Visions of Sugarplums

There are some days when I really wonder if the kids found a sugar bowl and licked it clean. They were VERY busy at church yesterday. Not bad, but busy for sure. And Friday night we had our small group and they were high-octane also. I had to chuckle because for the first hour or so, Maddie was pretty calm. Actually, VERY calm, especially for her. I joked with our hosts that their house must have a calming effect on her because the Maddux they were seeing was not the Maddux I'd spent time with the last week. The man of the house mocked me, saying, "Not my Maddux." Sure enough, after dinner my girl showed them a thing or two.

Speaking of sugar, Eli had a Pajama Party at school on Friday. The kids wore their PJs to class and they had waffles for snack. When I picked Eli up, the teacher told me of some funny conversation during snack. One of the other children only ate the butter and syrup off his waffle, asking for more 'topping'. She kindly told him that he needed to eat the waffle; he couldn't just eat the syrup because too much sugar could make him sick. Apparently my boy chimed in with a "YEAH! Sugar can make your tummy hurt!" Atta boy.

A few 'new' things with the kids:
Maddie pushes in all of the chairs after we eat each meal. She walks around the table and does her best to scoot them in. She actually does alright with the chairs Lehr and I use, but the two with booster seats are obviously heavier and near impossible for her to move. So she stands next to them and complains until someone helps her. A bit OCD, if you ask me.

Maddux loves to say 'bye-bye', and she enunciates it very well. When we leave the park or the store or a friend's house, she will turn around and wave her hand, saying, "Byeee-byeee."

The latest concert music we've been listening to is Michael Franti (lead singer of Spearhead). Eli has taken on a new instrument: his voice. Actually, he seems to be a bit of a lip-syncher these days: he holds a dive stick like a microphone and moves back and forth in time to the music. Eli loves Spearhead ("Searhead" since he never pronounces consonants after an 's'.)...he was very disappointed when Lehr and I went to their concert last night and he was unable to go. He gave me a very intentional, "Gee....I wish I could go to the Searhead concert."

We have encountered a new issue with Eli: lying. I refuse to believe it is malicious in his intent though. I think he doesn't grasp the concept of what a lie is. I try to explain lies and truths, but without using those two words, I'm struggling. Any words of advice for a 3 1/2 year old are welcomed!

Last but not least, Maddie has become even more (is that possible?!) animated in her concert/music participation. She dances and claps like nobody's business. And the excited look on her face is priceless: mouth agape and eyes beaming. I love it!