So my Sydney girl is trying to stop taking naps during the day. It has been a very long journey for the both of us. I have surrendered the idea a couple of times and 2 weeks ago I decided to surrender again and not try to force the nap thing. So mon she falls asleep around 4:00 watching cartoons and then she does the same thing on tues. So in my wisdom I think fine she obviously still needs a nap tomorrow she is going to take one no matter what. So Wed I am ready for battle, I will show no mercy, I will not give up until she is asleep. Well after about an hour and half I surrender. As she is enjoying her victory she asks me a simple question and I answered her back not very nice apparently because her comment back to me was "ok mom we need to help you be happy" Then she proceeds to ask me if I need one of her treasured stuffed animals to help me be happy. I think that a bucket of ice cold water would have been less of a shock then to hear her say that to me. The whole rest of the day I did some major thinking and praying. I realized that too many times lately I feel like her and I are in some kind of battle. She is realizing more every day that she has agency. I used to put her cereal in front of her and she would eat it happily, and a million other things that she would just do happily. The other day I asked her to eat her cereal and she said very kindly "I don't have too." Uummmmm your right but do it anyway. So anyway to make a long story short I decided that I was at a major fork in the road. I could continue down the path I was on which I am pretty sure was going to lead me to many years of wishing that my daughter would talk to me, and wishing that she would listen and respect my opinion, or I could remember that she is still a child and I don't need to teach her how to be everything I want her to be every second of every day. If I want her to be loving and patient to her sister Hope I should probably set a much better example of that. If I want her to show compassion when her sister is being a stinker and crying because Syd did something or took something, perhaps I should try showing Syd a little compassion when she is being a stinker. If I want her to respect others opinions maybe I should try respecting hers. I also know that it is my responsibility to teach her and not to let her do whatever she wants but that is a much finer line then I ever thought it would be. My plan is to live so I can be worthy of the promptings that I so desperately need to help keep me in the right place as her mother. Someone who she knows loves her, and respects her, and cares about her, and has compassion, who is constant, patient, and charitable. No pressure right:)
So my Sydney girl is trying to stop taking naps during the day. It has been a very long journey for the both of us. I have surrendered the idea a couple of times and 2 weeks ago I decided to surrender again and not try to force the nap thing. So mon she falls asleep around 4:00 watching cartoons and then she does the same thing on tues. So in my wisdom I think fine she obviously still needs a nap tomorrow she is going to take one no matter what. So Wed I am ready for battle, I will show no mercy, I will not give up until she is asleep. Well after about an hour and half I surrender. As she is enjoying her victory she asks me a simple question and I answered her back not very nice apparently because her comment back to me was "ok mom we need to help you be happy" Then she proceeds to ask me if I need one of her treasured stuffed animals to help me be happy. I think that a bucket of ice cold water would have been less of a shock then to hear her say that to me. The whole rest of the day I did some major thinking and praying. I realized that too many times lately I feel like her and I are in some kind of battle. She is realizing more every day that she has agency. I used to put her cereal in front of her and she would eat it happily, and a million other things that she would just do happily. The other day I asked her to eat her cereal and she said very kindly "I don't have too." Uummmmm your right but do it anyway. So anyway to make a long story short I decided that I was at a major fork in the road. I could continue down the path I was on which I am pretty sure was going to lead me to many years of wishing that my daughter would talk to me, and wishing that she would listen and respect my opinion, or I could remember that she is still a child and I don't need to teach her how to be everything I want her to be every second of every day. If I want her to be loving and patient to her sister Hope I should probably set a much better example of that. If I want her to show compassion when her sister is being a stinker and crying because Syd did something or took something, perhaps I should try showing Syd a little compassion when she is being a stinker. If I want her to respect others opinions maybe I should try respecting hers. I also know that it is my responsibility to teach her and not to let her do whatever she wants but that is a much finer line then I ever thought it would be. My plan is to live so I can be worthy of the promptings that I so desperately need to help keep me in the right place as her mother. Someone who she knows loves her, and respects her, and cares about her, and has compassion, who is constant, patient, and charitable. No pressure right:)
oh yea baby that snot was as thick as it was long. It was the most impressive snot I have ever seen.
We hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and had lot's of yummy food to eat just like Hope. It was so fun to spend so much time with family. My sister Katie and her hubby Clint came into town from Pennsylvania and it was such a blast to see them. It was so fun to have Charee home again obviously:) It was fun to have our daddy home a lot. I think Sydney got her fill of her dad anyway. We were in the car and she asked me where her daddy was and I told her that he was at work and that it was kind of sad that he couldn't be home with us and she replied; No it is not, it is not sad mom. I can't believe Christmas has all ready come and gone but is sure was a good one. We were taking all of our Christmas decorations down and Sydney looked at her dad with a really sad face and said I miss kissmas. It was so cute. Lucky for Sydney we went to Nana's a couple of days later for our usual yummy Sunday dinner and Christmas was still at Nana's. In fact I over heard Sydney say to her Nana "Nana let's go kiss under the mistletoe!" Hope is informing me at the moment that it is time to get off the computer. Happy New Year everyone. 
Such cute little cousins
This is Hope getting her diaper changed by her Aunt Charee. I am sorry that all of you can't have an Aunt Charee for your children. She loves my girls so much and seriously is changing her diaper as if she doesn't have to change Chloe's diaper a bazillion times a day. Charee you are the best seriously thank you for loving my girls so much and doing so much for them while you were hear. 
and then all of a sudden there was three. It is crazy to think how fast these little beauties have grown.
Not the best quality of pic but this is the darling apron that Santa Nana got for Sydney.
