Sugar 'n' Spice and a Nose Wipe

 

 

 

This morning I was helping Caleb put his shoe on.  He leaned forward and pressed his face against my shoulder.  "Aw! Was that a kiss?" I asked him.  "No," he said "I needed to wipe my nose on something."

The Creepy Tooth Fairy

This story got such a chuckle from a friend of mine that I decided I had better share it with all of you.  Caleb lost a tooth the other day.  That night, after we had written a note to the tooth fairy begging her to not take his tooth, we had a conversation.  Caleb said, “Roman said that his mom is the tooth fairy.”  “Oh?” I said, “What do you think about that?”  “I don’t think she is, mom.  I mean… how could she get into our house and leave money under my pillow?  That just sounds creepy.”  That response got a big smile out of me.

 

 

Kangaroo Whistle

 

 

     As Chad and I were cleaning out his closet the other day, I was reminded of an experience we had when Anderson was little.

 

     It was around this time of year.  Anderson, then 3 years old, and I were shopping for Chad's Christmas present. I wanted to buy Chad a tie rack, but I knew that Anderson was not old enough to keep it a secret from his dad. So, I told Anderson that it was a kangaroo whistle. I showed him how you should blow on the end of it to create a really high sound that humans couldn't hear, but that kangaroos could. I told him that if any kangaroos were around that they would come to us. I then emphasized the importance of keeping this awesome gift a secret from dad. We wrapped it and put it under the tree.

      Sure enough, that night I overheard Anderson, in his cute little three-year old voice, telling Chad all about the kangaroo whistle we were giving him for Christmas. Chad could never figure out what the gift really was until Christmas morning.

      As Chad and I organized his closet, we both had a chuckle when I asked him if he needed another kangaroo whistle.

 

Anderson and Caleb- Christmas 2007

  

Haircuts: Required; Handcuffs: Optional

 

Anderson used some of his allowance to buy handcuffs.  I thought it was hilarious the other day when he used them to shackle himself to the chair while I was giving him a haircut.  I didn’t tell him those handcuffs could have been very useful for a few of his haircuts in years past.

 

Anderson has started a wrestling club.  I am surprised that Caleb isn’t interested in wrestling.  After the first practice, Caleb shrugged his shoulders and said, “You pay money to get hurt.  It all seems so pointless.”  That’s a wise 6 year old I’ve got.  Caleb’s just a lover, not a fighter.  =)  

Update: Caleb came home with a girl's phone number today.  Isn't he a little young for this?  I had to help him dial her phone number so he could talk to her.
 

I suffer

I just want to give you all a visual of what I deal with here at home:

 

And yes... he can open that drawer and the toilet lid by himself.  Good times!

Chickens

I am not an animal lover.  I've accepted this about myself, and I'm okay with it.  When the boys ask for a dog, I now tell them no;  It's no longer 'maybe' or 'some day.'  I know you are shaking your head with disappointment, but it's okay... I am not a bad person. 

This is why I surprised even myself when I wanted to get chickens.  But, chickens aren't pets.... right?  They earn their keep.  They're functional.  At least that was the plan. 

My vision of four chickens roaming in our yard and producing eggs for us hasn't worked out so well.  What has happened is I have chicken poop on my porch, I have to shoo them out of the house when the boys leave the door open, and I'm only getting one egg a day. 

We have now built a chicken run to enclose them during the day.  While I was clearing out vegetation for the chicken run, I discovered what I have suspected for a long time:

I'm pretty sure there is another mound of eggs behind the wood pile, and I think one of our chickens escapes under the fence behind the shed to lay her eggs in the neighbors yard.  Hopefully our new enclosure will encourage our chickens to lay their eggs in the nesting boxes we have so lovingly prepared for them.

There is one member of our family who will be very disappointed with this new arrangement.  Clark loves to crawl into the chicken poop, er... I mean coop, and dump out all the food.  He's going to be pretty ticked off.

Backpacking Trip

Chad took Anderson and Caleb on their first backpacking trip.  As you can tell from the photos, they had a great time.  I can't wait until Clark is old enough for us all to go.  I must confess, though, that my ninja moves aren't quite up to speed.  And, as you can see from the photos, this seems to be a requirement for the trip.  This may turn into a 'boys only' tradition.

Caleb's New Business Venture

Caleb approached me today with a money making plan: "Mom, I know how to trick the tooth fairy.  You just put fake teeth under you pillow."

"Oh," I replied.  "How much money do you think you will make?"

"Probably about twenty dollars," he said.

My Super Powers

You can learn a lot about yourself through conversations with your children.  Tonight, as I was lying next to Anderson during bedtime, our conversation went like this:

"Mom," said Anderson, "if you could have any super power, what would it be?"

"Hmmmm...," I pondered.

Anderson, interjecting: "I bet you would want to be active."

"What do you mean by 'active'?"I asked.

"You would want to be able to run and play and ride bikes and jump on the trampoline," Anderson replied.

"Oh."

Apparently, I'm quite the stick-in-the-mud when it comes to playing with my kids.

I then informed Anderson that I would want to be super fast (insert speedy sound effects here) so I could do all my chores in one second.

"Why?" asked Anderson.  I guess I picked a pretty lame super power.

"Oh...I know," he said, "So you could finish your chores fast and then go to Super Hero Headquarters and wait for a mission to complete, right?" he said.

"No." I answered, "So I could finish all my chores and take a nap."

This is when Chad, who was eavesdropping from the other room, started to laugh.  Anderson is right.  I am a stick-in-the-mud.

Anderson the Amazing

Anderson the Amazing was baptized on Sunday.  Way to go Anderson!  He is such a good boy.  I am very proud of him.  It was cute to see how well behaved he was for a few days after he was baptized.  Everything he said included 'please' and 'thank you.'  He received a mini hymnal as a gift.  He has been asking me to play the piano for him every night so he can sing songs out of it.  =)


We went on a short hike as a family this evening. The boys (even Clark) were like little mountain goats climbing on the rocks by the river. I love living here.

Our Summer So Far

Well, no one is bored yet.  I think that is a pretty amazing accomplishment.  Here are images from our summer vacation so far:

Crazy Caleb.  Anderson is gone at Cub Scout Day Camp this week.  Without my very talkative Anderson following me around the house telling me about his plans to become a billionaire, I find myself looking around and wondering where Caleb is.  Like a typical middle child, he is quietly entertaining himself outside or in the other room. 

Clark is standing on his own.  I think he will be walking in a month or so.

Caleb turned 6 years old.  As you can see, Hulk, Luke Skywalker, and Thor joined us for his birthday celebration.

Anderson wanted to earn money for extra fireworks this year.  He earned $13 selling cookies.  Way to go Anderson!

Look, I'm in a picture!

We have a skunk living under our shed.  This is a picture of Chad being sneaky and trying not to get sprayed.  How do you get rid of a skunk without getting sprayed?  My vote is to use a handgun... but Chad isn't willing to go that route... something about laws and using guns within city limits.  It's hard being married to such an honest man!  =)

Chicken sitting:  we watched our friend's chickens for a week.  Anderson named one of them Sassy Rocket.  I think that is hilarious.  I also think it is the perfect nickname for my Anderson!

Idaho

Our trip for the summer: 10 hours to Idaho and 10 hours back.  Thank you Matt and Katherine for a wonderful time!

We learned that Clark is a great traveler.  I appreciate Chad's willingness to entertain the children in the back seat while I drive faster than he would have.=)

Anderson- Flying a Kite

My 3 year old nephew kept his kite in the air for a long time with no real effort or concern on his part.  He gave me his string to hold and I crashed his kite within 10 seconds.  Bad Aunt!

The guys on their backpacking trip.

Cousins: six boys ages 7 and under.  That, people, is a lot of energy!

Rumor has it...

     Today in church, a woman complimented me on my hair.  "Is it naturally curly?" she asked.  Before I could answer her, Caleb replied, "It's a wig."  He said it with such a straight face that she thought he was serious.  I watched as her expression changed from startled to concerned.  I laughed and assured her that it wasn't a wig, but I'm not entirely sure she believes me. 

     Anderson loves documentaries.  Today, he watched one on the computer about global warming.  When I sat down at the computer just now, I chuckled when I realized he had been taking notes.  What a cool seven year old.

Me, my wig, and my crazy boys.

7 Years Ago

As I was looking through old photos, I came across these:

These are photos of Anderson (1 year old) and Chad enjoying a powdered sugar mess.  I’m so grateful for Chad.  He has always taken time to play with our boys and listen to them.  Thank you Chad!

The Inventor

During bedtime tonight, Anderson was telling me about one of his inventions.  I am always amazed at the depth of Anderson’s imagination; he can literally talk for an hour explaining details for a go-cart he’s going to make or a summer camp he is going to run.

Tonight, he was telling me how much money he is going to make from his plans for a hovercraft-rocket.  “I just wish I didn’t have to go to school.  I wish I could stay home and think about my inventions.  I mean, my time is money right now, Mom.  I could be making millions!”

Anderson: you certainly are smart enough.  I hope you never lose that confidence or your imagination.

Baby-zilla!

It has begun.  We all knew this day would come:  Mobility.  I am proud of Anderson and Caleb; they have already shown a great deal of patience with ‘Baby-zilla' and his super-human wrecking abilities.  I am quite paranoid that Clark is going to choke on one of the lego blocks that have infiltrated the nooks and crannies of my home.  I collect stray Legos in my pockets throughout the day.  If we had girls instead of boys, what would I collect?   Polly Pocket pieces?  Beads?

A Few Facts About Each of Us.

     Caleb is a ladies’ man.  He has been for a number of years.  When Anderson tries to tease him about liking a girl, he just shrugs and says, “Yep, I like her.”  End of teasing. 

     He has kissed several girls, and often makes comments such as, “I hope ____ (insert girl’s name) likes watermelon, because I like watermelon.  When we get married, we are going to eat a lot of watermelon.”

     When I picked Caleb up from kindergarten today, he announced that he has a new friend, "Her name is Jordan.  Can we go to the store so I can buy a necklace for her?”  (See, this 5 year old already realizes that women like jewelry… this boy is a natural.)  We went home and made a necklace for Jordan.  During bedtime, he pulled it out of his backpack and proudly showed it to Chad.  During the day, I heard him say Jordan’s name a few times…. Just to hear the sound of it, I guess.

    

    Tonight, I watched as Anderson stepped up onto the toilet seat, balanced with his feet on the sides of the rim, lifted one leg and flushed with his foot.  He did this all without touching the toilet with his hands.  I was speechless.

     When you have a 5-year gap between children, you forget a few things.  I forgot that the dishwasher is the best toy in the house.  Clark will come crawling from anywhere in the house when he hears it open. 

Clark has the same gimpy crawl that Anderson and Caleb had.  Check it out: