Saturday, November 14, 2009

The Glamorous and Not-So Glamorous Aspects of Parenthood

Sneezes, coughs, and runny noses....ahhhh...the sounds of Fall!

This fall we have a Kindergartner learning to read, a preschooler learning to use the toilet, and a toddler learning the boundaries! We are enjoying the unusually warm weather, and playing outside as much as possible!

Every night before bed, we read books with the children. Usually Mike reads to Ryanna andConnor, while I read to Avery. This is a very relaxing and wonderful time of day for our entire family! I am so proud of Ryanna, since she has decided she can now read to us! She read "Are You My Mother?" tonight, word-by-word! She is REALLY reading!

One of my least favorite aspects of parenthood is potty-training! Ryanna potty-trained herself so very easily at 2-years-old...just the idea of wearing pretty panties was enough to get her trianed. Connor, on the other hand, is taking his sweet time. He will be 3-years-old in just over one month, and he is just now getting the concept of staying "clean and dry"! His Build-A-Bear, Buddy, has to take a time out every time Connor has an accident. He LOVES that little doggy, and hates it when he can't play with him. It's funny to watch him put Buddy in time out, and tell him that he's sorry he had an accident, and he'll play with him when he's clean and dry!

Climbing is another challenge that is not so glamorous for us as parents. Avery climbs on everything, knocking things over, spilling things, and just getting into everything. Why is it, that I never had to keep Ryanna or Connor out of things, and when Avery started climbing I suddenly had to put a gate on the kitchen doorway?