Crazy Love Gamble-Style

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 ...

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!  

Oreo has been feeling left out of things lately. Sure he gets to be crawled on, sat on and harshly petted on a regular basis, but for some reason  he wants more. So I obliged him by treating him like one of my  children, and what else do you do with kids then take their photo??   There.  My work here is done. Here's a few extra photos that have nothing to do with anything.  I just like them. Now back to my favorites, the REAL kids.  I tried taking Ava on a test run/walk today to see if she  could hang.  The answer is NO, to the fifth degree. Not because she can't keep up, just because she  refuses to try.  She is at that wonderful age where the majority of the things she does is deliberately  just to test me; my patience, my love for her,  my ability to choose her over every single other  person or thing.  I have failed that test. Thankfull...