Geeking on Hunger Games

Preschool Geography

Aunt Cathy, Sho and Kei were supposed to get home from five weeks in Taiwan tonight. Note I said, supposed to get home. They are stuck in Hong Kong - again - just like they were on the trip there. I feel so bad for them.

This morning I told Wesley that Aunt Cathy, Sho and Kei were coming home from their trip to Taiwan.

Wesley: Fluffy (his imaginary cat) is going to Taiwan too.

Mommy: Really? How is he going to get there? Aunt Cathy and the boys had to fly in an airplane for a long time to get there.

Wesley: Well, Fluffy isn't going to fly in a plane. He's going to walk.

Mommy: All the way to Taiwan? That's a really long way! How is he going to get across the ocean?

Wesley: Fluff is going to go around the ocean.

Mommy: Around the ocean?

Wesley: Yes. Fluffy has a magic hole that is camouflaged. You press a button on the window and the magic hole appears and Fluffy can jump in. When he comes out he's around the ocean next to Taiwan and can walk in.

Of course! Why didn't I think of that? Maybe Aunt Cathy should book her next trip with Fluffy.

Kind of Gross

I almost feel like this blog should come with a warning that any post may contain references to bodily fluid or any number of other gross things that boys do or are fascinated with. Consider yourself warned.

I haven't decided if this little story is kind of cute or kind of gross, but it's been stuck in my head for a couple of days, so I figured I might as well share it.

Ryan does not like things to be messy. He's not as obsessive about it as Wesley, but he doesn't like a mess. If I want the toys picked up, all I have to do is say, "Ryan. Look at this mess! Can you help me clean the mess up?" and he'll jump right in. He doesn't like to have a mess on his hands - although some messes, like finger paints and icing are OK. If he spills a glass of water he'll say, "Uh-oh mess!" and want to clean it up (or have you clean it up.)

The other night Ryan and I were sitting on the couch reading a book and he started picking a scab on his leg. Of course, it started to bleed. I mean, that's what scabs do. You know that. I know that. Apparently just turned two year olds don't know that. Ryan turned to me, slightly distressed and said, "Uh-oh! Ryan mess!" A quick cleaning and we were all good again.

I have to wonder where my boys got their aversion to messes from. Certainly not from their Mommy.

Don't Touch That Dial!

I've been writing this post in my head since Monday afternoon and I'm just now getting around to writing it. Monday night I was in single parent mode since Duane had some kind of ick. And I came down with the ick yesterday and am just now starting to feel human.

Ok, so back to the post. Monday afternoon I was driving along, singing along with the radio, when I went over a bump. Big deal, right? Central Ohio has TONS of bumps and potholes. This bump apparently had magic powers though because it caused my radio to quit working. No power at all. We've checked the fuses, but no way we'd get that lucky and have an easy fix. Grrrrr....guess it's time to return all those audio books.

Now I know that a working CD player/radio in a car really is a luxury. The car works fine. It's not like I can't drive it, but it is so annoying not to have my radio! Of course, despite the fact that I know the thing doesn't work, I immediately try to turn it on the second I get into the car. It's like I think it will have magically healed itself.

I'm pretty sure the boys wish it would magically heal itself too. Once I get them buckled in and I try (unsuccessfully) to turn on the radio, the boys start asking for their music. "Fee Fer" which is what Ryan calls "Phineas and Ferb" or "Sugar Free All Stars" or whatever they are in the mood for and I have to say no to all of it.

At least Wesley kind of understands that the radio is broken and that I can't do anything about it right now. His solution is to sing the entire time we are in the car. That wouldn't be quite so annoying if he sang anything other than animal ABC songs. First we had the Animal ABC song, then the Jungle Animal ABC song, then the Pet ABC song. I thought things were getting better when he said it was time for the song "Let's Climb the Eiffel Tower." Too bad it was a song about a bunch of animals climbing the Eiffel Tower in alphabetical order.

I have got to make an appointment to get my radio fixed!!

Not Me Monday

I have not started to use my son's new favorite toy as leverage - as in "if you don't get your shoes on right now, I'll put your animals away!"

I have not started to hate all sippy cups. And it's not because no matter what I do or what kind I try they leak!

I certainly didn't leave one of Ryan's gifts at his grandparent's house so he could play with it there, only to have him ask for it first thing the next morning. What kind of mean mom would that make me?

I did not beg my hubby to take Wesley to a pool party because I didn't want to put on a bathing suit, only to have to cancel anyone taking Wesley to the party due to a stomach bug.

Baseball Boy

Tonight there was a library function at the local minor league ballpark. I have been looking forward to taking the boys for weeks. Ryan LOVES baseball. I mean, look at him before the game.

Once we got to the ballpark it was an entirely different different story. Wesley was a whiny little cuss. Nothing made him happy. Nothing. Want proof? Here you go.

Nice, huh? Our goal was to make it through 2 innings. Luck was with us and we made it into the third before we packed up to go. Wanna see how we knew it was about time to go? Check out how absorbed my children were in the game.

We did spend a few minutes at the fence watching the game from outside the ballpark. That went a lot better. Maybe it's because there was a good breeze going, but the kids seemed to enjoy watching from the sidelines. Note to self: don't waste money on tickets in the future.

The above shot is probably my favorite picture of the day. Ryan started his monologue of "Baseball. Bat. Hit it. Mitt. Catch it."

Cutting a rug outside the park. This is the best mood they were in all evening.

Is it wrong of me to hope that Ryan does NOT play baseball in middle school or high school?

Happy Birthday to Ryan!

I can hardly believe that my little guy turns two today. It's strange, in some ways two seems so old, and I can hardly remember him not being a part of our family. On the other hand, two is still a toddler (I was going to say baby, but that's really not true) and he has so much he's still learning. All I know is that despite the difficult times, I would not trade a second with Ryan for anything in the world.

We started celebrating last night at Grandma and Grandpa P.'s. Aunt Susan took some great pictures!

Wesley played the role of helpful big brother by assisting Ryan in unwrapping his gifts. It really was helpful too, because Ryan wasn't sure what to do with most of it. I was really proud of the family for not going totally overboard either! Ryan got a Leapster - which made Wesley say, "I was hoping he'd get one of those! Now he won't take mine!"

Ryan also got his first Legos from Uncle Stacey and Aunt Paula. They were a big hit too!

Daddy made Ryan's birthday cake - Baseball Boots! It was delicious!

And all that was only his first party! We are doing another one with his other grandparents tonight! The only downer is that Wesley has had a bit of a stomach bug the past day and it seems to be continuing into today. On the up side, the birthday boy feels fine!

I'll post more later!

Day with Daddy

Duane took today off and spent the day hanging with the boys. They got haircuts, went to the park and met me at the library for lunch. Pretty cool. He got some good pictures too!

Food Wars

I haven't posted about our food battles with the boys in a very long time, but please don't be fooled into thinking they have disappeared. In fact, they are worse than ever. Ryan is still pretty good about eating. Yeah, he gets a little picky, but he's got NOTHING on his big brother.

Mealtimes with Wesley are nothing short of nightmarish. We have simple mealtime rules. You don't have to eat it, but it stays on your plate. If you try it and don't like it, you can have something different (peanut butter, hot dog, etc.) Every single night Wesley looks at his plate and whines about what's on it. He'll eat his fruit and his vegetable - if it's dehydrated peas or cooked green beans - and say he's done. It's so frustrating! And of course, we can't leave it alone. Despite the rules, we still try to get him to take a bite of something new each night. Not that it ever works.

We've even resorted to bribes. Wesley must be the one kid on the whole planet who cannot be bribed. Not with dessert, not with extra computer or TV time, not for special outings. He's impervious to the bribe. Last night I tried a bribe after a particularly painful dinner. Wesley and I were watching TV and a commercial for the movie "Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore" came on. Since it's all animals, Wesley was completely taken with it.

Wesley: Mom, I really want to see that movie.

Mom: Tell you what. That movie starts in nine days. If you try five new foods before then, I'll take you to see it.

Wesley (after thinking for a moment): One.

Mom: Four.

Wesley: Two.

Mom: Three. But they can't be junk food and you can't throw up. (this actually is a problem - he'll get so worked up about trying something new that he'll literally make himself sick)

Wesley: I guess I don't want to see that movie after all.

There is a reason Uncle Kirk calls Wesley "Priceline Negotiator"

It's probably a good thing he didn't take me up on the bribe though. Tonight he tried a glazed carrot (and seemed to like it) and dry cereal (which we've never been able to get him to eat). Perhaps there is hope for him yet.

It's a Crappy Job, but Someone's Got to Do It

WARNING: POTTY TRAINING STUFF AHEAD. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK

There are things you learn from your siblings. Some good. Some bad. Some very necessary.

I was doing the dishes yesterday when Wesley ran thru the kitchen yelling, "C'mon Ryan! To the potty room!" Then he proceeded to give Ryan a step by step demonstration on how a big boy goes poop in the potty. He even told Ryan about wiping and how much better going in the potty is than having a "yucky nasty stinky diaper." Ryan left before the flushing demonstration, but Wesley was sure to yell out the steps to him.

Why do I have a feeling this won't be the last gross thing (or even the grossest thing) Ryan learns from his big brother?

Not Me Monday

I do not think it's adorable that Ryan can recite the "Baseball Boots" episode of Dora because that would mean he watches it WAY too often!

There is no way I was scared by a little plastic snake that the boys left in the tub. And even if I was, I certainly didn't let out a scream when I saw it!

I know I'm not using my kids as a reason I should get an iPhone. "Think of all the great education apps" is a valid reason, right?

I did not buy a box of Alphabit cereal just to see what my alphabet obsessed, OCD child would do. And I was not disappointed when he refused to eat even one bite.

One of Those Days ( x 10)

Everyone has one of those days now and then. It's part of life, right? But let me tell you I feel like this day is one for the record books. And I'm about to lose it right now. Totally and completely lose it. There is not enough wine, enough chocolate, or enough anything to counteract it.

It's a minor miracle that both of my children are still breathing after today. Ryan has been a screamy little whiny mess and Wesley has had SUCH a mouth on him. We were going to take the kids swimming today, but Wesley was so rotten during church that we took that privilege away. Of course, that was probably more of a punishment for us.

The day did not really improve - despite Duane letting me sneak off for a mid-day bubble bath and sanity. But the icing on the cake was when we discovered first hand what happens when a parent snatches a sippy cup off the couch and the sipppy cup flies into a 42 inch flat screen tv. Wanna see?

Isn't it pretty. It's even prettier when it happens on a Sunday evening when you have people coming over to watch True Blood, and Best Buy is closed for the night. I know it's just a t.v. and replaceable and it wasn't even one of the kids that broke it, but it's the straw that broke the camel's back tonight.

Will someone please send me on vacation without my kids for a while? PLEASE?????

Short Stuff

I love love love listening to Ryan talk. He doesn't speak in very complete sentences most of the time, but it still makes me smile.

Tonight he's been carrying his Bobo monkey around saying, "Bobo. Cute. Happy."

Last week he wanted a cup of water, walked into the kitchen and said, "Water. Ice. Need it."

Sanders has become Ryan's favorite cat too. Last night he was hugging him and playing with Sanders' tail. Ryan just kept babbling things like "Kitten. Cute. Nice. Ryan's kitten. Soft. Happy. Kitten."

And of course, my favorite. At the birthday party we went to today, one of the guests asked Ryan if he had eaten any cake. Ryan grinned a frosting filled grin and replied, "Tummy!" No question what he meant by that!

Summing Up Saturday

Oh what a day. It's been a little busy, but nothing really out of the ordinary. I think it's taken it's toll on me today because I stayed up WAY past my bedtime to watch a movie with Duane - and I'm still trying to decided if said movie was worth being so tired today.

We started today off by taking the boys to COSI. We had signed Wesley up for a preschool program about animal habitats and thought Ryan might like to play while Wesley was in his class. We drew straws to see who would go with Wesley and who would go with Ryan. OK, that's a lie - I told Duane that if he went to the program (for two hours) I'd take Wesley to a birthday party he's been invited to next week (also two hours). Sounded like a fair trade to me.

We split up as soon as we got inside. Ooooo....was that a bad idea. Ryan kept saying, "Daddy? Wesley? Go?" I had the great idea to take him outside to the farm machine exhibit to distract him. Right. Great idea. He pouted the whole time and only wanted to go back in the building to look for Daddy and Wesley. I even started calling him Pout Pout Fish (after the book) We went back in and played in the little kidspace for about 20 minutes, and then he wanted to start searching for Daddy and Wesley again.



I was able to distract Ryan from his search by purchasing something for him in the gift shop. He picked a ball (big surprise) and I got a rubber frog for Wesley. Combine the new purchase with the snack and we ALMOST had a smiley kid until it was time to meet Duane and Wesley.



Wesley really liked the workshop - almost as much as he liked the rubber frog. The rubber frog even went to a birthday party with us this afternoon. We all had a great time at the party, although I learned that the secret to successful party going is to leave while your kids are still behaving and everyone thinks they are wonderful. Of course, having to return to the party 5 minutes after we left because of a lost rubber frog might have taken some of the shine away.

Oh well, it was still a pretty good (and tiring) day.

Spoken Like a Little Brother

Grandma H. brought the boys up to the library today while I was working. I popped into the children's department to visit for a few minutes and got a good look at the argument for birth order personality traits. Ryan acted EXACTLY like a little brother, even when his big brother was at the computer minding his own buisness.

Ryan was playing contentedly in the story time room. He was having a lot of fun going in and out of the little cottage there. At one point he put Bobo and a book inside the cottage, shut the door and walked away. A minute later another two year old boy headed towards the cottage. Ryan flew to the cottage door crying, "No! Bobo!" Once at the cottage, Ryan slipped in the door and held it shut so the other child couldn't enter. "Ryan's turn! Ryan's turn!" he said.

A little bit later the same boy wanted something else Ryan had. "First. First," was Ryan's reply.

Although some of it could be the fact that Ryan turns two next week, I think a lot of it is because he has a big brother. They fight over everything and we are always saying so and so had it first or that they have to take turns. Ryan is generally pretty easy going, but he's learning to stand up for what he wants (sounds better than fight for it) and he doesn't give in easily. I should know, I'm a little sibling too!

Lesson Learned

I have to preface this story with two facts.

Fact #1: In our house we don't call it "time out," we call it "sitting on the steps."

Fact #2: Wesley had KinderZoo on Monday and the craft project was a paper spider bracelet.

I'll bet you are wondering what kind of story I have to tell you that would require knowledge of those two seemingly unrelated facts. Well, wonder no more!

Wesley was sent to sit on the steps for repeatedly punching Ryan in the shoulder. For the record, Ryan started it, but we can't just let Wesley pound on his little brother. After about ten minutes, Duane went to release the prisoner.

"Well, did you learn anything?" Duane asked.

Wesley thought for a moment, then replied, "I learned how to make a spider!"

Not quite the lesson Daddy was going for!

Daredevil / Fraidy Cat

I'm starting to think that Ryan has a bit of a split personality. In so many ways he is our daredevil child. He likes to be tossed and flipped. He'll jump off the side of the pool into the water, off a deck, off a slide, off a couch- whatever! But there are a few odd little things that scare him.

Ryan is afraid of balloons being blown up. Not of the balloon when it is inflated - then they are just fine and fun to play with, but do NOT blow them up in front of him.

Tonight we discovered that he is afraid of birthday party noisemakers like these - even if they don't really make a noise. We recently purchased some of the things for Wesley's birthday party in August. We had extra noise makers, so when Wesley asked to play with one, I said ok. As soon as Wesley started blowing it, poor little Ryan screamed like someone was torturing him. He did eventually recover to try one on his own.

And I don't think my little daredevil boy will be climbing any mountains anytime soon. This evening he wanted something that I had stashed on top of the toy kitchen. So what did Ryan do? What any self respecting toddler would do! He climbed the toy kitchen. The only problem was, he didn't think he could get down and kind of freaked out. Mommy came to the rescue - after taking a couple of pictures of course.

But somehow, I don't think getting stuck 18 inches off the ground will really scare the thrill seeking out of him long term.

Not Me Monday

I did not spend a few minutes feeling guilty about giving Ryan a pudding mousse cup. And if I did the guilt was not directed at the chemicals that must be in the "dessert" rather than the junk food factor.

I certainly did not let Wesley wake Ryan up from a nap by blowing a whistle at him. And I didn't give Wesley permission to keep blowing the whistle if Ryan fell back asleep.

I have not started recording America's Got Talent so I don't miss it. That would just be pathetic.

What the Doctor Ordered?

My aunt Carol had her knee replaced last week. She's currently in rehabilitation for a week or so, so we decided to pay her a little visit today. I mean, really, what could possibly make a person feel better than a visit from an (almost) 2 year old and a (nearly) 5 year old?

Ready to hit the road! This boys could make anyone feel better!

Wesley took a book with us and "read" it to Carol to help her feel better.

I LOVE that my aunt was texting her friend from her bed!

Duane played a little Mozart on a little Ryan.

And Ryan LOVED it!

That was pretty much our visit in a nutshell. The boys were loud, but pretty well behaved (I think the lollipops helped!) I'm pretty sure the woman in the adjoining room was REALLY glad when we left, but I'm also pretty sure Carol enjoyed seeing the boys - and that's all counts.

Hopefully Not a Foul Ball

We bought Ryan an early birthday present last night. It looks like we are going to redo his room into a "big boy" room for his birthday. I'm not sure if it's because he's ready for it, or because his room does not reflect his personality at all and I found cute bedding. Anyhow, we found a baseball bean bag chair on clearance, so we snagged it. The only problem is, it looks like Sanders has claimed it as his own.

As long as he doesn't pee on it, I'm OK. Maybe I'll lock it in the closet just to be safe.

They're the Cat's Pajamas

Actually, "they" are any pajamas that come in contact with Ryan's little body and they are all his.

Wesley has always had his little quirks. He used to line up crayons in a row as he used them and would not repeat a color until all had been used. He used to only do his alphabet puzzle in ABC order. He is currently obsessed with animals AND the alphabet AND making books. Every game he makes up now includes animals in alphabetical order.

But all those things seem totally normal compared to Ryan's latest obsession - his pajamas. Some of you may remember the morning that I let Ryan go to Grandma and Grandpa's while in his jammie because he threw such a fit. He stayed in his jammies almost all day because any time someone tried to put clothes on him, he would erupt into a temper tantrum of epic proportions.
That little scene repeated (in reverse) on July 3rd. We put him in his jammies and he threw a fit because he wanted his outfit. He even dug his dirty outfit out of the laundry and slept with it.

This morning we had another jammie episode where Ryan didn't want to get dressed. I forced him into his outfit, but he refused to leave his room until he had dug through the laundry for the pajamas I had just taken off him. He even tried to put them on over his clothes! Finally, he was content to just carry them around until it was time to leave.

So what is it about the clothes and jammies? I have never heard of a child with this particular obsession. I mean, it's not like it's a certain pair of jammies he's in love with - it's any of them. Any of you have kids with quirks?

Headbanging

He's got the moves, but needs to work on his choice of music - and his rhythm.

It's Jungle Out There

Today was Wesley's first day of KinderZoo zoo camp. I knew he was going to love it so I didn't worry at all about dropping him off. As soon as got in his classroom he put on his special camp shirt and went to play with some plastic animals with a bunch of other kids. No issues at all.

Duane and I decided that we'd just stay at the zoo with Ryan while Wesley was camp. That was a really good idea in theory. In reality, it was 90 plus degrees today and the zoo was pretty crowded. However, we only had one child to deal with and three hours to kill, so it worked out pretty well.

Ryan got to go on the train, see the polar bears, watch the otters and the otter pups swim right in front of him, see the tigers and have Mommy and Daddy all to himself. Really, not a bad deal for him.

Wesley was in such a good mood when we picked him up from KinderZoo. He showed us the art project they did, talked about the animals they saw on their walk and the animals in his classroom. When I asked him if he liked KinderZoo better than Safety City, he said KinderZoo was MUCH more fun! And apparently it takes a lot out of him too. Check out below.

Looks like an afternoon well spent to me!