New year...same school bus

There is an exact time of every morning that I dread...consciously and sub-consciously.  That time is 6:47am.

This should be a quiet time of morning.  One filled with only quiet sounds...like showers gently running, or rockers quietly gliding putting a baby back to sleep. 
This should not be a time for the sounds of a distant grumble followed by extremely loud screeching brakes heard two neighborhoods over.

This time of morning is still dark, and should stay that way until the sun decides to make its beautiful appearance.
This should not be a time for strobe lights that are so bright you awaken from a dream thinking you are in a 1970's disco.

Yet each and every morning I am greeted by these lovely sights and sounds...and it's from a school bus.

It really wouldn't be that big of a deal if I lived here...alone...but I don't.  There is a little girl that stays just down the hall and IF she happens to still be asleep at 6:47am the lovely screech-wagon jolts her out of her bed.  This jolt usually causes her to catapult into my room where we begin the day on a super high dose of adrenaline.  So if I wasn't awakened by my subconscious doing the robot to the beat of screeching brakes...I am now!

Lilly Holland or Donald Trump?

Attitude is a big deal in our home.  We do not tolerate talking back or any other form of sassyness from Miss Priss. 
However...
Lately she has taken on a whole new form of attitude...and the only way I know how to deal with it is to look away and laugh.

I'm really not sure where she heard this, but Lilly has picked up on the phrase "You're Fired!"  We don't talk about people getting fired from work, and we don't watch The Apprentice.  Yet somehow Lilly uses the phrase "You're Fired!"  all the time, and in the correct way. 
For example:  the other day Lilly said to me, "Mommy...if you don't let me sleep in the living room tonight I'm gonna fire you!"  or how about when she told Tim, "Daddy...come play with me or you're fired!"   And she often fires Dave and her other guys from whatever game they are playing.
These little statements have completely caught me off guard.
On any normal day (ha) I would correct Lilly if she spoke to me with a sassy attitude.  If the sassyness continued she would get a timeout or spanking depending on the way she spoke to me.  But this little "you're fired" phrase has given her a little wiggle room.  In her own little way she has been able to "tell" me what to do and then throw in the fired phrase to save her hide.  It's also the way she makes her voice sound when she says it.  She puts this silly little high pitch sound at the end of each demand...and makes herself even more adorable.
Now I know I cannot allow this Donald Trump-likeness to continue, but for now I will giggle under my breath and try to keep the sassyness at bay.

        What's even crazier is how she was
able to get a Trump comb-over all on her own!
Now I'm really starting to wonder...

A Year of Love

 Graham's first year of life has been full of love.  Big sister Lilly loves him so much and calls him "her very bestest friend."

A Lesson in Shopping

You know that sign that says "You break it...you buy it!"  Well does that really count for a toddler throwing the item and then it breaking? 

I was standing in Ross the other day debating some new wall sconces to hang in my bedroom.  It was just me and Graham and I had him in the stroller...so I thought I was safe.

Mistake #1:  Having a toddler in a stroller does not mean you are safe from fits or throwing things...his arms are still free.

So as I was standing there debating the sconces he started to fuss a bit...nothing major...just the usual "come on Mom I'm bored" fuss. 

Mistake #2:  Never stand and debate ANYTHING longer than 14 seconds when shopping with a toddler...make that 7 when you are on the breakable aisle.

To sooth his little whine, I handed him part of the sconce that I was STILL debating.  At first I thought it was just a plastic globe that goes over a candle.  Little did I know that it was really thin glass.

Mistake #3:  Never hand anything to a boy in a store...THEY ALWAYS THROW IT!

Immediately he was happy.  "Sweet...Mommy gave me something to break!!" he squealed with glee.  As soon as I heard that squeal I knew I was in trouble.  I was reaching to take the globe out of his hand before he could lift his arm to throw, but I was too late.  Some how a Matrix moment happened and he was able to lift it above his head and send it sailing across the aisle before I could grab it from him.  When it hit the ground it shattered.  

It was one of those sounds that cause complete silence from all directions.  

I knew that everyone in the store had heard it...and they were all wondering what I was going to do.

That is when the Good Brittney Angel and the Bad Brittney Angel popped up...right on cue.

" Why did you give that to him?  Now you can't debate these anymore and you have to buy them!" -Good

"Hold on a minute missy...you technically didn't break it!"-Bad

"So are you going to make Graham pay for it?  NO YOU BIG DUMMY!  You have to buy it now!" -Good

"No you don't.  Just set it down and walk away.  Half the stuff at this store is broken anyway." -Bad

(At this point I was leaning toward my bad angel...I know...I'm ashamed to admit it...but she had a good argument!)

"Listen...you really do like those sconces...just buy them so you don't feel bad later...because you know you will!"-Good

(At this point Graham must have heard my angels arguing because he turned around with his big beautiful eyes and smiled at me.  Even though he is only one I knew I would have to explain myself to him.)

So I followed my good angel.

And the sconces look great on my wall!