Did you learn anything?

Posted September 25th, 2007 by Mom | Comments (0)

How about the second time you made the mess? Did you learn anything then?

Yesterday the boys and I were playing outside (well, I was sitting outside writing postcards to my 3 year old choir and the boys were playing…) and it was a little warm. J came inside to get something to drink - remembering that his cup - without a lid! - was on the kitchen counter. A moment later J comes back outside to tell me that “I spilled some milk on purpose. It was an accident.” (well, he’s learning the words, now lets work on the definitions.)

I came inside to get some paper towels for him to clean up the floor and lower kitchen cabinets while I cleaned the counter and the higher parts of the cabinets. Not even waiting until I had finished, I watched J, the 39 inches that he is, pick up his cup (he dumped out C’s cup initially, I guess thinking it was his, or not caring that it was C’s, just seeing if C had something better than his own milk, maybe?! Who knows, this is J we’re talking about!).

I watched J pick up his cup, tilt it sideways to see what was in it, since he couldn’t see into it from his vantage point on the floor, and milk proceeded to pour out of it onto the counter. Again. Onto the counter. Onto the floor.

Okay, J didn’t figure it out the first time that stuff in a cup will pour out, some of it onto you, if you turn a cup sideways). This time after the milk spilled I told him that it would be better to pick up the cup from now on and bring it down to him to look inside the cup instead of tilting it.

Think J and I will be cleaning up another mess like this?

Oh, I failed to mention that there is a step stool in the kitchen food prep area the the kids use often to get stuff off of the counter and to help me cook. Why wasn’t the stool used to look inside the milk cup while it was still on the counter?

No use crying over spilled milk. (Sorry, I just had to add that! )

I don’t feel good

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

On the retreat this weekend, I didn’t feel very good. I slept most of the way there and a good part of the way home. I only sleep in the car when I’m sick. My fever at the doctor’s office this morning confirmed this fact. I was diagnosed with a sinus infection and bronchitis. I’ve got enough medicines and samples to fill a small pharmacy including medicine to use in J’s nebulizer to help me breathe. My pulse oxygen was down and my heart rate was up - another indicator of my respiratory distress.

I will be on antibiotic for 10 days in addition to increased asthma medicines, decongestants, mucus thinner, and tylenol. Boys, please play quietly together for awhile and let Mommy get better fast!

Chopped Liver

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

B and I took C on our annual Sunday School retreat this past weekend (first time for C to come with us!). We went with 7 other couples and some of their kids to Cadiz, KY and rented an 8 bedroom house. It was an awesome trip. The house even had a fort/play area for kids. C spend a lot of time swinging and I spent a lot of time relaxing in the hammock watching him.

Angie and I went (sans kids!) to the farmer’s market (I wanted squash and she got whole okra) and browsed a huge antique shop (it had 3 floors!). Several glorious hours. Sunday School was Saturday night at 9. C sat/stretched out between B and myself on a couch, leaned up on B, and fell asleep. Poor B - he was numb from the chest down, not wanting to move and awaken C until after the lesson was completed.

C loved the pontoon boat. The class rented one for all day Saturday and B took C out on it Saturday mid/late morning while Angie and I shopped and then while B went out with the guys after lunch, I took C out again on the boat. This explains why C fell asleep on the couch - no naps either day.

Around Saturday evening, C started missing J and inquired if J could come on the next trip and where was J staying since we weren’t home, among other J related questions. It was good to see that C was missing his brother. (On the other hand, I am told that J didn’t inquire about any of us the entire weekend, until Nana was bringing J home and J asked, “Will Mommy be there?”

We returned home to J who was in the loving care of my parents for the weekend. My mom brought J home for rest time after church, but since we were to be returning home soon, B called and requested that Nana keep J awake so we could let C rest at the same time. As soon as we pulled into the driveway, J came out to greet us. B bent down and opened his arms wide. J ran around B and directly to me - almost knocking me down while saying, “Mommy” loudly and then patted my arm as I picked him up. B tried again to get some affection out of J, but J wasn’t accommodating. B said, “Well, I guess I must be chopped liver and will get the suitcases! ” Finally at rest time a little later, J wouldn’t rest for me, but let B rock him for awhile. B finally got his loving.

I took the boys to church last night for choir. C was really good in his class, J on the other had was really good, but wouldn’t let me go more than a foot away from him the entire evening! It feels good to be missed!

B’s toy opinion

Posted September 23rd, 2007 by Mom | Comments (0)

According to B, all McDonald’s toys are “McCrap”…

9-18-2007 Ramblings

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

Tonight was girls’ night out. Thanks Kari for hosting! Can’t wait to get the recipe for the chocolate chip weight watchers cake! It was hard to not get another piece. I’m glad Donna cleared the plates before I couldn’t help myself!!

I am going to try to blog everything that is in my mind right now so maybe I will have a better chance of getting to sleep tonight before 2 or 3 a.m. like the past 3 nights. I really need a good night’s sleep.

Today the boys went to the dentist for their six month checkups. J is doing great brushing, C needs to brush a little better on the inside, back of his mouth. Both boys were great in the dentist chair and received new toothbrushes with suction cup bottoms on them so the toothbrushes can stick to the counter (or even the mirror as the hygienist told them - I guess sticking a toothbrush to a mirror is cool to a little kid - C liked sticking his to the wall!). C sat in the dentist chair all by himself and even let Ms. Rachel use the electric toothbrush to clean his teeth. J sat in my lap and was afraid of the electric toothbrush, but did let Ms. Rachel clean his teeth with the dentist toothpaste on his new toothbrush. Both boys loved the water squirting in their mouths and being suctioned away. This made them laugh lots.

After the dentist we had a couple of errands to do. On the way to one store, we were stopped at a stoplight and could see in the distance an excavator working to knock down a very old, large tree to make room for the road expansion. As we got closer, I saw a town vehicle parked near the site and pulled over to inquire if we could park and watch. The engineer told us where to park and C and J really enjoyed watching the excavator dig around the tree and get back in the street, while traffic was stopped, to knock the tree down into the open grassy area. Watching the tree come down took about 10 minutes, but I hoped the moment would stick in the boys’ heads for awhile. (Actually, it was really cool for me to watch, too!)

We continued on to do our errands and at the last stop the kids were really acting up.  I knew I shouldn’t have taken the boys with me to pick out a pair of pants, but my store credit was to expire today and I didn’t want to waste it.  When we got home, I would have put the kids to rest time immediately, but knew they needed lunch before napping (not that it really mattered, because they didn’t nap - they are outgrowing this phase, unfortunately!!!!)

I prepared peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for them - C’s with crunchy peanut butter and J’s with smooth peanut butter.  I got a phone call from a friend and sat down to chat with Sophia and wasn’t paying much attention to the boys as they ate.  At one point I looked over and J was standing at the table and then was back in the living room.  I thought maybe he had sneaked a piece of his sandwich with him to play and eat.  Granted, an infraction of the house rules, but was enjoying my conversation.

After the boys were finished, they played in the living room for a little bit until I got off the phone and told them that it was rest time.  J started crying that “I didn’t get to eat my sanwich.”  I looked back at his plate on the kitchen table and it was empty, except for some crumbs.  I told J that he must have not realized that he was  eating all of his sandwich, but his plate was empty.  J repeated again, “I didn’t get to eat my wunch!”  By then I was concerned because a sandwich should have filled J up - definitely along with the cup of milk.  I looked at C and C said, “I ate it.”  Looking back at the kitchen table, C had obviously eaten BOTH sandwiches - 4 whole pieces of bread with peanut butter and jelly and a cup of milk!  Obviously C is about to go through another growth spurt.  I didn’t know his tummy would hold that much!  I made J another sandwich and let him eat it while I got C settled in bed and then put J in bed for rest time.

This evening while I was at Kari’s, B took the boys to dinner with Grandma.  B told me that C and J were on their best behavior, even on the ride home.  As they were coming home, they were on the same road as the tree that was knocked down.  B told me that C started telling him all about watching the excavator and the tree coming down and about the wood chipper that would come next week and chop up the tree.  B though C was making all of the story up, until C told him, in one long 10 minute sentence, that Mommy took them today and parked the car near the tree and excavator…  J even added to the details per B!  I guess this was time well spent today.  It’s not often you see a huge tree knocked down!

What a day - maybe I can sleep now…

?

Posted September 17th, 2007 by Mom | Comments (2)

This morning B asked me if I got up in the middle of the night.  I said, “yes” and went about getting myself ready for work.  Later I was thinking…

1.  Did you wake up and notice I wasn’t there and come to find me?  If so, I didn’t see you.  I must have been checking on the kids or changing loads in the washer/dryer around 3 am.

2.  Did you wake up and notice I wasn’t there, think about coming to find me but fell asleep before looking for me?

3.   Did you wake up and notice I wasn’t there, figure I had insomnia like usual, and then fell back asleep?

4.  Wake up this morning to find that the kitchen and living room were much neater than when we went to bed?

5.  Wake up this morning to find that your clothes had been picked up off the bedroom floor and washed and put away?

6.  Were you just making conversation this morning?

I wonder if all people have random thoughts like these…  Sometimes I just can’t seem to turn my mind off.  Maybe this is why I have trouble sleeping.