Bed Time!

Ryan has now officially graduated to a toddler bed. It's less that he was ready for it and more that I can't really get him in and out of the crib anymore. He was pretty excited about the change though. And unlike Wesley, Ryan stayed in the toddler bed all night last night. We used find Wesley in the rocking chair and on the floor after we converted the crib for him. Of course, Ryan wouldn't lay down and nap in the darn thing today, so I'm not going to celebrate too much yet.

Oh Brother!

The other morning while I was getting Wesley ready for school, Ryan did something (I don't remember what) and Wesley said an exasperated "Brothers!"

"Tell me about it," I said. "Brothers can be a pain!"

"You have brother?" Wesley asked.

"Yep. Uncle Kirk is my brother."

Wesley considered this then said, "Well, what did he used to do to you?"

"He used to hit me and chase me and wouldn't let me play with his friends and once he ripped the arm off my doll!"

Wesley came up and hugged me and said, "If you have some fabric glue, I'll fix your doll for you."
How sweet is that?

What I didn't tell Wesley was that as much as Kirk and I fought and as much as I sometimes believed we'd NEVER get along, I don't know what I'd do without my big bother - oops! I mean "brother". Kirk is so good to me, Duane and the boys. I love hanging out with him and Susan and can't imagine not having him in my life. I'm really lucky to have a brother like Kirk, and I hope Wesley and Ryan feel the same way about each other some day.

Not Me Monday

I did not freak out when my coffee maker wouldn't work one morning and I realized that there wasn't a Starbucks with a drive-thru on my way to work. Not me. And even if I did, there's no way I had to talk myself "out of my tree" so to speak, in order to get on with my day.

I was not so fed up with Wesley's whining that I threatened to sit him in a chair and eat the donut that I bought him right in front of him if he didn't stop. I'd never do that.

I did not "celebrate" being virtuous and forgoing a pastry at the coffee shop by having a mini (one bite) candy bar as a mid-morning treat. That would have defeated the purpose of skipping the pastry to begin with.

I did not take full advantage of Wesley taking a nap and throw a living room picnic with Ryan. Nope. Didn't happen.

Buddies

Random Welsey Stuff

This morning I accidentally stepped on Sander's paw while I was hurrying around, trying to get the boys ready. I apologized profusely to the cat, but apparently I should have been apologizing to Wesley. He nagged me about stepping on Sanders so much that you would have thought I did it on purpose. Wesley nagged me as we left the house, in the car AND ratted me out to Grandma. Don't cross this kid!

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Wesley and I got in an argument on the way home about whether or not "wid" was a word. Wesley has trouble with his "L" sounds, so they sound like "W". We are working with him on it and he can make the correct sound when he thinks about it. He was trying to say "lid," but it kept coming out "wid." When I pointed this out to him he sighed a HUGE sigh and said, "Mom, it IS a word. I think I know what I'm talking about!"

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When we pull off the freeway near our house there is a big sign that tells the name of our neighborhood. Wesley looks for it every day. Today we started talking about neighborhood names. Wesley asked the name of Aunt Susan's neighborhood and I told him. Then he asked about Grandma H.'s neighborhood, so I told him. Then he asked about Aunt Cathy's neighborhood. Most of you know that Aunt Cathy moved here from Taiwan. I told Wesley the name of her neighborhood and he said, "But Mom, that's not Chinese!"

Healthy Boy

Ryan had his 18 month check up today. Yes, I know he's 19 months. I'm a slacker mom. He checked out just fine and at 34 inches and 24.5 pounds, he's in the 85th percentile for height and the 30th percentile for weight. Still tall and skinny. No wonder I have such a hard time getting pants to fit him!

Sunday Schooling

Wesley had a little lesson for me this past Sunday when we were getting ready to go to church. As I was helping him get dressed I said something about the children's message that Pastor Chris (our new pastor) would do. Wesley sighed and said, "He always does the children's message." I told him that Pastor Chris always does the children's message because he's the new pastor - that Johnny is at a new church and Pastor Art (our interim pastor) isn't there any more.

Wesley: I liked Pastor Art.

Mommy: Me too.

Wesley: He was cool.

Mommy: What made him cool?

Wesley: His shirts looked like the ones Daddy wears to work!

Not Me Monday

I did not have a quick burst of jealousy when Duane told me that he was the only Daddy that was making subs at the preschool. That would have been ridiculous!

I did not nearly cry when the stupid refrigerator started to die (again!) just because I was hoping to spend that money on something fun.

There's no way I pouted a little bit when I discovered that I had to drive Duane's car to work one day. That would have been silly because 1) I only had to drive it so Duane could get the oil changed and the tires rotated on the mini-van, and 2) Duane's car used to be MY car.

I certainly did not take cold medicine that was so strong I went to bed before the kids - twice!

I know I didn't tear up during the Beauty and the Beast sequence at Disney on Ice. That would have been seriously embarrassing.

End of the Weekend

You know, I'm a little jealous of Wesley this weekend. He had a weekend that had to be darn near perfect to a four year old. Friday we went to Chuck E. Cheese. Yesterday we went to the aquarium and today was Disney on Ice.

Grandma H. bought tickets to take Wesley and myself to go see Disney on Ice. Wesley had been whining all day that he didn't want to go and that I should just take Ryan instead. He grumped on the way to the arena too. Once we were inside though, his tune changed pretty quickly!

Grandma and I took him over to the souvenir place and told him he could pick something out. I was appalled at how much the light up things cost (although they did come with a 2 year warranty and a number you could call for a replacement if it broke through "normal" use). I was ready to whip out the debit card, but in spite of all the light up things, stuffed toys, and wind-up toys, Wesley chose a coloring book. That's right folks, a coloring book! I was so proud of him! He impressed me at the refreshment area too. I had told him we were getting popcorn and that he could have a snow cone or cotton candy. He chose cotton candy and water to drink. He CHOWED on it too. In fact, he ate so much of the cotton candy and popcorn that MY stomach started to hurt.

I tried to take some pictures of the show (it was allowed) but it was pretty dark in there and they didn't come out well. I did get an excellent picture of Wesley and Grandma, and she took one of Wesley and me.

Wesley loved the first half of the show. I realised that I have kept him pretty sheltered though because he hardly knew any of the characters other than those on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. I had to name all the princesses and other characters for him. He wanted to go home at intermission but stuck with it through the second half. Every time a new character would come on the ice, he'd look it up in the coloring book. I couldn't pry that book out of his hands the whole time!

When the show ended and the lights came up Wesley immediately asked if he could see it again. Then he threw his arms around me and kissed me and said how much he liked the show. I reminded him that Grandma brought us, so he turned to her, hugged her and planted no less than a half a dozen kisses all over her face too! The mom behind us even commented, "Wow! That must be nice!"

Wesley was all grins on the way to the car. He told us that his favorite characters were Daisy Duck and Jiminey Cricket. As I type this, he's sitting at the table coloring all the pictures in his new coloring book. My guess is that he'll try to work on coloring book we brought Ryan next.

It was a great weekend. Exhausting, but great!

Age of Aquarium

In an effort to cure our cabin fever, we piled in the mini-van and headed down to the Newport Aquarium with Grandma and Grandpa P. I think everyone in Cincinnati had the same idea, because the place was PACKED!!! It was a lot of fun though.

Ryan kicked back with a book for part of the trip. It was so cute to hear him babbling away with it. Wesley was reading too, but since he sits behind the passenger seat, I couldn't take a picture.

Wesley waiting in line for our tickets. He was pretty excited!

Yes, we bought the cheesy picture of the whole W. family in the shark's mouth, but we were all looking at the camera, so I couldn't resist. Wesley was pretending to be a shark, which is why his mouth is open so wide.

Wesley was very interested in EVERYTHING. Especially all the things to touch.

Ryan called the fish "Fees," but that was pretty close. We forgot to take a stroller and the aquarium was out of rentals. Thank goodness there were four adults! We needed all of us to keep track of him. He was constantly on the move! More than once I wished I had one of those kid leashes for him. I told Ryan that once and I'm pretty sure he repeated, "leash!"

Wesley was pretending to be Cooper the Cat a lot of the time and would pretend to scratch the glass and say he wanted to eat the fish.

Wesley also took his camera with him. He must have taken at least 75 pictures!

Newport Aquarium has a fantastic frog habitat exhibit. There are big frogs like this one for the kids to play on and an indoor "hamster habitat" for the kids to climb in and slide down. There are also lots of benches for parents who need a break.

Wesley spent a little time digging for dinosaur bones.

And if Wesley was doing it, you know Ryan was too.

Ryan did start to wind down near the end of the aquarium. We kind of figured out he was tired when he laid down on the floor to eat his snack and didn't want to get up.

Grandma and Grandpa treated the boys to something from the gift shop (which you HAVE to go through to get out of the aquarium.) Wesley immediately grabbed this stuffed frog, which was no surprise considering how much he loved the frog habitat.

Ryan snagged a penguin and would not let it go. It was pretty hard to even get it out of his hands to pay for it.

Both boys crashed HARD on the way home. But before they did, Wesley learned a new word. I sighed a big sigh and told Duane "That was really fun, but I'm exhausted!" Wesley piped up from the back seat and asked what exhausted meant. We told him it meant "really really tired." Right before he fell asleep he said, "I'm not tired, but I think the fish are exhausted!"

Friday Fun

Who would have thought that I'd EVER call a parent/teacher conference fun? But when you hear good things, it makes all the difference. According to his teachers, the difference between Wesley now and Wesley at the start of the school year is like night and day. His behavior is much improved and he has more friends. He still struggles with fine motor skills and accepting help, but they said that most days he is a pleasure to have in class. What a relief that was to hear! And to hear that they both whole-heartedly agree with our decision to do Pre-K rather than Kindergarten next year. I'm so proud of Wesley! I know he's been working hard and it shows!

We had plans to go to Chuck E. Cheese with some friends tonight, so it was kind of like a celebration for Wesley. And no matter how I feel about CEC, Wesley loves it, so it was worth it!

Ryan taking a spin on one of the rides.

Duane and Wesley shoot 'em up.

All Ryan wanted to do was play games that involved a ball (read: basketball and skee ball). The problem is, at 19 months, he isn't very good at them. Duane stepped in to help though.

Where did the balls go??

Duh!

Look out! Stay off the sidewalks!

Mommy and her baby.

Murphy's Law of Parenthood

Your child will get all five stickers on their behavior chart for two weeks straight, but the day before parent/teacher conferences he will act up and get only two stickers.

Still More Cabin Fever

Wesley has noticed that the mountains of snow we received earlier this month are starting to disappear.

Wesley: The snow is our yard is melting!

Mommy: Yep. It is.

Wesley: The snow in the street is melting too.

Mommy: Good eye, Tuck!

Wesley: Does that mean the snow at the park is melting too?

He's also been asking to go swimming. Why, oh why did the fridge have to start dying (again) right about the time we could afford a community center membership?

Marbulous

Wesley got a toy called "Marbulous" for Christmas. It's a marble run kind of thing (I'm not explaining it well - go look at the link). Anyhow, Wesley really likes the toy, but Ryan LOVES it! We had to put a chain on the closet door because Ryan kept going in there and dragging the toy out. We don't let him play with it without a lot of supervision because of the marbles, but he is obsessed with it!

The other day it ended up on top of the corner cabinet, you know, out of sight out of mind? Yeah, right. Ryan would grab us by the finger, pull us over to the cabinet and say, "Marble!" But silly Mommy and Daddy wouldn't get it down because it was almost dinner time. Boy was that a mistake. Ryan refused to eat. He pointed and screamed and hollered and even dragged a chair over there to try and get the toy down.

What's funny is that he doesn't even need the marbles to enjoy playing with it. Last night I gave him the box and all the pieces except the little marbulous choking hazards. He still played happily until Duane got home - and then helped put it away. What a good boy!

Memories

Disclaimer: I adore my sons. They bring me such happiness and joy and I would do anything for them. Even though I complain sometimes and I'm stressed out sometimes, I would not trade them or the experience of being their Mom for anything in the world.

But.......

Sometimes I remember how much simpler life was before kids. The other night I was completely stir-crazy and desperately wanted to do something. But, we had a sick toddler, a wound-up preschooler and it was nearing bedtime. I really wanted to go to Barnes and Noble (the one near us is open every night until 11), have a latte and really browse the books. Instead, I played endless games of Bejeweled. Yes, Duane would have told me to go and enjoy myself, but I wanted go WITH him, and without having to chase the kids through the store.

Then: Going to movies first run movies
Now: Bringing movies home from the library and trying to stay awake after the kids go to bed to watch them.

Then: Dinner was whatever we felt like and eaten in the living room.
Now: Dinner attempts to be healthy, is eaten in the dining room as a family, and is always a whine fest because Wesley is a picky eater and Ryan hates his high chair.

Then: Going to church was a time to reflect and worship
Now: Going to church is a major feat, filled with trying to keep the kids quiet and possibly a bit of worship thrown in there too.

Then: A clean house
Now: Toys EVERYWHERE, baby gates at the stairs and safety latches on the cupboards.

Then: I read the paper every morning.
Now: We have switched to only having the paper delivered on the weekends because at least then we MIGHT have time to read it.

Then: When we went out to dinner we went where we wanted to.
Now: Restaurants are chosen based on the kids menu, how quick the service is and if the restaurant is loud enough to cover the noise my kids might make.

Then: Going to work meant grabbing my lunch, a book to read, my purse and getting in my car and driving to work.
Now: Going to work means grabbing the diaper bag (with spare outfits for both kids), Wesley's preschool bag, Bobo for Ryan, Bear for Wesley, milk for both kids, plus all my stuff, loading it all in the mini-van and dropping the kids off somewhere before going to work.

Then: Plain, painted walls
Now: Every surface covered with stickered and colored papers

Then: Being able to go to the bathroom or take a bath in peace
Now: Going to the "potty" with a child banging on the door, or throwing toys in the bathtub while you're trying to relax.

Yeah, I miss the childless days sometimes, but I do know how blessed I am to have Wesley and Ryan shaking things up every day!

Not Me Monday

There is no way I drove to Grandma & Grandpa P.'s with a blood-covered Bear stuck in my purse just so Wesley wouldn't have to be without his bear all day. That would just be gross.

I did not sit around feeling guilty because I had to ask Grandma H. to take Ryan to the doctor when he came down with a terrible cough. That would have been counterproductive.

I did not insist that our croup-y baby sleep in our bed because I was terrified he would stop breathing during the night. Not me.

I certainly did not forget my lunch on a Saturday and beg my hubby to put both kids in the car and drive it up to me because I really wanted the leftovers that were in it and not Subway. That would have been selfish.

Crap. Croup Update

Ryan's cough is much better, except at night. At night he coughs until bedtime, but the humidifier seems to help. His nose is running like mad again and he his fairly miserable. On top of a sick baby, I have come down with something. Killer sore throat (although a bit better today) and a bad cough when I lay down. I can barely talk - which some people may consider a good thing.

Looks like we'll be skipping church and trying to get well today.

Crap. Croup.

(Thank you, Kate, for the title of this post)

Yep folks, you read right, we have croup in the house. To be honest, I didn't realise that kids still got croup. It seemed so "Little House on the Prairie" to me.

Ryan was perfectly fine when he went to bed Wednesday night, but when I got him up Thursday morning he had a cough that sounded like a seal barking. I won't say I wasn't concerned, but I wasn't sure what to make of it. I got the boys dressed and we headed to Grandma and Grandpa H.'s as usual. When we got there I told Gma and Gpa about the cough and asked them to call me if it got any worse.

At 1:00 my work phone rang. Grandma told me that she had put Ryan down for a nap and when she did, he noticed that he seemed to be having trouble breathing. Now that sentence will put panic in the heart of any parent. I called the doctor's office and got an appointment for him that afternoon.

So, crap. It's croup. Ryan spent last night in our room with the humidifier running. We've been giving him ibuprofen for the pain he seems to be feeling when he coughs. His cough is much improved today, but his attitude is worse. Poor kid.

Tomorrow

Before you start singing the lyrics to the most famous "Annie" song, let me say that I'm not about to bet my bottom dollar on anything and the way this winter is going, I don't fully expect the sun to come out. Nope. This post is titled "Tomorrow" because last night on the way to church, Wesley asked me what "tomorrow" meant. I told him that it was the day after this day. So we talked about what he'd be doing the rest of the week.

When we reached "Friday" I told him that after preschool we'd go home and get ready for Uncle Doug and Grandma W. to come for dinner. I said that I was going to bake a pie after lunch on Friday and he could help me if he wanted.

Wesley: I'd love to help you, Mom! We can put Ryan and Carr (bear) in front of the tv because they are too little to help bake.

Mom: Well, I thought we'd bake the pie when Ryan was taking a nap.

Wesley: Yeah! And I'll help! What kind of pie are we making?

Mom: Mommy's special cherry pie.

Wesley: That's my favorite! (a moment's pause) Wait, do I like cherry pie?

Mom: You can try it and see. I LOVE cherry pie! Some people like to put ice cream on it, but I like mine plain. You can just have some ice cream if you want.

Wesley: No, I like plain pie too.

How much do you want to bet that he won't touch it?

Ewwww.....

Okay, those of you with weak stomaches may want to stop reading now. This post contains yuckiness that comes with being a parent. You have been warned.

Every morning I go into Wesley's room, turn his light on and get his clothes ready while talking to him loudly. I consider this a "pre-wake up" as he usually only responds slightly. Then I go into Ryan's room and get him dressed before returning to Wesley's room for the "full wake-up."

As I was getting Ryan dressed this morning, I heard Wesley say, “Mom! My nose is dripping!” What he didn’t mention was that it was dripping blood. He had been rubbing at the drips too, so his entire face was covered, plus his bear got hit pretty hard too. I grabbed a washcloth and sat with Wesley until the bleeding stopped. He calmed down pretty well until he noticed that Bear was sporting quite a few spots of his own. Wesley insisted that I use the wash cloth to wipe the spots off of Bear. I dabbed a little, but it didn't do a lot of good.

I finally told Wesley that he had to choose - we could put Bear in the washing machine right away, but then he couldn't go with Wesley today, or we could wait and ask Grandma and Grandpa to wash him at their house (where Wesley would be). This may seem like a no brainer to you and me, but we are talking about Wesley's comfort object/best buddy here. Besides, Wesley HATES for things to be dirty. He finally decided to take the spotty bear to Grandma and Grandpa's and, “I’ll use my best manners and then I’ll play with other toys until Bear is all clean.” Not a bad choice but I did feel a little odd handing a blood spotted bear to my dad.

The good news is that Bear was good as new after a quick run through the wash - and the better news is that Wesley's nose has remained drip free the rest of the day.

Little Dipper

Although I am very tempted to spend this post complaining about the 20 plus inches of snow we have received this month, I thought I’d share some of Ryan’s new eating habits with you. Ryan has entered a dipping phase. No matter what he is eating, the enjoyment of it is magnified by dipping it in something else. Eating corn pudding? Dip it in barbecue sauce! Eating veggie ranch flavored whole grain puff? Dip them in peach yogurt!

Like most toddlers, though, Ryan's favorite dipping sauce is ketchup. He isn't really picky about what goes in it either. I have watched him dip potato chips, pretzels, cheese, green beans and my new personal favorite (she said sarcastically) - canned peaches! We aren't quite to the point where he will eat anything as long as it's in ketchup, but we are getting close.

Apparently it’s all about dipping. I wonder if I could slip in some slightly steamed baby carrots and other veggies? Maybe with some ranch? Nah, he'd probably want the ketchup.

Not Me Monday

I did not forget to keep track of all the slacker mom/dorky things I did this week. Nope not me!

Happy Valentine's Day

I know that my sister-in-law (Duane's little sister) will be checking the blog to see what incredibly romantic thing her big brother did for me for Valentine's Day. Let's face it, Duane has developed quite the reputation as the BROC (Big Romantic On Campus). Unfortunately, I had to work all weekend, which kind of dampened the chance for a super romantic Valentines.

Now before I go into too much detail about our Valentine's Day, I do have to give full romance brownie points to my hubby. He wanted to plan a trip to New Orleans that would have been for Valentines, our anniversary and Mother's Day, but I turned it down. Yes folks. I turned it down and said that we should pay bills instead. Do I know romance or what?

Anyhow, the weekend started with flowers delivered to me at work. Duane had the flowers delivered on Friday, so I'd be surprised on Saturday when I went to work. Very sweet.

This morning I found a box of candy from my favorite "local restaurant" AKA John Eagle Candy, waiting for me. Then I made a breakfast of Chocolate Waffles with Raspberry Syrup. Yummy! Of course, Wesley wouldn't touch them, but Ryan LOVED them! Especially when we give him a side of chocolate syrup to dip them in.

We're going to spend the evening eating City BBQ , Jeni's ice cream and red velvet cake (that Duane made) and watching hockey, but it's a Happy Valentine's Day for me! Check out my little Valentine boys!

Wesley's Book Review

For the book, "Race You to Bed" by Bob Shea

" I like it because race is one of my favorite things and bed is where I never go to sleep. I like all the animals - the rabbit, the bees, the crocodiles, and - oh yeah! - the goats. That's it."

You Call This a Day Off?

I can't believe how worn out I am from today - and it's not even close to dinnertime yet!

I got up this morning and came downstairs to find a note from Duane saying that one of the cats got sick on Wesley's winter coat during the night. The coat was in the washer and the note asked me to put it in the dryer. Fine. The only problem was that when I opened the washer, the coat was still DRIPPING wet. Our washer has a little problem with kicking off in the the middle of a load. So I started it back up and let it finish while I was in the shower.

After I got the coat into the dryer, I went upstairs to get dressed. Halfway up the stairs I heard Ryan kind of cranking. I hurried and got dressed and went in to get Ryan (even though it was a good half an hour before I planned on getting him up). I bent over to get him out of the crib and wrenched something in back pretty badly. It's been bugging me ever since, but what could I do? I think it might be time to convert the crib into a toddler day bed.

I carried Ryan downstairs so I could get him some milk and finish getting myself ready for the day. The problem was that he was really upset and it's kind of hard to do your makeup with an 18 month old pulling on your leg. Somehow I managed it though and then I woke Wesley up, got him ready and prepared breakfast for all three of us.

We made it into coats, boots, hats and coats and loaded into the van for the trip to preschool. Ryan and I walked Wesley in and then went to the library to visit. Poor Ryan doesn't get to come to the library very often since Grandma usually brings Wesley up when Ryan is taking a nap. Everyone was surprised at how big he is now. He was really quiet during our visit, but really good. But like his brother, he found the chocolate (although this time it was in the staff workroom instead of tech. services)

After our social visit to the library, Ryan and I went to Target to pick up some things for Valentines Day (and some odds and ends for the house). Despite how good Ryan had been up to this point, I knew that I was going to have to put him in the cart while we were at Target. The only problem is, Ryan HATES shopping carts. Like, a lot. As soon as put him in the shopping cart he began to scream and scream and scream. Since I couldn't carry him around the store (hurt my back, remember?) all I could do was talk softly to him. I was trying to sooth him with my "it's tough to be the baby" mantra, but was still pretty embarrassed. Or at least I was until another customer looked at me and said kindly, "You're going a great job there, Mom." Ryan did eventually calm down - in fact, he fell asleep - and I was able to finish my shopping.

By that point, it was time to head back to the preschool to pick up Wesley. Wesley had a great day at school and actually managed to get all his stickers on his behavior chart every day this week. Since that doesn't happen all that often, I told Wesley I'd take him to lunch to McDonald's or Chuck E. Cheese. We ended up heading to Chuck E. Cheese.

I really thought that going to CEC was going to be a nightmare with the boys, but it really wasn't too bad. I only gave Wesley one token at a time, so he'd be forced to come back to the table often and check in. We played some games and rode a few rides before our pizza came. Wesley ate two pieces and Ryan had one. Not a bad lunch.

Yep, everything was going pretty well - until about 5 minutes after Wesley had finished eating. He had gone off to play, then came running back to me in tears. What happened? Well, a little accident that left his pants soaked. Needless to say, our trip to CEC was cut very short. I tried to make it up to him by driving thu Krispy Kreme to pick up a snack for later this afternoon.

After I got home, I got Wesley changed, Ryan down for a nap and more laundry started. The V-Day cards are all signed and the other stuff I picked up is all put away. Now I just need to clean up the mess of toys, switch the laundry and and maybe I'll get a little break before it's time to start dinner. Remind me, how is this a day off?

In His Professional Opinion

As a librarian and a total "bookaholic" I am pretty much addicted to Goodreads. I try to rate all the books that pass my 50 page rule, with the exception of picture books. It's not that I don't like picture books - I love them - but we read so many of them that I just don't take the time to put them on my account.

A couple of days ago I noticed that one of my goodreads friends had rated the book "Race You to Bed" by Bob Shea. Now, just because I don't rate the picture books I read, doesn't mean I'm not going to comment on someone else's review. I added a comment to her review that said, "My 4 year old ADORES this book." It's true. Ever since I brought it home from the library he's wanted to hear it multiple times each day.

Anyway, I didn't think anything else about the comment until an email appeared in my goodreads mailbox - from Bob Shea! The message was titled "Your 4 year old" and the first line read "is really really smart." Then he went on to ask if I would try and get Wesley to review the book!

I totally geeked out about this! Almost as much as when I met Laini Taylor at BEA last year. I emailed Duane and my dad. I did a little happy dance at my desk. Like I said, totally geeked out! Now I just have to sit down with Wesley in the next day or two so he can give me his professional opinion. Don't worry, I'll let you know what he says.

Wesley to the Rescue

Duane and I had an unusual date this evening. The original plan was to meet at the tax place, get the taxes done and then have dinner at Wendy's. As the day progressed I became less and less interested in fast food for dinner and we decided to go to Northstar instead. Yay! I had something to look forward to after taxes!

After work I drove down to the tax place to discover that not only was Duane already there, but he had been there long enough for our taxes to be completed! All I had to do was sign my name twice and we were done! Whoo-hoo! We had a delicious dinner with no kids and actually got to enjoy each other's company.

We went to Grandma and Grandpa H.'s to pick up the kids. Duane helped me load them in the van, then got in his car. The kids and I backed out of the drive and headed for the entrance/exit to the subdivision. I drove pretty slow a) because the road was bad and b) I didn't want to arrive home much before Duane and have to lug the kids and bags in all by myself. As we reached the entrance/exit, I noticed that Duane wasn't behind me. After a minute or two, I backed up the van so I could see where he was. Where he was, was stuck in the snow at the end of Grandma and Grandpa's driveway.

"Uh-oh!," I said. "Daddy's stuck"

"STUCK!?" Wesley cried. "We have to go help him! Don't worry, Daddy! We're coming!"

We drove back and mostly watched as Grandma, Grandpa and Duane worked to free the car. Ryan watched intently from his car seat. Wesley was really concerned though and kept yelling things like, "I can get a spoon to help dig!"

Needless to say, we did get the car unstuck, Wesley did not have to dig with a spoon and we are all happy to be home safe and sound. Although truth be told, I was pretty impressed that Wesley went into "hero mode."

A Smile to My Face

I feel like it's been ages and ages since I've blogged, even though it's only been since Monday. I think the time warp feeling I have has to do with how crabby I've been lately. I don't know if it's winter, or stuff at work, or what, but I'm quite surprised Duane didn't kick me out of the house last night - that's how crabby I was.

This morning didn't start much better. There was a wind chill below zero when I left the house with the boys. The sliding doors to my mini-van were frozen shut. I got stuck in the snow twice before I made it to the freeway. Overall, it was not a very auspicious start to the morning. We carefully made our way across the most nerve wracking stretch of highway we drive each day. As we rounded the bend, Wesley piped up from the back seat, "We just went on the smile curve! It looks just like a big smile!" And you know, he's right. It DOES look like a big smile. And I often smile as we drive it because of the smell of the bakery nearby. All of a sudden, the morning wasn't quite so cruddy. Leave it to a kid to put it in perspective.

I went off to work in a slightly better mood and left Wesley and Ryan to have birthday parties for imaginary friends. Grandma and Grandpa P. helped Wesley make banners for the parties. And really, how could I continue to be in a crabby mood when I get to hug this kid every day?

Not Me Monday

There is no way I said, "We can't do that. We need to spend the money on bills," when Duane proposed a four night trip to New Orleans at a five star hotel AND the extra money to pay for it. That would have been crazy!

I would never had tried to log onto my email using my library card number as my username and my library pin number as my password. I mean, what kind of dork would that have made me?

I am certainly not torn between being proud of Ryan's strong throwing arm and accuracy and mortified that his favorite target is his big brother.

I do not find it hysterically funny that Wesley has named one of his imaginary cats "Old Pot Cat" because, according to him, the imaginary cat's favorite thing is "old pot". After all, I am a mature, grown up and know that Wesley means a cooking vessel and not anything else.

I was not extremely disappointed that the stupid snow storm forced us to cancel our plans for a night out with the International Dinner Club from work. Why would I be upset just because it was the first time since Ryan was born that we actually had a sitter(s) lined up and were able to go?

Today's Wesley-isms

The other night Wesley and I were lying in bed. He rolled towards grabbed my hand and said, "Mom, you and me - we're the best!" Of course, the next day he informed his dad that Dad isn't as cool as Grandma.

As I was brushing Wesley's hair this morning he informed that, "I've never seen the Loch Ness Monster OR a raccoon," as if they are both mysterious mythical beasts.

Proof that Wesley really does understand what his mommy does for a living. We saw a commercial for a new Mickey Mouse Clubhouse DVD and he said, "Mommy, will you please buy that for the library so I can watch it?"

Wesley was looking at a book this morning and decided it was a "Thanksgiving cookbook." According to Wesley's book, Thanksgiving dinner will consist of chocolate strawberries and crab, "because you love crab, Mom."

And this isn't really a Wesley-ism, but Wesley read a book to Ryan this morning and it was too cute not to share. Notice, he's holding the book like a teacher or children's librarian would.

Little Snowmen

After yesterday's MAJOR snowfall (I think something like 12 inches fell in some parts of town), Wesley was more than ready to go out and play in the snow. We didn't end up with nearly as much as other people got, but it was still well worth suiting up in snow clothes and going out into our tiny backyard for awhile.

Wesley and I had a bit of a snowball fight. Every time I hit him with a snowball, he'd fall back onto the snow! Ryan kind of got into it too, but with him it was more like just tossing some snow. I have no doubt that he'll be forming expert snowballs by next year though.

Ryan wasn't real sure how he felt about the snow at first. He doesn't have snow pants like Wesley, so he wasn't as carefree about the experience.

Here's the snowman we made. And by "we" I mean me. Wesley did draw a smiley face on it with his little mittened finger though.

Wesley LOVES to make snow angels. He also likes to eat the snow. Good thing there are no dogs at our house!

Here's Ryan standing next to my pathetic little snowman.

Of course, I think my favorite part of being in the snow with the boys was when we came in. Ryan needed to have his pants and socks put in the dryer. When they were dry, Duane got him dressed again. As the warm from the dryer pants slipped over Ryan's legs, he let out a loud, happy, sigh. So cute!

I'm Speechless

I came home from work tonight and saw Wesley's behavior chart from today sitting on the table. He got four out of five stickers, but instead of the 5th square just being blank, there was a big frowny face. On closer inspection, not only did it have a frowny face, but it had a little note.

"Unfortunately, during Spanish with Mrs. Maryann, Wesley told Senora that her song 'was the dumbest most ridiculous thing I've ever heard' "

WHAT!?!? My jaw just dropped when I read that. When I finally recovered enough to speak, I informed Wesley that I was very sad to read that. I'm pretty sure a "What makes you think you talk to your teachers like that" popped out of my mouth too. Wesley looked very sheepish and told me, "I already told Dad I'm going to apologize the next time I'm at school." Apparently Wesley had already heard it from Dad (and probably Grandma too), so I didn't lay it on too thick.

So the question is, how much should I freak about this, and how much can be chalked up to the fact that 4-year-olds just can't self censor themselves very well?

Why To Go To The Library

Wesley was supposed to have a play date with one of his classmates today. However, said classmate came down with an ear infection so the play date was cancelled. Grandma H. made it up to Wesley by taking him to McDonald's for lunch, then to my library. They were there for about an hour and a half. On the way out of the building, Wesley informed Grandma that he would like a piece of chocolate. Grandma told him that there might not be any chocolate today, but he answered, "Mommy's work always has chocolate!" How right he is!

I went out to the lobby to fetch Wesley and took him back to the area of the library I work in so he could pick out a piece of chocolate. Only four years old and he knows what makes librarians tick!

In a totally unrelated story, I was driving home with the boys tonight. As we pulled onto our street, Ryan joyfully cried out, "Daddy!" Guess he knows who is usually waiting for us at home.

Things I'm Starting to Think Will Never Happen

1. Ryan talking
2. Wesley staying dry all night
3. Browns going to the Super Bowl/Blue Jackets winning Stanley Cup
4. Wesley not talking
5. Wesley trying a new food (junk food doesn't count)

Cabin Fever

I think the boys are starting to get cabin fever - especially Wesley. Poor kid is dying to play outside. Yesterday he asked if we could go to the park to play, and today he wanted Grandma to take him for a walk. Hurry up, Spring! My boys miss you!

We are doing a lot of reading these days to combat the long days indoors. I brought one of my favorite books from when I was a kid to share with Wesley. It's Old Black Witch by Wende Devlin. I LOVED this book as a kid and I loved the sequel - Old Black Witch and the Polka Dot Ribbon. Maybe it's the librarian in me, but I am so excited that Wesley seems to love this book as much as I did as a kid. We are reading it several times a day and I hear him singing the little songs from the book too. Makes me wonder books are going to stick with him over the years.

A Day with the Boys

Due to a sick grandparent, an out-of-town grandparent, lots of boogers running from one child's nose and a serious cough in the other child, I ended up taking the day off work. It's actually been a really nice day. Wesley was running a bit of a fever yesterday, but that seems to be gone, leaving just a nasty cough. He's eating really well too! Ryan's nose is running like it's at the Olympic trials, but as long as I keep a tissue and hand sanitizer handy, that's been pretty manageable too.

I've tried to keep things fairly regimented today - more for me than the boys. After we all got up (8:00) I got the boys dressed and we had breakfast. The boys watched a little TV while I showered and got dressed, then we tromped upstairs. I let the boys have their run of the bedrooms while I put laundry away. They were playing so nicely that I even had a little time to read before Ryan came into the room and wanted me to read a book to him. We've painted (I can't wait to hang their pictures up!), had lunch and played with the marble maze.

Ryan is down for a nap now and Wesley is playing with some dinosaurs on the floor. It will be his turn for computer time soon, and I plan on reading some more. After Ryan gets up, we'll have a snack and maybe do some puzzles. My goal is not to turn the TV on again until Duane gets home. We'll see if I can make it.

Not Me Monday

There is no way I let Wesley eat his breakfast while sitting on the floor behind the couch. That would just be asking for trouble since there is a register back there.

I was not a bit bummed out when almost no one commented on my new haircut - especially since I think it's a major change.

I certainly didn't ask my dad to take the boys to get their haircuts - and if I did, it's not because the very thought of taking them on my own stresses me out!

I know I didn't set my digital camera on the flat top stove, then turned on the wrong burner and tried to melt the camera. There is just no way that happened!