Hey, it’s that time of year again! Time to honor the passing of another birthday with a traditionally belated birthday post. June is full of birthdays (and there was a wedding this year as well) so we’ve been vegging the past two weeks.
Lydia has continued to come into her own this year. She likes to do things HERSELF, from brushing her teeth to fetching snacks from the pantry. Finding the right movie on the television is still a bit tough but she has seriously got the hang of it on the iPad. It’s amazing how intuitive that touchscreen is for someone her age — just a few flicks here, a tap there, then BAM, you’ve got Spiderman.
Lydia is becoming a big helper around the house. She enjoys helping to feed the kitties and she does fairly well when asked to clean her room. She really gets a kick out of helping Steven and I with cooking. Last night she helped make pancakes! She is still a very picky eater, unfortunately. Unknown foods on her plate will be met with loud protestations and scrunched up noses.
Here she is helping Steven to roll out pizza dough for a pizza that she will definitely NOT eat.
She is still very sweet with Sam and very mothering towards him, though he can now tackle her as well as she can tackle him. Sometimes she tries to be his mother too much and I hear her echoing me: “No no, Sam. Get your fingers out of your mouth.” I have to remind her that being a mommy is my job and she doesn’t need to worry so much about what Sam’s doing.
Despite her small stature, Lydia has been a willing participant of all things outdoorsy or sports-related this past year. She joined a ballet class through her school, and this summer she’s trying out gymnastics. She is more fond of swimming as she feels more comfortable with the water. She even tried out roller skating!
In fact, between Lydia and Sam we find ourselves outside a lot, even when it’s really just too hot. Every Saturday morning you will find us emerging from the basement, then one toy comes out, then a few more, and by the end of the day our driveway looks like a colorful plastic obstacle course. Sometimes, all the shiny red bicycles in the world aren’t amusing enough and Mom has to come up with “arts and crafts.”
I’m glad arts and crafts are more washable than when I was a kid.
My first good memories from when I was a kid are from when I was around three or four years old, so I’m often aware that Lydia is beginning to set up her own childhood memories now. I wonder what it is that she will remember.
Hopefully she remembers more of the cupcakes,
and the playtime,
and being a dinosaur,
and not so much of that time Mommy got locked in the bathroom.
I agree. I remember my 4th birthday party. I remember a few things before that, but they are a disorganized blurr. Four. Yes! That’s when my memory took hold and began forming a lifetime of wonderful memories!
I don’t remember my 4th birthday but I do remember my 5th. However, I remember so much in connection with the house in Memphis that I must have been less than 5 at the time.