Is there a doctor in the house?

It was one of those days. A day like any other, where I was half-crazed with too much caffeine and too little sleep. Riley was literally bouncing off the walls with boredom and I was not about to bust out of the house with a screaming infant (Reesie Pie hates the car) and a wild toddler (Riley hates to nap).



So, off to the closet I go.



In the closet, I have cleverly hidden toys - some that she has forgotten about and some she has never seen before. Riley received a Doctor Kit this past Christmas from her Aunt and Uncle but I never gave it to her thinking that she was a bit to young to "get it." Complete with ooohhhs and ahhhhs, I revealed...the Doctor Kit (complete with a giant TA DA!).



I showed her how to use all of the tools and she was off running.



Sometimes Riley packs up her kit and tells me she is going to work. Then she returns with an imaginary ice-cream. This part is puzzling.



Or, she'll follow me around the house asking, "You sick Mommy?" After a few times of, "Well, no, Riley, Mommy is not sick, Mommy is just tired. You see, I stay up late to do school work, and then Baby Reese gets up..."



"No Mommy, you sick?" As she holds up her pink medical kit.



After quite a few of Riley's "exams" I decided it was time to practice on a new patient - her baby sister. I say, whats better than a fragile baby to practice new medical skills on?



In the video, Riley is being quite patient with Reese. She even tells her, "You be a good girl, you get a milkshake." That's all me, I'm a briber. You will also notice Riley's "princess" dress. A friend of mine got Riley this dress for her birthday last year and she has been hell-bent on wearing it as of late; to bed, to the grocery store, to school, destination really doesn't matter as long as she can pair with it her leopard-print shoes. It's a classic style option for every two year old.

Hands

Reese has been loving on her hands lately. Most of the time, you can catch her sucking on them, eating them, or folding them. It's pretty cute, even when she is completing some pretty outrageous maneuvers like this one....

Here is Riley after an art project. She doesn't really care for messy hands, insisting that I clean them throughout the creation process.

Riley has also been using her hands lately for another activity - praying. Evidently, when you sign your child up for a religious preschool, this will happen. I pulled out the prayer sheet out of her backpack the other day after school. I started singing it and instantly she bowed her head and closed her eyes. Upon discovering that I wasn't doing the same, she stopped praying and instructed me to "close eyes." While watching Ellen the other day, I caught her praying again on the couch. I'm not sure what Ellen said to get her a-prayin' but she evidently felt called into action!

The devil

I have been busy making tutus for the girls' Halloween costumes. Reese is going to be an angel and Riley, a devil. How appropriate.
We went away this weekend so I could present with a group of professors at the Florida Communication Association conference. Riley, again, was out of her mind. She didn't want to be in the room, she want to see the fish in the lobby aquarium, she didn't want to step on the rug in the room, she didn't want to be strapped into her car seat. Dan says that it feels like we went through war, but at least we made it through and got to come home.
Yesterday, after 14 hours of sleep, she was a little angel. Today, it has been another story.
Why does it bother me so much that she throws a fit over clothes and shoe choices? Or, when I ask her to pick something up she replies, "No, you do it."
It's because she is a mini-me. I was exactly the same way. I used to throw a royal fit if my scrunched socks (remember those?) did not have the same, exact number of "scrunches." I would lay on my bed in the morning as my Mom pulled one outfit after another out of my closet. One day, my Dad had enough and took everything out of my closet except for one dress and told me I would have to wear that for the rest of the school year. Bawling, I asked him what would happen when it go ruined. He replied, "I'll buy you another one just like it."
God is totally punishing me.

Forgiveness

I'm in this class called: Restorative Justice, Servant Leadership & Forgiveness. It's an elective and requires 10 books. It sort of feels like a therapy session rather than a master's level class but in any case, I'm getting three credits for it. A large portion of the class is working through past situations, realizing our role in the problem, and seeking forgiveness. If you think about it, there's a lot of forgiveness out there in the world to be had, and also, it's necessary to forgive yourself. Just for fun, here's my working list.



Please forgive me for...

1. Wearing my pajamas all day when I don't leave the house

2. Eating a bag of cookies because they are OATMEAL chocolate chip. That makes them healthy, right?

3. Driving like a bat out of hell as I squeal out of the garage for a "night out" to complete my homework at my "office" aka Panera.

4. Not shaving my legs. Enough said.

5. Trying to be super mom. I'm really not and anyone who tries is in for a big disappointment.

6. Feeding my child bread and butter for lunch today. I was too tired to fight.

7. Laughing hysterically when Riley explains she is afraid of the trash can and night light in her room - these were the reasons she wanted to sleep with us around 3am last night.

8. Telling my husband that a perfect gift would be a night in a hotel...alone. Just me, a big comfy bed and some room service. Preferably at the Ritz.

9. Inviting my brother over for dinner. Then promptly telling him to bring the necessary ingredients to actually make the meal. The grocery store is over-rated.

10. Rolling down the windows and cranking up the tunes as two girls cry in the back seat.



No one is perfect and I'm not shy about asking for forgiveness for my Mommy imperfections!