November was spent trying to figure out our new routine with a toddler who likes to stay busy and a baby who really, really, really hates being in the car. Monday we do grocery shopping and errands, Tuesdays and Thursdays are Toddlerschool, Wednesday is usually library/ riparian preserve time, and Fridays we have dance class and a weekly play date with Rebecca. Ada hate, hate, hates the car and screams at the top of her lungs the entire ride. Rory is surprisingly patient, especially for a three year old.
For our new scheduled lifestyle we have a rule that mom gets to pick out the outfits for Toddlerschool and dance class, but if it's an errand or just for fun day then Rory gets to choose if she wants to. This stripe outfit was my choice. The giant bow was a gift from Grammy and it makes Rory look equal parts naughty and adorable in my mind.
My friend Jax is an award winning Irish dancer and she recently started up a little beginners class for girls Rory and Naomi's age. It starts on Thursdays before Rory is done with Toddlerschool, so by the time we make it to the church from class we just catch the last 20 minutes of it. It would not be so bad in theory except that both girls fall apart on the 8 minute drive from the community center to the church building. Ada screams because I have had the audacity to put her back in the car after she just calmed down from the last traumatic drive and Rory cries for a different reason every week. Irish class for us really means watching other girls be distracted from learning dance because both of my children are losing their minds and all the other well-groomed mothers looking at me with eyes that say, "My, don't YOU have your hands full?" It's a blast all around. The funny thing is that even though Rory has cried through every single class, she still asks about it and talks about it throughout the week like it's her most favorite activity ever. Kids.
Marisa started teaching a Saturday morning High class at my gym and it is an absolute miracle! It's early enough that I can feed Ada and then get ready to go while she and Stephen catch up on all the night sleep that no one in the house is getting. Rory comes to the gym with me and she LOVES being in the car without Ada and her crying. We both love it, no offense Ada. After I get a solid sweat on and Rory gets in her morning cartoons in the gym daycare, we usually stop on the way home at Ross or Bath and Body Works to keep up with the sales and to continue to enjoy being baby-less for just a little bit longer. Again, we love you very much Ada.
Rory has taken to wearing socks on her hands basically all the time to protect people from her freezing powers. It makes her look like a crazy person and I love it. She also believes her BYU shirt is the best one she owns. She's a Marsh alright.
We do little toddler-based activities for our Come Follow Me lessons and Rory and I lovingly call them "Jesus lessons". They are fun and short and often times involve marshmallows so Rory loves them. This is us building toothpick and marshmallow temples. Rory is wearing her Minnie Mouse outfit and, as requested, Minnie Mouse hair.
Rory is falling completely in love with books and it is so fun to watch. She could gladly be at the library for hours looking through pictures and asking me to read the ones that look really fascinating to her. Ada does alright at the library, but she usually requires that her stroller remain in constant motion which is difficult to maintain while sitting down to read stories. It definitely makes for a good little arm workout. Often I take these pictures as proof of life to send to Stephen. What an attractive bunch.
Our superstar realtor, Bryce, held another client appreciation activity and we were there because we never miss out on free. They did a family picture mini session (hallelujah) at the park and also served Waffle luv (double hallelujah). The best part was I was already taking the girls to the park that day for a Christmas mini shoot so it really was like all my lucky stars were lining up. The set up ended up going a little awry as the waffle people couldn't get a reliable power source for their waffle irons and the photo guy had to help solve the crisis so by the time our family took pictures Rory had a bleeding knee, torn tights, and one less than cooperative attitude. It still turned out great and any activity that ends in waffles is usually a good one. At the event we won a cookie decorating kit and Rory obviously loved it. I did not let her eat the puddle of frosting that happened to be on top of a cookie, in case you were wondering.
Here is Rory on a grocery day, just so you get a sense of her style. Very Wal-Mart appropriate.
Looking so cute all dressed up for Toddlerschool. They made these Indian headbands and learned a "rain dance" which was basically what they do in Peter Pan so I'm not sure it's the most politically correct school, but it is adorable!
Here's another example of when I allow Rory to choose her own clothes. Sorry to anyone who has sat on our couch, but you had to know that bare toddler bum was gonna be on there at some point, right?And here is Rory insisting to wear her "dress" (my nursing cover) while shopping. She was pretty sure she needed these sunglasses.
We have been bribing Rory with a star system lately and it is working. She gets stars when she poops in the potty instead of her nighttime pullup. She gets stars when she is soft to Ada instead of biting her or pulling her off the bed. It takes a lot of hard work but when she gets ten stars she gets a prize and this was the week she chose an ice cream date with dad. She got purple ice cream just like she requested and she talked about it for weeks and weeks. I earned my ice cream by keeping two kids alive for another month.
Last, but not least, a story that is not a fond memory but is definitely worth remembering anyways. I have mentioned before that Ada hates the car. We have tried everything. Pictures of me, toys to play with, mirrors, windows down, windows up, iPad playing videos, loud music, quiet music, no music, baby music, white noise... if anyone blogged about it, we tried it. Some resulted in one or two pleasant drives before they quickly stopped working, but on the whole we were no where closer to teaching Ada not to scream incessantly in the car. Then one fateful Friday in either October or November, I can't actually remember at this point, I locked my keys in the car. With my phone. And Rory. And Ada. Both girls in the car, no way to call Stephen who has the spare van key, and Ada already losing her mind just because she was set down in the car. I freaked. I ran to my neighbor Jessica to try to use her phone but she wasn't home. It started raining- when is it ever raining in Gilbert?!- and I ran back to the car. I tried to coax Rory into pressing the door open button with her toe. I happened to know she was capable of doing so because just the week before she had freaked out when I pressed the door open button instead of letting her do it with her toes. She tried a few times unsuccessfully and then, as soon as she noticed my real panic set in, she started crying and refused to try any more.
My neighbor across the street had just come out of her house to walk her dog and I rushed over to ask her if I could use her cell phone. I can't think of her name for the life of me, but she was so sweet. I called Stephen and he said he would try to come home to unlock it, but with his commute he was at least 45 minutes away, probably longer with traffic. My neighbor's husband Gary came over and tried to break in to the car for me. He tried and tried, but just couldn't get it to work and was worried about ruining my car. I finally called 9-1-1 and they sent the fireman right away. Before the firetruck arrived (yes they send the whole truck for dummies who lock their children in the car) a policeman pulled up. He heard the call and was in the area so he came by first to make sure no one was in any immediate danger and to see if I was a crazy person who was abusing my children. Once he deemed me a safe, albeit dumb, mom ("Why were the keys and the phone on the front seat and not in your hand?") he and is doggy police partner stuck around and chatted all things dog with my neighbor. The firetruck finally arrived and four, yes FOUR, fireman started working on the car and asking me the same are-you-an-unfit-mother style questions. With all their tools and training it still took them about 20 minutes to get into the car. Rory seemed completely unfazed by the sight of four fireman, two neighbors, two dogs, and one policeman gathering around our car and Ada screamed the entire time as if, well as if I had made her ride in the car to the grocery store and back. So in the end, I was a mess, everyone else was fine, and Stephen got to get off work early to take care of his neglected children and incompetent wife. All's well that end's well.
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