Category: Uncategorized

Our water bill, and a warning to all visitors.

This is a very common thing for kids Lewis’s age – Art did it and so does our little 2 year-old-friend, Elsa;  Lewis just wants to play in the sink ALL DAY.  I think he was at the sink on and off for three hours today, maybe more.  He transfers water from one bowl to another, dumps and then does it again.  He then might call for me, “Mama?  Mama?” so I will give him a new scooping device.  He holds a measuring cup up to the tiny faucet stream we leave on and then dumps that cup out into a bowl.  I don’t bother clearing out the sink of his many bowls and teaspoons and cups.  I know he’ll be back at the sink within the next hour or so.  Fortunately there’s a toy that makes any tub or bowl into a fountain for just such water play.  I’m getting it this weekend in the interest of conservation .

As for the warning, that is two fold.  First of all, we have a new and improved basement (look out, Mike!) which both boys like to spend lots of time in.  There’s almost no furniture, except for the giant beanbag and a toy organizer, but there are two pairs of gymnastics-type rings hanging from the ceiling.  The boys swing around on them and hang and spin.  It’s a lot of fun and is part of the hunker-down-for-winter preparations.  So that’s one warning.  The other warning is that Art will likely want any and all visitors over the next few days to see the giant shark on one of his nature shows.  It’s a great white shark that springs out of the water (in slow motion, of course) and eats a seal.  I guess Art hasn’t seen that part for a long time because tonight he was awestruck.  In his most amazed sounding voice, using his most amazed sounding words, gestures and faces he reacted to it.  “Did you ever see a shark like that!?!  I NEVER saw that before!  That was amazin’.  Did you see that BIG shark?”  He went on and on.  And as we got ready for bed he wanted to tell Ben about it.  I got Ben on the phone.  “Papa, we saw, in the nature show, something that is really, really cool.  You never saw it.  It was amazin’.  It was a huge, huge, huge, HUGE, HUGE shark!”  Then, twenty minutes after tucking him in he wanted to tell me that when people come over and see that shark, and it jumps out of the water that I should tell them, um, tell them that… um, it’s a SHARK.  So, upcoming guests, you may be watching some shark footage during your next visit.  Just lettin’ you know.

Bakers

Art helped me make a chocolate cake for Ashley’s birthday last weekend. I didn’t have to ask him twice. He was right on it, knowing he got to use the electric beater!

Of course, we loved licking the batter. Yummmmmy!

Memory like an elephant.

Sometimes Art gets preoccupied with something worrisome and can't shake it.  Yesterday I read Peter Rabbit to him.  In the very beginning the mom warns her bunnies not to go into Mr. McGreggor's garden because the papa bunny went there and ended up in a pie (!).  That concerned Art.  So when Peter Rabbit was in the garden and did end up tussling with Mr. McGreggor Art asked me, very worried, "Is Mr. McGreggor going to eat him?"  At first I said I didn't know, that we had to read the story to find out.  The second time he asked if Peter would be eaten I said that Peter does NOT get eaten, but I don't know how he gets away. We'll have to read on to find out.  The third time he asked he added, "And don't say that again, that we have to read the story," so I didn't say it, but I still said that I didn't know how he'd get away.  Then he didn't want to see the picture of Mr. McGreggor, because he was mean.  Apparently this story was too much for Art, but we got to the end, Peter got home to his mother and was safe in his bed.  
The next day, today, my mom watched the kids while Ben and I had a lunch date.  Out of the blue Art asked Bubbe if she knew about Mr. McGreggor.  They talked about the story and Bubbe reminded him that Peter got home and had tea and was just fine.  Well, when they went upstairs for naps Art wanted to put that book away so he didn't have to see Mr. McGreggor.  I feel bad for having scared him so much with that story.  Who knew?!!  He likes Baba Yaga, the Russian witch who eats little kids!!  I think it's the suspense that drives him crazy.  The story going on and on with delayed resolution, like the Little Bear story about the goblin who jumps out of his shoes.  He hears a loud crack and jumps out of his shoes and for the rest of the story is running away from a pit-pat sound that ends up being his loyal shoes following him.  Art wasn't scared of the goblin or the idea that shoes could run by themselves, or the fact that something was chasing the goblin.  Art was completely fixated on the original cracking sound in the first few sentences of the story.  What was that loud sound?  He asked me several times while I read the story, asked me again what it could have been while I kissed him goodnight, offered a possibility ("Maybe it was a branch falling on the ground!") while I was in my room putting on my pajamas and another possibility ("Maybe it was the wind knocking down a tree," 20 minutes later when I came upstairs to brush my teeth.  This is another one of those personality traits that will do him good someday.  For now it seems like a little bit of a burden…

Funny places to feel deep love for your kids.

I was driving the kids to IKEA to go get another set of hanging rings for the basement, like those gymnastics rings men do amazing strength moves on?  You'll see pictures soon.  Anyway, We're just driving along 77 and I was suddenly flooded with a deep feeling of love for both kids.  I mean, I almost got teary with gentle joy!  Same thing happened as we were eating our meatballs and chicken tenders.  I love them both and just want them to be safe and happy.  Then we went and ran through the hanging rugs.  It was a very nice evening.

Riding in the car…

On the way to the "Slipper Store" (Lands End to get Art some slippers that fit) Art said these things.  

"Mama, you think mushrooms are interesting.  I think SNOW is interesting!"
And, while Lewis was sleeping,
"But sometimes when Lewis is sleeping I touch him and he looks up and says, 'Agah!'"
It's true.  He says 'agah!'.

Stitches were great for our family!

While I was watching Lewis and Art play in the deserted parking lot of the clinic tonight I thought, "Getting stitches was the best thing that's happened for a long time!"  I mean, watching the boys together – Art being a loving, dutiful big brother and Lewis being a real champ and just totally cute – has made me so proud and happy.  When Lewis initially got hurt on Tuesday night we were at the clinic for at least two hours and it was great!  They played and laughed and climbed and just had a good time.  Well, we must remember that it was very scary and painful for Lewis to get the anesthetic shots in his eyebrow, but I could not have been prouder of him for being able to remain calm and focused while I sang to him during the stitching or of Art for how attentive he was to Lewis that night.  

Oh, and it was so cute when we got to the clinic tonight and the nurse opened the door for us to enter.  Art walked in and Lewis was behind him, just following along.  The doctor said, "That's our patient, there," and I just had to chuckle to myself.  This little 2 1/2 foot person with his tight little pants on, not knowing which way to go, was the 'patient'.  We put him up on the bed and the nurse held his head while I held his hands, just like before, and I sang Wheels on the Bus (and this nurse sang along) while the doctor quickly snipped and removed the three stitches.  Done.  Finnish, Swedish.  Got down and got back to work with running in the hallways and climbing on the stairs with Art.  
I have to admit, I was pretty proud as a parent, too.  Proud that Art was so responsible and loving with his brother, proud that both kids waited so patiently through the long process and proud that I could soothe my savage toddler with song.  Oh, I guess I said that already.  Well, it's still true.