Flip Flop

For most of the last year, we have been dealing with what I have been referring to as the Tyrannical Threes. Island Boy was as three as he could be. And I am now mostly convinced that the "terrible twos" are the biggest fallacy in parenting lore. Three is MUCH worse.

Or so I had convinced myself.

Then Island Girl came along and started her terrible twos at, oh, about 21 months. She's always had a flair for the dramatic, but this is drama to the nth degree, lately! Tell her no? Screaming fit. Don't understand what she's saying? Screaming fit. Don't give her exactly the same thing her brother is having? Screaming fit. You get the picture. We've taken to referring to her as Linda Blair. She has the Exorcist impression down perfectly.

The thing is, we've been so busy dealing with her lately that, until today, we realized that Island Boy's Tyrannical threes are winding down and becoming much more manageable! The attitude is dying down a little, as is the blatant disregard for any type of orders. The biggest issue is the dawdling. And, to be fair, that is my pay-back for everything I did to my own parents as a kid. I could stall and get distracted with the best of them. Oh - and his desire to pinball off of every piece of furniture we own.

So, with second and fourth birthdays quickly approaching, it would seem that Island Girl is taking over the "difficult" role, while Island Boy is finally mellowing out.

I can't even imagine what Island Baby will add to all of this when he is able to get into the thick of things.

Getting Back on Track

Alright, we're past the holidays now.

I've been slacking on the blog lately. I am going to plan a blog for every Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for 2011.

So, as briefly as possible, here is what the Island Family has been doing the last month!

Island Boy: Has been picking up new words left and right. He is currently into fire trucks, crayons and coloring, and playing with his friends.

Island Girl: Can now stand up. She is so preoccupied with whatever she wants to reach by standing up, that she has occasionally let go of whatever she's holding onto. She then promptly gets a look on her face that says "Oh, crap! What did I just do?! I have NO idea how to do this!" then sits down and starts to fuss, because she scared herself.

Island Dad: Is busy busy at work. He also got to take a short trip to Korea at the beginning of December, part of which the rest of the family went along for. More on that in a bit.

Island Mom: Got SCUBA certified shortly before the Korea trip, and has been keeping quite busy with the Island Kids (especially Island Girl's increasing mobility).

As a family: We took the previously mentioned trip to Korea. We spent 5 nights in Seoul. It was absolutely fantastic! Even in cold weather, with two kids who are used to warm-weather in tow, it was hands down the most fun thing we've done since arriving in this hemisphere. And we've done some pretty fun things on island. It was so great to see a big city again. And do big city things. And then throw in all the history in Seoul, and it just was an amazing trip. There are so many places we want to see while we're stationed on the island, but given the opportunity, I certainly would go back to Seoul in a heartbeat. Especially at Christmas time. The snow and cold weather were exactly what I needed to get into the Christmas spirit our first year on this tropical island.