He said, she said

Big Boy shows little interest in anything having to do with sitting. He enjoys books but writing or drawing bores him easily. At KDO last year every paper he brought home would have, like, one mark on it. As teachers, this is the kind of kid you set rules in place for like 1)you have to make at least 4 B's on the line or 2)you have to use at least 3 colors in the picture. Because if you don't give them requirements they will do the very least before moving on to something else. Typical boy, seen 'em tons of times in my life.

So last night I was very surprised when Big Boy came in with a picture he had doodled.
"Look momma, a fwa-mingo!"


Having seen him draw very little in his life, I immediately clapped my hands and made the biggest deal ever over it. What talent. He caught on, of course, to my pleasure and proceeded to go in the other room and color until he came up with something good. He'd make a little mark that looked familiar and run into me "Momma, a 4! A 4! Take a picture!" Well, the batteries were dead in my camera but he wanted a picture of every one- so I held my camera up and faked it. He was so proud.

This morning, combing Sissy's hair for school:
"Mom, do you think our new baby is going to be a boy or a girl?"

me: "Who said we are having another baby? Have you told people we are having a baby?"

Sissy: "No, but T and I are getting old. We're old kids now. You and Daddy are old. We need somebody little again."

Rather than encourage this conversation, I let it go. Took her to school, picked her up. She was eating lunch and said to me:
"Mommy, you need to say you're sorry to me for telling me we aren't having another baby. That wasn't nice and you shouldn't have said it."

I let that go, too but what I really wanted to say was "Sis, when you want to stop fighting with your brother all day long, go back to 3 hour naps everyday, and get a part-time job then we can have another baby." :)

Poor thing. A little girl in her class just got a new baby brother this past week and Sissy has had babies all around her lately. At ballet two of my mommy friends have beautiful little babies they bring and I think Sissy is jealous that other kids have babies- and not just any babies- SISTERS! Hopefully she gets off my back for awhile and if she does happen to tell you we are having a baby- it is an adorable little lie that she has made up in her head!

Playing with fire

We had a big weekend! On Friday night I enjoyed (as always) a relaxing MNO. On Saturday morning Pat had a project to do- Sissy went to a friend's house for the day and I took Big Boy to his first actual football game! He really enjoyed it, so much so that we are heading to the Andover football game on Friday night to see our friend who is up for homecoming!

That night Pat's mom came over and they began the Great Summer Campout 2010. The kids had a blast, it was such a fun experience for them. They built the tent (in just slightly over 2 hours) and we began our dinner. (hot dogs, beans, and chips, of course)

Sissy got to bring home her class pet "Chocolate" this weekend so it was extra-special and required at least 100 pictures so we could make an appropriate collage for school.

Playing with fire a.k.a. roasting marshmallows

When I see this flaming hot fire I tense up inside- look how close my future little pyro is!





Each child consumed 1 marshmallow each. Each child roasted about 12 marshmallows each! ; )




I went out to tuck them in for bed. If you think I was going to sleep out there then you are crazy. Okay, I would if I had to. But I was perfectly content letting Pat and Gma take my place.







(Making animal shadows)




The kids did wonderful! They were all asleep by 9 and they slept all through the night until almost 8 the next morning.


This weekend also changed our financial situation- me having to rework my budget each week to work in my new obsession...Orange Leaf. We hit up the new yogurt place (which happens to be very close to my house) on our MNO Friday and I was hooked. Cut to Saturday- we were so hot after the football game we had to have it! It was a necessity. Well, Sissy was not with us that day so I thought it very unfair she had to miss out. So Sunday we hit it again. Did I mention frozen yogurt is one of my top 5 fave things? Love it. Looooove it.

Cousins, flies, wedding, and fair

Celebrations continued through the weekend! We hung out at Grandma's and the cousins got to play together. They loved every second of it!
Trying on Uncle B's hats...

Yummy food...


We learned an interesting fact from my cousin Caleb this weekend. Caleb is well-versed in all that is disgusting and scientific, and he showed us an awesome trick. First, he drown a fly in water. He laid it out on the table for awhile to show us it would not move at all. Then he poured table salt all over it and let it sit a couple of minutes. And like magic that fly climbed right out of that salt pile! Who knew?





Saturday we went to my cousin's wedding. Her fiance/husband is Mennonite so we opted to leave Big Boy home knowing full well he could not sit through the ceremony! (Pat barely made it. Sissy did fine- she drew with Aunt Ashlee)

Headed to the lovely reception and had some good food.

Sis and Ashlee



And as if the last week of insanity wasn't enough- we decided to go to the fair with Pat's parents on Sunday! We were so glad we did, we all had a blast.





(yeah, yeah, I know- it's a monkey's behind)













The kids had a super fabulous time. I have to admit, we'd never taken them. Usually it falls right after we get back from vacation and to be honest- those animals and all that hay make my allergies go crazy! The kids had a great time with Gma and Gpa, though, and we all vowed to come back every year from now on.

And now we return to normalcy. Do you ever have a week or two in your life where you are so busy you have to go day-to-day just trying to keep up? My house is a disaster. Since we had so many people over I had to HIDE all of our CRAP and now I'm not sure I'll be able to find it!

The kids did have a dentist appt today- beautiful, shiny teeth with no cavities!! After hearing about baby root canals from some friends this summer we went cold turkey from fruit snacks and gummy candy. I never thought I/the kids could live without fruit snacks but I am glad we did it. Their teeth are healthy and clean! The kids came home with a massive amount of loot from the dentist as always- balls, prizes, toothbrushes, certificates. They were both very proud of themselves!

Birthday Rundown

Big Boy's birthday was on Friday but we kind of pretended it was on Thursday, that was the biggest day for him. He had school so we got him football shaped Krispy Kremes to bring for his birthday snack. His class sung to him and my mom even took her class down to sing to him, too.




I let him eat another doughnut for lunch. :)



He took a nap and we got ready for the big party! We had a ton of our family over, even my cousins in from out of town. They are closer to the kids' age and they all had a blast playing together this week!









Yes, we continued on with the Toy Story theme. To be honest, I never want to see anything Toy Story again in my entire life. But Big Boy loved it!





He hit the jackpot this year, and got spoiled by everyone. He got a bunch of cool Imaginex stuff with he loves, loves, loves and plays with everyday. He got a Buzz Lightyear that made noise and whose wings popped out, some clothes, a Toy Story suitcase, some flash cards, his first watch, a glove and baseball, a puzzle, a sports shirt, some new sports decor for his room, amongst many other things.

And then he got to play with all of it with the cousins!



On his actual birthday we went to the park with our playgroup. We brought doughnuts and juice for the kiddos and he had a great start to his day! That night we got to go to my grandma's to see family and he had the time of his life playing with the other kids. It was a very successful birthday, drawn out over the span of a month. T's uncle joked that he should be 6 by now with all of the celebrations he has had this month!


3!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My love, my light, my baby

A very happy birthday to my baby love, Big Boy, who is 3 years old today!


I feel like I say this every year, and here it goes again- Big Boy is all I ever wanted in a boy and I am lucky to have him. He is wild, he is ornery, and he is loving and sweet. He makes every day interesting and fun. He always has a contagious smile for everyone. He loves his Sissy. And he is irresistible to his mommy.

When you ask him something he puts his finger to his chin and goes "hmmmmm".

When you put him to bed and start to walk out he says "cuddle me".

When he has a bad dream he crawls into bed with us and says "I wanna sleep in yours bed momma".

When he gets around other kids at the table he likes to say "poop" to get a big laugh.

When you ask him how old he is now you never know what he'll say- either "two", "free", or "four".

When you ask him to bring him what he wants at Sonic he will say "dot dog and sluzzie" (hot dog and slushie)

When you pick him up from school or Kid Zone he will always say "I nice my friends today!"

When you ask him where his underwear are he will always say "here's my big girl pants". (I guess he just got so used to us calling Sissy's that)

When you go to take a picture of him he will cross his eyes or stick out his tongue 7 times out of 10.
When you hear the water running in the bathroom he is rarely washing his hands- rather, putting water in his hair and combing it.
When you take him to the park he is known to pull down his pants at the bottom of the slide, flash everyone, and declare that he has to potty.
When you drop him off at the y or preschool he always has 3 hugs and a kiss on the leg for you.
When he wakes up from nap he always needs some cuddles before wanting to play.

He is my baby, he is my sunshine, and he makes me smile every day.

Thoughts on the upcoming 9/11

I wanted to write a September 11 post this year and I decided to do it a few days early. Big Boy has his birthday this week and we have a busy week ahead of us.



I have always felt very, very serious about September 11. I have a weird empathy about it, I just feel like it really could have been my husband, my parent, my friend working in one of those buildings. I watch the specials on it and I still cry every year when I think about the people lost- people at work, firefighters, police, bystanders, and the military persons we've lost since then. Those poor people on those planes. Maybe it's because we lived there?? I don't know. I felt so vulnerable whenever we rode on the subway or the train. I saw all the flowers at the empty WTC site, the memorials people laid with pictures. I saw the destruction on other surrounding buildings, buildings taken over by asbestos because of all the dust. I saw one of the oldest churches in this country that was saved only because of a huge tree that stood in front of it. Amazing.



Pat and I moved to New York almost 2 years after 9/11. We lived about 30 miles north of NYC. And even 2 years later I couldn't believe how affected people still were there and how deep their wounds ran, almost every person knows someone who died that day. I wanted to share one story in particular. When we moved, I had originally intended on using my degree and teaching in the elementary schools but NY had different requirements for teaching and I was short a couple of credits. Instead, I went on an interview to be a substitute teacher for the district.


I was interviewed by a lady who was very sweet, I have no idea what her name was but I will never forget the story she told me after the interview ended and we began talking more personally. Her husband was a NYC firefighter. As most people within a couple hours of the city do, he commuted into the city by train for his shifts. The Friday before the 11th she was looking at her calendar and saw that their 2 children had conflicting schedules on the 11th and that both parents would be needed to shuttle the kids. Her husband (who didn't like asking others to take his shifts) reluctantly agreed and got coverage that morning until 10, when he would arrive in the city to finish his shift.


He was dropping his son off when he heard about what was happening. He immediately rushed into the city by car- knowing that he was needed and wanting to be there for his fellow firefighters. He arrived to find his station empty, of course, they were all out helping and he went immediately to the site. He didn't get far because by this time the towers had collapsed. He did what he could, rescued people, provided medical aid and then went back to the station. They had lost 11 men at their fire station that day- only 7 of which were actually on duty and one of the men who died was the one who volunteered to cover the beginning of this man's shift.


This woman was so heartbroken because she lost her husband that day. Not in the physical sense, but mentally. She said he didn't sleep anymore. He had to quit his job, he could not function there any longer. He was in intense counseling but still stared blankly into space most of the time. The guilt he had over the loss of his friends and one that he felt died in his place was consuming and last I heard he was under suicide watch and not able to do much of anything.




Our friends in New York told us of the reminders they got every day about how many people had died. NY and Connecticut have huge 'park and ride' lots for people to commute to work and they told us that cars were left there for weeks- that normally empty lots at 9:00 at night had cars left there. One friend's husband was only miles from the city but on the other side of the water in New Jersey. Cell phones didn't work for days and she could not get ahold of her husband to make sure he wasn't in the city and that he was okay.



I try to always remember September 11 and use the day to be thankful for America and the troops that we have- because they are protecting us from more of what we saw that day. What amazing people and families who lay their lives on the line to keep my family safe. For the amazing men and women who rushed into those buildings knowing they may not come out. And for the current and previous administration's work to prevent another terrorist attack. I cannot imagine having another day like that in America, I cannot imagine more innocent lives being taken in such a manner. I will always remember September 11. I will always use it as a day to be grateful.


http://september11news.com/AttackImages.htm

Apples, boo boos, and pee pee

This morning while getting the kids ready for school I was trying to teach Big Boy the importance of where he puts his hand while going potty. Yeah... I would say he is a typical boy and that he likes to "shoot and score" on the toilet, with the shooting getting a little wild lately.

Today was my breaking point as he stuck his finger right in his, well, you know. I said, "T, you cannot do that! That is gross! You have to keep your hand away from pee pee because it has germs and can make you sick!"

I picked him up from preschool today and he told me proudly, "Momma, I no get finger in my pee pee at school today!" I immediately congratulated him. "Yeah, Momma, cuz that's yucky. Apples, boo boos, and pee pee make me sick, make me see doctor." (he is allergic to apples) I hope I am not turning my son into a hypochondriac- threatening him with a doctor visit just seems to be gold when trying to get him not to do something- he won't touch an apple with a 10 foot pole!