Early Mornings

My family has been working together (unintentionally) to change my ways and become more of a morning person. I have been making an effort lately to go to be earlier (like 10:00pm early). I was forced into doing this because of the true morning people in my home, especially Brett and Todd.

It's a good system on school days. I like getting up at 6:30am and having time to get everything done without feeling crazy in the morning rush to get the kids on the bus. The only way I can feel refreshed enough to face the morning rush is if I go to by bed by 10:00 or 10:30pm.

The problem comes on the weekends (or other rebellious nights) when my night-owl tendencies keep me up doing this, that, or the other, until midnight. At least I have a balanced checkbook to show for my efforts last night, on top of a girls night out with my sister-in-law. But when 6:08am showed up I couldn't get myself back to sleep. I stayed in bed trying to force myself to sleep, with no success. I am dragging now.

Todd, on the other hand, has been enjoying a lovely morning. I am sure he was awake before 6:00am. And he was singing the National Anthem, reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid, practicing the piano, eating candy (!!), and just playing--all before 7:00am.

Brett was gone fishing who-knows-when, well before sun-up.

So, yet again, I have learned my lesson. It is impossible to sleep in, try as I might. The only way to feel good in the morning is to put myself to bed at a reasonable hour. To bed early tonight! Really!

(We'll see if I remember this lesson next weekend.)

Crying - An Unexpected First

Recently Todd shared with me that when he was watching a movie about a dog at Oma's house, it made him cry a little towards the end. Todd explained that the family in the movie moved to a new house and had to leave the dog somewhere, and the dog got out to go find the boy (or something close to that). We eventually figured out that the movie was one of the Lassie movies. I told Todd that I cry at movies all the time.

Only a day or so later I took my boys and our neighbor Logan to see Toy Story 3 at our local movie theater. There is a touching scene at the end when Andy is saying good-bye to his toys before heading off to college. My eyes started to tear up. I noticed that Todd, who was sitting right next to me, started wiping at his eyes. The scene continued. Tears were now falling down my cheek, when Todd rested his head on my shoulder. I rested my head on his. Then he linked his arm through mine on the armrest between us. We stayed like that for a few more minutes until the movie came to a close.

I can't tell you how much this experience touched me. It was such a sweet moment. Can it be that my son is maturing and developing empathy?
I certainly hope so.

Doggy Day Care

Kevin, this post is for you:

Todd and Ryan have been enjoying Magnum as he spends time at our house. It took him a couple of days at first to settle down, but Magnum now seems to feel quite comfortable and at home here. Jen has been staying busy at work, so Magnum has been spending most workdays at home with us. The boys have enjoyed having him around and will miss him when he goes back to you, his real master.

I can't really say that I will miss his shedding hair--Ryan snuggles on Magnum daily, so his shirts always carry some of Magnum with him. But Magnum has been such a sweet and patient dog to put up with all of the loving he gets from the boys. (I don't know, but he might even enjoy it.)

(Yes, that is fake poop on Magnum's back. Ah, the humor of grade-school boys--and their dads!)

Just wanted to let you know that we're doing our best to help take care of Magnum in your absence, and thought you might enjoy seeing the photos. Hope you're doing well.

Love, Becca and the boys.

Her Gift (and Baby Teeth)

With family that lives so near, it is nice to recognize the many special things we have to offer one another. For my design questions, I turn to my sister. (If I had an inkling to be more stylish, I would probably turn to her more...). For legal counsel and sound judgement we turn to Brett's father. We go to Brett's mom for our sewing needs: mending, hemming, making a wallet (see, anything goes!). For any of the following: questions about cars, borrowing a tool, removing a splinter, computer problems, strong muscles to lift and move, building a kitchen, identifying snakes, understanding the situation with the Deepwater Horizon, local geography, tying a rope, cutting down a tree, fixing...ANYTHING--we go to Brett.

And for wiggly teeth, we turn to Donna. After years of being a kindergarten teacher's assistant before moving here, Donna became quite the expert in baby teeth. Fortunately, she moved in two doors down from us right before Todd started losing his.

I don't really have a problem dealing with the messiness of children or with the blood that comes because of accidents that are bound to happen. But, as one who has a slight phobia of losing her own teeth (read: my nightmare), pulling my children's teeth is not something I am prepared to do. Ryan injured one of his top baby teeth sometime last year. All seemed fine, but a recent bump caused the tooth to become loose before he lost any of his lower baby teeth. The dentist said that she could see his adult teeth coming in on the x-ray, so there was nothing to worry about.

The tooth had been a little loose for almost two weeks, but a little bump yesterday (during my piano lessons) caused the tooth to loosen more and bleed (quite a bit--and my poor student had to witness!). Blood? No worries. Super-loose tooth? Time to call in reinforcements. We went ahead and started dinner before Donna arrived, but Ryan was struggling and was clearly uncomfortable. A few minutes into dinner, Donna arrived and - *pop* - that tooth was out and ready for the tooth fairy. [Todd, in a quiet aside, asked if Ryan could get $2.00 instead of just $1.00. They are saving to buy a cool Lego set, after all. No secret about the tooth fairy in this house.]

What's great about Donna is that she knows when a tooth is ready to come, and won't pull it before then. And when it's ready, the tooth is out before the kids even know what happened. My boys trust her as the tooth-pulling expert, and I am grateful to have one of those in the family!

I told Ryan that he was officially a big boy. He replied, "So, I'm six now" (even though he knows that his birthday isn't until September). It will take me a little time getting used to seeing my baby with his missing tooth. I was talking to a woman at a chorus rehearsal last week. She talked about her twenty-something year old son who was still her cuddly boy. I told her that my little Ryan would always be my cuddly baby as well. Rat-tail, gap-toothed smile and all.

[We couldn't figure out what my special gift was, though one of the boys offered, "maybe for cooking something." Thanks for the effort.]

What Will I Do With My Time?

"Summer" ends in four weeks. Only four more weeks until school starts back up.

I am not looking forward to getting rid of my kids the way some parents do after having them around all day/every day. I like having them around. And they play so well with each other and with their next door neighbor, that it's not hard for them to stay busy. My problem is organizing my time so that we have a chance to do some of the activities and outings that I want to do with them before summer ends. We have done a few things like going to Big Kahuna's, playing Mexican Train Dominoes, making popsicles, water skiing, picking ripe red tomatoes from the garden, going to the library, hiking a trail at Rocky Bayou State Park, swim lessons, and just lounging with the family, among other things.

However, I would also like to do some of the following before the summer:
Go to a summer movie
Pick blueberries
Go canoeing
See the manatees in Wakulla River
Hit a state park or two
Go scalloping
Make more popsicles
Do a craft or two or three

And while I want to enjoy my time with the boys while I have it, I find that I am already looking ahead to what I might be able to accomplish when I have a full day of my own time. Of course, as I look forward to this time I do it in an attitude of procrastination. Like, why bother organizing my paperwork and balancing my checkbook now? Better to just wait until school starts.

Other projects I dream of finishing:
Sorting through and getting rid of seldom-used clothes, movies, and stuff
Ironing
Organizing all my photos
Sewing a dress-up cape and Ben10 costume (just in time for Halloween!)
Sewing my Christmas advent calendar
Cleaning the ceiling fans/general dusting (...nah!)
Detail vacuuming around the baseboards (...maybe)
Organizing my recipes and making weekly menu plans
Hanging pictures in dining room and family room
Painting exterior wall of the former screened porch
Catching up on blogging (is that even possible?)
Learning German (now I'm really dreaming...)

We'll see how successfully I organize my life come August. In the meantime, I am determined to put those big projects aside and use my last month to have fun with the boys. In fact, I think I'll attempt "Make more popsicles" right now.

Hope you're having fun with your summer.

Look!

Todd: Hey, Mom. Look under there!
Mom: Under-where?
Todd: Ha ha! You said underwear!!
Mom: Doh! You got me!

Another popular joke at our house:
Todd: Mom, how do you eat a granola bar?
Mom: One bite at a time.
I've heard this one before. . . . In fact, I heard it this morning.

[Todd is the one who really got me with the first joke this morning. However, both Todd and Ryan are enjoying both of these joke this week.]

Little Helpers

On Sunday evening the boys and I were discussing our plans for the next day. I had told them that after taking care of a couple of things in the morning I was going to mop the floor. It needed it badly and was at the top of my chores list. Monday came and went and the mopping still hadn't been done. Tuesday was going to be a busy day, but I was still planning on getting that kitchen floor done. I got the boys some cereal in the morning then hopped into the shower. When I came out I saw that the boys had decided to do my mopping for me. I hid my discomfort: the floor hadn't been swept yet, which would mean a little more work for me while I finished the floor. And I was afraid that the water would be everywhere (it wasn't that bad, actually). Instead, I responded with a sincere thank you. I told them how thoughtful they were--so thoughtful.

A little later Uncle Mark stopped by and heard the boys saying that they should get some flowers for me. Sure enough, they asked to borrow my scissors and came back with some flowers cut from the garden.

I don't know what I did to deserve their thoughtfulness this week, but as I look at the beautiful flowers in my kitchen window I am reminded that my crazy summer monkeys are really sweet boys.

Growing Boys

I took both of my boys to the grocery store this afternoon. Todd asked if we could look for one of the red-car shopping carts, something we haven't used in a while. I was shocked when I realized how much both my boys have grown. They don't fit in them anymore. Look at Todd's poor knees crammed against the dash! They decided it wasn't comfortable enough to tolerate and opted to walk alongside of me while I pushed a regular cart. Another "last" milestone--the last of using the shopping cars.

I was pleased, however, to discover that my growing boys are not yet too old for a balloon.

Loyal

Copper is Brett's dog - one hundred percent.
He always has been.
Copper loves to play Frisbee with Brett. Brett can throw the Aerobie for Copper from our back yard clear across the golf fairway, and Copper chases after it with top speed. Copper loves that game, and it has proven to be the best and easiest way to exercise him. He will keep on chasing the Aerobie throw after throw. Afterwards, he'll sprawl out on the kitchen floor panting so loudly that I can't hear myself think. However, he only wants to play with Brett. If I try throwing the Aerobie for Copper he might trot out to retrieve it. But his heart isn't in the game, and he usually gives up after one or two throws.

But, I know Copper loves me too. About halfway through the school year I started bringing Copper to the bus stop every morning. Copper starts getting excited as soon as I put Todd's lunch in his backpack and zip it up. Nothing distracts Copper from coming with me--even Brett. There were a number of times in the afternoon when Brett would be home working in the garage when it was time for Todd to come home from school. Brett would try to trick Copper into staying with him rather than coming along with me. I won every time.

It was also evident that Copper loves me a week or so ago when we had a strong thunderstorm in the wee hours of the morning. Copper has become more sensitive to storms with each passing year, and I woke up to find Copper climbing all over me. This is not behavior that I generally tolerate. Though Brett tried to call Copper over to him (and off of me), Copper would not budge. He was determined to find comfort from the nurturer of the family--Mama. Although he woke me up from a good sleep and it took a little while for him to settle back down, I will admit that it warmed my heart that I was the one he looked to to calm his fears.

So, maybe Copper is not 100% Brett's. Maybe he's 15% mine, too.

Family Home Afternoon

I think it is important for parents to make a point to have faith-based discussions with their families, to teach them about Jesus Christ, to teach them values, to share their convictions, and to have a good time together. Unfortunately, my husband is not really strong in his faith, and it's hard for me to organize formal religious activities like weekly Family Evening Evening.

Last month, some time after a conversation we had about family home evenings, a friend from church came to our home with her family and they shared a lesson on prayer with my family (well, with me and the boys). Todd especially loved it. He loves reading and jumped at the chance to read the scriptures my friend had selected. The boys had fun doing activities that went with the short lesson. And, to finish the evening off, the boys were introduced to a game called "Don't Eat Pete." It is a fun little game that gives the boys an excuse to candy. Score!


A couple of days ago, Todd asked if we could have another Family Home Evening. I love it when children remind parents about what we should doing. I responded enthusiastically, and Todd got straight to work planning a lesson on the birth of Jesus Christ. I gave him some pointers about where to find scriptures that went with his lesson. He wrote out an agenda, drew a picture of the nativity and cut it up to make a puzzle, made up his own game, and selected a few songs for us to sing.

We finally got the chance to have our Family Home "Afternoon" today after church and lunch. When Todd was ready to start he told me that he really wanted Daddy to participate. What thrilled me almost as much as all of Todd's efforts in planning and carrying out this activity was the fact that Brett happily joined us. When Todd started reading the first few verses Brett asked me on the side, "Isn't this a Christmas story?" I answered that, yes, it was, but it's never a wrong time to learn about Jesus. And that was that. We continued with everyone having good attitudes, although Ryan was not still for more than 45 seconds at a time. The boys and I even played "Don't Eat Pete" a little later to finish off a great afternoon.

I am so proud of Todd and look forward to our next Family Home Evening.

The Difference Between Baseball and Softball - by Ryan

Do you know why softballs are bigger than baseballs? Because girls are badder at hitting the ball than boys. So when they're hitting the softball with a thin bat then they can still hit the ball. Boys are the best at hitting - like me. I'm good at it.

Happy Birthday, Lisa!

Dear Lisa,

I hope you're having a great birthday.

Congratulations on the new job. I've only heard that you got one-don't know details yet, but I would think a new job for your birthday was a great gift!

Jen and I had lunch today and thought of you. Wish you were here to celebrate with. I'd like the excuse for more cake. I would even make you the cake of your choice. What's your preference? Vanilla/vanilla? Chocolate/chocolate? Carrot/cream cheese? I'm ashamed I don't know.

It's spring pushing summer here and the sun is bright. Jen and I have the same squinty expression as we say,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SIS!



P.S. Stop having birthdays. It's making me age.

From the Eyes of a Child

Proof of my dry, frizzy hair. I had no idea it was this bad! (I will say that I'm loving my stylish earrings, though.)

Thrice

Some months back, Todd discovered the word "thrice". I explained what it meant, and we enjoyed talking about it--"once, twice, thrice." It really is a handy word, and Todd now puts it to use quite often.

For example, this morning we were talking about a book Todd got for Christmas. I haven't had a chance to read it yet. Todd told me that it was a pretty easy book to read, and he had already read it at least twice or thrice.

His use of this word made me both excited for him that he has been able to make it an active part of his vocabulary and sad for him when he eventually discovers that nobody uses the word "thrice" anymore. And why don't we? What a shame that we reject perfectly good words such as "thrice" lest we sound snooty.

[It makes me curious. Do you ever use the word "thrice"? What words do you wish were more often used in the modern English language? And why do you think they have fallen out of favor?]

Spring is Here! I Love You!

Every year I am overwhelmed by how much I really do love spring. Unfortunately, it never lasts as long as I would hope. There is such a short window when the weather is absolutely perfect. And I am usually so busy at this time of year that I don't get out to enjoy it with the boys as much as I would like.

I love noticing all the different shades of green as I drive down the road, especially the light greens from all of the new growth. Here in the South spring offers color everywhere you look with the blooming azaleas. My neighbor has some huge bushes in yard.

Our azaleas are pretty scrawny, but they still offer a little color here and there. On Sunday, Ryan picked two azalea flowers and presented them to me saying,

"This first flower says, 'Spring is here!' The second one says, 'I love you!'"

That little boy knows how to melt my heart.

I love the changes that spring brings to my modest gardening efforts. I do not love working outside in the garden, but somehow spring motivates me to get out there and enjoy it just a little. I love my big-leafed shamrocks and their dainty purple flowers that return every year. (We've also seen the return of a lot of little-leafed clovers in our grass, much to Brett's dismay.) And I am overjoyed that my Gerber Daisies are coming back. They looked so bad after our cold winter that I really didn't know if they would.

Over the winter we finally had success with our orange tree. Now that spring is here the tree is covered with fragrant blossoms (pictured below left). I think we will have another great crop this winter. Our pathetic little apple tree --which isn't so pathetic when you realize that this tree grew from a seed Brett planted from an apple he ate in our first apartment and transported and transplanted a few times until we settled in our own home (did you follow that run-on sentence?)--Our apple tree is also full of blossoms, though we do not have hopes for a plentiful and edible crop.

As far as my gardening efforts go, I am pleased that my two mints have returned (barely), and my garlic chives are flourishing. This year I planted more rosemary, lemon balm, cilantro (pictured below left-which is growing like crazy, much to Brett's delight), parsley, and basil. I don't always cook a lot with these herbs, but I love having good smelling plants around. Ryan has also discovered the joy of rubbing the leaves and smelling them.

I was so excited to see some baby tomato plants that are popping up from last year (below right).

This year I planted two tomato plants, a bell pepper and a poblano pepper plant, three strawberry plants, one crookneck squash, and some peas. It's not too much, especially when I compare it to Anne's impressive garden, but hopefully it is just enough for the boys and I to enjoy without being more than I can handle.

Just as I am excited about the baby tomato plants popping up, I also get excited about the promise of roses and hydrangeas in bloom.

Speaking of roses, I can't help but admire this rose bush. Not because it is a beautiful bush, but because it has determination. When we bought our house, there were three or four rose bushes in the backyard. We didn't like where they were located, and I wasn't crazy about the type of roses they were. So we decided to dig them up and plant them somewhere else. We figured, if they survive, fine. If they die, fine. They didn't die. They were just as happy in their new spot. However, after a few years I got tired of them. I still wanted the traditional roses. I told Brett I was ready to replace them. We dug them up, threw them out, and planted two new rose bushes. Evidently, when Brett dug them up he unknowingly left a part of one of the rose bushes in the ground. Don't you know that bush came back and has grown stronger than my other two? Now I can't bear to dig it up because it has proven to be such a fighter.

The weather is still cooperating, so maybe I will still get out and do a little more planting, a little pruning, and a little more weeding.

I hope you are enjoying your spring as well as I am enjoying mine.

In the Market

To my sisters more hair-and-fashion-conscious than I,
[In this case I mean "sisters" literally, not just the general "sisterhood" of women--although any of you are welcome to comment.]

Since our genetics have handed us similar hair that is prone to be dry and frizzy with a little wave thrown in for good measure, I am relying on your experience and good advice. [You don't mean to tell me that I'm the only one who got the dry, frizzy hair...?]

Coming back from my two holiday trips this year I have discovered that the wall-mounted hair dryers provided in the hotels did a better job with my hair than the one I have at home (which is also the same hair dryer I have had since high school!).

Needless to say, I am in the market for a new hair dryer, but don't know where to start.

I don't get out much when it comes to hair and beauty supplies. Only in the last year have I started making more of an effort with my hair (not that I have much to show for it). I am still just as cheap as ever (forget "frugal"--I'm cheap when it comes to hair products). I really don't want to spend $100 on a new hair dryer (please tell me a good one doesn't cost that much...). I don't even want to spend $50 on a good hair dryer. Can I find a decent one for $30? Have you found a good one you like that might be in my budget? What should I look for when purchasing a hair dryer? Or does it really matter, because any new hair dryer will be better than the twenty-year-old one I currently have?

Anxiously awaiting your replies.

I Want My Todd!

This morning Ryan woke up calling out, "Todd! . . . Todd! . . . Todd! . . . Save me! . . . Todd! . . . Save me! . . . Todd! . . . Todd! . . . Todd! . . . Save me! . . . Todd!"

I crawl out of bed to go to the rescue of my youngest son (mostly to stop the noise), because it is clear that Todd is not responding. I curl up next to Ryan, put my arm around him and think, "This could be just as nice as my bed."

Only, instead of appreciating my loving gesture Ryan calls out, "No, not Mom! I need Todd to save me. . . . Todd! . . . Todd! . . . Save me!"

Without saying a word I get up, pass Todd on my way out, and crawl back into my own bed.

Evidently Todd was successful in his efforts, because the noise stopped. And by the time I got out of bed for real, the two of them were playing nicely (and making a big mess) in Todd's room.

Thank goodness for big brothers.

Spring Break in Orlando

One of my good friends, Beth, invited the boys and me to join her for Spring Break in Orlando. I did not want to take the boys to Disney World without Brett so we went to Sea World instead.

The boys attached themselves to Beth's daughter Tia and her friend Allison as much as they could. The girls were such good sports about it and had a great attitude towards my boys the whole week.

Todd and I referred to the park map often and tried to fit as much as we could into our time there. We visited Sea World twice during the week, and would have enjoyed a third visit.

One of the reasons I would have enjoyed a third visit is to catch all of the shows. I was so impressed with each of the shows we watched. I think the boys also appreciated the chance to give their feet a rest while we sat and were entertained.

I loved the dolphin show (on the right). It was fantastic! Live birds flying overhead, high divers, acrobatics, trainers riding the dolphins. . . Wow!

I'm not sure which show the boys enjoyed the most, but I know they got a kick out of the sea lion pirate show which was quite silly and fun.

We saw the Shamu show our first evening at Sea World, and the weather had not quite warmed up like it would be the rest of the week. The sun was going down and it was windy under the shelter. Ryan, silly and snuggly boy that he is, decided to warm up by sharing my sweatshirt with me. It is not an over-sized sweatshirt, but somehow we managed to fit the two of us inside it.

That was Ryan covering his own face in the photo above. You may notice that he was not always very cooperative when it came to me taking photos of him this week.

Todd turned out to be quite adventuresome when it came to the rides. Ryan, not so much. Todd loved the little roller coaster, Shamu Express. Ryan agreed to try it, and was in a good mood when we were in line (left photo). By the time we were sitting in the roller coaster Ryan was starting to rethink it. In the photo on the right he demonstrates how he feels about it before we got started.

As it turns out, Ryan freaked out during the ride. I put my arm around him and kept repeating, "You're safe. It's almost over." Thankfully, the ride was short. However, Ryan had no plans to go again. I couldn't wait to go with Todd a second time because I was so busy trying to comfort Ryan that I didn't get to enjoy it the first time.

Although Ryan didn't enjoy the little roller coaster, he loved these two rides: Jazzy Jellies and Ocean Commotion. We rode those a few times. Todd was having so much fun with the rides that he insisted on going solo whenever he had the chance.

The boys thought this Shamu car was so cool. I thought the mermaid character riding the dolphin was cool.

Beth and the girls spoiled the boys throughout the trip including buying them Dippin' Dots in a Shamu bowl that they got to keep.

I also introduced Beth and the girls to the penny press machines that were all around the park. After they saw the boys use the machine they were hooked. They brought back pennies for the boys from the Disney parks and even gave them a keepsake book to store their pennies. The boys loved that!

Todd lost a tooth on our second visit to Sea World. We were waiting in line for Ocean Commotion when Todd called my attention to how loose it had become. It had started bleeding a little, and next thing you know he popped it out. I think the lady next to us in line was a little freaked out at first, until she realized what had happened. She was very helpful and gave me a tissue to clean his face and another to save the tooth in, since I had found myself unprepared for this.

While Beth and the girls went to the Disney parks the boys and I stuck around the condo. It was a very nice resort with plenty to do.

We hit the playground, the pool, the paddle boat, and Todd's favorite . . .

Mini golf!

The mini golf course was a short walk from our unit and we didn't have to pay anything for it. It was quite a nice little dinosaur-themed course, and I think Todd would have played four times a day if he had the chance.

We also got to try the swan paddle boats with Beth and the girls before we left.

Beth and I had a nice visit to the temple in Orlando on Friday morning.

And, although we didn't hit the parks, we did make it to Downtown Disney while we were there.

These glasses may look cool in a photo (or not), but I can't imagine wearing them for more than a minute or two.

The highlight of Downtown Disney . . . the LEGO store! I let the boys get a small container to buy pick-a-brick Lego's from the wall. Todd and I took that very seriously and we crammed as many little pieces into that container as we possibly could. Todd said he planned to build a car with the Lego's he selected. They played with the Lego's outside and built vehicles to race on the ramp.

They also had fun just looking at the displays--both little and big--inside and outside of the store.

All in all, we had a great time. Thanks, Beth, for letting us tag along with you for a fun vacation.