three

My little rara has turned three. She's taken the leap from toddlerhood into a preschooler. I didn't know what our family was missing until she joined us. Rara is half sweet and half feisty. She NEVER backs down and stands up for herself with ease and confidence. My buddy has been known to lose his mind now and again. Most people back off when that happens. Not rara. She gets right in his face and screams at him, "No! Bad! Boy!"

Rara has a thing for arms. She holds on and rubs your arms like she is a kitten. She loves to nestle her hand in your elbow pit. (Is that even a body part or did I just make that up?) She loves to be close but lacks the ability to sit still. Most of the time it makes me a little bonkers, but I know some day I will miss how she would beg to sit in your lap then just wriggle and squirm until you can't stand it another second.




More than anything, rara loves all dogs. Really anything that has to do with dogs. Or the color red. We must pet every dog we come across. She carries her black stuffed dog all over the place. She gets so excited when anything at all has a dog on it - greeting cards, shirts, even a bag of dog food.





I didn't know that a three year old could have such a strong opinion about things. I also forgot that you could have the most entertaining conversations with a three year old. Rara really is fun to be around. I love the quiet days we have together and how she will chat on and on about anything.




If I had to choose a career based on rara now, I'd go with either veterinarian or daredevil. I hope her spunk never disappears and that it's always covered in a sprinkle of sweetness.

feeling off

Lately big sis has been feeling off. Reacting to little things in a big way. Lots of tears. We've all had a cold, but even though she is feeling better, this mood seems to have clung to her tightly. Big sis feels things deeply. I don't think she cares for change. It takes her so long to feel comfortable and the end of the school year means she will be leaving the classroom that has been her home away from home. Big sis loves her teacher and her confidence has bloomed. She's not able to articulate all these deep emotions, so it comes out in all the little things.




Today I let her have a mental health day. We went to the park, ran an errand and played in the backyard. We colored and played babies. We snuggled on the couch. I know that I cannot change how she is wired but I really hope that I can show her how to take care of herself when she is starting to feel down.





Meanwhile, my buddy has been blowing me out of the water. I always knew he would read. I never expected him to know all of the kindergarten sight words while he was in kindergarten. I always knew he would do math. I never expected him to meet the kindergarten goal of counting to 100 while in kindergarten. I say all the time that my buddy can do anything he wants to... he just usually doesn't want to.





Then there's this little rara. She is just a couple of handful of days away from turning 3. She has mastered potty training. She is hysterical. She is trouble. She doesn't believe in napping but often wakes before the crack of dawn and just can't keep herself awake all day.




Rara loves dogs more than just about anything. Even when they steal the trampoline.




If the dog would stay still, rara would spend all day here. It's her favorite warm cozy place to be.




She refuses to let me pull her hair out of her face. I feel like the world must look like this to her:


On a side note: The adults have gotten the killer cold from the kids. Michael is on the upswing but just the other day while he was travelling, he sneezed while tying his shoe and threw his back out. I *may* have called him old and laughed a bit at his expense. But have no fear. Karma knows what she is doing. I've been sneezing and coughing and spent a good chunk of the night holding my buddy. This morning I woke up with a little pinch around my shoulder blade. Now I'm in full Quasimodo hunch and heading for the heating pad right now. Well played karma.