Nuggets

I am in love with one of our nightly routines - the kids want piggy back rides, or "pig rides" as Aria calls them, to bed. Aria has finally learned how to hold on, which is big deal because she used to lay flat as a board, feet tucked over my tush, and cling with her little hands like vice grips into my neck. Now, with legs tucked but still not sitting up, she wants to give me kisses as we lumber along, jerking my chin to the side in an attempt to swivel my head like a baby doll. And I oblige, who needs a working neck anyhow.

I know we don't mean to have so many little transitions, but they work, and they sure are fun. I'll be sad when they don't want piggy back rides to bed anymore, and boy I am I glad we got such nice carpet padding.

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Aria cracks us up lately being Roland's mimic. She watches him talk and says what he says just a couple words behind, which is tough because she is catching every third word and hilarious because she ends with such volume to be all that more convincing than he was. If he dances, she dances. If he climbs, she climbs. There's not much she doesn't try that he does, and even less that she's not successful at replicating. Perfectly. It's scary at times. And it isn't just Roland, she mimic's Connor, too. Busted out a "Rock and Roll!" the other night on the drive home.

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Roland's brain is exploding, still. He's asking me for the Team Umizoomi math program because he wants to learn more about math. And Spanish. And what Spanish words are when we say them in Chinese. I need a couple foreign exchange students to move in to satisfy his curiosity. Thank goodness for the iPad and Google. "Let's look it up!" is now my go-to phrase instead of "I have no idea how to say soup in Chinese." It also helps when he declares statements like, "Tofu is a Chinese food." and I have to help him see that tofu is eaten by all types of cultures.

Meanwhile, I'll admit, I'm stalling. Everything seems so appropriate at 4, but suddenly at 5, things just seem on the verge of such tremendous change. It makes my throat catch noticing his confidence, how he doesn't need me as much, how much older he looks, how much more sure-footed he is with his world.

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We observed Aria walking around with her eyes closed the other day. Pretty hilarious watching her feel with her little bare feet the way into the house up the steps from the garage. That's what parenting feels like sometimes. Barefoot, blind and walking up steps into the unknown.

Equally hilarious was her pink tutu skirt on Saturday. I had to work but Brian said she refused to take it off and even when he was able to for nap time - hiding it in the dress up clothes - she found it afterwards and put it back on. Determined. That is a great adjective for Aria.

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Busy days and nights, but just wanted to capture a couple tidbits that I'll forget in a day or so. If you haven't checked out the photo galleries lately, take a moment. I don't get to blog much right now, but I'm still shooting away.