Moving On Up

I Wanna Be a Rock Star

...or at least play Rock Band!

Not Me Monday

Following the lead of "My Charming Kids," it's another "Not Me Monday!"




There is no way I was driving on the freeway, only to hear Wesley's voice from the backseat say, "Mom! I'm not buckled in!" No way. Not me.


I did not try to bribe Wesley to have a good day at preschool by letting him have a donut for breakfast and a promise of a new Dora DVD when he got home.


I couldn't have been the mom that sent her child to preschool after he had a major bloody nose in the car. And it certainly wasn't me who felt kind of guilty about that for the rest of the morning.


I did not abandon Duane and the boys one afternoon so I could go upstairs, eat lunch and read without having to hear, "Mommy!" for a few hours!

Picture Day

I finally got around to scheduling birthday pictures for the boys - only a month late for Wesley and 2 months late for Ryan. Duane and I picked out cute outfits for the boys. They had haircuts earlier in the week. We brushed their teeth and made sure they looked sparkly clean. Here's the picture we ended up with.




What? You didn't see anything? Oh, that would be because Ryan was a NIGHTMARE child and we had to give up on giving pictures taken. I don't know what happened. He was in such a good mood on our way to the photographer. He was in such a good mood as we waited for our appointment, but as soon as we put him on the stage and backdrop he burst into tears and wouldn't stop screaming. So, no pictures yesterday. A big waste of time.


We went to the toy store after that to spend a gift card that Wesley had from his birthday. Here's a kid with $80 to spend any way he wanted and do you know what he did? He refused to pick anything out and preferred instead to play with the train table set up in the store. That probably wouldn't be so infuriating, except that he HAS a train table in his bedroom! It's not as much fun because he wont' leave the track set up, but still! So Mommy spent $80 on educational toys for Wesley. Hey, if he won't pick, he gets stuck with what I choose.


Thank goodness the rest of the day improved. We watched the game with Kirk and Susan and one of their friends. Ryan took a good nap. We played Rock Band. Just no pictures.

Don't Worry - No Pictures

We had quite the adventure on the way to preschool today. I didn't have to be at work until 9:00 today, so I decided to go with Grandma to drop Wesley off. I drove in a different car so I could go directly from there to work. As we were driving down a side street midway between Grandma's and school, Grandma started honking her horn furiously. I had no idea what could be the matter, so I pulled over to the side of the road, turned the van off and got out.

"Wesley's nose is REALLY bleeding," she said. So I grabbed a small, thin blanket from the back of the van and headed over. Wesley's face, hands and arm were pretty well covered with blood.

We got the bleeding slowed, but there was no way to really clean him up until we got to school. Poor guy didn't want to go in, so I carried him straight to the restroom while Grandma informed his teachers of what was going on.

Wesley kind of freaked out when he saw himself in the mirror and couldn't wait for me to get the blood off him. He made sure I got every single speck off his face and arm and hands. He kept saying, "I don't want anyone to see me like this!"

Unfortunately, that was about the time he noticed the two drops of blood on his blue shirt. I tried to get it out, but that just wasn't happening using only a paper towel and some water. "But I don't want anyone to know!" Wesley cried. I managed to convince him that it just looked like he dribbled some breakfast on his shirt and that his classmates would just think he was a messy eater.

Mrs. T and Mrs P were very understanding - apparently Mrs. P's son gets nosebleeds fairly often, so at least I was leaving him in capable hands. I told them to call me at work if he needed me and I could be there in 10 minutes, but the rest of the day went very well.

Random Things About Ryan

I feel like this blog still focuses an awful lot on Wesley, so here are a few key points about the younger Webblett.

1) Ryan's favorite toys are cars and balls. Although he has a favorite car and a favorite ball to play with, any will do. No wonder his first word was "ball."

2) Ryan still isn't talking much (although we've added 'Mom', "teeth" and "banana" to the list), but he manages to get his point across VERY clearly. If he's hungry or thirsty he goes to the refrigerator and pulls on the door. If he wants you to hold him, he'll pat your legs or pull on you until you pick him up.

3) Ryan hates the word "no" more than any child I have ever encountered. If you say "no" to him he immediately starts to pout. If you say "no" in a very firm voice he will pitch a fit the likes of which are rarely seen - screaming, crying, you name it.

4) Ryan understands so much more than he can say. If you ask him to get his shoes, he will. He (usually) gives me kisses when I ask for the and he will look for his Bobo monkey if I ask where it is.

5) Ryan is a climber. He climbs the step stool in the kitchen whenever I get it out. He tries to climb up the slide. He tried to climb a fence at the hog roast. He climbs on the couch. He climbs on Wesley's night stand. It's nuts. My mom says that when my brother was little, she once found him sitting on top of the refrigerator. I fully expect to find Ryan there some day too.

6) Ryan adores Wesley and wants to be where ever Wesley is, doing whatever Wesley is doing.

Rash Report

Ryan's rash has nothing to do with an allergy and everything to do with a bit of a cold he had last week. Duane and I are VERY relieved!

Not Me Monday

Following the lead of My Charming Kids, it's another "Not Me Monday"



There's no way I was so tired one morning that I drank twice my normal amount of coffee, then ate a lollipop I've had in my purse for Wesley in an effort to induce a caffeine and sugar high to get me through the morning.


I couldn't have been the woman who was in her pajamas on the couch before 7:00 one evening while her husband did the dishes, put gas in her van and bathed the kids. Nope. Not me.


I did not have to pry myself away from Wesley's preschool classroom on his second day of preschool. Nor did the hour and a half I was away from him drag on and on. And even if that were the case, I'm sure I wouldn't have been embarrassed when I went to pick him up and he was the ONLY child whining. Never!


I did not spend Wesley's first full morning at preschool sitting at my desk at work and worrying that he was going to wet his pants. How silly would that have been?


I certainly would not be petty enough to be mildly annoyed that every time I try to make my mom's meatloaf it falls apart, but my husband can make it perfectly. Not me.


Despite the food wars we fight with Wesley EVERY night, I did not let Ryan have chocolate chip cookies for dinner at the family cookout. And if I did, I certainly wouldn't justify it by saying that Ryan eats regular food all the time so it balances out.

Not Daddy's Happiest Birthday

Poor Duane. Today has got to be one of the least happiest birthdays he'd had. I mean, how often do you end up at Children's Urgent Care on your birthday?

I'll try to condense this a bit. The W. family went to church this morning. As we were waiting for the service to begin, a very close friend of the family gave Ryan a few bites of the organic puffed rice bar her son was eating. We didn't think too much about it. We had a nice church service and planned on going to Target afterwards.

Wesley was hungry and asked if we could please go out to lunch. Duane said that was OK, so we loaded into the van to go. As soon as Ryan got in the van he started screaming. We figured he was just hungry and would be OK when he got some food into him. The restaurant was five minutes away and he screamed the entire way there. He screamed in the restaurant too. He screamed when we tried to give him crackers. Duane and I took turns taking him outside and trying to calm him down. But NOTHING was working. By this time he had been screaming crying for about half and hour or so. Duane suggested we ask the waitress to make our order to go.

I took Ryan outside and suddenly noticed a rash on his side. On closer inspection, the rash covered his stomach, went down one arm and was really red and irritated looking in his arm pit.
We thought Ryan might be having an allergic reaction to something so we drove to Children's Urgent Care. While Duane drove I called Grandma to have her meet us there and to find out what was in the bar Ryan ate.

The folks at Children's Urgent Care were wonderful. They called for an allergy check (breathing check) as soon as we walked in and we didn't have to wait for a room. We did have to wait quite a while for the doctor though (since Ryan was breathing just fine.) Unfortunately we didn't get any answers. The doctor said that the timing of the rash's onset strongly suggests food allergy - the bar contained coconut and honey, but no peanuts. However, the fact that the rash was pretty localized and only on one side of his body suggests a viral infection. So, basically we got a dose of benedryl and a recommendation to call Dr. M. tomorrow.

I'm really glad it wasn't more serious, but I won't be completely at ease until we figure out what's causing this. Luckily Ryan's eating just fine now and acting completely normal.

Hog Roast Time

Yesterday was the annual hog roast/bonfire at Uncle Walt and Aunt Shirley's - which means it was my official kick off to fall! As usual, we had a wonderful time! I don't think Ryan stopped moving for a single second while we were there.

You know you have a serious bonfire going on when you have to use a tractor to add another log.

Ryan LOVED running around the farm!

My farmyard cuties

Ryan liked the horse pasture too. He kept trying to crash through the plants to get to the horse.

Any animal that Ryan wants to touch is a "bat bat". This "bat bat" was very friendly.

Time to chow down on the lawn. For a big switch, Wesley ate really well and Ryan refused to eat anything except cookies.

More proof that Ryan is a sports guy. In addition to playing football, he was also fascinated with the cornhole game.

Just like his mommy, Wesley doesn't like to go anyplace without a book.

Checking out the goings on at the chicken coop.

"If I manage to climb up on the tractor, can I take it for a spin?"

"Fine. I guess I'll just sit here instead."

Ryan wasn't too sure about the hayride at first, but he ended up liking it.

Wesley LOVED the hayride!

Waiting for the sun to set in the far meadow.

"Are you pondering what I am pondering?"

Taking a little rest

Brothers

Wesley loved sitting by the fire. He watched the stars come out and the sparks from the fire fly into the sky. He called them fireflies and said that they wanted to fly up to the moon. He also informed us that he didn't want to leave until the fire burned out. Too bad Aunt Shirley said it would take about five days for that to happen!

Preschool Repeat

Today was day 2 of preschool for Wesley, and although it didn't go quite as well as day one, I'm still counting it a success. It started out great. When I told Wesley that he had preschool again today he hopped out of bed, picked out an outfit and helped choose clothes for Ryan to wear. He cooperated while getting dressed and we even had time to eat breakfast before heading to Grandma and Grandpa's to drop Ryan off. I tried to take a picture of the boys together this morning, but this is what I ended up with.

Wesley was in a great mood on the way to Grandma's, but he started whining when we arrived to drop Ryan off. He said it was because he wanted to go to preschool RIGHT THEN, but now I kind of wonder. When it came time for us to leave, Wesley chose to leave Stinky Bear (Carr) with Grandma. He tucked Carr in for a nap and asked Grandma to call him if Carr starting crying. Grandma promised she would and we headed out.

I don't think we were in the car for more than four minutes before Wesley insisted he could hear Carr crying and that he needed to call Grandma to check on him. I tried giving Wesley a toy phone that was in the van, but he wanted a real phone. We waited until we had parked the van at the preschool, then we called Grandma. She assured Wesley that Carr was fine and that she'd take good care of him.

Wesley and I went into his classroom and did the morning routine of hanging up his bag and jacket, putting his name crayon in the box and washing his hands. After that he seemed ready for me to leave. I hung around for a few minutes then pulled out my invisible crowbar to force myself out of the room. Wesley didn't bat and eye when I left, but it was SO HARD to walk out that door - and even harder to continue down the hall and out to the parking lot.

I decided to treat myself to a little "Mommy Time" at Target. The only problem was, I couldn't really enjoy it. I was so worried about how Wesley was getting along. I finished my shopping with 40 minutes to kill before I could pick him up, so I decided to go get a scone and some tea and read my book. That didn't really help either. I think I checked the time every 3 three minutes until it was time to go.

I joined the gaggle of other mom's standing outside the classroom door. The room was empty because the class had gone downstairs to the rumpus room. After a moment I heard the tell tale whine of my oldest son - loud, fake, and annoying. Sure enough, he was at the front of the line, holding his teacher's hand. He made a break for it when he saw me, but I managed to get him back in his room until Mrs. P. and Mrs. T. were ready to release the kids one by one.

Wesley was the last one to be released and, rather than sending him out in the hall, they invited me in. Apparently things didn't go overly smoothly today. Wesley didn't misbehave, but he didn't want to leave the classroom when the class did, and he said he was afraid of steps. WHAT?! Afraid of steps?! Where did that come from?? His teachers were very sweet and said that they looked forward to seeing him tomorrow and that they knew school was a big adjustment for him (I warned them ahead of time that he has never been away from family).

As we drove home, Wesley asked to call Grandma again to check on Carr. It occurred to me that today was probably tougher for Wesley than I gave him credit for. It was the first time he was away from the family, the whole class was there so there were a bunch of new kids he's never seen, and he isn't allowed to take his comfort object to school with him. Poor kid.

Wesley "woke Carr up" as soon as we got to Grandma's and asked her to fix Carr a snack of scrambled eggs, pancakes, applesauce and yogurt. He buckled his bear in Ryan's high chair and insisted that she pretend to feed each bite of food to Carr before Wesley would eat it. Honestly, Wesley wanted Grandma to spoon feed him, but I wouldn't let her. I think he was just feeling really insecure.

On the up side, he doesn't seem upset by the fact that he'll be going back to preschool tomorrow and he was very proud of all the artwork he brought home. I just have to remind myself that every day will be a little easier. And today wasn't bad, just a little rough. Here's hoping for smooth seas ahead!

Totally Sneaky

Wesley had a glass of water sitting on the dining room table. Duane and I were in the family room when we heard Wesley take a drink, then loudly proclaim," Ewww! That water tastes funny and when water tastes funny, I spit it out!"

Without looking up from the computer I responded, "You better not spit water out. And if you DID, you'd better clean it up before your mom or dad sees it."

Wesley's voice piped up, "Mom. Dad. Close your eyes!"

Prepping for Day 2

This evening I reminded Wesley that he goes to preschool again tomorrow. His response? "Well, I'm going to like it there and I'm going to have fun, but I'm NOT going to be excited." OK. Works just fine for me.

Wesley's First Day of Preschool

Wesley's first day of preschool was today and, believe it or not, it went very very well. In fact, he was so excited about going that we left the house early to drop Ryan off at Grandma and Grandpa H's. But we didn't leave so early that I couldn't take a "first day of school" picture. Check out my handsome big boy.

And yes, that is Stinky Bear/Carr that he's holding, but since Wesley's teacher's asked that toys stay at home, SB did not accompany us to preschool. In fact, Wesley opted to leave him at Grandma and Grandpa's instead of in car. That surprised me a lot, but I need not have worried. Wesley used an imaginary cell phone to call Grandma and check on his bear as we were walking into school.

Wesley remembered exactly where his classroom was. He walked in, greeted his teachers and went right to work playing. He didn't even bat an eyelash when it was time for the parents to leave the room and meet with the director for a short time. After Dr. M. was done speaking I mentioned to her that my brother and I had attended preschool there once upon a time. Now, Dr. M has been there over 30 years and I certainly didn't think for one moment that she would remember my brother or myself, but after I told her what our names were she didn't miss a beat before saying "And your father was a principal." That's what I call a great memory!

I went back to Wesley's room to pick him up and got a great report from his teachers. Wesley had kept busy handing out "cookies" (puzzle pieces) to his teachers and classmates and playing with the baby dinosaurs. He did a great job putting his toys away before we left. In fact, it took a bit of convincing to get him to leave the room. The whole way back to the car he whined that he didn't want to leave preschool. Guess it's going to be OK after all.

Not Me Monday

Following the lead of My Charming Kids, it's another "Not Me Monday!"

I did not have to stifle my laughter after Wesley announced Ryan smelled bad, got the changing pad out and dragged Ryan over to it by his middle. Nope! Not me!

I'm not secretly pleased that Ryan is a major chow hound. I certainly don't think it's adorable that he pulls on the refrigerator when he's thirsty or that the sound of the mixer will bring him toddling into the kitchen hoping for a handout.

I know it didn't take me an embarrassingly long time to parallel park my van at the library one day. I've been driving for 17 years, surely I would have learned that particular skill by now.

There is no way I tossed and turned in bed worrying about what I should wear to Wesley's preschool open house. That would have been ridiculous!

I couldn't have gotten mad at the media on 9/11 because I didn't think they were paying enough attention to the memory of the day.

Some woman stood in my kitchen reading a book about French cooking while eating cold pizza straight from the fridge. Couldn't have been me!

Preschool Prep

Tonight was Open House at Wesley's preschool. We got to go in and meet his teachers, see the room and all sorts of good stuff. I LOVE his teachers. They were so friendly and had obviously read the information sheet we filled out about Wesley. They talked to him and to us and encouraged him to get to know his classroom. The number one attraction in Wesley's mind was the train table, but he also like the plastic animals, plastic dinosaurs and the letter blocks. We found his coat hook with his name on it and met the class pet - a turtle named Swimmy.

After we got to know the classroom we showed Wesley where the bathrooms were and then we went to the Rumpus Room. I may have mentioned before that Wesley is going to be attending the same preschool that Kirk and I went to when we were little. I have very vague memories of the Rumpus Room, but I couldn't help feeling slightly let down that it wasn't as massive as it was in my mind. Don't get me wrong, it's plenty big and Wesley loved it, but....well, I guess 32 years have passed to cloud my memories.

The preschool wants the kids to use a certain kind of bookbag and they had them for sale tonight. Wesley chose a bag with a green T-Rex on it. It's going to personalized with his name on the front and we'll be able to pick it up at school on Tuesday.

We made one last stop so Wesley could check out the playground. I don't have to tell you that it was a big hit. I think he's going to do OK there. In fact, on the drive home he asked if he was going back to preschool tomorrow. I hope he keeps that positive attitude next week.

Guilty Pleasures

I don't exactly have sophisticated tastes when it comes to television shows. I watch a LOT of Food Network, but other than that, my "go to" shows are: Dancing with the Stars, Castle, Man vs. Food, and America's Next Top Model. Yes, you read correctly. I LOVE America's Next Top Model.

Last night was the season premiere of ANTM. Two hours! It was the perfect wind down to my day. Unfortunately, Wesley didn't agree with me. Now, we don't usually let him watch with me because the language can be questionable at times, but Duane was putting Ryan to bed and Wesley was hanging with me.

Wesley: Can we watch a cartoon show instead?

Mommy: No, Wesley. You have had a chance to watch cartoon shows today. Now it's Mommy's turn to watch t.v.

Wesley: (after a minutes pause): Don't you like to watch cooking shows?

Mommy: Yes, I do like to watch cooking shows.

Wesley: Good! Let's watch a cooking show instead!

We're In For It Now!

Ryan said his first official word today!!! I say official word for several reasons. One, he says "Mama" and "mom" but I don't believe he's actually referring to me, so I don't count it. Two, I think he said "Bobo" (his monkey) the other day, but no one was around to back me up. Three, saying "bat bat bat" when he tries to pet the cats does not count as talking!

But today was different. This morning Ryan and I were waiting for Grandpa to arrive before I went to work. Little Guy and I were rolling a ball back and forth. I was POSITIVE he said "ball" several times, but tried not to get too excited about it. However, when I got home tonight, Duane said, "Grandpa told me Ryan said 'ball' today." So if two people heard it and understood it as the same word, it counts, right? Well, it does in my book!

In other exciting Ryan news, he managed to climb onto the couch all by himself tonight. Now if only he'd learn to get down from the couch by himself....

Wesley's Dinosaur Helping Cupcakes

After a way too eventful day yesterday, we decided to spend Labor Day at home. Wesley and I took advantage of the day and decided to make some cupcakes. He was such a great helper! He added all the ingredients to the blender, put the paper liners in the pan and licked the spatula. He also chose the colors for the icing and added the food coloring to the bowls. We ended up with neon green, pink, purple and blue. Perfect for a kind of grey day.

When the cupcakes were cool, I iced them and Wesley added the ever important dinosaur sprinkles - which explains why each cupcake has a tiny pile of sprinkles right in the middle. Of course, I think Wesley ate as many sprinkles as he put on the cupcakes.

Of course, the best part about baking cupcakes is eating them! Ryan and Wesley were more than happy to provide a little quality control. I just wish we had waited until AFTER snack time to give Ryan a bath. Oh well, now he smells like baby shampoo and icing.

Not Me Monday

Following the lead of "My Charming Kids," it's another Not Me Monday

I did not spend part of last Monday morning with that "I didn't do my homework feeling." And if I did have that feeling, it certainly wasn't because I didn't have my kids with me and I kept thinking I was forgetting them.

I certainly didn't use my key fob for my car to try to get into work one morning instead of using my key card for the library. And there's no way I hit the button twice, wondering why the door wouldn't open.

I did not make up happy endings for the "bad" kids in the movie "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" just because Wesley got VERY concered as they were taken off by the Oompa Loompas.

Family Entertainment

I worked today and was desperate to do something fun as a family tonight. I really wanted to go to Johnny Rockets and then hang out at Barnes and Noble, but we are trying to save money. I was looking for something that was a) cheap b) family friendly, and c) had ample parking. The Gallery Hop was tonight, but I had a feeling that parking would be a BIG issue. Same with the Greek Festival. We ended up at a big festival held annually at a catholic church near my mom's house. It was super crowded, but the weather was great! Wesley rode some rides and played some games, then we went home. I think we spent about $15 total - not bad for a family of four!

Daddy gives Wesley a lift on the way to the festival

Ryan "The Wild Man" makes a break for it

Wesley rides solo

Wesley and Mommy get ready for take off

Away we go!

Tired boy gets a cuddle from Pops