Little spider

 We had El's first dance performance for The Emerald Academy of dance, 'Nightmare before Christmas' production over the weekend. Boy, what a busy week it was! It began with long dance rehearsals, full dress rehearsals, running errands to find things she needed and having to turn a size 14 robe into a size 4 to cover her massive spider costume. Not to mention, preparing hair, applying makeup, taking make up off, and putting on a dozen items that made up her costume during four different performances over two days... aaaah I feel tired just writing this!

It was not easy. Especially when the little diva insisted on looking at herself after every little stroke of make up that was applied. No joke. EVERY stroke was followed by "can I see?!" and followed by a little strut in front of the mirror- seriously, where does this vanity come from!? :) Needless to say, by the time we got ready for the fourth performance, I was a little over it. But for anyone who ever needs spider make-up done (you know you want to)... I'm your girl, I could even do it with my eyes closed!

El was so excited when we she got ready and arrived at the town hall for her first performance. I was rostered on for that time to supervise her group with another mother, and at first I thought this was a good thing, as I could provide some moral support for El's first performance. But I was wrong. I guess I made her more nervous and unsettled by being there, as when we began getting prepared to take them behind stage, I noticed she started to cling onto me and wouldn't let go. Then I saw watery eyes and an uncertain little spider face.

I thought to myself "oh, no" as I began to think about the time I was her age, and chosen over all the kids at my school to lead a marching group with my impressive thighs and baton skills. I was going to be in all the local papers and news- pretty much become famous in my little town :). But, I caved in under all the pressure at the very last minute, and backed out. I simply didn't do it.

 I began to feel anxious for her, and worried that history would repeat it self. So I just began to remind her what a great time she'd been having in rehearsals and how well she knows the dance and what a great dancer she is. I also asked her what was  making  her get upset all of a sudden? Well, she pretty much said something along the lines of "mummy when you stay with me, it makes me sad." I felt terrible. Not for me, but for her. I know how confident and independent El is, and I felt like I was squashing that by my presence there.

But the funny thing was, that even though the sad eyes lasted all the way up backstage, and as she waited in her spot, and even while she reached out to me with a look that said "come save me," as soon as the curtains opened and the music started, she was off on to that stage with not a single sign that she was on the verge of tears only a second ago. She was a little pro, so capable and confident. I was so proud of her that I didn't even let the first thing she said to me when she came off stage, which was "mum, can you just drop me off and go next time, so I don't get sad" affect how happy and pleased I felt.

Fortunately for El, I had to do just that (drop her off and go) for all  her other performances, which she was very happy about.

We got to see her on the final show on Saturday night, and I reassured her that we would all be watching from the audience and not backstage, and she was so thrilled to be performing for us. 

Watching her up on stage was magical. I loved every minute (15mins) of it. I could not take my eyes of her or take my huge smile off my face, or remove the huge knot in my throat. Joe and I were just so proud of our little star, or in this case, our little spider. She was just the best! My favourite part was at the conclusion of her dance, when she did her scary spider pose and held it to the very end, right until the curtains closed, all while the other little spiders  and pumpkins where a little uncertain looking around to see who would be the first or when to move off stage. El just stood there with her spider stance and owned it. Such a classic little moment.

Oh, I love that girl. And unlike her mother who at the same age completely freaked out and backed away in the last minute, kissing good-bye her big moment and 15 minutes of fame (clearly, it's something I've never gotten over and regret), El shone and blew us all away with her wonderful performance. That's my girl!

Ps. I forgot (and regret) to put her black gloves on for these photos. Just not the same without them.

Things I want my kids to know.

I woke up this morning with the feeling that something had changed. Things are a little different now. I know something today that I didn't know about yesterday, and though I think it was intended to be welcoming or even exciting news (maybe to make the subject lighter), it's just not the case. Not right now anyway.

 I don't think I'm angry about it, just disappointed, upset and uncomfortable about the situation. I spent most of last night just thinking about it and other things that I've wanted to leave forgotten. It made me question things that I thought I'd known to be right for the past 28 years of my life.

But from all this, It's made me think more about my own family and children, how much I love and appreciate each one and about some important things I want them to know or never doubt about the parents they have.

 So this is what I want my kids to know...

I want you to know that you were wanted and loved before you were even born or even conceived. We have always wanted to be parents and we're so grateful that we've been given this gift and privilege of having children. We waited for each one of you with great anticipation and we thank god everyday for you.

I want you to know that you have a committed father and mother who make each other happy. A father and mother who love each other very much, who are each other's best friends, who are honest with one another, who respect each other and are equal partners. I want you to know that no argument or disagreement, finances, loss, differences or changing circumstances can change that.

Know that you come first. Above our own needs and wants. We make sacrifices for you because we want to, and because we love you. Know that we CHOOSE to make you our number one priority.

I want you to know that we love you unconditionally. We want and hope that you will always make good and wise choices, and live in a way that you are happy and confident with who you are because of those choices. With every choice comes a consequence, good or bad and we cannot escape them, they will come and you need to be accountable for them. But know that we will always be there with love and support for you when you come across challenges or lessons that come from making some mistakes. After all, no one is perfect.

And when we make mistakes, or do and say things you won't always approve of, know that it was done with your benefit and best interest in mind.

Most importantly, just want you to know, that we love each one of you more than life itself. Up to the sky and down again, infinite x infinite. 

Another babe!

Introducing the 12th babe from the Montes side of the family...

Maria Carmen Truba

Born Sunday 23rd October

8:11am 

weighing 7pnds10

It was a smooth and fairly quick labour for Karla, and like her little cousin Lucia, she decided to make an early appearance! Maria is beautiful like her big sister and brother. In fact, every time I see her photos, I feel like I'm looking at old ones of Sof or Rio! I also feel so privilaged that this cutie pie carries my name. What a little precious gift she is. xox 

You can tell I'm a mother of young children, when I get excited about this...

Poos in the potty. Who would have thought 4 years ago that something as gross, stinky and uninteresting would now bring me so much joy... and it does, it really, really does. Sad? Yes, a little. But heck when you are a mother to toddlers you gotta take what you can get! So I will happily take poos in the potty.

I've been blessed with children who just seem to want to get out of nappies ASAP. Elly was a breeze and it only took her 3 days (if that) and perfectly timed it months before Noah was born so that I only had one in nappies... thanks El. Now, with a little over 3 months to go before bub no. 3 arrives, Noah seems to want to follow in his sister's footsteps....HALLELUJAH!

He has been going to the potty every now and then to do wees, but today he did his first poo in the potty! He did it with no prompts, reminders, bribes, pointers, or assistance. I wasn't even expecting him to do this for months, and I feel so bad that I doubted him and didn't think he would even be ready for potty training for ages, but he just decided for himself that it was time. Thanks for proving me wrong Noah. Instead he simply headed to the toilet, grabbed his potty, placed it in the spot he prefers it to be, took pants and nappy off, did his thing, and flushed them down the toilet as he waved good-bye to them. I was stunned as I watched from around the corner, and I was so proud of my big boy that I even broke into my happy dance... yes, I have a happy dance for moments such as these.

Now this only means one thing. Time to bring out the  Huggies pull-ups and wiggle undies, have a large bottle of 'Domestos' and a bucket and mop on hand, not leave the house for a couple of days and just see how we go. Personally, I was hoping to not have to do this right now, but I know I will be kicking myself later if I let this opportunity slip me by. So here we go. Potty training again. Wish me luck!

ps. Ok, I promise to make this the last post regarding wees and poos... for now. Meanwhile, here are some pics of a much cuter subject. These photos are a little old now- they're before he turned 2, his hair was a lot longer and he definitely wasn't using the potty then. Just goes to show how much can change in such little time :(

Probably shouldn't post this, but it's pretty funny.

Ok, so I will probably regret posting this, and I should really look into making this blog private, but I thought this was so funny (though incredibly embarrassing) and I know El will appreciate it one day.

So, sometimes Elly gets a little distracted and leaves it to the very last minute to go to the potty and sometimes fails to make it. She hadn't done this in a long time, but today as I was in the kitchen I saw her bolting into the bathroom and then she comes out with no undies and that "oops!" look on her face followed by the confession "mum, I just didn't make it to the potty and did a little wee on the floor" Arrrrgggg!!!! I was so annoyed at her, and it was just another crappy thing to add to my already crappy morning. So I angrily told her " Elly, you're a big girl now and big girls go to the potty straight away and not leave it to the last minute! Am I going to have to put you in nappies again?!" To which she angrily replied with "Mum! I'm not a baby! And I'm going to get you nappies because sometimes you wee in your pants too!"

All I could do when she came out with this doozy was laugh and think to myself "touche', touche'" and make a note that next time I sneeze or cough and wet my pants a little, to just keep it to myself.

My sister.

When Elly was 2/3 years old, she had an imaginary friend called Sid. She played with him all the time and would make mention of him often. He hung around for about a year, but has now been replaced with "My sister."

Her imaginary sister has been around for a while now, and I have no doubt that its probably the reason I thought we were having a baby girl, as she talks about her all the time. She always has something to say about her and it always starts with "My sister..." Sometimes, she even plays with her- like at the park the other day, she was running away while holding her hand as Noah "the monster" was chasing after them.

 Joe and I are so used to hearing about her "sister" that it doesn't phase us (as much) anymore. I don't think we'll try to tell her she's not real anymore either, as  the last time we tried, El got so defensive and upset about it and forcefully told us that  "SHE IS REAL!!! AND HER NAME IS SELBY!!!"

So this is what we know about Selby ( El's sister):

• She is El's "sister" but Joe and I are not her parents.
• She loves and cares only for Elly (and sometimes Noah) and is very similar to Elly.
• Selby is 4 years old today, but sometimes this changes. Sometimes El tells me she's older. She has lots of birthdays too. 
• She likes the same food as Elly and hates veggies also.
• Selby has a pet called 'Majonia Lessted Jada' or something like that- my pronunciation and spelling might be a bit off.
• She looks like Elly but sometimes she has "whispy pink or rainbow hair" as El has informed me- so maybe Selby likes to dye her hair?
• She loves to dance, especially ballet.
• She lives far away but has a 'GPS' so she can find our house.
• She is well travelled. Apparently Selby has lived in Canada, Africa, China and all around Australia. Every time we travel somewhere, wether it'd be to Rocky, Springsure, Brisbane or Adelaide or anywhere in between, Selby has been there and done that. Oh, and she's also a property mogul, as she owns properties in all these places. El has pointed some of them out to us.

 There's a lot more about Selby- like I said, she talks about her a lot! Don't know how much longer she'll stick around for or how she even came to be. It reminds me of the movie my sisters (real ones) and I would watch all the time called 'Drop Dead Fred' and quite frankly, that movie used to freak me out a little. It's probably the reason I never had an imaginary friend or I'm maybe I'm just not intelligent enough, because I've also heard that it's a sign of intelligence? 

Well, whatever the case might be, Elly is very happy with Selby and I'm always curious as to what is followed by the words "My sister..." It's always something interesting. After all, it's El Belle we're talking about.

Brisbane

Oh, Brisbane. I love this city. I miss this city. I don't miss the traffic, but I miss everything else about it.
We drove the 10 hrs (thank-you 'Diego', 'The Gruffulo', and 'natural connfectionary' lollies) for a long weekend earlier this month to see baby Lucia's blessing and a body building competition that just so happened to be on the same weekend... lucky Joe. I must admit, I really enjoyed the body building event. It even inspired me to want to get a nice and fit physic after this baby and maybe, just maybe, hit the gym!

But unfortunately, we didn't get to see baby Lucia's blessing. She was admitted to hospital just a day before we arrived and was there for about a week. It was so sad to see her for the first time in a hospital, but she was in good spirits and adorable as ever. It actually felt like we were visiting her at hospital for her birth! She was still so small and newborn like... fresh and perfect! It made me excited about our little bub, and I loved seeing how Noah and Elly interacted with her. Elly especially was in love, and I got to see a sweet and nurturing side to her which was so lovely.

Irma is a trooper. She spent the whole time (a week!) in a small room, in the hospital, with hospital food,with a tiny bed, an awkward big chair, and very little to see and do all while taking good care of her precious baby girl. She is a wonderful mummy and there is nothing she wouldn't do for her girls.

It was so nice to see family and for the kids to enjoy spending time with their cousins and abuelita and abuelito. I forget sometimes that they hardly ever get to see them, because El and Noah just adore them and just hit it off so well.

One of the highlights of the trip, was when we took the kids to see the temple. I thought this was important because El has been learning lots about the temple in primary, and when we drove to Rocky for a weekend she kept pointing out all the nice big buildings and asking if it was the temple. So she was so excited when she actually got to see the real thing, with angel Moroni on top and where daddy and mummy got married. She even asked us "can you kiss each other like you did on your wedding?!" So we did (kept it G rated of course)- as she giggled and blushed. She is such a romantic, she loves all that mushy stuff. But I must admit, It was a lovely moment and I loved thinking back to our wedding day, and being able to see right in front of me what came from it all. It was such a special night.... thanks Brisbane!