Reflections

I have really gotten away from writing notes about the kids,  I think it's just the busyness of life and also trying my best to disconnect from my phone (where I usually write all my notes for the month) all the time.  It serves its purpose for sure, but I don't want my kids to remember me having a phone in one hand and playing with them with the other.  So my note taking has suffered and unfortunately, I'm too tired at the end of the day to write stuff down and then I'll just forget.  So here's my best attempt at remembering stuff the kids have done over the past 2 months.

Reagan:
Imaginative play is a favorite thing of his.  He ranges from Planes: Fire and Rescue to Frozen to David and Goliath.  Sometimes he wants me to play with him, but many times it's just a running monologue with either planes/helicopters or "swords" (made out of the broken fire truck ladder and two Lincoln logs) in his hands.  If I am asked to participate in his playing, I often do things the wrong way and I'm constantly being corrected.

His way of coping with things he doesn't like or want to do is being alone.  He'll retreat to his room, lay on the bed with his blanket and animals and suck his thumb.  I'm not sure if this method of handling situations is always the best, but I usually give him his space and then try to talk with him about what's happened and try to get him to use words to process the situation.  Ryan was the same way growing up, so I'm not overly concerned.

He's been very interested about money and buying things.  So we introduced a chore chart for him and Kyleigh.  We made sure they understood that some things are expected (like taking their plate to the sink or putting toys away), but that if they completed certain chores, they could earn money.  It's going really well so far :)

Kyleigh:
She continues to be a challenge for us.  Back in May, we could not get her to stop saying potty words like "butt" and "poop."  Over the past 2 months, she has gotten better about not saying those words, but the habit isn't broken.  If I ask her to do something and she doesn't want to do it, she'll respond with "poop" and just look at me.  We've tried various methods to break this habit, but she's holding strong.  And as much as I don't want to do it, ignoring her only works half the time.

She is beyond obsessed with the swimming pool.  Ever since she started swimming lessons in June, I've been asked EVERYDAY (I'm not exaggerating here) if we can go to the swimming pool. She will be our fish, for sure.  And she's doing really well.  Ryan is in class with her; she kicks well and also does her "ice cream scoops" well.  Kyleigh has no fear of the water - she'll jump in without hesitation.  In fact, Ryan took her safety belt off and she insisted Ryan let go of her because she could do it on her own.  So Ryan did and she started to sink.  Obviously, Ryan got her, but she was so confident in her abilities.  She's one I have to keep constant eyes on because she'll walk to the deep end and think she can stay afloat without any help.

Kyeigh is a constant helper.  Even in situations where I don't want her help, she is there to assist me.  I appreciate this giving side of her and want to foster it more.  She has a great love for Rylan (most of the time) and wants to help Rylan with various skills.  So Kyleigh is often out of her chair at meal time trying to give Rylan more food or to help feed her.  She'll also show Rylan the safe way to get down the stairs or she'll give her books/toys if Rylan is sad.  It was such a sweet side of Kyleigh and I want to see more of this than her sassy pants attitude.

I feel like I'm still learning how to interact with her because she can push my buttons so fast and my patience is beyond thin.  My mom keeps telling me that Kyleigh is EXACTLY like me when I was that age.  I roll my eyes because I like to think I didn't give my parents as much grief as she gives us.  But when my dad called one day and without prompting just went on and on about how much Kyleigh is like me, I knew I had to accept it.  It's not that I didn't believe my mom, I just didn't want to believe her.  But dad sealed the deal.  And that's probably why she pushes my buttons so easily - she's just like me.

Rylan:
Oh my sweet Rylan.  How she is growing so fast and especially so this summer.  This is seriously one of my favorite ages because she's learning to communicate, but can't quite talk yet (although she seems to add new words by the day).  One of my greatest memories from May was when we walked around the block.  She's perfectly capable of walking without assistance, but for some reason when we took walks around the block, she would reach for my hand and hold onto my pinky finger.  And she'd walk the majority of the block this way.  It was so sweet and such a gift to my heart.  She could do it, but she just wanted to hold my hand (or dad's).

She has learned so many new words over the summer.  I think she started off with only a handful of words, but she now has around 10 clearly identified words (others would understand), but several more that sound like real words.  It's so fun listening to her.  As I'm typing, the words I can think of are: mommy, daddy, dog, milk, snack, book, sock, shoe, uh oh, bye bye (more like buh bye, and it's so adorable!).  Just recently, she had learned how to say Kyleigh's name, but it comes out more like Kai-ee and I totally remember Reagan saying her name like that, too!  When Rylan wants something, she'll look at it and wave her hands in an up and down motion (like saying hi) until she gets it.  It's so cute!

Rylan is also beginning to throw temper tantrums.  At this time, it's still funny and cute, but I know the cuteness won't last long.  It's just hilarious to me to see such a little person throw herself on the floor because she's not getting what she wants.  The tantrums usually last a minute or two, so it's definitely bearable, but we're seeing her will emerge like never before!!

She has a healthy appetite just like her siblings!  Man, this girl can eat :)  Rylan is also particular about certain foods, especially green beans.  She wants nothing to do with them.  She's like the others in that she'll often choose to eat her fruit before anything else - even fun kid food like chicken nuggets or pizza!  When she hears the refrigerator open, she comes running into the kitchen.  If I turn my back even for a second, she's usually grabbed the applesauce container out of the door and is handing it to me!  Or if I open the cupboard, she'll walk over to it and say "snack snack."  I know my kids' appetites are a blessing because some kids won't eat anything; however, it can also be frustrating because they want to eat so much and if I limit the amount of food they eat, they'll just ask for more.

I know I've missed a lot here because it's hard to remember details spanning a 2.5 month time period.  However, I wanted to capture some of my favorite memories this summer.  For the first time since she was born, I feel like Rylan is getting the "3rd child syndrome" because I don't have as many notes on her as the other two.  I may not have as many notes, but I sure am enjoying the moments with the kids.