Open Books are Fun to Read

I think one of the more disappointing things about kids growing up is that they stop being open books. It's a gradual process, of course, but they go from being TOTALLY (EXCESSIVELY) open with their every emotion to being good little liars who can pretend to be fine when they're not. There's a sweet spot in the middle there somewhere. I vaguely remember it, so I know it's somewhere between ages 4 and 12.

To be fair, Alexis is still REALLY bad at lying or hiding her emotions, but it takes a little skill to see through things sometimes. Mila, though. HOOBOY. That kid couldn't keep what she's thinking under wraps if her life depended on it.

Exhibit A: She can't sneak anything. Earlier this week Alexis had a pack of Tic-Tacs. Mila dropped one in the back of the car and couldn't find it. A few days later, she found it as she was climbing into the car and she sneakily grabbed it and balled her hand into a fist to hide it. I saw the fist, knew she was hiding something, and looked the kid in the eye. I didn't say a word. Mila, the smooth operator that she is, saw me look at her, FREAKED OUT, balled her fist up tighter and yelled, "I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING!"

Sure, kid.

Exhibit B:

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A post shared by Burgh Baby (@burghbaby) on Oct 18, 2018 at 12:11pm PDT

That's Mila's "I'm really mad that it's cold outside" face. She has slapped the world with attitude the past few days because temperatures in the 40s REALLY make her mad. There are coats or gloves or anything that make it acceptable. She'll be better once there is actual snow on the ground (because snow is fun), but for now she's PISSED. So pissed.

And it's SO fun. For me.

I've been making it more fun because I'm terrible. If Mila asks me if it's cold outside, I tell her "no" and then wait for her reaction when we go outside. It is so fun every time! And it doesn't matter if she learned I was wrong an hour earlier. She falls for the same trick multiple times each day.

It's the best.

Together

Sometimes it's the little moments that I know I need to remember.

There was a tiny little moment in the middle of a football game. Alexis was standing on the sidelines doing that cheer thing, which Middle School cheer? ZOMG has it been a mess. We've had some coaching challenges, to say the least. Between awful communication and uniforms ... What uniforms? They don't need no stinking uniforms. Why would cheerleaders need uniforms?

Can you tell it's a sore spot with me that uniforms didn't come in until the week of the last football game? Because that's an actual thing that happened. Given how much we pay for said uniforms, I was kind of expecting Alexis would wear it every day for about 284.3 consecutive days because then, and only then, would I feel like I got my money's worth. That won't be happening, though.

ANYWAY.

Cheer.

Alexis was waving her pompoms and flipping her ponytail all around. Mila and I were in the stands watching her. It should be noted that Alexis is stupid happy when she's cheering. It's the kind of happy that makes you forget that cheer is the opposite of what you consider a good time. She's happy, confident, and in her element.

Mila is nearly always happy, confident, and in her element. The kid genuinely can have fun in any situation whatsoever. So, of course she was enjoying watching her sister cheer. But then, Mila decided to up her fun a bit.

She started jumping up and down.

Then she started waving her arms in sync with the cheerleaders.

Then she joined them in yelling.

And Alexis looked up at the exact right moment to catch her baby sister cheering with her and ZOMG. The two of them. They melted together in happiness.

It's the little things, y'all. They're what matter in these days of chaos.

4-Year Olds Make Everything Better

I would like the record to show that weddings with a four-year old are nothing short of FANTASTIC. I genuinely do not understand the type of wedding without kids because their joy and exuberance at basically everything is like the cherry on top of an already great thing. I present as evidence five ways Mila made a wedding better this past weekend:

1. When the bride appeared, Mila LITERALLY gasped and whispered, "Look, momma! My cousin Bay-wee is so beautiful!" I mean, COME ON. First we get the gasp, then the awesome pronunciation of "Bailley" and then the compliment.

I die.

2. "Her prince is so nice," as in the groom. Mila had met him before but apparently she couldn't remember his name so the groom will hence to forth be known as "Bay-wee's prince."

I DIE.

3. The venue for the wedding was an event hall at an orchard and basically it was a really nice building that was built specifically for the purpose of hosting events such as weddings. But, in Mila's opinion, it was A CASTLE. OF COURSE.

I die.

4. There is not a person on this earth who can outdance a 4-year old at a wedding. Mila and Alexis danced together for hours and it was the sweetest thing in the whole wide world, especially when Alexis got down on her knees so she could be the same height as her dance partner and Mila was all, "Thank you, A-wex-is! I wuv you so much!"

I die.

5. Do you know what happens when a 4-year old discovers that there isn't a wedding cake, but rather a table filled with hundreds and hundreds of donuts? And she discovers that you are going to let her have one? SO MUCH HAPPINESS, THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS.

"I just wuv weddings, momma. They have the best food and the castle is so pretty."

I DIE.

And I shall end with this - at one point, Mila was going on and on about all of the best things about the wedding. She turned to me and breathlessly said, "I want to have my own wedding when I'm bigger enough!"

That will be when she's like 35 years old or so, but still. SO DAMN ADORABLE.