We had some friends over to celebrate the 4th with us. One of them was Miles. Miles is five and he's impressive. He's tall. He's kind. He's smart. He's handsome. And he's an older man. So I was very curious to see how the d.daughters would respond, Brianna in particular. The answer is not so well.
Exhibit A: in the below footage, you'll notice (a) how aware Bri is of Miles' every move (2) her giggle (daddynote: it was so fake. her giggles for me are so much better. she was just pumping his ego. How did she learn this?) (3) her shoulder tuck (4) her blue steel and then (5) her penetrating stare. Scary.
Exhibit B: project-bonding.
Exhibit C: play-bonding. What guy isn't looking for a little buddy time?
Exhibit D: prayer-bonding. Up until today, Bri would only hold my hand during our meal-time prayer. She would not hold her sisters and she would not hold her Moms. But today, she seemed to have little difficulty reaching for the 5-year old's hand. This is just classic, textbook Christian seduction.
Exhibit E: this was no prayer, I assure you.
Exhibit F: they were even great in the kitchen together. Miles made her tea and even did the dishes, the little devil.
Exhibit G: the girls are very insistent that we all sit in our respective seats. I, for example, am always to sit at the head of the table. Until today, that is. We were all informed that Miles is to now sit at the head of the table.
Exhibit H: as he was coming down the stairs to leave, Miles grabbed Brianna's hand to assist her down as well. This was quite chivalrous and I appreciated it - knowing that my daughter is still a little shaky on the stairs. I did not, however, think she'd have any difficulty from the bottom step on, but apparently so. Brianna held Miles' hand all the way into the kitchen.
So call us crazy but the girls moved into big girl beds on Monday.
Here is the chronology of events that lead up to the girls sleeping in their big girls beds Monday night.
1.) Two months ago: Mommy takes table from Nana for girls bedroom
2.) One month ago: Mommy rips trim off the table and repositions it on other side of table. Mommy paints table: 2 coats plus one coat of polyurethane
3.) Last Wednesday: Handyman Bill cuts hole in wall and moves heating cooling vent. Patches hole back in and begins mudding process. Girls favorite saying "No Touch" wall
4.) Thursday: mud too wet to do anything. Girls "No Touch" wall
5.) Friday: Bill puts second coat of mud on wall. Girls "No Touch" wall
6.) Saturday: Bill puts third coat of mud on wall. Girls "No Touch" wall
7.) Sunday: Bill sands wall
8.) Sunday night: Mommy puts one coat of primer and one coat of paint on patched wall. Girls "No Touch" wall
9.) Monday Morning: Girls Say "Bye Bye" to Cribs
10.) Daddy takes care of girls
11.) Mommy patches holes, tapes and paints two walls in girls' room
12.) Mommy takes down cribs
13.) Mommy sets up beds and hauls mattresses in from Hadley's trundle bed
14.) Monday well past nap time: Mommy and Daddy show girls new "Big Beds" and put girls "Down" for nap
15.) Daddy has meltdown. Doesn't know how Mommy does it.
16.) Mommy removes two car seats from van.
17.) Daddy empties out other stuff in mommy's trunk: bags of gravel and double stroller
18.) Daddy goes to Costco to buy new mattresses
19.) Mommy hears thuds from room above. Goes into room. Brianna's baby having tea at table and Brianna is standing with her refrigerator door open. Mia in her bed. Discipline Bri. Put Bri back into bed and explain that they will get into trouble if they get out of bed again.
20.) Mommy goes into room and Brianna is cooking food at the stove. Mia caught trying to scramble back into her bed. Discipline both girls. Put both girls back into bed and explain that they will get into trouble if they get out of bed again.
21.) Mommy goes in and both girls are standing at their table drinking water. Discipline both girls. Put both girls back into bed and explain that they will get into trouble if they get out of bed again.
22.) Mommy goes in and girls are crawling back and forth between their beds. Mommy tells girls they have to stay in their own beds and puts them back in bed.
23.) Mommy goes in and both girls are sitting on top of the table between their beds reading books. Mommy calls nap time quits and doesn't even bother with discipline. Clearly NOT Working.
24.) Daddy gets home from Costco with new mattresses.
25.) Mommy runs to Home Depot to buy new roller shade for girls window. (previous roller shade barely hanging in plaster wall from oldest daughter playing with it).
26.) Monday right before bedtime: Mommy installs new blind. Mommy decides that room configuration is NOT going to work. Mommy hauls out table that girls like to sit on during nap time. Mommy hauls out one bookshelf. Mommy moves beds around. Mommy near melt down because vent no longer EVER needed to be moved and table was taken from Nana and changed and painted.
27.) Monday at bedtime: Mommy and Daddy put girls down to bed. Remind girls that have to stay in beds and can call for Mommy and Daddy to get them in morning.
28.) All seems quiet.. Mommy comments to daddy that new bed location is .key and that girls have already adjusted. Daddy says don't speak too soon. Instantly noise begins. Steady flow of girls laughing heads off.
29.) Mommy and Daddy haul in new mattress from van. Leave in kitchen
30.) Mommy decides to ignore sounds from upstairs and goes out to water flowers and grass.
29.) Daddy leaves for work thing
30.) Mommy notices from backyard the source of giggling. Girls playing with brand new roller shade on window. Girls proceed to laugh and giggle for almost one hour. Mommy finally goes into room and tells girls not to play with blind. Roller shade plastic piece on bottom of shad already snapped in half from playing. Notices foul odor in room. Discovers wipes case empty. Puts oldest daughter on floor and tells her to wait for Mommy. Mommy goes downstairs and gets wipes. Mommy comes back up. Shocked to see daughter obeyed. Mommy changes diaper. Puts both girls back in bed. Exhausted girls finally fall asleep
30.) Mommy does dishes and cleans up house
31.) Mommy re installs car seats in car. Mommy turns on lights in car in order to see what she is doing. Reminds herself NOT to forget to turn light off.
32.) Daddy gets home
33.) Mommy and Daddy haul table from living room to basement
34.) Mommy and Daddy drop from exhaustion
Epilogue: Tuesday night: Mommy and Daddy jump start dead battery in Mommy's car
Pictures from Original Bed Location and Girls PRETENDING TO BE ASLEEP:
To make a long story short, Mo sent gifts for the girls for Bri's birthday in July. However, Bri's mommy after peeking in the box couldn't wait till then.
Could you have waited if you had opened the box and seen these adorable babies wrapped in cellophane and tied with a bow?
She made these dolls for the girls. Are they not amazing. Mia's doll has brown eyes and Bri and Hadley's blue. Talk about an act of love. We are just so honored by the time and love that went into making these.
We had a party opening up all the gifts from Mo. And with Brianna around a party has to include dancing. Here are the girls dancing in one of their new dresses from Mo. Does Mo have style or what?
Lastly, if you have young kids you have to check out our new favorite children's books that Mo sent: "Knuffle Bunny" and "Knuffle Bunny Too". The cutest part is that the girls have started fake laughing in the same spots that Dan laughs when he reads them. They are great.
