Happy Birthday to Me!

I've spent the day ringing in year 39.  Truth be told, I feel older than that, but we won't hurry the years along. 

It was pretty much a day long celebration

• I went out to breakfast with my mom
• I did some major thrift store shopping
• I had a fabulous dinner and terrific cake

Wesley made me a really sweet book too. It's called "My Mom".  Here's the text although the pictures are what really make it special. And the italics are all mine:
     "This is my mom. This is Dad, Ryan and me. My mom likes theys (these) colors (imagine pink and yellow here.) My mom likes Mickey (mouse that is). Mom likes Tinker Bell and Princesses (a picture of all the Disney princesses with me and Jasmine on the flying carpet) but she loves Maleficent and the computer."

All true. And the perfect gift for me.

Just Not Funny

Ryan walked up to me last night and asked if I'd like to hear a joke. I told him sure and waited for him to begin. And waited some more. Finally, he whispered in my ear, "You need to say knock-knock."

Hmmmm....seemed backwards to me, but I was willing to go with it. "Okay, knock-knock."

Again, there was a big pause,

Ryan told me quietly "You say baby"

Um. Something about the joke seemed off.

"Alright. Baby who?"

Ryan began to crack up "Baby pants!!!"

And that's a joke only a four year old could love.

It's All About the Timing

Dinnertime at the W. house

Ryan: What the heck!?

Wesley: Don't say "heck" Ryan. At school they told us it's a bad word.

Duane: Well, it's not exactly a bad word, but it's not a nice word.

Me (somewhat admonishing): So do not say that word at school.

Ryan: Only at home!

Not Me Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to http://www.mycharmingkids.net/ to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I did not get the heel of my shoe caught in a crack in the sidewalk outside of work and walked right out of my shoe. Nope. Didn't happen.

When I saw an incident report in Ryan's school bag my immediate thought was not, "Uh-oh! Who did he hit?" And I was not relieved to discover that he "only" tripped over his own feet and hit his head.

I did not send Ryan's picture form and check back to school paper clipped to his school bag (like they sent it home) only to have it fall off in the rain. And there is no way I didn't realize it until I got to Grandma's. And I certainly didn't call Duane in a panic asking him to go home and find it in the rain when it didn't even have to be turned in until the next day.

I did not completely miss an email from the soccer coach and show up to a practice that had been cancelled.

I know I did not make Wesley wear shoes that were a bit too small for him until I got a 30% off coupon for the store we buy shoes at. And I know I did not buy all "tie" shoes even though he still needs work on the whole shoe tying thing. 'Cause that will just make mornings so much easier, right?

Things I Just Don't Get

Truthfully, there are a lot of things I just don't get, but this post will focus on two that happened today.

Duane and I had a meeting at church today after the worship service. We signed up to attend this particular meeting, because 1) it was immediately after worship and 2) there would be a magician to entertain the kids while the adults met.

The meeting itself went really well. The problem came when we went upstairs to pick up the boys. The magician had given Wesley a live goldfish in a little fish bowl - to keep. So guess who had to be bad guy in this situation? Me! I told Wesley we were not taking the goldfish home because we have three cats that would try to eat it. I left out that Duane and I would be the ones taking care of the fish and that I don't really like fish all that much. They kind of creep me out. We ended up giving the fish to another family who actually wanted it and made two other boys happy.

So here's what I don't get - how do you give a child a living thing without first checking with their parents!?!?!

On to the next thing I don't get.

It is a beautiful day today and the boys wanted to play outside. As most of you know, we don't let the boys play outside by themselves because our backyard opens up to an alley, and we have gotten several postcards in the mail stating that a registered sex offender has moved into the area. I'm just not taking those kind of chances with my kids.  Duane took the paper outside and was sitting on the porch while the kids played. The little boy from next door asked to come over. His mom was in their backyard and was fine with it, so he came over. A few minutes later, a little boy appeared at our side gate. He and Ryan talked for a few minutes and Ryan wanted to know if his new friend could come in our yard and play too.

Now Duane and I have never seen this child before and have no idea where he lives. We said that if he wanted to come play in our yard, we'd have to get his parents permission. So I walked up the street a few houses with the little boy and he went inside to ask if he could play in our yard. He was gone for several minutes and I could hear voices through the open windows. The boy came out and said it was okay with his parents.

Here's what I don't get. His parents never came out to see me, or find out where their child was going. How do you let your child go off with a stranger you've never laid eyes on? Especially in our neighborhood! They washed his face and cleaned him up a bit, so I know he talked to someone in there.

Now the dad did wander down the block about 10 or 15 minutes later and Duane introduced himself, but I'm still dumbfounded by the whole thing. Duane walked the boy home when it was time for our kids to come in, but the dad didn't even look out the window, let alone say anything like "Thanks for letting him come over." 

I just don't get it.

Date Night! Finally!

Duane and I finally had a date night last night. I honestly can't remember the last time we went out where it's been just us.  I think it was late May or early June. I think. Way too long ago.  Since Duane's birthday was last week and my birthday is later this week, we decided to just go out once and celebrate both of us.

We have a favorite "date night" restaurant to go to, but I really wanted to try something different this time. When I was growing up there was a restaurant called the Kahiki. It was over the top, totally tacky and I adored it.  It closed in the late 1990s and I believe there has been a hole in the central Ohio restaurant scene since then. Until now. The owners of a popular group of restaurants and bars in town opened up a tiki bar last week. They don't have a full menu yet, just drinks and a few appetizers, but we made that our first stop of the night.

It's a tiny place, but from the moment we walked in and I got a plastic lei placed around my neck, I was in tiki bar heaven. Duane had a Blue Hawaii to drink and I had a Mai Tai. We shared a couple of appetizers, watched the lava wall, checked out all the tikis and classic album covers and I don't think I ever stopped smiling.

After pulling ourselves away from the Grass Skirt, we headed over to Knead Urban Diner for our actual dinner. I couldn't believe our timing because about 5 minutes after we walked in a line started to form and the place stayed packed the rest of the night.

Our original plan had been to see a movie. Since we get out so rarely we usually choose which movie to see by going to the theater and buying tickets for whatever starts next. However, it was beautiful out last night and I couldn't bear the thought of sitting in a dark theater watching some movie I didn't really want to see, so instead we decided to just walk around the Short North.

And it was perfect. We peeked in a few shops (including one that had cards so funny Duane had tears running down his face), we picked up some scones to bring home from restaurant I like. We stopped and admired architecture and scenery. We grabbed a slice of pizza to share from Late Night Slice (which I have always wanted to try) and watched a little of "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" projected on the side of a building. It was just a wonderful night.

It wasn't a stay out all night kind of thing. To be honest, we were home by about 9:30 and in bed by 10:00, but it was so nice. Just the way we wanted to celebrate our birthdays - a simple, but fun night together

Mama's Boy

I love spicy food. I am one of those people who firmly believes that if you are eating something that is supposed to be spicy and your lips aren't burning, it isn't spicy enough! I use liberal doses of hot sauce, hot Chinese-style mustard and the like.

Duane breaks into a sweat just looking at spicy food. Wesley grabs his throat in abject horror if anything spicy makes its way into his mouth.

But Ryan. Ryan is my boy. He is a boy that appreciates the hotter side of (culinary) life. Spicy Chex Mix? Buffalo style Wheat Thins? Thai Chili Doritos? The boy is there!

Last night I pulled out a bag of chips from my secret snack stash - meaning secret from the boys, not Duane. 

Yes folks, you read that right. Habanero potato chips!  They even come with a warning on the bag!

They don't have an immediate "kick you in the teeth" burn, but a nice slow burn that creeps up on you. I only buy the small bags because a little goes a long way.

Ryan saw me open the bag and I told him they were super spicy chips. He wanted some anyhow. I gave him the smallest chip I saw in the bag. He ate it, his eyes bugged out and he took a big gulp of water. After setting his cup back down he turned to me and said, "I've got to have some more of those chips!"

I gave him a couple more and then turned to put the bag away. Before I got in the cupboard though, Ryan was back again with his hands out. "Can I have some more of those Mommy chips?" he asked.

Glad to know I have someone in my family to enjoy spicy food with besides my brother!

He Speaks the Truth

Scene: Duane walks into the living room with a can of orange soda. The boys are both playing in the living room.

Ryan: Daddy, can I have one of those of my very own?

Daddy: I don't know. Can you behave all day and not get any strikes?

Ryan: Nope!

Rise and Shine Breakfast Time

Wesley is a child of simple tastes and a child of routine. Given his way his lunch would be a hot dog, cheese stick and strawberries every day. His breakfast is always either a pancake or an egg, and a piece of bacon. Practically no variation. Ever.

The other morning I asked Wesley what he wanted for breakfast. Yes, I know I just explained that he eats the same thing every day, but I always hope that he'll be inspired to try something else.

"What do you want for breakfast, kiddo? We have pancake, egg, Pop-Tart, toast, cereal, or granola bar?" 

Either it was too early for him or I gave him way too many choices because he kind of folded in on himself and wouldn't answer me. The more I persisted the more upset he got.

"Wesley, if you don't pick something you aren't going to have time to eat. I'll have to send you to school without breakfast and you'll be hungry until lunch," I threatened.

"Nuh-uh!" Wesley answered, "'Cause I'd just go to the lunch room when I got to school and have breakfast there! They have blueberry muffins sometimes."

Note: Wesley's school offers free breakfast to everyone. He's never eaten breakfast there, but is aware of it, obviously.

Exasperated I replied, "So are you saying you want to eat breakfast at school today? They won't have bacon."

The power of bacon spoke to my little porkophile.  "I guess I'll have pancake and bacon then." 

Gee, what a surprise.

What's in That?

We have been having dinner with Grandma and Grandpa H. on soccer nights. I cannot express my gratitude for them feeding us twice a week, especially since we have to eat and run to make it to practice on time.

Tonight Grandma made chocolate mousse for dessert. Wesley and Ryan were there while Grandma was making dessert and Wesley was really excited to be able to have some. He ate his dinner, then got a BIG bowl of mousse out of the refrigerator.

After eating three or four large spoonfuls of dessert, Wesley suddenly looked up (with chocolate all over his mouth) and said, "Is this dead moose?"

We had to explain that it was mousse NOT moose. However, the way he attacked that dessert, I'm not sure it would have made a difference either way.

Open House

Last night was open house at Wesley's school. I had actually been looking forward to it, but by the time the evening rolled around I was a big ol' crankpot.  I'm not really sure what was bothering me so much, but lots of little things just got under my skin

1. Who schedules parent events (and soccer practice for that matter) to start at 6:00? It's really rough on working parents.  We try to grab a bite of dinner because Wesley and I turn into absolute bears when we are overly hungry, but it turns into a mad rush and a fight with traffic to get there on time.
2. If it's an open house, why are parents instructed to be there promptly at 6:00 and to report to the gym? What happened to "open house" meaning stop by when  you can between these hours.
3. Book fair + open house at same time = feeling pressured into buying something. I told Wesley we weren't going to the book fair, but he made a bee line there anyhow. Luckily, Grandma is nicer than me (especially last night) and treated the boys to a book a piece.

See, little stuff that shouldn't have bothered me, but for some reason I could not shake off last night.

Other than my poor attitude though, open house went very well. Wesley's classroom is nice and he showed us everything: his desk, his papers on the wall, the jobs chart, the behavior chart, his mailbox. He introduced us to his (very nice) teacher and some of his friends. We signed up for our parent teacher conference in November and to bring treats to the fall party.

Wesley's teacher told us he was "one smart cookie" and very well behaved in class. That's always nice to hear.

Ryan found the kid-sized recliner that I think the student of the week sits in. He made himself very at home in it. We practically had to pry him out of it when we left the room.

Give this kid a root beer and the remote and he'd be set!

We also got to meet Wesley's art teacher, Mr. V.  Mr. V. is more of an art dude really. He just looks like he'd be really at home on the soccer field and has a great laid back vibe. He's young and personable. He told us that Wesley is really quiet at school and well behaved.  Then he took us out in the hall to show us Wesley's Monet inspired water color.

Have I mentioned lately how much I love Wesley's school? I really do. The teachers are wonderful, Wesley is learning so much  and I have met great new friends. I think we're off to another good year.

Not Me Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to http://www.mycharmingkids.net/ to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I did not try to use my key fob for my car instead of my work key card to get into work through the staff entrance one day. And I certainly didn't get annoyed because the door wasn't opening.

I was not the mom who called the preschool and asked them to go check on her son after a rough drop off. Not me.

I was not craving fried chicken from a friend's food truck so badly that I convinced myself a fried chicken and biscuit slider would be a perfectly acceptable afternoon snack.

I'm a Pushover

I may have been a mean mommy the other day, but it turns out that I can also be total pushover when it comes to my children.  I try to tow the line and be firm but sometimes those blue eyes and smiles just dissolve my resolve and I can't help but give in.

We have started talking about Halloween costumes in our house. Wesley has been saying for months that he wants to be Hulk and Ryan hasn't really mentioned anything in particular he wants to be. I took this to be a good thing. After all, in the basement we have a size 4 Batman costume, a size 4 bee costume, a size 4 pirate costume and a size 4 spider costume. Ryan wears a size 4, so it would make sense to have Ryan chose one of those costumes, right? Right. He hasn't been thrilled with this idea, but I thought if I just stood firm, he'd give in.

Yeah, I stood firm alright. All the way to Target where we picked up Wesley's costume. Yes, I am aware that it isn't even October yet, but I have a fear of the stores running out of Wesley's size and us having to pay more to buy it online.

Anyhow, we were at Target and I showed Wesley two costumes: Hulk and one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. TMNT has become a recent fascination with the boys, so I thought it might be a winner. Oh, it was a winner, just not with Wesley. Ryan saw the costume and turned those baby blues on me.

"Oh, please can I be Leonardo for Halloween? PLEASE?" 

I was powerless. TMNT costume purchased. Mommy officially a sucker.

Sharing the Success

Ryan was playing Angry Birds on the iPad while we drove to school yesterday. Wesley was watching him and giving unsolicited "helpful" big-brotherly advice as Ryan played.  They were bound and determined to beat this one particular board, but were having no luck. When we got to Wesley's school, he hopped out of the van, wished Ryan luck on the game and said, "I'll help you with it after school."

As Ryan and I continued up the street, I heard a triumphant yell from the back seat.

"I did it, Mom!! I beat this board all by myself!"

I congratulated Ryan and assumed that was the end of it.

"Mom, what's Wesley's phone number?" Ryan asked.

"Wesley's phone number is the same as yours," I told him.

"No. I mean, what's his phone number right now? I want to call him and tell him I beat that board all by myself."

"Ryan, you can't call Wesley now. He's at school," I reminded him.

Ryan thought for a second, "Well, can you call him at school then?"

Yes, I'm sure the school would love for me to call them, and pull my son out of class just to tell him that his little brother beat a board on Angry Birds.

"Why don't we just tell him after school?" I suggested.

"I guess that will work too," Ryan agreed.

Thank goodness.

Mean Mommy

It's official. I'm a mean mom.  I've known I'm mean - Wesley has told me on many occasions how mean I am, but yesterday Ryan joined the battle cry.

What did I do that was so mean?

I guess it started with waking Ryan up for school. He was cranky which tends to make cranky. I made him get up and get dressed. He told me I was mean. Fine, I can handle being mean.

We had a big blowup at breakfast. I wanted him to put his shoes on and then sit down to eat instead of messing around. Ryan gave me a hard time. I insisted. He yelled, "I hate you!"

Wow. My four-year-old told me hated me. That was the first time he has said those words to me. I know it won't be the last, but it still hurt. A lot.  

Things did not improve on the way to drop off today. Ryan wanted the iPad and I told him that his behavior was not good enough to the iPad.  His response,"Why are you always so freakishly mean!?"

Okay, so I am not just mean, I'm freakishly mean. Wonderful.

So I went to work feeling about an inch tall. That was quickly reduced to half an inch after I realized I dropped the ball on something I could have sworn I had already completed. Not a great morning for me.

But apparently Ryan forgave me for being so mean. Later in the afternoon he curled up with me on the couch, rested his head on his shoulder and said, "I don't hate you anymore." 

I just hope he knows that no matter what, I could never hate him.

The Eyes Have It

This is going to a totally embarrassing post. It's one of the things that I would normally post on "Not Me Monday" but the story is a little long to make an appearance there. Besides, it's embarrassing enough that I really think it deserves a starring role.

The other day when I picked the boys up from my mom's I put them in the van, then stood outside the drivers door talking to my mom for a few minutes. The sun came out while we were talking, so when said goodbye, I climbed into the drivers seat, dug around in my purse and put my sunglasses on.  My mom was standing outside the drivers window and we said a few more things to each other before I pulled out of the drive.

As I was driving down the main road from her house, I peeked in the rear view mirror and asked the boys how their day had gone.

"I can see your eye," Ryan said.

"I can see your eyes too," I told Ryan, figuring he had noticed that I was looking in the mirror at him.

"No, Mom. I can see your eye!" he insisted.

"Of course you can, I'm looking at you," I said.

Ryan was starting to get frustrated with me. He looked at Wesley, sighed and said, "I can see your eye through your glasses!" 

Well, I had no idea what he was talking about, so I looked in the rear view mirror again, this time at myself instead of at the kids. And what did I see? One of the lenses from my sunglasses was missing! Ryan certainly could see my eye, because there was nothing covering it!!

I can't believe I didn't even notice! I mean, I was wearing the glasses!

The boys and I had a big laugh about it and when I got home (and fixed my sunglasses) I called my mom.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me I was missing a lens out of my sunglasses!" I laughed, then I told her the whole story.

"Well, you know," she said. "I thought something looked different when you put your sunglasses on, but I wasn't looking at you straight on, so I guess I couldn't see the lens was completely gone. I just thought you got new sunglasses." She and I laughed so hard I had tears running down my face.

Good thing Ryan is watching out for me.

Talk to the Expert

I'm probably going to get a few of the details of this story wrong since I wasn't there when it happened, but it's so cute (and scary) that I have to share it.

Yesterday Ryan did not want to buckle his seat belt while he was in Grandma H.'s car. She finally told him that he had to buckle it because if a police car passed them and the officer saw that he wasn't buckled in, she would have to pay a lot of money and maybe even go to jail.

Ryan was quiet for a moment then said seriously, "The food in jail is not very good."

"No, I don't think it is," Grandma answered.

"And the beds aren't very comfortable," Ryan continued.

"No, I don't think they are very comfortable," Grandma replied.

Guess who fastened his seat belt after that conversation? And he didn't complain a bit!

Out of the Mouths of Babes

This morning was kind of a rush to get out of the house and into the car. Once we were all buckled in our seats, I decided to do a quick check of everything before backing out of the drive.

Mommy: Okay, we've got my work bag and my lunch, Wesley's backpack and lunch, and Ryan's bookbag. I think we're set.  Oh! And we've got my two most important things.

Wesley: Your purse?

Mommy: Yes, I have my purse, but that's not what I meant. I meant you guys!

Wesley: And your coffee, right?

Mommy: Yes, and my coffee.

Not Me Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to http://www.mycharmingkids.net/ to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

When Wesley didn't have homework for several days in a row I was not so suspicious that I texted my friend to see if her son (and Wesley's classmate) was bringing work home.

I have not become a total soccer mom. And I certainly don't like it.

I am not always a little bit relieved when Duane tells me something slightly embarrassing that he did because it makes me feel less like a complete mess up. 

I did not freak out about teaching Sunday School (with Duane) for the first time even though I have a Bachelors in Education, worked at a daycare center, still consider myself a children's librarian and have taught VBS. That would have been ridiculous.

Sunday Recap

Today was almost as crazy as Saturday was.  We got moving this morning and went to church. It was kind of a big morning for the W. family there. Duane and I volunteered to teach Sunday School one Sunday a month in the three year old class and today was our debut as teachers. It was also "move up Sunday" when boys and girls switch Sunday School classes. Wesley's class is Kindergarten and first grade so he stayed where he was, but Ryan got to move to the 4 and 5 year old room, which is upstairs with the big kids.

Let's just say one of the events went well and one didn't.  Any guesses which was which?

Ryan had NO interest in moving up today. As soon as he saw his new room he crawled under a table and refused to come out. I don't understand it. He does so well at preschool and it's not like he didn't know any kids in his new room. I've decided to chalk it up to too much excitement last night, but I just didn't have time to deal with it this morning. Duane and I let him come down to our class with us. He still spent most of the time sitting in a corner, but at least he wasn't embarrassing me in another class.

I think Duane and I did a pretty bang up job with the three year olds. We had nine kids (including Ryan) and got through the story, the crafts, and snack. Not too bad!

I had to work this afternoon. Normally Sundays drag on and on and on, but today actually went really quickly. I had one patron that just cracked me up. She was 79 years old (she told me) and came to desk asking for "that book everyone is reading. You know, 50 Shades of Grey." I told her there was a wait list for the book, but offered to add her to it. "How many thousands of people are on it?" she asked. I think she was surprised when I said she be number 240 on the list. As I was placing the reserve for her she laughed and said, "Bunch of horny old people! I've had 43 boyfriends since I left my husband during the Regan years. People think I've slept with all of them, but I haven't!"  WOW!! Really lady? This is the kind of random thing you tell the poor, unsuspecting librarian on a Sunday afternoon??

After work we headed back to church for the annual picnic. Our friends joined us this year and I think all the boys had a great time. Ryan left with barbecue sauce and chocolate on his face, dirt on his hands and scrapes all over his shoes. That pretty much equals tons of fun when you're four, right? Between that and the hog roast last night, I'm really glad Duane was in charge of bath time. I'd hate to see how dirty that water was!

Saturday Recap

This entire weekend has been a whirlwind. It flew by and we were so busy that we barely had a moment to breathe.

Yesterday was soccer morning. Ryan's game was first and Wesley's team had pictures before their game.

Look at these gorgeous guys! You know the team picture is going to be great with these two in the front row!

I'm so glad we signed up for soccer. Don't repeat this, but I really love spending Saturday mornings down at the soccer fields. I love watching the boys play. I love cheering for their teams. I love the camaraderie among the parents. It's just a good way to start the day. Of course, it would be better if there was a coffee truck down there, but still, it's not too shabby. I'm just sorry that I'll only get to attend half of their games because of my work schedule.

After soccer we got ready for the annual hog roast. Once again, we ate too much and had a great time. This was the first year that Wesley has really played with some of his cousins up there. They played capture the flag and spies and ran around until they were exhausted.

Wesley found the dress up clothes in the barn. I'm not sure if he's channeling Captain Jack Sparrow or Steve Tyler here.

We couldn't get Ryan off the swing most of the evening.

Wild man!

 

Not even a spill could dampen the fun

I'm pretty sure Wesley was plotting his great adventure here. He and Ryan went into the woods and followed the path for awhile. About the time they wanted to go off the path they ran into Uncle Mark. Wesley told him, "We want to go on an adventure and we need and adult to go with us - but you'll do!"

On the hayride

This is Ryan's "I'm pretending to behave" face

Wesley climbed the fence like a big kid.

Ryan gave it his best shot....

...but Aunt Judy helped him in the end.

A gorgeous sunset

A kid who has eaten one too many s'mores

One heck of a fire!

Wesley loved sitting by the fire and watching the sparks fly into the air. Coincidentally, he saw his first shooting star last night with his Grandma W. and Aunt Melissa. It was pretty magical.

Two wiped out and filthy boys on the way home.

A Little Boy's Love is a Fickle Thing

Today is Ryan's first full morning at preschool and since I don't have to be at work until 9:00 today, I knew I would have time to drop him off if he wanted me take him to school instead of his grandma. I also knew that any change in plans would require me giving Grandma some advance notice, so I asked Ryan last night if he wanted me or Grandma to take him to preschool.

"You," he said without hesitation, "because I love you more than Grandma." (*disclaimer: Grandma knows that Ryan loves her and I know Ryan loves her. It isn't a contest*)

Of course, after declaring his love for me, Ryan turned to Wesley and mock whispered, "But she looks prettier when she doesn't have ponytail."

"I think she looks pretty with it AND without it!" Wesley said. My little defender!

But Ryan didn't agree. "No, pretty without it."

"She looks pretty both ways," Wesley insisted.

And all I could think was, maybe I should come up with something different to do with my hair.

Bits and Pieces(So to Speak)

Ryan has a new trick he likes to do. He likes to hold an adults hands and essentially walk up their legs until he flips over backwards. He'll do this over and over and over. Last weekend he made his Uncle Kirk, our friend Ray and Duane all "do flips" with him - and just about every time we had to tell Ryan to be careful where he stepped because he didn't want to hurt any one's private parts.

"You mean their penis?" he asked.

Yes, Ryan. Exactly.

Yesterday I was helping Ryan "do flips."  After his third flip he turned to me and said, "Sorry Mom. I didn't mean to step on your penis." Um....time for an anatomy lesson?

In somewhat related news, I have now been inside the men's room at our local Target.  We made a quick stop there after soccer tonight and, of course, both boys had to go to the bathroom. I let them go into the men's room together with strict instructions not to talk to anyone except each other.

Now the good thing about Wesley in this situation is that the child never stops talking, so I can stand outside the door and hear his (and Ryan's) non stop chatter and know things are alright. But the boys were pretty darn loud, so I cracked the door open a little bit and yelled, "Wesley and Ryan! You are too loud! Finish up and come on out." I closed the door and heard the sink running so I figured they were done. Imagine my surprise (and embarrassment) when a college guy came out instead.

Oops.

After he left I cracked the door again. "Guys! Hurry up!" They assured me that they were, so I shut the door again. A few moments later another guy entered the restroom. I could still hear my boys chattering away to each other and I could tell Wesley was starting to get annoyed with his little brother. The guy walked out of the restroom and said to me, "There's no one else in there and I think your little guy might need some help." 

So into the men's room I went. Apparently Ryan's underpants had gotten stuck on his soccer cleats (don't ask) so I had to do a little untangling. Ah, the glamorous side of being a mom to two boys.

Exhausted

I don't mean to complain, really I don't, but this month is really taking it out of me - and it's only the 12th!!! 

Here's a snap shot of this week:

Monday: probably the easiest day of this week. I did a full day at work and then went for pedicures with my mom and did a bit of shopping for the boys.

Tuesday: first day of preschool, which means I went to work late. SUPER BUSY at work and spent the evening doing homework, dinner, baking, cleaning, all that stuff

Wednesday: full day of work, Duane ran out to church to pick up our Sunday School lesson plans since we agreed to teach one Sunday a month, I took Ryan with me to a PTA meeting that lasted until almost 8:00, Duane took Wesley to soccer.

Thursday: drop Wesley off at school, take Ryan to preschool and attend a parent hour while he is in class, finish the day at work, Ryan's soccer practice.

Friday: school, preschool, work, prep for cookout on Saturday

Saturday: Wesley's soccer pictures, Wesley's soccer game, Ryan's soccer game, cookout out of town puts us home about 10:00 pm

Sunday: Teaching Sunday School at 10:15, working 1-5, church picnic 5:30 - 7:30 and get ready to start another week that's just as busy.

But you know what? I'm happy. Yes, I'm a little stressed out, but I love everything we are involved in. I love the boys schools, I love soccer (don't repeat that) and I'm happy. Just know that I'm rarely home these days

First Day of Preschool and a Day of Remembering

Today was Ryan's first day of preschool. He has been counting down to today for weeks and I'm pretty sure he thought it would never arrive. Want proof that he was excited? When I got out of the shower at 6:45 this morning, Ryan was already awake, in the kitchen and dressed. That's an excited boy!

We took Wesley to school and then headed to Grandma's for a little bit. Ryan's preschool kind of eases kids into school. Today was only half the class and the session was only an hour, so we had some time to kill before we left. While I was perfectly happy to look at the paper and check my email, I thought the hour we had to wait before leaving for preschool would be the end of Ryan. He kept asking if it was time to leave and never even took his shoes off.

Is it time to go yet?
 

Ryan went into his classroom like an old pro. He found his name tag right away and immediately began to play while I filled out some paperwork.



Ryan's favorite place in the whole classroom is the reading loft

Making himself at home

 



Saying hello to Mirabelle and Daisy, the school rats.



 

Everything went so smoothly with Ryan that is was almost uneventful. Here's hoping that means we're off the start of a great year.  After school we stopped by McDonalds for a special lunch. Ryan insisted on getting a Mighty Kids Meal instead of a Happy Meal because being in preschool means he's officially a big kid.

 

 Of course, the entire time that I was getting Ryan ready for the next step in his life, part of me was thinking about the fact that is the anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the United States. It felt a little strange to go about today like it was any other day when the shadow of what happened 11 years ago was lurking nearby. 

 

I think the thing that bothered me most about going on with daily life today was that I was too...chicken...nervous....afraid to talk to Wesley about the significance of this day. I picked out a red, white and blue shirt for him today, but I never talked about what happened. I didn't take the time to point out that the flag outside the school was at half mast and why. I guess I figure he's still so young, that there's plenty of time to learn how cruel and hateful people can be, but part of me feels like I'm letting all those people who lost their lives that day down.  After dinner tonight I asked if his teachers talked about what happened today in history and he said no. "They didn't mention the towers?" I asked. He said no and I just let it be.

 

How do we even begin to try to talk to kids about 9/11? When is the right time to start? 

 

Not Me Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to http://www.mycharmingkids.net/ to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I do not keeping asking my four year old to get me a chocolate croissant. And he did not respond by gently taking my hand and saying, "Maybe we can get you one tomorrow."

I have not started missing my dad (who is on a long trip out of the country) terribly.

When my old man cat actually came up stairs and got in bed with me for the first time in ages I did not start to worry that he did so because he was getting ready to die.

I did not give my four year old my iPad at 7:30 in the morning so he would leave me along long enough for me to have a cup of coffee in peace.

I did not scream like a little kid finding the present they wanted under the Christmas tree when I got a phone call from my dad and stepmom who are vacationing in England.

I did not decide to "clean up" the fridge and pantry by finishing the martini mix, the brownies and a couple other odds and ends of junk food after dinner.

Some Super Saturday

Wow! Yesterday was a wonderful wonderful day! Both of the boys had their first soccer games in the morning.



Wesley plays for the United

Ryan plays for the Cheetahs

Team Brothers!

Wesley's team was up first. I don't have a ton of pictures because it's really hard to take soccer pictures with a point and shoot camera. You'll just have to trust me that he smiled A LOT and played hard!

Ryan's game started about 15 minutes after Wesley's game ended. Since Ryan plays for the Tiny Tots division, the kids are a bit younger, the field is smaller and the game is much more chaotic.  It was so much fun to watch!

Coach started Ryan off at goalie since the kid can't keep his hands off the ball at practice. So of course, Ryan refused to touch the ball while he was goalie and just kicked it away whenever it came near.

Wesley was entertained by the young friend of one of Ryan's teammates.

 

Last night was my staff picnic out at my supervisor's house. We had a wonderful time! There were dogs and kids and good food everywhere! Wesley got to coo over a few babies and even got to hold my friend's newborn. He loved her! 

Ryan didn't care too much about the babies, but he loved all the dogs. His favorite was the pug that the library director owns. Ryan was determined to hold little George, but George was a wild pup last night and didn't stop moving for a moment!

The punching bag was a hit with the boys. Bad pun intended.

Wesley might have a bit of a dare devil streak in him after all. He walked the ledge of the foot bride over and over and over (often without assistance from me or Daddy)

If there is a place to throw rocks into water, Ryan will find it.

Ryan ate a bunch of marshmallows off a roasting stick. He didn't bother toasting the marshmallows though - that would have taken too long!

Wesley neglected to eat any dinner, but did have several s'mores.

The puppy play pen made a great brother cage. 

On the way home from the picnic, I asked the boys what their favorite part of the picnic was. They both decided that their favorite part was everything! I call that a successful evening.

Short Stories

Today was one of those days when I wish I had a recorder going around my kids at all times...

One of Duane's co-workers is raising chickens and gave us a couple of dozen eggs a week or so ago. The eggs were brown and had incredibly rich deep orange yolks. They were delicious, but Wesley was very suspicious of them and after a day or two, he refused to eat them. This morning I asked Wesley what he wanted for breakfast.

"Pancake, bacon and egg, but could you please not make it one of those chicken eggs?" he answered.

I explained to Wesley that the orange eggs were actually fresh farm eggs and the others came from the store, but they were all chicken eggs.

"I like the store eggs!" he told me.
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Ryan told me about his imaginary cat. "Fluffy Kitten is a mommy even though he's a boy cat. I don't know how that happened."  Gee kiddo, I'm not sure how that happened either.
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A short time later Ryan told me "Fluffy Kitten changed his name to Perfect Cat because he's gooder than that." Guess his language isn't perfect though.
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Wesley continued telling Ryan everything he will need to know about starting preschool. "Remember Ryan, preschool isn't just about recess or playing in the rumpus room. It's about learning. It's about making new friends. It's about listening to your teachers. It's about practing your manners. Plus you get to have snack every day!"

Preschool Practice

Ryan starts preschool next week and we go to Open House to see his room and meet his teachers later this week. Ryan has been so excited about going to preschool and Wesley keeps talking up how much fun Ryan will have.

Ryan must be paying attention to all the preschool talk. Yesterday he was talking about when his "little kitten" (totally imaginary) will to to preschool next week. The kitten's school is called "Overmeow" and it's teachers are "Mrs. Meow and Mrs. Meowler" - just like Ryan has two teachers. Ryan has also decided that the little kitten's grandma teaches at the preschool as well and is a great teacher. Makes perfect sense considering two of Ryan's three grandmothers are former teachers.

Wesley made Ryan a book to practice reading and even made a little report card of things Ryan would need to do at preschool. They practiced the behaviors and you'll be happy to know that Ryan received very good marks.

I just hope next week goes half as smoothly.

Wesley-style Dagwood

Wesley - the original picky eater - has come up with his idea of a dream sandwich. He wants to try one of his grandma's grilled cheese sandwiches with a sliced hot dog and bacon inside. That doesn't even sound a little bit good to me, but he keeps talking about it, so I may let him try it.

Mom's Secret Ingredient

Ryan is a pretty picky eater these days. Last night we were having a hash of sausage and potatoes topped with egg for dinner. I knew Wesley would eat it if we gave him sausage and egg not touching his potatoes, but there was zero chance Ryan would eat any of it.  I decided to make some drop biscuits to have with it, figuring he'd at least eat a biscuit and some fruit.

"Hey, Ryan, I'm making drop biscuits to have with dinner," I told him, hoping to get him excited for dinner.

His response? "Mom, what's a drop?"

So much for dinnertime excitement.

Not Me Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to http://www.mycharmingkids.net/ to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I did not neglect to take a single picture at my child's birthday party. What kind of mom does that?

I did not copy a recipe out of a cookbook to make for dinner, and return the book I copied it out of, only to have Duane realize (as he was cooking) that I only copied half of the recipe.

I did not call the peditrician to double check the time of Wesley's well child appointment AFTER they had already left a message confirming the time because I wrote it down wrong but was sure it was their mistake.

I did not drop a newly opened box of cocoa powder on the kitchen floor. No way that happened. None.

Lazy Labor Day Weekend

I love being lazy. We got up and went to church this morning, but I am being a complete bum the rest of the weekend. I took a bubble bath. I'm reading a werewolf romance novel. I'm painting my toe nails. I'm in ratty jeans and a tee shirt. And I'm perfectly happy.

Well, nearly perfectly happy. French fries would really make it all better.

Now THAT'S Tired

Ryan has gotten in the bad habit of coming into our bed during the night. I guess it wouldn't be so bad except for fact that he moves around all the time and Duane and I end up losing sleep and get bruises from Ryan's flailing. 

I have to work today so at about 7:40 I turned the lights on in our room. Duane had moved to Ryan's room, but Ryan was still sleeping. He started whining as soon as the lights came on and saying that he was still tired and still wanted to sleep.

"Well, if you would sleep in your own bed, it wouldn't bother you that I am getting ready for work. Why don't you go get in your bed?"

Ryan replied, "But I'm too tired. I need someone to do it for me."