Crush Me

Buckle in....this could be a long read. I've had lots on my mind and no time to sit and type it all out. Summer vacation has officially begun. Reese woke us up yesterday morning asking for help packing her suitcase. Why, you ask? Because she was ready to go on summer vacation. It was pretty funny, even at the crack of dawn. Our street is full of kids. They had been out every afternoon after school and that there is no school they are out all day long. They ride up and down the street on bikes and scooters. I look up and see four or five at a time whizzing by. Reese has taken to a group of girls - all 5 and 6 years old. They rang the doorbell at 7:30 this morning asking her to come out and ride bikes. We've been pretty strict up until now. Her rule started out being "stay in the backyard". We eased up last week and started letting her hang out in the front yard but only if she stayed there and didn't leave our driveway. The rest of the group is free to roam up and down the street, riding back and forth between houses. Last night we had a long talk and decided that today we'd give in and allow her to go with them. She's always been good about crossing the road but it still just scares the poop out of me. Fortunately we aren't on a busy street but that doesn't really matter. All it takes is one car going a little too fast. Anyway, we let her go today and had her check in occasionally (in between the two of us running out every few minutes to make sure she was okay). She was out there ALL day, only coming in for a quick sip of water or snack to refuel. It has been hard to let go but we really have to. We both felt like she was starting to resent us. Every other kid is out there and having fun and we were constantly telling her "no". I love it for her but hate it for us. I don't think I'm going to feel completely comfortable with her out there for quite a while. All of the other parents have reassured us that we're not the only ones peeking our heads out a million times. They are all watching. I'm dreading the next few years with her....I know I'll need to keep easing up and that it's just going to keep getting harder. Speaking of neighborhood kids, Reese has her first official crush. His name is Carson, he's 6 years old, and he happens to be the son of one of my good friends. She says that she's "in love" with him. I asked why and she said "because he's so funny and he's the cutest boy I know". Joy. Seriously? Shoot me now. When Emma was visiting she told Meilina that Reese was saying that she was going to try to kiss Carson. I confronted her about it (in a very nonchalant kind of way) and she told me that she was just teasing. Doubtful. I am sure she really would have tried but we had a talk with her and tried to explain that you don't kiss boys until you're old and married. I know, maybe I pushed it a little far but desperate times call for desperate measures, right? I couldn't imagine why she would be thinking about kissing a boy at that age. And then....light bulb. Look at almost every Disney princess story. They all end in a princess finding her prince, falling in love....and kissing! I hope I got through to her and she won't go there for a loooooooooooong time. From the outside I'm sure it looks cute and innocent. To me? Not so cute. No kissing, no being "in love", and no cute boys! Speaking of Carson, I babysat for Carson, his brother Cody, and his sister Annika while Mei was visiting. Reese was in heaven. Carson had a baseball game to get ready for so he went upstairs to change. From upstairs I heard him call out "Reese! Emma! You've got to come see my nut cup. It is insane!". I had to put the kibosh on that one REAL quick like. There will be no checking out nut cups thank-you-very-much. Although, Reese is so clueless that she'd probably be thinking "hmmm, I hope there are pecans in that cup. Or maybe cashews!". Boys are so different. Not that Reese doesn't like to throw out the potty talk whenever she can get away with it. She sits and waits for Talan to let one rip so that she can talk about tooting. And she anticipates his dirty diapers so that she can see how many times she can get away with saying "poop" before I tell her to stop. But boys are into bad words and the shock that comes with saying them. Last weekend the kids were out back playing - this is when 10 of them were at the house - and Emma came running in. We were rolling our eyes at each other just waiting for the tattle....but this time it was a good one. She said "Cody is saying embarrassing stuff". When we asked what he said she answered "he said wiener and butthog" (I am laughing out loud just typing this!). First things first - we had to tell Emma that she did the right thing by telling. After Jennifer, Cody's mom, went out to reprimand him, we got to laugh hysterically. I think he the "g" in the word was meant to be "le". In making that mistake he gave me my new favorite word. I laugh every single time I think about it. And don't think that Kevin, Meilina, and I didn't wear that one out after hearing it. I can't wait to hear all about the new words she learns in Kindergarten. Especially after being on the bus with all of the older boys. Joy to the world. Both kids are in bed so I'm off to take advantage of that fact. By the way, Talan was up at 11 last night ready to party....and party he did....until about 1am....and then up again at 3:30. We couldn't bring ourselves to start sleep training after his shots yesterday. Tonight is the night. Pray for us. Seriously. Thanks for reading.