Ode to the Children In My Life

Dear Boys,

I can't believe you haven't picked up on this yet, but the thing that drives mommy the most bananas is when you scream (at each other, at me doesn't matter).  I have far less patience for it then you think.

If you scream about something you are almost immediately not going to get it.  Even if it would have been a legitimate request or it really was your turn.

Even if it was your turn, or your brother was driving you crazy, hitting is not ok.  I do not hit you when you drive me bananas. Please have the same respect for one another.

Please stop fighting with one another. Your piece of Grandma bread is no bigger then your brothers. How do I know? I now weigh them on the scale.

When I say no, I mean no. Once upon a time the crying and begging worked. It no longer does. At. all.

Your mama is every bit as stubborn as you are.  Where do you think it comes from?


Dear Stella,

There are some things that I am confident you will eventually figure out...

If you continuously grab the boys' food at the table, you will then be relegated to eating your breakfast in your high chair. End of story.

I can't defend your right to go into the playroom when they are watching the computer if you only want to slam the keys and pull it away from them.  If you just play with everything else in there I totally have your back.

If you hit Grant with your sippy cup in the car(and I know this is on purpose darling little one because it's ONLY Grant that you hit) then you get your sippy cup taken away from you.

I know that you don't love being buckled into the cart at the grocery store.  But you also won't stop trying to climb out of said cart so you leave me no choice.

I go to the bathroom by myself.  No amount of hitting the door and yelling at me will change that.  You are fine for the few minutes this takes I assure you.

I am almost completely immune to bottom lip action. P.S. Grant's was TOTALLY better.


I love you all,

Love,

Mom/Auntie Karen

Will I Have a Ross?

Aid loves dinosaurs.  This is nothing new.  Of coarse when it started we all thought it was a phase.  Three years later it is clear it is not a phase.  He is fascinated by them and is never uninterested.  He continues to learn more about them including venturing into their organ make up and how they are related to animals now.

Aid is learning about reptiles and amphibians at school right now.  His teacher was very impressed when he spouted off to the class that "dinosaurs were the oldest reptiles!"  He brought in some books to share and was very pleased with himself for making the connection.

As we were reading this dinosaur encyclopedia (one of many) he was pointing out which ones were reptiles and which ones were amphibians.  "Aid," I asked, "how do you know that a Ichthyostega is an amphibian and not a reptile?"

He sighed.  "I told you before mom....because my brain tells me that I am a paleontologist.  I just know these things."

It will not surprise me for one second if he actually becomes one some day. Not one bit.

Siblings

Me and my sister have had what I would call the typical sibling relationship.  She apparently ruined my life by being born and I spent my entire childhood annoyed that she had to do the same things I did.  Had to play on the same teams, go to the same schools, etc.  Oh it drove me bananas.  My mother would tell me that it was because she looked up to me that she wanted to do the same things.  That only made me feel not heard by my mother.  Dear Lord I have always been a sensitive thing.

But now I have two children and I see that very dynamic playing out between them.  I am reading up and trying desperately to acknowledge that for Aid, Grant ruined his life by being born.  I get it.  Trust me, from one older sibling to the other I get it.  But I now have more empathy for my little sister because I watch Grant.  And he worships Aid.  Adores him.  Wants to do everything the same.  It's a delicate balance between not letting Grant just pick/do something that's the same as Aid, but not letting Aid dictate what Grant can and cannot have and can and cannot do.  It's exhausting most days.

Being in Minnesota has made me appreciate and miss my family more then I realized it would.  There is always a lot of drama in my family (not necessarily my immediate family) and when we first moved here the calmness was a breath of fresh air.  But the one person I desperately miss is my sister.  I wish I lived close to her.  I wish we were raising our children together.  I wish I could spontaneously drop by her place after work when I'm mad at Bob.  I wish we could plan impromptu park play dates after school.  I wish I could be there for every special moment of my niece's and soon to be nephew's life.

Ironically my move to Minnesota has strengthened the bond between me and my sister.  She truly is one of my best friends and I can't believe it has taken me so long to appreciate her.  I knew I would miss her.  But I had no idea how much.

I love you baby sis.  And Aiden and Grant:  My hope for you is that even though as children you will fight like crazy, that as adults you find a friendship.  Because while you are born into a family, you must actively work to maintain that family and not take it for granted.  Ever.

Missing you Laura.

Conversations

I am watching Grace this morning.  After two accidents I was more then happy when she asked for my help in going poop in the potty.  Since we are in the beginning stages of potty training with Grant, I asked Grace if he could come watch her go. "Sure!"

Upon Grace finishing, and us cheering her on, Grant looked in the toilet. "GRACE!! YOU POOPED A SNAKE!?" Grant yelled very concerned...and intrigued.  Then he tried to encourage her to go in a diaper because then "Mommy will just pick it up for you and throw it in the garbage!" (Thanks Grant)

Then Grace showed Grant how she pulls up her big girl panties. Grant was again mesmerized. "GRACE! THOSE ARE BEAUTIFUL!!"

"No, Grant, they are just princess panties..."

"Oh. Well I don't want princess panties. And I don't want to poop snakes."

Priceless.

Catastophe

Aid had a table fall on his head.  We went to the ER, which was not a fun experience, and he came out of it with two black eyes a second forehead and a dinosaur book.  And a valuable lesson that we don't swing from tables....

It's been awhile (this happened in November) but I didn't have the memory card to upload the pictures.  If you can believe it this is not the worst that it looked.  The following morning both eyes were swollen shut.  He still has slight bruising under his eyes, but they look more like he hasn't slept in weeks.  I can't believe how long it has taken him to heal. 

My poor baby.

For Crying Out Loud

So many of you know about my camera debacle.  I almost can't talk about it I'm so mad.

Just under a year ago Bob bought me a new camera.  He knows that I can be a little hard on cameras, or more accurately, I'm a little careless with them and leave them within reach of the 3 and 5 year old...who are rough on cameras.  So he bought the diamond warranty.  Basically I could drop kick the camera off of the house and they would fix it for me.

So when I had to take it in a few months after I got it we both had a good chuckle.  It surprised neither of us.  The lens was having some difficulty opening and we assumed the 3 year old had gotten a hold of it again.  7 weeks later I got the camera back.  This time it lasted for another couple of months before the same problem started happening.  The lens won't open properly and then it shuts down.  I was slightly irritated this time because I really had been vigilant about putting it away in it's case.  The man working commented that it sounded like it may be a lemon and they should just give me a new camera.  8 weeks later it came back.  This time it only worked for about a week.  I went back to the store livid.  The saleswoman made the same comment about it being a lemon.  "Great, so can I get a replacement?"  She explained that the manufacturer had to determine if it was a lemon....which would take the same 6-9 weeks as the repair.  I turned it in just before Christmas.  12 weeks later I got my postcard saying it was done.  I anxiously awaited Bob to return with it.  This time it didn't even open. AT. ALL.  Several swear words escaped and I immediately called them.  They said to again bring it in and they would send it back.  "You're kidding right?"  At least this time it was the same woman who I had turned it into before so not only had she already heard the whole story but seemed equally upset on my behalf.  She spoke to a manager who again explained that only the manufacturer could determine if it was a lemon.  She promised me that she was not going to just turn it in but she was going to contact the manufacturer rep that they worked with and plead my case.  She got all of the documentation in order and has promised to call me tomorrow.  The kicker?  The manager explained that if the company replaces their lemon then the terms of the warranty have been met so we would not have a warranty on the new camera? So what you're telling me is I have basically bought two cameras (the warranty was basically the same price as the camera) and now won't have coverage? That doesn't seem fair to me at all.  And what about customer satisfaction? I half expected the store to offer me a warranty for having had to go through this for the last year.  But no. Customer service is a thing of the past and it's more about bottom line.

That said, they did loan me a camera until this gets resolved since it has been since before Christmas since I have had one at all.  What made me sad was the gap in how big they all grew.  I know that I was more in those moments rather then trying to capture them, but still just a little sad that I missed documenting them....

BEFORE:

Yep. I last had a camera at our first snow of the year.

Stella was still doing tummy time.  (Don't let this smile deceive you, she hated every second!

Some play ground play before the first snow....

Castle building....

Naked fort building...(what? That's not how you play it?)

AFTER:


Ah brothers...

I can't promise the best pictures with the camera on loan....it's not great. (and I have few requirements) but at least it's something.

Good grief.

Drink!

I found an old box of Jenga up in the boys' closet and thought they would enjoy playing around with the blocks.  Boy was I right.  Aid, in particular, has been obsessing and building intricate dragons and castles and dinosaurs with the blocks.  I am really impressed with his creativity and use of symmetry.  The creations really do look like dragons.

There is one catch that I will fix come pay day....

Turns out the Jenga blocks were also used as a drinking game in college. So while I am praising Aid (who Thank God can't read yet) on his dragon sculpture, I'm reading the game directions on each block and trying to remember what an "alcohol popper" was.

And feeling old.