I am NEVER doing that

Kate has taken to flat-out refusal for things she doesn't want to do, like go to bed, go to the babysitter's, wear a specific outfit. Whatever. At first it tended to be kind of funny, because she'd end up saying things like, "I am NOT wearing those shorts. I am NEVER WEARING SHORTS!", which of course was untrue, but she was trying so hard to be nasty, that it was funny.

Now it's gotten a little more challenging. The other night, I told them it was time to take baths and showers (because they are both so tired), and she threw a big fit (not at all related to the tired, of course). She clung on to the banister at the top of the stairs and said, "I am not taking a bath. I am not going to bed. I am never going to bed!" I got her into time out, and she continued to scream and yell. When she finally calmed down, I said, "Okay, are you ready to put on your pjs?"

"NO! I am NEVER WEARING PJS. I am NOT doing that!"

"You can put on your pjs and go to bed, or you can go to bed in what you have on," was my response. Amazingly, I felt very calm. I think the amusing element was keeping me from losing my temper.

Naturally, she refused my offer. So I picked her up to take her to her room. She was so tightly clinging to the dining room chair she was sitting in, that the whole chair came with her. I shook her back and forth a bit to get her to drop the chair, and then took her to her room, turned out the light, and closed the door. Of course, once she realized I meant business, she said, "I can't sleep in these clothes! I have to put on my pjs! Please mommy can I put on my pjs." So we did, and she went to bed early.

Today, she didn't want to go into the babysitters. So here we are, 7 am in a quiet neighborhood and my daughter is yelling in the yard, "NO! I am not going in there!" and has planted herself firmly on a garden edging stone. Fortunately, a bee helped me move her by buzzing by, but really, what am I supposed to do? Drag her into the house screaming and wake the other baby? Strong-willed Child (the least helpful book ever) says the last resort is spanking. Clearly they haven't tried that with my daughter, because after a warning and spanking, she could care less. Eventually, I talked her in by telling her she'd have to go straight to bed when we get home, a threat she knows I'm good for now. Good grief. If we can just make it to vacation...

Here's a picture of my darling daughter looking super cute (though somewhat sassy) in her Sunday finest. Heaven help me.

Picky and smart

Kate's taken to wearing about 1/3 of her wardrobe. The rest is not just unworn, it's unwearable, according to my relatively picky daughter. Today I took out two of her cute, knit dresses to wear (with bike shorts, natch) and told her to go in her room and choose. Oh, the drama! The horror! Choosing between just two dresses! Neither is purple! How will she ever decide???

So, she was in there crying and screaming for a bit, and then I heard, "Mommy, I've chosen the dress I want to wear."

"Great," I replied, "You don't need my help. Just put it on."

"But it's still hanging in the closet!!" she cried.

Mom trial #1: Do you give in, or stand your ground? If you have a child like Kate, I recommend standing. Firmly.

"Well, you need to choose one of the two that are hanging on your door, then you can get dressed," I said.

Oh, drama. Crying. Screaming. Angst.

Sam and I continue having breakfast. Then I hear: "Mom, I can wear any of the dresses that are laid out in my room, right?"

"Sure," I said. At this point I remembered her Sunday dress was still hanging on a chair as I contemplate whether to hand wash or not. I told Sam, "I know what she's thinking. She's so smart. Watch this."

Sure enough, she comes out with the Sunday dress in hand and said, "Can I wear this dress, Mommy?"

Mom trial #2: Very cute. And technically she is doing what I said. But wearing the Sunday dress is out of the question for a day of playing outside at Jo's.

"No, not that one. It needs to be washed," I said.

OH! Drama! Crying! Yelling! But, boy is she clever to figure that one out. Wow.

I head into her bedroom and help her select a dress. We have a little more drama, but end up in one of the two choices we started with. Score one for mom.

Prayer time

Ah, more fun with morning prayer time. Nothing like simultaneously praying, arguing over who should be praying, and asking God to help everyone else be more compliant with our own plans. When it was Kate's turn, which wasn't first and therefore was very difficult, she started like this: "Okay, it's my turn. Everybody close your eyes and bow your heads."

Surely she heard that at Sunday School-- I can picture them all learning how to pray like that. Since I was driving during prayer time, I took a pass on the closing eyes and bowing heads part. Fortunately, she didn't notice, or I'm sure that would have caused much stress.

Chik-fil-a

Like any good church-going family, we love Chik-fil-a. When our schedule permits, which is rarely, we go to CFA before church on Wednesday nights, and there are generally quite a few friends there. Last night was a good night, so we were there. Sam and Kate had to have their pictures taken in the cow, so I thought I'd share them. (Note: pictures taken before playplace sweatiness ensued.)

First Swim Meet

Sam had his first swim meet (at least the first he actually got to swim in-- the other was rained out) on Saturday. In the boys 8 and Under group, he swam the Freestyle, Backstroke, Breaststroke and on a Freestyle relay team. (All swims for 8 and under are 25 m). He placed 2nd in backstroke, 4th in breast, and 8/16 in the freestyle. His relay placed first, though there was only one other team, but they won by a long shot. We were so proud!

It took Sam a swim or two to really figure out how the racing worked. His first race was the freestyle, and he was so concerned about giving the timers his name that he didn't touch the wall, which is when the timing ends. His coach and I are standing there yelling, "Touch the wall, Sam! Touch the wall!" We talked afterwards and his response was, 'Oh, I'll do that first next time." But he had a great time.

One of the surprising things is that Sam started to get competitive about where he placed in his heats. He'd look up and say, "Was I first?" It's the first flash of competitiveness I've seen from Sam, and I like it!

Here's a picture of Sam with his first ribbons. We're so proud.