Why chase them when you can make your very own using just the bathroom faucet, and then play in pool of water you just created on the bathroom floor... AFTER bedtime... and WITHOUT telling mom and dad?!?!? TLC - a wise band indeed. I've learned an important lesson recently - one I learned a long time ago when we were in the diaper-taking-off phase, but one of which I've recently been reminded. When it is bedtime, never trust a quiet John Dickson. If he isn't swimming in his pjs on the bathroom floor, he has sneaked (snuck?) the new bottle of coconut ginger handsoap into his bed and in the morning, the top 5 inches will be empty and the top will be MIA. We literally cannot keep him under control, because we simply cannot predict what he will try next. He's like a kid ninja.
So we've landed on Halloween costume choices for the boys this year - get ready for Captain Hook and Peter Pan. I'm particularly excited about Captain Hook - can't wait to see John Dickson rock a mustache. And no worries, he's already perfected his bad guy laugh. It's something he came up with all on his own, and it is hi-larious. Think Joey and Phoebe evil plan laugh.
We went to a used book sale a few weeks ago, and John Dickson picked out this book called "The Healthy Wolf." The premise of the book is that you have to brush your teeth, exercise, and eat healthy. Eating healthy is only about 2 pages of the book, and includes 3 don't eats, and 3 do eats. I had NO IDEA how much impact this book would have on John Dickson, but the kid is on a super health kick. Everytime he eats something healthy, he announces it, and he has been eating EVERYTHING I have given him. It helps that Adam gets home after dinner, because I tend to distract the kids at the table with nothing but vegetables while I cook the rest of the dinner. And not just in the vegetable realm - the child is eating all kinds of foods he has never eaten before. Nuts, asparagus, brussels sprouts (an old favorite turned anti-favorite turned acceptable), carrots (RAW - thats huge for him, and cooked), apples (again, raw - the child doesn't like any raw foods that he has to crunch), applesauce (also big - shield your eyes Papa - he doesn't even like apple pie or any apple-y desserts), butternut squash soup, and even rice and potatoes (not a starch side person). And other foods that he likes but doesn't necessarily eat much of he is eating like crazy.
Henry on the other hand continues to eat pretty much everything, but still favors fruits and meat. We're having some trouble getting him to eat some of his vegetables, but if he is hungry, lima beans, peas, corn and baked beans get inhaled. I tried to cut asparagus and put little pieces into his mashed potatoes, but he would just suck them clean, make a super annoyed face as he pulled it off his tongue, and then throw it angrily onto the floor. Bear is a well fed dog these days. The other day my plan to feed the kids veggies first was foiled by one Henry Kelley as we walked in the door and Henry went to the pantry, got a container of peaches and took it to his place at the table. Later when I sat him in his seat with a bowl of green beans, he started reaching for the peaches, and obviously I couldn't turn that down. I did, however, pick the green beans up off the floor.
We're headed to the Nascar Hall of Fame on Sunday and John Dickson is PUMPED to say the least. He spent literally the entire ride home yesterday asking me question after question about "Johnny Johnston" (that's Jimmie Johnson, in case you were wondering). You know, number 8. Or 30. Or 40. Or 42. Really, just any number other than 48. He wanted to know where he races, where he lives, if he races horses, why he doesn't race horses, why there are no horses at the speedway, if Johnny Johnston takes his wheels off, if he drives "rims only" - yes, he has a Lightning McQueen book, and has learned quite a bit about racing. We planned to go to the hall of fame just because I got free tickets from work, but now it's starting to look like it's going to be a really fun experience for the little man. Hopefully the Hen will like it too.
We've had a ton of rain lately, and as we crossed the lake last week, John Dickson spotted a rainbow (possibly his first?) He was really excited, and then asked me if God made it. Melt. My. Heart.
And following in the footsteps of his brother and his older cousin, Henry has begun his shoe fetish, and every night after bath he likes to run around in a diaper and his sneaks. Kicks. Whatever the youngsters are calling them these days. And then the other night he discovered a miracle... slippers.
So I decided I wasn't a very big fan of the boys daycare afterall, and so on Monday John Dickson will start at his new school, with Henry two weeks after him. It's really part of my ultimate goal to see how many kids John Dickson can convince that shoes with stars are the fastest shoes out there. i.e. my way of convincing him to get Converse shoe instead of buzz lightyear. I know, I know, you wish you thought of it first ;-)
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Thursday, September 8, 2011
The Hen
It's been a while since Hen had his very own blog post, and I'd say it's about time. Henry kind of goes through phases of being super sweet and laid back, and then super independent and strong willed with a stronger temper, and then back to super sweet and laid back. Right now - super sweet and laid back. I just want to squeeze him and kiss him all the time. And he pretty much lets me.
Last night was quite a different story. Henry was really mellow, slow and quiet on Sunday, and by Monday afternoon, he was running a fever. He has continued to run a fever all week, and after being up for an hour and a half screaming his lungs out last night, he's on an antibiotic for what looks like a developing ear infection. I have never in my life seen Henry so upset. He literally screamed nonstop, arching his back and pushing away from me with his legs. He didn't want to rock, didn't want to walk, didn't want to go outside, didn't want to eat or drink, didn't want to watch baby einstein, and did not want to play. If I even picked up his sippy cup, he screamed louder and tried to bat it out of my hands. And that is how you know that the Hen is really feeling miserable. He was much better today, though clearly still under the weather. His Daddy comes back tomorrow, and they'll spend the day together getting well and hooking up the washer dryer. I do hope. (Side note, its been 3 weeks since we have washed a single article of clothing. Tonight John Dickson spilled pudding all over his shorts and had to wear some super short shorts to Walmart to pick up a prescription. I guess he was at the right place at least. Next time someone offers to let me use their washer/dryer, I'll try to remember not to turn them down again!)
So the boys had their last day at their old daycare last week. Henry had already moved up from the infant class to the beginner's class, but right before I moved, we found out that his beloved Ms Sandy from the infant class had left the center. I was so upset that we didn't get to tell her goodbye that I got her number and tracked her down. She said that the last week she was there, she rocked Henry everyday. She convinced his new teacher to let him come back over to her class for a little bit each day, and he was thrilled. Adam caught Henry one day just in time to see him going back to Ms Sandy's class, and Adam said he had a HUGE grin on his face. The child practically leapt out of our arms whenever she was around, and he loved to just go lay his head on her. We'll miss her very much. We've been very lucky with daycare teachers who make us feel like our children are the only ones in the room. So far we like the new school a lot, for John Dickson especially. Henry has only been 1 day this week due to him being sick, but I'm sure it wont take long for him to win his new teachers over too.
In true Kelley form, Henry is not yet talking. He is starting to make more sounds, and sometimes I think he does mimic what we say, but no talking yet. He practically overnight started to respond to us nonverbally and really show that he understands us. If you ask if he wants milk, he goes to the fridge and pulls on it. If you ask about taking a bath or brushing his teeth, he heads to the bathroom. Ask him if he wants to go and he heads to the door. He'll sit down for you, come sit in your lap, go get his blanket, and some others. He also has started trying to put his dishes in the dishwasher, but that's really just him putting a full sippy cup of milk in the bottom of the dishwasher. And he has learned how to communicate when he is all done eating. Despite our best efforts to get him to sign "all done," he prefers to just chuck his plate. Awesome.
John Dickson has learned that he can get Henry to do his dirty work for him, knowing Henry won't get in trouble, and so we frequently hear John Dickson saying "take it Henry..." trying to give him something we told John Dickson not to touch. Or he takes him over to a drawer of socks or underwear, opens it up, and cheers Henry on as Henry empties the contents (both of them laughing hysterically, by the way). But maybe my favorite and least favorite at the same time was what happened last week... the movers had taken all of our stuff, so there was nothing the boys could get into. The bathroom door was shut and Adam was vacuuming the house. He turned off the vacuum and heard "Go Henry, go!!" coming from the bathroom (door still shut, but this time with the boys on the other side) and walked in to see Henry slamming his arm in the toilet bowl repeatedly. Literally, John Dickson's dirty work.
If you tell Henry "night night," he tries to kiss you. It's super sweet. He loves to kiss his brother.
Henry has started to nod yes very emphatically. You can really ask him any question and he will nod yes. I think my parents had fun with that this weekend. He also will nod yes if he sees something he wants. I took him to Harris Teeter yesterday (PS this place is CRAWLING with Harris Teeters, but no Publix love... sad day) and as we went down the aisles, he would nod really big and point to what he wanted, which was apparently laundry detergent and tea.
Henry still loves to suck on his fingers, and its always his pointer and middle finger together on his left hand. He picks up food with his thumb and those two fingers glued together, and now when he signs "more," he does his right hand where he puts all of his fingertips together, but his left hand is his pointer and middle fingers. I'm beginning to think he doesn't know those two can separate. It's still quite cute.
Henry has 3 blankies, which is really convenient in the event one is dirty or MIA. Venture outside of those 3 blankies, and he is not a happy camper.
I could type more, but I'm sure its easy to lose interest in a blog post with no pictures, so I'll stop there. Pictures to come soon... hey, we're still unpacking. Legitimate excuse this time!
Last night was quite a different story. Henry was really mellow, slow and quiet on Sunday, and by Monday afternoon, he was running a fever. He has continued to run a fever all week, and after being up for an hour and a half screaming his lungs out last night, he's on an antibiotic for what looks like a developing ear infection. I have never in my life seen Henry so upset. He literally screamed nonstop, arching his back and pushing away from me with his legs. He didn't want to rock, didn't want to walk, didn't want to go outside, didn't want to eat or drink, didn't want to watch baby einstein, and did not want to play. If I even picked up his sippy cup, he screamed louder and tried to bat it out of my hands. And that is how you know that the Hen is really feeling miserable. He was much better today, though clearly still under the weather. His Daddy comes back tomorrow, and they'll spend the day together getting well and hooking up the washer dryer. I do hope. (Side note, its been 3 weeks since we have washed a single article of clothing. Tonight John Dickson spilled pudding all over his shorts and had to wear some super short shorts to Walmart to pick up a prescription. I guess he was at the right place at least. Next time someone offers to let me use their washer/dryer, I'll try to remember not to turn them down again!)
So the boys had their last day at their old daycare last week. Henry had already moved up from the infant class to the beginner's class, but right before I moved, we found out that his beloved Ms Sandy from the infant class had left the center. I was so upset that we didn't get to tell her goodbye that I got her number and tracked her down. She said that the last week she was there, she rocked Henry everyday. She convinced his new teacher to let him come back over to her class for a little bit each day, and he was thrilled. Adam caught Henry one day just in time to see him going back to Ms Sandy's class, and Adam said he had a HUGE grin on his face. The child practically leapt out of our arms whenever she was around, and he loved to just go lay his head on her. We'll miss her very much. We've been very lucky with daycare teachers who make us feel like our children are the only ones in the room. So far we like the new school a lot, for John Dickson especially. Henry has only been 1 day this week due to him being sick, but I'm sure it wont take long for him to win his new teachers over too.
In true Kelley form, Henry is not yet talking. He is starting to make more sounds, and sometimes I think he does mimic what we say, but no talking yet. He practically overnight started to respond to us nonverbally and really show that he understands us. If you ask if he wants milk, he goes to the fridge and pulls on it. If you ask about taking a bath or brushing his teeth, he heads to the bathroom. Ask him if he wants to go and he heads to the door. He'll sit down for you, come sit in your lap, go get his blanket, and some others. He also has started trying to put his dishes in the dishwasher, but that's really just him putting a full sippy cup of milk in the bottom of the dishwasher. And he has learned how to communicate when he is all done eating. Despite our best efforts to get him to sign "all done," he prefers to just chuck his plate. Awesome.
John Dickson has learned that he can get Henry to do his dirty work for him, knowing Henry won't get in trouble, and so we frequently hear John Dickson saying "take it Henry..." trying to give him something we told John Dickson not to touch. Or he takes him over to a drawer of socks or underwear, opens it up, and cheers Henry on as Henry empties the contents (both of them laughing hysterically, by the way). But maybe my favorite and least favorite at the same time was what happened last week... the movers had taken all of our stuff, so there was nothing the boys could get into. The bathroom door was shut and Adam was vacuuming the house. He turned off the vacuum and heard "Go Henry, go!!" coming from the bathroom (door still shut, but this time with the boys on the other side) and walked in to see Henry slamming his arm in the toilet bowl repeatedly. Literally, John Dickson's dirty work.
If you tell Henry "night night," he tries to kiss you. It's super sweet. He loves to kiss his brother.
Henry has started to nod yes very emphatically. You can really ask him any question and he will nod yes. I think my parents had fun with that this weekend. He also will nod yes if he sees something he wants. I took him to Harris Teeter yesterday (PS this place is CRAWLING with Harris Teeters, but no Publix love... sad day) and as we went down the aisles, he would nod really big and point to what he wanted, which was apparently laundry detergent and tea.
Henry still loves to suck on his fingers, and its always his pointer and middle finger together on his left hand. He picks up food with his thumb and those two fingers glued together, and now when he signs "more," he does his right hand where he puts all of his fingertips together, but his left hand is his pointer and middle fingers. I'm beginning to think he doesn't know those two can separate. It's still quite cute.
Henry has 3 blankies, which is really convenient in the event one is dirty or MIA. Venture outside of those 3 blankies, and he is not a happy camper.
I could type more, but I'm sure its easy to lose interest in a blog post with no pictures, so I'll stop there. Pictures to come soon... hey, we're still unpacking. Legitimate excuse this time!
Friday, September 2, 2011
Cliff Notes
Just to let you know that we haven't fallen off the planet, here is the cliff notes version of our last few weeks.
Towards the end of August I started my new job as an internal auditor for Lowe's (home improvement, not the grocery store chain). Adam accepted a job with Penske (truck leasing, not racing), and his last day at Clemson will be Thursday. He'll be entering the management trainee program and he's pretty excited about it.
Last Monday the movers came and packed up our house. Adam stayed there for the rest of the week with the boys and dogs. Henry slept in his pack 'n play, and John Dickson camped out in his bedroom in his tent that Nana gave him for Christmas a couple of years ago (um, yes, he is old enough to say "a few years ago" - tear). Adam has been sleeping in his sleeping bag on John Dickson's floor and trying to share John Dickson's pillow after John Dickson falls asleep. You see, I left for NC last Sunday night (I stayed in Huntersville with Leslie, we are moving to Cornelius, I work in Mooresville, and Adam will work in South Charlotte). Knowing I'd have a pillow at Leslie's, I set my pillow in the "do not pack" pile so that Adam wouldn't forget to put his aside in the morning. However, Adam did forget to set his aside, along with John Dickson's, and so John Dickson has been sleeping on my heavenly pillow. Anyhoo, we finally got moved in on Friday, and despite my best efforts to unpack everything that day, I seem to have underestimated the task. We left the next morning to go back to Piedmont, and met my parents who took the boys for the weekend, and spent the rest of the weekend painting and cleaning. I brought them back and this week it's my turn to be outnumbered by the boys. Fortunately we have beds and a kitchen this time. I can't wait for Adam to get here on Friday. So far the boys have been great, and I'm not worried about them... but the empty boxes and trash piles are, well, piling up, and it's driving me INSANE!!!!! Call me paranoid, but I'm not about to leave the boys alone to haul it out to the dumpster. And I'm sure as heck not going to haul them out with me. (Side note, within less than 24 hours, we managed to make an enemy. A grumpy lady downstairs who yelled at our movers for propping the door to our building open (she suggested they pile it all on the steps and carry it at one time...an entire condo...) because she "has rights." The next morning I took the boys downstairs to take them to meet my parents, and she apparently came out of her apartment and came to the door of the building, holding it open and staring me down all the way to the car. Adam came up behind her, and she turned and said "another busy day I see..." and went back in to her grumpy quarters. Perhaps the first person ever not to like my kids. Interesting. Our house goes on the market next week, and when that sells, we'll start looking for a house.
Adam brought the boys over on Friday to eat lunch, and John Dickson marched right up to one of the movers and said "I have a bicycle." He asked him to repeat it and John Dickson said "I have a big big big helmet and a bicycle." So John Dickson has been telling everyone that we are going to live "in Uncle Jason's house." I thought he understood but was just not communicating it correctly. Apparently he was communicating exactly what he thought, because as he came up the stairs to check out the new digs, he said "I wonder if Maggie is going to be up here." And the conversation went like this:
"No, Maggie is at Erin and Jason's house."
"But this IS Erin and Jason's house."
"No, Erin and Jason don't live here."
"But, but, Ella lives here!"
"No, Ella lives at her house..."
And then a little while later:
"So... what kind of dogs we gonna get?"
Poor poor Boo and Ellie. They put up with so much, and apparently they are quite easily replaceable. They'll move with Adam this weekend. Ellie is staycationing with Midas (and Ashley and Jeff) this week and having a blast, I'm sure. I think little man was quite confused by no Maggie, no Bear and no Ellie. Surely we must be getting new dogs...
When we finally got upstairs and I was giving John Dickson the tour, I told him which room was his, to which his very concerned response was, "but... but... but where is my bed?!?!?!?"
So that's the latest around here. Just one more trip back to Piedmont this weekend to touch up the paint on the inside and finish the scrub down. And then, we collapse.
Towards the end of August I started my new job as an internal auditor for Lowe's (home improvement, not the grocery store chain). Adam accepted a job with Penske (truck leasing, not racing), and his last day at Clemson will be Thursday. He'll be entering the management trainee program and he's pretty excited about it.
Last Monday the movers came and packed up our house. Adam stayed there for the rest of the week with the boys and dogs. Henry slept in his pack 'n play, and John Dickson camped out in his bedroom in his tent that Nana gave him for Christmas a couple of years ago (um, yes, he is old enough to say "a few years ago" - tear). Adam has been sleeping in his sleeping bag on John Dickson's floor and trying to share John Dickson's pillow after John Dickson falls asleep. You see, I left for NC last Sunday night (I stayed in Huntersville with Leslie, we are moving to Cornelius, I work in Mooresville, and Adam will work in South Charlotte). Knowing I'd have a pillow at Leslie's, I set my pillow in the "do not pack" pile so that Adam wouldn't forget to put his aside in the morning. However, Adam did forget to set his aside, along with John Dickson's, and so John Dickson has been sleeping on my heavenly pillow. Anyhoo, we finally got moved in on Friday, and despite my best efforts to unpack everything that day, I seem to have underestimated the task. We left the next morning to go back to Piedmont, and met my parents who took the boys for the weekend, and spent the rest of the weekend painting and cleaning. I brought them back and this week it's my turn to be outnumbered by the boys. Fortunately we have beds and a kitchen this time. I can't wait for Adam to get here on Friday. So far the boys have been great, and I'm not worried about them... but the empty boxes and trash piles are, well, piling up, and it's driving me INSANE!!!!! Call me paranoid, but I'm not about to leave the boys alone to haul it out to the dumpster. And I'm sure as heck not going to haul them out with me. (Side note, within less than 24 hours, we managed to make an enemy. A grumpy lady downstairs who yelled at our movers for propping the door to our building open (she suggested they pile it all on the steps and carry it at one time...an entire condo...) because she "has rights." The next morning I took the boys downstairs to take them to meet my parents, and she apparently came out of her apartment and came to the door of the building, holding it open and staring me down all the way to the car. Adam came up behind her, and she turned and said "another busy day I see..." and went back in to her grumpy quarters. Perhaps the first person ever not to like my kids. Interesting. Our house goes on the market next week, and when that sells, we'll start looking for a house.
Adam brought the boys over on Friday to eat lunch, and John Dickson marched right up to one of the movers and said "I have a bicycle." He asked him to repeat it and John Dickson said "I have a big big big helmet and a bicycle." So John Dickson has been telling everyone that we are going to live "in Uncle Jason's house." I thought he understood but was just not communicating it correctly. Apparently he was communicating exactly what he thought, because as he came up the stairs to check out the new digs, he said "I wonder if Maggie is going to be up here." And the conversation went like this:
"No, Maggie is at Erin and Jason's house."
"But this IS Erin and Jason's house."
"No, Erin and Jason don't live here."
"But, but, Ella lives here!"
"No, Ella lives at her house..."
And then a little while later:
"So... what kind of dogs we gonna get?"
Poor poor Boo and Ellie. They put up with so much, and apparently they are quite easily replaceable. They'll move with Adam this weekend. Ellie is staycationing with Midas (and Ashley and Jeff) this week and having a blast, I'm sure. I think little man was quite confused by no Maggie, no Bear and no Ellie. Surely we must be getting new dogs...
When we finally got upstairs and I was giving John Dickson the tour, I told him which room was his, to which his very concerned response was, "but... but... but where is my bed?!?!?!?"
So that's the latest around here. Just one more trip back to Piedmont this weekend to touch up the paint on the inside and finish the scrub down. And then, we collapse.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Happy Birthday Ellie!
Today is a sad day... it's Ellie's fifth birthday and we are making arrangements to take her to meet a potential new family tomorrow. World's worst dog owners, I know. I seriously might cry. After a ridiculous amount of consideration, we decided it was probably for the best to find Ellie a new home. We are going to be living in an apartment (with all white carpet) and will have to board her whenever we go out of town. We also have to crate the dogs when we are not home, and I don't want her to spend 20 hours a day in her crate. BUT, if we can't find her a home we are happy with, she'll come with us. In the meantime, I'm so entirely guilt ridden that she is sleeping in our bed.
On a happier note, we all sang happy birthday to the birthday girl, and after we left the kitchen, John Dickson gave Ellie all of his breakfast casserole and his yogurt (two of his favorite foods). He said it was her birthday cake. This child has never left an uneaten bite of "brex-es casserole." It was maybe the sweetest thing ever.
Happy birthday to our sweet girl!
On a happier note, we all sang happy birthday to the birthday girl, and after we left the kitchen, John Dickson gave Ellie all of his breakfast casserole and his yogurt (two of his favorite foods). He said it was her birthday cake. This child has never left an uneaten bite of "brex-es casserole." It was maybe the sweetest thing ever.
Happy birthday to our sweet girl!
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
How I came to love Blueberry Frog.
Nana and Grumps came to visit a couple weeks ago as sort of a bon voyage to summer. Ah the life of working in public education. There is an indoor putt putt place in downtown Greenville that we have been wanting to try, and it was hot as you know where that day, so we decided to go when my Dad challenged us to a game of putt putt - Dad and Mom vs me and Adam. John Dickson played too, but we just couldn't figure out how to count the strokes of picking up the ball and carrying them down to the hole, so he just played for fun. Anyway, we decided to play for $10, which was really just me agreeing to play putt putt and give Mom and Dad $10, because there was no way I was winning with ::cough cough:: someone on my team.
We played. We lost. We bargained to buy frozen yogurt instead of paying $10. And can I tell you how incredibly bummed I am that we waited until now to indulge in the heaven that is Blueberry Frog? All natural, no sugar added bowls of heaven, topped with mango so good it took us back to St Lucia. Guess we'll have to find us a new Blueberry Frog.
Mom, as usual, came loaded with books for John Dickson, and spent every non-putt putt Blueberry Frog eating moment reading John Dickson those books. If you care to hear them, I'm sure she could recite them for you...
We played. We lost. We bargained to buy frozen yogurt instead of paying $10. And can I tell you how incredibly bummed I am that we waited until now to indulge in the heaven that is Blueberry Frog? All natural, no sugar added bowls of heaven, topped with mango so good it took us back to St Lucia. Guess we'll have to find us a new Blueberry Frog.
Mom, as usual, came loaded with books for John Dickson, and spent every non-putt putt Blueberry Frog eating moment reading John Dickson those books. If you care to hear them, I'm sure she could recite them for you...
Monday, August 15, 2011
What a Weekend
We've had quite the month in our house with week long stomach bugs for 3 out of 4 of us. Poor Henry started his turn Thursday night, and by yesterday morning, his diaper rash was out of control. (His appetite, however, is just compensating for everything he is losing with this bug - he's ravenous, all the time) So I called the pediatrician yesterday morning to see if she could prescribe something for the diaper rash, and was slightly irritated when the only prescription I got was for baking soda baths. Whatevs man. We decided to give it a try, and I just have two words.
Miracle drug.
I won't be too graphic, but let's just say that was the worst diaper rash I had ever seen, and after 3 baking soda baths yesterday afternoon, he was almost back to normal by the time he went to bed last night. Holy moly, why am I just now learning about this?!?!?
Anyway, so Adam was in Charlotte Friday afternoon, so I decided to do what I usually try to do when Adam is away - bribe my kids into mom-is-the-favorite-dom. You see, I have to, because John Dickson is a huge Daddy's boy. Rango after bedtime? Why not??? So we went to the store, brought home Rango, got snuggled up on the couch with our pillows and blanket, when my "why not" question was answered.
4 letter words.
"Look me in the eye. I want to WATCH you die."
"I'm going to drag your soul down to hell."
"I killed all 7 of them with just one bullet."
Et cetera. Et cetera. Et cetera. Are you kidding me?!?!? In an animinated PG rated movie?? Thanks a lot Johnny Depp, I knew I didn't like you. (No I am not a Pirates fan, thankyouverymuch). Thankfully they put most of the bad stuff at the end so you don't see it coming. Sarcasm. Note to self: prescreen. Win over kids with ice cream.
Saturday morning my weekend got infinitely worse. I have been dying to pressure wash my house. Im old now, ok? Ok. So I got up at 6:30, headed to Easley to pick up the pressure washer, got it home, and we couldn't get it assembled because of some weird connector thing. So Adam took it back and came home with a working pressure washer, except that it wouldn't start. Details. We got it started 3 times, but it never ran more than 30 seconds or so, so we finally took it back and they refused to give us our money back. I was so ticked.
After that, I decided to attempt duel naptime while Adam ran errands. I put Henry in his crib and put John Dickson in our bed, and I laid there wondering what kind of freak alignment in the solar system was causing John Dickson to just hop in bed, lie down and be still and quiet and almost asleep when I heard a big crash. I jumped up and grabbed the video monitor to make sure it wasn't Henry, but there was Henry's crib, safe and sound. And no Henry. That's right people, my 13 month old can hop the crib. Thankfully he wasn't hurt, just upset, but not too upset to not try it again. We took the bumper pads out for now, but if it happens again, I don't know what we are going to do... 13 months. I decided the solar system was unfair afterall.
We have 3 weeks left in Greenville, and so we decided to do something we've been dying to do the entire time we have been here - go to a Greenville Drive game. I hoped John Dickson would enjoy it, but I had no idea how much he was going to truly love it. However, Henry was having none of it. He doesn't like baseball thankyouverymuch. (Two in one post, I know). After an hour or so we had to bribe John Dickson to leave, and he finally agreed. As soon as we got home, he insisted on getting out his bat and ball and playing some baseball in the front yard.
I'm tellin ya, the kid is a natural.
And he hits the ball!
We knew he was fast... he tells us all the time how he is faster than his best friend Mackhue. He says that we need to learn to run faster so we can beat his best friend Mackhue. He even admits that sometimes Mackhue even beats John Dickson. But John Dickson beats him back. (Trivia: There is a winner and a loser to every game. And another winner, who happens to be the loser. If said winner/loser is John Dickson.)
John Dickson played baseball for a solid hour. I have never seen him do ANYTHING for a solid hour... except of course watch Rango. Whatevs man. I knew I should stick to Winnie the Pooh. I may or may not have taken the day off to take John Dickson to see Pooh on opening day.
Last night as we were winding down and getting ready for bed, we sent John Dickson to go brush his teeth. He was in there counting...
John Dickson: "Two, three, four, five"
Me: "What are you counting?"
John Dickson: "Three!"
Me: "Three what?"
John Dickson: "Three twenty!"
Me: "Three twenty what?"
John Dickson: "Three twenty two!"
Aaand I gave up.
Also on Saturday, I left John Dickson unattended with Play Doh while I rocked a sleeping Henry, and came out to find John Dickson had mixed every last color together into one big ice cream cone. I actually managed to somewhat separate the colors back out, and as I went to put the orange back into the bag, I noticed the top half of the bag was missing. Magic? No. He got the scissors. He later colored a business card with a sharpee. Note to self: Pencil cup on the desk is no longer ok.
We learned a lot this weekend.
Miracle drug.
I won't be too graphic, but let's just say that was the worst diaper rash I had ever seen, and after 3 baking soda baths yesterday afternoon, he was almost back to normal by the time he went to bed last night. Holy moly, why am I just now learning about this?!?!?
Anyway, so Adam was in Charlotte Friday afternoon, so I decided to do what I usually try to do when Adam is away - bribe my kids into mom-is-the-favorite-dom. You see, I have to, because John Dickson is a huge Daddy's boy. Rango after bedtime? Why not??? So we went to the store, brought home Rango, got snuggled up on the couch with our pillows and blanket, when my "why not" question was answered.
4 letter words.
"Look me in the eye. I want to WATCH you die."
"I'm going to drag your soul down to hell."
"I killed all 7 of them with just one bullet."
Et cetera. Et cetera. Et cetera. Are you kidding me?!?!? In an animinated PG rated movie?? Thanks a lot Johnny Depp, I knew I didn't like you. (No I am not a Pirates fan, thankyouverymuch). Thankfully they put most of the bad stuff at the end so you don't see it coming. Sarcasm. Note to self: prescreen. Win over kids with ice cream.
Saturday morning my weekend got infinitely worse. I have been dying to pressure wash my house. Im old now, ok? Ok. So I got up at 6:30, headed to Easley to pick up the pressure washer, got it home, and we couldn't get it assembled because of some weird connector thing. So Adam took it back and came home with a working pressure washer, except that it wouldn't start. Details. We got it started 3 times, but it never ran more than 30 seconds or so, so we finally took it back and they refused to give us our money back. I was so ticked.
After that, I decided to attempt duel naptime while Adam ran errands. I put Henry in his crib and put John Dickson in our bed, and I laid there wondering what kind of freak alignment in the solar system was causing John Dickson to just hop in bed, lie down and be still and quiet and almost asleep when I heard a big crash. I jumped up and grabbed the video monitor to make sure it wasn't Henry, but there was Henry's crib, safe and sound. And no Henry. That's right people, my 13 month old can hop the crib. Thankfully he wasn't hurt, just upset, but not too upset to not try it again. We took the bumper pads out for now, but if it happens again, I don't know what we are going to do... 13 months. I decided the solar system was unfair afterall.
We have 3 weeks left in Greenville, and so we decided to do something we've been dying to do the entire time we have been here - go to a Greenville Drive game. I hoped John Dickson would enjoy it, but I had no idea how much he was going to truly love it. However, Henry was having none of it. He doesn't like baseball thankyouverymuch. (Two in one post, I know). After an hour or so we had to bribe John Dickson to leave, and he finally agreed. As soon as we got home, he insisted on getting out his bat and ball and playing some baseball in the front yard.
I'm tellin ya, the kid is a natural.
And he hits the ball!
We knew he was fast... he tells us all the time how he is faster than his best friend Mackhue. He says that we need to learn to run faster so we can beat his best friend Mackhue. He even admits that sometimes Mackhue even beats John Dickson. But John Dickson beats him back. (Trivia: There is a winner and a loser to every game. And another winner, who happens to be the loser. If said winner/loser is John Dickson.)
John Dickson played baseball for a solid hour. I have never seen him do ANYTHING for a solid hour... except of course watch Rango. Whatevs man. I knew I should stick to Winnie the Pooh. I may or may not have taken the day off to take John Dickson to see Pooh on opening day.
Last night as we were winding down and getting ready for bed, we sent John Dickson to go brush his teeth. He was in there counting...
John Dickson: "Two, three, four, five"
Me: "What are you counting?"
John Dickson: "Three!"
Me: "Three what?"
John Dickson: "Three twenty!"
Me: "Three twenty what?"
John Dickson: "Three twenty two!"
Aaand I gave up.
Also on Saturday, I left John Dickson unattended with Play Doh while I rocked a sleeping Henry, and came out to find John Dickson had mixed every last color together into one big ice cream cone. I actually managed to somewhat separate the colors back out, and as I went to put the orange back into the bag, I noticed the top half of the bag was missing. Magic? No. He got the scissors. He later colored a business card with a sharpee. Note to self: Pencil cup on the desk is no longer ok.
We learned a lot this weekend.
Friday, August 12, 2011
A Visit from Aunt Lie
Aunt Lie came for a visit the weekend after the 4th. My boys are obsessed with their Aunt Lie, and I imagine part of it is due to her taking John Dickson to Panera for a gingerbread cookie breakfast, or maybe that they know there are always chocolate chips in her pantry and baked goods on her counter, or maybe it's because she makes a killer Toy Story cake. It's hard to say. Personally I think it's because they are bigger than she is. Regardless, it's hard to argue with an affinity for Leslie. We lived together for 3 years back in college and I'm excited to do it again, if only for 2 weeks this time.
Leslie asked John Dickson if he wanted to go live with her, and he said no. She asked if Henry could go live with her, and he said sure. Little booger.
And before she left, this happened... hmm... grab the baby or grab the camera... I chose camera. Aren't you glad?
Leslie asked John Dickson if he wanted to go live with her, and he said no. She asked if Henry could go live with her, and he said sure. Little booger.
And before she left, this happened... hmm... grab the baby or grab the camera... I chose camera. Aren't you glad?
Thursday, August 11, 2011
4th of July - the Zoo
All those posts and that wasn't even the actual holiday. I promise to keep this one short and sweet. The 4 of us headed to the NC Zoo on our way home from Winston Salem. Best day of the year to go to the zoo... no one was there. We practically had the place to ourselves, which really came in handy when we got to meet this guy:
Had it been any other non-family kid, I totally would have pushed him out of the way, but alas it was my sweet little boy.
That same little boy got a big kick out of the zoo map. And the juice box.
The obligatory statue picture:
And OBVIOUSLY I had to take a picture of the Hen with the giraffes. Obviously. (PS Riverbanks has a 4 week old giraffe. This makes me so excited, I can hardly stand it)
The NC Zoo has about 5 miles of walking trails, and we saw all but one of the areas. I was amazed that John Dickson walked the majority of it, and I'd be shocked if he walked less than 2.5 miles. We had a busy weekend and we just knew, especially after the zoo, that the boys would just conk out in the car.
And so, naturally, they didn't.
We stopped for dinner and stopped again at the outlet mall. At this point it was after 9 and dark outside. We had pretty much given up on John Dickson sleeping, but Hen... The Hen always sleeps.
And so, naturally, he didn't.
That's ok though, because they never fussed, they just enjoyed each other's company. They played together (seriously, they throw blankets at each other and crack up) the whole way home. And at one point, they were laughing hysterically and when we turned to look at them, we saw this.
Melt. my. heart.
When we got home, Henry promptly passed out, and John Dickson stayed up another hour watching fireworks. His teacher told us the next day that he was just wandering around quietly all morning, not doing anything, until after his 2.5 hour nap (from which they had to wake him up) when he returned to his usual rowdy rambunctious self.
Happy 4th.
Had it been any other non-family kid, I totally would have pushed him out of the way, but alas it was my sweet little boy.
That same little boy got a big kick out of the zoo map. And the juice box.
The obligatory statue picture:
And OBVIOUSLY I had to take a picture of the Hen with the giraffes. Obviously. (PS Riverbanks has a 4 week old giraffe. This makes me so excited, I can hardly stand it)
The NC Zoo has about 5 miles of walking trails, and we saw all but one of the areas. I was amazed that John Dickson walked the majority of it, and I'd be shocked if he walked less than 2.5 miles. We had a busy weekend and we just knew, especially after the zoo, that the boys would just conk out in the car.
And so, naturally, they didn't.
We stopped for dinner and stopped again at the outlet mall. At this point it was after 9 and dark outside. We had pretty much given up on John Dickson sleeping, but Hen... The Hen always sleeps.
And so, naturally, he didn't.
That's ok though, because they never fussed, they just enjoyed each other's company. They played together (seriously, they throw blankets at each other and crack up) the whole way home. And at one point, they were laughing hysterically and when we turned to look at them, we saw this.
Melt. my. heart.
When we got home, Henry promptly passed out, and John Dickson stayed up another hour watching fireworks. His teacher told us the next day that he was just wandering around quietly all morning, not doing anything, until after his 2.5 hour nap (from which they had to wake him up) when he returned to his usual rowdy rambunctious self.
Happy 4th.
4th of July - the Playground
Some favorites from the playground:
I betcha didn't know juice boxes aren't just for the pool...
After the playground, Henry headed home for a nap, Ella slept with her eyes open in the stroller, and John Dickson fed the ducks.
I betcha didn't know juice boxes aren't just for the pool...
After the playground, Henry headed home for a nap, Ella slept with her eyes open in the stroller, and John Dickson fed the ducks.
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