What? I have a blog?

I realize that I've been absent from my blog for quite awhile. I can't help it. Kids keep you busy. And time goes by so quickly, that I really prefer to play with them now while they are so young. All my days are not roses, however. Here is just one of many examples of life with Olivia. It happened just tonight.

"Olivia," I say as the little hand reaches the eight, "it's time for bed now, babe. Let's pick up your toys."

"OK, Mama," she says lightly and heads for the nearest pile of blocks. About half way through shoveling them back in the block bucket, she says, "That's enough, Mama. Stop. I need to play."

"No, it's time to pick up your toys. Go find your pink basket and put away your tea set," I say firmly--very firmly.

She shakes her head defiantly. She has a way of setting her jaw when she's about to make a stand. I can almost see her heels anchor into the carpet.

"Olivia," I say sharply, "put...them...away...NOW. Or I will throw them away."

I wag my finger at her and set my jaw. Something tells me we look a lot alike about now. Again, she shakes her head emphatically. OK, the tea set goes into a trash bag. She doesn't flinch.

"Olivia, put all your Cinderella toys into the pink bag."

"No."

"OK, then they're going into the trash also."

Her precious Cinderella toys go into the sheer pink bag they call home and into the garbage bag with the tea set. Tarzan Toy and Tarzan Paper (a beloved laminated DVD cover and best friend) soon follow suit. By the time we make it to her baby dolls, she is helping me--cheerfully helping me---scoop them up into the garbage bag.

"Olivia, if I take these toys to the garbage, the garbage man will pick them up and take them away. You won't see them anymore. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, OK, Mama. I'll get new toys at the store."

"No. No new toys. This is it. Your toys are going to the garbage."

I see her lip quiver and her blue eyes water over. She sets her jaw and pulls her lips tight. "OK."

"Do you want them back? If you want them back, put them away."

I set the garbage bag on the floor in front of her. She looks in and shakes her head.

"Don't want to," she says softly.

I pick up the bag and take it outside, the whole time she's cheering me on. I don't think she really thought I'd do it because when I get back inside she bursts into tears and points outside. I tell her that she can have her toys back if she wants them, all she has to do is put them away.

"Noooooo," she cries. "I don't waaaaant toooooo. I'll play with Price's toys now."

I shrug my shoulders and go to shut the front door.

"Stop, Mama! Don't get them! Don't get my toys!"

By this time, she has stopped crying, but I can tell she is just putting on a brave face. No matter how much it hurts her, she is not going to put those toys--her favorite, most played with toys--away.

"Come on," I say softly taking her hand. "Let's go put the rest of the toys away."

"Yeah, Mama! Let's put them away."

Cheerfully she puts the final toys in their respective bins. She picks EVERYTHING up off the floor. She hands me one of her stools and picks up her ladybug blanket and we head upstairs for bed. Not once does she mention any of her toys in the garbage bag. And she sleeps with most or all of them every night.

Without any argument, she climbs into bed. She gives me a smile and tells me she loves me. And before I walk out of the room, she hands me part of the tea set that started it all.

"Mama! Look! It's my tea set. Put it in the garbage."

So, that's what life is like with Olivia in a nut shell. Now before you all call me a bad mother, you should know that I put all her toys in a separate garbage bag and took them outside and put them in Aubrey's truck. I'm not so mean that I would take her favorites away from her forever, besides those toys were a pretty heafty investment for us.

If Aubrey says something like, "That's Daddy's carrot. I'm gonna eat it!" She eats her carrot before his hand reaches the plate. If I say that, she gives me the plate. We're so alike. It's no surprise that we are both her Daddy's girl. Seems he's the only one who can handle us.