I don't get it

They were fine all through church, 'happy' even.  No Sunday school today meant they had to come home with Mom, stopping off at the dollar store on the way to each get new flip flops for the summer. 

Came home, had a bite to eat, changed clothes & diapers, down to the living room and on went the TV, waiting for the wind to stop blowing and the sun to come out.  Meanwhile, Elia falls fast asleep, flat on her face on the coffee table (she can sleep anywhere!), Lars is playing Cars and Eden is in a world of make believe.  

The 3rd child can sleep anywhere, I've determined

Then it happens, I make myself a tuna sandwich, grab my novel and a bottle of water.  I sit on the couch upstairs.  So far, so good.  One tennis shoe comes off.  The dog starts barking outside.  The other tennis shoe comes off and I kid you not, WWIII breaks out downstairs between the siblings.  Was it because I took my shoes off?  Is it the novel I so badly want to crack open?  The sandwich? Or was it because I tried to sit down for a few minutes of solace?  What, exactly, causes them to know just when to scream and cry and hit and bit and fight?  I don't get it.  

So, they've been banned to the outdoors until further notice.  And you know what?  After a serious 5 minute screaming event between the two with some gnashing of teeth thrown into the mix, they are playing perfectly fine, in a world of childhood adventures known only to them and all to their-selves. 

Surely, I never engaged in such activity as a youngster??

Like the book says

Elia is my text book child.  The only one we've had, actually.  

Eden, on the contrary, was coddled and spoiled and helped all along the way, because she was the first and that's just how it works.  Which, to be honest, you don't even realize until the second one comes along.  She slept 12 hours at a time from 4 months old (not normal, I find out later) and napped 2-3 hours during the day.  I could take naps during the day or catch up on laundry when Eden was up at night then slept the during the day.  I was easily refreshed and able to keep up with her at all other times, as well as bake cookies, participate in every church and community function in my spare time and fill in scrapbook pages with the best of them.  

Lars, well that's a discussion for another book. 

Elia?  Text book baby.  Text book toddler.  Breast fed co-sleeper who didn't sleep through the night till 15 months, took to her crib at a reasonable age, ate table food in the appropriate intervals, crawled at the right time, walked at the right time, talked at the right time, starting with the word 'no' and branching out from there. You know that she's teething when she gets a horrible diaper rash, spikes a fever and her nose runs like a hose.  Likes to be cuddled and read to, loves to play outside even when it's too cold and generally shows her independence regularly.  Just like the book says.  

And the terrible twos that start at 22 months? Well, that's where this chapter ends.  Or is this where the chapter begins?

Racecar progress

After a long awaited nice day, here are the first decals to go on. The "name " was stenciled, sprayed, and hand outlined.