I will also add that Bryant was also on his mission at the same time as I was and we wrote back and forth to each other (just as friends) the entire time. I would say through our letters and shared experiences, we became very very good, almost best friends during this time as well!
23 years old: I started school again at BYU-Idaho, but most importantly, Bryant and I got married! At this point, we truly were best friends! BEST DECISION I'VE EVER MADE! I hope he feels the same!
24 years old: I graduated from BYU-Idaho with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Management/Finance!
25 years old: Nothing extraordinary happened this year except I worked full time to get Bryant through school so he didn't have to work. We knew graduate school was in our future and I wanted to do everything I could to help Bryant do as well as he could in his undergrad so he would have his choice of grad schools! And he did! This meant working at Melaleuca, which I HATED, but it paid decently enough and I learned A LOT about what I do and do not want to do! I also appreciated the job I got working for the City of Rexburg after that a lot more!
26 years old: I continued working full time and being Bryant's "sugar mama" as it's called! Bryant graduated from BYU-Idaho himself with a very high GPA (which I will let myself take some credit for since I tried very hard to make sure he didn't have to support us during this time!) We also went through a period of infertility, which was difficult, but in the end, made us stronger as a couple and made me more compassionate towards others. And, I did in fact find out when I was 26 that I was pregnant and motherhood was soon going to be upon me!
27 years old: I (finally) became a Mother! My little Gracie girl was born, and she is still such a joy in my life! Bryant also started his Physical Therapy program and we moved from little Rexburg to Spokane!
28 years old: I survived my first year of motherhood/single-parenthood (since poor Bryant was so so so busy with school all the time), that being said, I also survived our first year of grad school! Oh, and I was still 28 when I found out baby #2 was on her way!
29 years old: Honestly, this was a difficult year in many ways. I was so very sick with my pregnancy. My sister left on a mission to Virginia, my parents received a mission call to Mongolia, we had to move to Oregon and then to Boise all within a few months of each other, my sister got very ill and had to come home from her mission, and my Dad also got life threateningly ill and they also had to return home from their mission where he spent 9 weeks in the hospital. Not fun!
However, I learned how to look for the positive in everything. I made a journal or letters for my parents that I was going to give them when they got home from their mission (little did I know they'd be home so soon!) and I wanted to stay really positive in them. So, I was constantly finding the good in something every week so I would have a good uplifting entry to put in this book I made them! I learned A LOT from this!
Most importantly, my sweet beautiful Baby Kate was born, and she has proven to be such a blessing! I LOVE LOVE LOVE how much my two girls love each other! It's a privilege to be their Mother!
Bryant and I had a good time traveling and hitting up lots of baseball games during this time as well! We went to Seattle, Denver, Phoenix, San Francisco, (of course So. Cali where my parents lived several times), to hit new baseball stadiums! We enjoyed our time together before the kiddos came along. But we're enjoying our time together with 4 of us instead of just 2 even more!
And so, I can see, the 20's were good to me! I accomplished a lot, I learned a lot, I worked hard, I played even harder, and life is just darn good! I'm looking forward to what the 30's have in store for me!
I will admit, I've kind of been dreading today for a few months now. However, I was talking to my sister a few weeks ago and telling her how kind of sad I was that I was going to be 30 years old. And she said "April, you OWN your 30 years! You've accomplished so much. You have served a mission, gotten married, graduated from college, help your husband almost finish his Doctorate degree, and you have 2 beautiful kids. How on earth can you be sad about being 30?" At first, I thought--yeah, easy for you to say Kristin! You're only 22. You have 8 years left in your 20's! But then after a while, I thought, you know she's right! If I want to stay 25 or even 29 forever, I won't accomplish anything else in my life. And I am proud of what I have done in the last 10 years!
And so, I have decided to have a little "Tribute to my 20's" post..mostly for me, but I hope you all enjoy as well!
Here is goes:
20 years old: I left home for the first time after completing 2 years of college in California and went to Rexburg to attend BYU-Idaho. It was that first semester that I actually met Bryant! (Though there was nothing romantic there until after our missions, we became pretty good friends!)
21 years old: I left on a full time 18 month mission to Belgium, France and the Netherlands! It was a scary yet very exciting time in my life, and to this day, one of the best, most life changing choices I have ever made!
22 years old: Still on my mission for most of my 22 year, I learned French fluently (mostly because I lived with native french speaking sisters for quite a while who were very patient with me and help me perfect the language!), I met some of my best friends during this time (my missionary sister soul mates, I got to be companions with some of the best girls in the world, and I still love them all to pieces!, My testimony of my Savior grew more than anytime before and possibly since during this time as I learned to rely 100% on him for guidance and peace. I got to live in 2 of the most beautiful countries in the world (Belgium and France--and I realize I may be a little biased!) Yes, 22 was a good year!
*As a side note, I will also add that Bryant was also on his mission at the same time as I was and we wrote back and forth to each other (just as friends) the entire time. I would say through our letters and shared experiences, we became very very good, almost best friends during this time as well!
23 years old: I started school again at BYU-Idaho, but most importantly, Bryant and I got married! At this point, we truly were best friends! BEST DECISION I'VE EVER MADE! I hope he feels the same!
24 years old: I graduated from BYU-Idaho with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Management/Finance!
25 years old: Nothing extraordinary happened this year except I worked full time to get Bryant through school so he didn't have to work. We knew graduate school was in our future and I wanted to do everything I could to help Bryant do as well as he could in his undergrad so he would have his choice of grad schools! And he did! This meant working at Melaleuca, which I HATED, but it paid decently enough and I learned A LOT about what I do and do not want to do! I also appreciated the job I got working for the City of Rexburg after that a lot more!
26 years old: I continued working full time and being Bryant's "sugar mama" as it's called! Bryant graduated from BYU-Idaho himself with a very high GPA (which I will let myself take some credit for since I tried very hard to make sure he didn't have to support us during this time!) We also went through a period of infertility, which was difficult, but in the end, made us stronger as a couple and made me more compassionate towards others. And, I did in fact find out when I was 26 that I was pregnant and motherhood was soon going to be upon me!
27 years old: I (finally) became a Mother! My little Gracie girl was born, and she is still such a joy in my life! Bryant also started his Physical Therapy program and we moved from little Rexburg to Spokane!
28 years old: I survived my first year of motherhood/single-parenthood (since poor Bryant was so so so busy with school all the time), that being said, I also survived our first year of grad school! Oh, and I was still 28 when I found out baby #2 was on her way!
29 years old: Honestly, this was a difficult year in many ways. I was so very sick with my pregnancy. My sister left on a mission to Virginia, my parents received a mission call to Mongolia, we had to move to Oregon and then to Boise all within a few months of each other, my sister got very ill and had to come home from her mission, and my Dad also got life threateningly ill and they also had to return home from their mission where he spent 9 weeks in the hospital. Not fun!
However, I learned how to look for the positive in everything. I made a journal or letters for my parents that I was going to give them when they got home from their mission (little did I know they'd be home so soon!) and I wanted to stay really positive in them. So, I was constantly finding the good in something every week so I would have a good uplifting entry to put in this book I made them! I learned A LOT from this!
Most importantly, my sweet beautiful Baby Kate was born, and she has proven to be such a blessing! I LOVE LOVE LOVE how much my two girls love each other! It's a privilege to be their Mother!
Bryant and I had a good time traveling and hitting up lots of baseball games during this time as well! We went to Seattle, Denver, Phoenix, San Francisco, (of course So. Cali where my parents lived several times), to hit new baseball stadiums! We enjoyed our time together before the kiddos came along. But we're enjoying our time together with 4 of us instead of just 2 even more!
And so, I can see, the 20's were good to me! I accomplished a lot, I learned a lot, I worked hard, I played even harder, and life is just darn good! I'm looking forward to what the 30's have in store for me!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Tea Party
So, the latest thing for Gracie is to have Tea Parties. I don't even know where she got the idea really, but my Mom had this darling tea pot (she got in England when we lived there) that she got out so we could have some tea parties! We taught Gracie the "I'm a little tea pot" song, and she LOVED pouring the "tea" for everyone and then doing the cheers thing with the tea cups! I only got pictures of the first tea party we had, but Bryant and Kristin were such good sports, they joined us for the others we had! When we got home she wanted to keep having tea parties so bad, I went and found a little tea pot and we've had several since we've been home! She loves them!
A Much Needed Update and Our Trip to Vegas!
Wow, I can't believe what a SLACKER I've been about updating the blog! We've had a lot of things happen over the past few months. First of all, my Mom, Dad and Sister came to Boise and our sweet baby Kate was FINALLY blessed! She was so beautiful in her dress and it was wonderful to have family in town for the occasion. I have pictures that aren't yet on the computer, so I will have to make a separate post about this!
Another big thing, Bryant and I celebrated our 6 year wedding anniversary! It baffles me at how incredibly fast time has flown by. Never in my wildest dreams would have thought I'd be married to such a wonderful Man, who despite my many many flaws, loves me, and I never imagined the beautiful children I have. What a fantastic life! Unfortunately, I got the awful stomach flu on our anniversary. Bryant and Gracie had already had it, and I thought I was lucky enough to escape getting it, but it hit full force. Luckily our anniversary was on a Saturday and since I do have such a fantastic hubby, he took the girls while I laid in bed all day. With my parents here earlier in the week, we did go out one night to kind of celebrate at least!
Bryant finished his second 10 week internship, and has now started his 3rd and final one! Graduation is just around the corner and we couldn't be more excited! His last internship was....okay....but we're both glad it's over. This last one is going very well so far. He is at St. Luke's hospital and has to work the weekends. So he goes in Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Besides missing church for the next 10 weeks, it's not that horrible of a schedule. Plus, his Clinical Instructor has been great at this one so far!
During the break between Bry's last two internships, we headed down to Las Vegas to visit with my family. It was a WONDERFUL trip! My Mom is THE BEST GRANDMA/BUBBY IN THE WORLD! My girls (even little Kate) just love her. Gracie was like her little shadow. followed her around everywhere, and of course my Mom loved every second of it! It was so fun to watch my Mom put on the CD of toddler songs while the two of them marched around the island in the kitchen! Gracie still loves to sing "Animal crackers in my soup" and "chicken soup with rice." We went to the park several times, went shopping, watched movies, went to the Temple, and the latest favorite thing for my Gracie Girl, had lots of Tea Parties! I love my parents for so many reasons, but I have really come to appreciate and respect them on a whole new level since becoming a parent myself. And I feel so blessed that my girls have such great grandparents! One thing I really appreciated about my Mom, was that we would have a mess in the kitchen from making dinner, or toys all over the living room floor, and I would stress out about getting it cleaned up, and so many times she would say "April, lets play with the girls. The mess will be here when they're asleep and we'll clean it up then." Such a good reminder that these days with my kids will go by so fast, and I don't want to miss a thing!
While we were there Bryant, Jeff (who tagged along with us on our trip), and my Dad went to Phoenix for a few Spring Training baseball games. They had a wonderful time, and enjoyed their few days of non-stop sports! I'm so glad they went!
We took Jeff down to the Strip one night, went to the movies, had a birthday party for Kristin, and went to see the Hoover Dam and the new bridge they just built while we were there as well.
Two other highlights from the trip, Bryant and I got to sneak away together for one night! I got a fantastic deal on a hotel room, and that's what Bry got for his bday this year! It was so nice just to spend some time together without constant interruptions from the girls. It was fabulous to sleep all night without being woken up by a 2 year old who wanted to climb in bed with us, or an infant who wanted to eat! With Bryant's busy internship schedule and school projects, and 2 kids in the picture now, we have discovered more than ever how important making time for the two of us is. Thanks Mom for watching our girls so we could have some quality couple time!
And finally, we totally splurged and went to see Phantom of the Opera! It's a permanent show at the Venetian, and it did NOT disappoint! I want to go see it again sometime! If any of you are ever in Vegas and want to go see a show, I HIGHLY recommend this one! It was fantastic!
That's the last few months in a nutshell! Here are a few pictures of our fun trip to Vegas!
At the Hoover Dam: (Jeff, Gracie, Bryant)
My Mom let Gracie have a hayday with her makeup! Isn't she beautiful?!
At the Park! Kate LOVED being outside...
And so did Gracie!
Kate with her Bubby
Pretty Birthday Girl
Blowing out the candles
Another big thing, Bryant and I celebrated our 6 year wedding anniversary! It baffles me at how incredibly fast time has flown by. Never in my wildest dreams would have thought I'd be married to such a wonderful Man, who despite my many many flaws, loves me, and I never imagined the beautiful children I have. What a fantastic life! Unfortunately, I got the awful stomach flu on our anniversary. Bryant and Gracie had already had it, and I thought I was lucky enough to escape getting it, but it hit full force. Luckily our anniversary was on a Saturday and since I do have such a fantastic hubby, he took the girls while I laid in bed all day. With my parents here earlier in the week, we did go out one night to kind of celebrate at least!
Bryant finished his second 10 week internship, and has now started his 3rd and final one! Graduation is just around the corner and we couldn't be more excited! His last internship was....okay....but we're both glad it's over. This last one is going very well so far. He is at St. Luke's hospital and has to work the weekends. So he goes in Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Besides missing church for the next 10 weeks, it's not that horrible of a schedule. Plus, his Clinical Instructor has been great at this one so far!
During the break between Bry's last two internships, we headed down to Las Vegas to visit with my family. It was a WONDERFUL trip! My Mom is THE BEST GRANDMA/BUBBY IN THE WORLD! My girls (even little Kate) just love her. Gracie was like her little shadow. followed her around everywhere, and of course my Mom loved every second of it! It was so fun to watch my Mom put on the CD of toddler songs while the two of them marched around the island in the kitchen! Gracie still loves to sing "Animal crackers in my soup" and "chicken soup with rice." We went to the park several times, went shopping, watched movies, went to the Temple, and the latest favorite thing for my Gracie Girl, had lots of Tea Parties! I love my parents for so many reasons, but I have really come to appreciate and respect them on a whole new level since becoming a parent myself. And I feel so blessed that my girls have such great grandparents! One thing I really appreciated about my Mom, was that we would have a mess in the kitchen from making dinner, or toys all over the living room floor, and I would stress out about getting it cleaned up, and so many times she would say "April, lets play with the girls. The mess will be here when they're asleep and we'll clean it up then." Such a good reminder that these days with my kids will go by so fast, and I don't want to miss a thing!
While we were there Bryant, Jeff (who tagged along with us on our trip), and my Dad went to Phoenix for a few Spring Training baseball games. They had a wonderful time, and enjoyed their few days of non-stop sports! I'm so glad they went!
We took Jeff down to the Strip one night, went to the movies, had a birthday party for Kristin, and went to see the Hoover Dam and the new bridge they just built while we were there as well.
Two other highlights from the trip, Bryant and I got to sneak away together for one night! I got a fantastic deal on a hotel room, and that's what Bry got for his bday this year! It was so nice just to spend some time together without constant interruptions from the girls. It was fabulous to sleep all night without being woken up by a 2 year old who wanted to climb in bed with us, or an infant who wanted to eat! With Bryant's busy internship schedule and school projects, and 2 kids in the picture now, we have discovered more than ever how important making time for the two of us is. Thanks Mom for watching our girls so we could have some quality couple time!
And finally, we totally splurged and went to see Phantom of the Opera! It's a permanent show at the Venetian, and it did NOT disappoint! I want to go see it again sometime! If any of you are ever in Vegas and want to go see a show, I HIGHLY recommend this one! It was fantastic!
That's the last few months in a nutshell! Here are a few pictures of our fun trip to Vegas!
At the Hoover Dam: (Jeff, Gracie, Bryant)
My Mom let Gracie have a hayday with her makeup! Isn't she beautiful?!
At the Park! Kate LOVED being outside...
And so did Gracie!
Kate with her Bubby
Pretty Birthday Girl
Blowing out the candles
Monday, February 7, 2011
Finding a Balance...
So, lately it has occurred to me that I expect more from Gracie than I should....especially when it comes to other kids. Gracie LOVES LOVES LOVES playing with other kids. She craves friends, and for the most part, she is a really good little friend herself (even if she is only 2 years old.)
I have been rather strict with her since she as a little tiny thing, probably too strict to some extent, because I did not want to have one of those horrible kids that was disrespectful and defiant and the family never gets invited anywhere because you can't stand their kids. Come on, you all know what I'm talking about. Gracie has a very independent little spirit, and I just know if I don't follow through one time or let her get away with even the little things, we could have a little diva on our hands.
So, to get to the point, I have found myself getting after Gracie, and then I think--"she really didn't deserve that" or something like that, and it seems to always be with other kids involved. For example:
For Christmas Gracie got a Jesse doll (from Toy Story) that she absolutely loves. It is her favorite toy by far right now. It is a rare occasion when she doesn't have Jesse with her. I had to talk her out of having Jesse take a bath with her a few times! Jesse also seems to be every other kids favorite toy too when they come over. We've had a few play-dates with friends or kids from the ward, etc and for some reason Jesse is the hit of the toy box. So, I tell Gracie that she gets Jesse all the time and she has to let the other kids play with her. Which is true, she can let other kids play with her--but after an hour or an hour an a half or two hours, SHE would like to play with Jesse too. I have been very insistent that basically when other kids are here and want to play with her, she's kind of off limits to Gracie. And kudos to my Gracie Girl because for the most part, she has been very good about it.
But then I got to thinking...is that really fair? Shouldn't she also get to play with her favorite toy when other kids are around? I mean, she's asked to give her up for hours like 2-5 hours at a time. That's ALONG time for a little 2 year old. I wouldn't expect other kids to give up their favorite toy to Gracie for that long, so why am I expecting it of her? And where do I draw the line?
(There's more examples I could give of this kind of thing, but this gives you kind of an idea.)
Gracie is really good at sharing, but lately she's become a little more possessive AND aggressive with some things, and though it might have a lot to do with her age, I wonder if I have something to do with it. I might become a little possessive too if I knew I had to share something that I didn't really want to share.
Often I will find some of her toys (including Jesse) in Kate's crib. If Kate starts crying, Gracie sometimes gets to her before I do with handfuls of toys that she lovingly throws in the crib in hopes of making Kate happy. It's really so very sweet!
So, basically I have concluded that I have a great kid. Of course as her Mom I have a responsibility to her to teach her how to share and be a good friend, but where is the balance between teaching her that and still being fair TO HER.
If any of you other Mom's out there have any suggestions, I'd sure appreciate some help!
I have been rather strict with her since she as a little tiny thing, probably too strict to some extent, because I did not want to have one of those horrible kids that was disrespectful and defiant and the family never gets invited anywhere because you can't stand their kids. Come on, you all know what I'm talking about. Gracie has a very independent little spirit, and I just know if I don't follow through one time or let her get away with even the little things, we could have a little diva on our hands.
So, to get to the point, I have found myself getting after Gracie, and then I think--"she really didn't deserve that" or something like that, and it seems to always be with other kids involved. For example:
For Christmas Gracie got a Jesse doll (from Toy Story) that she absolutely loves. It is her favorite toy by far right now. It is a rare occasion when she doesn't have Jesse with her. I had to talk her out of having Jesse take a bath with her a few times! Jesse also seems to be every other kids favorite toy too when they come over. We've had a few play-dates with friends or kids from the ward, etc and for some reason Jesse is the hit of the toy box. So, I tell Gracie that she gets Jesse all the time and she has to let the other kids play with her. Which is true, she can let other kids play with her--but after an hour or an hour an a half or two hours, SHE would like to play with Jesse too. I have been very insistent that basically when other kids are here and want to play with her, she's kind of off limits to Gracie. And kudos to my Gracie Girl because for the most part, she has been very good about it.
But then I got to thinking...is that really fair? Shouldn't she also get to play with her favorite toy when other kids are around? I mean, she's asked to give her up for hours like 2-5 hours at a time. That's ALONG time for a little 2 year old. I wouldn't expect other kids to give up their favorite toy to Gracie for that long, so why am I expecting it of her? And where do I draw the line?
(There's more examples I could give of this kind of thing, but this gives you kind of an idea.)
Gracie is really good at sharing, but lately she's become a little more possessive AND aggressive with some things, and though it might have a lot to do with her age, I wonder if I have something to do with it. I might become a little possessive too if I knew I had to share something that I didn't really want to share.
Often I will find some of her toys (including Jesse) in Kate's crib. If Kate starts crying, Gracie sometimes gets to her before I do with handfuls of toys that she lovingly throws in the crib in hopes of making Kate happy. It's really so very sweet!
So, basically I have concluded that I have a great kid. Of course as her Mom I have a responsibility to her to teach her how to share and be a good friend, but where is the balance between teaching her that and still being fair TO HER.
If any of you other Mom's out there have any suggestions, I'd sure appreciate some help!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
