Where exactly am I going wrong here?

I need to sign up for parenting classes asap.

Yesterday, I walked in the living room to find Austin holding his arm and crying. I asked Aidan if he hit him.

Aidan: No
Me: Are you telling the truth? (We've been having quite a large fibbing problem lately.)
Aidan: YEEEESSSSS
Me: Austin, did Aidan hit you?
Austin: Yes
Aidan: I did not!
Me: Aidan, go to the white chair (our time-out chair).
Aidan (while crying and telling me how unfair I was): Mommy, I did NOT hit him. I PUNCHED him!
****************

Today, Aidan was laying on the rug in the living room, and Austin was standing over him. Austin has just been trying to get in trouble lately (as if he needs to look for extra excuses!). Austin hit Aidan, and I told him to go to the white chair. When his time was up, he came back, and I said, "Do NOT hit your brother!" Austin looked at me, smiled, and then kicked Aidan in the leg. Ahhhhhhhhhh!
****************
In addition to this, Aidan has told both Jared and me this week that we are poo-poo's and that he doesn't love us anymore. He went on to clarify that he only likes us (which was pretty cute!).

Snow Day!

School was canceled today, but this time it was legitimate. We had about four or five inches of snow today, and we took good advantage of it. Here at our house, we did snow angels, had a snowball fight and made a snowman. Then we packed up and went to a friend's house with a nice hill in their backyard, and we went "sledding" down the hill. We really used a pool raft, but the boys had a blast! Anna came over to enjoy the snow for a little while, too.

MOPS take three

Austin's third trip to MOPS was today. It went something like this...

Me: Austin, let's get in the car. We're going to MOPS.

Austin: I don't wanna go to MOPS.

Me: Okay. You can stay home. (Jared was home. I wasn't just threatening to leave him at home alone.)

Austin: Okay, I wanna go to MOPS.

************

Me: Austin, we're here.

Austin: Where?

Me: MOPS

Austin: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

************

After I literally had to climb into the car and pry Austin's fingers off of the car seat straps, I carried him in (crying and kicking) and took him into the three year old's room. He clung on to my leg and made me feel like a true Mother of the Year as I left my screaming child in the classroom. The guilt got to me so much that I decided to leave early. I went to pick him up and found him happily playing basketball in the gym. He ran up to me all excited and told me about playing basketball, making me a Valentine and eating snack.

*************

Me: Oh good! I'm so glad you had fun! Do you want to come back to MOPS next time?

Austin: No way.

I've created a monster...

Last week, Aidan behaved all five days at school (quite the feat for him!). As a reward, I took him to Walmart and let him pick out a new Power Ranger. This week, he started out with another good report on Monday. When I complimented him about his behavior, he said, "Only four more days until I get Goldar" (another Power Ranger's character). So, we're now at Thursday, and he's had good reports all week from his teacher. Apparently, Aidan knows how to behave when given the proper bribe motivation. I can't afford to buy a new Power Ranger toy every week, so I think I'll wake him up at 6:00 AM tomorrow and feed him a Fun Dip for breakfast. Surely he won't be good all day at school after that, right? ;-)

Aidan - Soccer

Last night was Aidan's first game of this soccer season. It was great! Something definitely "clicked" for him because he was actually actively participating! Sure he was dancing around, threw himself on top of the dog piles (even when he had been across the field when the dog pile began), and had to be constantly reminded to pay attention, but he had FUN! He was absolutely filthy with mud after the game and had the biggest smile on his face. I made over him so much, and he proudly told me, "I even knocked someone on the other team down!" I was so proud (and so was Jared!). :-)

Anna and Austin were wonderful spectators. Austin took his own soccer ball, so he rotated between kicking the ball around and playing on my phone. Anna sat pretty patiently in my lap for almost the entire game playing with my keys and eating the dirty soccer ball. It was about 45 degrees, so I had her snuggled up with me under a blanket until the very end when she decided she'd had enough of sitting still.

The next game is next Tuesday at 7:00 PM (!). I'm really hoping Jared can make that one. I'm not so sure it would go so well with the two littlest at a time they're used to getting ready for bed.

Austin

Austin is sort of a touch-me-not... okay, a BIG touch-me-not. He doesn't really like to get hugs or kisses, and he's not a big cuddle bug like his brother and sister. Normally, I try to oblige, but sometimes a mom just has to get her hugs and kisses in.

Yesterday, I gave him a big hug and kissed him on the cheek a bunch of times before he pulled away and said, "Mom, can you not kiss me? It really freaks me out."

:-)

Anna

I just want to write this down so I don't forget it...

As I have mentioned, Anna still does not sleep through the night. Every night for the last 11 months, I have gotten up with her in the middle of the night. Lately, she has taken up the habit of crying out when she wakes up, and then when I come in the room, she claps for me. It's so sweet because she's barely awake when she does it. As tired as I am each night, I actually enjoy getting up with her. It's great one-on-one time with her that I treasure, and I know it won't last much longer.