Allison Le Fashionista

Writing is supposed to be therapeutic, so I'll give it a try. We have recently discovered that Allison is VERY opinionated about fashion and which clothes she will and will not wear (and at which times of the day she will wear them, and in what combinations, all depending on the phases of the moon and maybe her hair day too. Or something cryptic like that). The other day she refused to wear jeans under her knee-length sweater. Somehow she knew leggings were more appropriate. We don't watch TV and I don't subscribe to any fashion magazines; and I'm certainly not a prime fashion example for her to learn from. So how she knew this fashion fact is beyond me.

Halloween night was another example of Allison's passion for fashion. She nearly didn't go trick-or-treating because she was morally opposed to wearing pants under her princess costume. "It's very cold outside," we reasoned with her. "You need to wear some pants." She whimpered  She cried. She wailed. She screamed! "These pants BOTHER me, Dad!" she cried, "There is a ruffle on the bottom of them and a ruffle on the dress, and that's TOO MANY RUFFLES!" But even when we presented her with a less-ruffly option, she was unhappy. No, that's an understatement. She was totally and utterly miserable. You might think this was just a big power struggle, but I could tell it wasn't as much about power for her as it was about having her outfit look and feel right. She wouldn't even wear tights as an alternative! For Allison, it was go bear-legged or don't go at all. I took the boys out to the block chili and costume party and left Adam with Allison. As we walked away, I suddenly remembered an incident at Church two Sundays prior. Allison wanted to wear some new Sunday shoes I had bought her (on clearance, for growing into). But they "bothered her" because they were too big. She threw such a fit in the parking lot that I let her go barefoot to church. It seemed like the only peaceable option. And now, on Halloween night, another clothing issue was barring the way. I crossed my fingers and wished Adam luck as we walked across our yard to the neighbor's house.

Ten minutes later, Adam and Allison joined us. Adam looked a little chagrined, but Allison was as cheerful as could be, prancing around in her princess costume... and wearing no pants. She was cold all evening, but stuck it out pretty well. And she was MUCH happier than she would have been wearing *bumpy old pants* under her pretty costume. Needless to say, Halloween night was a wakeup call for me and Adam. We then knew satisfying Allison le fashionista would be an ongoing challenge.

Which leads me into my main story. This morning we had some errands to run. I knew I needed to get an early start to dressing Allison if we wanted to get out of the house before 10:00. It's not easy to motivate her to get dressed, let alone find an outfit she will be satisfied with. (Jared and Allison are polar opposites in the morning: Jared bounds into our room at 6am, fully dressed and bursting with happy energy, and Allison crawls out of her bed, sleepy-eyed and with no intention of doing much beyond lounging on her bedroom floor in pajamas for an hour or so. I must admit, she is pretty cute in her pajamas.)

I suggested overalls and a long-sleeved shirt. She didn't like the shirt. So I suggested she pick a new one. She ended up wandered downstairs with Purple Blankie before finishing the task, so I helped her back up the stairs and we looked at some shirts together. She picked tie-dyed, short-sleeved top. But, she told me, she needed a different pair of pants. We went back downstairs and got a tan pair out of the dryer. It's too wet, she told me (maybe it was a little damp, or maybe it just felt cold. I'm guessing it was the latter). We finally found a winner, and she settled down to have breakfast.

Cheerios was the cereal of choice this morning, but unfortunately Mom poured her a bowl that was too small (probably because Mom noticed that she didn't finish her cereal yesterday morning). So that turned into a big deal. I finally poured more cereal on top and added milk, but by then the cereal underneath was soggy! I quickly realized that Allison was not going to eat a bite of half-soggy cereal, so I dumped it all down the drain and we started anew with a big bowl of fresh Cheerios. Okay. Problem solved.  I start working on Tommy's breakfast, and for about two and half minutes there is peace and quiet...

Until I hear, SPLASH--WAAAAAH!

I whip around. Allison has spilled her entire bowl of Cheerios right into her lap. And she is wailing. I grab a rag and start wiping her up. I force some reassuring words out of my mouth (although I wasn't feeling very patient right then). As I start soaking the milk out from under the baseboards, I ask her to go upstairs and change her clothes (yeah, right). Five minutes later, the milk was cleaned up and Allison had taken off her wet clothes (very good!). She was now down to underwear--and we were back to square one.

But don't worry, this story has a happy ending. Allison did end up finding some dry clothes (and putting them on, even thought the pants "bothered her"). And we even made it out for our errands (Allison in socks and no jacket or coat--the socks were bunching up in her shoes and bothering her, and coats always bother her in the car. She doesn't like the way they "puff up" under the car seat straps).

Luckily, it was a relatively warm November morning. And, also luckily, I had brought the double-stroller so her pink socks didn't have to get dirty at the store.

So now you've heard my stories. I hope they've given you a chuckle or two. Now can you give me some advice??

                                                               
                                                  Cute and sweet (and just a little opinionated),
                                                    Allison poses in her Snow White costume

Carmel, IN

From my last posts, you'd think we still lived in Fishers and that Tommy had just turned 18 months. Let me update...

We now live in a house in Carmel, Indiana (just north of Indianapolis). We are loving all the space and home perks like a garage, dishwasher, a basement, and a back yard. We have nice neighbors and lots of neighbor kids to play with.

Jared started Kindergarten this fall! He has adjusted to the long school day (mostly), and is now enjoying his class. I've been surprised by how advanced the kindergarten curriculum seems compared to what I imagine my kindergarten experience was. In writing time, Jared is learning to "draft out" his story first with pictures, then write a first draft, then revise it, and finally present the finished piece out loud to his classmates. He is also learning how to draw "real" people (no stick figures; guess I need to go back to kindergarten to improve my own sketches!). He rides the bus to school, and the stop is right on our driveway, which is nice. We even put out a little bench for the "bus stop kids" to sit on since everyone congregates in front of our house.

                                                     
                                                        Jared's first day of Kindergarten

Our kindergarten crew, waiting at the bus stop together

Mrs. Mann's Kindergarten Class 2012

Allison isn't in preschool this year, so we've been trying out some activities in the community. She just finished her first dance class last week. "Dance Games" turned out to be a lot of fun. She enjoyed getting dressed up in her dance outfit every Tuesday morning and having fun with her little dance friends. I think we'll try some ballet and tap next year.

 Tommy is getting quick on his feet--it's hard to keep up with him! He loves doing "bikes" in the driveway, driving toy cars, playing with Allison while Jared is at school, and watching for big trucks and construction equipment while we're driving in the car. Several weeks ago a neighbor had Jared and Allison over to play so I could do a "Mommy date" with Tommy. We packed a folding chair and fruit snacks, set up camp across the street from a large construction site across town, and spent the next 45 minutes oohing and aahing over the machines at work.

                                                           Watching the construction

                           At a local apple orchard (no apples, though. The drought was too severe)


Adam has been keeping busy doing science at Eli Lilly. I've enjoyed having him home all day every Saturday--even if our weekends do seem to get taken up with chores like stripping old wallpaper, installing sinks, and--most recently--clearing away a massive limb that split off of our big Bradford Pear tree during a storm. We are now well-stocked with firewood:

I've enjoyed getting my piano teaching going again. I have five students right now, and I may be picking up four more in the next couple of months. It's a fun thing to do on the side of my favorite job--being a mom.

Tommy Turns 18 Months

As of July 6th, Thomas is a toddler! This Sunday will be his first official day in Nursery. Luckily, he just learned to walk a couple of weeks ago, so now he's ready!

The last year and a half have been packed full of Tommy fun. He loves flashing his dimpled smile at anyone who gives him their attention. He also loves wrestling around, playing in piles of blankets and pillows, and bouncing around on the bed. His favorite way to show affection is to run up to you and crash his head against you in a zealous hug.

He also enjoys helping unload the dishwasher--especially if it involves taking silverware in and out of the silverware basket. He loves cars and trucks as much as Jared ever did (oh my!), and he is often content to play for half an hour just rolling a couple of Hot Wheels on top of a cardboard box.

Jared and Allison enjoy playing with and taking care of Tommy. They will always alert me if he's getting into mischief (if only he could return the favor!). One of their favorite activities is greeting him after his nap. They'll sneak into his room, climb in the crib with him, and then bounce around together.

Tommy's latest favorite food is bananas ("nana"). He's working on his words--right now he's up to about eleven. But before we know it, we'll be throwing his 100 word party.

We're so grateful to have such a smiley, cheerful little toddler in our family. Happy 18 months, Thomas!

Fishers, Indiana

A week ago today we moved all our stuff from Champaign, Illinois, to Fishers, Indiana (Just north of Indianapolis, where Adam works). It was a welcome sight after being in San Diego for a whole month. As fun as Southern California was, with its palm trees and beaches and five-star attractions, I'm really glad we will be raising our family in the Midwest. Now when I take all three kids to the park or a grocery store, instead of getting inquisitive stares from passers by, I see many families with two, three, or more young children. Last Saturday I went to Aldi (yes, they have them out here too!) and watched a nice family with five kids under the age of seven go through the store! As we were driving to our apartment for the first time, we got stuck in traffic (one of the few big disadvantages of living in family-friendly Fishers). I noticed that a lot of cars sport the alternate Indiana plate stating "In God We Trust." Turns out there are several plates you can choose from--all without additional charge--and a lot of people choose this one. The radio airs conservative political advertisements, To rephrase the words of the sweet and exuberant greeter lady at Meijer (who is armed daily with a large tupperware of dum-dum suckers), "Children are very, very special to us here [in Fishers]!"

In looking up information on this town, I came across an article from 2010 where Fishers made it into CNN Money's top ten places to live. As one interviewed mother of two said, "It's very easy to live here." I guess we'll find out whether or not she's right. ;)

Now the thing that isn't so great is Adam's commute. He has tried a different route every day during his first week of work, and the evening drive time has ranged from 49 to 60 minutes. Every day. With the price of gas, that drive is going to cost us a pretty penny. But everyone we talk to says living north of the city is unequivocally worth it. Maybe we can work out a carpool system with other Lilly employees from our stake. In the meantime, Adam plans to keep well-stocked on audio books and podcasts.

We still aren't out of boxes yet, but that's partially good since we are hoping to find a home of our own sometime this summer. Tomorrow is our first day looking at houses. As the realtor was asking about our preferences a few weeks ago, I refrained from telling her that anything with more than two bedrooms and in which Thomas won't have to nap in the bathroom sounds just great to me. Our current three-bedroom apartment already feels luxurious, even with the remaining boxes scattered around. On our first day here, a group of three 9-year-old girls  wandered over and asked us if we had just moved in. They introduced themselves, told us a little about their families and our quad in general (don't take a walk through the bushes on the far side--there's poison ivy. Good to know.). They then asked if they could help me carry things in from our car. Elizabeth, Daniella, and Mona with her two younger siblings are all sweet kids, and they have been great back-yard playmates for Jared and Allison each day this week.

This has been a springtime of adventures. And it looks like summer will keep us busy too. We're two hours further from our family in the west than we were in Champaign, but we're three hours closer to the airport. And now we can better afford to fly. So in my mind that's equivalent to "quite a bit closer" than we were before. At least, that's what I like to tell myself. :)

The Joys of No Toys

One night a couple of months ago, while searching online for a temporary abode in San Diego, I had a sudden realization: wherever we stayed, there would be NO TOYS. None at all. We wouldn't have room for them on the plane (we would barely have room for our clothes).

Of course our "plan" was to spend so much time doing fun activities and playing on the beach that we wouldn't need toys... But let's be realistic. With three small children, all of whom nap at least once a day, I knew we would be spending some down time en la casa. Probably lots of down time. And thinking about spending those hours at home with no toys made me just a little bit nervous.

So I did the best I could. I packed a small suitcase full of items I thought had a high entertainment value and minimal bulk:

-A few card pairs from our Memory game, Ziplocked
-A set of four princess jigsaw puzzles
-A few new Hot Wheels for the boys
-A homemade color matching game
-Stickers
-Markers
-Kid scissors
-A small stack of paperback picture books

That's it. For a whole month! Gulp. I didn't know how long I could keep the kids entertained with this small bag of tricks.

Well, we've now been in San Diego for two weeks, and guess what? The kids have not only survived having no toys, they have thrived. Whereas I thought they would get bored and restless, the absence of toys has actually shown them both to be happier, more cooperative, much less possessive, and better at getting along with each other than ever before. What's more, the kids haven't even made it through all my activities! Instead of pining for "something to do," they've found their own way to play the hours away, mostly by playing together.

Earlier this week we visited the model train museum at Balboa Park. The kids soon discovered a small children's play area with train tables. They started playing, and within a minute or two I heard a very familiar but recently-forgotten sound: "Aaaaah! Tomeeeeeeee! He's getting my trains!" Jared's toys were under attack by his fast-moving quadruped brother. But it was the first time I had heard such a sound since we left Illinois--and all our toys--behind.

In our temporary and toy-less domicile, Jared and Allison spend their time romping around on their bed, playing in the closet with Thomas, pretending to be pirates in search of treasure, "packing up" the couch (a game they invented where they load every object in sight onto the couch or bed, perch themselves precariously on top of their loot, and then pretend to sail to a distant land, cargo in tow), or they just work on a puzzle or quietly look at books together. They did all those things back at home too, but now that's all they do. No playing with toys, just playing with each other. And maybe the best part of it is that I'm not constantly picking up toys off the floor. Everyone wins!

This reminds me of a quote I saw last week when we visited the Point Loma lighthouse. A girl who had lost her parents at a young age was brought to live with extended family at the lighthouse. She wrote,
"What had I for playthings? The nicest in the world! Pretty shells, colored stones, kelp babies. It seems to me that I can remember every day of my young life there."

It really does take little to entertain a child, so long as he has his imagination and maybe a playmate or two. Add the great outdoors, as this young girl experienced, and the possibilities are endless. In a world where there are so many "things" that we (and our children) think we need, I am grateful for the blessing of four weeks with no toys. It's been so great for the kids that maybe on our next vacation Adam and I will leave behind our toys... no electronic devices on which to check email, read the news, edit photos, etc., etc., etc. Maybe we'd engage in a little imaginative play ourselves. Shakespeare read-alouds in the evening, anyone?



                                              

Livin' it up in San Diego

Yes, we left Illinois at the beginning of this month. But no, we haven't yet arrived in Indianapolis.

Before doing our "real move" to Indy, we're spending all of April in San Diego where Adam has a work opportunity (he's consulting for a company that collaborates with his UIUC lab). Kind of like a graduation vacation, only paid for. :) So far our trip has been great! We rented a Condo in Pacific Beach--a half mile from Mission Bay and not too far from Adam's work. Adam works during the day and the kids and I play--at parks, the beach, and the zoo--and he joins in the fun on evenings and weekends. 

                                      

                                                                  Our Pacific Beach condo

                                             

                                                           Tommy loves the sand!

            

                                           

                                 

                                                         Watching the waves at La Jolla

                                 

Our first time on the beach! The kids were mesmerized by the waves and got wet up to their thighs (we went home, changed into swim suits, then came back for more beach)

                                         

San Diego is a beautiful city!! Palm trees and tropical flowering plants abound, and just driving around Pacific Beach is a feast for the eyes. Even the downtown freeway system is gorgeous (a far cry from Chicago's tollways). One of my favorite activities is driving through La Jolla (west coast). The homes are so beautiful-- from Spanish-style mansions to quaint cottages, each with an ocean view and perfectly manicured landscaping.

On Easter Sunday, we visited the San Diego temple. It is one of the most majestic temples I've seen--rivaling Nauvoo. I love how it is situated right next to Freeway 5. Everyone knows about the LDS Church because of the temple, including a USD professor whom I sat next to on the plane ride in. He said he attended the open house, and he ended up asking me some questions about the Church. So it's a great missionary tool. Adam and I have done some temple work there and are planning to attend several more times before we go home (Indy is getting a temple, but it will take several years to build. So we're enjoying a close temple while we can).

Last week, my parents and siblings came out to visit us and spend a week in San Diego! Who would have thought we'd get to see them twice so far this year? We toured the Zoo together, watched the sea lions at La Jolla Cove, explored tide pools and an old lighthouse, and took a ferry to Coronado Island. We also enjoyed celebrating my dad's birthday at their hotel and spending time at our condo (and they even let me and Adam sneak away for a date Saturday night!)  

                                       

Allison is three! 

We celebrated by inviting three little princesses into our home for a Rapunzel party...

The cake

(Can you guess what the tower is made of?)

(Rice Krispy treats covered in fondant)

Disney sells an expensive Rapunzel hair tiara for little girls to wear. But when I saw a yarn braid online (used as a party decoration), I thought that might be the way to go. I just added a dollar store hat and elastic under the chin, and helped the girls glue in their choice of artificial flowers. It worked pretty well (and hopefully it's more durable than the Disney alternative).

                                                                     Four little Rapunzels!

We read the Tangled story...

played "Don't Eat Pete" with cereal...

... and played "find Pascal."

The girls made necklaces and let their hair over the edge of the "tower" (our bannister), 

then played with floating lanterns (yellow balloons).

After the party, Allison wore her Rapunzel outfit all afternoon. Happy 3rd birthday, Allison!