The Good and the Bad

Well, law school has begun and Joe is in the thick of it. He's been very busy and I know it's just going to get worse. It's been a challenge for the girls and I (mostly me). I keep thinking that it shouldn't be this hard since the girls are pretty independent and I have a good amount of time to myself. I'm realizing that just because they are not little babies anymore, doesn't mean they aren't demanding in some ways. Every stage has it's challenges.

I've been having trouble with Elizabeth lately. She's entered a stage of being purposely disobedient and it's so frustrating. For instance, she snuck a cookie off the counter after I had told her not to and then when I caught her she tried to shove it in her mouth before I took it away. Grrr.... Another day she was purposely taking every toy Natalie picked up away from her just to make her mad. Grrr.... Another struggle I have been having with her is trying to teach her to obey quickly. She seems to have no concept of this and it is SO frustrating.

Natalie has been having problems with screaming again. She's also in that broken record stage of repeating the same thing over and over and over no matter how many times I answer her/ignore her or whatever. Some days it feels like everything that comes out of her mouth is either in the form of a whine or a shriek. It's not that bad, of course, it just feels like that sometimes.

So, now that I'm finished with that, I would like take note of some of the great things my kids are doing. Elizabeth is a really good big sister. She teaches Natalie all sorts of things and is always very kind in her teaching. She teaches her colors and letters and tells her what things are called. She also always helps Natalie take her shoes off when we come inside and never complains when I ask her to help Natalie with something. Elizabeth's favorite thing to do is to help Natalie say prayers and it's so cute to hear them. Also, I don't think I've ever seen a time when Elizabeth ever refused to share a treat with Natalie, no matter what it is. When they are given a treat, Natalie usually scarfs hers down and Elizabeth savors hers a little more. Then Natalie will ask for more from Elizabeth and she always shares willingly. It amazes me every time. I mean I'm an adult and I sometimes whine about having to share something with Joe. :)

Natalie is so sweet. She is already noticing more when she has hurt Elizabeth's feelings and she will say sorry sometimes all by herself. She loves her big sister. Elizabeth is still learning to ride her bike and she sometimes gets stuck and can't pedal. Natalie is always willing to run over and push her so she can get going again. Then Elizabeth will come and push her on her "bike" (just one of those ride-on baby toys). They love to play hide and go seek and ring around the rosies and dance to music together.

The other day, Elizabeth was wanting to help Natalie say a prayer but one of us was going to help her instead. Elizabeth said, "But she's my best friend!"

I hope they'll always be best friends. I hope that I can remember how special they are to their Father in Heaven and treat them accordingly.

Sorry for complaining and rambling. This has been therapeutic, though.