Mommy's Little Helper

Ty has always loved to help me. He loves to vacuum, dust, clean windows and tables and above all laundry. He can do an entire load from start to finish, including the folding. Well, I help him with the folding, but he puts it all away in his dresser.

Lately, he has been helping out with Maggie. It was just about nap time, when Ty came down the stairs and told me that he had put Maggie down. I wanted to laugh out loud, but I knew he was serious. When I went up there, she was in bed with her shoes on. As I was taking them off and explaining to Ty that we don't sleep in our shoes, I could smell an unpleasant odor. I told him that Maggie needed to be changed before her nap, too. He said he thought he smelled something!

He loves his little sister so much. He always comes and tells me when she is hungry for a snack or when she has hurt herself. I am so happy that I have two children so close in age that love each other as much as they do. They are the best of friends.

Hidden Message on Money

"Mommy, I love you so much. Thank you, God." - Maggie reading a dollar bill

Sleeping Beauties

Maggie has been sleeping in her big girl bed for over 2 weeks. The transition was a breeze! I read her a few books, sing her a few songs and say good night. She doesn't make a peep until she wakes up in the morning, then she calls for me to come and get her out of bed. Several nights ago, she wanted to take her soccer ball to bed with her. I figured there wasn't anything wrong with that, so I let her. Sunday night, she wanted to sleep with her new package of Dora Pull Ups. So, she climbed into bed and cuddled the package like it was a baby doll. I guess I pick my battles!

Ty has always been our difficult sleeper. He stopped napping when he turned 2 and has never required much sleep at night. Jon has always laid with him until he fell asleep, even though our pediatrician told us not to do this. When he wakes up during the night, he comes into our room. As I recall, our pediatrician warned us that would happen if we laid with him at night. Well, Monday night, Jon showed him how easily Maggie went to sleep and told him that he wanted him to go to sleep on his own. He read to him , told him good night and left the room. It was so easy! Last night, when Jon went in to check on him, he couldn't find him anywhere! He finally checked the top bunk, and there Ty was. He has never slept on the top bunk, so we were shocked. It's amazing how the accomplishments of his little sister can help him to grow up, too!

Honesty is the Best Policy

Jon was sleeping peacefully the other morning, when Ty crawled into the bed and laid on top of him. After a few minutes Ty said, "Daddy, you snell. You snell like a dirty, fuzzy kitchen." Classic. This actually makes me laugh out loud whenever I think about it.

I asked him a few days later what I smelled like. He smelled me all over and said, "You snell like fresh air." That's my boy!

I Saw Maggie Kissing Santa Claus

Maggie has been talking about sitting on Santa's lap everyday for quite some time. We had planned on going Monday, but she got sick. She was so disappointed. She was so excited this morning when I told her that we were finally going to see him. We waited in line for over an hour. She and Ty were perfect angels! There was one girl left to go in front of us, and that is when Maggie got her first glimpse of Santa. Her eyes lit up and she squealed, "I can see his boots!" When that girl got down, Maggie could hardly contain herself. I was having to hold her back from running and jumping up in his lap.
They talked for a really long time. Then he gave her a kiss. I think she may be in love!

No Dinosaurs Allowed

The other night, we saw this sign taped to Ty's door. When I asked him about it the next morning, he said it means that dinosaurs are not allowed at night. Here you can see Rexy, Ty's favorite stuffed animal, sleeping in his box outside the door. This is the same dinosaur that Ty packs as much stuff for trips as he does for himself (including a blanket, nightlight, books and his own teddy bear).
Each night, I see Ty place Rexy outside the door. I wonder what Rexy did to deserve this?

Potty Training from the Expert

Maggie has not quite figured out how to poo poo on the potty yet. She has only done it one time. Ty has been giving her a few pointers, but this one is my favorite. "OK Maggie, you sit on the potty and push until the poop comes out. Then you wait and wait. Then you show the poop to Mommy or Daddy." PRICELESS