who knew?

so i have been thinking of all the things that i didnt know prior to becoming a mom, and i thought i'd share...

WHO KNEW that eating a blue popsicle would turn poop neon green? blue is my fave flavor, and i dont remember my poop ever being neon green, so who knew that it would do that to a toddlers poo?

WHO KNEW that your child learning to read would actually frustrate you sometimes? don't get me wrong, i am psyched that peyton is already learning to read and loves knowing what everything spells/says...but when you are trying to read bedtime stories, you dont want to spell every word in the stories!

WHO KNEW that the later your child goes to bed means that he will get up even earlier than normal? when i go to bed late, i want to sleep in...not so when you are 2 apparently!

WHO KNEW that a 2 1/2 year old could become a video game addict? Peyton has taken over our game cube....its kinda crazy! I actually miss watching his shows, and i want to throw away the monkey ball game!

WHO KNEW that any anger you may have stored up for your toddler during the day is immediately ereased when you peek in on them sleeping peacefully in bed? i seriously can be just frustrated *up to here* with peyton, but then when i check in on him before i go to bed and pull up his covers, and see him cuddling his "ma-doggie" sound asleep, my heart just melts.

WHO KNEW that the first time your child says, "I love you mama", unprompted, you will die a little inside? never have the words "i love you" meant more to me than hearing them come from my son, just because....sorry jeff ;)

WHO KNEW that it really is easier and shorter the second time through the baby stage? the first time through, with peyton, i thought he would never get out of the baby stage...now i cant believe how fast its all going with willow!

WHO KNEW that you will never have "adult" songs stuck in your head again; and that you will spontaniously break into a round of, "here's the mail, it never fails..." from blue's clues when you see the mail truck? and sometimes i do this when the kids arent even here...nuff said

WHO KNEW that spanking really DOES hurt the parent more than the child? i remember being spanked as a child, and my parents telling me that it hurts them more than it hurt me...i never believed them...until now...

WHO KNEW that you DO have the ability to CALMLY carry a huge diaper bag, a baby, and a screaming toddler who just threw a flat-on-the-floor-kicking-and-screaming-tantrum in the middle of a department store, out of the door and into the car? if any of you were in jcpenny's a few months ago on the west side of madison...yes, that was us...and of course murphy's law dictated that we were on the complete opposite side of the store from where we parked when it happened.

WHO KNEW that elevators and escalators are no longer fun for you, but can keep a two year old occupied and happy for an hour - especially at the mall of america? Peyton seriously enjoyed going up and down the four floors in the mall in the elevator and escalator for hours...at least its a free ride :)

WHO KNEW that your two year old little boy could be one of the sweetest people you know when he goes up to his baby sister and gives her a kiss and hands her a toy? Peyton has been amazing me with this lately...he is so sweet to Willow more often than not!

WHO KNEW that you would treasure any toy that doesnt involve bells, lights, sirens, or batteries more than the latest fad toy? prior to having kids, i would always "ooh and ahh" over the light up, noisy, obnoxious toy commercials....but now that i have kids, i cant wait to sell all those at a garage sale and enjoy the silence and imagination of wooden toys and stuffed animals and books.

well...i've gotta go watch the kids again so jeff can make dinner tonight...but i just wanted to let you all know of the new things i've come to realize in my 2 1/2 years as a mom.