Medieval Adventure

My parents took the four of us to the Rennaissance Festival the other day. It was a bit of a drive, but well worth the trip- both boys had a tremendously good time! (Thanks mom and dad!!!!!) Some highlights: HL was able to not only shoot a crossbow, but also a bow and arrow. And grandma and papa purchased a tabbard and battle axe for him. You see, HL wanted an entire costume but settled for a yellow tabbard with a dragon on it. Until he saw the battle axes. Then he explained to his papa how he has a sword, he has a shield, but he does not have an axe at home. Being a kid at heart himself, papa relented and now I am the proud mother of a son with a battle axe. Other than shopping for a costume and shooting deadly weapons, HL really had no interest in anything else- except the eagerly anticipated joust. Boy, oh boy, was he excited to see that joust! As it turned out, he was able to see two jousts, and, man, was he in heaven! He was able to follow all that was happening, and rooted for the good guy (thank goodness for that, at least!). AW also loved the fair, but for different reasons. He flew on a butterfly swing, saw farm animals, rode on an elephant's back and saw pirate ships (oh! and a pirate too). But I think the best part of his day was when we all left him alone. He was sitting very quietly, after all. But after a short time, he stood up- his cheeks were puffed, chocolate and colors dribbled down his chin, and in his hand he held... (dun dun dun) ... the empty M & M bag. Now, you have to understand that this boy does not need any extra energy. I spent the whole first joust being trampled, sat upon, jumped on, climbed.... But the funniest part was that, for some reason, he consistently tripped on grandma's foot. It never moved, it was in the same exact spot the entire time, but AW just could not stop tripping on it. Silliness. Even though AW had no clue as to what was happening, he thoroughly enjoyed the jousts as well, and even cheered along with us. He loved watching the horses, and he does enjoy a good sword fight. Even at just barely two. Am I conveying how very proud I am of that fact? Here's a picture of our youngest- the one who has a horrible time falling asleep normally... An excellent time was had by all. Thanks again grandma and papa!

Bicycle Lesson

Bought HL a bike for his fourth birthday and took him out on it the other day for a lesson. Unfortunately, it was us, his parents, who did the learning. In hindsight we realize the following: We should have had more patience when he worked on pedaling his tricycle instead of just giving up and pushing him. Along with that, we should have had his tricycle out more often rather than just on walks. I have a suspicion that he is like his parents: afraid of failure. He seems to try things more if no one is watching. So there's lesson one. Lesson two: in our interest of keeping our eldest safe, we have apparently scared him a little too much. I watch him with sadness, knowing that he is too scared to try many new things. Case in point: we were trying his bike on the sidewalk but there was too much for him to have to try to remember up there. So Hubby took him out in the middle of a quiet, safe street, but HL was far too terrified to be out in the street to even try pedaling. While it's an incredibly good thing for him to be afraid of playing in the street, we see this fear materialize in other situations as well. In the past, we didn't realize that he took what we say so literally. Now we know. And the third lesson is that teaching a kid to ride a bike is difficult for all involved. Forget how hard it is for him to figure out- we had a terrible time trying to figure out how to tell him to do it! It's so automatic when you've been doing it your whole life, that you really have to stop and think about it to describe it and put it into steps. But we are working on it. So, the saga continues... HL is not yet a bike rider, but it's our mission to make it so. We'll keep you updated...

Redemption

Got the slip-n-slide out again tonight and redeemed myself- I can slide! Thank goodness I was able to confirm the theory that it was my clothes and not my inability to master this simple kid's toy! I do, however, fear that I may pay by way of sore muscles to prove my prowess. No pain, no gain, eh? Another good thing came of getting it out tonight- HL tried it! At his party, he was too new to the idea; he's a very cautious kid. But today, he gave it a shot- and discovered the fun of a slip-n-slide! He didn't quite get the whole run and slide thing, but he sure gave it his best. And he loved when I would push and toss him down the slide. Even AW tried it out, but he definitely preferred the walk-down-on-his-feet method. Which is fine. At least he tried. Not too long ago, AW was terrified of spraying water. He wanted nothing to do with water parks or even sprinklers, so we're proud that he stepped out of his comfort zone this evening.

Slip-n-Slide Advice

Mom takes a dive. Crash! We had our eldest's birthday party on Sunday. Being in July it was hot and we had decided to make it a water party. We set up a pool he had gotten, a volcano sprinkler and later after he had opened his presents, this slip-n-slide. When his mom hit the slide in her street clothes, she skidded to a stop maybe a foot on her way. Oh, it was funny. (Sorry hon.) So... Lesson? If you are going to go down a slip-n-slide, DO NOT wear street clothes! (I only wish we had video, it would likely win us some money...)

Fireworks!

This is a belated post about the Independence Day fireworks show we saw. Nanny went with us and we sat right across the lake from where they were launched. I was concerned about how AW would react, but my fears were unfounded. He sat on my lap and barely moved the entire show. It was as if he were sleeping on my lap! HL was at the opposite end of the spectrum- he was so excited he would have forgotten to breathe were it not autonomic. He danced back and forth, up and down, round and round. I think it's safe to say he enjoyed himself! While we were waiting for the big show, we entertained ourselves with my camera- HL especially- he took a bunch of pictures of us all. It was dark enough that you couldn't see your subject through the viewfinder. Our solution was to have the subject somehow wear a glow necklace to focus on. The flash, of course, was ridiculously bright against the dark of night and we laughed at our expressions caught on film!

Memory Update

Just a little update on the boys for memory's sake.... AW now consistently uses three-word sentences and, occasionally, even a four-word one! Some of his notable word combos are: "can't reach it", "Daddy (or anyone) doing?", "no, not there", "heard it, cricket (or whatever)", and "there it (he, she, etc) is!" A couple weeks ago, he said he wanted "more". I asked "more milk or more noodles?" His reply was his very first four-word sentence: "more milk and noodles." Some things he loves right now are: climbing, asking what you're doing, fruit, chicken nuggets, his bubbo (he idolizes HL!), pirates, Dora, and drawing- on anything. He is an extremely animated little child who is not shy about sharing his feelings. He makes the most obvious faces, and when he's upset, he stands with his face to the wall, wearing a heart-breaking frown. He makes it rather difficult to follow through with discipline sometimes. Oh! And last night he just about climbed all the way out of his crib- good thing I caught him and stopped it. Guess we'll be looking for a bunk bed soon..... HL is still wrapped up in pirates, vikings, knights, firefighters, rescue heroes, superheroes, and army guys. Hubby tells me often just how helpful HL has been that day with caring for Sam. In fact, Hubby admits that there are times when he downright needed HL and he came through. I told HL how his daddy tells me this and how proud we both are of him. He replied: "I'm proud of my job too, mommy. It's my job to protect AW and baby Sam." And he truly believes it- to his very soul. One issue we're having with HL is bossiness. We're hoping it's something he'll grow out of, but haven't seen much evidence of that yet. Suggestions are welcome....

Recipe for disaster

So, I contracted Impetigo. It sucks. But even more so in unexpected ways... Let's take a germaphobic, worry-wart mother with OCD tendencies and pair her up with a highly contagious bacterial infection prominently displayed on the tip of her nose. What do we have? A Recipe for disaster. I am tormented (tormented, I tell you) by the possibility of spreading this to my family- spreading it to my "friends" that get amusement from my situation is not an issue, however. (Just kidding). I wash my hands so often that they are raw, and use Clorox wipes so frequently I'm pondering tying them around my neck. And then there's the kissing issue. Ever realize that every time you kiss someone your nose touches them? I didn't, until I kissed my son on the cheek just after getting a diagnosis. I felt horrible. Here I am, highly contagious nose and I wipe it right on my two-year-old's cheek. Great. What a good mom I am. I took peace in the fact that neither child had any open sores (amazing, for two young boys). And apparently jinxed the situation with my thought. AW cut his upper lip yesterday evening and then proceeded to procure the bulb syringe I use to rinse my nose (just how in the world do toddlers do that? Get things out of their reach?). I think I gave Hubby a heart attack, I jumped and yelled so fast when I saw that in his innocent little hands. Instantly, I grabbed it from him. Which, as it turns out, was not the right thing to do for he immediately stuck his fingers in his mouth. The very mouth with a new open sore just above it. Guess God wants me to know that, no matter what precautions I take, I am not in control of everything my children do. Alright, lesson learned. Now, please spare my son this hideous infection, I pray.

One sign

Here's a good sign that we're doing well raising our sons: AW brought me a piece of cardboard with the stars and stripes on it. When asked "what is this?", his first reply was "good guys!" Then he finished up with "'Mercan flag". It's nice that my son, who is barely 2, already knows the American flag, it's even better that he knows we're the "good guys".

AmIFreeToGo.com

As a public service anouncement I think everyone should go read this. AmIFreeToGo.com has some great advice on how to keep from getting arrested. Make sure to check it out, you never know when it will come in handy, especially with this kind of thing going on.

New to Blogging?

If you are new to blogging and would like some advice, Insntapundit has a post with some links to to get you started. Check it out. By the way, the second link in his post doesn't render properly in my Firefox browser. I guess Simon didn't get the memo.

Which one?

Received an alleged "American Heart Association" diet today. Immediately researched its legitimacy. Not. I do the same thing when I get some chain letters and things. I wonder, does that make me wise or just plain cynical? I tend to believe wise (of course, you say), but it just so turns out that practically every time I investigate something like this, it turns out to be untrue. I firmly believe the "if it sounds too good to be truem it is" adage- and it has served me well.

Snuggling

Since the baby Hubby watches during the day uses AW's crib for naps, Hubby started putting AW down in our bed in the afternoon. They lay down together until AW is asleep. This is just the situation I have been hoping for. I currently lay down with HL at night and felt that not only do I miss snuggling with AW, but I imagine he misses it too. Now we get that chance. There is such a strong bonding that comes with snuggling in bed together and having your child fall asleep in your arms. Ahhh.... I feel more peaceful just thinking about it. Sometimes it feels like a nuisance when I "have" to lay down with HL at night, but deep down, I really need it as much as he does. There will come a day when he won't cuddle with me- I gotta get all the snuggle time I can, while I can. I think of that and then I realize I'm actually grateful for the "nuisance". "Mommy, I love laying with you." Son, I love it too.

The power of a three year old

Ever questioned the power of a three year old? I think it is definitely underestimated sometimes. Case in point: At the mall the other evening, HL decides that we're superagents and stepping on cracks will set off booby traps. His little brother went for it and so did all three of us adults with him. Not overly surprising really, until I realized we all were so careful not to step on cracks for the entire length of the mall- whether HL was in sight or not! Even his 77 year old Grandpa was in on it. :) Now, HL can be a bit bossy (a challenge we're currently working on) and I know that sometimes it's just easier to give in than fight, but I think this goes much deeper. To me, it is almost like my permission to release my inner child and play. If I were to make that up myself, I would be labeled crazy- but since I was following a three year old's game, all of a sudden I'm just a fun-loving adult who's not afraid to play. Hmm... Guess a child's power stretches even further than I realized. They can actually influence how strangers see each other. Amazing. Label me "Happy to be under the power of a three year old"!

Checkups

Both boys had their well-child checkups a couple days ago, and both received a clean bill of health. They're both growing and developing as they should. HL weighs 43# and is 42" tall- both of which are in the 95th percentile and AW weighs in at 32# and is 36" tall. AW's weight is in the 70th percentile and his height is in the 80th. He recently sprouted quite a bit because his last visit, he was in the 50th percentile!

Superhero....

"Mommy, I'm thinking about what Superhero I want to be when I grow up." "Really? What are your thoughts?" "Captain Lemon.... or... Vegetable Man." "Vegetable Man? I've never heard of him- what does he do?" "He gives out vegetables to people so they can be healthy to fight the bad guys. And his enemies are Junk Food Man and Junk Food Girl." Priceless. The irony is that HL absolutely refuses to eat vegetables himself. If Vegetable Man isn't inspiration enough, what is? How can you top a Superhero?!?

Pandora

Learned of this music site, Pandora, and was very quickly hooked. You tell the site what music you like, it analyzes it and plays similar music for you- just like a tailored radio station. And here's the best part: it's absolutely FREE!! I have set up several different radio stations for myself so I can match my mood any given day. If you have a broadband connection, I strongly recommend you check it out.

Heart thing

Think I figured out why my heart is doing the weird palpitaion-thing more lately- caffeine. I've never been a nig caffeine drinker, but recently got hooked on iced tea and have found that the more tea I drink that day, the worse my palpitations are. That's an easy fix. Cool.

Peace amidst Panic

I have another little secret to share with you all.... I am a worrywart. I know, it's a shocker. But you can believe it. And the other night, while laying in bed with HL, I experienced something which makes me worry- often when I lay down, my heart goes a little crazy. I know in my rational head that's it nothing, but my anxious side doesn't hear that. So anyway, I was laying there with my eldest and thinking about how my heart is doing this more often and my anxiety got carried away. I started to worry that I may indeed have something wrong. And what if I were to die young? Panic. But then, I felt a sense of peace come over me due to the fact that I have chosen to work less. I thought about laying on my death bed and knew that I would regret working overtime every week and missing time with my children. The thought came to me that, even though I am dirt broke right now, I am glad that I made the choice to work less days a week and be with my children as much as possible. I made the right decision. That my children know I love them more than life itself is a peaceful thought. And how better to show them than to spend time with them?

Case of the Red White and blues

It may not look like it but I was suffering the Red, White and Blues. via LGF (click the link if you have not heard about this AFP report) We went to the Parade for the Fourth this year, and just like last year both the boys loved it. And just like last year every time a veterans or military group passed by I got choked up. Tears welled in my eyes to think of those who have protected this country, giving all that was asked for so little in return. Each time one of those groups passed I yelled out thank you as loud as I could. Though everyone stood and cheered, I didn't hear any other thank you's until the last group was passing when one of the soldiers looked at me and said "thank you" back. To those of you who serve in our military, are retired and the members of your families who sacrifice so much to protect me and my family: Thank You. Your country can never thank you enough.

Sorry I've not posted. We have had a serious computer crash and I have been working diligently on fixing the issue. Still not fixed, but I've got something up and running again. More on the crash latter...grrrr!

Another friend of ours, SSKNH, has just joined the blogging world. Please welcome her by visiting her site..... Kelley Gate Welcome, SSKNH!

I'm Back- or at least getting there...

Oh, happy day. I'm finally getting my energy back. This Effexor gig really did a number on my energy stores. My children became whiny and needy because I was. Plus, I lacked the energy to fight it. But, I'm back. I've started dealing with the boys' attitudes and, boy, does it make a difference. And quickly, too. It's amazing, how quickly. The whole house is happier. You read that children do better when given boundaries and discipline, but you just don't believe it until you witness it for yourself.