Quick 5

It's really hard to teach a 4-year-old about the difference between spring and winter when it's snowing outside.

1.  Last Friday we said goodbye to Joya's beautiful baby curls.  Her hair had these beautiful ringlets that I can only dream about, and they were natural.  But they were also terribly tangly all the time.  And she screamed every time I combed her hair.  So it was time to get her first big-girl bob.  I do see hints of curl still in her hair.  Maybe the haircut didn't completely destroy them after all.

Before

After

 *Side note: I took her to the ridiculously expensive kid hair-cut place for her first hair cut.  The one where she could sit in a fire engine and watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse during the cut.  I'm glad I did, because I'm not sure she would have sat still without the antics of Mickey and his friends.  But I hope that's the last time I have to take her there because, dang.  And they don't even give out suckers at the end.

2.  At MOPS on Monday we had a speaker come talk to the moms about the power of a playing parent.  It turns out I have heard this lady and this talk a few years ago at the MOPS group I was attending at the time.  I realized it the minute she started her talk with a song and a skit.  Anyway, the point was that we should be setting aside time each day to give our kids our undivided attention and play with them.  I could use the whole postpartum/infant phase of the last two months as an excuse, I suppose, but I've been a terrible mommy.  I've had zero patience for my older two, and everything they do gets under my skin.  And I feel awful about it.  I think some play time would do worlds of good in my relationship with them.  So I've played with them for about a half hour each day since then.  I know my girls are gracious enough not to hold my behavior against me, but I don't want to create a pattern that we can't get out of.  So play it is.

3.  One of our play times was play-doh.  It was Joya's first time with the stuff.  And it showed me how completely uncreative I am with this kind of play.  I had no idea what to make.  I should have followed Joya's lead and just made snakes.

The best I could do: an ice cream cone and a flower

 4.  Next Wednesday ends my maternity leave.  I'm surprised that eight weeks have (almost) passed already, but I am ready to get back into the swing of things at church.  I suppose I'm ready because I know I can take Bria with me and keep her with me at all times.  I fully recognize that most moms who experience an end to maternity leave and return to work do not get this privilege, but it's one of the things I like best about working for a church.  It will be an adjustment to see how Bria does being at church all morning on Sunday mornings, but I plan to go with the flow as much as I can.  I'll be armed with the stroller and the moby wrap, and I know there are plenty of ladies in the nursery who are willing to hold her or sit with her in the nursery as she swings in the swing.  We'll manage.  Probably.

5.  Yesterday I got out the broom and proceeded to sweep our dining room.
Alaina: Mom!  What are you doing??
Me: I'm sweeping the dining room.
Alaina: (getting very excited) Who's coming over?
And that tells you how often I sweep the dining room.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go figure out what we can grill tomorrow, seeing as how tomorrow is our one nice day for the next week.  We gotta jump on these days as they come.