First Casualty of Spring

Posted April 30th, 2007 by Mom | Comments (0)

We have mowed the lawn for the first time this spring. Every time before I mow (B weed eats, edges and cleans up the clippings on the sidewalks, etc.), I tell C and J to help me pick up their toys that have been strewn all over the garage and backyard. If they don’t pick up their toys, I don’t have much sympathy if I happen to miss one of them and it gets shredded by the mower.

Today though, I am a little bit more upset. The first casualty of the mower this season was a red imperial yo-yo. It happened to be MINE! I had let the kids play with it and …

I guess I can chalk this up to the pages of other items that have been sacrificed for the love of motherhood. Such as:

• at least one set of headphones
• my yellow hand-held Sony tape deck that I remember taking to camp YEARS ago that held special sentimental value
• numerous tapes (doubt that anybody will miss most of them – Tiffany, Starship, Chicago, Debbie Gibson) that have been unwound just to watch them unwind (or so I was told)
• at least one Barbie doll that has been beheaded and dismembered
• one beautiful hot pink bottle of nail polish that C found out was breakable when it shattered on the bathroom tile
• and numerous childhood toys that were mine (thanks Mom and Dad for saving them for my children – I didn’t realize how C and J would enjoy them!) that have been loved into pieces.

Considering all the smiles that I have enjoyed seeing on their faces, toys aren’t that important. I’m sure there will be more casualties to come. Happy mowing days are here to stay for awhile!

Fun and Laughter

Posted April 29th, 2007 by Mom | Comments (0)

Almost every night, I sing to J a song that I made up soon after he was born. Sometimes he requests his song, sometimes I volunteer. It goes like this:

J-, J- precious boy,
you’re your mama’s bundle of joy
with your eyes bright and blue
and your smile ever true,
J-, J- precious boy,
you’re your mama’s bundle of joy!

C also has his song that I made up shortly after he was born. It goes like this:

Oh C-, Oh C-,
Mommy loves you so.
Oh C-, Oh C-
you’re my precious boy.
you light my life and make me smile
each and every day
Oh C-, Oh C-
Mommy loves you so!

J and C can be so funny and can make me smile (and/or laugh) everyday. Here are some examples:

1. J had been playing with a toy truck outside in the sandbox. He brought it in stating that it needed to be washed and proceeded to the refrigerator to “wash” it where the water sprays out so we can fill water glass in the refrigerator door. Needless to say, J started whining that he was wet from the water spraying him! After changing his clothes, I got to wash the truck in the sink.

2. J loves riding his tricycle (that was mine when I was little). Sometimes it is his tricycle, sometimes he calls it his “ride on lawnmower,” “weedeater,” “train,” “telephone line repair truck,” “giant excavator,” etc. Always a surprise what he is riding in his imagination.

3. C enjoys walking around with headphones on, carrying my I-pod. He knows how the buttons work, even though he hasn’t mastered reading yet. The kid is technologically savvy.

4. C and J love to play “rough and tumble” with Daddy, but are mostly gentle with Mommy calling me a “fragile flower.” How sweet!

5. After C’s t-ball game yesterday, B and I took the boys to get ice cream. C decided that he would rather go home (he was REALLY tired) so I got C and J their ice cream to bring home. When we got home, J was eating his ice cream and said, “Mommy, please warm up my ice cream.” (?)

These boys can be so rambunctious, but can also be so much fun! Goodness, my life would be very dull without them. Thank you, God, for letting us borrow these angels!

Peter Pan Syndrome

Posted April 26th, 2007 by Mom | Comments (1)

This evening for bedtime, Daddy B and I switched up kids. C wanted me to put him in bed, so Daddy got to spend some extra quality time with J.

As I was rocking C, we talked about a variety of topics. The first recurring topic was on the lavender crocheted blanket that I made that is on his bed. He wanted to know all about how I made it and when.

I told C in detail how Ms. Denise taught me how to crochet a long time ago (I believe I was pregnant with C) and that this lavender blanket was my first blanket to crochet. As he would find out one day, if he folded the blanket he would see that the corners don’t match up. As this was my first blanket to crochet, I made a lot of mistakes in it. After I finished making the blanket, I wasn’t proud of it, but couldn’t bring myself to throw it in the trash. I ended up folding it as neatly as possible, given it’s unintentional wavy edges, and placing it in the top of the boys’ bathroom linen closet.

One day a couple of years ago, C looked in the linen closet and saw the pretty colored blanket in the top of the closet. He asked about it and I got it down. After being put away for awhile, I could see it differently. It is very pretty – I love lavender – and is incredibly soft. C didn’t look at the flaws. He just marveled at being able to cuddle up in a warm, soft, pretty blanket that Mommy made. I gave C that blanket. I hope he is always able to see the good in everything and not the imperfections. I love his childhood innocence.

While I was rocking C, we were wrapped up in a gold colored knitted afghan that belonged to my parents. I remember being a little girl and my mom wrapping me up in this same blanket. I also remember coming home from grammar school and college classes and taking naps on the playroom couch, wrapped in this same gold blanket. I told C all about this blanket as well. When Daddy B and I got married, my mom gave me this blanket, knowing how much I had loved it. It’s amazing how some objects can hold so many memories. (B calls my blanket “ugly” and I comment on his blanket that his Grandma made for him when he was a child. B’s Grandma took one of his bed sheets to use as one side of the blanket and the other side is “rust” colored in B’s eyes – to the rest of the world it is “dark rose pink,” which I like to say to combat his comment about my blanket. I love you, Sweetheart! It is so much fun to laugh with you!)

I told C all about the gold blanket as we rocked. This led to a discussion about him getting married one day and how he could cuddle up in his lavender blanket one day at his house. Here is how the discussion went:
Mommy: When you get married you can take this lavender blanket with you to your house and cuddle up with it.
C: (long pause) Are you coming with me to my house?
Mommy: When you get married, you will want your own house.
C: No, I’m staying here.
Mommy: Well, by the time you decide to get married, you will have a job and maybe we can sell this house and you and Daddy can buy a bigger house for us all to live in.
C: Why do we need a bigger house?
Mommy: I guess we don’t. Okay, we will all live here together.
C: I don’t want to get married. I want to stay here with you always.
Mommy: You know what? I was 22 when I got married. You are almost 5. You have a long time to decide if you want to get married. If you don’t want to get married, that is fine, too.
C: (another long pause) As long as I can stay with you. You make me happy and feel good rocking me. I want to stay with you all day. I love you, Mommy.
Mommy: I love you too, my precious Angel Boy.

As C was getting drowsy, I rocked more – wrapped up, warm and content. When C is getting sleepy, he likes to have my hand on him. Sometimes he wants my hand on his back, sometimes his cheek. Tonight, as I had one arm wrapped around him, he wanted my other hand on his forehead, as to not be in the way of him sucking his thumb with the blue blanket that Nana and I have kept going for almost 5 years. I know he is growing up. He knows it too. But sometimes, being rocked to sleep feels really good.

C’s first t-ball game

Posted April 24th, 2007 by Mom | Comments (0)

Well, C’s Bulldogs team had their first official game last night. Since every player gets to bat in each inning (there were only 2 innings since the game is maximum of 1 hour), there is no official score keeper or score. However, after the game is snack time – so all the kids win!

This was the first time that C wore his uniform. His team has red shirts with Bulldogs written on them and blue and red hats. I got him some youth white baseball pants since Coach Scott wanted them all to wear white pants. Poor little C – the extra small youth pants were still too big for him. I ended up sewing a 1 inch pleat (folded material took up 2 inches) into the back waistband to make them fit. All the kids but 1 are taller than him – some by as much as 10 inches. I’m sure he will catch up. As B pointed out, C will be 5 next month and some of the kids are 6 or 7 years old.

At the start of the game was the announcement of the players and C ran out like a pro and stood with his coaches and team. Then came the national anthem and C stood still with the others for most of the music – at one point he turned and waved at Daddy.

C can really hit the ball! I was quite impressed. He also gently dropped the bat instead of throwing or swinging it hard when starting to run to 1st base. C knew his bases and followed the 1st and 3rd base coaches’ instructions. Once on 3rd base, C waved at me and called out “I love you!” Sweet boy!

All of this made up for his lack of enthusiasm in the outfield. C preferred to run from his place in the outfield to the second base and prevent the other team’s runners from getting on base. Not quite sure what that was all about. I told him that he was supposed to gather the t-ball into his glove and throw it to 1st base, but his only comment was that “running to the base was fun.” Coach Scott was really gentle about guiding C back to his position in the outfield.

All in all, I was really thrilled at C’s performance. He obeyed the coaches and was nice. At the end of the game, the teams lined up to “high five” each other. I don’t think C has ever seen this done and ended up playing with his hat instead. We’ll discuss it before the next game to help him mentally prepare.

This reminds me – about hats… The batter wears a helmet to bat and keeps it on throughout their run on the bases. C is so little, including his head that the hat he had on (over his baseball cap for extra filler in the helmet) still kept falling forward or backwards on his head and, of course, he liked to help it move forward and backwards. This was quite a distraction for him while on base. Today I took him to the sporting goods store and bought him a helmet that fits his little head. He loves it! C even wore it in the car tonight to go get tacos. I told him he could take it to rest time and bed time too. (When he finally fell asleep at rest time, he didn’t have it on. I guess he figured out that it wasn’t comfortable to sleep in.)

Little fella is growing up. He has an amazing throwing arm. A couple of days ago, B and I took the boys to the ball field to practice. I asked C to throw the ball to me and I had my glove ready. B told me to back up or I would get hit. I backed up a few steps and thought I was ready. I wasn’t. I realized that as the ball went sailing past me!

Another amazing thing… C is right handed and throws right handed. The little thing feels more comfortable batting left handed! It is a sight to see! The assistant coach set him up to bat the second inning and positioned him to bat right handed. C was quite awkward until the coach heard the audience yell to turn him around. The coach let C turn to bat left handed and Swing – Contact – Run! Go C!!!!!

For those of you reading this… when you see C in the major league, you can comment that you knew him when he was just a tot playing t-ball!

TGI spring!

Posted April 24th, 2007 by Mom | Comments (0)

This afternoon, C and J spent most of their play time outside. There were the occasional sprinkles of rain, but for the most part, the day was great!

The boys and I are so thrilled that the weather is warming up. They like playing outside and I like the house staying less cluttered with their toys, however we spend quite a bit of time picking up the outside toys when it is time to mow the grass…

I think that these boys would have been happier being born in a swimming pool instead of a hospital – they love water that much.

At one point I looked out the window to see the boys disrobed and playing with the water hose. As J would say (with a huge grin all over his face), “we’re nek-kid (naked)!”

Miscellaneous items to blog

Posted April 18th, 2007 by Mom | Comments (0)

The way J says the word “drink” – dwink

The way J says the word “egg” – with multiple syllables: short e, ah, g (e-ah-g)

That B often jokingly (I hope!) comments that the boys talk like their Mom (me) and that he will have to take them to a different part of the country to get rid of their accent or the boys will never be able to get jobs outside of this region of the country.

That the boys took a 3 lb. container of gummy bears out to their fort and spread about 1/2 the container out all over the second story floor..then got angry when I swept them up and put them in the garbage. (think gummies mixed with sand…)

The boys LOVE to be pushed in their swings.

C has been keeping his bed and cotton underwear dry for over a week (with just 1 accident – the night after we had a babysitter that evening).

We no longer have hershey chocolate syrup in the refrigerator because I caught J one time too many with the bottle turned up to his mouth…

C is loving playing t-ball. His team is called the Bulldogs.

I am not supposed to touch the thermostat in our home because B tells me that the house is comfortable and that my personal thermostat “is broken” (I am always cold and sleep with my side of the heating blanket on – even in the summer!)

The top of our entertainment center in the living room is getting too cluttered with toys that are taken away from C and J. C and J have to “earn” their toys back by being nice. The toys stay out of reach of the boys for at least 1 week before they can be earned back. So far, they are having more toys taken away than are being given back… It goes in cycles. I have noticed that J has hit the “terrible threes.” 3 is so much more worse than 2. I’m glad that C has proven that this stage only last awhile since he is getting to be nice regularly.

I get easily angry at myself that I cannot do everything. I don’t like to be dependent, but I need help to move C’s furniture so I can paint his walls as part of his room makeover for his 5th birthday next month. I guess B and I will do that this weekend.

The joyful lack of noise in the house when the boys are napping peacefully.