Well Color Me...Rainbow

A. I'm too trusting.
B. I'm not keeping a watchful enough eye on these two.

I HATE SAND

Insomnia hits me square in the face this morning. I lay in bed staring at the clock at about 2:30, finally getting up and dragging myself downstairs an hour later. I've done some laundry, cleaned off the bar counter top (where everything ends up and is never put away unless I have insomnia), put away some of the kids' toys, Googled gift ideas for my tween niece's birthday, and blogged.

Nature calls, so I walk into the bathroom. My sensitive naked feet complain about a dirty floor. I look, and yes, yet again there is sand encroaching on the white tiles and grout.

A couple years ago, we had our back yard relandscaped. Paul and I thought it would be a great idea to designate an area for a future swingset/jungle gym for the kids. We had a sandpit put in measuring approximately 15 by 18 feet. There is no swingset yet, but the kids do love to play in the sand (so do the cats, but more on that later).

My mother warned me early on not to have a sandpit. "Your going to find sand everywhere in your house," she would tell me over and over again. The woman never let up on this, and I would reassure her that we'd strip the kids down and shake sand out of their clothes before letting them enter the house.

Ha. Perhaps it's laziness, but that just doesn't happen. Most times we remember to take shoes off, but we forget to check pants and shirt pockets. Oh, and let's not overlook the potential for sand collecting in diapers (you'd think the wearer of such a diaper would complain, but alas, no).

The kids sometimes have a mind of their own, and will run into the house unannounced while wearing wet sand covered shoes. Ian has a knack of leaving a beautiful set of prints leading from the back door to the bathroom.

I have swept and swept and power-washed the patio and pool deck, and still sand can be found - not a comfortable thing to walk on in bare feet. We have found sand in every room of the house. There is sand in the van. Paul and I even find sand in our own clothes thanks to the sharing of laundry machines. You can imagine the surprise when putting your hands into your pants pockets and pulling out a small pile of sand.

I HATE SAND!!!

Thankfully, my mother is not exactly internet savy, lest I get a phone call today pretty much stating, "I told you so."

Call Me Alligator

Every night, our little family climbs into Paul's and my king sized bed for stories. Ian jumps upon the mattresses with book in hand, crawls past my feet and suddenly stops. "Mommy, I want that."

I follow his gaze to see what he's looking at. He's staring at my feet.

"What, Ian? What do you want?" I inquire.

"Mommy, I want that," he replies, pointing at my big toe.

My toenails are not painted, so I'm not exactly sure what he means yet.

Confused, I ask again, "Ian, what do you want?"

"I want that," and he touches the bottom of my big toe. "I want those lines."

Ugh, he wants to have calloused, scaly feet like mine. Yup, it's definitely time for a serious pedicure.

Welcome Home Grandma and Papa!

Great news, Grandma Ann and Papa Dave have returned from Scotland. Laurel and Ian were excited to go visit them last night. "I love Grandma and Papa, I miss them sooooo much!" Ian would tell me.

We took dinner over to their house. Ian knew we would be doing this. As soon as he woke up from his nap (yes, he's four and still takes a nap, otherwise his name would be Mr. Cranky), he reminds me, "Mommy, don't forget to take dinner to Papa and Grandma's house. As soon as Laurel wakes up, we have to go get food so we can eat."

I guess he was already hungry, although lately, he's been very food oriented. At any party we've gone to or had, he's always talking about what we're going to eat. He's all about the food, especially when it involves his favorites: pizza, cake, cupcakes, ice cream or popcorn.

As much as Ian and Laurel missed their grandparents, you'd think they'd burst out the van as soon as we were parked and run inside the house to get hugs and kisses. The opposite happened, they hung back, waiting for Paul and I to walk them up to the door. Once we were inside, they were quite shy and it took some coaxing to get the kids to say anything and give hugs.

After dinner, Grandma and Papa gave us a truckload of gifts from Scotland. There were tons of books, many involving a certain cheeky little blue engine. There were tons of clothes, including a new kilt and blouses for our ever growing Laurel. Ian got knee high socks, kilt flashes and a beautiful vest to go with his kilt (Ian also already has a belt with a thistle on the buckle, and a sporran). We are attending the Arizona Highland Celtic Festival in Flagstaff next weekend. Laurel and Ian are going to look fabulous!

Grandma and Papa, welcome home! We sure have missed you. We're going to have a blast up in the mountains next weekend.

In-Dependency

Happy Fifth Anniversary, dear sweet husband. I love you immensely, and love our roller coaster life we have together!

Happy birthday, America! You are still quite young, and have many, many lessons to learn ahead of you. Please be considerate and flexible in your thinking.

Five years ago, Paul and I decided to lose our independence on Independence Day. With a week's planning, we bought a dress for me, rented a kilt for Paul, booked a flight and a room, and happily followed our hearts to Vegas to elope. It was all very romantic, very low stress and TONS of FUN!!!

Paul and I consider ourselves a team. We work together to get things done. I can't tell you how much I depend on that ideal. Knowing he is there to help out with anything, whether it be changing diapers, cleaning up vomit, or listening to me vent, is worth more to me than all the money and desirable tangibles the world has ever known.

Too often we are told it is not good to be dependent on anyone or anything. I like that Paul and I depend on each other, that we can count on each other to help out. Obviously, Laurel and Ian being wee tots depend on us to provide them with food, shelter, and love. That dependency is what makes us a family. We rely on one another to help out. The burden of chores, the loving and caring, should not rest on one person, but all of us. It is much easier to tackle those undesirable tasks when there is someone by your side.

Will someone always be there for assistance? No, that would be impossible. But knowing later someone will listen to you vent about loathsome tasks is quite comforting.

To Paul I must say, thank you. Thank you for always listening. Thank you for lending a hand when you're home. Thank you for numerous back and feet rubs. Thank you for encouraging me to rest when dog tired and I don't know better. Thank you for ignoring the irritable side of me. Thank you for letting me make mistakes and learn from them. Thank you for encouraging me to go out and have fun with my friends. Thank you for Ian and Laurel. Thank you for letting me depend upon you. Thank you for journeying through life with me.

Hello, Scotland!

Hi, Grandma!!! Hi, Grandpa!!! We have to shout so you can hear us all the way in Scotland.



Yesterday, we saw the movie WALL-E. We really, really liked it. Now we run around pretending to be Walle and Eve. In the movie, Walle keeps trying to hold hands with Eve, so that's what we do. We hold hands everywhere.

The nice people at the movie theatre gave us these blue watches that have Walle and Eve on them. Ian wears his all the time.

This morning Mommy had us play in the backyard as soon as Daddy went to work. It was already hot out, so we put the tents up for some shade.

We needed a tunnel to ride our scooter and trike through, so we moved the tents to the patio.















Like everyday, Ian checks for edible strawberries. No luck, the birds got to them first.













Mommy said we looked red, so we had to go inside and cool down. Some cold drinks do the trick.






Of course, popsicles make us cold faster!





We know you're having a great time in Scotland. We miss you. Sending you hugs and kisses! Love from Ian and Laurel.

Busy, Busy, Busy

Hooray, Paul is back home from his trip to Austin. But, Grandma Ann and Papa Dave are still on holiday in Scotland. I have not done as great a job as hoped to post pictures of Ian and Laurel. We have just been so busy.

One thing that takes a bit of time is the garden. We planted a variety of sunflowers, corn, carrots, sugar snap peas (already taken out), zinnias, cosmos, moss rose, marigolds, and something somewhat small with dainty white flowers I no longer remember the name to.

It's starting to look rather spent, the hot June heat is just too much for some of the plants,











although the sunflowers seem to still be doing well.









The birds sure love them, especially these feral peach-faced lovebirds.

I'm getting used to being a taxi taking Ian to preschool two days a week, and Laurel to a tot class one day. We've also participated in a kids' club at the mall and gone to the dinosaur museum yet again. But the highlight this week has to be going to the circus.









Ian and Laurel were both very unsure of it at first. We briefly went to the preshow activities, but the weird looking people, sparkly outfits, and loud music were overwhelming for our first timers.






Riding the escalator up to the level where our seats are, definitely helped the kids relax. To them, it's a fun amusement park ride.










Ian and Laurel feel safe in their seats, far away from the entertainers, yet close enough to watch, be amazed and laugh.

Pictures

A quick post for vacationing grandparents who are missing their bambinos, and for a certain Daddy (aka Tickle Monster) who is away on business. The kids are keeping busy (and therefore, me too)...




Outside by 8:00 a.m., it's already 90 F! Ian loves this huge beach ball.







Of course, there's nothing more relaxing than a ride in a boat.






Monkey see, monkey do...








Silly, Ian. The scooter might work better on a different surface.






While Ian's at preschool, Laurel is pleased to get the playdough all to herself.







I give you Princess Laurel. Laurel summons her fairy godmother...






"Make a wish!"

Natural Consequences Suck

While eating at the table, Ian tends to be a bit, um, wiggly, to put it mildly. Paul and I find ourselves constantly reminding him to sit still in the middle of his chair. We reposition him, and for about a minute he will be fine. All too soon, Ian scooches toward the edge of the chair, dangles and kicks his feet, stands up, sits down, and generally keeps in a constant motion.

Unfortunately, such behavior can't go long without undesirable consequences. During lunch, Ian again is wiggly and begins pushing and pulling his chair in and out from the table. Just as I reach to reposition him, the chair slips out from under his body. With a loud smack, Ian's face hits the edge of the table and he falls to the ground. Screams of pain immediately follow.

I scoop him up and quickly inspect his injuries. There's a scrape just under his nose and swelling already showing signs of bruising stretching from his right cheek to his upper lip. It's obviously very painful, and I do my best to console him. Tons of hugs, a band-aid, and a cold paper towel finally do the trick.

Falling is a natural consequence children learn from. It's a physics lesson and behavior modification at the same time. But part of me can't help but wonder if I couldn't have done more to prevent this accident. As I type this post, it dawns on me that I could have used a logical consequence to change his behavior. Whenever he gets squirmy, I should take his chair away and let him stand while eating. Of course, he may still be in constant motion. I guess a follow up consequence would then be time out.

I don't expect him to sit perfectly still while we eat. He is, after all, an energy exuding four year old. But he does need to be safe. There's no fine line as to when the wiggles become dangerous, but I should try to help him learn appropriate "manners" while sitting at the dinner table. Obviously, when he's sliding his chair in and out of the table, it's a safety issue, and a consequence would be apropos.

There's quite a learning curve while doing this parenting gig. I try to keep my children safe, help them learn about their world, teach them manners and how to contribute in our little circle of family and friends. But sometimes the lessons come naturally and painfully. Ian marches on after this afflictive experience, and hopefully a little wiser.

Here are a few pictures of my brave wee man. No, they're not with his boo-boos, I just can't bring myself to take pictures of his wounds. But here are some from his first day of preschool a few weeks ago:





Ian gives and receives a goodbye hug from Daddy.

"Let's go!"

Ian and I arrive a few minutes early to help him get used to his new surroundings. There's a center of seashells and buried treasure to explore.

The Kermit crabs pique his curiousity.

Laurel's First Hair Cut

Laurel's two and a half. I finally decide to take her in for her first haircut.


Paul did not really want me to cut it. He says her hair is beautiful, and it is. I think he is afraid I'll have the hairstylist hack it off. Fear not dear hubby, I love to put Laurel's hair into ponytails, so most of the length will stay.

I don't dare cut Laurel's hair myself. The last time I tried, it was a disaster. I only attempted to give her some bangs to get the hair out of her eyes. The first snip was crooked. Of course I tried to even it out, but again, it was crooked in the opposite direction. It kept getting shorter and shorter, and finally I had to just stop before it looked like she had a buzz cut. Lesson learned, I cannot cut hair.













Reading the newspaper, I come across an article about kid centered salons. Bingo! So today, we head to a place called Lollilocks. Whimsical describes it perfectly. We walk through the door, and Laurel immediately runs to the different chairs you can sit in. They look like those rocking rides at parks. A tough decision, but finally Laurel chooses the dinosaur chair.






First a bit of water to get the hair wet. No tears, but Laurel is obviously not a fan of the squirt bottle.












Hair is wet, Laurel is still, we're ready for that first clip. Hold your breath...SNIP.


















Of course, sitting still is quite a challenge for a toddler. After a while, you just have to wiggle and look around.













Not to fear, a lollipop will save the day. I hold the lolly and ask Laurel to tell me its colors. She is still an entire two more minutes while the stylist quickly tries to finish cutting Laurel's hair.







But alas, the wrapped lollipop no longer holds Laurel's interest, and she loves to look in the mirror at what's going on.


Ah, finally, the reward... a lolly of course!









Did Laurel like getting her hair cut? I would say, YES!!!

Look Who's Four

Ian, you're four years old. Your father and I will need some time to get use to that fact. It still seems like yesterday you were born.

In honor of your fourth birthday, I write four things I adore about you:

• You still need to hold something soft when having a big drink of something, whether it be milk, juice, or water. Usually, you hold the bottom hem of your t-shirt, it's always there for you.
• Most of your playtime is spent redesigning your train track and making up stories as you push your engines and train cars along.
• You love an opportunity to cut things up with scissors. You spent a great deal of your birthday party time cutting out the details of your crown. You also love to cut things out of magazines, especially cars and trucks, and possible toys you may get for special events like your birthday and Christmas. Somehow, we've lucked out, and you've only cut your hair once.
• You are a collector. You are currently trying to get all available diecast characters from the movie Cars. You are also trying to get all engines, train cars, train sets, and other miscellaneous characters from the wooden Thomas railway. The mini brochures that come with the packaging of said products are wrinkled and torn from hours of you perusing what you still need.

Little man, we love you.

Childhood Fantasies Intermingled with Nasty Truths

Laurel and Ian love the Disney movie Peter Pan. This week, Paul is on vacation, so he's seeing it in greater detail. They've already watched it twice this week. The obsession with Peter Pan goes beyond viewing it on a television set. Ian loves the song that plays when the Crocodile shows up to chase Captain Hook, and I have to sing/hum it for him at least three times a day.

And whenever we are eating, the kids ask for me to tell a story that includes themselves as characters. It usually starts with a request from Laurel, "Mommy, I want a story of me and Ian sleeping and Peter Pan and Tinker Bell coming to our rooms."

With a deep breath, I begin the tale. "One night, Laurel and Ian are sleeping soundly in their beds. A breeze blows on them as Peter Pan and Tinker Bell fly over them. Peter Pan whispers, 'Wake up, Laurel, wake up, Ian.'"

The story continues almost verbatim to the Disney movie since I have not read the novel yet, although I have recently purchased a copy. One big difference I make in my story telling, is incorporating Paul and myself into the story. Heck, I want to visit Neverland too!

This last month, Paul has had to work some really long days, often getting home after the children have already gone to bed, capped by a week long business trip to Las Vegas. Obviously, his absence is on their minds and concerns them, for they do miss him when he's not around. This became especially apparent in one retelling this week of our family's version of Peter Pan.

ME: When Laurel and Ian open their eyes, they see Peter Pan and Tinker Bell flying in their rooms. Peter Pan says, "Hi, would you guys like to go to Neverland with Tink and me?"

Both Ian and Laurel say, "Oh yes, oh yes, but we need to get Mommy and Daddy first."

So they go and climb into their Mommy and Daddy's bed and ask, "Mommy, Daddy, can we all go to Neverland with Peter Pan and Tinker Bell?" So Mommy, Daddy, Ian, and Laurel all fly to Neverland with Peter and Tinker Bell.

IAN: No, Daddy can't go. He has to work late.

Gender Differences

Laurel, Ian and I are playing with some little plastic dinosaurs. First I interact with Ian. Growling, I hold a dinosaur before Ian and tease, "Roar, I'm a T-Rex and I'm going to eat you."

Ian picks up a nearby T-Rex, growls back at mine and begins to attack it. Soon there are chomping sounds, which I can only assume that his dinosaur ate mine.

I then turn and play with Laurel. I hold the same dinosaur in front of her and give a growl. "Roar, I'm a T-Rex and I'm going to eat you!!"

Laurel sweetly smiles and happily chirps at it, "I love you." She then takes the dinosaur from me and gives it a hug and a kiss.

A Happy Reunion

Hi, Daddy! (Day 4)

Dear Daddy,

We're so glad you called this morning. We love to hear your voice. Have fun in your classes today.

So far, we've played with trains...


and we've packed our bags to stay the night at Grandma Ann's.


We're so excited. Grandma says we get to ride the Molly Trolley to the park today. But there are lots of clouds and it may rain. Mommy says we won't melt if we get wet. We're also very excited because we'll get to see you tomorrow! We miss you. Remember, as soon as we see you, you have to be Tickle Monster.

We love you. Hugs. Kissy, kissy,
Ian and Laurel, and Mommy too

Hi, Daddy, Please Come Home!!!

Dear Daddy,

We talk about you all the time and wonder if you're ok in Las Sega (Las Vegas in Laurel-ese). We love talking to you on the phone. Ian yells so you can hear better since you are sooooo far away. We kiss the phone a bunch since we hear you on it.

Today we went to our weekly classes. Laurel had ABC fun in her class, and Ian played Duck, Duck, Goose in his. Mommy was going to take pictures, but she forgot to put the memory card back in the camera. Silly Mommy!

Here are some pictures of what we're doing at home:



Laurel is getting away with sucking on her fingers since you're not around to remind her, "Fingers out," and take away her blankie.






Of course, Ian is setting up his race track a different way.







He's also busy playing on his computer. *Picture courtesy of Ian.



Laurel's put together several picnics for us to munch on. *Picture courtesy of Ian.






Mommy never stops doing laundry. *Picture courtesy of Ian.







Don't worry, we're helping Mommy with the chores. Ian picked up the newspaper and rolled the black trash barrel back into the backyard. Laurel helped Mommy make sandwiches for lunch.

We also helped water the plants.

Look, Daddy, look! We pulled out some carrots. They almost look big enough to eat.

But we're not waiting, we're eating them NOW!!! YUMMY!!!

Good night, Daddy! We love you. Have sweet dreams.



Hugs and kisses,
Ian and Laurel and Mommy too!