A failed zoo attempt

*Foreshadowing: Her shirt says "I am a wild child"

Tom had a track meet today so I decided to tag along with my sister and her family as they went to the zoo. We arrived early, right as it opened, and I was really excited to spend a fun day with the kids. I should have known better. Right away, Ellie was off to a rough start. I had to remind her several times to stay next to me, she attempted to climb over the fence into the zebra enclosure, and she threw a giant stick into the water during the sea lion show. But the kicker was when she got lost. We were on our our way to the petting zoo area when we stopped at the carousel. No lie, in 30 seconds she managed to disappear. I was actually glad Dianna and Daniel were there to witness one of Ellie's amazing disappearing acts (remember SeaWorld when she got lost 3 times?). Anyway, I was fairly confident she would be fine and I would find her, but that still didn't keep me from getting that horrible, sick feeling in my stomach. Daniel did a lap around the carousel and I ran ahead to the petting zoo. No Ellie. At this point, I get a call on my cell phone and, wouldn't you know, it is the ranger saying he has Ellie. Her experience at SeaWorld taught her to go right to a ranger and have them call me. Needless to say, we ended our little zoo trip right then and there and Ellie spent the rest of the day in punishment.

Just yesterday, I took Ellie to get pedicures with me and posted on my Facebook how much I loved having a daughter. That remains true, but, dang, that girl is exhausting!

One less pair of shoes to tie

Do you remember the exact moment you learned to tie your shoes? I do. My mom did a home preschool (Joy School!) and one day the lesson was on tying your shoes. I remember after class sitting at the top of the stairs and trying over and over again until finally the rabbit made it around the tree and through the hole. I was so proud of my accomplishment.

Ellie’s teachers have been dropping hints that she needs to learn to tie her shoes. No, not hinting, straight out telling me. She wouldn’t even be wearing shoes with laces if she didn’t insist on wearing those dumb, Twinkle-toe Sketchers. Oh well. Every morning when I tied them for her, I would recite the story of the tree and the rabbit hoping she would just pick it up, but she never did. So, yesterday I went to Half-Price Books and bought one of those shoe-lace books. It took Ellie and me about 20 minutes before she mastered it. And when she woke up this morning, she tied her own shoes on the first try. She was so proud. And I was so happy to have one less pair of shoes to tie.

Waiting for her head to spin around

Over the break, my little niece Olivia stayed the night. Olivia is a sweet, tiny, 4-year-old with long, beautiful hair. Completely adorable. The girls played wonderfully all day and when it started to get late, I let them watch a movie on my bed. Tom and I were watching a show in the living room when little Olivia came out to warn me of impending danger:

Aunt Holly? I think something bad is going to happen.
What, sweetie?
Well, Ellie saw a ghost on the wall and it told her in her head that she had to kill her friend or it would kill her.

At this point, Tom and I are completely horrified, but also struggling not to laugh. I escorted Olivia back into the room to confront Ellie and she just shrugged it off and said she was just joking. So, I might be raising some sort of demon-child and Olivia might be too traumatized to ever stay the night again.

Spring Break or Bust

I started off my Spring Break on a really low note. Really low. I dropped my phone in the toilet. My sweet G2. Not as reliable as the G1 (which I am really regretting selling now that my G2 is non-functioning), but still a good phone. I tried all the Google remedies to bring my poor drowned phone back to life, but, alas, nothing worked. I didn't realize how addicted to my phone I was til I had to do without. I can't check Facebook, play Draw Something, or even access my birth control app (Cycle Beads). If we end up having a 3rd child, it will be because my phone drowned in the toilet. But, back to my Spring Break. On Tuesday, we went to see Miranda Lambert at the Houston Rodeo. I am not a big country fan, but my dad hooked me up with the tickets. Plus, I like how she is anti-Chris Brown. On Wednesday, we took Jack and Ellie to see The Lomax. It was Jack's first movie-theater movie and he loved it. Plus, I liked the message behind the movie. Today, we took the kids to the rodeo. They both rode the ponies; a first for the Jackster. They also enjoyed the petting zoo, but Jack did get a little scared by the aggressive goats. The lines for the carnival lines were crazy long, but worth it in the long run. And the kids had their first taste of fried Oreos. I have pictures to prove all of this, but I am too lazy to upload them. Just know that we are really enjoying our Spring Break (except for the whole drowned phone thing).

No matter what

"I love you no matter what. Nothing you can do will ever make me stop loving you." I have repeated that to Ellie almost daily since she was about 2. Now when I start to say it, she will finish it for me:

I love you..
No matter what!
Nothing you can do...
Will make you stop loving me!

The other day, Ellie was playing on the floor with Jack and I overheard her telling him that. It was too adorable. Just when I start to despair about her attitude and sass, she goes and does something like that and completely melts my heart.

Stages

Last night, I was driving home from Dianna’s house after enjoying a delicious dinner and being able to spend some time with my visiting grandpa and my oldest sister. I was in a bad mood because when it was time to leave, Ellie started arguing and crying. It progressed from there into a complete meltdown. So, I was trying to get her calmed down and into the car while also trying to chase down Jack who was running around yelling and beating his chest like a caveman. I turned to my oldest sister and sarcastically remarked, “Don’t you miss this stage?” Her three children are now teenagers – and not just your typical teenagers, she has like teenaged saints. Anyway, I wrangled all the kids into their carseats, all the while letting a sobbing Ellie know how disappointed I was in her behavior. After driving for about 10 minutes, I heard Jack whisper from the back seat, “Shhhh, Ellie sleeping.” I glance over my shoulder and there is Ellie, fast asleep, with her little hand clasped in Jack’s smaller one. And I thought to myself, “I love this stage.”

You've got the music in you

I've mentioned before how much Ellie loves music. We bought her a little MP3 player awhile ago and she loves to listen to it in the car. A couple weeks ago I glanced over my shoulder into the back seat and saw Ellie sharing an earbud with Jack. Both were bobbing their heads to the music, oblivious to everything around them. It was totally heartwarming. Now poor Ellie can't listen to her music without Jack demanding she give him an earbud so he can listen, too. This morning, Ellie told me that Jack's favorite song is Miley Cyrus's "The Climb." It seems like just yesterday he was obsessed with Elmo and now he is rocking out to Miley Cyrus?