Johnny Appleseed Extravaganza!!

This weekend was the Johnny Appleseed Festival.  Last year, my mom came to go with us.  This year, she brought my grandma and my sister, Jill.

Slides Are COOL

While we were at the festival, Ainsley and Xander fell in love with one of the playsets there.  Aunt Jill loves to take the kids on the slide.

My favorite thing about this picture is that Aunt Jill and I were trying to create a "picture moment," and Ainsley just wanted to slide. This is Jill being all surprised that Ainsley pushed off to slide because we were trying to get A to slide with her...  I love the look on A's face. It screams, "Screw you guys, I'm gonna SLIIIIDE!"

Hay...Also Pretty Kick Ass

Though the whole festival, Ainsley was fixated on the bales of hay. After some perusing of random smoked meats, homemade snowman crap, and patchouli soap, Mom, Jill, and Grandma made their way to the flea market section of the festival. I really hate flea markets. I have enough crapola in my house. I really don't have an interest at looking at other people's crapola.

SO...Ainsley, Xander, and I decided to hang out with some serious hay bales.

Xander was happy to get out of the buggy—Johnny Appleseed isn't to conducive to new walkers what with the 10 gajillion attendees.  I tried to get him up on a hay bale with his sister to create a picture moment. (Yes, I'm aware that this is clearly an issue of mine...but I don't care. I like to take pictures of my kids.)

The moment I pulled out my phone for the picture, Ainsley snapped her arm around her brother's neck and started smiling for the picture. It was freakin' adorable.

Xander was, understandably, less tolerant of his sister's assault. He immediately started trying to unwrap himself.

She's still just a little bit bigger and stronger than him, though...so it took a while.  This second picture is of him freeing himself from her. Check out that look on her face...pure sass.

*side note* I sincerely doubt she'll have this advantage much longer. Just yesterday we had to tell Xander to get off his sister, as he'd decided to lay on top of her so she wouldn't move.

I particularly enjoyed telling her that she taught him that move and I'd warned her it'd be used against her. She didn't appreciate the irony. Ok, fair enough, she didn't understand the irony. Sean did though...and we laughed the laugh of really tired parents of two toddlers.

Please Don't Call Social Services, Lady

Big sister

So, this other thing happened while we were hanging with the hay bales at Johnny Appleseed...

Xander decided he needed to RUN around.  He's moderately quick and there were a lot of people and I've been having these horrible dreams about losing the kids (in every horrible variation), so I tried to keep him close to me.  Ainsley was also free ranging at that point.  Xander started to walk off. I told Ainsley to stay by me and we pushed the stroller after him.

I'm not sure if you
can see the bump here.

It looked a lot more disorganized than it was. Worse came to worse, I could have easily abandoned the stroller and snatched up each kid in my arms.  But I'm a hard core control freak trying to let my kids have a little bit of freedom...so I was letting him roam a bit.  Ok, like maybe 3 feet away from me...but still. I was telling Xander to "stay near Mommy" because he's young and needs to start learning that...but I was still making some progress.

What I failed to consider is that Ainsley is mini-Jenn. At one point, Xander got what Ainsley deemed to be "too far away," and she SNATCHED him.  I mean she grabbed the back of his shirt and yanked him down...where he proceeded to bust his head on the stroller.

Then the crying started...and Ainsley freaked out and ran off. Luckily, I was prepared to grab both kids at once. That's just what I had to do. Then I had to start simultaneously comforting Xander and reassuring Ainsley it was just an accident but she still had to say she was sorry.

All while this was happening, I was being watched by some woman in desperate need of either a hair cut or a conditioning treatment; she was like Melissa Leo...not desperate Oscar baiting Melissa Leo, Melissa Leo from Homocide. Anyway, she was watching me way too closely, and I had that moment I assume every mother of a toddler (or two) has. I wanted to both yell at her "Screw off, lady" and give her the finger.

Helloooo Popschlags!

Yesterday, we had a visit from the Popschlags!  Rachel, Eric, and Augie came to hang out, watch some tube, eat, and generally be merry.  

Tin Roof Tangent: They came bearing the most awesome gift: Tin Roof ice cream!  If you have access to Blue Bell, you must try some Tin Roof. It's vanilla ice cream with chocolate covered peanuts and  chocolate syrup swirled in. Its awesomeness will melt your face off.  Actually, we'd been searching for Tin Roof for years. When Sean discovered that, being a northerner, I'd never had Blue Bell ice cream, it was one of the first things I ate when I went to Texas.  (He is right. It is the best ice cream in the world.)  Then he started looking for his favorite flavor--Tin Roof.  We looked at every grocery store and gas station we went to in Texas and any other state that carried Blue Bell.  We did this since 2002.  Even though the Blue Bell website said Tin Roof existed, I started to doubt it.  Until a couple of weeks ago when I found it in the Muncie Meijer! But they only had one...and haven't had any since then.  However, the Popschlags have come through and brought in a shipment from Indy.  That's how awesome they are--they'll pick up 2 gallons of ice cream and transport it with dry ice.

Augie and Xander

For those of you who were at Ainsley's first birthday party, you may remember the Popschlags--they brought wee baby Augie.  

Augie, with Rachel, October 2009

Big hugs!

When they arrived Ainsley was "napping," so we were able to let the boys hang out.  Aug was enchanted by "beebee."  All he wanted to do was give hugs. Lots and lots of big almost-2-year-old boy hugs. Xander, for his part, mostly just appreciated the attention from a kid who didn't kick him or hit him or run away from him screaming, "He's trying to get meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!" 

Those boys were adorable together. Augie wanted to hug a lot--and Xander got into it.  At one point Xander licked Augie from cheek to forehead. That move prompted Aug to run to his momma in confusion.  I laughed so hard.  Such cuteness.

Augie and Ainsley

I was way more concerned with Ainsley's interaction with Augie.  Ainsley is going through that awesome selfish/hitting/mean stage.  While there was some initial selfishness and most too-hard hitting was accidental and in play, Ainsley did well.  At one point she actually SHARED.  

Recently, A discovered the Kitty Chaise (a doll chaise lounger that I found at TJMaxx and bought for the cats when I was single and then became the name of Molly and my jewelry "business").  While Eric and I were transporting the Tin Roof to Karen's freezer, Augie and Ainsley decided to sit together.  Luckily, Sean knew I'd want to see the cuteness and snapped a few pictures. Below is the cuteness.  Bask.

Ainsley Rediscovers Her Tent

I had to promise her candy to
get her to peek her head out for a pic.

Now that Xander is mobile, Ainsley finds herself in a constant state of alert.  If he actually catches her, she goes insane and hits and punches him.  At one point, she hit him with a Strawberry Shortcake lunch box.

So, in attempt to protect him and prevent her from spending the next six months in the chair being punished with a tanned bottom, I've pulled out the tent that Aunt Jill and Uncle Joe bought her for Christmas last year.

This tent sat out for months after Christmas last year, and Ainsley showed little interest in it.  Now, however, it is the most awesome thing in the world.  I've positioned it in the basement behind my chair and put up a wall of chairs and toys to keep Xander out.  Miss A now spends her evenings playing in the tent.

The first night that I got it out for her, upon seeing her tent: *GASP* "TENT!"

She grabbed her picnic basket and stayed inside until it was bedtime.  Right after going inside, Xander started throwing a fit because he wanted a toy he couldn't get.  From the tent, I heard, "What's going on out there?"

"Xander is angry," I replied.

"OK. I in my tent."

Things Heard from the Tent

• Awww what's wrong? Want hugs and kisses? (Presumably to an upset baby...)
• That's gross! (I have no idea what that one's about.)

Ainsley: The Diffuser

This morning, I worked out--which I hate.  Then I helped the kids open some presents from my mom. I went two hours without eating breakfast.  For those of you that know me, this nutrition omission is the equivalent of throwing C4 onto a pile of dynamite encased in Wylie-Coyote-style bombs.

I try really hard not to show my anger in front of the kids.  I am successful approximately 30 percent of the time.

Big hugs

As I was making some eggs for breakfast this morning, I tried to open the dishwasher--and the silverware compartment busted open and threw dirty silverware all over the dishwasher.  I let out a string of colorful obscenities.

"What's wrong, Momma?"  CRAP.  I didn't know Ainsley was in the kitchen with me.

"The dishwasher has upset Momma," I explained trying to rein it in.

"OK," she seemed to either dismiss the obscenities or have moved on to play with her kitchen magnets--regardless, I was off the hook.

Then as I was finishing breakfast and putting it on the plate, my fork fell onto the floor.  Now, for some of you, this might only require bending over, picking it up, rinsing it off, and moving on.  For me, this was the final straw.  I began to build up into a Hulk SMASH like rage.  I was about to stomp or growl or something because I knew my normal string of obscenities shouldn't be uttered in front of the wee when I felt something on my leg.

I looked down and there was Ainsley wrapped around my leg, "BIG HUGS! Momma!"  In an instant, my kid diffused my anger with Big Hugs.  I gave her some Big Hugs back.  She pointed to her lips and said, "Kisses."

I gave her kisses, got our breakfast, went to the big chair to have coffee, eat breakfast and watch some Upside Down Show.  I am now calmer--all thanks to Ainsley: The Diffuser...and some nourishment.