Gift for Teachers

Last year I wracked my brain about what to get Wesley's teachers for a Christmas gift. Three-quarters of my parents (mom, dad and step-mom) were teachers and I distinctly remember lots of mugs, ornaments and other knick knacks filling the space beneath the tree many years.

I've been determined to do something "different", but different can be hard. Last year Wesley's teachers got Panera gift cards because there is one near the school. This year I came into some Starbucks gift cards and have decided to pass them on to Wesley's teachers (although truth be told, I'd LOVE to keep them for myself).  However, I've been trying to come up with a little something extra to give them as well.

While I was at work inspiration struck! Ok, it was in the form of a blog I read, but inspiration is inspiration. The Eric Carle Museum has a gift shop full of cute stuff!  Check out the little canvas grocery bags I'm getting for his teachers! Just a little something to go with the gift cards.

There are lots of other cute things in the gift shop in lots of price ranges. If you're stuck for a teacher gift, I highly recommend you check it out!

Not Me Monday

There is no way I almost started crying when Wesley told me he got me a pack of pretend pets since I "don't play very much."

I did not have to hide my open can of Sprite so Ryan wouldn't climb on me and say, "That your pop? One sip?" over and over and over.

I didn't give myself a fat lip while playing with a hula hoop. That would have been very uncoordinated for someone who took 8 years of ballet lessons.

I would never give the boys bananas that are much more ripe than I like, just so I don't have to eat them myself.

We certainly did not set the DVR to record Monster Jam just so we'd have it on hand when Ryan asks for it on a daily basis. What kind of parents record monster trucks for their two-year-old?

The Stockings Are Hung.....

Even though it's a still a tad early in my book, the W. family started getting into the Christmas spirit. It is the first Sunday in Advent, so I guess I can't really complain that we broke out the Christmas CDs and put the decorations up.

Because the house is up for sale we decided to downsize the decorating this year. We've got the tree and stockings up, the nativity sets (one for decoration and one for play) and the Advent calenders. That's it. I couldn't believe how little time it took to get it done! Of course, as Duane said, "That's what happens when you only use two of fifteen boxes of decorations."

Ryan played on the computer while Wesley and I decorated the tree. Wesley made sure Ryan didn't miss out though. In true brotherly fashion Wesley made sure to show Ryan each family ornament that we got before Ryan was born and therefore do NOT have Ryan's name on them. "Look Ryan! You're not on this one! You're not on this one either!" 

In retaliation, I made sure to show Wesley an ornament from the one Christmas Duane and I had as a married couple with no children. "See Wesley. You aren't on this one. Just Mommy and Daddy."  He wasn't the least bit upset. "That's OK. I'm not upset 'cause I'm a big kid."

Wesley has been really into playing with the nativity set this evening. Of course, since it's Wesley, all the animals are having a Christmas party. And what to do about Baby Jesus? Well, I heard one of the animals say (in Wesley's voice), "Look at this adorable baby we bought for the Christmas party." Hmmmm....commercialism and a touch of religion all rolled into one.

Ryan has stayed busy re-decorating the tree (I guess he didn't like how Wesley and I did it) and playing with the electronic snow globe Grandma and Grandpa P. got the boys last year.

I know I'm biased, but check out the beautiful eyes on that kid!

The shopping is fairly under control, the house is decorated and the Thanksgiving leftovers will be just about gone after tonight. Yep, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

What a Boy Wants

Ryan has always been a man of few words. Although his vocabulary improves every day, it often seems like he uses the smallest number of words possible to get his point across. I love it when he actually gets the words out to express himself clearly.

This morning Ryan pulled me into the kitchen and told me he wanted chocolate toast for breakfast (Nutella on toast.) As I got the toaster out of the cupboard, Ryan said, "Make together."  So I plugged the toaster in, got the bread down and handed a piece to Ryan. "Two!" he insisted.

 I knew he wouldn't eat two pieces, but I handed him a second piece anyhow. He put them into the toaster and pushed the lever down. When it popped up he told me, "Need plate."  I got a plate down and opened the jar of Nutella. 

"Make together," Ryan reminded me. I scooped some Nutella out on the knife and watched as he tried to spread it across his toast. After a few tries, Ryan decided I was allowed to help spread. 

"Cut in pieces," he ordered next and I happily complied.

When I handed Ryan his plate full of chocolate toast that he "made" I could see the pride in his face. He carried it to the front room where he decided to eat on the floor in front of the tv.

"Want monster trucks. Watch race. Watch crash."

Ryan was not impressed when I told him that we hadn't recorded Monster Jam, so there were no monster trucks to watch on the tv. Luckily the first bite of chocolate toast seemed to make him forget about the monster trucks!

So Thankful

Every day should be a day of giving thanks. Today I am especially thankful for:

My family - I have the husband of my dreams and two wonderful sons. Our parents and siblings live close and we have good relationships with them. We can honestly say we enjoy spending time with our families.

My friends - I don't have a huge social circle, but I know I have the kind of friends I could call at 3:00 in the morning if I needed to - and they'd even answer the phone!  I lost a friend to cancer this year, but I am thankful for the years I knew him and the many lives he touched.

My job -  I don't just have a job, I have a job I love to do and feel I am good at. I don't know too many people who can say that.

I have a house to live in, clothes to wear, plenty of food and faith in God.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all. May your blessings be plentiful.

If I Had a Hammer

I took today off work so that Grandma and Grandpa would have a chance to prepare for Thanksgiving without any additional "help" from Wesley and Ryan.  The boys and I spent a good chunk of the day at COSI with Aunt Cathy, Sho and Kei.

We went into the "Gadgets" exhibit - which I have never taken Wesley and Ryan into.  I guess I thought it wouldn't interest them. Boy, was I wrong! I think they would have been happy for hours in there! Even Wesley really enjoyed building things.  Guess I know what to do on the next cold/rainy day I'm off work!

Go Buckeyes

Like most Americans, we are getting ready to celebrate Thanksgiving this week. And like most central Ohioans, we are getting ready for the OSU/Michigan game this weekend! 

Ryan got into the pre-game spirit today by pointing out the flag on Grandma and Grandpa P.'s porch.

"That Ohio State flag," he said.  Then he grinned and said, "Go Buckeyes."

The kid is obviously VERY intelligent.

Not Me Monday

I did not accidentally start brushing Wesley's teeth, with Ryan's toothbrush. How gross would that have been?!

There is no way I inadvertently tried to take Ryan's Bobo to work with me by grabbing him off Grandma's counter as I grabbed my keys and coffee.

My ABCs

I've done the ABCs for the boys the past couple of days, but I'm borrowing this alphabet from Giselle's blog.

A- My Air-conditioning is set at.... what Duane sets it at. I'd like to keep the house around 68 in the winter and 76 in the summer, but he likes it warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer than I do.

B- My Bedroom theme is...no real theme, but we've got a gorgeous blue and brown bedding set for our 4 poster bed.

C- The Car in the driveway is...a mini-van AKA the grocery go-getter (unless it is Duane talking, then it's a truck). It is the stereotypical minivan with cereal, french fries and toys on the floor.

D- My Desk looks like... a little dusty, but fine - unless you open the drawers! Then all heck breaks loose.

E- The Exact time I usually wake up... 6:00 - 6:15.  I can't sleep in much later than that (work or no work)

F- The First thing I want to wash in the shower... is my hair.

G- My Garage is filled with... anything that isn't a car. We actually have more of a carriage house and use it as storage instead of a garage. There's lawn equipment and kids toys and seasonal decorations in there.

H- My House...is for sale!!!! It has 3 bedrooms, two bathrooms, a large kitchen and marble porches. It's also in a "transitional" neighborhood with cruddy schools.

I- If you peeked Inside my bedroom, you'd see... two cats sleeping on the bed.

J- My favorite Juice is...the kind that has fermented into wine. If I had to pick an actual juice, I'd say cranberry - or fresh squeezed orange juice from Northstar Cafe. That stuff rocks!

K- The best part of my Kitchen is...the space lots of open floor space.

L- The Last person who visited my home was... my dad, who came down on Friday to watch the kids. He's coming by today too, to pick Wesley and I up for Cats.

M- The last piece of Mail for me was... catalogs! As far as I'm concerned the only "good mail" is catalogs and magazines.

N- My neighbors think I'm...I don't know. I actually don't know my neighbors very well. They probably think I'm stuck up.

O- If you Opened my fridge you'd see...open juice boxes, half eaten kids containers of yogurt and whatever is thawing for tonight's dinner. Unless you opened the veggie drawer, then you'd see my beer and wine and bottled lattes.

P- My last house Party was...does having friends over to watch football count.

Q- A Quick meal I like to make is...paninis. Of any kind.

R- My favorite Room of the house is...the kitchen where I can bake and blast my music.

S- The Shampoo brand I use is...Suave because it's cheap.

T- My largest Television is... a 47 inch high def flat screen. The other tv is dying a slow painful death.

U- Under my bed you will find...dust bunnies, catalogs, a few boxes and probably a cat.

V- The last time I Vacuumed was...I do not run the sweeper. Duane does.

W- Looking out my Window I see... houses that are very close together (in front), the hospital parking
lot (in back) and in the summer I can see dogs on the neighbors roof. Don't ask.

X- I wish I had X-tra... time alone with my hubby and a little extra money wouldn't be so bad either.

Y- My Yard is...the size of a postage stamp.

Z- Zzzzzzz, my bedtime is...between 9:30 and 10:30. Except on Mondays when I try to stay up to watch Castle.

Ryan ABCs

A - All boy. 110% boy. All the running and toughness and snips and snails and puppy dog tails.

B - Boogers. Ryan's favorite things to dig for.

C - Copy cat. If his big brother is doing it, Ryan has to do it too.

D - Dangerous arm. If he ever learns to control his throwing, he'll be a major league pitcher for sure.

E - Energetic. Grandpa H. says Wesley never stops talking, but Ryan never stops moving.

F - Fearless. He isn't afraid of anything - except balloons being blown up, and people blowing bubbles with gum.

G - Grin. Ryan comes across as a serious kid, but he's got this devilish grin that'll get you every time.

H - Hits. We always have to tell him to stop hitting. I hope he grows out of that phase soon!

I - Ignores you. Ryan has a way of tuning you out completely if he doesn't want to do what you ask him to.

J  - Jelly. Ryan loves jelly and jam. He'll eat it out of the container with a spoon if you give him a chance.

K - Kisses. He loves it when I kiss his neck! He'll pull my hair to get me to kiss him more.

L - (the Look). The look of utter disgust - complete with eye roll - he gives you. I didn't think I'd see such disdain for his parents until he was teenager!

M - Mess. While Ryan will get all the toys out and leave them on the floor, he hates to have anything messy on his hands.

N - Naughty. Grandma hates it when I call him this, but he's naughty in all ways two-year-old boys are supposed to be.

O - Ornery. How do you spell ornery? R-Y-A-N

P - Plays ball. Give this kid a ball and he's one happy boy! He especially loves baseball.

Q - Quiet. I know my friends at work wonder if Ryan ever talks. He's my strong, silent guy.

R - Runs whenever he can. He runs like a little Mac truck with his fists clenched.

S - Sanders is his favorite cat.  Ryan wants to pet him - and tackle him - and knock him over. All in a loving way.

T - Temper. This kid has one. Must take after his Mommy.

U - Uses as few words as possible to get his point across.

V - VERY much a Daddy's boy!

W - Wants to do it himself. Spread the butter? "I do it!"  Pour the cereal? "I do it!"

X - X-tra snugly (but only if he is tired)

Y - Yets. How Ryan says "yes."

Z - Zero chance he'll ever get to be a big brother!

Wesley ABCs

A - Articulate. Wesley has a very good vocabulary and he's not afraid to use it!

B - Bear. Stinky Bear/Carr is Wesley's very best friend.  We don't go anywhere without it.

C - Cats. Wesley's favorite animal - and he LOVES to pretend to be one.

D - Drama. Wesley is a bit of a drama queen. He knows how to milk a situation for all it's worth.

E - Eager to please. Typical first child.

F - Forgetful.  For such a smart kid, I sometimes wonder how he can forget so much.

G - Goofy.  Wesley loves to clown around and be silly.  Goof is a term of endearment in our house.

H - Happy. Most of the time Wesley is a really happy kid.

I - Ice Cream. One of Wesley's favorite treats - especially Jeni's.

J - Jealous of Ryan. Still jealous after over 2 years. I'm not sure he'll ever get over it.

K - Kind. He really is a sweet boy and gentle to other kids and animals (except his brother)

L -  Loud. I can't believe how often I have to tell him to use an inside voice!

M - Moves. Wesley thinks he has "all the moves". You should see how he dances!

N - Nice. He really is.

O - Obsessive. I call him my OCD child - especially when it comes to food.

P - Picky eater. REALLY picky!

R - Rambles on.  If he ever wants to tell you a story or joke, get comfortable - it will take a while!

S - Sensitive. Sensitive to loud noises, smells, crowds and his feelings.

T - Tattletale. Maybe it's the age, but he tells on his little brother ALL the time!

U - Unique. Trust me, there is no one quite like him.

V - Verbal. The kid can talk. A lot. He never stops.

W - Weird Al. One of Wesley's favorite recording artists.

X - X-tra cheesy grin. We have to remind him to give a "nice" smile for the camera.

Y - Yells. Usually at Ryan.

Z - Zoo keeper. What I think Wesley's future career will be.

Roller Coaster Hills

Okay all you 'villebillies and former 'villbillies.  If I talked about the road with the roller coaster hills, would you know the road I meant?  I'm willing to bet you would.

Once nice thing about Wesley and Ryan growing up in the same city I did is that I get to do some of the same with them that I did as a kid.

There is a road in our city that has some pretty decent hills. When we were kids, before all those car seat and seat belt laws, we used to turn around so we were looking out the back window of the car and pretend we were on a backwards roller coaster.  Wesley and Ryan have to stay safely buckled in, but they love the roller coaster hills just as much as I did when I was their age.

And do you know what? I love driving over the hills just to hear my boys laugh.

A Really Great Aunt

Aunt Carol was in town yesterday. Wesley was super excited to learn that his aunt (ok, his great aunt) was going to be here. She was at Grandma and Grandpa H.'s when we arrived in the morning and Wesley was so excited that he didn't even take his shoes and socks off. Now if you know Wesley, you know that's saying something.

As soon as breakfast was over, Wesley wanted to share his new book with Aunt Carol. She sat down on the couch with him and together they worked through "1001 Things to Spot in the Sea." I wish I had had my camera ready, because Wesley was sitting with his arm over Carol's shoulders. So cute.

Wesley was so proud to walk into pre-K with his visiting aunt. He stopped in the middle of the crosswalk to tell the crossing guard, "This is my Aunt Carol. It's her first time here."  Wesley introduced her to both his teachers too.

Aunt Carol got the "honor" of going into the building to pick Wesley up after school too (because Ryan didn't want to get out of the car.) As they drove home, Wesley's voice piped up from the backseat, "The best day is when your Aunt Carol has a playdate with you." 

Needless to say, she wasn't in any rush to drive back to Mansfield after hearing that! She's a great aunt indeed!

Down Down Baby

Grandma and Grandpa P. took the boys to the indoor play area at the mall near their house yesterday. Apparently they did a little riding on the elevators and escalators too because while I was driving home Ryan kept telling me, "No go home. Go down." 

"Go where?!" I asked.

"Go down! Go down elvator! Go down scalator!" 

At least now I know how to provide cheap entertainment for Ryan!

Not Me Monday

I did not ask Duane to go search the van for Ryan's missing Bobo, only to have him come in and discover it sitting in the middle of the floor.

I know I did not spend an embarrassingly long time looking through the "People of Walmart" website. That would have been downright klassy of me!

It wasn't me who practically turned cartwheels in the kitchen when Wesley asked for a scrambled egg for breakfast instead of the chocolate chip pancake he asks for every single morning.

I was not tempted to hug the cable guy after he called me "Miss" instead of "Ma'am"

Saying Sorry

Wesley learned a little bit about empathy today.

We were walking out of church and Duane asked Wesley to stop doing something. Wesley continued doing it, so Duane told him to stop. Wesley continued to do it, so Duane raised his voice a bit and Wesley snapped a comment back at his Daddy. Duane gave him a look and said they'd talk about it later, but Wesley was on a roll. 

"I don't want to ride with Daddy anymore. I want to ride with you, Mom," he told me. We had two cars with us because I had to go to work after a quick family lunch. I figured it was probably a good idea to let Wesley calm down before he got in big trouble, so I said he could ride in my car.

Wesley was still upset about the whole thing as we drove to the restaurant.

"I'm NOT going to sit with Daddy at the restaurant!" he proclaimed.

"That's fine, " I told him. "You don't have to."

Wesley continued, "I'm going to sit at the table and if Daddy sits down next to me, I'm going to get up and move!"

"No, you won't," I told him. "That is not a nice thing to do to someone. What if you sat down next to someone and they got up and moved as soon as you sat down? How would that make you feel?"

Wesley thought for a minute, then said, "It would make me feel kind of sad."

"Yes, it would. And if you did that to Daddy, it would make him feel sad too."

Wesley rode in silence for another minute then told me, "I think I need to tell Daddy I'm sorry." 

"I think that would be very nice."

As soon as we got out of the car at the restaurant Wesley threw his arms around and Duane and said, "I'm sorry Daddy."

I don't know what they talked about in Sunday school today, but I know Wesley learned something.

Ryan's Rules of Life

Chocolate toast makes a tasty breakfast.....

...but sometimes it leads to a sugar crash in the afternoon.

It's a Beautiful Day

What a great day it has been today! Not only has the weather been unseasonably warm and lovely, but other than that incident with the blackberries and the cat puke, it has gone wonderfully well.

It was parent teacher conference day at Wesley's preschool. Last year I dreaded our conference, but this year I was kind of looking forward to it. Wesley even told me he thought his teacher would say good things about him. Boy, was he right. She told us that he was very smart and has no trouble with his work. She also said that he had a very good vocabulary and that sometimes it was like talking to a little adult.  Best of all, she told us how much she enjoys having Wesley in her class. What wonderful things to hear! It was like every parent's dream conference!

After the conference we ran a bunch of errands - a craft show with Grandma H., Target, stopped by a baby shower where I got a wonderful compliment on my look for the day (she called it urban mommy chic), and went to the bank.  Busy yes, but the boys were so good that it wasn't painful.

In fact, they were so good that we took a side trip to Jeni's on the way home.

Ryan and I shared some Sweet Potato and Toasted Marshmallow ice cream.

Wesley has been on a dark chocolate kick lately, but opted for Wildberry Lavender today

Ice cream makes for happy boys

Leaving a little art work on the wall (don't worry - it's allowed)

 

 

 

If tomorrow turns out half as good as today, it's going to be a great weekend!

Where the Deer and the Antelope Play

I did not take this picture. I got it off the web.

Grandma and Grandpa H. have a large field ravine behind their house. We often see hawks, rabbits and deer back there - even the occasional coyote (yes, smack-dab in the middle of the city.)

Of course, wild animals aren't the only thing in the field. One of the nearby private high schools uses the field for soccer practice and soccer games, so there are always soccer nets set up. The boys both like watching the big guys practice and play their games.

Yesterday morning we saw four deer in the field when I dropped the boys off. Ryan climbed into the bay window to get a better look at the deer. 

I pointed to the one closest to us, who was standing near a net and eating some grass. "Look at the deer, Ryan."

"I see it!" he said.

"What is he doing?" I asked my little boy.

Without missing a beat Ryan replied, "Play soccer!"

A Long Time Ago in a Library Far Far Away

A lot of people think that since I'm a children's librarian and I order all the children's materials for the library, that my kids always have the newest books at home. Not so. We have shelves full of kids books, but they always want the same couple of books over and over. Wesley will get excited when I bring home new books for him to read, but that usually doesn't last long.  And it's funny, most people won't buy books for Wesley and Ryan because of my job.

Anyhow, here's a little story to let you know what Ryan thinks of my ability to choose books.

Yesterday Ryan and Grandma came up to the library while Wesley was in preschool. I met them in the children's department for a few minutes before returning to my desk to work. Ryan was sitting on the floor with a pile of board books when I saw a Star Wars ABC board book. 

"Look at this!" I said to Ryan. "Star Wars. You play with Star Wars at Uncle Kirk's house." I held the book out to Ryan and he barely glanced at it. He certainly didn't show any real interest and didn't reach for the book at all. I could almost hear him thinking, "Yeah, right. Like I'm going to take the book the librarian/mom picked out for me."  I left him and Grandma with with the books on the floor and headed back to work.

Imagine my surprise when I picked up the boys and saw that Ryan had the Star Wars ABC book. Grandma said that he wanted to check it out when it was time to leave.

"Ryan, you got the Star Wars book," I said.

"Uncle Kirk book," Ryan said. "Star Wars Uncle Kirk book." 

Awwww......I think someone loves his uncle.

Dr. Ryan to the Rescue

Uncle Kirk and Aunt Susan came over the other night to just hang out and visit. This, of course, meant that Ryan and Wesley spent most of the evening climbing all over Uncle Kirk.

At some point during the rough housing, Ryan discovered that Uncle Kirk's elbow was very dry and scratchy. "Have boo-boo?" Ryan asked. He spent the next several minutes closely examining Kirk's elbow before deciding that he needed to "Clean boo-boo."  Duane got Ryan a baby wipe and Ryan proceeded to very carefully wipe down Uncle Kirk's dry skin before pronouncing it all better.

What was really funny about the whole thing was how concerned Ryan was about Uncle Kirk. While the two of them had been rough housing, once the "boo-boo" was discovered, Ryan started to be very gentle with his uncle. He held onto Kirk's finger and talked softly to him. Who knew my tough little boy had such a good bedside manner?

Not Me Monday

There is no way my feelings were a little hurt when Wesley said he wanted his dad to accompany him to a party because, "Dad is my favorite! He's so much fun!"

I was not jealous of Wesley when he got to go to MY favorite ice cream place two days in a row without me!

I know I haven't started making Christmas shopping lists and baking lists since I hate to think about Christmas until Thanksgiving is officially over.

I have not started dropping a ridiculous number of hints that I would really like an iPhone for Christmas. And I certainly didn't include this on "not me monday" knowing that my hubby reads the blog.

Read Me a Story

Today Wesley read us a book all by himself!!! He's been reading some simple easy readers, but he picked this one off the shelf and announced he was going to read it to us - and he did!

Rule of Life Number 64 (According to Wesley)

"Sometimes when you are eating next to a grown up and you are full or you ask to be excused and there is still food on your plate, the grown up will say, "I'll eat it" and then there is no problem."

Wesley said this after eating all his breakfast except one strawberry - which I finished.

Hats Off to You!

The temperature in central Ohio took a dip into the 40's (as a high) the other day. I tried to do the responsible mommy thing and dug around in our closets for hats for the boys to wear. Most of winter hats and gloves are hand-me-downs from our cousins and that has worked out really well for us. Or at least it has until this year.

When I showed Wesley the hat I wanted him to put on that morning (the only hat that fit him) he stubbornly refused to wear it. I didn't really want a fight, so I told him that he didn't have to wear it, but that he would be cold. "Fine," he sighed in a way only a child who is thoroughly disgusted with their parent can sigh. "I'll wear it." 

I told Wesley he could pick out a different hat at the store that night. One that matches his coats a little better and that he likes. Of course, by the time we went to the store, he didn't want to pick anything out and said that the hat he has was fine. OK, by me. That's money we didn't have to spend.

Ryan was worse about the hat than his brother. I gave Ryan three hats to choose from. "No hat!" he cried. I picked one of the hats and stuck it in my purse to leave at Grandma's.  While we were driving there, Ryan kept saying, "My hat! Where my hat?"  I told him that I had his hat and he could have it at Grandma's.

Upon our arrival, I tried to put Ryan's hat on him. He took it off and handed it back to me. He asked about his hat again when we were inside and even tried to put it on by himself.  After watching him try several times, I walked over and put the hat on him. He yanked it off, threw it on the floor and started stomping on it and kicking it across the room.  Fine. No hat. Message received.

Of course, Daddy was able to get Ryan to wear his hat. Duane talked up the cool race car on the hat and showed Ryan how he looked in the mirror. He'd still rather not wear a hat, but if he HAS to, it's going to be the race car one.

Party Day

Today was E.'s birthday party. Wesley was super-excited to go! He chose Daddy to go with him, so Ryan and I hung out and got to hear about the party second hand. Daddy did get some decent pictures though.

Rockin' the bowling shoes.

Wesley and E. Apparently she was so happy to see Wesley that she ran the length of the bowling alley to give him a hug. I love his body language in this picture. It's like "That's right. She's with me!"

Wesley didn't exactly have the best bowling form

Perhaps he should have taken some lessons from E.

See that 43? That was Wesley's score after 8 frames.

I guess there were some other boys at the party, but they were at another table.

Wesley brought a noise maker, some stickers and a treat bag of candy home. He graciously shared some of the candy with Ryan, but is not about to share the noisemaker. That's OK, I have a strong feeling the noisemaker will find a new home in the trashcan by the end of the night.

The Great Beagle

Wesley and Ryan are currently obsessed with "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown." We have watched it at least once every day for the past week. I'm sure when the Thanksgiving special airs, they will want to watch that all the time, followed by the Christmas one. Oh well, there certainly are worse things they could be watching.

The boys were sitting on one of the couches watching the show when Wesley turned to Ryan and said, "That's Snoopy. He's a beagle. Beagle is another word for dog."  Well, it is in Charlie Brown's world!

Not So Happy Meal

By now many of you have probably heard about San Francisco banning toys in kids meals that contain more than 600 calories and contain 35 or more grams of fat. So that Happy Meal with a cheeseburger, fries and a Sprite can no longer contain a toy as well.

I have real mixed feelings about the whole thing. I agree that the kids meals are often loaded with calories and fat and should not be consumed on a daily basis. But we're talking about fast food places - not really known for being healthy eating establishments. I'd like to think people know that when they walk though the doors.

There are ways to combat the totally unhealthy kids meal. When we go to McDonald's  we get two happy meals - one with  4 nuggets and fries and chocolate milk, the other with 4 nuggets or a burger, apples, and chocolate milk. We take the one order of fries and give both boys some (leaving some in the bag as well). If they eat all the nuggets/burger and the fries we gave them, they may ask for more. We almost always have fries leftover. Sometimes the kids eat the apples, sometimes they don't, but they are offered.  I know this doesn't make a fast food meal exactly healthy - but it does help cut the fat and calories.

Then there is the whole toy thing. Except for that whole "teeny beanie baby" thing, does anyone (including the kids) even care about the toys? Half of the time we leave them unopened on the table at the restaurant,  part of the time we ask them not to put them in the kids meal and part of the time they end up totally forgotten at the bottom of the toy box. Wesley and Ryan have never asked to eat someplace because of the toy offered in the kids meal.

Personally, I wish more companies would do what Wendy's did when they gave out books on CD or what Chick-Fil-A does and give out books.

Are We There Yet?

The boys spend a fair ammount of time traveling by car. I drive them to and from a grandparent's house just about every day. Then there are trips to the store, church, park, etc. Sometimes I feel a little bad for them, but that's just the way it is.

We listen to music to pass the time, and Wesley almost always has a story to share. Sometimes we even play "I Spy." Ryan has his own way of passing the time - unfortunately, it also has the unfortunate side effect of driving his parents nuts.

Ryan feels compelled to point out every single stop sign we pass during our journey. A typical drive finds him saying, "Mom! Mom! Mom! I see stop sign! Stop sign!" He'll keep that up until you acknowledge his amazing discovery.  Ryan will then go on to tell you what shape the stop sign is, spell stop and let you know if he sees more than one. It was kind of impressive the first time he did it. It's MUCH less impressive when he does it a dozen times per trip.

The good (?) news is that Ryan is expanding his horizons and is now also on the look out for American flags while we drive.  He'll point out almost every "Merican" flag he sees.  Nice and patriotic, but when it's combined with the stop sign thing, it's enough to make me hope he falls asleep as soon as I buckle him in.

Went on a Bear Hunt

Sunday night we ended up going on another Bear hunt. Somehow Wesley managed to lose his bear in the house. At least, we were pretty sure it was in the house. But when it's 9:15 at night and you are trying to put your child to bed without his favorite stuffed animal/best bud, you tend to stop thinking clearly. So even though I was positive I had seen the bear in the house that evening, I did call the McDonald's we ate lunch at, and Grandma's house where we had stopped. Duane went outside and looked in and under the van. No luck.

After half an hour of searching, I put Wesley in bed and handed him the not-so-stinky bear that Uncle Kirk brought over the last time we had a bear emergency. Wesley took one look at the bear and said, "This is NOT my bear!"  I explained that I knew it wasn't his bear, but that it was time for him to go to sleep and he could sleep with not-so-stinky or with no bear at all.

"Fine. But will you bring me my bear when you find him?" he asked. I said I would and joined Duane to resume the search.

It took another half hour of searching, but we finally found Bear hanging over the edge of Ryan's bed frame. We must have walked past it a dozen times! I took the bear into Wesley's room to find him out like a light and clutching not-so-stinky in a death grip. I gently woke him up and when he finally focused in on his bear, his face lit up - and the impostor bear hit the floor.

I don't think my poor little heart can take losing that bear again!

So THAT'S Why He Watches

When I picked Wesley up from Grandma and Grandpa P.'s tonight, I mentioned how excited I was to watch Dancing with the Stars tonight.

Grandma said she was too and asked Wesley who he liked on the show.

He hesitated for a moment, so I thought I'd give him some direction, "I like Kyle," I said.

"Well..." Wesley said. "Carr (his bear) likes all the girls!" 

I wondered why he was always so willing to watch with me!

Not Me Monday

I did not give Ryan a cookie just to try to keep him awake on a day he had no nap. Wouldn't that just be encouraging unhealthy eating habits?

There is no way I tried to talk Wesley OUT of going to preschool the day after Beggar's Night because I wanted to sleep in. Didn't happen.

I was not terribly amused by the fact that Ryan totally freaked out when Duane blew a bubble gum bubble. And even if I was, I certainly did not fake blowing a bubble of my own just to see Ryan freak out again. What kind of mean mommy would do that?