My Threenager

For the last few months, when someone asked me how old Amelia is, I answer: "Three going on 13". Lately, I'm dealing with a little diva/ Threenager at home. People are talking about the terrible twos and how  it is the worst year of childhood a parent must endure. But then we are completely blindsided when we realize three is even worse; thus, the phrase Threenager. But I must say, it is not as crazy as I imagined. It is more her attitude and the back-talk that gets to me. Everything is "NO" and she argues about everything and anything when I ask her to do something. 

Don't get me wrong, she is still a sweet little girl but very opinionated and when she doesn't want to do something then she tells you so. Her favorite phrase right now is: "Oh man.'' (Thanks, Dora), "You betcha, Mommy!", "Because I said so." and "Stop that." Not sure, where she got those from, but she not only knows them well but she also uses them correctly. I definitely have a little Ms. Smarty Pants on my hands. The most intriguing part is, how she says those phrases, with lots of attitude. Sometimes she sounds like a 12 year old girl in the mist of puberty.

And a word I hear all day long from her is "Why?". This one actually drives me nuts especially if she asks one question, I explain it to her and then she continues on and on to ask "Why". Don't get me wrong, I encourage her to be curious and to learn but I think she uses the "Why" often to just annoy me. But there are more signs that we are living with a Threenager:

1. Her dress style: Lately, Amelia has very strong ideas about her wardrobe and what she likes to wear. She thinks she knows what is fashionable and what's not. Mostly, she wants to wear her "princess" dresses or a combination of multiple skirts, t-shirts and pants layered on top of each other, which of course will be changed a few times a day. If I tell her that it doesn't match or look good, she waves me off because my opinion or input no longer matters. And yes, I have said more often than I want to admit that she can't leave the house dressed like that but still all too often I'm accompanied by a princess fairy to the grocery store. I have to choose my battles and as long as she is somewhat normal dressed and not "butt-naked" (she loves running around the house in only underwear), I'll often just let her wear what she wants.
   
2. Her appetite:  My girl is constantly asking for food and loves the idea of snacking all day long. It doesn't matter if she just ate breakfast, 30 minutes later she will ask for a snack. I guess as long as she does eat her regular meals (always complaining what I serve though) and has healthy snacks, I just have to keep feeding her. Because if she gets too hungry, she gets cranky and moody, which brings me to the next point.
   
3. Her mood swings: One minute she is laughing and playing and then the next minute, she turns into a little diva throwing a fit and screaming at me. And I'm flabbergasted because often I really don't know why. Especially exhausting is when she goes boneless the second I ask her to do stop playing. It's actually pretty amazing because her body goes all limb and her body weight doubles so I can't move her. It's a talent reminiscent of a possum playing dead... 
   
4. Her attitude: As mentioned above, being three comes with a lot of attitude, back-talk and also boundary testing and the fact that they absolutely challenge everything. Somehow the ratio of "No" and "Stop That!" shifted from 90% me to her and it almost feels like that she thinks she is in charge all the time and I'm the annoying one. 
5. Her noise level: It is loud in our house from all the screaming, squeaking and whining. If something doesn't go her way then we will hear about it. Also, she wants to listen to her music over, and over, and over again. I should just "Let it Go"....
6. Her Sleep Schedule: She automatically refuses to nap, even though she wakes up way too early. Some days I get her to nap for 30-40 minutes but other days, it is hopeless. Of course the days she doesn't nap get worse by 5pm as she is tired and whiny. Some nights, after we read with her and she is tucked in, my threenager happily chats, sings, and reads to herself  with the occasional coming out of her room, until 2 hours later she decides she is ready to actually fall asleep. 
7. Her independence: My little girl wants to do everything - and I mean everything- herself:  dressing, feeding, decide what to watch and where to go. I always have to add extra time when we want to leave the house as she wants to tie her own shoes and buckle her own seat belt. I strongly believe that if she would be allowed to drive, she would want to do that too. 
8. Her language skills: Amelia talks, talks, talks all day. She especially likes to talk to me when I'm on the phone. It requires a lot of patience and good hearing to be able to complete a quick phone call in this house. Here is an example of a typical phone conversation of mine: "Hi. I need to schedule....not right now, sweetheart....a dental checkup for...don't jump on that couch!...me, preferably an afternoon appointment if....please don't hit your brother! Go play in your room for a minute. I will be there in just a second...sorry for the interruption. Yes, I need an appointment.." Recently I also noticed that she uses a lot of grunting and one-word answers as an acceptable form of communication. If I ask her to do something, I often get "Grrrrr..." as an answer. What does that mean??? Is she turning into an angry little dog? 
9. Her understanding and kind heart: She often surprises me with her random acts of kindness and understanding I didn't think she would have at that age. "Mommy, I'm a good girl to make you happy. I am playing nicely with Elliot." Or picking me some flowers in the front yard because she knows I like flowers. And then there are those surprise hugs and kisses and telling me that she loves me. Those moments don't come often enough but always at the right time and brighten my day and spirits. 

Days with my Threenager can be long and weary and zap out all of my patience and energy. But on the flip side, this time is also very rewarding. As her independence blooms and her vocabulary broadens, I hear her say those lovely things like, "You are my best friend, Mommy and I want to keep you forever!" Yes, she probably thinks I'm her pet or slave, but there is nothing sweeter than a super tight toddler cuddle and the knowledge that she is a good little person just learning to be human.

Planning Our Next Move

The last few weeks we have been busy planning our next move and all the steps it takes to make it happen. As of right now, our plans are still changing daily due to my husband's work schedule. So far we have researched and analyzed a few cities we are interested in living at and next month, we will take a trip to at least 2 or 3 States up North to check them out. We are looking for cooler climate (but not too cold nor too hot), smaller city/ town with a low crime rate and cheaper rental market. Also, it needs to be close to nature and have some opportunities for us to explore the outdoors easily. Based on all those things, we came up with the Appalachian Region, mainly Clemson, SC; Asheville, NC; Roanoake, VA and Lexington, KY. We are not where we settle yet and for how long, but we do know that we have to be moved by March 15th as our lease here will expire. 

So we have been sorting through stuff and started organizing and donating things as we are preparing for the big move. Luckily, in the beginning of February, our neighborhood will hold its annual garage sale where I hope to sell lots of baby toys, clothes and other things we do not need any longer. As you can tell, we are busy getting everything figured out but I'm also looking forward to the move and which city we can call home soon. 

The only thing we will miss, will be the closeness to the beach. Even though we are no beach bums nor have been to the beach very often in the past year but it was always an option and within 30 minutes we were in the sand. So last Saturday we took the kids to the beach again. It was cooler (only a couple of tourists braved the cold water of 73F) and quite breezy but a beautiful day for digging in the sand. 

We will also miss the palm trees and nice scenery, especially by our favorite playground in our neighborhood. It is a nice setting: playground, lake and beach and the neighborhood pool all next to each other. 

On the other hand, we are ready for some cooler weather. Elliot tried already some hats on and I must say, I love my little snowman. 

(#TBT) Our Engagement

Since I never want to forget any details of my engagement, it is time to put it on the blog. 

More than 5 years ago, on October 18th 2009, my husband had planned for us to meet some friends up on Hutchinson Island, FL (near Ft. Pierce) to go horseback riding. Hutchinson Island offers one of the few places in the State of Florida where one can enjoy a horseback ride on the beach. I was really looking forward to it that morning as: 1) I love horses and riding, 2) I never rode on a beach before and 3) the fact that I just had recovered from foot surgery and wasn't able to work out or do much for the past 8 weeks. 

So off we went to Frederick Douglass Memorial Park to meet up with a couple of Derrick's friends.  Unfortunately, on our 1.5 hour drive up there, my husband received a phone call from our friends, cancelling the ride. But I said I didn't care if they come or not as I was not willing to cancel my horseback experience. Of course I had no idea that our friends never were supposed to come and what else he had in store for me that day. 

The weather was a bit cool that day, but beautiful and perfect for riding. When we arrived at the State Park, the tour guide and a few other people (up to 8 people each tour) were already there and we all saddled up and off we went. 

The ride was easy going and nice with a beautiful scenery and well behaved horses (except that Derrick's and my horse didn't like each other...). When we came to the turning point, the tour guide asked if we wanted to take pictures. Of course, every one wanted some and when it was our turn, I didn't even noticed when Derrick pulled out a blue box from his jacket. I was so surprised (and the tour guide took pictures of it and didn't even realize what was happening) when Derrick asked me if I wanted to marry him, that it took me a couple of seconds to answer him: YES. 

It was such a sweet and well planned proposal by my husband that I still get all excited when I think about this special day. He definitely surprised me and I love that he had chosen the perfect spot/ occasion to propose to me. I love you to the moon and back, Derrick!!!

And together we ride off to our happily every after....

New Year, More Fun!

The new year came quickly and I can't believe it is already 8 days old. The past few days flew by and I never really had the chance to sit down and write a blog post. I felt a little off, like getting sick but not really. I guess my body was fighting off something and luckily, today I feel much better- not as tired anymore. As I said in my new year's resolution, I want to focus spending more quality time with my kids this year and so far, I have been good about it. It means less blogging or pictures, but more memories and fun time with my family.

Here is a snapshot of what we have been up to the last week. Last weekend we took a trip to the Hollywood Pier and a walk at the nature preserve, across from the beach.

And afterwards we jumped in to the pool at home. It was too cold for me and Elliot but Amelia and her daddy didn't mind. Elliot got wet by just standing by the pool.

I don't think I ever posted a picture of Elliot's new haircut. Right before the new year, I decided that he needed his hair cut and went right to it. It was my first time using the clippers but I must say it turned out pretty good. He sat fairly still too (Amelia fed him treats while I trimmed his hair).

Before and After

Our little guy is constantly on the go, go, go. He loves pushing his toys around or riding on them. Also he has a love for balloons and running around the house with them like a mad man.

And Amelia is using her imagination a lot and playing with her stuffed animal friends. Yesterday I caught her reading to all of her "lambies" and teaching them to count. She also declared herself "Queen of Arendale" (aka Elsa from the movie Frozen). And Elliot has been used as a mannequin for her styling purposes as well.

Monday morning when I should have been cleaning the house, doing laundry and dishes, Amelia and I made paper snowflakes and messes on the table instead. It was way more fun and memorable than cleaning.

And almost every day this week, we have been at the playground with our friends. It is pretty much the only way to get their energy out before dinner time. Luckily, today it was much colder outside (high of 68F than yesterday's 80F) than the past two weeks and we had to bundle up to play outside.

 My little sidewalk artists at work (our neighbor's kid helped them draw the stick figures). This kept them entertained for good 40 minutes.

We visited the mall this week too and every day, the first kids at the Disney Store are allowed to help open up the store with a special key. Amelia and her friend Noah were happy to help with that big task.

When I look back at all the picture of the past 10 days, I must say we did quite a bit. But actually I am cutting down on all the activities and we are staying home more often or just head out to the local playground. The kids and I are still having fun and it never gets boring with those two kids.

Happy New Year 2015

I can't believe it is already 2015. Sometimes, I still want to write down 2013. Somehow 2014 came and went so quick. It is true, the older we get the more time seems to fly. On New Year's Eve we invited some friends over for some food and fun for a few hours. 

Melissa, Ellie and Fran

Our dear friends and their families:

It was a great, easy going evening and everyone enjoyed themselves. There was plenty of good food and great company.

The kids enjoyed entertaining us with their horns. What a loud noise they made.

Once it was dark, we had some Pop-Its, Sparklers, silly strings and one small spraying firework in the backyard.

At that point Elliot was pretty tired and hung back with Daddy and Amelia was, as expected, scared of the little noise the fireworks made.

After our guests had left and the kids were asleep (and the house cleaned up), Derrick and I enjoyed a peaceful evening on the couch, waiting for the clock to struck midnight. In between I napped some on the couch but at midnight we kissed and said Happy New Year and then went to bed. In our eyes, the perfect way to start the New Year.

I usually don't hold much of New Year's resolutions but this year I decided to focus on a few things, starting now.

1. I want to be less busy and focus my time more on the here and now. That means less social networking, less pictures,  fewer shopping trips and birthday parties but more play time with the kids. 
2. Say less often "No"  or "Not now" to my kids and let them be kids, even if that means the floors will be more messy (hello play-doh) and the rooms stay in an disarray. They are only little once!
3. Get back to running. I truly enjoy running (it keeps me sane!) and since I was pregnant and given birth I have neglected that hobby a lot. It is time to refocus and start off again.
4. 2015 will be the year we focus on our family of 4 and make some changes. Thus our word for 2015 is CHANGE. Looking so much forward to it. 

Happy New Year from the Martin's