Making Tracks to Great Destinations

I remember visiting a toy store when Todd was a baby and passing by the Thomas the Tank Engine products. I swore I would never get into buying all of that stuff for my little boy, no matter how cute it was. Too expensive!

I guess I can eat my words now, considering the collection that we have accumulated. Granted, it is not all Thomas brand (thank goodness all the wooden tracks are compatible!). And, it sure doesn't seem like you're spending that much money when you only buy things that are on sale, or use the 40% and 50% off coupons, or receive things as gifts--especially when you add to your collection over the course of three years.

From the time that I bought that first off-brand starter set at Target when Todd was 2 1/2 years old, the trains and train tracks have been a hit. Todd's interest in building his tracks has continued, and his ability to engineer elaborate track designs has amazed us. He can build a track in the early part of a morning with no help from anyone else.
Brett keeps telling me to slow down, to not add another piece to our collection. He reasons that we have enough already (...true) and that Todd's interest could fade at any moment (...also true). But how can I resist buying a piece here or there for birthdays, Christmas, or other special occasions when both Todd and Ryan pore over the Thomas catalogs, request to watch the Thomas movies frequently, play the games on the Internet, then talk about the characters and the funny things they do that make them laugh.

The way I see it, I am encouraging Todd to develop his talents and natural abilities by providing him what he needs to create and enjoy these masterpieces. Not only does he build the track, he really enjoys playing with the engines and actively uses his imagination while playing.

[Besides, the boys don't have any diesel engines yet (only "steamies"), Salty really is a funny character . . . and Barnes & Noble had them marked in the clearance bin for 50% off. It was a deal I couldn't pass up!]

Bad Dog, Marley!

I do a lot of clipping and saving things from magazines and elsewhere. Then I put these clippings into files, one of which is a "Books" file. I finally decided to go through my Books file and check to see if any of these were available from my library. On our library's web site you can check the card catalog, start a reading list for yourself, and request books from other libraries in the county. One of the books that I requested was a children's book recommended by Parenting magazine (I think) called Bad Dog, Marley! I picked it up from the library yesterday and read it to the boys last night. It was definitely worth requesting.

I just read some of the reviews on Amazon, and I can see how some parents might not appreciate teaching your child to say "Bad Dog" as opposed to "No, Dog." However, I guess I didn't really think about it like that. Our boys hear us discipline our dogs and are more likely to follow our example than that in the book. I am also not familiar with the grown-up version of this dog story by the same author.

There are two reasons why I think the boys liked this book so much. One, is that we have a puppy in our house right now that has tried Mommy's patience a little. She has done some peeing and pooping (in the house!), she has chewed things, and she has been a little crazy sometimes. She even resembles Marley physically. So, the boys can relate to the premise.

Secondly, Ryan has been very interested in the way a baby's language progresses lately. He frequently asks me how a baby pronounces words. For example he might ask, "How does a baby say 'Daddy'?" I might respond (in a baby voice), "Dada." We go through this a few times a day, and Ryan thinks it's kind of funny. In Bad Dog, Marley! the baby has things to say along with the rest of the family. When the sister asks for a puppy, "Oh please, please, please, please," Baby Louie asks, "Peas!" When the baby sees one of Marley's messes he says, "Uh-oh". Ryan's favorite is how after hearing the rest of the family say, "Bad dog, Marley!" Baby Louie says, "Bah boo-boo, Waddy!"

The boys were laughing so hard. It was that sincere laughter when something just tickles them down to the bones--not like that trouble-making laughter when they are getting a kick out of doing something they know they're not supposed to do!

Priceless!

A Chrysalis!

I have a chrysalis in my herb garden! "A what?", you ask. "A chrysalis", I say! Even my preschooler knows what a chrysalis is.

Actually, I had forgotten (or never actually learned...) that the pupal stage of a butterfly is a chrysalis while the pupal stage of a moth is a cocoon. Todd's preschool class did a study on moths and butterflies, and I was able to watch the progress of their caterpillars/moths as I dropped Todd off and picked him up each day. Now, we are able to do a little observation in our very own garden.

A few days ago we found this little guy. Actually, by the time we found him, "...He wasn't a little caterpillar any more. He was a big, fat caterpillar." [Name that book!] I'm also pleased that by the time we found him "...He wasn't hungry any more." I was a little worried at first that he might eat all my parsley. Though, if he had eaten all my parsley, I would have considered it an even exchange for watching his metamorphosis.

I wish that we were able to capture his "stinky, orange mad-horns" (obviously, NOT the technical name) on camera. They were so cute. Thank you, Anne, for helping me to identify this caterpillar as the future Black Swallowtail butterfly. I had thought about trying to transfer the big, fat caterpillar into a bug house and feed him until he was ready to pupate. But, the idea of feeding him once to thrice a day and dealing with his poop slowed my motivation. However, I continued to check on him a few times a day to see if he was sticking around. Where was he going to go? This is, by far, the best buffet on the block! Evidently, parsley is one his favorite foods.

I checked on him again this morning. He had moved from the parsley to my lemon balm yesterday, and was still in roughly the same place. We went out for a few hours, and when I came home I checked on our big, fat caterpillar and couldn't find him anywhere. At first, I was panicked. Why didn't I get around to putting him in a bug house? I looked a little closer, and was thrilled when I saw this! Is that what I think it is? Yes! A chrysalis!

If I had really done my research I would have recognized that this big, fat caterpillar was very close to pupating, and I wouldn't have been so surprised.

I showed Todd right away, and he was excited. However, some people have a hard time understanding what he is trying to tell them. I guess they are not expecting the word "chrysalis" to come from the mouth of a five-year-old. That, and a lot of us older folks still make that chrysalis/cocoon mistake. This is also true of a well-known author (who shall remain nameless) who explained that "He built a small house, called a cocoon, around himself . . . . and . . . he was a beautiful butterfly!" I guess he hasn't talked to any four- or five-year-olds lately!

Here is a photo of the opposite side of the chrysalis. Sorry about the glare.

Hopefully, I'll have some great photos to share with you in 10 to 14 days!

In other garden news, our grape tomato plant is doing great. We have already picked close to 15 tomatoes, and there are lots more green babies growing. It is taller than the boys--you can see Todd verifying this fact below.

We picked our first jalapeno pepper at the end of last week, and Ryan was so excited that he bit right into it. (!) Fortunately, we were right there to offer him a cool glass of milk. He declined any further bites, and Brett finished the rest of it--raw. We have about 5 baby jalapenos growing now, and I quickly need to decide what I want to do with them.

DON: I hope you enjoy the photos of our caterpillar and corresponding chrysalis. I appreciate the research you did for me when I posted about the big, fat moth. I think you were right on with your identification. I enjoyed reading about it. I still wish I could have gotten a photograph of the top of the wings!

Online Radio Stations

Have you heard of Pandora Radio? I ran across this web site recommended by another blogger. I have really enjoyed listening to it. We don't have the best radio reception in our house. I think it has something to do with having quality radios. And I think our wireless router interferes with the radio in my kitchen. I don't have too many CD's and often don't know what music is out there. I like getting recommendations of music that friends think I might like. This web site is like my best friend making a mix for me. Best of all, you don't have to listen to commercials! How's that for advertising?

I shared this site with Brett and he got frustrated with it. He kept trying to skip over songs, but you are only allowed to skip so many songs in an hour. Brett is the type of person who knows exactly what he's in the mood to listen to. I, on the other hand, don't want to have to think about my music too much. Just play stuff that I like, leave out the commercials, and let me go off and do my own thing.

Check it out and let me know what you think.

Pardon Our Dust

You'll have to excuse me for a little while. I might be changing my page layout a few more times until I can find the right fit. I'm not very creative, but I do know that I haven't found the perfect look for me yet and I'm not ready to give up trying.

Fun in a Box

Brett recently installed a new stove in our kitchen. We are moving our old stove to the rental house. As most parents know, there is nothing more fun for young kids than a big cardboard box. This box has been hanging around our family room for the past week for the boys to play with. They have really enjoyed it, and the box is finally starting to show its wear and tear.

Fun for toddlers and little girls, too.

Todd and Ryan have made up all sorts of games with this box, though I'm not sure what they're doing in this first photo.

Peek-a-boo.

Smile for the camera.

Change of subject. You have probably guessed by now that I let my boys pick out their own clothes with very few exceptions. Try as I may, I can not convince Todd that orange and red don't match that well together. And this is coming from someone without much style herself! Anytime I bring this up Todd replies, "Oh, it's fine."

Ryan's strangest wardrobe choice is the turtleneck shirt in 90-degree weather (not that it's that warm in the house). This occurs on a fairly regular basis--if not a turtleneck then a long-sleeved shirt.

Different orange shorts/red shirt combination:

Dogs Can't Climb!

Ryan's obsession to behave like a dog has gone a little too far. I can't really classify it as an obsession, since it only comes up maybe once a day to once every other day. However, yesterday morning it came up in a big way. And my friend Anne, poor girl, was here to witness it. What did Ryan do that was so bad? He peed on the floor! . . .actually peed ON THE FLOOR!! After all, that's what Dixie has done before. I had to remind him that I didn't like it when Dixie did it, and I certainly don't like it when little boys do it. Let's review: where do dogs pee? Outside. Where do little boys pee? Inside. But not just anywhere inside--in the toilet! If you must pee like a dog, go OUTSIDE and pee on a bush. I don't love that idea, but it's a whole lot better than on my bedroom rug. I did make Ryan help clean up the mess, and Daddy gave him a stern lecture that evening. Thank goodness we haven't scheduled the carpets to be cleaned yet. Two more weeks.
If Ryan's act-like-a-dog obsession were complete, we would have avoided today's incident which involved climbing. Dogs can't climb. So, why did I find my little puppy on the very top shelf of the closet?? Here he is on his way down. He was actually sitting on that top shelf in the corner, getting the special racecars out of the box with the tracks.
This boy has a sense of humor! Let me tell you, he was oh-so-proud of himself. (This photo was taken before he and the racecars were sent to timeout--separately.)

Anne, boys really aren't as bad as they may seem. I am sure that little girls have the ability to drive one crazy, just in different ways.

Fortunately, Ryan makes up for his antics by being so cuddly. It's hard not to make comparisons between your children. I love both of my boys, but they are so different. Ryan loves to make people laugh, and will often break some rules to do it. He can't sit still at the dinner table, but if you need a snuggle he's your boy.

Todd has a healthy respect for rules. Some of his favorite songs to sing before bed are the ones he makes up to the tune of "Book of Mormon Stories". The lyrics go along something like this: "We can always do the things that God tells us to do." However, Todd also loves a good laugh and thinks that little boys who break the rules are especially funny. See where I'm going? Although Todd would never think of climbing to the top shelf of the closet himself (that's not allowed, after all), he sure encourages Ryan in this behavior with his laughter. Only every once in while when he thinks things are getting out of hand or too dangerous does Todd tattle. And occasionally, when it looks like too much fun, Todd will join in regardless of the rules. Though Todd has the attention span of an older grade-schooler, he can't sit still for a snuggle-on-demand. He still asks for a snuggle once in a while, but I can see that I will be chasing him around the kitchen trying to get a hug from him when he becomes a teenager--just like I remember my mom chasing my brother David.

So we're left with: snuggly rule-breaker, or prickly rule-keeper?

Now Presenting . . . Dixie

Donna, this is for you.

I hope you are able to view the video of Dixie and Copper playing here. I'm sorry that you had trouble viewing it before. I think the best thing from Dixie's point of view about staying in our house is the fact that she is able to play with Copper. We don't let her roam free outside very much, because we often have a hard time getting her to come back to us. And I know that I don't pay much attention to her during the day (just like I don't pay much attention to Copper or Sandy...), and we haven't been working on training. But, she is being fed and kept safe. And best of all, she and Copper have been getting along together very well. We had a big rope in our dog supply box that had never been played with really. I pulled it out to let Dixie chew on it, and biq the dogs love playing tug with it. They are not agressive towards each other--they just have a good time.

I have not been paying too much attention to Dixie, but the boys have probably been giving her all the attention she wants. Sometimes I think they smother her a little too much, but she usually doesn't seem to mind. Every once in a while she will come to me as if to say, "Can you get those boys to give me some space, please?" But she has never growled at them and is very tolerant. Todd likes to snuggle up to her and use her for a pillow.

While I think that Dixie has been happy enough here, I know that she will be so happy once you are here and she doesn't have to share the attention with two other dogs and two little boys. She is a sweet girl, and with some training and maturity I think she will be a great dog for you.

We're happy that we've been able to help in some small way in your transition as you get ready to move to Florida. We can't wait to have the family all together. The boys talk about you all every day. They are just as excited as we are. See you soon!

Progress of Rental House

I thought it was time to give an update on all of the hard work Brett has been doing on our new rental house. The living room, dining room, family room, and kitchen have all been tiled--just a square layout. Brett finished putting in the crown molding in these rooms as well.

I wanted something a little different for the entry. Sigrid and Elke helped us come up with this design, which I think turned out nicely.
Although things are coming along well, the last time I went to check out the house it still looked like a construction zone where Brett was working. However, now that Brett has finished the molding, things should come together quickly. The counter tops are ready for pickup this week, but we still have about 2 weeks before we can get the stove and dishwasher in.

Although he is shown taking a break here with Todd, Gary has been a big help. He often comes by to help Brett when he has a free afternoon.

The boys have had fun catching lizards and looking for nature on the days that we have gone to visit Brett. Here Ryan shows us the size of a spider that he found in the toilet on the back patio.

I Almost Lost Hope

I took this photo on our walk this morning and immediately gave up on my own hydrangeas.

When I came home I took this photo to prove why I felt there was no hope: nothing, no sign of a bloom . . . . But wait, is that a tiny, white cluster of flowers? Is there still hope?

Deedee Bear--Not So Sweet After All

One rule in our house is for the boys not to play in Mom and Dad's room--especially not to play on the bed right after I made it. I found the boys in my (locked) bedroom playing on the bed. I immediately shooed them out. A few minutes later this conversation took place.
Ryan: Mom, Deedee Bear doesn't like you.
Mom: Oh yeah? Why not?
Ryan: Because you won't let him go in your room. Deedee Bear likes Todd and Ryan because they let him go in your room. Deedee Bear would like you if you said, (in a sing-song voice) "It's the dirty nose!" [??]