Growing Up Meeker...

Like all parents, Mike and I are trying to raise our kids right. We have taken the parts of each of our upbringings that we loved and implemented those things into our parenting as well as stuff we've seen our friends do and trying to leave out the stuff we think might increase the amount of therapy the girls will need as adults. Don't get us wrong, we'll still manage to screw them up. They'll still need therapy to get over their mother when they are adults, but we are trying to "minimize" the amount they might have to spend.

So in our house at least growing up Meeker means to mind your mom and dad, be kind to each family member, to listen and to try and become the best versions of yourself that you can. It's super important to us that they don't become "our" best versions of themselves but their own. As they rapidly approach turning four, we've been talking a lot about becoming more responsible, using good manners and learning how to be more independent.

Last night we had our version of "Friday Night Lights". It included a Maui Zowie pizza party in Mom and Dad's big bed with a movie of the girls choice. (Wall-E) The movie was set to run past the girls bed time. So the rule was that you had to be sitting on your bottom and not jumping on the bed in order for the movie to continue and get to stay up late to watch it. No big surprise here, jumping on the bed and loud laughing took place. Warnings were given. Jumping continued. The movie was paused.

Mike launched into a big "Dad" speech about why we were able to have a family pizza party and reviewing the rules and asking each girl why they thought the movie was on pause etc etc. Mike tends to get a bit long winded in his "Dad" speeches. About 3/4ths of the way through, Katie said "okay Dad. Can I just ask one question about all of this?" He said "sure". And she asked with all sincerity "Do you think my hair still looks pretty?" Needless to say, the "Dad" speech was over, the movie went back on and we gave up on parenting for the night.

And just when we thought their little bodies would always spaz out and they would never be able to wipe their own bottoms or learn to do my laundry and give me pedicures, they surprise us by doing a little something like this...

I asked them to go into their room and grab the white pajamas that have the purple and pink ribbons on them and bring them to me. This was so we could get them out of their grubby clothes and into clean PJs and to bed for the night. No sooner had I made this request, than they came running out into the family room DRESSED IN THE PAJAMAS!!! Their dirty clothes were in...wait for it...the hamper! Their pajamas were on the right way, not backwards. At 9pm this evening, had you been looking in our window you would have seen four people, deliriously jumping up and down shouting over and over again HOORAY HOORAY and doing a dance of ultimate joy.

It's been a big day in the "growing up Meeker" world. Emphasis is on growing UP.