Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Funny Kid

Oftentimes, when Devin uses the bathroom at the front of the house with the big window that faces the street and the neighbor's house across the street, he raises the shade.

I'm pretty sure he does that to spy on them.

Monday, December 29, 2008

1 cm an hour

This day six years ago, I was hooked up to an antibiotic IV in a backless nightgown, all bright eyed and bushy tailed because I was about to give birth. I arrived at the hospital shortly after midnight with 1 little fact in the forefront of my mind. 1 CM an hour. Which meant...I would be birthing my first baby about 10 o'clock the following morning.

It also meant...I'm an idiot. A complete and total idiot! I know you think it's harsh. But, when I look back on that day, I was pretty sure the nurse who told me that I needed to sleep because it was going to take awhile was wrong because I had that fact in my head. 1 cm an hour. That little fact made me so much smarter than the nurse, at least that's what I thought.

Even if my body had adhered to that random average number, I WASN'T EVEN IN LABOR! See, that's how dumb I was! My water had broken, but labor had not started. Labor hurts, and I wasn't in pain. I thought I was lucky! But, I wasn't lucky, I just wasn't in labor. Broken water <> Labor. That was a fact I didn't have memorized about giving birth.

I was given pitocin around 7 am to get the labor going. Still, it took me a few months to realize that I was induced. It took me a while to realize that Broken Water <> Labor.

Around 10 AM, when I thought I would be welcoming my new baby, I may have asked for something so I could get some sleep. I was also saying good-bye to that know-it-all nurse. She was going home, but she'd be back, she said. She'd see me then, she said. Yeah, right! I thought. I'd be on the other side by 5:00 for sure. I wouldn't be seeing her. No way.

Yes way.

That baby didn't arrive until 10:30 PM. And, that nurse was back. And, she was just wonderful. Her name was Therese. I'd like to send her a message to tell her she was just wonderful.



You know what else hurts? Milk coming in. I didn't know that either, and I nearly killed little Trevor by not feeding him for 2 days. It all worked out OK in the end, though. He's fine now. No stained brain from the jaundice that was complicated by the dehydration. Which I also didn't recognize because I'm such a dummy.

Happy Birthday Trevor from your mom who used to be pretty dumb. You've taught me a lot.


12/29/03


12/29/04


12/29/05


12/30/06


12/29/07

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Thursday, December 18, 2008

The sagacity of a Child

I made Macaroni and Cheese with hot dogs for the boys' dinner last night (we were going out and dropping the kids with a sitter and didn't share in this luscious meal). It's a meal I had often as a kid. And, I always loved it. More than Sauerkraut and Wieners, anyway. I asked John if his mom made him Mac and Cheese with Hot Dogs when he was a kid, and he said, "No!" and gave me that look that says, "You're crazy, woman!" He went on to explain the reason his mom never made that meal for him was because he never would have eaten it. I think he added a "disgusting" under his breath.

"Whatever." That's what I said under my breath as I dished out the boys' dinner.

A few bites in, I asked them if they liked it.

I got an enthusiastic, "YEAH!" from both of them. It probably didn't hurt that the Macaroni was shaped like characters from Scooby-Doo.

"You really like it?" I asked Devin.

"Yeah!" he said with the same aforementioned enthusiasm. Then, he added. "I may not like it when I'm all grown up, but right now, I LOVE IT!"

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Punch!

Sunday night at bedtime, I told the boys to brush their teeth. Further, I gave them 3 minutes and let them know if played around and it took longer than 3 minutes, they could just forget about a story. Somehow, no story at bedtime is their worst punishment ever. They love their bedtime stories.

So, Trevor (who by the way got one cavity filled last week and will have another filled tomorrow) brushed his teeth in 3 seconds flat. Done! He was getting his story! Devin, on the other hand, dillied and he dallied. He came downstairs looking for his "lasso" (really a piece of curling ribbon). This freaked Trevor out. "DEVIN, YOU GOTTA BRUSH YOUR TEETH OR YOU WON'T GET A STORY!!" he yelled pretty close to Devin's face as I told Devin, "Just go brush your teeth and then we'll talk about the lasso." He was overwhelmed with his desire to tell me about the lasso and the stern directions from me and Trevor at the same time. So, quick as a flash, he reached out and punched Trevor right in the chest.

We all stopped for an instant. Then I hugged Trevor as he cried and told Devin that he wasn't getting a story because he's not allowed to punch his brother. So, then he cried. And cried. And cried.

And cried.

Seriously, it's the worst deterrent we have in our arsenal.

So, much as I wanted to take it back and go ahead and read him a story (because some tears really DO make me want to change my mind and these were that kind) John read Trevor a story while I told Devin that I couldn't read him a story. I told him that even though I understood he was frustrated, there's never a good reason to punch your brother. He told me it was an accident, and I really did believe him. I think Trevor and I were both at fault for not letting him have his say. But, still. Can't punch your brother. So, I hugged and kissed him and said good night. Twice. Daddy did the same. And, Devin just kept crying.

Trevor tried to make it all go away, negotiating on his brother's behalf.

"It didn't really hurt," he said. We weren't going to be swayed though.

After Daddy and I had gone downstairs, Trevor listened for Devin to stop crying. And, when he did, Trevor brought him some books to cheer him up. Devin told us about that part on Monday.

I don't know. I think this whole "brothers" thing is really going to work out for these two.

Monday, December 15, 2008

Green Tips

Yesterday at karate, Trevor and I took and passed our green tip test. I was pretty confident for myself because I know the first kata pretty well, but I was worried about Trevor. Our Sensei made a point of telling him that if he didn't pass, it wasn't a bad thing. Gosh, was I worried. But, he passed. He followed along during the Kata with me, and he knew it well enough, although he gets his lefts and his rights confused a lot of the time.

Anyway, mostly I was worried about him not passing the test because he was doing his big huge frowny face (I call it his bulldog face) during the warmup. He was trying to tell me he was thirsty, but I didn't believe him. He's pretty good at coming up with excuses for not wanting to do Karate while we're at Karate, so I decided he was making it up. But, he later told the Sensei he was sad because he was so thirsty his throat had started to hurt. As Trevor worked out with his bulldog face, Sensei would say, "Come On! This is part of the test!" So, I was worried about Trevor failing that part of the test. And, Trevor's little friend who's been tasked with "helping" Trevor with Karate would check his face every two minutes. Every time she looked at him and his sad face, her face would fall, too. His sadness was absolutely contagious, and her workout was pretty much ruined. Seriously. Even after Trevor got a drink and wasn't so sad any more, his friend couldn't stay on task at all.

One of the things I like about Karate is the "respect" aspect of it. We're all expected to teach each other as much as we can. So, little kids who know more than me (and even some who don't!) have no problem with putting my arms where they should be for a head block, and I'm expected to thank them. I think this is good for me, and it's especially good for those kids who aren't afraid to approach and help me. Even Trevor has offered a few corrections. I may practice more, but he pays more attention, so I accept his corrections gracefully.

Last night at karate, we did a "Compai." I probably spelled that wrong. We went around the circle and everyone who chose to said something they were thankful for, then we raised our glasses of juice and said, "COMPAI!" Trevor said, "I really like karate because it's a lot of fun, but I don't like the timing of it. It's really long. It's almost a hundred minutes!" As I sensed this complaint coming, I looked at the ceiling for help, but nothing happened. I was still stuck on the floor with my thankless child who isn't afraid to speak in public. I like that he's not shy, so I raised my glass to his Compai, and thanked him for coming with me almost every week for the last 6 months.

So, that's it. We got our Green Tips. I plan on signing up for the next six months because of our one senior student who recently became a black belt. When I first met him, I thought he was maybe 24. He'd been leading the class during the Sensei's year long sabbatical, and he just seems very mature. He's only 17. I want people to think Trevor is 24 when he's only 17. I think it will be good for him for life.

Sunday, December 07, 2008

A Moment...

I'm going to try and give you a moment, a precious moment.

We were all in our cold basement, cleaning it and/or watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Devin came over and said, "I want to give you a secret." With his cold, little hands, he moved my hair away from my ear and put his mouth close.

I heard nothing, but out of the corner of my eye, I saw his mouth moving.

I told him I couldn't hear him.

So, he moved my hair again with those little precious hands and whispered, "I love you."

I whispered back that I loved him.

He said, "I want to give you another secret."

So, he moved my hair, leaned close, and whispered, "I know that already."

Monday, November 10, 2008

Hello, Chicagoland!

Why didn't someone tell me it would be so cold here? I'm not sure my fall jacket will suffice...

Oh, wait. John told me it would be cold. I told him I thought my fall jacket would suffice.

My kids are so wunnerful when I'm leaving.

Both of them told me I would be missed. Very nice. Devin said that I was his most favorite, favorite...insert favorite 62 more times here...mommy in the whole world.

Trevor said that it's always "upsetting when you leave because we have to go to school every day until you come home."

On the way to drop me off, we talked about the environment. We recently toured a house built by some PSU students that is very "green." One of it's greenovations (can I copyright that word?) was a "screen" of glass milk bottles. The thought is that you can put these water (or some other medium) filled glass bottles in front of a sunny window on a cold day, and they would absorb heat. In the evening, you can pull the shades, and the glass water-filled bottles would release that heat into the home thereby helping to reduce your carbon footprint and our reliance on non-renewable resources. It's a noble effort.

After we talked about this, Trevor began to talk with some authority on the concept of "absorbed water." He said, "if you take one drop of absorbed water and put into a jar of ink, it will absorb all of the ink. If you take 2 drops of absorbed water and put it into a mud puddle, it will absorb the entire big mud puddle."

I said, "what?" And, he repeated what he just said.

I was confused. He was talking with such authority, the same type of authority he uses when he talks about tornadoes or dinosaurs, that I thought absorbed water was real! That he had learned about it in school or something. He didn't start out talking about absorbed water with a "what if?" He just began talking about absorbed water and explaining it's very absorbent properties.

John had to explain to me that it was a hypothesis. But, I think he was confused, too. At least at first. I would have figured it out eventually, though. I questioned Trevor a little further, he just had more questions for me...

I really like Trevor a lot. I think he's really smart and handsome. I'm relying on him to figure out how to eliminate our need for foreign oil all together or to improve tornado forecasting systems or find a habitable planet outside of earth. I expect that Devin will makes signs that will prevent people from drowning from his McDonalds's/First Aid booth at the beach where he will entertain beach goers every night with juggling, magic tricks and other general buffoonery.

Thursday, November 06, 2008

Did I tell you...

...how Trevor woke up on November 1st crying at 4:30 and again at 5:00 AM because he missed Halloween?

That really happened.

It surprised me, too.

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

It's late, and I'm up working, and

According to MSNBC, and I know they're the liberal media and all, OBAMA WINS! (My stomach is doing all sorts of little flip-flops...)

Well, if it's really true, Trevor predicted it. Your heard it here first, ok?

Also, did you know that the most popular keyword people type in to find my blog is Home Made Raisins? I'm sort of an internet authority on home made raisins these days.

My little Science Star

Trevor and his teacher built a tetrahedron at school with toothpicks and gumdrops. And, it was so structurally sound, it could hold 10 books! He also figured out how to measure a curvy huge s-shaped gourd with just a straight ruler and a string. And, he's discovered that when you mix three primary colors together, you make brown.

Sunday, November 02, 2008

Excuse me?

Trevor burped at the table the other day. Then, he said, "Excuse me."

Devin said, "What do you say? You have to wait for me to say 'what do you say.'"

Daddy caught on pretty quick that Devin's thinking meandered that way because he never says Excuse me without bring prompted. It took me a little longer to figure that out...

Friday, October 31, 2008

Trevor's Forehead

I want to tell you about Trevor's forehead. It's beautiful! All of the skin on his face is soft like silk, but his forehead is my favorite part of his face. He's got a big, round forehead with silky skin and lots of tiny little freckles. And, the best part...he lets me touch his forehead, and even his cheeks and chin, and tell him how much I like like his big, round forehead and silky soft skin. And, every now and then, he'll crawl into bed with me and fall asleep, and I get to look at at his pretty face and think about how lucky I am to have Trevor in my life.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Book Review



I just want to review this book. I picked it up at a Garage Sale without reading it. It was just 25 cents, and I was a madwoman picking up books like we didn't already have 1 million books at home.

Well, the boys like this book. Devin sleeps with it.

But, I don't like it.

It's about a penguin who is so cuddly that all of his siblings are always accosting him for the sole purpose of cuddling. He has several siblings. Maybe even 100. Penguins lay one or two eggs per couple per breeding season. It's just not possible for Dudley to have more than one sibling in his age group.

And, Dudley, instead of being called Cuddly, really ought to be called Fuddly! He doesn't like all that attention. He complains about it so much that he runs away from his unlikely family. He finds a cabin and moves in to play all by himself. Finally, the owner of the cabin comes home, and he's dressed like an Eskimo.

Well, Penguins don't exist in the Arctic where Eskimos live. Puffins do. But, this is a book about a penguin, not about a Puffin.

I wouldn't care about this craziness if I didn't know it was crazy! But, I do. I know because I bought a book about penguins for Trevor and Devin, and I read it to them. And, now Cuddly Dudley comes along and tries to invalidate what they've learned! It's a fairy tale, I get that. I'm not complaining about penguins who talk even though I know that they can't. But, it could be made accurate, right? Couldn't it??

So, anyway. If you're reading this and considering buying this book at a garage sale, you can if want. But, please correct the inaccuracies when you read it to your child.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Great Aspirations

I took the boys to the doctor this morning. By myself. No, no... it was OK. Don't feel too sorry for me. They got a little loud, but it was a reasonably respectable showing for me and my children. We all smelled a little smoky from being near a firepit last night, and I think that made the doctor sneeze. But, other than that, it was OK. Devin got 3 shots and cried. Trevor cried and balked at the idea of 2 shots, but then he was actually quite brave while receiving the actual shots. Then, he forgot how cried at the thought of shots and declared that he had been very brave.

Anyway.

On the way to the doctor's office, Devin was talking about what he wants to be when he grows up. Here's the list, in order.

1. A Doctor
2. A sign maker
3. A McDonald's Worker
4. A lifeguard

He's funny.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Ballot Box For President

We went to a Halloween festival today. There was a guy dressed like a ballot box. And, he was actually allowing people to vote. Even kids! He said that you could vote for anyone. Didn't have to be an actual candidate or even an actual person, but my kids were a little shy about voting.

He asked Trevor if he knew who our current president is. I waited anxiously for him to come up with the right answer. And, I would have to argue that though not technically correct, it still was the "right" answer.

"Barack Obama."

That's what he said!

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Vikki and other news

I called Vikki tonight. Trevor was getting antsy because I'd been on the phone too long. So, I tried the old "you wanna talk to Vikki" trick? He fell for it. Then, Vikki tried the old, "I'm gonna ask my five year old nephew for advice on getting my baby not to eat crayons" trick.

He hemmed and hawed, but he eventually came up with some excellent advice.

"Vikki," he announced boldly. "You have to tell Jena to stop eating crayons."

Isn't he smart?

In another news, yesterday, my neighbor's 9 month old grandson fell out a second story window right across the street from me. AND HE'S FINE. I'm pretty happy about that last part. He landed on his tummy and missed the air conditioner.

If Opie likes Obama...

See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die

Friday, October 24, 2008

ummm...The Backyardigans rock!...

The boys are home from school today, so we've hired the TV and the video games on the little computer to keep an eye on them. I got in touch with the Backyardigans and asked them to keep all 4 sets of their eyes on Devin. They were cool with that. I also asked them to make sure he kept his hands out of his pants, but they assured me they were too cool for that.

Anyway, trying to work from my home office with its close proximity to the Backyardigans and their shenanigans, I can't help but think that the Backyardigans rock!

Go ahead and groove to the Backyardigans!

Guess who called me last night at 11:30? Admittedly, it was 10:30 her time. It was Jacey! My great-niece! But, when my plain old niece, Stephanie, discovered her daughter with the phone, she just said, "Give me my phone!" and disconnected. So, I didn't actually get to talk to Jacey. Or, even to Stephanie. Call me again sometime, Jacey! I would post a picture of her if I had one. Oh, wait, maybe I do. Let me check mom's photobucket...


It's an old picture, but there she is!

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Our New Tree

Our new tree arrived today.

Devin looked at the window as the gardeners were planting it and declared to all who would listen that he and Trevor now had "a new plant buddy!"

Isn't that sweet?

He never called the choppy oak his buddy...

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Bruce Springsteen

For my whole life, I was never a fan of Bruce Springsteen. For my whole life, I never knew why. Then one day, I realized it was because during the ninth year of my life, Ronald Reagan used "Born in the USA" as a campaign song.

I was a bleeding heart liberal, even as a child. How can that be? Even after the Iran Hostage Crisis, which I'm pretty sure I followed with intense interest every night on the national news, if I could have voted, I would have voted for Jimmy Carter.

In hindsight, I scoff at the liberal bleeding heart that I was in 1980. Because Ronald Reagan was the right president at the right time. His policies ended the cold war that imprinted my childhood with fear. Jimmy Carter wouldn't have done that. In hindsight, Ronald Reagan is my hero. And, Bruce Springsteen rocks, but seriously, Ronald Reagan shouldn't have used that song in his campaign without listening to it first.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Sometimes, he gets a little sensible

We can tell when Trevor is getting sick because he gets bloody noses and he has frequent and unexplained meltdowns.

We've made note of this pattern in his presence. So, he's taken note of our notes. And, the other day he told his dad that he's probably getting sick because he's been feeling a little "sensible" lately.

(instead of sensitive, if that didn't make any sense to you).

Monday, October 20, 2008

Another Classic Devin Moment, brought to you by the Montessori School

We had a big birthday party for Devin last weekend. I'll post pics soon.

On Monday, one of his teachers teased him saying, "Devin, I heard you had a big birthday party this weekend. Why didn't you invite me?"

His response was, "I did! Why didn't you come?"

let me tell you about my tree

We had a tree. Every day, I looked out my window and saw this tree. And, it didn't bother me. But one day, someone came along and chopped off part of the tree in a horrible act of pruning. It was probably the only thing that could save the life of that little tree, but it was such a bad cut, I couldn't stand to look at that little tree any longer.

It's not my tree, though. It belongs to the city.

So, one day, I called the city and left a voicemail detailing the sad story of the little oak tree that couldn't. He had been eaten alive by gypsy moths at that point. One terrible blow after another...

I got a call back. The city manager, or whatever his title is, told me it did look pretty chopped and promised they would come and replace it in the fall which is apparently the best time to replace a tree.

I felt good about all this. A little sad that I'd given the tree a death sentence, but happy that the view out my window would be improved.

So, we waited and waited and finally fall arrived along with tree removal season.

Some one came out one day and painted green lines showing the sanitary sewer on the road and sidewalk.

Another person came out and tied a white ribbon (signifying tree sadness, I think) around the lower branch of the tree and painted a line around the tree on the ground.

Another person came out and painted blue lines showing us where the water lines are.

Today, a big truck came and yanked the little tree out of the ground. Good-bye tree. He was never happy here as he came out so easily. He never took root. I hope someone plants him in a field of trees and gives him a shot. I'll pretend that's the plan.

After the tree came out of the ground, another person came out and painted yellow lines on the grass and road. I'm not sure why. He even went across the street to the neighbor's house and maybe did a little painting. None of that made sense. After the man in the bright green shirt with the yellow paint took his pictures and left, a nice young man showed up and painted red lines besides the yellow lines. He seemed to be smiling as he took his pictures as if to say, "I can't believe I get paid for this!" Then, Verizon came out and painted orange lines in pretty close proximity to the yellow and red lines. I think his was a lesson in colors because Yellow and Red do make orange! If not that, I'm not sure what function he served.

Now, there's a hole in the ground where the sad little tree was. But, not a big hole.

Friday, October 10, 2008

Happy 2nd Birthday Trevor!

We were experiencing a LOT right around Trevor's second birthday. Devin was a new addition to the household having arrived just about 2 and half months before. We traveled from our somewhat new house in Waukegan (new since March of 2004) to Pennsylvania for Christmas. And, my niece, Jena, arrived the day before Trevor turned 2.

I'm going to have to say those are the reasons why I only have 4 pictures of Trevor on his 2nd birthday. Can I add that I think I'm learning some memorable lessons here?


Those bowls moo'd and baa'd (or barked?) until the batteries died. Oh, and they aren't dishwasher safe. Oh, and who loves mashed potatoes and corn on their birthday??


Trevor, that's who loves corn and mashed potatoes on his second birthday!


Here, Trevor and I delve into the topic of what might have killed the dinosaurs!
(Just kidding, those conversations didn't happen for another 2 or 3 months, at least)


Doesn't he look like a Christmas ornament with that red hair and enormous blue eyes??


I think we let Daddy pick out the cake, but Grandma Roth provided the candles!

And, just to fill out this post...

This is my first day back to work and Trevor's first day back to daycare and Devin's first day of daycare ever.


Just look at this beautiful 2 year old boy!

Blogworthy...

If I talk to you, I'll tell you that Devin is something else. I'll tell you that I don't know what to do with him. In fact, if you're Devin, I'm liable to tell you straight out that I don't know what to do with you. I did that just yesterday. He took my comment in stride with a comment of his own.

"I know that. You told me that already."

Maybe, I should stop telling him that I don't know what to do with him. He's taken note.

Later in the evening, I was telling the boys that I loved them and asked them if they knew why. Trevor waited for me to tell him that I loved him because I'm lucky enough to get to, because he's smart, because he's handsome, because I'm his mom. Devin didn't wait for my list. He just guessed.

"Is it because I'm funny?"

Seriously, I don't know what to do with this kid!

Thursday, October 09, 2008

Happy Birthday, Trevor!

(I am not sure how this happened. I didn't blog Trevor's first birthday because I wasn't blogging back then, and I missed his second birthday for the same reason. I got his third birthday on video, but I completely blew off his 4th and 5th birthdays. I am working on making amends for this hugely gross oversight!)

You have to know that our one year old baby was pretty tired on his first birthday!


We invested in birthday hats! What a lovely Dining Room we had in that 1890 house in downtown Waukegan. Boy, it was cold in the winter, though!


Mad Cake Skillz


Like, uh, didn't we just do this yesterday or something??!


Look at the Happiness!


Maybe the hats weren't a good investment:


We didn't do any of that smushing. It was all Trevor.


Look at those HUGE BLUE EYES! I tell him he looks like a Christmas ornament with those eyes, that hair, those cheeks! He loves this (for now).


Here's where the party got out of control!


Oh my goodness, he was a pretty 1 year old!

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

Sweet, Sweet Devin

I was cuddling Devin this morning.

He asked if it was a "Stay at Home" day. I said no.

Then, he asked if it was a "Flick and slap day."

He just made that up. I think because he likes to both Flick and Slap things. And, by things, I mean me or Trevor.

He is just as sweet as honey drizzled on sugar, isn't he?

Monday, September 29, 2008

Devin has a friend...

Devin has a friend who lives up the street. She's actually old enough to be his grandma, but he loves her. So, I will call them friends.

Devin likes to do jobs for his friend, from crushing boxes to feeding the bluebirds to whatever it is that she calls a job. He just loves to spend time with her.

He always brings something home from his friend's house. Lately, it's been grape tomatoes and juice.

He saw her twice last week, so there was a lot of talk surrounding this friend for about 2 days. Here are some highlights:

"When I grow up, I'm going to move in with my friend. I will buy her juice."

"I will only do jobs for my friend, not for you."

"I think my friend will ask me to move in with her."

Somehow, I think he wants to marry her. In general, the fact that she has a husband isn't a problem. He doesn't think she'll mind two. But, when I asked what if she does mind having two husbands, this was his answer.

"It's OK. I think he will sintegrate."

I thought I probably knew what he meant by sintegrate, but I asked him to clarify, anyway. He said it meant,

"Gone. Dead."

I shared a lot of what he said about his friend to his friend. I kept that one little bit about her husband sintegrating to myself, though. It seemed a little too "fatal attraction" for a soon to be 4 year old...

Sunday, September 21, 2008

A shoestring

Today, my children fought over a shoestring.

A shoestring.

A shoestring...

Wow.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Oh!

"How many vowels are in my, name, Mom?" Trevor asked.

I spelled his name and said that E an O are vowels so he has two vowels in his name.

"Oh," he said. Then, he added, "the understanding kind, not the letter kind."

Wednesday, September 03, 2008

Smile!

We went to Hershey Park over Labor Day Weekend. It was big fun! We got lots of good photos. Feel free to browse them on our Family Photos page. But, we got a series of photos that were especially good and tell a particularly good story about Devin and what he does when he's told to smile...

This was a one time opportunity family self portrait. Daddy said, "SMILE!" and

Devin held his nose!

We got three pictures of the boys with the Hershey Bar. This is actually the best one. Daddy said, "SMILE!" and

Well, just see for yourself what Devin decides to hold...

But, this is classic Devin. We got the boys these uber cute paper hats and decided to take their picture in front of Chocolate world for posterity, and...

Daddy said, "SMILE!" and

Devin hides his eyes...

Daddy said, "SMILE!" and

Devin runs towards the camera and the picture taker for a big hug (Jolly-o, I say! says Trevor in the background as he marches to the beat of his own internal drum...)

Daddy said, "SMILE!" and

Devin rocks out while Trevor contemplates his younger brother rocking out!

Daddy said, "SMILE!" and

THEY DO JUST THAT!

Daddy said, "SMILE!" and

They don't really do it again. Would you like to see Devin pull his shorts up, though??

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

From the mouths of babes...

We went to dinner last night, and the Computer Guy got himself a margarita.

Trevor understood this was an "adult beverage." And, he decided to comment on that.

"I wish that lime would make the alcohol disappear."

I don't know where he gets his ideas about alcohol, but he has it in his head that alcohol is bad. And, I don't really understand why. He's never been around someone who is stinkin' drunk. And, we don't lecture him that alcohol is bad. We've told him he can't have it because it will stunt his growth. He's ok with that. In fact, he said, "Oh, I know that kids can't drink alcohol!" with gusto and authority when we reminded him that he can't drink at 5. We've told him that it's OK to enjoy in moderation as we are known to do. But, he'd rather just have us all be tee-totalers. And, that's OK! I just don't know where it comes from. Maybe the Simpsons?!

Well, he's an enigma wrapped in a paradox all full of wisdom and sage advice. I suppose.

Friday, August 15, 2008

Got beer?

We went to A&W/Long John Silver's for dinner tonight. We let Trevor choose. That's why we didn't end up at Olive Garden or some place where the food is brought to your table by servers. This particular A&W/Long John's Silver's continues the tradition of the Frosty Mug. I think that really does make it taste better. But, I digress...

I asked Trevor if he wanted to try the Root Beer from my Frosty Mug. He was curious. He said, "Hmmm, I've never had root beer."

Then, he added, "I've only had real beer."

Oh, yes he did say that!

But, I'm not really sure WHY he said that. I told him that he hadn't really ever had real beer, which is after all an adult beverage (he's been saying "after all" ALL THE TIME lately). He elaborated that he had Mug Root Beer at his Day Camp. I really ought to tell the people at the Chucky Cheese like day camp that I'd prefer they not give me kids soda (yeah, I'm a little opposed to that because I think High Fructose Corn Syrup is just an evil, evil thing, but also because they don't like it all that much, they find it "spicy"...I've digressed again.)

Well, my point is was that in his mind Frosty Mug Root Beer was not real beer, but Mug Root Beer was.

In end, he tasted my root beer and decided it was better than the "real beer" he tasted at Day Camp.

Wednesday, August 06, 2008

Friends!

We were walking downtown the other day, and Devin saw a friend from school. As I pointed out Devin's friend to him, the friend opened his arms wide and said, "My Friend!" As they met, Devin was embraced by his friend who then offered him a sip of his very own lemonade. Devin was just about to take a drink when the other mom put a kibosh on that.

I saw the other mom at school yesterday, and she said after we walked away, her son said, "But I know that Devin likes lemonade!

Precious Moment of the week....

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Woah!

The boys got the Othello game out of the basement. You know Othello, right? It has eleventy billion and one pieces. True story.

I just put all the discs in the holder and ZERO are missing.

I wonder what it could all mean. Should I play the lottery today? This just never happens. Let's all prepare ourselves for something big.

Saturday, July 26, 2008

eruption

Conversations in the car...

"Hey mom!" Trevor said to start the conversation.

"Hey, what?"

"Wanna do a pop quiz?"

"Sure!"

"When was the last time Mt. Vesuvius erupted?"

"Uh... can we make it multiple choice?

"Sure! You can make any choice you want. Any month, any day, any year. Multiple choice is great!"

At this point, parents in the front seat dissolve into laughter.

At that point, the tone in the back seat changed from light and fun to terse and annoyed.

"No. I really want to know when Mt. Vesuvius erupted last time."

I didn't turn around to look, but I bet he was frowning!

I'll go tell him now that the last time it erupted was March 18, 1944. The type of explosion was effusive and explosive, and a lava flow invaded Massa and S. Sebastiano.


For more information, check here

Friday, July 25, 2008

Picture of the day



I remember decorating my bike to ride in the 4th of July parade in Wynona.

Fond, crepe paper memories, those.

Thus, we couldn't pass up an opportunity to decorate the kids' bikes and send them riding down a road with a bunch of other kids on decorated bikes on the Fourth of July.

Trip to the ER

Trauma is a good word to describe Wednesday night. We suggested the boys clean their rooms. It was too much to ask. It was too much to ask for Trevor to pick up 25 legos. Traumatic. He cried and cried at the idea of picking up his toys.

Finally, the cry turned. No longer was it a cry of "I DON'T WANNA!" to a cry of "I'M HURT AND SCARED!"

We ran upstairs to a crying, bleeding-from-the-mouth Trevor.

He had put a stick in his mouth, a plastic pvc pipe for a toy tent. Then he fell.

He punctured his soft palette. I didn't know all that at the time. I just knew I had a crying, bleeding, couldn't-talk-to-me-because-he-was-crying-so-hard, Trevor.

The computer guy looked in his mouth, and saw the hole at the back of this mouth. When his nose started to bleed, too, we decided to take him to the ER.

Before we left, he was able to tell us that he had fallen with a stick in his mouth, but we didn't pick up the stick, and didn't know how far it had gone in. Not knowing how the skull really works, we weren't sure if he had poked himself in the brain or not. I'm still not sure if that's even possible.

5 hours later, after the PA, doctor, and radiologist had reviewed the CT scan, we were assured that he didn't poke his brain.

He's feeling pretty good today. His regular doctor took a look at the injury, and now, it's apparent that the stick went in to and came out of his soft palette. He has two injuries in his mouth. He's having trouble swallowing. Such a bad time to have a hard time swallowing, too. We went to a parade yesterday. Officially, I think it was a Fireman's parade. Unofficially, it was a candy parade. The boys gathered 3 (THREE!) pounds of candy. I wonder if cut up tootsie rolls would make a good cookie? So much candy and so much difficulty swallowing.

Monday, July 21, 2008

The new thing

Trevor and I joined a Family Karate Club. It's pretty cool because we both participate. It's like Mommy and Me Karate, and my arms and legs are both sore to prove it! It's pretty neat-o. Trevor sat out maybe 1/4 of the class yesterday, but two of the other moms assured me that's to be expected at 5 years old. The class is 90 minutes long, so sitting out 20 or 30 minutes without complaining seems reasonable to me.

One of the things we do is repetitive punches, kicks or block, and we count in Japanese (or maybe Okinawan) when we do those repetitive exercises. I actually count in English because I can only get to 4 in Japanese. Yesterday when it was Trevor's turn, he shunned both Japanese and English and counted to 10 in French. I can't wait to tell his French teacher about that.

I'm hopeful that we can stay with this. With his memory and his enthusiasm, this may just be the sport for him. He was able to remember many of the Japanese words they use in the class, and he really liked to do face punches.

At the end of the class, Trevor told our instructor "I know a 3 year old who would really like to join this class!" I thought that was pretty cool he was thinking of his brother.

So, it's not t-ball, though he does have those moments at the beginning when he is shy and un-engaged. But, when he gets engaged, he sees to really enjoy it. My hopes are high.

Family Karate Club

Saturday, July 19, 2008

New Picture



I just recently took a close look at this lovely little pic.

Doesn't he look sad? Don't you wanna know why? I can tell you why. You might be surprised given the amount of sadness you see on his face. He was sad because he didn't want his Daddy to take his picture.

We love Devin.

He went to a birthday party today. The mom of the birthday boy told me this when Daddy and I returned from our 1 hour vacation from parenthood.

"Devin kept us laughing. He kept asking 'how does everyone know my name??'"

He was wearing a name tag. Classic Devin.

The Results

Sorry for taking so long. I was hoping for slightly more participation!

First View:

Memaw Said, "Maybe a Dinosaur."
Jack Said, "A Smily Face"
Granpa said (in person), "A Dragon Eating a Chicken"

Second View:

Memaw said, "Maybe Memaw trying to hug a little boy?"
Jack Said, "Some kind of forest."
Granpa said (in person), "A Dragon Eating a Chicken"

Third View:

Memaw Said, "Maybe Socks the cat?"
Jack said, "An Entrance to a cave."
Granpa said (in person), "A Dragon Eating a Chicken"

Fourth View:

Memaw said, "I just do not know, you will have to tell us what Trevor thinks it is."
Jack said, "Upsidedown!"
Granpa said (in person), "A Dragon Eating a Chicken"

And the winners are:
Memaw for the greatest number of question marks!
Jack for seeing the forest for its trees!
Granpa for actually coming to close to what Trevor says it is...

A DRAGON! (The two circle-ish things in the first view on the left-ish side of the page are its eyes.)

Interestingly enough, I thought it was a chicken.

Saturday, July 05, 2008

Name it!

First View:


Second View:


Third View:


Fourth View:


The rules are
1. There are no rules! Just tell me what you think this might be. Each view shows something just a little different, so name them all or just name the picture and tell me how it should be oriented. Tell me in the comments section.

Winners (aka anyone who participates)get:
MENTIONED in my blog. You'll be famous. :)

(Trevor drew this in school this week.)

Thursday, July 03, 2008

Kids are funny

I put on a silk shirt on Tuesday. It was sorta frilly and girly. The computer guy wore an almost too small Penn State shirt. When we picked the boys up from school, BOTH of them wanted to know why we were all dressed up. They thought dadddy was more dressed up than me in my frilly, girly top.

I dropped them off at school today with wet hair. Devin asked why it was wet. One of the other students asked why it was wet (someday I'll drop them off in my pajamas...you just wait). I guess they notice things that aren't normal, everyday. This student, I'll call her A, is very nice. And, I like A a lot. I always say hello to her and she has a very nice smile. I told Trevor how much I liked A. He doesn't like her. Know why? She's always trying to fall in love with him. Those are his exact words.

Trevor is afraid of being kidnapped at night (does that sound familiar, Mom? because it "feels" really familiar) and thinks we should get a security system. He's thinking the one they advertise on Cartoon Network would work just fine. You ever wonder why they advertise things like that on Cartoon Network? Now you know! Next thing, he'll be asking for a medic-alert bracelet, just in case he falls and can't get up...

I'm thinking of having a little contest tomorrow called Name that Picture. I think it will be great fun. You just MUST participate. Get your friends to join, too. K? Thanks!

Monday, June 30, 2008

I get why people talk to their plants now

A study in Jelly and Juice


STOP! in the name of Seedless Black Raspberry Preserves


ROCK AND JELLY ROLL!


Why, yes. Yes that is a Jelly Filled Pancake on my head. Why do you ask?


Blackberries so local, so local, so local. Hmmmm. Well, these are some local blackberries. We pick them right beside our driveway. Feel Free to comment on the artistic qualities of the photo.


This is what an empty bowl of locally sourced blackberries look like. Juicy.