Madilyn at three

Whoever coined the phrase, "terrible twos" must not have had a three year old, or a girl for that matter. Three has hands down been a much tougher age for me to parent than two was. Luckily, I know I'm not alone in my frustrations. It's nice having lots of friends (and a sister) with girls Madi's age. I hate to admit it, but I'm always relieved when I hear of other moms frustrations- makes me feel less alone, and more united in a cause of some sort- of raising strong-willed little girls in todays world.

After weeks and weeks of time-outs, arguments, tears, fighting, and over the top drama, I came to a conclusion that there's no solving the problem, it's just a matter of dealing with it. And knowing how to deal with it was where I'd been at a loss. One morning I woke up to a overly- cranky, sassy, three year old and was seriously ready to walk out the door and tell Spencer I just couldn't do it today. But since taking a day off isn't an option, I came up with a plan. After dropping Spencer off at the Metro, I drove over to Target, hauled the girls in, and proceeded to the $1 section. I picked out a weeks worth of "prizes" (stick on earrings, princess notebooks, cool pencils, pens, lip gloss, etc.) and told Madi she could have all these prizes, but she had to earn them. Of course Madi was immediately interested and wanted to know what it was going to take. I told her she had to go a whole day without a time-out and at the end of the day, before going to pick dad up from the Metro, I'd let her pick out a prize. Finally I saw some motivation! A good bribe was just what I needed to help me get through the day. She did end up having a time-out that day though, and actually, now a week later, Madi still hasn't earned a prize from the basket, but she has gotten a lot closer. It may be too much to ask right now for a day with NO time-outs, so I think we might be changing it to a day with no more than one timeout. It's just nice having something to bribe with (I know, it sounds terrible, but don't judge until you've had a three year old girl and can give some better advice). I do need to get her sticker chart back up and rolling, but I'm trying to think up a new system before I get started again.

I now understand what was going through my mom's head 27+ years ago when she left me on my top bunk, took away the ladder, loaded up the other kids, and went to a church meeting. I was obviously throwing some sort of terrible fit. My mom came home to a three year old who had pooped all over the bed (that taught my mom for leaving me alone:)! It's one of those stories I've heard about my whole life, we all laugh about, but I'd never really thought about what I was like as a three year old. From what I'm told, it sounds a lot like who I get to hang out with everyday. For some reason, this gives me quite a bit of added patience.

For the record- I have to include some examples of things I get frustrated with everyday:

- Madi not wanting to share with Elle. Madi will even eat foods she doesn't want to finish when I tell her I'm going to let Elle finish it.

- Wanting to watch a Dora or Diego after I just let her watch one (the rule is one in the morning, one in the afternoon/evening). I'm tempted to take these favorite shows away completely, but they give me a half hour to get ready in the morning, and a half hour to get dinner fixed in the evening (with no bugging Elle).

- Purposely trying to bug Elle: sticking out a leg to watch Elle trip, taking a toy away just to get her to cry, closing her bedroom door when Elle wants to come in, etc.

- Telling me "no", or grunting, groaning, angry faces, etc.

- Yelling, "I don't like that!" or worse- "I don't like (him, her, that girl, that boy)" - said while looking at someone next to us.

- Not wanting to pick up toys because she's "too tired".

- Asking me to "help" her eat at the dinner table (i.e. feed her)

- Baby talk

- Screaming

- Being exceptionally loud

- Flipping out over the littlest things (a scratch, water getting in her eye, not doing something her way, etc)

- Not being able to stay in her room for an entire one hour quiet time- Madi will always find a reason to need my help at least every 15 minutes.

BUT . . . while Madi's "moods" (and all the above examples) might be super frustrating and very trying on my patience, when Madi's being sweet, I'm pretty positive I have the kindest, most well behaved, lovable, adorable three year old ever! Madi really is an incredible sweetheart, a tremendous help, very responsible, and always wanting so hard to choose the right.

Things I absolutely love about Madi:

- She's a work horse. Not kidding- she's a total Rudd when it comes to getting house work done. When I start any type of cleaning, Madi's right there, by my side, ready to get to work. The best part about it is that Madi doesn't wait for me to tell her what to do. She'll seriously grab the windex, some paper towels, and begin all on her own. She's become a pro at washing windows, mopping floors, emptying the silverware, sweeping, and cleaning the table, chairs, and cupboards.

- She takes things to heart. The other day, through anger, Madi told me she didn't like me. I told her how sad that made me feel and that she was following Satan because those are the things Satan would want her to say and feel (I know, a little over the top, but I was desperate). Madi instantly felt remorse, apologized, told me she didn't want to follow Satan, but wanted to be like Jesus. She then gave me the biggest hug and kiss and told me how much she loves me.

- She always tells me, "I love you so much" (sometimes 20-30 times a day).

- She gives the biggest hugs.

- She so badly wants to do what's right. The other night (in the middle of the night), after having a baby-sitter, Madi woke up crying hysterically. I ran in to see what was wrong. Between crying, Madi wails, "I didn't eat my peas...... (more crying)..... I just wanted to eat so good for my babysitter.... (more crying)."

- She isn't afraid to be a missionary. The other day at the park, Madi was being pushed on the swings by the grandma of a friend she just recently met. While swinging, Madi tells the grandma, "A long time ago my grandmother's baby died, but the Holy Ghost told her it was going to be ok."

- She's super friendly and out-going. When we're out on walks Madi says "hi" to the people we pass. At the store she can't leave without waving to the checker and saying, "Bye, have a good day!"

- She loves her friends and wants them to choose the right too.

- She's got an awesome vocabulary- and likes to make up her own words and meanings. The other day Madi busted out with the word "strugglated". I figured out that she was frustrated and struggling which equals strugglated.

- She has a very grateful heart. After giving the girls their own rooms I really wanted Madi's room to be fun for her (not the boring office she'd slept in for months before our move). So one thing we did was went out and bought curtains for her room. Such a little thing (and probably more for me than for her), but Madi still (7 weeks later) includes in her prayers how grateful she is for her "beautiful room" and her "new curtains".

- How passionate she is about everything- life, learning, family, friends, reading, singing, and even service.

There's no doubt in my mind that Madi's gonna go on to do amazing things with her life, it's just so hard to keep the big picture in mind some days. Hopefully all her shenanigans are just a phase and one day (soon) I'll be able to again have days without having to give a gazillion timeouts!

15 months

Now that Elle's already almost half-way through her 15th month, I figured I should get this post finished. I hate playing catch-up. Sorry about all the similar pictures- I haven't gotten my camera out much, so all the pics below were taken on two different days.

I guess the biggest thing that started in Elle's 14th month was. . . temper tantrums!!! Totally didn't know what to do about them either since Madi never threw a real one until after 2 years old. But now I've become a pro with recognizing them- remembering that it's just a tantrum and not that she's tired or hungry. It's funny how quickly she throws the trantrum, and how quickly she recovers from them- like nothing ever happened. It's usually about not getting something she wants. And actually after Elle turned 15 months they were less frequent.

Like most little kids, Elle LOVES animals. I still can't decide if she has a favorite. She's always pointing out the birds to me, loves her ducks in the bathtub and visiting them at the pond, gets ecstatic when she sees pictures of elephants- immediately making the elephant sound, can't live without her giraffe blankie, loves visiting and petting the cats at Pet Smart, and squeals anytime she sees a dog (but then gets nervous when up close). So for now I guess it's just a universal love of the animals. Maybe she'll be like Spencer (when he was little) and want to be a vet when she grows up!

Elle loves her books. She "reads" more than she plays with anything else (even her baby). The video below is not interesting at all, but it's where I find Elle anytime we're upstairs. The books are usually spread all over the floor by the time she's done- which drives me crazy, but it's totally worth the hours of entertainment they provide.

Other things about Elle:

-She eats with her hands most of the time, a fork a lot of the time, and a spoon some of the time (still hasn't figured out how to use the spoon correctly though).

-When I tell Elle something's hot, she'll blow like crazy- cracks me up every time!

-Loves going on walks and actually gets excited to get into her stroller.

-She's a tough a little girl, but also has a very sensitive side (like getting scared super easily).

-She doesn't go crazy when out past her bedtime- much more adaptable than Madi.

-She gives the sweetest kisses- most of them go to Madi (like 30-40 a day), and a few to Spencer and I.

-Naps at noon- sleeps for 2 hours (sometimes less, but never more)

-Bed at 7pm (or as soon as we get home from the Metro). Picking up Spencer has pushed the girls bedtime back a bit (7:15, 7:30, sometimes 7:45) which has seemed to throw it all off (can hardly wait to get a second car). Luckily they both sleep in. Elle's pretty consistent with sleeping exactly 12 hours from when she was layed down. And if she's not sleeping she'll just play quietly in her bed.

My favorite things about Elle's 14th month (and start of 15th month):

-Her mobility and self sufficiency. I love being able to get Elle out of her car seat and tell her to go into the house. It's so nice when they're old enough to not have to be carried everywhere.

-Her obedience. When I tell her to do something, she'll do it for the most part. It's only when she's acting silly that she likes to ignore me.

-Her love of being read to. As much as Elle loves her books and "reading" on her own, I'm so glad that she still lets me read to her. My absolute favorite is when she brings me a book and then turns around and sits down into my lap (she'd do this all day long if we'd let her).

-Her friendly personality. Elle's always waving and saying hi and bye to people. I love checking out at the store and seeing Elle give the cashier a cute smile with her adorable wave and a quiet, "bye bye". I took her to the doctor last week (first check-up since 9 months old) and when the doctor turned to leave she gave an unprompted "bye bye" and wave.

-Her wave. This one gets a video by itself. Elle's got the best wave- it's got a Miss America twist to the wrist that makes me laugh every time.

The week after turning 15 months, Elle's vocabulary exploded. It's still not as clear as Madi's was at this age, but I'm just glad to have her finally communicating with us more.

Words she says on a regular basis:

duck

quack, quack

truck

hi

bye (usually always put with dad, since he's who we're always saying bye to)

guys (she likes to say "bye bye guys" to friends that she meets- my favorite was when she was getting out of the bath. She turned to her toys, waved, and said, "bye bye guys")

done

dad

I love you (something like "I ov ew"- and was said only to Spencer- what's up with that?!)

mom (doesn't say mommy or mama, and doesn't even call me mom very often)

book

We've also been working on letters. So far Elle knows that M says, "mmmmm" (she won't tell me it's a M, she just says, "mmmmm"), B says, "bop", and O just says "O".

I gave Elle another haircut the 1st of November. I was really tired of her long, bushy hair and how it always hung in her face if not pulled back in pig tails. But after cutting it, I got all emotional looking at what I'd done. This was only part of what I cut off:

I'm not sure how well I like the cut, but I can actually do regular pigtails again.

I just can't get enough of my little Elle Bell. Having alone time with her while Madi's at preschool has been so much fun for me. It makes me feel guilty for not having made more alone time with her before this. I love you to pieces baby girl.

Halloween Week

It's been ONE busy Halloween!

With TWO crazy kids,

THREE awesome costumes,

FOUR hoppin parties,

And FIVE pounds of candy,

I think we've made this year a pretty unforgettable Halloween!

Unlike other years where I whip up costumes at the last minute (literally- like buying the key part to Madi's doctor costume on the way to the trunk-or-treat last year), this year we were a little more prepared. At the beginning of the month I pulled out the costumes I bought last year at the "after Halloween clearance sale". Madi tried a few on, picked one she really liked, and then started working on her character. Choosing Dorothy, I made her sit down and watch you tube videos with me of little girls singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" (Madi's almost got it down). Then we went out and got her her very own pair of Ruby slippers (that's the only thing she'll call them). We went out looking for a Todo, but after having no luck, I let her choose one of her own dogs to name Todo. Perfect!

Elle's costume was a different story. My mom sent this cute bug costume for Elle to wear, but she didn't want to leave the hat or booties on, so when Shauna offered her adorable bumble bee costume I couldn't resist (thank you so much Shauna)!!

And the third costume of the year goes to. . . SPENCER!! That's right- Spencer dressed up this year! Only for his work party, but he looked pretty dang hot if you ask me! Missing from the pic is his sweet brown corduroy pants that he didn't end up putting on.

Halloween festivities started on Monday- with a party for the girls! Madi had a blast dancing, eating "dirt", and knocking down the pins in pumpkin bowling! Elle's favorite part was the tootsie roll sucker that she managed to suck to it's entirety, not to mention droll all over her face, hands, neck, and chest (did I mention my dislike of kids with suckers?!)!

Elle with her adorable friend Dean!

Video clip before the party- I just loved Madi's costume this year. Mostly because she chose it and loved every minute of wearing it! We stopped by the grocery store just before this to pick up some suckers and Madi had to show every cashier what she was wearing.

Thursday was a double wamie- Madi had a little Halloween party at preschool:

Then that evening the girls and I metroed into Spencer's office to join him for their office party they throw for a local boys and girls club. Check out these attorneys! They sure know how to throw a good party!

It was super fun for me to finally see where Spencer's works and meet almost all of the partners and associates at the firm. It's good to finally be able to put faces to the names I always hear about. The girls had a ball going door to door trick-or-treating. Then we had pizza and called it a night.

My little trick-or-treaters!

After a late night on Thursday we decided against going to the Halloween Party out at our Bishop's place on Friday night, making our fourth party of the week the annual ward Trunk-or-treat!

Elle didn't care much about it. Once she got a sucker she was set for the night and pretty much checked out of getting candy. The video below is not the greatest, but it cracked me up at the end how she insisted on carrying her own bucket while walking. Even with the small amount of candy she had in there, the bucket was still pretty heavy for a 15 month old.

Then that brings us to today- Happy Halloween! Being the 5th Sunday, I was in charge of the entire singing/ sharing time in Primary (we had fun playing "trick-treat-share" music games). Spencer took the girls home early due to Madi's runny nose, and by 4pm we were all exhausted from our busy week. We took baths, got in our jammies, made some dinner, and settled in for the night. Elle was in bed by 6:45, but since Madi took a nap this afternoon she stayed up a little longer to pop some popcorn, drink chocolate milk, and watch a half hour Halloween show. Perfect end to a great Halloween week!

Elle on Candy

This is just one of the many reasons why my children don't eat candy.

It only equals craziness!!

To be totally honest, I think Elle was just extra hyper here. Add that to the excitement of getting a sucker after dinner and Elle became a wild child! But just to be safe, I will be limiting her sugar intake this year.

Pre-School

Madi is loving her new little pre-school group. Her first week was last Tuesday/Thursday but since it was here at our house, with me teaching, it didn't seem like the real deal. So I counted this week as Madi's first week of preschool. When I dropped her off at the Burnett's Tuesday morning I could sense the nervousness in Madi's voice as she squeezed me extra hard (giving me two hugs and two kisses- instead of the usual one) while whispering, "I love you so much mom." Then very bravely, she stepped inside, gave me a little wave and was gone. When I came to pick her up, she was ecstatic to see me, showing me the beautiful butterfly she made, pushing papers into my hands, and telling me all that they did. Then she gives me a huge hug and says, "thanks for coming to get me mom." It seriously melted my heart.

Madi's been ready for pre-school for quite some time now. She wants to play school everyday, all day with me, but I just can't do it. And after last week Madi asks to go to school everyday. Spencer and I had been using the school thing as bribery for awhile. When she'd flip out about something, Spencer would tell her that it looks like she's not old enough to go to school yet. After one fit several weeks back, while trying to calm down, Madi tells me, "I don't want to throw anymore fits. I just really want to be big enough to go to school." It was super sweet and since then I've actually seen a decrease in her outbursts.

It's nice to see that Madi's ready and brave enough for school now. When I dropped her off this morning she saw Kate going up to the door and basically left me in the dust. She just ran right in, giving me not so much as a wave goodbye. As much as I missed those hugs and kisses, I guess I should be happy that it's been such an easy transition.

Oh, and I thought I should include some of Madi's work from the month of October:

The two crafts on the left were done this week with Sister Burnett (loved both of these). The bottom middle was done with me last week (she did a pretty good job capturing the fall colors we're experiencing). And the other three pics are just coloring pages that Madi's done during her quiet time at home. I'm super impressed with what a good colorer Madi is at just 3 years old (she's awesome with staying in the lines). But after teaching preschool the first week, I was a little annoyed that Madi wouldn't color like this with her friends around (she didn't finish any of her school coloring pages). She was a too busy chattin' it up and watching to see what everyone else was doing. I'm sure it'll get better- it was probably just the excitement of starting preschool.

Fall Colors

I love lOVE LOVE fall time! Our fall this year has been exceptionally gorgeous- beautiful weather, perfect temps, and stunning colors. It just makes me sad to think of how short the season lasts. Once the leaves fall we're left with nothing but bare trees and empty forests (not the prettiest to look at). Winter is just way too long for my liking. So, I'm hanging on to every day- trying to get out and enjoy all the beauty of fall while it's still here. I had to snap some pics on the girls and I's walk today. They're all unedited- I want to remember exactly what our neighborhood looks like at this time of year. Plus it gives me something to long for during the next 5 months of barrenness.

Heading off on our walk- down our street.

Around the corner at my "favorite spot"

Spencer and I decided this is what we want our backyard to look like someday. Is it possible to plant trees, knowing what color their leaves will change to in the fall?

This is all just walking around the block! Isn't it just breathtaking?!

Across the street it's just as stunning

And then our path heading down to the bridge

The fall colors are just one of the many reason I love the east coast!

Last Week

*I read the entire Hunger Games Series. Loved it- finished all three books in one week. Didn't do much else- they were very addicting. I was super excited when I saw they're gonna be making a movie out of it, but after watching a couple trailers I can already tell the movies won't be anywhere near as good as the books (are they ever?). I just hope not to be disappointed.

*Wednesday was Spencer's birthday! My plans were a hit! He opened presents with the girls in the morning and then I surprised him with a baby-sitter in the evening for us to go out to dinner (ate at Thai Pavilion) followed by shoe shopping, and home for a chocolate mayonnaise cake I had made (the moistest cake ever).

*I taught preschool on Tuesday and Thursday. Everything went really well. The kids are adorable together- I had to laugh at their cute conversations while crafting. . .

Kate: "Your hair is really pretty Madi."

Madi: "thank you"

Madi: "I love your nails Tess."

Tess: "Thanks, I love yours too."

Then there's Logan, the only boy with his three ladies! He just smiles and puts up with all the girl talk.

Here's the gang on their first day! Thanks Shauna for letting me steal your pic! :)

Madi's the youngest of the group at 3 years old, Kate, Tess and Logan are all 4.

*And lastly, my first official Sunday as Primary chorister went pretty good. The kids are awesome- super well behaved. We played some "SINGO" with my favorite songs! I had a blast and am now looking forward to the "trick" or "treat" activities I have planned for this week! It should be fun! I'm not sure how excited Spencer is about my new calling though. Since we meet from 11-2pm, Elle's pretty tired by the time singing time rolls around and Spencer's gonna be on full-time dad duty (well, at least for the next 3 months until nursery).

On the brain. . .

I've got a lot on the mind right now- stuff I want to get done, things coming up, projects I need to finish, etc. etc.- but for some reason it all just piles up. I blame a lot of it on having TV (I know lame excuse, but I can't figure out why I'm no longer on top of everything as I use to be). Every night after the girls went to bed, I'd use my 2 or so hours to get stuff done. Now I'm just exhausted and want to veg. Having favorite shows taped makes it all the easier to collapse on the couch and not do anything else. AH... I'm tempted to cancel cable altogether, but then I love it way too much (plus Spencer wouldn't let me). I've also got into "The Hunger Games" series. I'm not one to jump on the bandwagon with popular fictional novels that every other girl is obsessed with. I usually get annoyed and stay clear away from them (that's right- never read or seen any of the Twilight series), but while walking through Costco, I found "The Hunger Games" for $5 and am now hooked. I just want to read and do nothing else. Luckily today was a Sunday so while Elle napped, Spencer and Madi did some serious tower building, and I snuggled into bed with my book. Loved every minute of it!!

Other things on my mind:

-Elle's 15 months today and I've got a post to finish, but haven't taken any pics. Coming soon...

- I've also got lots of stuff I want to record about Madi. I add to my list daily, but just haven't put it all together.

- Along with updates and blogging- I desperately need to finish all the (3) blog books that I've started. For some reason I get all stressed out when something's final and needs to be printed.

-A couple friends and I are starting a preschool group and I'm the first to teach (this Tuesday and Thursday). I'm totally excited, already have everything planned, but just want to make sure the kids have a fabulous time!

-I'm really wanting to learn how to use my camera better (I've been frustrated with it lately- Melissa where are you when I need you?!?). A new friend in the ward took some photography classes and was willing to share what she learned, so Shauna and I went over to Karlie's for a lesson last week (thanks Karlie). Makes me just want to learn more.

- Our primary program is next Sunday and then I'm starting as the new primary chorister. I've had this calling several times, but I really need to get everything out, go through it, and plan an extra fun music time for 1) after the program and 2) Halloween Sunday (any ideas for this one??)

- Bar results come in November 19th- which hopefully equals immediate raise. Trying to be patient.

-Oh, and the most important- Spencer's birthday is Wednesday!! We went out last night (spent 2 1/2 hours at IKEA), but I have some other plans in store for later this week!

I'm sure there's more, my desk is piled with papers I need to organize and file away, but writing down a list always makes me feel better. So there you have it- my list for now.