Spring Is Fickle

Here are my crocus flowers last Friday:



And here they are yesterday:

I feel sorry for those poor little flowers!

A Gorgeous Spring Day

We headed out to Bergman Park last Friday to have a picnic lunch and play on the playground while the nice weather lasted. It lasted for exactly one day, so I am glad we seized the moment! Peanut butter and jelly tastes much nicer when it is eaten under a blue sky with birds chirping all around.

The boys played well and got lots of energy out, which ensured a great nap that afternoon. I cannot wait until the weather is consistently nice and we can make daily trips to the playground.

Tire Swing

We don't have a tire swing, but our neighbors do. And it is the pinnacle of joy for young kids! Our neighbor kids are so nice about playing with Matthew (who is quite a bit younger than they are).

Andrew is game enough to pretend to get hit by the swing when it comes past. Matthew thinks this is the height of comedy.



Matthew closes his eyes- this ride is fast!

I'd love to know what the boys were discussing. I couldn't hear them, but it appeared to be a very serious discussion.

They're a pretty cute bunch of kids, if you ask me. They're a group of really nice kids, too.



This swing goes quite a distance, and gets pretty high, too. We need to get one for our yard, but we don't have any sturdy oak trees to hang one from. This has to be the best toy in the world!

Matt

Wrote his own name for the first time:

Nolan, Boots, and the Bup

This is the essential Nolan. He currently has an obsession with boots, and always has at least one of his brother's snow boots on. Usually facing the wrong direction. He has also taken to his sippy cup (my bup!) in the way that most children take to security blankets. The cup has to be a very specific shape (the tall cups with the narrow waist), or he'll reject it altogether.

Heaven help us when the cup gets lost. "My bup! Want my bup!" rings through the house until the bup is found. When he rocks in the rocking chair, the trusty bup is tucked under one arm and clutched like a teddy bear.

Nineteen months is going to be an interesting age...

Why Dads Rock

Dads will swing with you on the big-boy swing.

Dads will hold you tight, even when it is a little bit scary!

Dads can always make you laugh.

Dads are great at playing ball.

Dads insist that you really can do it all by yourself!

Dads will help you if you can't do it all by yourself.

Hope SPRINGS Eternal

Could it be? Could Spring be here at last? It was fifty degrees and sunny today. We ditched the winter coats, grabbed some toys, and went outside to play!

Brothers and Trucks!

On the "big boy" swing

Is anything in life better than this?

Swinging in circles

Peek-a-boo!

Cleaning up sticks

Nolan with the toy truck

Matt with the truck- imitating Nolan!

Moving On Up

Nolan is currently sleeping on a crib mattress in Matthew's bedroom. The arrangement is working out quite well, but the toys and beds are beginning to compete for space. We have cleared out the old guest room and installed a new floor and removed the dark blue high gloss paint.



Behold, the new bedroom!


Both boys will likely sleep in this room, and Matt's old bedroom will become a playroom. It will certainly be nice to have a playroom next winter, when the weather is too cold to go outside! We would give each boy his own room, but Nolan likes to sleep with his brother close by.

Missing California Part I

Our trip is only one month away. We are, however, in mourning of good Mexican food. We made chalupas for dinner last night to prepare our taste buds for a return to the most yummy of food.

Matthew, unfortunately, was not in agreement. He wanted "macky cheese" and was quite disappointed at what was on the menu. Tough luck kid. Your protests went unheard.

Guess what? He ate it and he liked it. Big surprise!

Art Show

Art shows used to mean visting a local gallery and viewing avant-garde works. Now, it means paste and finger paint. I far prefer the finger paint variety!

Look what I did!

Sunday heralded the preschool's open house and art show. Matthew was quite the proud little guy to show us his wonderful works of art. A sampling, for your perusal:

Feathers and finger paint on white paper

Truck tires in white paint on black paper

Oh, my. He's an engineer already. Colored dots on paper. Lined up by color. The other children's dots were more "fancifully" scattered.

The preschool's open house and registration was also in full swing. While Matthew will be attending a different preschool next year, Nolan will be in the "two-by-two" program at First Covenant. This preschool is a bit of a drive from our house (especially in the winter), but their two year old program is wonderful. It is one day per week, and half of the class is a mommy-and-me format. The second half of the class involves an art project, snack, circle time, and free play sans mommy. Matthew has really enjoyed the extra stimulation this program gives, so we thought we'd place Nolan in the same program next year. Matthew will attend Hillcrest Christian Preschool next year, because it is closer to our house and aligns nicely with Nolan's speech therapy schedule. This will greatly reduce the background noise during our vital speech therapy time!

While the boys are only 20 months apart in age, there is quite the height difference between the two. It is hard to believe that Nolan will be in this class next year, but they do grow a lot in six months. Matthew is also a December birthday, so he tends to be among the oldest (and tallest) in his activities due to the cut-off date.

Matt really enjoyed showing his school off to everyone, and he loved the toys and activities set out for the open house. He managed to find his favorite stuffed friend, and spent most of the time wandering around with the Big Red Dog.

Playing with the toy hospital

I found Clifford!

In the playhouse with Clifford

Rough Week

Matt came running into our room this morning with that anxious whine/cry that signals a very little boy who has either had a nightmare or who is feeling quite sick. Guess which one of the two it was?

Matthew is not the type of kid who sits still, and this boy has been on the couch all day long. He spit up this morning, but hasn't erupted since that time. He's even managed to eat a little, and is quite happy with all the ginger ale he's allowed to have.

He fell asleep watching Cars two hours ago and doesn't show any signs of waking up.

You think they are so big, and then they get sick and you realize how very small they really are.

I Really Need More Advil

Oh. My. Goodness. Guess what today included:

A. A three year old who slept in our bed all last night due to a “tummy ache.”
B. 1 clogged toilet
C. An “accident” which was simply vile.
D. A flood at the preschool. Which we caused.
E. All of the above

If you answered “E,” you’re a winner! Come and collect your prize* today!

I should have known, after all. It’s been FOUR days since we had anything “eventful” in the bathroom arena. The boy came to us last night because he had a tummy ache. This might be funny someday. Emphasis on “might.”

We went to library, and I had him sit on the toilet there. Nothing happened. We went to preschool, and he sat on the toilet there TWICE. Again, nothing. Absolutely nothing. I should have known the floodgates were just waiting to open until the middle of circle time. Instead, I blithely went to the parent’s meeting to listen to people ramble on about recipes and to suck down another cup of coffee.

A knock.

“We need Matthew’s mommy, please.”

There are no words that can strike terror into your heart like those words coming from a preschool teacher. Not that I thought anything happened to him. I was worried about what he did. Matthew is the creative sort, you see. I go downstairs and see my boy standing next to the craft table, drenched and reeking. I take him into the bathroom, strip him down, and get started.

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPH MAY CONTAIN GRAPHIC CONTENT. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

I go to dump the solid material into the toilet. This takes more skill than you might think, as cotton underwear have a certain element of “bounce.” I miss, of course. Thank goodness for the large roll of toilet paper, because I really needed it right then. There is, of course, a soiled and naked three year old dancing about the stall while I am trying to perform this delicate operation.

“HOLD STILL. DON’T MOVE. MATTHEW! HOLD. STILL.” I whisper-scream (any mother knows how this is done).

I finish cleaning up the bathroom area and start to work on the three year old. I get him as clean as he’s going to get, and pull a new pair of underwear out of the backpack. A completely unfazed Matthew comments, “oh, I love race-car underwear!” I reach into the backpack for a new pair of pants, and realize I forgot to pack a new pair of pants. The wet ones go back on. With some blessing, his socks and shoes are unsoiled.

I reach over to flush the toilet. Did you know there is a certain gurgling sound that will cause you to instinctively jump back? Let’s just say that Old Faithful has nothing on the child-sized toilet at First Covenant preschool.

“Mommy! There water everywhere! Mommy, you break it!”

Thanks, kid. I wasn’t quite sure what happened, but now it is perfectly clear to me.

I go to the classroom door to ask where a plunger might be located. My appearance prompts eleven 2 year old children to break into tears. “Where my mommy go? I want my mommy!” A weary and annoyed preschool teacher arrives at the half-door and says, “We don’t like parents down here because it upsets the other children.”

Um, yeah. OK, remember that YOU brought ME down here, right? I ask her for a plunger and a little light bulb seems to go off in her head. Oh, yeah. That’s why you’re down here. You’re Matthew’s mom.

“Don’t worry about it. We’ll get someone to take care of it later. Just bring Matthew back in so he can have his snack."

Fine, teach. Your lake. There is no way Matt can go back since he has pants that are soaking wet. I explain this little dilemma and they whip out a pair of “emergency pants” from their cupboard.

I go back into the bathroom, where Matthew is happily standing on a chair in the middle of the growing puddle. . ”I’m on an island! OH, NO! I’m sinking!” accompanied by a dramatic swoon. I pull Island Boy off his island and take off the wet pants again, and replace them with the preschool-issue khakis. They actually fit him quite well, so that was a relief.

I release him back into the classroom (which inspires more “where my mommy go??!!!” shrieks from the other two year olds) and head upstairs. Where I had myself a lovely little cocktail of Advil and coffee. Is today over yet?

He looks so innocent... when asleep!

*Prize measures 39” in height and weighs approximately 34 pounds. Winner assumes responsibility for shipping expenses. No returns or exchanges are allowed. Any whining, screaming, laughing, and other traits are due to the inherent variability of the product and are to be expected.

Translation, Please?

Matt left me this "message" spelled out in his wooden blocks. Now, if only I could read Three Year Old!