Out of This World, is essentially working out great. ( see prior post). Maybe except for the constant tattling " Mom this girl in the red shirt is following us", "That boy said that I'm the meanest kid ever..." I'm sure the pack of 6 are not so innocent in all of this for sure. There are like a swarm of bees running back and forth in a pack. Oh, and 2 of the 6- (one of which is mine,)them seem to have some OCD ( obsessive compulsive disorder)- " That girl isn't wearing socks, the sign says you have to wear "socks only" we told her she needed to have socks on" . Yikes. Lord of the Flies is almost here. Along with a few weird parents.... There also seem to be a couple of guys hanging out here and they don't have any children here as far as I can see. They don't seem like the pervy type, but its kind of odd. Not like the pizza is world class- OK, but not world class.
At this moment (6:45 pm), I have approximately 18 hours left...... and if they get to sleep sometime before 10pm, that will cut out a good 9-10 hours. The kids have been good, they're just ... boys.. and kids.
The next door neighbor came over today, she commented like " I used to be able to do this, but I just don't have it in me anymore"... I said, "I've never had it".
OK. Some dad behind me is now seriously trying to explain the space posters here and all the "galaxies" to his 4 year old. ITs time to leave.....
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
6 kids and a dog....
Don't worry people, its not for real. However, my life has been altered a bit for the next 48 hours. Our dear friend who has essentially raised our children from infancy had to have emergency surgery today, and her husband is away, hurrying to get to her side before the surgery. In the meantime, there are 4 children to think about... oh and a dog. She and her family have done fabulous, wonderful things for me and my family, I am always looking for a way to repay her kindness. I have drug myself out of bed in my pajamas to drop off my kids in the midst of sinus infection or illness- without much mother guilt at returning home to bed to a quiet, empty house for the day...
Well, here world, is my chance. Its time to put a big smile on and put one foot in front of the other.
So, we officially have 2 twin boys, age 8, Grace- age 7, I boy age 6, and two 4 year olds- 1 of which is Grant ( which makes this more like 8 kids)...Oh, and a dog. Who lives inside. Luckily, its not like a giant dog or a lab or something. Its a small dog, a bit bigger than what I would call a "yippy" dog. She seems to be potty trained and I have had to let her roam around my house to check it out for the next 2 days.
While driving my van this afternoon, I understood the REAL reason someone might want a van... We bought the van so our kids couldn't touch each other and thus I wouldn't lose my mind driving them around.. and so we can go to Costco easily. Today I had every surface filled in the van with kids, stuff, booster seats, and a dog and her paraphanelia. It wasn't as bad as a I thought really.
The dog has probably been the thing to get used to... especially when Ryan made her growl..
I had to run out for a quick meeting tonight and Ryan was here with the kids.. ( now don't feel so bad for him, I had made dinner, they had eaten and gotten in PJs- he only had to push PLAY on the movie) Evidently at some point Sadie the dog jumped up at him, he pushed her down, she then glared and growled at him and then proceeded to run upstairs and hide.
He went to find her to get her in her kennel- and when she saw him, she growled and barked and refused to come out of her place in the room. Grace was upset at this point- not sure if she was worried about Ryan or herself.
When I got home, he said " You need to go check on the dog- and told me the details".
I had to get one of the kids to bring her downstairs- she was not coming near Ryan- she ran back up twice... and then she ran inside her cage and is tucked away for the night.
The reason this is so very absurd is that I am NOT AN ANIMAL LOVER or LIKER really. We seriously had a pre-nup about a No PET policy. And now, my kids get 2 days of joy and get an inside dog no less, and Ryan is the one to upset the dog.
The kids are also ( and Ryan ha ha) worried that Sadie the dog might harm or try to eat Tommy, our hedgehog. Fat chance. Sadie is a afraid of everything, and to think she could even bother a prickly hedgehog is absurd.
I still don't think I could have 6 kids long term... i for sure couldn't do 6 kids and a dog long term.
Tomorrow we're going to Out of this World Pizza and Play- an inside wonderland of blow ups, climbing and basically very little supervision needed from me!
Well, here world, is my chance. Its time to put a big smile on and put one foot in front of the other.
So, we officially have 2 twin boys, age 8, Grace- age 7, I boy age 6, and two 4 year olds- 1 of which is Grant ( which makes this more like 8 kids)...Oh, and a dog. Who lives inside. Luckily, its not like a giant dog or a lab or something. Its a small dog, a bit bigger than what I would call a "yippy" dog. She seems to be potty trained and I have had to let her roam around my house to check it out for the next 2 days.
While driving my van this afternoon, I understood the REAL reason someone might want a van... We bought the van so our kids couldn't touch each other and thus I wouldn't lose my mind driving them around.. and so we can go to Costco easily. Today I had every surface filled in the van with kids, stuff, booster seats, and a dog and her paraphanelia. It wasn't as bad as a I thought really.
The dog has probably been the thing to get used to... especially when Ryan made her growl..
I had to run out for a quick meeting tonight and Ryan was here with the kids.. ( now don't feel so bad for him, I had made dinner, they had eaten and gotten in PJs- he only had to push PLAY on the movie) Evidently at some point Sadie the dog jumped up at him, he pushed her down, she then glared and growled at him and then proceeded to run upstairs and hide.
He went to find her to get her in her kennel- and when she saw him, she growled and barked and refused to come out of her place in the room. Grace was upset at this point- not sure if she was worried about Ryan or herself.
When I got home, he said " You need to go check on the dog- and told me the details".
I had to get one of the kids to bring her downstairs- she was not coming near Ryan- she ran back up twice... and then she ran inside her cage and is tucked away for the night.
The reason this is so very absurd is that I am NOT AN ANIMAL LOVER or LIKER really. We seriously had a pre-nup about a No PET policy. And now, my kids get 2 days of joy and get an inside dog no less, and Ryan is the one to upset the dog.
The kids are also ( and Ryan ha ha) worried that Sadie the dog might harm or try to eat Tommy, our hedgehog. Fat chance. Sadie is a afraid of everything, and to think she could even bother a prickly hedgehog is absurd.
I still don't think I could have 6 kids long term... i for sure couldn't do 6 kids and a dog long term.
Tomorrow we're going to Out of this World Pizza and Play- an inside wonderland of blow ups, climbing and basically very little supervision needed from me!
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Summer
We set up this fabulous trade with a group of friends. About once a month, one couple chooses a Saturday and all the children (7) come to your house for the day- from about 9-5. The other couples run off in wild abandon and remember what it was like before wiping noses and listening to whining kids. Our fabulous friends took their punishment last Saturday so our kids were left to have a fabulous day with the group. Here is a great photo of Grace that screams Summer time. I am seriously coveting a good camera like this one.
I have to add the quote of the day that cracked us up- There are 5 girls ranging in age from 7-3, and then 2 boys, Grant and a very mild, lovely child who is about 2 1/2. As were were leaving and joking about Grant ruining this for us from now on, the husband said, yeah, ___( his wife, I'm trying to be anonymous here) was a bit worried about Grant with all these girls, "He just seems to take up more space than the girls!" Isn't that the truth! I was thrilled to hear that we didn't get kicked out of the group yet!
Add to my list of skills to acquire: Become a semi good photographer that can take photos that look like this. Also no the list: learning to play tennis- semi competently, learning to play bridge, learning to knit, ... ( I'm hoping to have good skills in retirement)
I have to add the quote of the day that cracked us up- There are 5 girls ranging in age from 7-3, and then 2 boys, Grant and a very mild, lovely child who is about 2 1/2. As were were leaving and joking about Grant ruining this for us from now on, the husband said, yeah, ___( his wife, I'm trying to be anonymous here) was a bit worried about Grant with all these girls, "He just seems to take up more space than the girls!" Isn't that the truth! I was thrilled to hear that we didn't get kicked out of the group yet!
Add to my list of skills to acquire: Become a semi good photographer that can take photos that look like this. Also no the list: learning to play tennis- semi competently, learning to play bridge, learning to knit, ... ( I'm hoping to have good skills in retirement)
Homesickness
Grace made it home just fine on Friday. Grant cozyed up to the agent at the counter so all 3 of us could go through security to meet her at the gate. Here is a bit about how the conversation went:
"Hi, I'm Grant, and my number is 4. I used to be 3 but now I'm 4"
"You're beautiful'
At this point the agent looks at Ryan and asks if he prompted him to say that... Ryan says" Well, not this time, unless we were in a hurry".
Agent" "Well, it works"
* Grant proceeds to the gate without incident. Ryan has purchased a small bouquet of flowers for him to give to Grace. This action just endears Grant to all the onlookers- as he's buzzing around the gate area with energy- good way to disguise his questionable behavior.
He also tries out his schtick on the girl at the snack counter while waiting for Grace. We think he was looking for a free drink :-) ( He used the same lines- "I'm 4" and "You're beautiful" )
I honestly don't know where this flirting has come from, he doesnt' tell me I'm beautiful on any sort of regular basis.
Grace gets off the plane, she's the last to come up the gateway. Grant could hardly contain himself, I thought for sure we'd be hauled away to the land of Homeland Security.
A nice gentleman gets off and tells me that I must be Grace's mom, and that she did well, just a bit teary when they first got on the plane, but he talked to her and she settled in. ( Bless him!)
She tells us while we're having lunch that she's just not ready for flying. I'm thinking... You already did it.. whats the big deal? In talking more, it turns out that she was really homesick. That was the first time she'd been away from us or Grant for any longer than a day. I think she might have discovered that she really likes her family :-)
Grant' behavior continued to disintegrate after picking up Grace- he was tired, plus it probably didn't help that Ryan bought him a Jamba Juice- loaded with sugar. As we were standing to be seated at the restaurant, he proceeded to lay on the floor and wouldn't get up. I tried to drag him up by his arm without luck- then got Ryan's attention AWAY from his IPHONE long enough to see what was happening. Grant layed on the ground again right as the hostess- who was middle aged approached us. She took one look at my frustration and Grant's hideous behavior and showed us to a table that seriously was BEHIND the fireplace next to the wall. There were no other tables near us. She set our our menus and then said "And here is a wine list for mom, looks like she could use it". ( I seriously considered it people!)
Meanwhile, Grant is still hitting, and drinking vinegar as a punishment by the spoonful. Atleast there are some health benefits...
"Hi, I'm Grant, and my number is 4. I used to be 3 but now I'm 4"
"You're beautiful'
At this point the agent looks at Ryan and asks if he prompted him to say that... Ryan says" Well, not this time, unless we were in a hurry".
Agent" "Well, it works"
* Grant proceeds to the gate without incident. Ryan has purchased a small bouquet of flowers for him to give to Grace. This action just endears Grant to all the onlookers- as he's buzzing around the gate area with energy- good way to disguise his questionable behavior.
He also tries out his schtick on the girl at the snack counter while waiting for Grace. We think he was looking for a free drink :-) ( He used the same lines- "I'm 4" and "You're beautiful" )
I honestly don't know where this flirting has come from, he doesnt' tell me I'm beautiful on any sort of regular basis.
Grace gets off the plane, she's the last to come up the gateway. Grant could hardly contain himself, I thought for sure we'd be hauled away to the land of Homeland Security.
A nice gentleman gets off and tells me that I must be Grace's mom, and that she did well, just a bit teary when they first got on the plane, but he talked to her and she settled in. ( Bless him!)
She tells us while we're having lunch that she's just not ready for flying. I'm thinking... You already did it.. whats the big deal? In talking more, it turns out that she was really homesick. That was the first time she'd been away from us or Grant for any longer than a day. I think she might have discovered that she really likes her family :-)
Grant' behavior continued to disintegrate after picking up Grace- he was tired, plus it probably didn't help that Ryan bought him a Jamba Juice- loaded with sugar. As we were standing to be seated at the restaurant, he proceeded to lay on the floor and wouldn't get up. I tried to drag him up by his arm without luck- then got Ryan's attention AWAY from his IPHONE long enough to see what was happening. Grant layed on the ground again right as the hostess- who was middle aged approached us. She took one look at my frustration and Grant's hideous behavior and showed us to a table that seriously was BEHIND the fireplace next to the wall. There were no other tables near us. She set our our menus and then said "And here is a wine list for mom, looks like she could use it". ( I seriously considered it people!)
Meanwhile, Grant is still hitting, and drinking vinegar as a punishment by the spoonful. Atleast there are some health benefits...
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Feeling a little homesick
Grace is a bit homesick while staying with her cousins in Boise. She called us on Monday and was a little weepy. She was crying on the phone. In my heart of course I felt bad for her going through this, but of course I didn't say this. Plus, in my mind, I knew she had to get tough and be ready to fly home on Friday.
Instead, I put on my tough love mother hat and told her that this was a good experience and that feeling homesick was normal, and tried to help her think of things to feel better. By the end of the conversation, she was feeling better and laughing. Of course, she wanted to talk to all of us, but Grant wouldn't wake up, so instead she had us put the phone on speaker so she could talk to Tommy, our hedgehog. So, in the end, I'm not sure if I made her feel better, or if it was Tommy the hedgehog.
Instead, I put on my tough love mother hat and told her that this was a good experience and that feeling homesick was normal, and tried to help her think of things to feel better. By the end of the conversation, she was feeling better and laughing. Of course, she wanted to talk to all of us, but Grant wouldn't wake up, so instead she had us put the phone on speaker so she could talk to Tommy, our hedgehog. So, in the end, I'm not sure if I made her feel better, or if it was Tommy the hedgehog.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Doggy Wipes
This is a 2 part hilarious story about Grant. Grant has well, a sort of tender bottom. He is deathly afraid of being wiped "too hard". He lectures you on the procedure at each occurance. As we were getting into potty training, I purchased these flushable wipes in order to make him not so afraid of the whole procedure ( another drama queen child). Usually, these come in bulk and are loaded into the container without him seeing them. Another fact that you must know, is that probably because Ryan dislikes doing this duty, he has made himself incompetent in Grant's eyes. It doesnt' help that Ryan asks him each time needed who he wants to "wipe him" and I always get picked.. this is not the popularity contest I would like to win ( maybe best tan, nicest figure, youngest looking ). One day, Grant happened to see Ryan pull the wipe from the Cottonelle package with the dog pictured on it. Clearly he doesn't see the point of advertising, because he FLIPPED OUT. He started screaming that Ryan should not use "doggy wipes" on his botton, and that those are "not for people Dad!". It was hilarious, and further pushed Ryan down the incompetent line. Grant is still confused on why there is a dog on the package, even though I've explanined that the dog is "soft".
Well, the other day, it was time to do this task again, and I was not available ( plus Ryan needs to do equal labor here). Evidently, the conversation went like this:
Grant: Dad, I need someone to wipe me.
Ryan: Ok,
Grant: Where is mom? ( looking for an escape I'm sure)
Ryan: Mom, is busy, I'll do it
Grant: "Dad, if you don't do it soft, you can't have a piece of my birthday cake" ( keep in mind, his birthday is May 5th, but for a 4 year-old, evidently his birthday cake is a token of power)
Ryan: OK, I'll be soft
afterwards..
Grant: "Good job Dad! ( he says this like you're a complete idiot- and you've done this correctly for the first time) "You get to have a piece of birthday cake now! "
Thursday, July 17, 2008
How does this thing work anyway?
Ok. I'm fairly new to the blogsphere.. obviously, our blog at this point is not something I would call "beautiful" or "artistic" its pretty much plain Jane vanilla- I've got to take some time to copy the designs of others- My left brain is so dominant, that the creative portion in essence has had a "stroke" and I'm really not a creative person, but I'm really good at copying. Changes coming soon.. as soon as I teach myself :-), and find something to copy...
When I sent out the link about this blog, I sent it to some people who I would say are pretty "tech savy" or atleast computer friendly. Others, ( like my parents) may not know that you can click on "Subscribe" to get an email update when I've made a new posting ( so you know the content has changed, or I've added a new photo etc.)
Just thought you'd want to know!!
P.S. If you click on "comments" you can post a comment in response to a post or photo. You may have to set up an account so we know who you are in case you say something mean. And, if you do, well, thats just not nice is it?
When I sent out the link about this blog, I sent it to some people who I would say are pretty "tech savy" or atleast computer friendly. Others, ( like my parents) may not know that you can click on "Subscribe" to get an email update when I've made a new posting ( so you know the content has changed, or I've added a new photo etc.)
Just thought you'd want to know!!
P.S. If you click on "comments" you can post a comment in response to a post or photo. You may have to set up an account so we know who you are in case you say something mean. And, if you do, well, thats just not nice is it?
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
What Not to Wear.....
This was so funny, I had to make a separate post tonight...
At dinner tonight ( I was out running an errand unfortunately)
Grace looks inquisitively at Ryan, and asks "Dad did you wear that to work today?"
Ryan responds "Yes, ... why?" ( Ryan is wearing kaki pants and a "Faconable" shirt that is a denim blue color, but if you know Ryan at all it is clearly NOT DENIM". )
Grace: "Well, it makes you look like you work at a tire store"
(* if I was home at this point, I would have died by choking on my food!)
Later in the meal.....
Grace: "Did anyone tease you at work today because they thought you look like you work in a tire store?"
To get some perspective on this.... you have to understand a few dynamics about our house.
Grace has had a very STRONG opinion about what she dresses in since she was atleast 2. It got so bad when she was younger that I established 2 criteria for her and everything else goes if it "
a. Is modest
b. In season ( this allows for no swimsuits in January)
She puts together some pretty outrageous outfits. The more sequins and sparkles, the better. I have just started to see her actually try to match her clothes a bit, and be willing to wear the bottom and top that I bought to GO TOGETHER. ( prior to this, I swear she wore them separately out of spite) She has a very unique fashion sense, I have yet to figure out her logic there.
Ryan likes to look nice. He has a definite opinion in what is acceptable to wear when and where. He would rather be caught dead than wear any kind of "sweats" out of the house. This rule is also in place for the rest of us, but we ignore it on occasion. Ryan likes to wear a belt daily, and makes sure he doesn't wear the same outfit/shirt in any sort of close time period ( a month). So, given this, its hilarious that Grace is critiquing his dress.
My second try at adolescence...
I had horrid acne as a teenager- and progressed along the many serums, creams, pills to the mother of all acne medication- Acutane. I took it for a good 6 months or so. For those lucky enough to get through adolescence with beautiful, clear skin- I HATE YOU!- and to give you a background on Acutane- its a strong oral medication that chemically changes your skin. You start to dry out- everywhere, need to wear something on your lips constantly so that the chapping stays under control, you have to stay out of the sun, and basically, you see some changes overall in the chemical makeup of your skin.
I swear a side effect from Acutane is that it changes the pigment in your skin. I no longer tan, I just turn rosy pink, which then goes away not resulting in any color change at all.
Anyway, fast forward now from 1988- to present day. I still have acne. Its not nearly as bad as when I was 15- but it has clearly been with me for several years. I have tried many different things to get rid of it, and it might go away for a bit, but then it magically rears its ugly head again around my chin.
Over time, Grace has become quite curious about the "dots" and "marks" on my face. I have told her initially that it is extremely rude to comment on someone else's skin etc. Now, she is smarter, and can read ...
I got a call today from Dermatology to schedule an appointment. Afterwards, I was typing the information into my Palm Pilot. She was looking over my shoulder to read what I was doing. She started to sound out "Derm-a-tol-ogy"..( uh-oh).
Grace: "Mom what is Dermatology?
Me: "Its a doctor that works with people's skin, looks at bumps, rashes"
Grace: "And the red dots on your face?"
Me:"YES.. that is called acne"
Grace: "Is that why you're going to the dermatology?"
Me: "Yes, I'm going to talk to the doctor about my acne"
Grace: " I'll bet you'll be glad to have that taken off. Are you going to be put to sleep to have the acne taken off your skin?" "Are you scared?"
Me: ( I think there was a slice of compassion mixed in there...) No, I won't be put to sleep, the doctor will just give me some medicine to help it go away.
Later that evening.....
I had gone out after dinner to run an errand, when I returned...
Grace: "Did you go see the Dermatology?" "What did they say about your acne?"
Great. Now I'm being critiqued by my 7 year old.....
I recently saw my doctor, and at the appointment I said " Ok, so I'm 35 years old, I have braces, acne, and I'm fat. I'm sure we can do something about atleast one of these". She laughed, she said lets start with the dermatology appointment and go from there.
The braces are supposed to come off next month. I've had them for a year, which to others is not a long time, UNLESS YOU'RE WEARING THEM. I told the Orthodontist that I'd sit in the chair and take them off myself next month if he didn't have time. He said, "You've had them a year already, I see a tooth there, that could be just a titch higher to meet the next one". What is this perfection? I swear I'll wear my retainer at night.
I'll address the third problem later....
I swear a side effect from Acutane is that it changes the pigment in your skin. I no longer tan, I just turn rosy pink, which then goes away not resulting in any color change at all.
Anyway, fast forward now from 1988- to present day. I still have acne. Its not nearly as bad as when I was 15- but it has clearly been with me for several years. I have tried many different things to get rid of it, and it might go away for a bit, but then it magically rears its ugly head again around my chin.
Over time, Grace has become quite curious about the "dots" and "marks" on my face. I have told her initially that it is extremely rude to comment on someone else's skin etc. Now, she is smarter, and can read ...
I got a call today from Dermatology to schedule an appointment. Afterwards, I was typing the information into my Palm Pilot. She was looking over my shoulder to read what I was doing. She started to sound out "Derm-a-tol-ogy"..( uh-oh).
Grace: "Mom what is Dermatology?
Me: "Its a doctor that works with people's skin, looks at bumps, rashes"
Grace: "And the red dots on your face?"
Me:"YES.. that is called acne"
Grace: "Is that why you're going to the dermatology?"
Me: "Yes, I'm going to talk to the doctor about my acne"
Grace: " I'll bet you'll be glad to have that taken off. Are you going to be put to sleep to have the acne taken off your skin?" "Are you scared?"
Me: ( I think there was a slice of compassion mixed in there...) No, I won't be put to sleep, the doctor will just give me some medicine to help it go away.
Later that evening.....
I had gone out after dinner to run an errand, when I returned...
Grace: "Did you go see the Dermatology?" "What did they say about your acne?"
Great. Now I'm being critiqued by my 7 year old.....
I recently saw my doctor, and at the appointment I said " Ok, so I'm 35 years old, I have braces, acne, and I'm fat. I'm sure we can do something about atleast one of these". She laughed, she said lets start with the dermatology appointment and go from there.
The braces are supposed to come off next month. I've had them for a year, which to others is not a long time, UNLESS YOU'RE WEARING THEM. I told the Orthodontist that I'd sit in the chair and take them off myself next month if he didn't have time. He said, "You've had them a year already, I see a tooth there, that could be just a titch higher to meet the next one". What is this perfection? I swear I'll wear my retainer at night.
I'll address the third problem later....
Spongebob has gone to the sea
Spongebob is not a regular character in our house. My kids only know about Spongebob from the media and random appearances as we flip through the channels. I don't know why we have such a grudge against Spongebob, he hasn't done anything extremely outrageous... just seems a bit on the rude side I guess. ( Ryan seems to dislike Spongebob a lot more than me,, I'm a bit indifferent)
Well, of course Grant knows all about Spongebob, and we happened to go to a local cheesy amusement park where Grant really wanted to play the game where you shoot water in the clown's mouth to make a creature rise on a pole. I played against him, I won ( against a 4 year old- luckily he didn't figure out the object of the game until it was halfway over). He then got to chose one of the hideous prizes. The least awful was a small Spongebob, I carefully steered him that direction ( there is a tiny part of me that wanted to see the reaction from Ryan... I have to be honest here). Well, Spongebob came home with us, and was adopted by Grant as one of his "lovies"/luv' ez/. ( Ryan also detests that word- I happen to think its endearing).
At this point in time, Grant is going through a stage of hitting. We have tried many different tricks to get this to stop, none of which are working particularly well at this point. Well, of course, Grant had another big hitting incident with Grace. After a second warning that Spongebob would be given away(thrown away), fate and a bit of Ryan's evil lust to get rid of Spongebob- as well as the convienience of trash night- made Spongebob leave for good.
( I'm a bit of a softy, and I would of probably hidden Spongebob secretly).
Grant woke the next day, asking where Spongebob was and sadly was told that Spongebob was gone.
Grant: " Is Spongebob gone?"
Ryan: " Yes, I told you he would be gone if you didn't stop hitting"
Grant: " Did Spongebob go back to the sea?"
Ryan: "Yes, Spongebob has gone back to the sea with Patrick"
Ashley ( thinking: if you hate Spongebob so much, how do you know about Patrick?)
Grant: Crying.... I miss Spongebob.
2 days later at a random moment, "I miss Spongebob mommy"
Mom: I know honey, but Dad said he'd sent Spongebob away if you hit again.
Grant: ( fully crying) Mommy, I'm sorry I hit you and Grace. I promise to never do it again.
I miss Spongebob. I want Spongebob to come back from the sea.
Mom: ( secretly thinking.... I wonder when that might happen- when will Spongebob surface again?- in spite of your Father).
Well, of course Grant knows all about Spongebob, and we happened to go to a local cheesy amusement park where Grant really wanted to play the game where you shoot water in the clown's mouth to make a creature rise on a pole. I played against him, I won ( against a 4 year old- luckily he didn't figure out the object of the game until it was halfway over). He then got to chose one of the hideous prizes. The least awful was a small Spongebob, I carefully steered him that direction ( there is a tiny part of me that wanted to see the reaction from Ryan... I have to be honest here). Well, Spongebob came home with us, and was adopted by Grant as one of his "lovies"/luv' ez/. ( Ryan also detests that word- I happen to think its endearing).
At this point in time, Grant is going through a stage of hitting. We have tried many different tricks to get this to stop, none of which are working particularly well at this point. Well, of course, Grant had another big hitting incident with Grace. After a second warning that Spongebob would be given away(thrown away), fate and a bit of Ryan's evil lust to get rid of Spongebob- as well as the convienience of trash night- made Spongebob leave for good.
( I'm a bit of a softy, and I would of probably hidden Spongebob secretly).
Grant woke the next day, asking where Spongebob was and sadly was told that Spongebob was gone.
Grant: " Is Spongebob gone?"
Ryan: " Yes, I told you he would be gone if you didn't stop hitting"
Grant: " Did Spongebob go back to the sea?"
Ryan: "Yes, Spongebob has gone back to the sea with Patrick"
Ashley ( thinking: if you hate Spongebob so much, how do you know about Patrick?)
Grant: Crying.... I miss Spongebob.
2 days later at a random moment, "I miss Spongebob mommy"
Mom: I know honey, but Dad said he'd sent Spongebob away if you hit again.
Grant: ( fully crying) Mommy, I'm sorry I hit you and Grace. I promise to never do it again.
I miss Spongebob. I want Spongebob to come back from the sea.
Mom: ( secretly thinking.... I wonder when that might happen- when will Spongebob surface again?- in spite of your Father).
Monday, July 14, 2008
We're going public...
After a measly 3 posts, I actually sent out the url to people... so now we have an audience, vs blogging to universe. Welcome, looking forward to funny comments.
And, random memory of a funny story that popped in my head ( so I must write it down! I can't remember anything!)
Grant is a handful at church.. as you might imagine. I swear his Primary teacher has a one way ticket to the top of heaven. Somehow she still continues to think he's cute week after week- In the group singing time, his little class is on the front row- here are a few of the more memorable moments from church...
- Grant has taken his shoes off and then proceeded to fling them at the podium while someone was up front talking ( no one was injured luckily)
- Grant is an affectionate child.. sometimes too affectionate. He likes to give kisses and hugs, but one week I looked over and was horrified to see that he was fully kissing his teacher on the lips REPEATEDLY!!! She was doing her best to get him to sit down, while trying not to crack up, as well as the other adult standing in front trying to hold a straight face while he proceeded to make-out with his teacher
- His teacher shared this one from class.. they were having a lesson about Adam and Eve.. Evidently the kids misunderstood and thought she said "Adam and Steve" - so Grant comes home and tells us excitedly that the first people on Earth were "ADAM AND STEVE". He was completely adamant on this, of course Grace had to put on her teacher hat and correct him ( which only made it worse). He's still a bit fuzzy on this one. I told him he wouldn't be here if it was up to Adam and Steve....
And, random memory of a funny story that popped in my head ( so I must write it down! I can't remember anything!)
Grant is a handful at church.. as you might imagine. I swear his Primary teacher has a one way ticket to the top of heaven. Somehow she still continues to think he's cute week after week- In the group singing time, his little class is on the front row- here are a few of the more memorable moments from church...
- Grant has taken his shoes off and then proceeded to fling them at the podium while someone was up front talking ( no one was injured luckily)
- Grant is an affectionate child.. sometimes too affectionate. He likes to give kisses and hugs, but one week I looked over and was horrified to see that he was fully kissing his teacher on the lips REPEATEDLY!!! She was doing her best to get him to sit down, while trying not to crack up, as well as the other adult standing in front trying to hold a straight face while he proceeded to make-out with his teacher
- His teacher shared this one from class.. they were having a lesson about Adam and Eve.. Evidently the kids misunderstood and thought she said "Adam and Steve" - so Grant comes home and tells us excitedly that the first people on Earth were "ADAM AND STEVE". He was completely adamant on this, of course Grace had to put on her teacher hat and correct him ( which only made it worse). He's still a bit fuzzy on this one. I told him he wouldn't be here if it was up to Adam and Steve....
Time to be brave.
We are embarking on a new parenting moment this week. We are driving (a long hot 7 hours) to Boise this next weekend for a family baby blessing. Ryan's sister lives there, as well as my parents and my brother. We approached Grace on a whim to ask if she wanted to stay longer with her cousins and fly home on her own at the end of the week. At first she said "no" she didn't want to- even if it meant spending more time with grandparents and cousins. But, this morning, she woke up and told me she wants to go on a plane by herself. This is a big milestone for Grace. She tends toward more of a perfectionist, and wants to be fully prepared and is at times timid about trying new things. For all those thinking we're crazy.. its only a hour plane ride gate to gate :-). She wants to know if we think she's brave. We do tell her she is brave, but hope that she wants to do this for herself, not us. ( tonight she did tell me she wants to ask grandpa if he'll take her to the little store to buy a magazine or something before the flight... I do not know of a magazine that is appropriate for a 7 year old! She's already scheming..)
I think it will be a great experience. Ever since she was small and tended toward this perfectionist streak, I've been trying to break it behind the scenes ( meeting with teachers, signing her up for new things, a bit of force when needed)- this is a shocker compared to getting her to perform in her first ballet recital ( sidebar: she was 4, she was fully involved in practices, but at the recital, she refused to go on the stage. Instead, Ryan ended up standing next to her on the side of the stage behind the curtain while she did her steps. Every once in awhile you could see a foot kick out on cue- she never fully made an appearance beyond that).
All this is coming at a time for me when I'm painfully realizing how fast they are growing and as we move out of one stage, the realization that we'll not be going back to that... getting rid of baby things, strollers, moving to booster seats... it really does seem to go fast. When its really crazy and I want to pull out my hair, I try to remember that someday my heart will ache to go back to this time, that I will sorely miss having a 4 year old in the house, or a 7 year old that is so curious about the world around her. It feels as if our little family is complete for now, I can't physically put myself through a pregnancy. I've thrown it out to the universe that if a child happens to land in our laps, we'd be more than willing, but we're not going to actively search at this point.... and so, these days are so precious.
I think it will be a great experience. Ever since she was small and tended toward this perfectionist streak, I've been trying to break it behind the scenes ( meeting with teachers, signing her up for new things, a bit of force when needed)- this is a shocker compared to getting her to perform in her first ballet recital ( sidebar: she was 4, she was fully involved in practices, but at the recital, she refused to go on the stage. Instead, Ryan ended up standing next to her on the side of the stage behind the curtain while she did her steps. Every once in awhile you could see a foot kick out on cue- she never fully made an appearance beyond that).
All this is coming at a time for me when I'm painfully realizing how fast they are growing and as we move out of one stage, the realization that we'll not be going back to that... getting rid of baby things, strollers, moving to booster seats... it really does seem to go fast. When its really crazy and I want to pull out my hair, I try to remember that someday my heart will ache to go back to this time, that I will sorely miss having a 4 year old in the house, or a 7 year old that is so curious about the world around her. It feels as if our little family is complete for now, I can't physically put myself through a pregnancy. I've thrown it out to the universe that if a child happens to land in our laps, we'd be more than willing, but we're not going to actively search at this point.... and so, these days are so precious.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
The mischevious happenings of monkey boy aka "Grant"
Tonight Grant had the supreme thrill of being an only child.. if only for a few hours. Grace is at a bday sleepover and so its all him. We went to a park for goodbye party for some of our favorite friends. Now, a few things about Grant. (1) He does not seem to know a stranger.. meaning, in his world, everyone is meant to be his friend and know him, and be happy about it! (2) He is not rule based AT ALL- unlike Grace who sees the world in strictly black and white terms.
Grant started out having a great time hanging out on the play structure, then we look up to see him making friends with a boy on the swings... who within 2 minutes is now pushing him on the swings, next he's joined in a game of baseball with a group of kids who again, he doesn't really know. The boy is not shy is all I can say!
Unfortunately, the park had a "fountain" of sorts. Sidebar: why do parks have "water features.... aka "fountains" that also have signs that read.. "Do not play in the water fountain". I mean, hello, this is a park where small children gather who CANNOT read.
We were taking bets on what child would jump into the water first. I am proud to say that Grant was not the first... only because someone else fell in by accident. He then saw that as his grand excuse to make an entrance. Whatever excuse he can find to bend the rules a bit... Then he flashes his innocent smile and people melt! He's going to be trouble is all I can say.
Grant started out having a great time hanging out on the play structure, then we look up to see him making friends with a boy on the swings... who within 2 minutes is now pushing him on the swings, next he's joined in a game of baseball with a group of kids who again, he doesn't really know. The boy is not shy is all I can say!
Unfortunately, the park had a "fountain" of sorts. Sidebar: why do parks have "water features.... aka "fountains" that also have signs that read.. "Do not play in the water fountain". I mean, hello, this is a park where small children gather who CANNOT read.
We were taking bets on what child would jump into the water first. I am proud to say that Grant was not the first... only because someone else fell in by accident. He then saw that as his grand excuse to make an entrance. Whatever excuse he can find to bend the rules a bit... Then he flashes his innocent smile and people melt! He's going to be trouble is all I can say.
Can I do this?
I want to say right now that I have great intentions of using this blog and keeping it up to date. I'm terrible about journal writing, so this may just save me, because my memory had gone to pot before I added the pregnancy hormones to the mix. And, somehow, I've got to be able to remember events that happened prior to like... YESTERDAY! Plus, I love a funny story, but can rarely remember them so this will be like Alzheimer's treatment for me.
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