Happy Saint Patrick's Day!!!

Odette on her First Saint Patrick's Day morning (I had her wear green...just not the outfit she'd be wearing to playgroup and the St. Patrick's Day party at the library just yet...I didn't want any blowouts in the morning and then have her pretty outfit ruined for later!):

So...I knew I had to get air in the tires of my car, but I didn't realize how badly they needed it. On Sunday when Abilehi and Ryan came over, they mentioned that before going to the Temple on Saturday, I should get air in the tires. Well, today as I was getting the girls in their car seats, I took a look at the tires...and the one "under" Alegria was extremely low to the ground! On our way to post, I stopped by Dollar General, got coins from the cashier, and then we went to a little place on FM 116 to get the tires pumped. When I did Alegria's tire...it was barely at a number 8 psi (it should be at 40)!!! I couldn't believe it! I had no idea tires could lose so much air over time! I should put it in my calendar to do it at regular intervals so I don't forget!  It's a good thing I finally got that done in any case!

We went to playgroup and that went well...

...until it was close to time to go. Quinn has a small Dumbo stuffed animal and as soon as we got there, Alegria immediately went up to his room to get it...and was cuddling with it the whole time. Well, at one point, she had spilled some of her chocolate milk on him, so while she was busy playing with something else, I snatched him up to clean him off...and that's when her fit started! She screamed so loudly!!! I was SOOO embarassed! Kerri's mom was there! I tried explaining to Alegria that she had gotten chocolate on him and I had to clean him off and that we had to leave anyway, but she had closed her mind off to any reasoning.  (I KNOW her horrible mood and consequent fit had to do with the fact that she did not sleep enough last night!)

Then when I asked her to go get her elephant and giraffe that she'd brought, she was so upset she wasn't listening to me. I flicked her mouth for yelling, which got her more upset. Then I told her that if she didn't pick up her elephant and giraffe...if I had to pick them up, that she wouldn't be able to play with them...that I was keeping them. Well...she totally yelled something at me...I have no idea what it was, but it was two words or something that she actually yelled AT me!!! Like she spit two words out at me like a defiant child!!! I asked her what she had said, but she didn't repeat it so I have no idea what it was...she just kept yelling. She'd even thrown herself on the ground. If I could have hidden underneath a rock, I would of, I was so embarassed!

So I grabbed her toys, apologized to everyone and said goodbye and we left.

Alegria kept screaming in the car. It's a miracle Odette fell asleep.

At one point, I looked back and Alegria had taken her arms out of her car seat straps, so I told her to get her arms back in. I was about ready to pull over, flick her mouth again, and put her arms back in the straps, but after a few extremely stern looks and warnings from me to put her arms back in, she did and I didn't have to pull over. Boy, what a time I was having with her today!!! :(

We got to the library and Alegria had calmed down. I was debating whether to go in for the St. Patrick's Day party or not. Odette was asleep, too. On the one hand, it would give Alegria something to do since I wanted to have her not nap today...and I'd told Abilehi we'd go. On the other hand, I was tired of fighting with Alegria and Odette was sleeping anyway...it would have been easy enough to just go home...AND I wasn't sure Alegria deserved a fun thing to go to after the way she'd acted so far today. We sat in the car about 5 minutes while I thought about it.

Finally I made up my mind and we went inside.

It was a fun party. Odette slept well in her carseat for about an hour and I had some time to make crafts with Alegria, which she thoroughly enjoyed.  The coloring tables were low, but the craft tables were high and literally at Alegria's neck level, so it was a little difficult for her to get the glue on her projects in a comfortable position!

Showing Aunt Abilehi her newly-made bracelet:

Then Odette woke up, we had a "parade" where we all walked around the outside of the library once around and then came back. They had cookies and punch for the kids, and then we came home.

Waiting patiently for a balloon after the parade: 

Once we got home, as I was changing a messy diaper on Odette, Alegria crashed on the couch...and I was unable to wake her up. Raising my voice at her didn't work, shaking her didn't work...letting Odette pull her hair didn't work. So she slept...for about an hour and a half. Odette and I just played while she slept.

Odette: "Mommy!  We should play a trick on her!  Oh!  This will be so fun!!!"

Odette to Alegria: "Hey...Alegria!  Wake up, Sister!  It's Christmas!  You have presents waiting for you under the tree!"

Odette (in a deeper, more urgent voice): "WAKE UP!  It's Christmas!!!"

Odette: "Mommy, nothing's working..."

Odette (giggling): "Oh wait!  I have another one!  This one's good!"

Odette to Alegria: "I'm sorry Sister, but I accidentally ate your elephant.  He's gone forever.  Sniff, sniff!"

Odette (dejectedly): "Oh well.  One of those WOULD have worked if she had woken up.  We would have gotten a really good reaction out of her..."

Odette, on the other hand, hadn't slept her usual two hours today, only one, so she was tired and in bed by 7:15.

Alegria and I played after Odette was in bed. And of course, she wasn't tired when it was bedtime.

At about 10:30, Odette woke up (we were already in Alegria's bed, waiting for Alegria to fall asleep). I waited about 10 minutes to see if Odette would go back to sleep, but she didn't, so I told Alegria to try to go to sleep and went to nurse Odette.

I fell asleep in the rocker and when I finally came out and checked on Alegria, she was asleep. So I got ready for bed and then came here.

Tomorrow we don't have anything going on, so I'm going to attempt to keep Alegria awake during her nap time to have her go to bed at a decent hour.

Sleep well everyone!  I'm off to bed!!!  :)