Violet at 26 Months

We are getting into a groove with the heat and Violet at this point in the summer and Violet seems to be happier.  We do not have central air conditioning but our window air conditioners do a very good job of keeping our house comfortable for Violet in our record breaking heat of a summer.  Here Violet is below, hanging out at her favorite spot in the house - in front of the air conditioner.

Violet was sick this past month with a fever and chills, and had lots of snuggles in front of the TV with a blanket.  Since then, whenever she feels sick from being overheated, she climbs up on the couch, tucks herself in with a blanket in front of the air conditioner and asks for a movie.  I usually let her, as her attention span with the movie is about 10 minutes and that is long enough for her to cool down and feel better.  She also took a pretty bad fall on the playground by our house and was left with a black and blue bruise on her forehead.  She told our chiropractor about it, and asked for some of his 'magic' tape for herself and her doll after she saw Lucy get her sprained ankle wrapped in it.  She was insistent that the tape be placed directly on her forehead.  

Violet has also gotten really good at bouncing around the house on her red donkey named Donkers and accidentally bounced into a wall and hurt her head.  I was able to get a smile out of her when I asked if she thought Donkers should get a time-out for hurting her.  Violet has spent many a time-out in that same chair this past month, so she really got a kick out of Donkers serving some time there too.

Before bed tonight, Violet and I were snuggling and she started pointing at my teeth.  Then she pointed at her own teeth and asked why, "Vivi's teeth no match?".  This about broke my heart and I couldn't think of anything to say.  I have been dreading the day when Violet realized that her teeth were different, but thinking about it tonight, I am feeling very grateful that she realized this while snuggling me and not from someone being mean to her.  The next time she brings up her teeth to me, I will have positive affirmations ready for my beautiful girl.  Violet had a dentist appointment this past month and she did a great job.  Our dentist is so very sweet and kind and always has positive affirmations for Violet.  She let Emma sit next to Violet in the chair for moral support and Violet did a great job.  We prepped for days about the visit, and Violet would tell me, "Vivi no bite dentist!" in a proud voice.  We left the office with great news - Violet has two more molars coming in and one more top front tooth - and I couldn't help but realize that a year ago almost to the date we had left that same office and I had called Will sobbing in the car with our new diagnosis.  This time I was calling Will, happy beyond belief that Violet was getting three more teeth!

What a year it has been and it is amazing to me how life is forever changing and something that seems so final and unfortunate can turn into a happy, regular life in time.  We have met some beautiful people also affected by Ectodermal Dysplasia and have found a wonderful support network among them.  To think that I didn't know any of them a year ago is really crazy and I am grateful to Violet for being the reason that we have found a completely new circle of friends that we never would have met before.  Our world has expanded, thanks to Violet, and that will have a positive impact on our family forever more.

In clockwise order from the top left below: Violet is such a goof, and loves to play outside in her "dip dops" (flip flops that aren't hers and are too big and not safe for walking or running on concrete driveways...), Violet noticing her reflection in the bottom of the trash can in our bathroom, Violet playing baby with Emma (usually she is a mom and makes a point to tell me that I am the Uma and Daddy is the Umpa), and finally, Violet playing outside with my favorite baby doll from when I was her age.

Violet's appetite has slowed down considerably this past month, but I am holding on to the fact that she isn't becoming pickier, she is just eating a lot less quantity.  In the below picture, she discovered how to get the milk out of her cereal bowl.  When she finished the milk, she was done with breakfast.  Our chickens finished the soggy cheerios.

This sweet girl is sassy, silly and sweet.  I love how she holds onto my pony tail when I carry her and how she answers most questions by saying, "Mmmmhmmm."  Everything in her world can be described by categorizing it into Mamas, Daddies and Babies.  Forget small, medium and large or boys or girls.  In Violet's world, family is everything.

There is nothing like a two year old to simultaneously make you crazy busy and yet force you to slow down and smell the flowers too.  I read something the other day about don't forget that every blessing has a burden.  Two is such a fun age, but also so very challenging.  I have decided that I love having a two year old, and her cute sayings, chubbiness and loyal love is a fair exchange for tantrums, painfully slow outings and no sleep.  Yup, totally worth it.  I yuv you ViVi!

May at the Suburban Farm

We had another month full of celebrations at our house!  We started out the month with a triple birthday party for Lucy, Emma and Violet with our family.  The girls wanted to do a fairy theme this year, and so we made little fairy stepping stones, went on an acorn hunt with tiny baskets and even found fairies hidden throughout our yard that the cousins could take home to make their own fairy gardens with.

It really is amazing how close in age all of the cousins are, and they had a great time playing in the yard despite the below average temperatures.

A couple of days after the trio birthday party was Violet's actual birthday followed at the end of the week with Mother's Day.  I had a wonderful Mother's Day and was surprised by all of my gifts, but especially one from my friend who had borrowed my kids for the morning to work on a special surprise.  See the top, right hand picture below.  I mean, I have no words but you better believe I was a crying mess.  Will used his art talent to draw me some adorable pictures of our family and also refurbished a vintage picture frame that we've had since his family cleaned out his grandma's basement over seven years ago.  Will also made me a huge batch of veggie spring rolls to fill the freezer, as they are my favorite "fast-food" lunch in a hurry.  And I treated myself by making a batch of one of my favorite spring time desserts, strawberry rhubarb cobbler.

We spent a good part of the day in downtown Detroit and enjoyed the last day of a Musical Swing exhibit that was so interesting and fun.  We walked the river walk downtown and even found a patch of yellow tulips still in bloom so that I was able to have an impromptu photo shoot of all of my babies - Luke represented by the yellow tulips.  We even had time to relax at home and built a puzzle together as well as watch the kids play in the backyard.  It was a perfect day.

As if Mother's Day wasn't enough to spoil me, my birthday was soon after where I was the star for the day again.  This time I used my star status to have Will make me a huge batch of meatballs to stock the freezer for quick week night dinners.  Will and the girls also worked together to make me one of my favorite summer desserts - brownie pizza.  The girls and Will all had homemade gifts for me including a beautiful bracelet made by Emma, cards and drawings from Lucy as well as a set of my very own Lego Girls and a bee keeping tool box made by Will.

My birthday was very hot and humid, and so our usual go to birthday celebration of being outdoors had to be carefully planned out and executed as early in the day as possible.  We picked up breakfast from the Whole Foods bakery complete with an assortment of danishes and pastries and some delicious breakfast burritos.  We ate our breakfast picnic at a local park and then enjoyed a hike together and some time playing on the playground before it got too hot for Violet.

It was another perfect day full of homemade gifts, delicious food and the people I love most.  Our final holiday for the month was Memorial Day, where we enjoyed the parade that goes by our house with all of our neighbors and their kids.  I'm losing track now as to how many annual parades we have all come together for, but certain things are starting to become a tradition including some yummy sandwiches from Pinterest called "Funeral Sandwiches" that we are now renaming "Parade Sandwiches".

We enjoyed lots of time with family and friends, including my nephew's third birthday party, yoga classes followed by picnics at the playground and impromptu rock concerts put on by our kids with nothing more than a couple of instruments and a fireplace for a stage.

We enjoyed an after school snack at a new park, a jumping fountain with friends and opening day at the Farmer's Market.

The kids and I are all getting summer fever and are completely over school work, but I am still enforcing things and trying to remind everyone of the upcoming light at the end of the tunnel.  In clockwise order from the top left: Lucy won her favorite type of stuffed animal for perfect attendance in her catechism class all year; Lucy making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch; Lucy reading to Emma and Violet; three little apple trees all filled up for good behavior; Emma caught looking at a picture book when she was supposed to be doing her reading book for school; and finally, Emma reading her reading book to Violet.

Lucy has become a huge help this past year, and it is amazing to me how much she is capable of doing if the motivation is just right and I am very grateful for her.  Here are my girls below, learning the art of sisterhood: eating ice cream together, singing to Rachel Platten in the car together, playing dolls, having a snack, cuddling in bed and taking a bath.  These are the times that I consciously soak in so that I am sustained through all of their fighting and drama.

May was a great month for gardening.  We planted all of our vegetable seeds and Lucy and I made a wildflower seed bed as well.  Our apple, pear and peach trees put out beautiful blossoms this year, as did some of our flowering shrubs.

Lucy and Emma wanted to plant their own flower bed this year and so Will dug up some sod and arranged some extra landscape rocks we had and then we took them to the local green house and gave them a budget.  They had so much fun in that green house picking out their flowers that we had to practically drag them out of there.  I'm not one for annual flowers, as I'm more of a perennial girl myself so I have to admit that my attention span was shot!  In the left hand picture is Lucy planting their flower bed.  The small inset picture next to it is of a nature scavenger hunt that Lucy and Emma put together for us to do.

I found a toad while gardening and debated whether or not to show Lucy as I always feel so bad for the toads in her possession as they receive almost too much love and never enough to eat.  Of course I had to show her though, and I became her favorite person in the whole world for doing so.  Besides playing with their toad, the girls have enjoyed building fairy gardens for hours on end in our backyard this past month.

We collected the first of the season's harvests from our garden including rhubarb and asparagus.  We ate asparagus for about four weeks straight and by the end I wasn't sick of it, but the excitement had definitely faded.  In clockwise order from top left: eggs in a blender to make a pear pie breakfast bake; the difference between my plate and Lucy's plate and what I thought was a heavenly dinner which ended with Lucy saying, "can I try some of the ribs - only because you kept making sounds when you ate it so it must be good"; Lucy eating corn on the cob - on the cob - as last summer she had no front teeth and needed it cut off of the cob; asparagus, rhubarb, and last but definitely not least, one of my biggest time savers - delivered groceries.  The best was when Emma looked out of the front door and yelled, "MOM!  FOOD'S HERE!"

Our baby chicks are no longer babies and this past month were old enough to be wheeled outside during the day.  This was a giant chore from the beginning and by the end of it we were completely over it.  We had to bring them into the garage overnight because their rolling coop was not animal proof and they were still too small to be put into our permanent coop with the adult hens.  Charlie was very possessive of the chickens and would lay next to the coop or on top of it every night as if he was guarding them.  I think the reality was he was making sure that if one got out, he would be the first to eat it.  By the end of the month though the chickens no longer ignored his paw under their cage as he swatted it back and forth and several times he ran away after they pecked him.  In the bottom left hand picture is what you do when your friend pulls into your driveway, opens her trunk and a watermelon rolls out.  Little did she know that she would be donating it when she bought it, but a smashed watermelon is nothing to cry about when there are chickens nearby!

Charlie is happy that we are spending more and more time outside and loves to harass us as we work in the garden.  My favorite is that he thinks low back fat exposed to the elements is something to be swatted at.

My honey bees arrived early this past month and so we spent some time beforehand prepping all of the hives.  To take the supplies to the property north of us where I have several hives was definitely an engineering feat.  Will and I are super proud of the fact that we have still managed to keep our four door sedan with three kids and our suburban farm.  We managed but trust me when I say there wasn't a free square inch to spare.  One of the hives at the property was hosting a snake which took me by surprise, and another hive at our house had a family of mice living under it.  It was sad for me to then see Charlie eat them one by one.  It just really affects me and it is so strange to me that the rest of my family is indifferent to it.  I overheard Lucy ask Will, "Why does mom get so upset when Charlie eats birds and mice?  Charlie has to eat too!"  First off, we feed Charlie cat food so it's not like I want him to starve, but secondly, how are my kids this callous!?  I am hoping that it means they have a healthy sense of the food chain and how life works unlike me, who grew up in suburbia.

I've been involving the family more and more in my bee keeping, mostly out of necessity because I have so much to do, but also because I've realized that for all these years that I've dreamed of having a family business together, that this IS the family business!  It's ironic that my hobby has naturally evolved into this great business, but wow, am I ever so grateful!

Lucy and Emma are amazing helpers at my bee classes and we have been done it enough times now that I no longer even need to give them directions as they know what needs to happen next and take care of it.  We also caught our first swarm of bees from a nearby house and although we were Googling what to do the entire time, I can now say that after several weeks they are thriving in their new home.  This was about a $120 value, although I need to impress the fact that nothing is ever free.  We learned so many things the hard way with this swarm and are very fortunate that we didn't kill them with our ignorance.  My favorite picture below is in the center bottom, of a sheet that we obtained from who knows where that has tigers all over it and seems to be as useful as it is ugly.  In this instance it covered up the box that we left the bees in overnight when we realized that they had chewed a hold through the bottom and were all over the inside of our car.  I also would like to point out that the flat rear end featured in the bee suit below is Will's.  When we arrived on the scene of the swarm we realized that I did not have the strength or confidence on the ladder to hold the box for the bees while getting the swarm into it, so Will had to do it.  The entire time he kept telling the onlookers that this was not his hobby - as if to cover his flat butt if the whole thing went awry.  My favorite part of my side kick was when he made a point to tell the gathering audience that we must have left his bee suit at home as he zipped up the snug fitting suit.  I played right along and said, "Oh, you're right. Sorry about that."  All the while knowing that it was his bee suit that had just gotten tight on him.  But the full disclosure is that MY bee suit hasn't fit since I was pregnant with Violet and I am now wearing his suit.  So I guess he was right that he was putting my suit on.  *GRIN*  Photos from top left in clockwise order: a bee class that I'm hosting, Will catching a swarm, our tiger sheet keeping our newly obtained bees contained, an order of wedding favors, and soap cooking in my crock pot.

But the best part of this story is that Will and I were on a date when we got the call that there was a swarm near by, so we left Costco (yup, we were grocery shopping on our date) and ended up having an awesome, crazy adventure together.  We even got a call from the babysitter - after we asked her if she could stay longer - that one of our chickens got loose and she felt like she was in uncharted waters.  Oh, the excitement!  We had so many laughs and it will forever be one of our most memorable dates and our beloved baby sitter also has some good stories she will never forget too.

Life is never dull with my hilarious husband, three fiesty girls, 60,000 plus bees, too many chickens and one crazy cat!

Violet Hot and Cold at 25 Months

This past month with Violet has been quite challenging.  We believe it is the rising temperatures and humidity outside combined with her new age of two and her trouble with sleep.  Her tantrums and mood swings have been epic to say the least, and I have turned several heads when I've sprayed her in the face with the mister bottle during a melt down.  It finally occurred to me that it probably doesn't look good when I spray a screaming toddler in the face with a water bottle, much like a pet owner would spray a misbehaving cat.  Because I don't feel like defending my parenting to complete strangers, I now mist myself as close as possible to Violet, so she still benefits from the second hand spray and hopefully now I'm only being judged for her lack of clothes in public.  It is kind of hurtful when mostly elderly people tell me to my face that I need to get that poor baby some clothes before she freezes to death.  If only they knew the stress and anxiety that went into what she is currently wearing/not wearing.  Here she is below, trying to catch a breeze with Will.

When Violet becomes overheated, it becomes a vicious downward spiral as she communicates her discomfort through screaming, which then causes her to overheat even more.  When all other cooling methods have failed, I put her in a cool bath and she calms down very quick.  It is such a relief to have her sweet personality come back and it breaks my heart to see her lose herself when she overheats.  People with the same challenges Violet has keep telling me that it will get easier in a couple of years when she knows how to manage her own temperature better and I keep reminding myself that if we can make it through the toddler years we will be okay.  The tough thing is, that if we are playing outside she is so happy, even when it is warm.  It's almost like her core body temperature raises slowly, over a period of time and once it hits a certain point - probably when the rest of us start sweating - she starts becoming more and more irritable until there is nothing to do except douse her in cool water.

Violet loves swinging and now that the weather is warmer, we have realized that her swing is in full sun.  The other day I told her no when she wanted to swing because it was too hot.  She got upset and kept crying and whining about swinging that I finally agreed and put her in the swing.  A couple of minutes later she became lethargic and I pulled her out of the swing and drenched her shirt in water.  I feel like in a couple of years I won't have to fight her to keep her from overheating.

 I just hope the rest of the world won't be distracted by Violet's mood when she is hot, and can see the girl that I see - the one who loves to help me...

 ...and is super silly and loves to entertain an audience with her antics.  In the below pictures from clockwise order starting at the top: Violet turned two lap desks over to make a bed out of the bean bag bottoms, Violet telling me, "Look Mama T., I up down!" and finally, Violet telling me to look at her hands while we were driving in the car.  Fortunately I found it funny as it is a giant pain to have to put her shoes and socks back on each time we need to get out of the car while running errands.  However, unlike when her sisters were her age and I made them walk without shoes and socks if they took them off, I never will reprimand Violet for taking clothes off as I feel like that is the first step in managing her own body temperature.

Violet still has the most varied appetite out of her sisters, and appreciates foods that are soft, unless the food is chocolate of course.  She still doesn't have any bottom molars and struggles with raw veggies and apples.

Violet speaks in full sentences now and it is such a cute thing for us to hear - especially if we understand what she is saying.  Usually if I can't make out what she is saying, Lucy and Emma are ready interpreters.  Some of her favorite phrases this past month include:

-"Help me Mama T."
-"What's this Mama T.?"
-"That scared me!" in response to almost getting hurt or hearing a loud noise.
-"Too spicey!" describes any food she doesn't like, even if it is just something she has to spit out because she can't chew it.

She also likes to whisper-talk stories, which I find highly endearing.  And yes, she refers to me as Mama T.

Violet loves playing house and setting up various little cozy corners for her and her baby dolls.

 In fact, Violet's favorite thing to do is to play mommy with her baby dolls.  She got a new baby doll for her birthday to match the ones that Lucy and Emma play with and I'm sad to report that the new baby doll has replaced her little Rosie baby doll that she has slept with since she was just a couple of months old.  Maybe the larger sized doll feels better to cuddle, but either way, I am sad to see her love of Rosie come to an end.

Besides her new doll named Kayla from her birthday, she has also found my favorite doll from when I was a kid named Babsie (or as Will refers to her as The Albino Princess - reason number 234 why we wouldn't have been friends as kids).  It is crazy to me to see Babsie come back to life through the love of Violet and I feel such amazing gratitude that my most beloved childhood toy has a new life again with my real-life baby.  Here Violet is below, playing with her two favorite baby dolls.

Violet really is a sweetie when the temperature is cooler and the humidity is low.  Oh, and when everyone gives her what she wants immediately, without hesitation.  A toddler that doesn't sweat - such a difficult combo!  Even still, I love her with all of my heart and can't imagine life without her, no matter how exhausting our life right now may be.  Here she is below, smelling lilacs, picking flowers and watering our garden.

 When Lucy and Emma were struggling with toddlerhood tantrums I read them the book, "I Love You Through and Through" where it says, "I love your happy side, I love your sad side, I love your silly side, and your MAD side."  I think I need to add a page for Violet that says, "I love your cool side and your HOT side, I love you through and through, yesterday, today and tomorrow too!"

April

We kicked off our crazy busy month of April with a fun Pizza Showdown with our Aunt and Uncle.  There were four pizzas from four different pizzerias and we had to decide which one tasted the very best.  Interestingly enough, once all of our favorites were together in one place, there was one clear winner.  After our pizza showdown, we played a rowdy game of hide and seek.  Emma won with her hiding spot right next to where we were counting!  She stayed quiet and hidden for a really long time as we searched the house three times over, and still couldn't find her!  We ended our foodie party with a brownie pizza, decorated by the kids.

The Pizza Showdown was a great way to start off Will's spring break.  We played with the idea of going somewhere for spring break, but decided to have a stay-cation instead.  Here are the girls below, starving after waiting for almost an hour to get a table at the local brunch place.  I ordered the s'more pancakes, as s'mores are one of my favorite foods.  I left feeling sick, and realized that I was no longer a kid and am now unable to eat pure sure with sugar drizzled and sprinkled on top as a meal.  I knew I was in trouble when Emma offered me a piece of her bacon saying, "Mom, it looks like you could use some protein with that."

We also visited the Science Center down town with friends and had a great day.

I made soap with a friend while her kids hung out and taught my kids how to make and fly paper airplanes.  It was fun to show my friend how to make soap, while watching the shyness wear off between the kids - her boys, older than my girls - all playing, laughing and being crazy together.  Soap Making, Spring Break style!

We took care of a lot of items on our to-do list in between walks, bike rides, and ice cream stops.  Will installed the built-in shelf we had picked up from Shipshewana before Christmas.  The entire project was started and completed in one day.  I was amazed, and it really turned out great.  If I would have known it would have been that painless, I would have let him tear up my kitchen sooner.

I spent a lot of time over the break making products for my honey business.  Besides me making lip balms, soaps and salves, there were lots of trips to the post office, and lots of research online for packaging materials, ingredients and pricing.

Spring break ended with a wedding shower for my sister-in-law to be.  She flew up from Florida and the girls and I had so much fun visiting with family and one of my favorite parts was the game, Pin the Mustache on the Groom.  As my brother stayed home in Florida, it was a fair game.

Our baby chicks are almost full-grown chickens now, although Lucy pointed out they still make cheep cheep sounds, so they are like teenagers.  Our older hens are still laying eggs like their lives depended on it.

This is the first month this year that we were able to harvest something other than eggs from our yard!  Below are the first crops of dandelions and violets, to be used in salves, soaps and lip balms as well as our first crop of asparagus.  Harvesting from my yard, especially when my kids participate and it is the first of the season is always such a happy and exciting event.

 Charlie fits right in with our producer lifestyle, and also is excited to harvest from our yard.  He surprised himself the other night when he caught a bat.  Sadly, he didn't prefer the taste and we had to dispose of it.  In the bottom picture he is watching us play in the yard.  If we go around a corner, he runs after us and settles down nearby again to watch us.  I think he is part dog and I love him so much, even though petting him is a sure-fire way for me to break out in hives.

 The girls and I attended the opening week of our local zoo's new penguin exhibit and enjoyed a picnic dinner afterward.  I have to be honest and say that it was far too crowded for my liking but it sure beat staying at home while Will worked late.

 We've had lots of fun with friends this past month...

 ...and enjoyed a homeschool group trip to Curious George the Musical at a local theater, as well as a homeschool open skate.  It was the girls first time roller skating and even Violet skated!  Lucy skated the longest with the help of a friend but by the end of the afternoon, my back was hurting so much from stooping over to help Violet.  In the top left-hand picture below, Violet was taking a break with a friend, while singing along to Fight Song by Rachel Platten at the top of her lungs.

We enjoyed a mid-morning week day hike with my parents and sister and loved seeing the ducks but especially all of the spring flowers in the woods, just starting to bloom.

 Plays, roller skating and hikes are all perks of homeschooling.  Downsides include motivating your children to get their work done so that we can go do the fun things.  Emma is still pretty excited to do schoolwork but Lucy drags her feet and is the queen of procrastination when it comes to reading and handwriting.  I've decided to try a new tactic of only telling Lucy one time to do something and if she doesn't finish, we don't delay the next subject, but continue to the next items.  If she has unfinished work, she can't play or watch TV until she finishes.  It may not be working great for Lucy, but it is working great for me, as it puts me in a bad mood when I feel the need to hound her to focus.  I set the timer now, and my day is no longer held up by her procrastination.  With homeschooling, if you are motivated, you have the opportunity to complete your schoolwork and then have plenty of time in the day left over.  I hope someday soon Lucy realizes this.

 Not to mention that the weather has been beautiful, and the sooner schoolwork is complete, the sooner we can get outside and enjoy the day!  Here we are, in the great outdoors.  In the top, left-hand picture below is how Lucy plays with sidewalk chalk - instead of drawing, she mixes chalk colors.

 We have already enjoyed many meals outside but especially dinners, as it is easier with two adults to bring stuff outside.  But oh, the joy of not having to sweep up all of the crumbs after!  Lately after dinner we have been going for walks where Violet rides in the stroller or her push-along-trike and Lucy and Emma ride their bikes.  Lucy and Emma do a great job listening and following our safety rules and I am loving this new phase of walks with the family.  Will and I can now pick up the pace and feel like we are getting a good workout as we walk fast enough to keep up with the bikes.  In the below picture, we are taking a break from our walk/bike ride to explore a field of white violets.  In the bottom picture Will is waiting patiently while his girls revel in the violets.

 Both Emma and Lucy celebrated birthdays this past month and have been enjoying all of the treats and presents that come along with turning another year older.

And even though my oldest girl is now seven, she still needs mama snuggles every day and I am so glad.  Emma promises me that she will give me snuggles even when she is a grown up.

Will never says it, but I think he enjoys snuggles with his girls too.