May 26, 2011: Master Manipulators

Dearest Sobrinos,
     As much as I love you, I say "dearest" with a little apprehension lately. You have been a bit challenging, especially Noah lately with the moods and crying to Daddy.
    Yesterday, in honor of your grandmother's birthday, we went to the beach where we had scattered her ashes five years ago, on her birthday 2006.  We met your dad down at Salisbury Beach and it was the first nice afternoon in a long time. You both played with your dad with a ball and ran around, played "fight" with the waves ( a strange game your father made up) and we all ate fried dough and pizza together.  My pizza got knocked off my plate when Noah kicked the ball right at me, plop in the sand...I guess that was revenge for me giving him a bloody nose a couple of days ago when you were here and we set up to play Baseball in the yard.  Noah made me help him set up the bases then proceeded to order me to pitch to him.  My first pitch hit him straight on the nose, giving him a nice nosebleed.  They crying wasn't as bad as it was yesterday on the beach.  I was glad for the loud surf so I didn't have to hear the wails to Daddy after Noah tripped in the sand.  "Time out" seems to be becoming more frequent.  Noah had it recently for hitting my forehead with a ball and refusing to say sorry.  Dylan had it for stepping on a flower(daffodil) next to the tree in front yard.  Part of the problem is you are both sick with colds constantly!  It's ridiculous!  Between the germs at the school and the Day Care..anything floating out there..you get it!  And another problem is you dad trying to be the fun guy and not setting enough limits with you both.  I had a talk with him about it recently, just what everyone wants, unsolicited parenting advice from non-parents, but it si getting ridiculous on occasion when we see you ordering your dad around, "Carry this!" Give me that!" and you are old enough to learn please and thank you.  One day, Dylan work up from a nap and the rest of us were sitting out on the deck with the dogs.  Dylan got into the van, sat in carseat and said he wanted to go for a ride.  Your dad was going to actually follow his orders and make the rest of us get the dogs to go in the house so he could open the gate and back the care out!  I think he saw the look on my face an switched gears pretty quickly so Dylan did not get a ride.   There's too much negotiate and not enough limit setting.  When your da takes you in for a nap, it sounds like a party down there.  When I take you in for a nap, yeah, there's crying but it sets within minutes, especially when I start reading a story.      And you both fall asleep 100% of the time!  Last time, so did I (fall asleep) for a couple of hours.  You guys are so snuggly!  I'll miss that as you get older and no longer need your naps, at least as much.
    We had fun at the Beach though.  We tok pictures of us together in the little photo booths!
love, Auntie Kim