AHHHHH...That Explains It!

For quite awhile now C has been very reluctant to acknowledge, play with, or speak to most little girls (other than G).  I think it started back in preschool but has definitely carried over into kindergarten.  

Anytime I ask him if he knows any of the girls in his class I get a terse "I don't play with girls." or "I don't know about girls."

I wasn't sure where all of this was coming from until I overheard this conversation earlier today between C and our neighbor Haiven (age 8).

C:  Haiven, do you have a girlfriend?

Haiven:  No.

C:  Yeah, I'm not friends with any girls either.

NOOOOOOW it all makes sense!!!!!

I took that opportunity to explain that he can be friends with girls without having a "girlfriend."  Not sure I convinced him, but it is a start :)

Sneak Attack

Finding my kids like this makes me laugh...it's like she fell victim to a Mayor of Sleepytown sneak-attack...one minute she's playing the next out like a light :)

Here's hoping that nap leaves G feeling agreeable.  I'm about to wake her up so we can go to her first dentist's appointment.

First Dentist Appt. Update:  According to Mrs. Sheri (our dental hygienist) "G did great - a little bossy - but great."   Can't say I'm surprised :)

Sea Star Project

C turned in his first "research project" today.  His class has been studying the ocean this month.  Each student was assigned an ocean creature to "research" and prepare a presentation of sorts for the class.  C was assigned the sea star (aka the star fish...which I now know is not an appropriate name for the creature because it is in fact NOT a fish :)

C really enjoyed this whole "research project" process.  He loves going to the library and checking out books, "researching" (which basically consists of me reading the books we checked out to him:), and all the "crafty" (cutting, gluing, painting, etc.) stuff involved in preparing his poster was just icing on the cake :)  

I was really impressed with how much C learned through this whole experience.  In addition to learning a TON about the sea star, he has come home every day since these projects started spouting off facts about all of the other sea creatures his friends studied.  The boy knows WAY more than  I do about various and sundry sea creatures now :) 

Mommy learned a few (non-sea star related) things too:

#1 - From now on we are going to use something smaller than a full piece of poster board...it took FOREVER for him to paint with those little craft brushes we have...waaaaaaay too much surface to cover!  Pretty sure that was a Rookie mistake.

#2 - After all these years, I STILL can't free-hand draw a decent star...the template star he cut out to trace onto the poster board took me no less than 1 hour of drawing and redrawing.

#3 - Being crafty/creative gives me a headache...I'll take spreadsheets and pie charts over temepra paint and Elmer's glue any day of the week! :) [Don't worry - I didn't reveal my feelings on this matter to C - as far as he knows I'm queen of the glue stick :]

I'm really proud of him for how well his project turned out.  This was definitely all him...other than that one pitiful star Mommy wasn't much help :)

Have a Hurry

I think G might be on a quest to be named Most Independent 3.5 Year Old Of The Year.

"Mommy, let ME do it by myself." is something I hear no less than 20 times a day :)

I try to accommodate when I can, but I do have to break out the occasional "Not now G, I'm in a hurry."...ok it might be a little more than occasionally...:)

A few days ago while I was giving her a bath, she experienced a rare break in this quest for independence (J and C were starting a movie that she didn't want to miss) so she says to me:

"Mommy, can you have a hurry to go ahead and wash me off." (She normally insists on washing herself.)

Not sure why, but that tickled me.  I enjoy these little glimpses into they way my kids perceive grown-up speak.  I guess the phrase "IN a hurry" doesn't make much sense to her since I'm not visibly/physically IN anything when I say it.

Wedding China Debut

C was struggling with an allergy related cough and sore throat today.  This isn't uncommon for him this time of year.  Unfortunately, all of the prescription meds we have on hand to deal with the symptoms seem to leave him feeling jittery and hyper...not exactly side-effects conducive to a good night's sleep for a kiddo who could really benefit from some solid rest.

So this time around, I'm trying to exhaust all of the "natural remedies" I can think of before bringing out the meds.  

Not long ago the ladies in our couples Bible study introduced me to the world of hot tea. (Previously, I'd only ever had it cold and sweet :)  I remembered that they'd mentioned Chamomile and honey (which also happens to be great for a sore throat) is a good pre-bedtime choice.   I figured it was worth a shot so I set to preparing the tea.

As I was boiling the water and pulling out the boring old mugs I always use, I remembered the tea cups and saucers that came with our wedding china...all of which have been tucked safely away in my china cabinet, unused and untouched since the day we got married.  What is the point of having something SO nice that you never want to use it???

So REBEL that I am, I brought out those pretty cups, scraped the store bar-code stickers off of the bottom, washed them up, and prepared a little Tea Party :)

J told C he had to drink it "pinkie out" :)

You can't tell it by this picture, but G LOVED her tea...she was actually the first one done and asking for a refill.

And I thought I wouldn't ever use my wedding china :)

The Best Ever Grumble-Free Day

We decided late Friday night that we would wake the kids up really early and take a day trip to Tweetsie Railroad.  We aren't normally fly by the seat of your pants type of folks.  What can I say, we were feeln' sassy :)

We woke up early.  Declared the day a "Grumble-Free Day" (no whining or complaining allowed by the kids OR grown-ups).  And then hit the road. 

We arrived about 10:00, bought our tickets, and set to exploring.

We found the jail first 

Then we rode the train

Chugga Chugga Choo Choo

Next on to the chair lifts (as it turns out, I'm not a big fan of chair lifts...they make me very nervous :)

G got in on some face painting action...she asked for a princess...

Then on to the Scrambler

A little boat ride

Petting Zoo...C's feeding a deer in this picture

After a thorough hand-washing we ate lunch.  That proved to be the greatest challenge to the Grumble-Free Day rule (because the food was expensive and terrible!) but we made it through pretty well.

After lunch, we set out to ride a few more rides before we left.  While C and J waited in line for the Ferris Wheel (I do NOT do Ferris Wheels!), G and I checked out the carousel.  We had to find just the right "girly horse."  

After we finished with the carousel J and C were still waiting in line, so G and I headed over to the Tilt-A-Whirl.  That was a mistake.  Occasionally, my body reminds me in not-so-subtle ways that I am getting old.  This was one of those times...as it turns out eating a VERY questionable corn dog for lunch and then jumping on the Tilt-A-Whirl is something I can no longer do. :)

When G and I finished the Tilt-A-Whirl and walked stumbled over to the Ferris Wheel area, J and C were just climbing on.

The Ferris Wheel was C's favorite ride :)

Trip Re-Cap:  We had sooooo much fun!  The kids were just the right ages to really enjoy most everything the park has to offer.  I highly recommend the "Grumble-Free Day!"  My only criticism (now that Grumble-Free day is over) is that the food is seriously AWFUL!  If we ever go back, we are definitely smuggling in PB & Js.

Red Light Nazi

SOMEBODY (I have yet to identify the source...nobody's fessing up) told G that "you never go under a red light."  Obviously, this dear soul was trying to explain stop on red, go on green.  Unfortunately for me, this is has turned into a classic case of good teaching gone terribly wrong....and it is causing me a whole lot of grief!

Now every time we turn left at a stoplight (and our van drives under the red light meant for the traffic waiting to cross the intersection) I hear this...

MOMMA, MOOOOOOOMMMAAAA, you go-ed under a red light.  You aren't supposed to go under red lights.  MOMMA, MOOOOMMMMAAAA why did you go under a red light?  You're not supposed to go under red lights!!!

I have tried to explain, more times than I can count, that the red light we drove under was not "our" red light.  But she's not buying it.  

Here's hoping that she has such a high regard for traffic law when she starts driving...I'm sure I'll get in my fair share of backseat driving/lecturing when that day comes :)