Update on the kids

My kids are a circus.  They're either the happiest kids in the world, or the most miserable.  So depending on the time of day, I'm either really enjoying them, or enduring until bedtime.

Tiago is in such a fun stage.  He is talkative and sweet.  He likes to tell stories, about dinosaurs, volcanoes.  I'm always impressed at what he remembers, like when my mom told him that the factory we were driving past turns oil into the gas for our cars.  From then on, every time we drove by he told me what they make.  He was also fascinated at hearing what the mechanics were doing during our oil change.  I enjoy telling him things because it feels like he's listening and mostly understanding.  I'd like to slow down this phase, because I know his attentiveness won't last forever.  He understands the love language "words of affirmation"-- he often says things like, "You're right Mom!"  "Great job!"  "You did that right!"  My sister mentioned that she liked spending time with him because he builds people up.  Some other funny things he's said lately:

"It would be lovely if I wear my slippers to bed."  (probably too much Mary Poppins.)

I told him something about his great-grandma.  Then after a long pause where he was trying to think of the word he said, "Yeah, we went to Best Grandmas house..."

At the gym he didn't want to go into child care so I took him out on a bench and held him for a minute so he'd stop crying.  Then he said, "Okay Mom, I'm ready to go play with my friends."

The whole drive home from Utah he said, "I don't want to go home.  Turn the car around."  But when we got home he looked around and said, "I'm glad about our house.  But Grandma's house was fun, too."

Siena is my craziest child, and has the most frustration, probably due to not being able to communicate her feelings.  This morning she found left-over fruit snacks on the table, and then kept asking demanding "more!"  I told her no, and she screamed and pounded on the pantry door until I relented and gave her more.  Probably not my best parenting, but she takes so much of my energy that I get to the point that I just stop caring about some stuff (nutrition, socks, etc).  Lately Siena has been better about letting me brush her hair, but hates having her teeth brushed.  (I hate it too.)  She thinks she's done taking naps, but I still put her in the crib every day where she either talks and jumps, preventing Mila from sleeping, or takes off her diaper and lets loose.

Mila is sometimes sweet, but sometimes defiant, just because she can be.  She doesn't get mad and frustrated very often, but gets pouty when she wants something.  She is easily excited and usually happy.  She doesn't like getting left behind, or evenbeing far from where I am if we're outside the house.  She eats the most consistently out of all my kids and never lets me wash or brush her hair without a flood of tears and sad screaming.  Both Mila and Siena fight over bringing Tiago his daily cup of hot chocolate, and also fight over a bunch of other things like toys, sitting on me, and what tv show to watch.  When I get her out of her crib every morning her hair is sticking straight up on her head.    

Overall, I feel like we're able to get out and do more lately.  The three of them sometimes play and entertain each other, and life is pleasant.  Life is also more filled with high-stress high-volume periods where I want to scream or hide in another room.  And sometimes I do both, and then we all move on.