Peanut, Peanut Butter and Pine Cone!

Eliza picked up a pine cone on our walk today, which reminded me of a favorite crafty activity from my kidd-o days!

Cover the pine cone in peanut butter then roll it in bird seed, and you have a homemade bird feeder!

Eliza mostly just ate the peanut butter but helped spread it on the pine cone a little bit and otherwise encouraged me as well!

She's a girl of great extremes-- she's definitely not a "laid back" personality. She's either running around singing at the top of her lungs talking about how much she loves everybody and kissing everyone she meets OR she's in total melt down mode, flipping out sobbing and making threats at me, kicking/screaming sort of stuff. (A bit of exaggeration, obviously, but it does happen.)

I love her passion, and I love that she seems so strong-willed... to a certain extent. However, when her strong will edges into stubbornness, it's such a struggle to deal with. I love her dearly, and I see so much of myself in her, so it's hard to blame her for her personality. However, I also need to give her boundaries. Trouble with that is, though, is that it appears that she does not receive consistent boundaries at her other abode.

As Eliza/Madeline would say, "Poo-Poo."

So Eliza usually has to have at least one big break down and subsequent time out (3 minutes and then see if she's ready to say sorry) /removal of privileges (no movie today or no Disney Scene-It game) when she comes back to my place after spending a longer than usual amount of time with her dad... like a long MLK weekend, for example. Welcome Home, Eliza.

I'm glad kids are resilient.

Thankfully, after the huge tantrum, and her finally saying sorry, she seems to chill out and do much better respecting the rules without having a fit every time.

On a happier note, Eliza and I had a blast at our friends' house today celebrating J.'s bday with their family and friends!



Eliza is just SO in love with H., even though she's almost 2 years older than her. She's a sweetheart. I also love that when we hang out with H's younger brother and Nicole's son, Eliza gets some boy friend time too! It's funny to think of how these four cuties will be like ten years from now!!!

Have a good weekend everyone!

My new favorite song/video

There's so much I love about this video!

I also love showing it to Eliza! I thought it might inspire her to let me do her hair without so much whining- hehe.

Plus, the song has clean lyrics, awesome dancing, and a VERY fun sound to it!

Maybe the mad hip hop dance skills could rub off on us... but Eliza went straight back to humming and dancing ballet.

Next step for brain washing my daughter into choosing the "best" extra curricular activities in her future:

I've started telling Eliza stories about soccer games I played in. It made me miss soccer a lot. I REALLY hope Eliza wants to do soccer when she's old enough!!! But ultimately, I will let her choose her own path... I just hope it's not too boring (selfish!).

Snowed in and loving it!

Somehow, it bizarrely snowed here in SC -- again! This is the second time this winter. Eliza's school was canceled and so was my work! Woo-hoo!

Snow can't even keep her off the swing!

Backyard snow expedition!

Defrosting time!

We were about to go out on a walk in the neighborhood when Eliza said her feet were "burning." Maybe we'll head back out again after lunch!

Getting to know Eliza!

For those of you who haven't heard this news already, you probably want to sit down-- it's pretty big stuff!

~~~~~Eliza.is.a.SUNBEAM.~~~~~~~

Err, for those of you who don't speak Mormon jargon, the translation is that Eliza moved up from the church nursery (baby class) to the Primary (kids age 3ish to 11). Her specific Primary class is called the Sunbeams!

I can't believe it! She's been doing pretty well, as far as I know. At least she hasn't been pulled out for any temper tantrums, accidents involving bodily fluids, or for biting, punching, scratching, or fighting with other children! SUCCESS!

Anyways, at the primary activity that we only made it to for the last 5 minutes or so yesterday, the primary leader handed me a paper with questions on it to fill out with Eliza. It's a Get to Know You Questionnaire. I think that maybe they use it to do the spotlights in Primary too? You know the game where everyone is told to stand up, and the teacher starts giving hints, "This person's favorite color is purple... This person was born in Virginia.. This person has blue eyes, etc." I used to LOVE that game!

So I started to ask Eliza the questions and thought it might be fun to share some of the answers. Since Eliza only has the attention span of a 3 1/2 yr old, though, we only made it through like half the questions.

Q #1: "What is your favorite ice cream?
A #1: "Chocolate!"

Q #2: "What is your favorite temple?"
A #2: "I've never been to a temple so I don't have a favorite."
Me: "Oh, ok." as I write down the Columbia Temple on her paper... Oops! We'll, uhh, make it her favorite before we turn in the paper....

Q #3: "What is your favorite primary song?"
A #3: Starts singing: "Lead me, guide me ::pause:: and He loves me because I'm a child of God..."
Me: "I am a Child of God?"
Eliza: "Yeah."
Me: "You really like "Follow the Prophet" and "Book of Mormon Stories too, huh?"
Eliza: "Mom, I'll be Rapunzel and you be her mean mother who stole her as a baby."

Q #4: "What is your favorite cereal?
A #4: "Captain Crunch."

Q #5: "What is your favorite holiday?"
A #5: "Christmas. Mom you be Santa, and I'll be a kid who tells you what present I want..."
.
Q #6: "What is your favorite crayon color?"
A #6: "Purple. That's my favorite one to draw with! Always and every time!"

(Newly discovered boots with purple tutu = ready to go out to play in the cold!)

Q #7: "If you could be any animal, what animal would you be?"
Q #7: "Aaaaa ZEBRAAAA! Mom, pretend that you're the mommy zebra, and I'll be the kid zebra. And I'll be the kid zebra taking a nap and you wake me up, but I'm going to be a talking zebra too..."

Q #8: "What is your favorite scripture story?"
Q #8: "............... umm, I think Daniel. Daniel and the lions."

Q #9: "What is your favorite game to play?"
Q #9: "I think Candy Land."
(Side bar- She gets mad every time we play this game and we RARELY actually make it through this game before she gets too impatient, gives up, or starts cheating... not sure that constitutes a favorite in my mind.)

So there's Eliza questions 1-9, she got stuck on the question that asked what her favorite day of the week was. She couldn't pick just one and after quite a long conversation about it and suggestions from me, Oma, and Aunt Abby, Eliza decided that she likes all the days! I chose Saturday, Abby chose Friday, and I can't remember what Mom chose. Probably Monday cause she's so hard core!

Thanks for getting to know Eliza! I'll publish more when I can borrow some more of Eliza's attention away from the constant stream of "pretend" scenarios she wants to act out.

That's my burning question for anyone out there in the universe who has an answer:

How long will this pretend play last? Will it EVER END!?

I recall wondering if the stage where she asked, "Why?" to everything would ever end, but it did after maybe 6 months or so?

Mom quickly googled "pretend play" the other night, and the page she pulled up talked about it peaking at age 6-8. Seriously? Please tell me they're wrong!!! I can't handle another 3 to 5 years of this!

I remember telling a friend last June that I was just SO sick of playing pretend ALL THE TIME. And here we are seven months later still going strong-- maybe even Stronger!" Ahhh!

Me: "Eliza, did you want pears or peaches with your lunch?"
Eliza: "Mom! I'm STILL Cinderella!"
Me: "Ugh. Cinderella? Would you like pears or peaches for lunch?"
Eliza/Cinderella: "I want a banana..."

Don't get me wrong. I'm very impressed with her creativity, and I just LOVE that she has an imagination. But... at what point has it gone too far?

Maybe I sound like a bad mom for complaining about this. Honestly, some of the stuff she comes up with is pretty amazing! but other times, I think I'm going to go crazy if I have to play pretend Santa Claus one more time... or Rapunzel and Flynn Rider ... or any of the princesses with their respective princes! Curse you, Disney!

(I shake my cyber fist at you.)

Home Visits

I had two home visits to do today at work.

At one of them the little 18 month old girl hid in the kitchen and would only peek around the corner at me occasionally. I've interacted with her every week for months now, but she looked so scared. As I looked down at a pamphlet her mom had given me, the little girl snuck out from the kitchen and climbed into her mother's lap where she held a little Elmo book that I had brought for her. Her face was expressionless. No one at The Nurturing Center has ever heard this little girl speak before. There's a lot of violence that goes on in her home... so I think she's spent a lot of her little life peeking out from the kitchen corner...

The mom asked indirectly if we had any milk at The Nurturing Center, which we don't during break. When I told her we didn't, she said, "Oh..." and got quiet. Then she said that they didn't have any milk to give her daughter and didn't have any food in the house and her WIC wouldn't come on again until the next week. So I'd like to thank all of you who gave me money for Christmas because today I spent it all on groceries for this family.

At the other home visit I did was to a family who lives in one of the housing projects in Columbia. The little two year old boy was hilarious. And when she let him out of the Pak'n'Play, play pen after I came in, he was boppin' around the place and bringing me different things like cough medicine that he found on the ground, the tv remote which his mom yelled at him about, and some shredded paper he had gotten his hands on. His mom is quite the talker and very animated as she speaks. So at one point while she was talking to me about her job search and goals, he climbed onto the couch between us and starting babbling in the same tone as his mom and adamantly motioning his arms in JUST the same way as his mom did. The mom didn't seem to notice, but I was trying REALLY hard to not crack up and pay attention to what she was saying and also because I was worried that his mom might get mad at him. Sooo funny, though.

In the mean time, Eliza spent the day with her Oma! When I pulled up in the driveway, Eliza came running out to my car barefoot and beaming and shouted, "Mom! I'm sooo glad you came home!"

I love her SO much. I'm going to spend all day with her tomorrow. Someday maybe I'll catch up with work? I hope!!!

Not mine to keep...

Eliza's finally sleeping in her own bed.

I stared over her for probably a good five minutes, just watching the blankets that covered her up to her chin rise and fall with her breath.

I am so glad she's back, and the thought came to me, "and I'll never let him take her from me again."

But that's not true. I'll continue to let him take her every week for a few days and on several vacations every year as well... and my heart will break every time.

It's gotten easier since last year-- in the way that it gets easier to keep tearing your skin on the soles of your feet from pounding them on the pavement over and over. Then you grow callouses. It starts to take a moment longer before you realize that something sharp just poked you. My heart has that calloused scar tissue around it... it makes it easier... because now it is harder to feel the pain, but harder to feel the joy and happiness as well. But what else can I do?

I'll just keep loving her as much as possible when she is mine to keep-- to bathe, to dress, to hug, kiss and snuggle, laugh and giggle with, tickle and teach-- and I'll just hope that my callouses don't prevent me from giving her all that she needs from me.

Part of me hopes that she'll wake up tonight and come climb into my bed with me like she does sometimes. I ache to feel her arms around me.

She was already asleep when he finally brought her over tonight -12:30am! So all I got to do was whisper to her that it was okay to lie down and sleep while wrestling a pull-up onto her before I tucked her into bed.

... so I'll leave my door cracked open.

Merry Pre-Christmas

Eliza is spending this week in Utah with her Dad-- he has her through the 26th. It's been very upsetting for me to not have my daughter with me on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Unfortunately, he also booked a flight that makes it so Eliza won't get back to me until around 8pm Sunday night which is 2 hours past the court ordered custody agreement. I've been pretty peeved about that. I was allowed to have Eliza for Christmas last year, but I allowed her dad to pick her up Christmas evening... to be nice and believing that it was best for Eliza to get to share Christmas with both parents. Unfortunately, the favor was not returned. So Bah-humbug and let's get on to the good stuff!!!

We tried to add in as much Christmas festivity before Eliza left.
Gingerbread House Construction / Consumption!

I let Eliza open her "big" present before she left for Utah.
She was pretty ecstatic:

I got a deal on Black Friday for this Disney Princess Collection of like 7 barbies or something (I've fully entered the dark side of Princesses apparently!).

And If I do say so myself, Eliza looked pretty stinkin' adorable in her Sunday Christmas dress, bow, and her new hair cut (we took off like 2 inches!).

We shared in the fun and gave out the presents that Eliza and I had chosen for Katy, Reuben, and Eliza since they will probably be gone before Eliza gets back.Merry Pre-Christmas!