totally two

Finally, a moment of quiet in my afternoon--Anna is asleep, Jack and Livi are playing happily with their toys--and I sneak away to quickly check my email . . . or so I think!

Where to begin? Well, her name starts with O and ends with livia and it all began right after lunch.

For starters, her nap was a total bust. I laid her down after lunch only to hear her calling to me 5 minutes later, "OH, MOMMY! MOMMY, I WAKED UP!" She wishes I were that easy to fool! For about a half hour, she tried persistently to convince me that she'd already fallen asleep and woken up. I occasionally called back to her and told her that I knew she hadn't slept and that she'd better take her nap. In the end I won, but not for long. Maybe 15 minutes after she fell asleep (or convinced me that she had because it had been quiet behind her door for that long), a knock at the front door woke her up. DRAT. So much for any "free time" for me!

So, up from her nap, Olivia had the privilege of enjoying a cookie (as her brother already had during her "nap"). I sat her down at the table, where she delightedly nibbled on her treat with Jack sitting six inches from her face, begging (albeit politely) for her to share with him. His entreating went something like, "Mease, Olivia? Do you want to share with me? It would be really nice!" I chuckled and told Jack that it would be really nice if his sister decided to share with him, but that he already got to eat a WHOLE cookie all by himself and that if Olivia decided to do the same that would be okay.

Ahhhh, two pleasant children sitting happily at the kitchen table contemplating the joy of sharing. Now would be a good time to change Anna's diaper . . . or so I think.

Upon hearing a kitchen chair scoot across the floor, I quickly finished changing Anna's diaper and re-entered the kitchen to find Olivia (original cookie consumed) and Jack happily devouring cookies they retrieved for themselves--Jack two, Olivia one. I gave them a look, and they both looked as guilty as they were. I held my hand out to Jack first, waiting for him to hand over the cookies. He looked at his mostly-eaten cookie and began to reach towards me when I saw the wheels in his head spinning. He diverted his reach towards me and went in for one last bite--sneaky little devil. I was too quick for him though and got the cookie away and then held out my hand for the second one. He tried his little last-bite trick again (and failed again) and then sat at the table empty handed. Olivia, having seen Jack's futile efforts at one last bite, tried a different approach. She quickly held out her cookie and implored, "Cookie, mease?" I shook my head, half laughing, and of course said "NO" and then proceeded to explain to them why the choice they had made was a bad one. Unfazed, they toddled off to the playroom to play with their toys.

And then we come to . . . a moment of quiet in my afternoon--Anna is asleep, Jack and Livi are playing happily with their toys--and I sneak away to quickly check my email.

Less than 10 seconds after I sat down to check my email (remind me not to check my email anymore), I heard the refrigerator door open and then silence. Knowing that silence is never a good thing when the kids are out of sight, I got up from the computer and began the long walk (approximately 10 steps) to the kitchen, when suddenly I heard and saw Olivia pouring a pitcher of apple juice onto the floor creating her own little Mississippi river--holding in her other hand (nowhere near the spout of the pitcher) a paper cup. If I were a cartoon, I'm sure steam would have been billowing from my ears. I was mad. I looked at her. She looked at me. I growled. She sheepishly grinned and said, "May have juice, mease?" I swept her up (after removing the pitcher from her hands) and started walking out of the kitchen, though I wasn't sure where to. I first found myself in the middle of the toy room (obviously not thinking or walking straight) and, realizing that I did not want to set her down amongst all her toys, turned and walked back past the kitchen, down the hallway and plopped her down on her bed. While she sat, mildly perplexed (she had only wanted a little drink of juice after all), I tried to sop up the ever-spreading river of apple juice on the kitchen floor. Having heard all the commotion, Jack poked his head in the kitchen and said, "What did she DOOO, Mom?" I replied that she had tried to get a drink for herself and had spilled the juice all over the floor. Upon hearing the word juice, Jack said, "Oh, can I have a drink of juice?" His simple question put things in proper perspective again. So, after cleaning up the mess, I brought Olivia out and helped her get her juice, gave Jack his drink too, and then had a good laugh (to myself, of course--can't have them thinking that sort of thing is entertaining).

Olivia certainly adds a little spirit and excitement to our days! In the end, I'm glad she dumped juice all over the floor. She gave me a good story to tell and made me laugh.


Here are a few pics of her in her honor. . .







Now here's a girl who doesn't like her veggies!












Gotta love her!










Okay, that was a ridiculously long post. Hopefully, it was worth at least one laugh!!