Heaven's park

I love it when my kids say something so simple and pure that you just have to smile. Each time they do so, it's a direct line into how their brains work. Resulting smiles are almost always guaranteed.

The other day WA, IA and I were driving in the car. We were headed down a road neither had been on so they were chatting and looking out the window (not fighting!). We passed an older cemetery and WA said "Hey Mom look! It's a heaven park.". Perfect. I had never thought of in that light, but cemeteries are sort of heaven's parks aren't they?!? He then went on to talk about how, when we are in CT, we go to the cemetery where my Mom is burried and let balloons go so they float up to heaven. The fact that he sees this experience with a bit of joy, makes me happy. Heaven's park. Love it.

"Ice"land

The other day I was driving the kids to school, listening to NPR. They were talking about a volcano in Iceland that was causing travel delays. WA has recently shown some interest in volcanos and we've been reading books on the topic. After the story was over I told WA that a volcano had erupted in Iceland. He responded that one day he wanted to go to Iceland. I told him that if he wanted to, then he could definitely make that happen. He then paused and said "And Dad too. I think he would like the skating."

Big bro/Little sis

I love watching my kids play together. The collaborative fun kind of play, not the kind where they are at each other and driving their parents insane. This morning I watched my son lead his sister in creating a massive blanket fort. She followed him around like a petty officer executing his every command. He took his rank very seriously and expected nothing but excellence from her:). They ended up making a pretty cool fort, with a little assist from mom, and had a great time playing inside. It really does melt my heart watching them play like that. Like they are actually friends.

In an odd way, watching them makes me love my brother even more. I am sure that we had a similar dynamic...with him leading the charge and me faithfully following his every move. He is great big brother and I can only hope that my kids share the warmth that we do.

Sometimes two kids seem like a lot, but there are many moments, like this morning, where it's soooooo worth it.

My Bluejacket Boys

This past weekend my in-laws took IA for a visit to their home in NW OH. That meant WA got the VIP single kid treatment for two whole days. Highlights included a trip to the Lego store (where he picked out the StarWars X-wing fighter), a trip to the zoo (where he jumped in every spring puddle around) and, best of all, a Columbus Bluejackets game. You can see my boys were happy indeed. WA had an absolute blast of a weekend. And so did I:).

Scrabble greatness

Tonight WA got to play a little Angry Birds. I was getting ready for yoga and left him to geek out on his own. When I came back he had somehow opened and started a game of Scrabble. I play a lot and he's seen me in action a few times. It was bedtime and we put the iPad aside. Once the kids were snug in bed, I got the iPad back out only to discover that WA was beating the computer! Too funny. Even though it was a 4 year old randomly putting letters together, I like to think Scrabble greatness runs in the family:).

Barbie

Barbie is gross. Last night I was getting WA's Valentine's Day cards in order and I couldn't really believe what I was doing. Now, a little backstory for you...WA, IA and I went to Target a couple weeks ago to pick out Valentine's Day cards for their new friends at school. We got to an aisle full of every kind of card set you could imagine...from Pokemon (that's still big with the 3-7 yr old crowd??) to Mickey to Puppies and Kitties. I let both kids pick out what they wanted to give. IA picked, you guessed it, Dora. WA mulled it over a bit more before deciding he wanted Spiderman for the boys and Barbie for the girls. His quote "Oh mom, the girls are going to love that.". Wanting to encourage the independence that comes with making their own choices, I went with it. Now, fast foward to last night. I discoverd that the hideously pink Barbie cards came with glitter tattoos. Here's a list of the tattoo images...a high heeled shoe, lips, a purse, a poodle and the profile of a woman with a high ponytail so severe I get a headache just looking at it. Eeegads. No wonder girls have such problems with body image..this is what they have to deal with even at the tender age of 4. Honestly I was a little embarrassed to include them. I'm not entirely anti-princess or even anti-Barbie, but this blatant girly girlness really drives me nuts. It's so just so thick.

I am so not ready for IA to hit the princess/Barbie stage.

Arghhhhhh

Today is WA's last day at our current daycare. As you all know, this is the daycare that unceremoniously kicked IA out at the end of Dec. Both kids are scheduled to start on Monday at a new daycare that comes highly recommended by our neighbors. My (AWESOME) mother-in-law has taken the brunt of this situation by watching IA for the past month. She's exhausted (IA tends to do that to ya), and there really are not enough thanks that can come out of my mouth. She's a sanity saver. We're all ready to move on.

The irony of the whole situation is that WA has been out sick for the past two days and when I brought him in, with last day party treats in hand, I learned that both the crappy director and the stupid teacher from IA's room left this week. WTF. They both sucked, so it's good for the facility, but that's just insane to learn after all that they put us through. The timing of it all, hurumph.

Huh?

Last night, at 10:30 ET, on our way home from the airport WA was fairly quiet. It had been a long trip back from visiting our besties in Seattle and we were both exhausted. As I'm driving down the highway dreaming of a good nights sleep, without getting kicked in the side, from out of nowhere WA asks " Mom, what color is spider poop?". Huh? Totally random!

P.S. I will be scouring the internet today in attempt to find the true answer.

You learn something new everyday

And today I learned that kids chewable vitamins taste like @ss right after you brush your teeth.

This morning Will and I hit the hot tub before heading to shower up and get dressed. While in the hot tub he created an entire story about how he was the king and I was the guard (how true is THAT!?!). We role played throughout getting ready up until the point I had to take a " special power pill" to help protect the king. That pill happened to be a chewable Flinstone vitamin and I had just scrubbed the pearlies....Bleck. I do not recommend this. If you ever find yourself in this unlikely scenario, fake it and toss Fred or Dino in the trash.

The weather outside is definitely frightful

The East Coast is in the midst of getting hit with a Nor'easter that is expected to dump up to 20 inches of snow. I'd say were currently at 8. Our travel plans are now delayed and to pass the time we hooked up my niece's new Wii. WA is a master at boxing (which requires pure bursts of movement), I kicked butt in bowling (embarrassing but true) and my brother cleaned house in "Are You Smarter than a 5th grader" (the dude is an idiot savant). It's great fun and I literally almost peed my pants watching my brother kayak (hey, I've had two kids). All in all not a bad way to spend a snowed in day.

Top that kid!

"Mommy you're a turtle!", "You're an elephant" I responded. "You're a cow", "You're an platypus"....you get the idea. This is one of WA's current favorite car games. The other day, as we were returning from the local childrens museum, he and I engaged in this back and forth. After moving through 10 animals, WA said "Mommy, you're a pig" (at which my husband snickered. check minus.). I turned around and said "Oh yeah? Well you're a chinchilla!". He stopped, looked puzzled and said "hmmph". That's right, victory  was mine!:)

Halloween

Hi friends and family...I know its been a while. There's lots to report, but little time to do so these days!

One of my favorite holidays (third behind Cinco de Mayo and Christmas) just passed. Halloween was AWESOME this year. Our new neighbors and neighborhood helped make this the best Halloween yet (with the possible exception of the Halloween I met the hubby). We went through 5 bags of extra large candy and probably had close to 200 kids walk our path to chocolate goodness. There were some adorable costumes (with the exception of a fat kid dressed as a fat kid. Depricating or stupid? I couldn't decide.) The hubby and I alternated between taking the kids around the square to trick or treat and passing out candy. Since there are so many kids out, folks end up sitting outside rather than opening the door every 3.5 seconds. One guy even pimped it out by setting up a firepit to keep warm. IA and WA had a blast! IA dressed up as a pumpkin..cute little redhead in a large orange ball. WA was an astronaut. We bundled them up, because it was chilly, but I'm sure the adrenaline alone kept them warm. Many of the houses in our neighborhood were decorated with flair adding to the experience. We did our best, considering we had limited decorations in CT.

Last night the hubby asked when we planned on taking down the Halloween decorations to put up the Thanksgiving ones. I looked at him, like he was crazy, and told him that Thanksgiving is the breath between Halloween and Christmas! We do, however, need to get our Christmas decoration strategy worked out. I may have to get my cousin to make one of her famous 3D models with accompanying color coded organization binders. I kid you not:).

The right answer

Today, after being out of daycare for a week, I was preparing WA for his impending return. When I told him that he'd be going back to 'school' tomorrow, he said "Nooooo." I asked him why and he said "Because it's too long." "Huh?" I said "What's too long? "Not seeing you Mommy"  was his answer. An answer that simultaneously made me smile and heaped 5 more layers of guilt on top of the existing 20. One thing is certain though, this kid knows how to get to his momma's heart.

Only Sept???

WA has Gingivostomatitis. Quite a mouthful, eh? Well, that's appropriate. Gingivostomatitis is a common virus that kids under 3 often pick up (especially those in daycare). The virus causes blisters all over the mouth, tongue and lips. Kind of like coxsackie, but without the foot/hand involvement. Gross and totally awful to see on your kid. They are painful, but managable, the worst part being that it's very difficult for them to eat. He's been home for one week. Yes, one week. The week before his sister was home for a couple of days with a high fever. Mercy,  mercy, it's only September. I dread this winter...

It's the little things

Last night WA, IA and I got home after a long day at work/daycare. Considering the day was slightly rough for two out of three of us, what came next was a delight. We walked in to the kitchen to see a straw stuffed pumpkin head man staring back at us (eh, give me a break on this one, thats the best description I can come up with). Surprise! With a smile on my face I immediately knew who the culprit was. After a complete inspection, WA asked me who did it. I asked who he thought. He said "Daddy?". I told him "Nope" and then asked who loves to decorate for the holidays. He said "Me!". "Well yes, that's true" I said, " but who else??" "GRANDMA!" he exclaimed. Right. It was his grandma. She and Grandpa had stopped by on their way to visit KB who just started her first week at OSU. After having let themselves in, they planted this special surprise. I really loved the thoughtfullness, the kids loved the plastic pumpkin and straw. Everyone had a smile on.

I'll hold on to you

This morning the hubby and I were explainig the concept of brother, sister, aunt, uncle, etc to WA. He told us that Grandma is Daddy's mom. He then asked who my mom was. I told him that my mom was Mimi and he said, "Oh, you don't have a mommy anymore." I explained that you always have a mom... when you're young, old, here, not here....you always have one and that I would always be his. He then looked at me and said "Mom, when you die, I'll hold on to you."

Aaaaand...tears.

Next gen fish

WA just started swim lessons. We've had him in the water, off and on, for years but this is his first official set of lessons. I have to say this is extremely exciting for me, as swimming was an intregral part of my life for many, many years. I grew up loving life in a pool and was pretty decent at it. WA has embraced the water with a vigor that is beyond my expectations. He looks forward to his lessons and seems to enjoy them a lot. He dunks his head under and already has a promising backstroke kick. I'm not putting the cart before the horse, but I like what I see!

First kiss/first drink

This has been a big month for our boy WA. Not only did he have his first kiss, but also his first drink! He's 4. So let's start with the kiss. Over the fourth of July weekend, the goodness of our new neighborhood was in full force. It was awesome. We went from a bike decorating breakfast, to the local parade (where I narrowly missed guessing the number of tractors that rolled through in pure mid-west glory) to a bit of rest to a backyard bbq that actually spanned 3 or 4 backyards! Really, it was awesome (with the possible exception of my kid peeing his pants on the slide…only to be followed by our neighbor's 21 month, who got soaked. Yeah, gross.). During the backyard(s) bbq, children sort of clustered together by age group…with the younger tots (1-2 years) watching the older kids while attempting to keep up, the 3-5 year olds running around pretending, playing tag and climbing all over the jungle gyms, and the older kids hanging out and using their imaginations to play slightly more mature versions of what the 3-5s were doing. During a game of chase WA (which was a popular that day), I looked over to see our sweet neighbor, 5 year old GS, gently tackle WA to the ground and plant a big wet one right on his lips! I was definitely take off guard…not because I am prudy or think it actually means anything…but just that our children are at the age where kissing even exists! I laughed as WA, wiped it off, and proceeded to get chased by multiple lady friends only to be caught and kissed again. I think his Dad was oddly proud:).

The next weekend we had a 4th b-day party for WA in our backyard. It was tons of fun for all involved. My Dad flew in from CT to help celebrate and overall we had a nice weekend. Little did I know that my kid would booze it up. Ok, that's an exaggeration…but apparently he did have his first drink. The night of his party, my aunt and cousin stayed for dinner before heading back to Cincinnati. We grilled and hung out. As things were winding down and I was shuttling leftovers into the house, apparently WA took a swig of my Dad's vodka on ice thinking it was water. I didn't see it, but apparently he spit it out and wasn't too fond of the experience. I wasn’t too fond of it either and actually remember doing the same thing at the dinner table when I was about 12-13, but I understand that it's bound to happen. I just sort of wish it had been 10 to 15 years from now.

Young mind in action

It's hot in the Allman household. We're heading in to week 5 without air conditioning and it's been a long, sticky, irritable road. In some ways we've adapted to the heat and humidity, but I think each one of us would agree…90+degrees in the mid-west is just not fun. Over the past week we've had a few companies come out to give us estimates on the work that needs to be done. Earlier this week, WA and I were eating a snack (just before he and I went to swim lessons), he looks at me and says…"Mommy, when is the man coming to look at the shampoo?". I had to ask him to repeat himself because I wasn't sure I heard him correctly. "Shampoo?" I said out loud. "Yes Mommy, when is the man coming to fix the shampoo?" Showing that I am not always so quick on my feet, it took me a few seconds to finally realize that he was asking when the air conditioning guy was coming. To him shampoo naturally goes with conditioning.  Duh Mom.

This one was a bit of a surprise for me. WA and I were at the grocery store yesterday grabbing milk and a few things after a doctor's appointment and before heading to pick up IA at daycare. We stroll up to the empty checkout line and I lingered a bit scoping out "In Touch", "USWeekly", "People" and "Life and Style" to see if there was any mag I needed to get. Ultimately there weren't…because as much as I love pop culture, the Kardashian sisters and Jessica Simpson really just aren't my thing. As I was perusing WA looks at the magazines and then looks at me and says  "Mommy, those magazines are for girls.". Huh, how could he know that? Am I not giving him enough credit in thinking that identifying "masculine" vs. "feminine" in something a bit more abstract to a 4 year old is abnormal? The only thing I could think of was that maybe he got this intell from his father (who while patient and accepting of my pop culture obsession, isn't necessarily a huge fan himself).