"Reminds me of childhood memories Where everything was as fresh as the bright blue skyyy."

 We had a fantastic day at "school" today.  The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, the math was actually colorful and our lesson on sound waves was musical.  I love the harmony of our class.  I love the closeness, and the respectfulness.  And, I am so very glad that we will be doing it  again next year!

After school, Asa, Addison, Anna, and I always head home to relieve Gina.  Usually, Gina takes Anna home... but not today.  Jeff wouldn't be home tonight, and I'd be on my own.  Anytime the only other adult in our household has plans, I feel the need to amp up the nightly routine a little.  I mean, I am here all day, every day.  Same mouths eating the same foods at the same tables.  I gotta shake it up a little, right?

Because I was going to be on my own tonight, Ellen and I devised a plan to get together for leftovers at my house.    So, we kept Anna, and Ellen brought her other two over, along with baby carrots and a ton of apples.  The kids played like maniacs, jumped on the trampoline, ate all of the leftover birthday pizza, and then proceeded to crank up the music from one of their American Revolution animation videos and put on a performance for us mommies.

Addison would come into the kitchen, calmly stating something like, "In this scene, the patriots are armed with cannons and muskets, and closing in on the troops."  The music would crank up a notch, and here the kids would march, all 6 of them (Carris was finishing dinner, amused by the unexpected dinner theater), guns drawn.  At one point, Asa had decided to wheel Bennett in, as if he were the cannon.  They must have repeated this with 5 or 6 different scenes of American Revolutionary War battles.  Loving every minute of it.... especially Ivey.

 And where is Jeff on this fine night?  He's the GNR show at the Tabernacle, which I wholeheartedly supported.  As someone who recently missed out on being in close proximity to Jack White (because I was dumb enough to confirm a sitter BEFORE purchasing tickets), I gave him the thumbs up to head out.  Hopefully, he is enjoying a great show and not burning images and sounds into his psyche that will require hypnotherapy to remove.  I'm thinking positively.  That he is out there, with great friends, witnessing the downright non-depressing Axl performance of his dreams.  :)

Let me just say that being 2 does not become Olive.  She is a bossy little selfish bully.... complete with "no" and "mine" and all of the other obnoxious tools that the two year old fairy must have left her under her pillow last Sunday.  While poor Carris attempted to enjoy our house, bossy Olive had to walk around exclaiming, "No, those are MY pajamas!"  Like Carris wants your pajamas.  Sheesh!  Olive even demanded to use the potty just because Carris was on her potty.  And, she went.  I'm sure out of either spite or just to mark her territory.  Ivey took on whininess as her two year old weapon of choice.  Olive appears to be interested in a less passive route.  Lord help us all.

At one point, Ivey told Olive, "Olive, do not say no to Mommy.  Say yes ma'am to her.  She is great, Olive."  and this gem of advice, "Olive, when you feel anger, you need to say stop that to your anger."  I guess that's the difference between a girl on the beginning of this painful learning process and a girl who is starting to pull those pieces together and gain some self control on the issue.  Ivey has been so much better.  Typically, once we say that it's bedtime, Ivey falls into hysterical whining and sobbing.  For three days we explained that we can tuck her in, kiss her head, and tell her how much we love her, but we do not sit and rock a girl who acts like that.  Each night, she fell apart for having to go to bed, and each night, she did not get to rock.  On night 4, she happily shared that she was going to rock me that night because she was going to do no more whining and crying.  You know what?  She did.  And, it was a long, sweet, awesome rock with songs galore.  Withholding a nightly rock too harsh?  Not nearly as harsh as the punishment to the world would have been by releasing another emotionally driven tantrum prone girl into the mix.  My girl is learning self control.... and is aware of it.... and it coaching it to her baby sister.  I call that success.

And now, speaking of success, I must go and tend to my 2 and 3 year olds, who managed to sneak past me with a full cup of water, spill it, and then devise a plan to smear it up with toilet paper, which is now in tiny, wet pieces all. over. my. rug.  Sigh.  Back to work!