Trip to the Park

Today we chose to enjoy the beautiful, if a bit cloudy, January weather. We took the girls to the Westsyde Park to feed the animals and check out the ice on the river. Scott and Victoria did a bit of ice dancing and some "curling" with rocks on the ice. Can't argue with +5 degree weather in January!

It's Just a Phase

I have to remember that kids go through lots of little phases. LOTS of phases and stages. I forget this all the time and panic when they seem to be moving into a bad stage. As soon as we enter a "bad" phase I completely forget that I have good kids.

Example: Caitlin is great at going to bed. She wakes up every three hours but is super easy to get back to sleep. However..... recently she's been really hard to put down. She wants to be cuddled and snuggled and lies there as if she is sleeping, right up until you try to put her down, when she loses her mind and screams her head off. It is wearing me down, even though it has only been going on for two nights. For seven months my sweet baby girl has been pretty easy to put to bed and after two nights I have completely forgotten about that and I am second guessing myself and asking "where have I gone wrong?"

During moments of perspective I know my girls are amazing and oh so very good, but all it takes is a blip on their perfect little paths for me to start worrying that perhaps we've taken a wrong turn. I need to get over this because I think we've got a lot of stages ahead of us, both good and bad.

I'm her best mommy.

So today in the car Victoria and I were talking about the fact that she cried an awful lot this morning, for no particular reason.

Me: Victoria, you sure seemed sad this morning.

V: Yeah, I was.

Me: Why were you so sad?

V: Because I didn't have anyone around to make me happy

Me (trying to ensure she turns out to be a strong, independent girl): You don't need anyone else to make you happy. You can make yourself happy.

V: I know, but sometimes it just feels good to have a little help. I just needed some extra love.

Me: I love you Victoria

V: I love you too. You're my best mommy.

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This evening I could hear Victoria yelling in the living room while I was clearing away the dinner dishes. I asked her what was the problem and she told me she was frustrated because she couldn't remember how to play the card game. Not sure what she was talking about, I asked her if she meant the animal card game that she sometimes plays with Grandma. She let me know that "No Mom, I mean that I can't remember the rules for my pretend card game and it is making me frustrated. Grrrrrrr!" Seriously? She's upset because she can't remember how to play an imaginary card game and she is the only player? Kids are funny.