Falling Back & Flyin' Solo

Happy November! I can't believe October is over and now the real holiday season is in full-swing. At least it is in our house. Alex left Friday morning for a week-long pleasure trip to Japan (TDY), so I have been flying solo with the beasties. This weekend had its ups and downs. 

This was an up.

Friday was Halloween, and it was one of the worst parenting days I've ever had. I don't know if the moon and black cats were bewitching Bobby, but it was like he pulled a Winnifred Sanderson and sucked all the lives out of all the other little children in town to give himself supernatural energy. And it was not positive energy, either. Much of the day involved guttural screaming and was spent in time out. Also, he figured out how to pull the step ladder over, and I caught him playing with all the knives on the counter (not pictured because I don't want to go to jail for child endangerment). I think part of the bad behavior was due to not feeling well, and the other part is due to this phase he's currently in where he flips out if he sees me doing anything remotely enjoyable that doesn't include him. Like going to the bathroom. Or unloading the dishwasher. He gets particularly mischievous and/or asinine whenever I'm distracted with Vivi somehow. I wonder if jealously is starting to kick in a little. 

You turn your back for 6.7 seconds.

 Finally I had reached my limit, and I just started sending him to his room when he would get on those terrible screaming kicks. I told him he can scream up in his room until he's blue in the face; I don't care, but he is not screaming downstairs. Downstairs is where all the medicated happy people play.

After he ripped up his freshly made Halloween costume, I'd had enough and decided to quit. Luckily, my friend had a spare costume that her son wore the year before, so Bobby went as a cute puppy. I was in such a tizzy getting out the door that I forgot his shoes and candy bucket, but socks and an old football helmet worked in a pinch. It's not like he will remember that mama dropped the ball.

 He was apprehensive at first, but after warming up to the whole deal, he really enjoyed trick or treating. So much that he was trying to invite himself into peoples' homes.

Vivi was adorable as a Cabbage Patch Doll. She almost looks like a real doll in that wig.  

I mean really.

I woke up Saturday determined to stick to a brand-new diet. And by diet, I mean not eating Bob's Cheese-Itz and Halloween Candy. So far, so good. Just had some pumpkin pancakes and pumpkin eggnog. Did you know pumpkin eggnog is a thing?

It's awesome.

 I devoted Saturday morning just to the babies. No chores, no projects. Just snuggles, play time, and my complete attention. 

 

It was freezing when we woke up, and I was excited to turn on our fireplace in the kitchen and drink a hot cup of Christmas tea. Then we played. It's so cute how much the babies like each other now. 

Bobby loves playing with Vivi. She's his favorite toy, and he loves giving her hugs and kisses. She just loves him to the moon and back. You can already tell how much she adores her big brother. 

 

We hung out in the living room all day and watched the GA/FL game, which turned out to be a complete and utter disaster for the bulldogs.

Didn't cheer hard enough.

And then it was time to fall back.

The man who came up with Daylight Savings Time obviously did not have small children. Can we just talk a minute about how much falling back with little kids blows? Daylight savings time in the fall used to be a mini-holiday for me in my pre-maternal days. Sleeping in an extra hour? Yes, please. 

Just kidding.

Bobby was up bright at early at 7am. Didn't get the memo. Viv is a girl after my own heart, though, and slept til 8:30 (which is really 9:30 on our old schedule, so that's pretty darn impressive). This new time change completely hijacked our routine, and the day seems to drag on and on and ON. Before kids, it's an extra hour to sleep. After kids, it's an extra hour to entertain tiny people. 

After lunch, I took the kids to Target for an outing and some eye candy. I feel it my duty to give a little PSA here and let you know that Target has just put out a lot of their Christmas stuff, and it is AWESOME. I am loving this vest, these fair isle flannel Christmas sheets (which at $25 for a king size set is an amazing deal), and these holiday leggings. Also, I have been eyeing this white fur blanket from Pottery Barn to put on my Christmas list, but I did feel it was a little steep for a blanket. Lo and behold, if Target did not have a very similar blanket for a fraction of the cost. And just so, so much awesome Christmas decor. 

Aisles and aisles of it. All different color schemes and themes. It was very hard to walk out empty-handed. Okay, nearly empty-handed.

Afterward, my friend and I took the children to this exhibit of playhouses. It was awesome, and Bobby had the best time playing in the little houses. I think it won't be long before he wants a fort/teepee/playhouse of his own. 

Also, he climbed this, which made my heart stop a little. He has the most moxie of anyone I've ever met.

The funniest thing of the weekend was at the playhouse exhibit when these two older kids took an interest in Vivi. They were having a fun time playing with her and laughing at her, and she, in turn, was doing her best flirting with them.

She's into older guys, like her mama.

Bobby watched with a keen eye for a couple of minutes, until he decided that they were spending a little too much attention and time with her. So he very deliberately walked up, pushed them away, and wheeled her stroller away from them.

It was so funny how protective he was and how much he did not like them with his little sister.

Already fending off the creeps.

Then we ate an awesome mexican dinner, where I had lobster enchiladas (a lot less sketchy than it sounds), and we discovered Bobby loves chips and salsa. 

It started getting dark, the kids were getting restless, and I figured it had to be almost bedtime. Looked at the clock, and it was 5:54pm. You have got to be KIDDING me. Seriously cursing this time change. 

Later at home, I was feeding Vivi, and I heard a clanging coming from the kitchen (I'm telling you, the extreme mischievousness comes out when I have my hands full of something or someone else). Bobby was on top of the kitchen counters again and had gotten a pear out of the cloche pedestals I have started keeping fruit in.

To be fair, this was terribly poor planning on my part.

I got him down and let him keep the pear to eat, and I went back to feeding Vivi. Then it got quiet. And then this happened:

Let me tell you, mushed pears aren't the easiest thing to clean out of carpet.

Once I put out that fire, it was time for baths and bed. This goes a lot more smoothly when you have two parents taking part. When I'm flying solo with the babes, this routine is a lot more abbreviated. I deposit Bob in the bathtub and let him play for a few minutes while I get Vivi in her night diaper and pajamas. Then I set her up in front of the TV (don't judge) so she can watch Full House. 

She's got it bad for Uncle Jesse. But who doesn't.

 Then it's back to the tub to wash the Cat very quickly and get him dressed and ready for bed. And for night snuggles.

 

I then take Bobby to his room for books, prayers, and our nightly vigil to Stairway to Heaven on the record player. Then he climbs out of his crib a time or two before he beds down for the night. Whew. I'm pretty tired by the end of the day when I'm alone with them.

This was a long, trying, sweet, fun, and exhausting weekend. I'm excited for a low-key week around here and for Alex to return to us next Saturday!

Keep on keepin' on!
-Annette