If I Fits, I Sits

I snapped this picture as he finished climbing in, thus capturing the moment he realized he didn't want to be there anymore. Don't worry, he was rescued immediately.

The Little Seamstress

Apparently last week's baking adventure sparked within Phoebe an interest in domesticity. A few days ago she asked for a sewing machine. Bryan and I told her that if she could learn to use my sewing machine and still wanted her own, then we would seriously think about it.

Guess what she's been doing since then?

Time Lapse Proof

Peter discovered a time lapse setting on the camera on my phone. I guess that was all the inspiration he needed to record proof that he does his chores.

The Melting Point of Sophie

Today Sophie threw a tantrum in Walmart. No, that's not true. Today Sophie threw several tantrums in Walmart. It was the first time we'd been to that store in ages. Before we left the house she asked if she could have one of the small, fifty cent cakes from the bakery. She even attached the caveat that she had to be well behaved to earn it. I agreed.

She did pretty well for the first half of the trip. She stayed with me better than usual and didn't demand to visit the public restroom when she didn't actually need to go. (Does anyone else have kids that prefer public bathrooms to those at home? Peter was the same way at her age.)

Then her good choices began to be outpaced by poor choices. I chose mercy and did my best to redirect and remind her of our deal. Finally, with her cinnamon cake in hand, we headed to the registers.

And that's when Sophie's world unraveled.

Because of long lines, we often go to the self checkout at Walmart. But our store recently installed two huge banks of self checkouts, thus freeing up space in the regular lines. I decided to go old school and have someone other than me ring up our purchases. Apparently Sophie really had her heart set on the other registers. This was the start of the first big tantrum. She plopped onto the floor, imploring me to go to the other register, then demanding.

I listened while loading our items onto the conveyor belt. I was watching Sophie and Topher out of the corner of my eye. I saw Sophie walk up to Topher as he sat in the shopping cart. Then I heard Topher cry out in pain.

I looked at Sophie and caught her "Oh that? No, that wasn't me. I didn't do anything wrong." facial expression. Then her eyes widened in realization and she hid her cake box inside her coat. I walked over and gently (or as gently as I could and still wrestle it from her tight grip) pulled the treat away from her. I handed it to the cashier and said we wouldn't be buying that.

That's when the next tantrum started.

This one was much bigger, much louder, had much higher stakes. She begged and pleaded. She squeezed Topher's feet (probably the same thing she'd done initially to make him cry out) in bursts of anger, she threatened. As I tried to pay she got between me and the counter and informed me, tears in her eyes, "Mom, if you don't give me my cake back I won't be your daughter anymore."

I assured her she would always be my daughter, no matter if she threw a tantrum or if I gave her the cake.

During this whole episode the woman ringing up our groceries made little eye contact with me. I was calm and kind to Sophie, but I didn't give in and I worried about the scene we were making. As we finished our transaction I took the receipt, said thank you, and started to walk away. Sophie refused to follow me. She stood at the end of the lane with her arms crossed defiantly over her chest, glaring. That's when I heard the cashier call me back.

"Oh, ma'am!"

I turned to her. "You forgot your pasta." She handed me a neglected grocery sack.

"Oh," I responded, "thanks. I thought you were going to say 'You forgot your five-year-old."

That's when several of the women around me burst out laughing. The two women behind me commented on how patient I was being. Another cashier commended me for not giving in. I was so relieved that they hadn't been angry or upset by the show they were witnessing.

Maybe it was that relief that helped me through the next bit when Sophie actually dropped to her belly, grabbed my ankle, cried, and refused to walk. So I slowly pushed the cart toward the door, dragging Sophie with me as I went. Maybe I should have been upset, and I had been frustrated, but the absurdity of the moment was simply too much. I laughed. Then I pulled out my phone and told her I was going to take a picture to share with Bryan.

In case you were curious, Sophie does not like documentation of her naughtiness. She jumped up and around the corner of a display. A nice employee offered to push the cart while I carried Sophie out to the car. We got as far as the online pickup window. Then it took another ten minutes of tantrum until we (sans employee) got out to the car. Then another twelve minutes (after the cart was unloaded and I was in my seat) for her to buckle in.

As we drove home I explained that she lost the cake when she hurt Topher. I told her it's fine to be mad, it's totally okay to disagree with me and to use her words to tell me so, but it is never alright to hurt someone, no matter how mad or disappointed you feel.

And you know what? We made it home. She calmed down. We had other infractions throughout the day, but we finally made it to bedtime and she fell asleep quickly. I'm so glad I kept my cool and handled the situation the way I did.

But it may a while before we go back to Walmart.

Where's Topher?

The Young Baker

We had our seventh snow day of the school year yesterday. Phoebe celebrated by baking her first solo batches of brownies and pumpkin cookies. Her efforts were enjoyed by all.

During Choir Practice

See that gray skirt in the background? That's me, directing the choir on Sunday, trusting that Peter is keeping Topher safe.

Sunshine In Winter

It warmed all the way up to a balmy 65 degrees on Friday, so we celebrated by going to the park. Unfortunately, our favorite park was locked down.

We solved that problem by finding a different park.

Enough

Our Valentine's Day was low-key, very low-key. Bryan's parents sent some goodies (thank you!) and Bryan brought some candy home from work, and we had a fun dinner of ramen bowls and potstickers. And that was the extent of it.

I felt guilty for most of the day that we didn't do more. Sophie asked where the decorations were, where the fun breakfast was. I was so tired, I was doing everything I could.

But you know what? We were all together, we were all relatively healthy, we enjoyed each other's company. And for this Valentine's Day, that's enough.

Grill

This is what Cooper's smile looked like this morning:

This is what it looks like now:

His response to having braces? "I feel like a teenager."