On snow days, forced relaxation and learning to just love what you have

Crazy week we've just had, weatherwise. Two 'winter events' (blizzards) in the course of 5 days. Lots and lots o' snow. The first occurred over the weekend and the 2nd mid-week. So all in all, four days of pretty much forced relaxation in the past week. I have to say, I really enjoyed it. The first snow day happened right on the heels of a very hectic last week and it was a really great feeling to wake up to a snowstorm on Saturday morning and know that there was no reason to get dressed and nothing to worry about doing all day except relax. We played cards, we watched movies, we read stories, we napped (ok, just me), we baked cookies...just a really peaceful day.

Sunday was all about clearing out the snow and going sledding. I am a masochist, but I actually enjoy shoveling. There's something so satisfying about doing it. Plus, I love the workout I get. Sledding was fun, but after the ease of tubing (love that tow up the hill), we were a little wiped out from having to actually walk back up after each run.

Wednesday's storm didn't really manifest until mid-afternoon, so having the day off felt a bit like a freebie. Carolyn and I took the kids to Chuk E. Cheese (had the whole place to ourselves) and then out to lunch (again, a nearly empty restuarant) and got back just as the storm started picking up. Yesterday was spent once again clearing out snow. It was a gorgeous day (sunny and high 30's, which felt balmy), so the kids were content playing outside for much of the day and were pretty bushed by dinnertime.

I was actually a little dissappointed to have to come back to work today - whereas normally that many days off inside might give me a bit of cabin fever, this time it was just...nice.

For whatever reason, winter isn't bothering me one bit this year. I don't know if it is because I know we have a warm escape planned at the end of the month, or if I'm just starting to see the value of a forced day of of relaxation, but I've actually welcomed the snow. The older I get, the faster the seasons seem to fly by, even cold and snowy winters. I know that before too long, it will be spring and then another school year will have ended and my kids will be that much older, so I'm just trying to hold on to what we have, while we have it. Snow and all.

In other updates, Sadie's lipy sync routine went off beautifully on Friday night. I'm so proud of her. I love seeing her up there enjoying herself and being a part of the school community. She's already thinking about next year's act (considering a solo routine, even!).

Another Sadie update - she has finally found a book series that really has grabbed her, to the point that she spent the better part of the past two days reading and proudly finished a 217 page book all by herself last night. It does this avid reader's heart good to see her so absorbed in a book.

As for Eden, I'm happy to report that the first few weeks of being four are definitely a promising improvement to the 'terrible threes.' Her 'cooperative switch' seems to have been turned on again, after a two year hiatus and it is a welcome change. I thought it might never happen! She has been a lot of fun recently.

She is also growing mentally and physically at the speed of sound, it seems. She is reading anything and everything she sets her eyes on, which just continues to amaze me. The other day she wrote the following on a piece of paper:

I luv yoo Sade en Dad

Aside from the fact that I was wondering where I was in that equation [ok, not really, the girl is 100% a mama's girl so if she wants to throw the others a bone from time to time, I can live with it ;) ], I was astounded by her ability. I don't know where this kid gets her brains from, but it is so exciting to see them in action.

She is also starting to figure out simple 'mental math' and can add all sorts of combinations of single digit numbers in her head. My little brainiac - she sure makes me proud.

So, all in all, the kids are good, we are good, life is good.

Yay for the Blog.

I just spent the morning reading through a lot of my old blog posts. What a fun trip down memory lane. It really reaffirmed for me the importance of journaling and capturing these moments, even when I don't always feel like I have anything 'blogworthy.'

So...what's been happening here? Let's see...

Eden - Eden is reading up a storm, and loving it. It is seriously adorable to listen to her little voice work through the words. She is also very into doing everything 'by myself!' lately. Sometimes this is frustrating and annoying, but more often than not, it is actually not only cute, but actually helpful. She loves to pick out her own clothes for the day, and as long as we're not going anywhere that I really care about her appearance, I totally let her choose and wear what she wants. Surprisingly, her picks aren't usually too bad. I think she might have a better eye for what coordinates than her dad does. While she had mostly favored 'soft' pants over jeans for the better part of a year, today she surprised me for opting for jeans, so I'm hopeful we're finally passing that stage (because she has so many adorable pairs of jeans that have sat, unworn, in her drawer).

Sadie - Sadie continues to morph into a little 'tween' right before our eyes. Her latest interests include writing and illustrating little books. They are adorable, and also really funny - she has quite the sense of humor. She also loves playing 'mermaid' (ever since we let her watch Splash) and even roped the boy across the street into her storyline. I love sitting in the kitchen and eavesdropping on their play. Another favorite pastime is watching music videos on YouTube. Favorites include Spice Girls, Brittney Spears (yeah, I know...gag...I try to limit that one), and Beyonce. I'm sure it is wildly inappropriate that she walks around singing 'All the Single Ladies' and smacking her own tush, but you know what? Oh well. I've got bigger fish to fry.

Anyway, all that to say they're going and growing and all is well in Cotlerland.

Need to update

Just wanted to update on recent happenings with the kids. Sadie's school year seems to be off to a great start. There are some really nice kids in her class, and overall, she seems at ease, which is a great relief to me. We attended the first birthday party of the year and it was really nice to get to see her interact with the kids. I'm pleased to say that she really jumped right in and was very comfortable. I was also pleasantly surprised to see that she didn't cling to Abby - in fact, she spent much of the time talking with another classmate and didn't seem in the least worried about where Abby was. This is good. As thrilled as I am with the friendship with Abby, I know how girls can be and I keep stressing to Sadie that she needs to be open to friendships with other girls and not so dependent on just one friend.

Speaking of birthday parties - Sadie's 'birthday week of festivities' wrapped up on Sunday with a trip to American Girl Place. What an adorable place. Sadie and Eden (and, yes, Mommy and Daddy) really enjoyed the 'fancy' restaurant, and had fun browsing the store. We spent a bit of time walking around NYC afterwards, and overall it was just a great day.

As for Eden, what can I say? She has been unbelievably adorable lately, even if the tantrums and freshness continue. I know I shouldn't laugh when she says things like "shush! Shut out!" to me, but Eden being naughty is awfully hard to resist. She has this imaginary friend, Una (Oona?) who she talks about all the time. We're probably making some grave mistake by encouraging it, but again, it is just very cute to hear what goes on in her head. All the lead up to Sadie's birthday has Eden jonesing in a big way for her own. She tells anyone who will listen that her birthday is in January, and she's going to have a party and wear a crown and have a cake with Belle (from Beauty and Beast) on it.

She is also outgrowing some of her most adorable misarticulations, which is bittersweet. She no longer calls her friend Joseph "Jofess" and she repeatedly tells me "I don't say Opiseye anymore..I say Octopus!" Thankfully, she still mangles a few words like Leyow (yellow) and asketti (spaghetti) so I get to relish the baby talk for a bit longer. At Cindy's, she is learning to write her name and, miraculously, poop on the potty.

We will be moving Eden to a big girl bed this winter and saying goodbye to the crib forever. at some point in the next few months, I will be buying the last pack of diapers for our household. When "Madagascar 2" comes out next month, we plan to take both kids - this will mark Eden's first trip to the movies, and the end of man-on-man parenting, where one of us does 'big kid' stuff with Sadie while the other entertains Eden.

It is an interesting place to be in the parenthood journey - kind of at the crossroads where we are starting to leave babyhood and all its trappings behind, and look ahead to just parenting kids.

I do feel like I was able to cherish Eden's babyhood a bit more than I did the first time around, because I knew how quickly it would pass, though there is a part of me that is sad to see it end. Mostly, though, I'm looking forward to what lies ahead.