Imparting Religion

I don't remember when Todd first started asking me questions about God and Heaven and other related spiritual topics. I do know that despite my lack of holding regular family home evenings, formal instruction, scripture reading, or other devotion times, we have had numerous discussions about gospel principles-much to my delight. Tonight was no different.

For quite some time Ryan's favorite and most-requested bedtime song has been "Teach Me to Walk in the Light." The past few nights Todd has also requested that I sing this song to him (mostly to copy Ryan, I think). As Todd listened to the lyrics, he wanted to understand what it was saying in the second verse: "Come, little child, and together we'll learn Of his commandments, that we may return Home to his presence, to live in his sight- Always, always to walk in the light." What did it mean by "return"? I tried to explain that just as we lived with Heavenly Father and Jesus before we came to Earth, we hoped to return to live with them again after we died, along with the rest of our family. Todd wanted to know specifics, including "Will we have a house?" I thought it sweet when Todd said that he wanted to come back to Earth after he went to Heaven. I asked him if he liked living on Earth, to which he answered that he did. I tried to explain that God would take care of us, that Heaven would be beautiful (though I don't remember what it looks like), and that once we were there with Heavenly Father, Jesus, and our family members, we wouldn't want to leave.

What has been surprising to me is how difficult it has been to answer most of Todd's gospel-related questions. Nevertheless, I have enjoyed the thought that he puts into his questions and the thoughts that it has sparked in me as I attempt to answer them.

Tonight, as I started winding down for bed I picked up my December/January 2008 Parenting magazine and read an article titled "Mom's-Eye View: Spiritual Lessons" by Dahlia Lithwick, with the heading "Now that I'm a mom, I realize how much my kids can teach me about God." It was a timely essay for me to read, and I particularly enjoyed the following: "Imparting religion, any religion, to small children is a conversation, a negotiation, a way of learning together, if it's going to be incorporated into their sense of themselves. And it's in the quiet spaces between those conversations and negotiations that my own spiritual life has expanded as well."

Todd's First Talk in Church

Today Todd gave his first talk in Primary. Todd was so nervous when he volunteered to say the scripture and prayer a few months ago, that I didn't think they would ask him to do anything until he was five. But he did so well at the Primary program last month (and we have such a small number of children), that they decided to give him a second chance.

A few weeks ago the Primary secretary asked if Todd would be willing to do something. She said he could have his choice of scripture and prayer or the talk. I told her that we would talk it over at home and see what we came up with. It was a Friday morning when I talked to Todd about it, and he said he would like to give the talk (not what I was expecting!), but he did not want to do it "this Sunday but next Sunday". Todd wanted to call the secretary himself and tell her. We tried her at home, but she wasn't there. I told her husband what we were calling for and he gave us her work number, saying that she would be happy to hear from us. We called her at work with Todd on one phone and me on the other. I let Todd do most of the talking, and later she said that Todd's phone call was the highlight of her day. It meant so much for her to hear from one of the Primary children asking to give a talk at Church.

The Primary theme for November is "My faith in Jesus Christ blesses my life. I am thankful for my blessings." I gave Todd a few ideas that we could talk about, and ultimately he said that he wanted to talk about being thankful for his home and family. I gave Todd a few prompts, but for the most part he wrote his own talk. Here it is, with the photos we used as visual aids.

Todd's Primary Talk - Sunday, November 11, 2007

This month is November. We celebrate Thanksgiving in November. There are many things that I am thankful for.
God sent us down to Earth to live with families. I would like to tell you why I am thankful for my home and family.
I am thankful for my dog Copper, because I love him and I like it when he licks me. Licking is how Copper gives kisses and shows love.
I am thankful for my Mom, because I love her and she makes good food.

I am thankful for my bed, because my white covers are so cozy.

I am thankful for my dog Sandy, because I like to pet her.

I am thankful for my house, because it has pretty bricks.

I am thankful for my Dad, because I like to watch movies with him.

I am thankful for my brother Ryan, because he plays with me when I say he can.

Last week our family memorized the scripture John 14:15 "If ye love me, keep my commandments."

I can show Heavenly Father that I love him and that I am thankful for my blessings when I keep the commandments.

I can show him that I am thankful for my family by being nice to Mom and Dad and Ryan.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Todd did a pretty good job delivering his talk. He was a little nervous, but recited it into the microphone relatively clearly. The only thing he didn't do is recite the scripture. He has John 14:15 memorized completely, but felt awkward saying it in front of everyone. He whispered to me (in the middle of his talk), "Listen, Mom, can we go to this next line?" I gave him one more chance to recite the scripture at the end of the talk, but he wouldn't do it. So, that was that. Still, it takes guts to do what he did, and I was very pleased.

This was also the Sunday that the Primary children sang all thirteen Articles of Faith in front of the whole congregation. I mentioned earlier that we have been practicing in the car and around the house. Though Ryan's little class does not usually participate in the Primary performances, Ryan wanted to go up and sing with Todd. I thought, "Well, he probably knows them and will sing them as well as some of the other younger kids up there, so why not?" As it turns out, another little boy from Ryan's class (the Primary president's son) joined the other kids up there. I was glad that I was sitting close to the front. I was able to see the boys, and mouthed the words along with them while they sang. Todd didn't look to me as often for cues, but Ryan watched me rather closely to keep up with the words. Brett said that I looked pretty dumb, but I think it was worth it. I hope that Todd and Ryan continue to participate willingly in things like this. I think it is so good for them to have this practice in performance and public speaking, and I love being a part of the audience watching them. I'm a proud mommy today.

Florida Weather

What is Florida Fall weather like? Well, that's hard to say. Below are four different outings we went on in a two-and-a-half-week time period.


October 24th: Went to the Pumpkin Patch with a playgroup from Church. Evidence of the cold weather - Todd is wearing long pants, a sweatshirt, and tennis shoes (not sandals).

Ryan's outfit, while cozy, is not much evidence for the cold weather. Rather, the fact that he is comfortable without having his ears covered is evidence for the fact the it is not too windy out.
November 3rd: I took the boys to the beach to see if we could catch some of the Church volleyball tournament. Unfortunately, the turnout for the tournament was poor, so they were finished before we arrived. We stayed two hours by ourselves and had a great time. Evidence for the fact that the weather is pleasant and warm - Ryan is happy in shorts and a T-shirt.

(Can you spot the evidence for the fact that a wedding was held at the beach earlier in the day?)
November 7th: I make muffins and pack them up for a picnic breakfast down the street at a neighborhood lake. Todd rides his bike; I wear my rollerblades, pushing Ryan in the stroller while holding on to Copper.

Evidence of the cold weather - again, Todd is wearing long pants, real shoes, and has his hood up on his jacket. Also, though you can't see me, I am wearing my fuzzy red gloves. Evidence of the wind - Ryan is trying to cover up his cold, little ears.

November 10th: Oma suggests that since it's such a beautiful day, why don't we take the kids to the beach. You never know when these perfect beach days may come, so we go for it. Evidence for the beautiful weather - see photo.

Baby Clothes and Recycling

After Todd grew out of his baby clothes, I packed them up and put them away in the attic. When I pulled the clothes out for Ryan, I handled each item one-by-one and remembered how little Todd had been at one time. It was an emotional moment for me going through the box.

After Ryan grew out of his baby clothes, I packed them up and put them away in the attic. Two years later I pulled them out of the attic to share with my friend Anne who had a little boy. I handled the items again (though a little less this time because I was letting Anne do the washing and folding of each little outfit) and remembered how little Ryan and Todd had been at one time. It was an emotional moment for me going through the box again.

Now, Anne's baby boy has grown out these little clothes, and once more I looked over some of those items and remembered how small Todd and Ryan had been at one time. The boys look so different from the little babies they once were that - you guessed it - it was an emotional moment for me. I picked out a few special outfits, and Anne let me have some tiny onesies that were her baby's, and when I got home I dressed the teddy bears.

I can't really say why I did it. It sounds so stupid now. I think I just wanted to handle those little outfits one more time.

The boys thought it was great. Todd asked me to put the overalls on his teddy bear and said that she was the mommy because she was wearing a dress. I explained that they were really pants, but the poor teddy's legs weren't long enough for them. The funny thing is that when the boys wore overalls as babies the snaps would pop open and Brett would tease, "Why is Todd (or Ryan) wearing a dress?!?"

Earlier this month Anne was sorting through her toys and pulled out ones that her children weren't playing with much. She passed up this Weeble-Wobble castle to see if Todd and Ryan would enjoy playing with it at our house for a while. They have had quite a bit of fun with it - though they have also used it as a cool racetrack for some of their cars.

Isn't recycling great?

Food Adventures

As I mentioned in my first post, I am trying to do better at preparing dinners for my family. Not only am I trying to plan meals in advance, I am also trying out new recipes. Most of my new recipes have come from a magazine which I have subscribed to for almost two years now, Martha Stewart's Everyday Food. I like that most of the recipes use good-quality ingredients without requiring things that are not easily found in the grocery stores around here. And the recipes are ones that we can fix and eat "every day." I'm not into trying bizarre-I mean "exotic"- recipes.

As I was unloading my groceries from a recent shopping trip this week I noticed how the food that I keep on hand in my pantry has changed. I am using less of the items I used to keep a large supply of: jarred spaghetti sauce, cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, canned corn, canned green beans, and canned ready-to-eat soups. While I still use those items from time to time, I find that I am more likely to use fresher ingredients for my recipes as well as fresh vegetables for side dishes than before. I have a long way to go before I only use good-for-you ingredients, but I can see the progress I have made.


This evening Brett paid me a nice compliment on our dinner. It wasn't anything special - in fact, it was essentially leftovers. A few weeks ago, I made a new recipe (from Everyday Food) called Eggplant Bolognese. It is a tomato-based sauce served over pasta. The recipe made quite a bit, so I froze half of it for later (tonight's meal). When I originally told Brett that I would be making this recipe he wasn't thrilled - it sounded gross. However, tonight he said that it was probably his favorite spaghetti sauce ever - and it's full of vegetables. He recommended that I make a double batch and freeze it for some good, fast dinners. I know that my mom used to do that, but from the time that I was cooking for myself it was always easier to just grab a jar of Ragu. But now I am inspired. Brett's only suggestion was that I change the name to something like, "Mom's Awesome Spaghetti Sauce" - what a compliment!


Now that I have been doing better at dinners, I decided it was finally time for me to figure out how to make a pie crust from scratch (successfully). I made my second attempt last week (my first attempt was not the greatest), and even made a lemon meringue for the first time. This picture might not look that impressive, but I thought my mini-pies were quite tasty. I may even be ready to contribute a homemade pie for Thanksgiving!

Three-Ring Circus

The circus came to town last month, and Brett's parents took me and the boys to watch it. The boys, especially Todd, were excited about going to a real circus.

I was happy that we were able to do something new with the boys' grandparents. However, I have tried to find a word that sums up my feelings about the circus and the only word that seems to express what I feel is . . . strange. The smell under the bigtop was overwhelming for the first few minutes, until you mostly got used to it. And, it is hard for me to imagine the life that the circus employees lead.

Once the show started, I kind of got into it and enjoyed watching the different acts. The motorcyle riders who sped around inside the spherical cage were amazing, but . . . crazy. I did enjoy watching the acrobatics, the horse-riding jugglers, and the dancing poodles. And, of course, we had to let the boys have a turn riding their first pony (or miniature horse, I'm not really sure).
The elephant show was sweet, but I also couldn't help but feel a little sad for the animals.


All, in all, we had a good time. After the show we went to a restaurant nearby for a nice dinner. Though Ryan started to lose interest a few times throughout the afternoon, the picture below really captures the way Todd felt about our outing. He really enjoyed the circus, and was the perfect age to go.

Learning Through My Children

I have really appreciated the programs of our Church lately and the opportunity it gives to strenghthen my own testimony as well as my children's. I know that my boys are learning things at Church, and because Todd has been learning at Church, it has sparked more conversations and teaching moments at home.

About two weeks ago Todd participated in the Primary Program at Church on Sunday in front of the whole congregation. Prior to that Todd had asked to give the scripture and prayer for Primary (Primary is like Sunday School for the children). Unfortunately, he completely choked and asked if I would do it all for him. I was afraid that he would really panic when reading his part for the Primary Program. I made sure that we practiced his line every morning before I gave the boys their vitamin. It was a success! Todd read his line loud and clear enough for me to understand him at the back of the chapel. Of course, I'm his mom and had been practicing the line with them, so I knew what he was saying. Still, he didn't panic and many members of the congregation who know how shy Todd is came up to him later and congratulated him for doing so well and being so brave. It became a fun activity for each of us, and Ryan had the line memorized as well after a week. We have continued that and turned it into an opportunity for the boys to become familiar with and memorize popular scriptures. Last week they both memorized John 14:15 "If ye love me, keep the commandments." Before practicing for the program, I would not have expected that a little 3-year old could memorize a scripture so quickly.

I also love the songs that the boys learn through Primary and at home. I made a CD with the songs that they were using for the Primary Program along with some other popular Primary songs. We have been playing the CD in the car for months, and the boys often request me to sing the Primary songs before bed. Todd's favorite is "I'll Follow Him in Faith." He also likes "This is My Beloved Son." The songs have invited lots of questions as the boys have tried to understand the lyrics. Ryan's favorite has been "Teach Me to Walk in the Light." He has all three verses memorized, and he sings it so well that I have been considering doing a special musical number in Church with Ryan and myself singing that song. As long as he didn't get nervous and start singing silly (or not at all) it could be a beautiful.

We have also been practicing the Articles of Faith songs for the past couple of months. The children will be singing them in Church next week. The Primary president gave us a CD to play in the car with all thirteen Articles of Faith. When I was in Primary we did not have songs for the Articles of Faith, so they were new to me. Although I had all thirteen Articles of Faith memorized years ago (a few different times), I had forgotten a few of them in the middle, and could not keep track of the order. I can now say that I once again have all of them memorized, and I hope that knowing the songs will make it harder for me to forget them. I didn't expect that the boys were memorizing them as well. This week, however, the boys are practicing an Article of Faith for their scripture memorization. Ryan really tunes into music, so he has to sing the first Article of Faith to recite it (with help still). Todd has been asking me to sing the song for the thirteenth, so that is the one he picked to recite. Although this is the longest one, he has the one thing memorized without help and can recite it without singing it - "We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul- We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things."

Lastly, I am happy that my children are learning about Jesus Christ - who He is and what He did for us. A few days ago I was sitting on the couch with Todd watching him play. I don't remember the exact question he first asked, but it was something like, "Did the airplanes fly to Jerusalem when Jesus was there?" I tried to explain that Jesus lived on the earth a long time ago and the people didn't have airplanes then. Todd asked, "Are the crosses still at Jerusalem?" I answered that I didn't think so. He asked, "Is Jesus' tomb still there?" I said, "Yes, it is." His eyes opened wide and he smiled as he replied, "But the tomb is empty!" He understands the excitement of that statement. "And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen..." (Matthew 28:5-6). What a perfect way to start the month of November and the beginning of the holiday season. This is the joy and good news we need to share with our children.

Ryan's New Game

Ryan is still at that age where almost everything he says is too cute and brings a smile to my face. Yesterday, when he woke up he came running out of his room saying, "Neigh! neigh! neigh!" followed by the explanation: "Mommy, I'm a horse."

This morning when he woke up he came running out of his rooming saying, "Aaank! Aaank! Aaank!" Todd thought that Ryan was being a pig. I agree, it did kind of sound like "oink". But Ryan said, "No. I'm the thing that goes up and down in the sand." "A digger?" "No, a boat." What??? "I'm an anchor!" Oh, of course.

Don't Cry for Me

Just because I live a small city, don't assume that I don't have access to at least some cultural activities enjoyed by those from big cities. Our local college has a fantastic fine arts program with a theater that has housed a number of notable productions. This week I was able to see a Broadway production of the musical "Evita". What a treat! I really enjoy the music and had to keep myself from humming along while watching the show.

I had seen the musical advertised when the school announced this season's events. But I was undecided about spending the money on a ticket and put it off until the show was sold out. On Wednesday, I decided to bring Todd and Ryan over to say hi to Oma and Papa after picking up Todd from school. (Todd thought she would enjoy the new song he learned at school, "The Ants Go Marching", because as he said, "Oma likes marching.") My father-in-law has been ushering at the Fine Arts Center for a few months now and had requested ushering for this show. He was starting to get ready to go and Oma asked whether I was going to the show. I said no, and told her that the show was sold out already. She said that if I could get a ticket she would be happy to watch the boys. So, at 3:55pm I called the box office and there were 3 seats that had just become available. So, I bought a ticket, went home, ate dinner, and got ready for the show which started at 7:30pm. The seat was in second row of the balcony. I have had balcony seats twice before and had not been impressed. But the lady in the box office said the second row was actually a pretty good seat, and I found that she was right.

I thoroughly enjoyed my spontaneous night-on-the-town and hope to repeat it again soon.

Conversation Starters

I wish that I had done better at recording some of the cute things my boys did before now. One thing I didn't think I would forget is how Ryan would try to get a conversation going, especially with people that he didn't know that well, or maybe wanted to get to know better. Though I remember what he did, I don't remember the exact words. I especially noticed his conversation starters when we visited with my family in California last Christmas. My dad would come into the kitchen while I was getting breakfast ready for the boys. Dad would say "Good morning, Ryan." And Ryan, without first saying hi or anything else would start with, "Helicopters fly in the sky." At least, it was something along those lines. At first I thought it was a random phrase. Then I noticed that he did this same thing multiple times with my dad and with others. From what I can tell he was trying to start up a conversation with the most interesting thing he could think of. I thought it was so cute.

Something happened today that reminded me of this former habit. I brought Ryan with me to the bank this afternoon to set up a savings account for my piano income. Ryan was well-behaved and didn't say much in the beginning. After a few minutes he became more comfortable and showed interest in talking to the banker. He said something like, "Todd has a light thing in his room at night." I couldn't figure out what he was talking about at first - the fiber optic jack-o-lantern we set up this morning?, the stuffed turtle that projects star lights? the night light? Yes! The night light! From what I can tell again, Ryan was trying to start a conversation about something he finds quite interesting: Todd's night light that has a sensor making it light up only when the room is dark. Fascinating, Ryan!

Quote of the Day

From "Family Fun", October 2007, p. 77, quoting Betsy Shaw, former Olympic snowboarder and Family Fun's "Mom of the Month" for October:
Why do you write a blog?
"I guess I think if I can capture all those amazing, and maddening, moments with my kids, maybe I can keep them from disappearing."

This quote went so well with my last post and sums up one reason why I have started blogging as well. I have always felt that keeping a journal was important. Unfortunately, the only time I was moderately successful at doing so was in high school. Now that I have children I have been feeling a greater desire to record our life. I am afraid of forgetting the little things. I am hoping that this medium will be easier for me to keep up with. Wish me luck!

Mothering in Reverse

I was not an overly-protective mother of my infants. My boys were sleeping in their own room by the time that they were a few weeks old and I seldom went in to check on them unless they were crying. I did not check on them regularly "just to see if they were still breathing".

For one thing, I didn't want to risk waking them up and not being able to get them to go back to sleep. I did get "caught" a few times, and that was miserable. I had gone into the nursery for one reason or other, I heard the baby stirring then sitting up to investigate, I ducked down so he couldn't see me, and had to stay ducking on the floor trying to figure out how to crawl back to the door without him figuring out that Mommy was in the room. It took up to 20 minutes before I was confident that the coast was clear.

Also, after caring for them all day long I was ready for my own time.

So, why is it that now that my boys are 3 and 4 years old I check on them before going to bed almost every night?

For one, I am no longer afraid of waking them up and not getting them back to sleep. They are both rather sound sleepers, and if they do wake up all I have to do is say, "Good night, Sweetie. Go back to sleep." A few times Todd has asked, "Mommy, what are you doing?" I reply, "I'm just checking in on you and saying 'good night'." That is good enough for him. In fact, I rather like hearing a mumbled response to my "I love you."

Also, now that I have more of "my own time", I find that I miss some of the snuggling that comes with younger children. I see how quickly the boys are growing, how tall they look all stretched out in their beds, and I am afraid of missing this time. They look so sweet and peaceful. I try to breathe in that baby cheek-to-cheek smell while I still can. I know I won't be able to much longer.

Time for me to sign off. I need to go check on my babies.

Warm Weather Continues

Despite hearing that it was snowing in Utah this last week, we have continued to enjoy warm weather. What am I doing dressing my kids in winter clothes then?? I don't know how Todd tolerated his heavy down-filled winter coat in 90 degree weather, but when you're that age I guess you don't notice how warm or cold it is outside. He and Ryan were dressing up as firemen. They had a great time. This activity has been repeated a few times since then, including once outside(!). I did, however, decline putting his gloves on for him. The big question is: will Todd still be interested in wearing his coat when it's 30 degrees outside?

This is more like it! I set up the little pool outside again. They have had such a great time swimming this year. Towards the end of the summer even Ryan has made leaps in terms of swimming underwater. But looking for dive sticks in 12 inches of water just isn't the same as diving in the big pool.
Ryan, with his "wings":
We're on our way to the Golf Course pool to meet Oma. We managed to fit in two pool visits this week. We're just not sure how long this warm weather will continue. And I'm a wimp when it comes to swimming in cool water.
You can't really tell from this picture, but Oma has just helped Todd launch into a forward underwater roll. Bravo, Todd!

Haircuts

My friend Anne recently posted about the experience of taking her daughter to have her first haircut. Todd and Ryan needed their hair cut this week also, and all I can say is, Boy, do girls have it easy! First of all, you can put off having to cut your baby girl's precious locks until she is a few years old. Secondly, you can get away with trimming the ends rather than cutting every hair millimeters away from their head. Todd screamed his way through his first four haircuts. Then, even after he got used to it, he still squirmed the entire time. He can't stand having the little hairs itching his neck.

However, I think we are finally starting to get a hang of the whole thing. Brett initiated the boys with the clippers in July. The result was two red-neck haircuts:

Now that the boys were used to the clippers, I decided to give them a try. I think their cuts turned out okay, if I do say so myself. 3/8 of an inch makes all the difference between short and red-neck short.

Don't worry Anne. I know you'll get to experience the fun of little boy haircuts soon enough! :)

Quote of the Day

From BYU Magazine, Summer 2007, p. 62, quoting Karl G. Maeser:
"If amidst all these changing scenes clouds of discouragement did occasionally darken the horizon of our vision, they were always dispelled by the voice of the Spirit whispering, 'O ye of little faith.'"

I loved the visual of this quote. It reminds me to put my hope and trust in God and that "all things work together for good to them that love God" (Romans 8:28).

A Day in the Life

I thought it would be fun to record a typical day in the life of me and my two boys. I kept my camera with me most of the day trying to catch all the mundane things that make up our life. What I expected to be a one-time attempt at journaling sparked a desire in me to do this more often in a format that I could share with those who might care about our minutiae. I created my blog today and am pleased to present what started it all:

"A Day in the Life of Becca, Todd, and Ryan" - taken September 17

(Yes, Don, I realize that this post would be considered "too much information". Hope you enjoy it anyway. :) I promise none of my other posts will be this long!)

The morning starts around 7:15am when Todd wakes up and climbs into bed with me. He has brought his two blankets, water, and a book with him. It is a new book that I purchased from Scholastic through his preschool called The Human Body. We didn’t get to finish reading it last night, so Todd is anxious to see the rest of it. We finish reading it in bed, with Ryan joining us for the last few pages.

By 8:00am, I am up and have started getting ready for the day, including making the beds and starting laundry. As today is Monday, I will attempt to wash all the sheets and towels. I will strip my bed after Ryan finishes looking at the book. He looks too involved to disturb him at present.

It is 8:15am. I have finished stripping my bed and move on to the boys’ rooms, only to find the two of them looking at our other Scholastic purchase: two How Do Dinosaurs… stories in one “flip me over” book. We have already read this book, so Todd is able to tell Ryan all about it. Todd seems as excited about his new Scholastic books as I used to be about mine. I remember how excited I would get every time the new brochure would come out. My mom, being a book-lover herself, would always let us pick out a least one book from each listing. Though married to a “why-don’t-you-just-check-it-out-from-the-library” man, I still don’t think I will be able to resist letting Todd pick out (or picking out for him) a number of books throughout the year.

8:40am: the boys are hungry and start asking for cereal before I have a chance to fix something better. Lately, I have been letting the boys have one small bowl of cereal while I make something more interesting. Breakfast is probably my favorite meal – to eat and to prepare. I love making (and eating) pancakes, French toast, waffles, muffins, eggs, etc. Breakfast Part I consists of a maximum of 3 types of cereals layered in the bowl (today that means every kind of cereal we have open) and a banana. Ryan likes to eat his banana “like a monkey”.


While getting breakfast ready, I play a CD that I recently noticed again. We had a pretty bad thunderstorm last week and Ryan had a really hard time sleeping because of the thunder. He has developed a fear of thunder and usually does okay as long as we are close by. Because this storm woke him up in the middle of the night he was more disturbed than usual by it. Brett finally suggested some music to help calm him, so I looked through our kids CD’s hoping to find something soothing. Though it didn’t really help Ryan that evening, I have enjoyed listening to this CD a few times since then. I received it as a baby gift when Todd was born, and played it quite often. Ryan fell asleep more easily during his first few months of life so I stopped pulling out the CD. Today, I enjoy the calming instrumental music, and the boys like that they recognize some of the lullabies.

Our peaceful morning has a minor hiccup with a timeout for Todd at 9:00am. After finishing his cereal he slipped out the front and started riding his three-wheeler. Our general rule is that he needs to ask before he goes out front so I know where he is and can keep an eye on him. A few of Todd’s mistakes that led to the time out: he didn’t clear his dishes before he left the kitchen, he didn’t ask to go outside first, and when Mom called for him he first ignored me then started verbally protesting before I had a chance to say anything. Fortunately, this minor episode did not disrupt the general good mood of the morning and Todd was quickly able to join us with a happy face.

9:15am: I check my new calendar and menu planner (which I love) and start thinking about what I need/should do today. We decide to take advantage of the beautiful weather and go to the local State Park this morning. Todd, who has become very interested in calendars, daily schedules, lists, etc., makes sure that I write this plan down on the calendar. I quickly start my morning multi-tasking: follow through on some of the laundry started earlier, work on Breakfast Part II, pack our picnic lunch and gather up our swimming gear.

9:30am: Finally, Breakfast Part II is ready – yummy French toast with syrup. I choose to have mine with pure maple syrup. The boys are fine with “the fake stuff” – sugar free, no less! I think my mom (who is originally from New England and knows the “good stuff”) was not looking at the labels very closely when she bought this stuff in July (no offense Mom, but sugar-free maple syrup?!?).
After they finish eating (and clearing their dishes) I send the boys to go wash their sticky hands. I hear a little too much fun going on and decide that it would be wise for me to check the damage, knowing they have been in the bathroom plenty long. I’m lucky this time – there is no water dripping down into the lower cabinet or all over the floor.

10:00am: as I go back to cleaning breakfast dishes and packing lunch Todd spies a pack of gum in the pantry and talks me into letting him practice chewing gum. I break off half a stick, and he successfully chews the gum for about ten minutes without swallowing before he is ready to put it in the trash.

10:30am: The boys decide that since Mom has already stripped the sheets off Todd’s bed they can do some redecorating of their own in the name of playing boat/train/airplane/whatever.

The car is packed and ready to go. From the looks of it, we are going on a two day trip, but no. We are only going five minutes down the road and will have to be back in time to drop Todd off for Preschool at 12:30pm.
10:40am (about half an hour later than I had hoped): “Who’s ready to go to the park?” “I am!” says Todd. “Me!!” says Ryan.

The boys want to check out the playground before they get to swimming. The last few times they were here the playground equipment was too hot to enjoy. I see the passage of time watching them play. Ryan now adeptly climbs this curved ladder, ascending and descending without Mom acting as “spotter” (something I did for my own sense of security, not because he requested it).

Todd, also, is trying new things. Six months ago, this distance was too great (and elevated) for Todd to span comfortably on his own. Now, he climbs with confidence.

Though I am sure they could play longer at the playground, it is 11:00am, and we won’t have much time for swimming. I encourage them to have one more swing before heading down to the water.
Ryan immediately gets busy digging and driving his trucks in the sand.

Todd prefers to get in the water and takes his boat for a ride.

Though there is a crispness in the air, I am surprised by how warm the water still is. It is a perfect day. It is warm, but not too hot or humid; it is calm and peaceful and so relaxing.

Todd is trying to build a river, and won’t let Ryan jump in until it’s ready. Ryan is barely holding himself back.

Todd jumps in first and Ryan is close behind, but what happened to the water?

Todd puts his goggles on and instantly becomes a fish. “What do you see?” “Fish, and rocks, and … lots of things.” We talk about “nature” – the water, sand, shells, trees, butterflies, kingfisher, seagulls, terns. “Is a bridge ‘nature’?” “No.” “Is a boat ‘nature’?” “No.” “Is a dock ‘nature’?” “No.” “Yes, it is!” More “nature” explanations….
It is getting late and our perfect morning at the State Park must come to close. I had hoped for a nice picnic lunch under the pavilion, but couldn’t tear myself away from the shore to allow enough time for that. Rather, we quickly rinse off in the shower (where the water is not warm), get some dry clothes on, and finish eating in the car.

I am surprised that we actually make it to school on time. I take Todd to wash his hands before signing in (Preschool policy). Ryan, of course, has to wash his hands like his older brother, making sure that he uses his paper towel to turn off the faucet like Todd has been taught to do. Ryan would love to stay and play with the toys. It will be your turn soon enough, Ryan. Have a great day, Todd.Mom and Ryan have a few minutes of together time before he goes down for a nap at 1:30pm. We get cozy in Ryan’s new hippopotamus tent which we set up for his birthday. Today’s book is I’m Taking a Trip on My Train. It quickly became a favorite of Ryan’s when we checked it out from the library a few weeks ago. I have already renewed it twice and will have to return it soon, much to Ryan’s dismay. He likes that the book tells a little story adding one line to the poem with each page, replacing key words with pictures after each page – the engineer’s hat, locomotive, caboose, tunnel, people, etc. He fills in the picture words as I read the story and he always finishes the last line: “I’m taking a trip on my train.”

Story time is over and it’s time to snuggle in for bed. Ryan has been testing Mom and Dad lately with last-minute requests before bed. I try to make sure he is ready with everything he “needs” for bed before I tell him good night. It looks like he has it all: his bug blanket, soft green blanket, dark blue blanket, and his snowman blanket which he brought in from the car after taking Todd to school; his puppy, little mousie, Copper, little sheepy, rooster, and soft Teddie; his water, and his socks (not pictured). Good night, Ryan. I love you.

Ryan wakes up from his nap, and Dad has come home from work a little early. Ryan decides to come with Mom to pick up Todd from Preschool. The day is still beautiful and I set up the little pool for the first time this year around 4:15pm. The boys have a great time playing with the hose, their dive sticks, and water guns. I watch them from the kitchen window while I start getting dinner ready.

5:00pm: dinner is almost ready, so the boys get out, dry off, and get dressed. Dad throws the Aerobie for the dogs and Copper decides to take a little swim himself now that the pool has been abandoned. What he doesn’t know is that this will inspire Brett to bathe both dogs. Ha ha.

We sit down as a family for a nice meal – something I have been really trying to make a priority lately. Brett goes over next door to help our neighbor install her microwave. Todd has finished eating and has cleared his dishes. He is patiently waiting for Ryan to finish his dinner so they can go next door also and see if Logan is home. Logan is the same age as Ryan and the boys have all become good friends and love to play together. Ryan is left at the table alone most days of the week while Mom cleans up the dishes. Though he usually finishes his dinner eventually, it has been difficult getting him to eat it in less than what feels like an hour!

Todd relaxes for a minute on our new little deck outside the sliding glass door that Brett installed two weeks ago. It has the best view from the house looking out to the golf course. What a perfect evening to sit and relax outside. Unfortunately, I have to get ready for practice and can’t join him. Every Monday during the school year I sing with a group at the local college. It is a small group of about 15 members and we perform a couple of times towards the end of each semester. This will be my fourth semester singing with them.
It is almost 6:00pm and I’m ready to go.

I come home about 8:15pm and find the boys asleep in their beds. It is so nice that the boys are comfortable with me leaving them now. In fact, Ryan has started to ask me occasionally if I can leave so that he can have a movie with Daddy. It has become a special treat for them. It is 11:00pm, and I go in to check on each of them before calling it a night. I whisper in their ears,

“Good night, Todd. I love you.”

“Good night, Ryan. I love you.”