Developing a Vocabulary

Ryan: You use all of those big words (in this case, "recollection", which I don't think even qualifies as a "big word").
Mom: That's because I want you to learn them.
Ryan: I just want to learn the basics.

Marry Someone Nice

This afternoon the boys and I were discussing our up-coming vacation, including my brother's wedding. I told the boys that they would be getting a new aunt, Aunt Sherree. Ryan asked if they would call her Aunt Sherree when they met her (before my brother gets married). Ryan suggested that maybe he would just call her Sherree until they were married. I told him he could call her Aunt Sherree from the beginning. Ryan agreed saying, "Yeah. I don't think she'll mind. I think she's probably nice." I told him that I was sure she was nice. James is so nice; there's no way my brother would marry someone who isn't nice too. I went on to say how great it was that the people in my family married such nice people. I started listing examples: Dave married the very nice Amy; Don the nice Kerri; Lisa, the nice Mike. Ryan interrupted, "And Daddy married someone really nice, too."

Bad Guys and Good Boys

[A morning conversation with Ryan.]
Ryan: When I was little I used to think that no bad guys lived in Florida.
Mom: What do you think now?
Ryan: Bad guys can live anywhere. Even in jail. Like they might try to knock down the door or something to get out.

On a happier note, I just thought of another benefit of not having a very large home. The first and foremost benefit is that there is less to clean. I struggle enough as it is. Another benefit is that I pass by the boys' bedrooms on the way to my own. Were that not the case, I might miss out on glancing at them as I pass by multiple times each night after they have fallen asleep. The boys sleep with their bedroom doors open, and I love to see them sprawled out or sweetly snuggled in their covers.

For Brett From Home (4/17/12)

I think Ryan has been having a hard time with our busy schedule this spring. He was complaining about an upset tummy on Sunday night and again on Monday morning. The boy said he felt too sick to go to school. I knew that I could push him to go to school, but I just had a feeling that he should stay home. I reminded him that staying home from school meant make-up work, no after-school play time with friends, no baseball that evening, and a nap. He happily agreed to the conditions. His mood improved significantly when the time for catching the bus had come and gone. But I didn't hear a word of complaint that afternoon on the friends issue. He also made an attempt to rest in the afternoon, but I was the only one who caught a few z's. In the end, I still don't regret letting Ryan have his mental health day. I am happy that he has an easy baseball schedule this week. No game or practice until Friday. Oma took Todd to baseball this afternoon, so Ryan has the rest of the afternoon to be a little boy, now that he has finished his math homework. I think he needed this break.

Todd, on the other hand, is doing just fine. In fact, with this week being FCAT testing you might think that Todd would be a little more stressed. Not at all. He is the one reminding me about eating a good breakfast. He suggested making "real" oatmeal for breakfast this morning, complete with raisins. How could I refuse him? Rather than being stressed this morning, he was excited about the prospect of getting Nerds as a snack at school after the test.

I had errands to run yesterday, so Ryan got to tag along with me. Ryan had one request: we had to get a birthday present for Copper. Per his request I took him to Walgreen's, where we found a glow-in-the-dark frisbee ring. I thought it was a perfect idea. Ryan let the ring soak up some rays and tested it in the bathroom. It really glowed. That night we tried it out and almost lost it. The ring had lost is glow and we couldn't see it in the bushes where Ryan had thrown had landed it. Still, it was a very sweet thought. Ryan also gave Copper a belated birthday treat yesterday. He let Copper lick his empty yogurt container. That sweet boy loves his Copper.

I also bought a special treat for Ryan at the grocery store: Silk, vanilla-flavored almond milk. Ryan has been begging me to buy it ever since he tried it at a friend's house. He loves it. I think he drank three cups of it yesterday. I like it okay, but just in small quantities. I might like it more as I get used to it. It did taste good with my bananas and oatmeal this morning.

Ryan and I also stopped at the vet yesterday and picked up some flea medicine for Copper. I gave it to him last night, and I didn't see any fleas on him when I checked him today. (Yeah!) I bought some special soothing shampoo to use on him, hopefully tomorrow. I also noticed that he seemed to have a little limp again today. I checked his paws thoroughly (he hated every minute of it), but I didn't see anything suspicious. I'll keep an eye on him.

This afternoon, instead of offering his yogurt container to Copper, Ryan mutilated his yogurt cup. He was using his spoon to bend out the bottom of the container. He reminded me so much of you, testing the properties of the plastic--pushing, scraping, poking, exploring, thinking. He also completely took apart (and put back together) the mechanical pencil he was using for his homework today, at times writing with it half-assembled. I restrained myself from telling him to just let the pencil be. I know it is good for him to put his curiosity to work. It amazes me to see his brain work sometimes. A little Brett.
I wonder how soon we will be able to employ Ryan's assistance in honey-do projects. I haven't heard the details yet, but I think your dad heard big bad news about the lawn mower. I may ask Deede about having Alex help out with the lawn. The corner cabinet in the kitchen could also use an oiling, when you get a chance. It is quite squeaky.

I have been working quite a bit on the blogs (a total of three) that I am keeping up for you. I have spent a lot of time setting them up and rearranging some things. My goal is that if I do it right now, then the photos, updates, and journal entries will all be organized at the end of the trip so we can do something special with it. I think we should do just that--something special. I think it is important to have your experience documented for your posterity.

I am typing now to the sound of seven boys playing nicely in the backyards (on the playset in Tammy's yard at the moment). Music to my ears. I feel very lucky to have great neighbors and friends so close for the boys to play with.

I met up with some church friends at Top This, the new frozen yogurt store that moved into the old Coastal Lumber building (Is that the name of the store that was across from the high school? I can't believe I've already forgotten.). While I was there I ran into (UPS driver) Carlos. He had heard (maybe from Donna?) that you were hiking the A.T. He said that he hiked the Georgia section. He started out with the intention of hiking to Blood Mountain and just kept going until he reached the Georgia/North Carolina border. It sounds like has the attitude of "never-again!". You'll have to ask him about it when you get back.

I had another aviary surprise today, though with the mild winter I shouldn't be that surprised. I saw our first hummingbird. It was in the front yard and just peeked into the dining room window. Time for me to set up the bird feeder.

I think you will be pleased to know that your mom finally bought herself a new sewing machine. This week she bought a Bernina which she has been wanting for years. Her machine finally stopped working, so she has been using mine. Mine doesn't do any fancy stitches, but it does the straight and zig zag stitches just fine. I think your mom is excited about her machine. I told her that you would have been happy if she bought herself a good machine years ago. She deserves it.

I know it really hasn't been that long since I talked to you, but it kind of feels like it already. I look forward to hearing from you soon, and hope you're doing well.

More from today:
I took Ryan to Chick-Fil-A for dinner tonight. They were doing a school fundraiser tonight, similar to the Hungry Howie's school night. Ryan definitely has a European attitude when it comes to eating his meals. I think he enjoys the socializing more than the eating. When I encouraged him to take a bit for the hundredth time he replied, "I just don't feel like taking a bite." He was content to sit and talk, having my full attention.

When we got home Ryan and I took Copper for a golf course run. We passed the hedge of honeysuckles (correction: jasmine). They smelled so sweet. I thought of you. I also noticed that the two baby long leaf pine trees in the backyard seem to be doing very well.

Tonight before bed Ryan and I finally looked at the booklet about babies, as promised. We saw the goo-blobs, alien-looking babies, white-fuzz-covered babies, legs-up-in-the-face babies (like Ryan, right before he was born), and newborns. I don't remember having a detailed conversation with my mom when I was young about umbilical cords and how my belly button came to be. I'm also pretty sure I didn't ask her whether I pooped or peed in her tummy. Also, "Do you tell if it's a boy or girl by looking at how the baby sucks its thumb?" (Wha?...uh, no...You just look right there.) All things considered, it wasn't nearly as scary as I thought it might be.

From Goo Blobs to Birth

Oh, what a crazy and interesting conversation I had with Ryan last night. Todd was nearby--all ears, I'm sure--but it was with Ryan that the phrase "goo blob" was introduced to describe the beginning of life. How we got there is difficult to explain. It started out with Ryan sharing and asking a lot of questions related to his non-fiction library book on UFOs. One thing led to another and pretty soon the conversation moved from alien abductions to pregnancy and the beginnings and growth of a baby in the womb. (Don't ask.) I tried to explain how small we begin, but how all of the information is there from the beginning to grow into the form that we recognize as babies. Ryan came up with the idea of goo, since we have no bones at that point. Towards the end of the conversation I asked Ryan if he wanted to see some pictures of what babies look like as they are growing. He enthusiastically replied in the affirmative.

Now I am wondering, "What was I thinking?"

I have a booklet that I kept from my pregnancy days called, "As Your Baby Grows: From Conception to Birth." It has photos that show month-by-month growth and development. It is a little intense, but I already know that Ryan will eat it up. He has such a curiosity when it comes to learning things about science and how things work. He is very much like his dad in that respect. I also know that it will lead to more questions. Thus the question I now ask myself, "What was I thinking?"

Wish me luck.

Dirty Sock Club

A couple of weeks ago, Ryan hung a flag on his door. Below it, a handwritten sign read, "Stay out!"

The only problem is that Ryan's flag is a sock. A previously worn sock--dirty, but not too stinky. The rule of the room which this sock-flag symbolizes is: Only people who wear dirty socks are allowed to come in.

How he come up with this idea, I can not begin to guess. As bizarre as it is, I love the way this kid's mind works. It is quirky and funny. He just tickles me.

Dealing with Ryan's dirty socks is a challenge, to be honest. He takes them off in the middle of the night and they fall behind his bed. Or, he just tosses them under his bed in the morning. About once a week I find a collection of maybe five or seven socks (odd numbers, of course). As much as seeing dirty socks around the house drives me crazy, I have allowed this dirty sock to remain, proudly hung as Ryan's flag.

Ryan Recycles

A tiny token engraved with the word "crazy," a lug nut, fuzzy orange pom poms, a pipe cleaner, plastic goodly eyes, a yellow highlighter, a broken pencil, beads, a piece of rope, a buckle, a bouncy ball, an empty water bottle, a doohicky, a thingamabob, and a whatchamacallit . . .

Mom [after looking at the "crazy token" Ryan found on the bus]: Ryan, you find some very interesting things.
Ryan: Yeah. I like to recycle. . . It's good for the earth.

Ryan told me that he was supposed to make a project for school out of recycled items, but I haven't seen anything come home telling about this project. It may only have been a suggestion, but you can be sure that Ryan has been asking me every day this week about this project. I guess I know something we will be doing this weekend.

Update: Not long after having this conversation with Ryan, he made me this special note.

For Brett, From Home (2/29/12)

Another little gem from Ryan yesterday morning:

Ryan: Mom, what if you had a baby while Dad was on the trail? And Dad couldn't come to see.
Mom: Whoa. That wouldn't be good. But, it takes babies nine months to grow.
Ryan: Really??
Mom: Yeah. And I [sucking in my stomach] don't have a baby in my tummy right now. So at least we don't have to worry about that.

The wren nest in the garage looks great, and I still see the birds in the garage some mornings. I haven't seen mama bird sitting in the nest yet, but I still think that they will take up residence. I felt bad for the birds yesterday. We were in a rush to get to the bus stop. I went through the garage to put my rollerblades on, shut the garage door behind me, and skated off with Copper. When I got back from our run I saw that the front door was open. Apparently a little boy did not shut the door completely and the wind blew it open the rest of the way. I came inside to find both of the wrens flitting about. Copper and I took them by surprise and they got a little nervous. I opened the back door and a short time later they escaped, one from the front and one from the back. I did have a clean up a few little droppings on the dining room floor....

Kristie and I are narrowing down the cabin for Spring Break. It's hard to believe how close it is getting. After hearing how disappointed you were about not seeing Copper, I asked Kristie if we could go back and look for a pet-friendly location. I hope that it works out and that I can give you that surprise.

Alternate Song Lyrics - by Ryan

New words to the Christmas carol "The First Noel" sung by Ryan--loudly, in bed, when he should be sleeping...  "God is the king of Israel. Oh well, Oh well. Oh well. Oh well. God is the king of Israel."

This was followed by a pretty good rendition of the chorus from "Angels We Have Heard on High", i.e. "Glo-o-o-o-o-o-ria. In excelsis Deo."

Which was followed by a hymn he is currently learning at church, "Choose the Right."

It's too bad this kid doesn't like to sing. I mean, it's too bad this kid says he doesn't like to sing. He's really pretty good at it.

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.]

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.

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.)

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.

Future Missionary

While this approach may not be the most kind, gentle, or understanding, his heart is in the right place.

[Ryan, talking to our next door neighbor Logan and Logan's cousin]
Ryan: Do you go to church?
Cousin: Well, sometimes yes and sometimes no.
Ryan: Oh. Well, you should every Sunday.
Cousin: Sometimes when I don't go, I stay on the couch and watch T.V.
Ryan (somewhat shocked, and very serious): Oh! That's a baaaad idea.

[To get the full effect, you really have to hear Ryan's emphasis. I need a way to bottle Ryan's manner of speech. I haven't been able to record it yet, because he never talks that way on demand. So often when I try to blog about his little sayings I fall short. I just can't convey them the same way without his tone of voice. I love hearing him talk about something he feel strongly about.]

A New Sunburn

After we got back from our trip to Utah (Yes, that's where I've been. It's taking me a while to get back into a groove.), Oma took the boys to the beach. Of course, their fair-skinned faces came back sunburned. Florida sun is brutal. I was checking out Ryan's red skin the next day.

Ryan says, "Jesus shouldn't have made sunburns be red. . . .

"He should have made them be green!"

Overheard

Ryan: Every day he eats peanuts.
Todd: No.
Ryan: Yes.
Todd. Nuh-uh.
Ryan: You're not the boss of my Bionicle.

The Novelist

I love this new stage that Todd has entered. I refer to the writing stage. These misspelled, hard-to-read notes are so full of personality. Todd wrote his first "story" on a quiet Sunday afternoon, about three weeks ago. Three pages is pretty good for his first effort at writing stories. It was such a nice surprise. I love that writing this story kept Todd entertained for over an hour. I love that Todd illustrated his work. I loved seeing how proud Todd was of his accomplishment. And I love the punchline at the end. It had me laughing. It still makes me laugh every time I read it.
I hope you, too, can feel the love as you read his story.

[The orange highlighter marks are from Kellie. Todd asked her to check his mistakes, but I stopped her before she got too far.] I'll write the translation under each picture.

Once upon a time I went to school and made a lot of art. I made pictures, a lot of things. And I kept all the art. I love my art. I love my art so much. I want to keep all the art. I like all of the art. I will keep all of the art. I like all of the art. I like the art so, so bad. I want to make more. Some of them will be books.

I went on the bus, and my art was in the back. I was so happy because my stop was the first stop. I had a lot of art. We stopped. I went off the bus.

When I got home I looked at my art. My art was so cool. Mom hugged me. My art was so cool. It was very cool. Mom loved it so so much and loved the art so much that Mom forgot to make dinner. The end.

The funny thing is, I broke out laughing after reading the last sentence. Todd laughed with me for a minute, then turned serious. "But Mom, that's really happened before, hasn't it?" More laughter on my part.
[In my defense, I may have lost track of time and had to throw together a quick dinner before. But I've never "forgotten" dinner. It's still interesting to see things for a child's point of view.]

Before writing stories Todd would often make lists--mostly lists of things to do or activities for the day. Now Todd has moved on to writing notices. The following notice was placed by a plastic container which held a baby frog the boys brought back from Oma's house. We were getting ready to leave the house for a little while and Todd left this message.

[On the back side of the paper it read, "Dad, Mom, Todd, Ryan"]

Please do not take our pet. You can look at the pet. It is a frog.
I don't know why this is so funny to me, but it is.

Update on the pet frog: The boys tried feeding the frog a little spider and a "red-bellied bug". The next morning I was able to convince the boys that the baby frog was probably better off living outside on its own than in the little container in our house. They agreed and released the frog. But they can't wait to get a bigger frog that they are able to keep.

Since Todd has shown a greater interest in writing I had him make a list of things he liked about his teacher and his first year of school on a card for his teacher. The class put together a nice group gift, which we contributed to, but I also wanted a little something extra from us. This is what I came up with.

Here, Mrs. B looks at the scrapbook one of the moms put together as part of the group gift.

Mrs. B put on a little closing ceremony for her class. She gave each child a special award ribbon, as well as a certificate predicting what they might be when they grow up.
Todd's ribbon award was for Best Boy Reader. However, I was surprised by her career prediction, "Novelist". Although I just got done singing Todd's praises as a writer, I recognize that a certain amount of creativity is required for successful writing. Perhaps that will come with age. Mrs. B said that Todd has a love for words. He tries very hard to use words appropriately-to use just the right word for something. And she said that he had a large vocabulary. Way to go, Todd!

After his teacher gave each child their ribbon and certificate, she also gave them a bright pink lipstick kiss on their cheek. Most of the kids thought this funny, but Todd was a little embarrassed. He was okay with receiving his kiss along with the rest of the class, but he wouldn't let me take a photo of it and tried to wipe it off right away.

It's hard to believe that the year is over already. Todd had a great time this year, and Ryan and I enjoyed being able to participate in so many activities with his class this year, especially when it involved yummy treats like ice cream sundaes.

It was nice being able to get to know the other kids in the class. I liked hearing the kids greeting me as "Todd's Mom" or "Todd and Ryan's Mom." I'm looking forward to meeting Todd's first grade teacher and the kids in his class.

But I think I will enjoy the time I have with my two boys this summer first.

Tea For One

Ryan often has a difficult time entertaining himself during the day. When he does come up with something to do it almost never involves toys from the many in the toy room. It often involves something "illegal", especially relating to water: the hose, the bathroom sink, the kitchen sink, or did I mention the hose?

A few weeks ago, I found Ryan entertaining himself. (I have found him entertaining himself since then, but this was cute enough to break out the camera.) Although it did involve water, I didn't mind because it was in a controlled environment. Ryan placed himself in the circle of a hula hoop and had a little solo tea party. I tried taking photos by stealth, but eventually he spotted me. His reaction was priceless: (in a loud, but very proper voice) "My, my!"

I couldn't stop laughing, and the spell was broken. No more proper tea-(really water)-drinking boy. The next photo was typical Ryan: let's see if I can take a swig with the whole cup in my mouth.

Entertaining a Preschooler in the Grocery Store

I don't usually take my camera with me when I go grocery shopping. I haven't become one of those bloggers yet. But today I had just come from CVS where I was uploading some photos to print to share with the grandmothers for Mother's Day. (Yes, I'm a day late; and yes, it will be even later by the time the photos are sent.)

Ryan was starting to get on my nerves a little with his begging. He kept bringing up the toys from CVS that he wanted to go back and buy--rather toys he wanted me to buy.

As I mentioned previously, Ryan has become more interested in photography (see enthusiasm below).

I pulled my camera out of my purse, and the effect was immediate. What a privilege! The use of mom's camera with limited restrictions. So much to see. So much to document. The frosting, the cotton candy, and more!

Even better: Mommy's silly face. This photo produced even greater laughs when seen in the playback.

Now that the boys are a little older (and less likely to drop things), I may have to use the camera as a distraction tactic more often. Think of what you could document in Walmart!

Surprise Photos

"Mom, Ryan was playing with your camera."
"No, I wasn't. Todd was, too."
Hmmm. Ryan, care to change your story?

Ryan has been showing more interest in taking photos. I've found a few surprise photos here and there. The photo above was a nice surprise. I always like photos of my smiling boys.
The photo below really doesn't do anything for me.