Crazy Love Gamble-Style

Not much happens around here when the littles aren't feeling well.  We just hang out, Norah was actually somewhat excited when I packed her up this morning to rush off to the doctors.  If I knew how long they were  going to make us wait, I would of taken my  time : )  Ava is such a goofball.   : )  I snapped these pictures while she was on the phone with Auntie Jessica, I couldn't, and still can't get over how OLD she looks in them.  She's been acting like a naughty teenager all day.  We think it has something to do with me  holding this little girlie all day, Ava's feeling a little left out.  She did try to push her way  onto my lap several times but it was just  making Norie cry so she had to be kicked off.  : (  This is how we found Norah when she woke  up from her nap, somehow she pulled both  her shirts down over her waist.  Poor ...

I know I talk a lot of smack about my kids and I know you know that I love them like crazy no matter what not-so-nice things I say, but I think I'm starting to realize that I don't give them enough credit for how GOOD they are.  When we're around some children  (not your kids I swear!)  it makes me think that mine are complete angels.   They can do no wrong, or at least by comparison  they are nearly perfect.    For kids.  I think Ava likes to be the "good one" just because she doesn't necessarily get to be that at home,  she loves that role.  I know that about her so I play  off of that, trying to encourage her to be good all the time . Norah likes being naughty, she thinks it's really funny, but she is so darn cute that even when she is being really naughty you can't think ill of her.    I'm pretty sure they make them that cute to keep you  from killing them, ...

Today was hard, to put it mildly. Some days parenting brings me to tears, this was one of  those days.  I don't know what it is.  Ava is the sweetest most loving girl.  She can charm the pants off of just about anyone and has a million perfect little qualities...BUT She is driving me bat-shit crazy lately. She KNOWS she is driving me crazy and it seems to just fuel the fire.   Yes, I know what you are thinking, she needs more  attention.  This girl is demanding attention every. single. second.  With out fail, she is asking for something at  all times.   Usually you can find her on me, physically on me.   She is loud, totally obnoxious, sassy, back-talking, instigator of all kinds of trouble, liar, wild and  constantly disrespectful. I am at my whits end.   I talk to her about all these issues until I am blue in the  face, I explain what s...

So as I was saying yesterday, Norah has lost her mind. She keeps getting up on things, then dangerously running and thinks it's so FUNNY.  Here is Ava working on getting her down from the couch.  And again with the table, several times today.  Happily running across.  Resulting in timeout...  over and over. She also kept pulling Ava's hair out and trying to bite  her, not in a mean way, she actually thinks that is also a big game & super funny.  It doesn't help that Ava  won't stop laughing, I was trying to get her to pretend  to cry but that wasn't really working.   When all that isn't going on Norah insists I hold her every second.  If I set her down her "baby  alarm" goes off, which means she starts endlessly  shrieking until I pick her back up.  Fun. The key to keeping Norah out of trouble is getting  her out of the house.   I took ...

I'm in so much trouble. This girl is super cute but...  She just discovered the art of climbing on to the couch. Something I have dreaded but knew was coming.   She gets up there, gets a huge grin on her face and runs  across, often crawling up on the arm or leaning her whole body over the arm.  All the while shrieking with laughter.  Today I walked into the living room after her sister, the safety police, started yelling to me something was  wrong and caught Norah just getting up on the glass coffee table.  She jumped to her feet and RAN  across with no regards at all for the edges or gravity or anything, least of all me screaming at her. I try to scold her and put her in time out.  She thinks the whole thing is a game.   She thinks she is freaking hilarious!  I think I have a few more gray hairs.   I wish I knew what to do to stop her. Over and over these...

Norah is STRONG WILLED.   Yes I had to put that in all caps. This is VERY serious.  She is driving me crazy.    She is seriously one of the cutest kids ever, most of the time. She makes me laugh constantly all through the day. Norah can be so happy, sweet & loving.   Love, love, love her BUT... She gets these ideas in her head, sees something out  of the corner of her eye and then SHE MUST HAVE IT!!!  RIGHT NOW!!!  No, don't try to distract her, it will just make her ANGRY!!!  So ANGRY.   She has MASTERED the art of the perfect tantrum. Why?  Why can't she just be calm & happy & RATIONAL? Please, remind me the best way to handle this.   I don't remember Ava being this crazy. Love little Norah but WOW.   HELP. Please??? Don't let her cuteness fool you!  

These kids are driving me crazy. And it has nothing to do with the fact  that I couldn't ever get them both to look at me at the same time for these photos.  No, I'm talking about stubborn, naughtiness that is just too much.  I tell Ava to do something and she just looks at me and says "No.  I'm NOT doing that."  What?  How is that possibly acceptable??  I don't understand why she is not more scared of me yet?!  I try so hard....: )  But seriously, she is so difficult right now.   You know how I made her those cool school  books that she could use dry erase on, she is  now acting like it's a fate worse then death if  I try to get her to work on them.  I wanted her  to love doing them, she actually did at first.  I have been also working on getting her to do  something, anything, independently.  She is pinned to me ALL. DAY. LONG.  She used to s...