Practice

Today we did a little “summer test.”  Eric and I want to go to several museums in Europe and were curious as to how the boys would react to this type of outing.  We figured it would be better to learns some lessons a little closer to home.   So off we went on a bus to downtown Seattle to the Seattle Art Museum.

Each boy brought a backpack with lunch and their “nai-nai guys.”  Here’s Jack with is backpack and “Jellycat.”

We did learn that we need to buy some Purell as soon as we get off the plane as the boys like to touch everything. (And one of them may have even licked the railing on the bus – not sure if you can use Purell for that…) 

The Museum had an awesome exhibit of Calder’s work (lots of mobiles) and a wonderful kids’ booklet/worksheet that had Owen very entertained.  Here is Owen laying on the floor drawing one of the mobiles. (I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to be taking photos, so this is the only one I have from the museum.)

 

Actually I am a bit worried that the exhibit and booklet were a little too good to allow this outing to qualify for a true test of a potentially “boring” museum.

We also learned that some of us have more stamina than others.  And that it is ok for some people to retire early (Daddy and Jack) while the others explore further.  Owen and I stayed another two hours after Daddy and Jack went home.  There was a special place to make your own mobile, which we made to bring home. Later we walked around downtown.

I was a little nervous about having our energetic Jack in an art museum.  I wasn’t sure if he would really like looking at most of the exhibits.  Not too long after we were there, my fears were affirmed as Jack walked right up and touched a piece of art.  I picked him up and gently reminded him not to touch.  “I don’t want to look at it,” he said.  I was a little sad, as I really wanted to keep looking, but his sentence wasn’t finished.  “I don’t want to look at that;  I want to go there.”  I guess that artist was effective.  And when Jack got tired, he did not ask to leave, he just asked that I pick him up.  If that is not appreciating art, I don’t know what is!

PS:If you are reading this and have young children, I highly recommend taking them to SAM this Thursday.  The first Thursdays of the month are free, the Calder exhibit was great, and there are several other sections in the Museum that are set up just for young kids!

Fun With Food

For Christmas, Grady gave Owen and Jack each a plate with a face on it. The plate is called Food Face, and it has a cute bald man face on it.  The man’s face is decorated by the food you are serving.  The boys are tickled when I use this plate for their meals and snacks.

Here are a few designs we have made:

Random thought: anyone remember that toy with a man’s face on a card under a plastic window/bubble.  There were iron filings under the window and you used a magnet “pen” to move the iron filings around to finish the hair on the man’s face? Anyway, this plate reminds me of that toy…

(PS- Sorry Kris and Stephen.  I know you bought the plate, but you will most likely not get credit for gift-giving until Grady gets his own job…)

Brothers

Poor Jack-Jack has nightmares and wakes up occasionally, crying.  Crying hard, and talking too, ‘cause he is a talker.  It is usually impossible to tell what he is saying (as any person who has tried to listen to a story told by a bawling child knows.) But he has the cadence of a story, with sentences, and the long word – drawn out at the end of the story “bbbeeeeeaaaaaaaar”.

Later he can tell you what his dreams were about – his bed filling with water, bears in his room, scary guys in the closet.  :(

It is terrible to think of your two or three year-old child having nightmares!  But, I find it impossible to slow down his little imagination.  While I hate waking up at 1AM (usually followed by 2AM, and 3AM, and 4AM once the cycle begins); I love to hold Jack in my arms and know he is comforted by me.  I know that one day, his fears will not be assuaged simply by my presence.  Soon he may feel too old to “need” me.

This morning.  Early, early, this morning, Jack had another nightmare. (I know it is a bad nightmare, that he is really scared, if I hear him cry, but he doesn’t leave his room to come and get me.)  My poor Jack!  I hurried upstairs, but found that he had gotten out of bed, and his cries were coming from Owen’s room.  The hiccupping story was being told to to a bleary-eyed 4-year-old as Jack climbed up onto Owen’s bed seeking sympathy from HIM!

My heart stopped.  I actually felt jealous!  But at the same time, my heart grew because I love the love between them. I want the boys to seek each other out when they are hurt or scared, and I want them to care about how the other feels.

I scooped Jack up, turned off the lights, and brought him back to his room.  “Don’t leave my room, Mama.  Don’t leave my room!” he cried and held on tight.  I sat with him, until he leaned toward his pillow sleepily forgetting that he was scared to go back to bed. 

As I went back into Owen’s room to give him another goodnight kiss, he groggily lifted his head.  “Here’s mine, and Jack’s is beside the door.”   I saw a small white bear lay by the door.  One exactly like the one Owen was sleeping with.  I was touched that Owen, woken at 1:30 AM, cared enough about his brother to seek a solution to his fear.  And for Owen, there is no better solution to any situation than to be comforted with a “nai-nai guy.”

While I have to admit that I hope Jack wakes me up the next time he has a nightmare {I still want him to need me in this way} It was a beautiful to recognize the special relationship of Brothers that is growing between the boys. 

Discrepancy

I posted the following photo last weekend assuring the reader that Owen was only about five feet higher than the bottom of this rock stack. 

Eric begs to differ on the actual height of this.   He “remembers” it as being much higher.  Eric thought it was at least 10 feet up.

As I wish to clear the my name as a mother who endangers her children, I would like to put forth some evidence and let you, dear reader, decide for yourself…

Below is a photo taken at the beginning of Owen’s excursion up said mountain.

Please note that I did not move from the spot in which I was standing to take both of these photos, I simply knelt down for the later one for effect. (effect as in – to make the rocks appear taller than they actually were.)

 

Please take a look at the markings circled on each photo.  These are the same rocks!  It is obvious, I think, from the first photo here, the circled rocks are not much higher  than Owen’s head!

Also, on the time stamp for the photos, they are less than 40 seconds apart!  Surely Owen could not climb so high in that short period of time. (Not to mention the fact that between those photos, Owen had to be convinced that no one was going to steal his stick while he climbed.)

What do you decide, dearest reader?

Grandma

Today I took Owen, Jack, Grady (and Mamau) down to the Gig Harbor hospital to visit Grandma (or Great-Grandma – depending on your generation.)

I am always so happy to visit my Grandma (though I prefer visits not be in the hospital – and I am sure she does too!) 

Grandma is the person who inspires me to help others.  When I try to schedule something, I have to find a time between the dozens of cookies she is baking for something, lunch she is making for something else, and prayer meeting for another.  Sometimes she is busier than me with my three monkeys to keep up with…  It cracks me up when she tells me she is helping with the “older women” in her church. (um, you are a septuagenarian yourself Grandma! – or is she 80 yet?  I should really know…)

My Grandma made me feel important when I felt the most unimportant in my life (junior high – yuck!!)  Often she would take me home for the weekend, and teach me sewing or baking, or just ask me a million times if I needed anything.  And while I rarely “needed” anything, it was good to know Grandma wanted to provide it, and was happy when I wanted something.  I remember that every time I came to her house, she would make the sofa (davenport, as she calls it) up into a bed, with sheets, and a blanket, and a pillow.  The sheets and blanket would be folded down at an angle, and a towel and washcloth would be laid out.  I felt like I was in a hotel!  Maybe this is a generational thing, and what every one did for company, but to me she was saying, “you are important,” even though I was only a kid.  I try to always make up the couch into a bed like that when my nieces stay the night, because I want them to feel the way I did.

I love that my kids are getting to know their Great-Grandma (and Great-Grandpa).  They both have a lot to give.  (Jack thinks the things they have to give are hand sanitizer, body lotion, personal water cups, red lipstick, and a blood pressure gauge.  And, you know, maybe that is part of it…they smile when he tries out all of these things – and tastes a few- and that way he knows he is loved, and his curiosity is accepted.)

Museum of Flight

One of the boys’ favorite places to go is the Museum of Flight at Boeing. We have been there A LOT! (Mostly with Daddy)  Owen has been wanting to take Grady to the museum since day one.  He has also talked for weeks about taking Murphy, his Preschool “pet” that the students get to take home every few months.  Today we had both Grady and Murphy, so it was a perfect time to go… 

Grady thought the helicopter seats were fairly uncomfortable, and too slippy.

Owen taught Grady about the controls on this plane, but thought Grady should be able to sit up by himself before he should fly solo.

Owen’s Favorites:

The “car plane”

The Blackbird

(Owen often tells strangers-in the checkout lane, or wherever, about a museum he goes to with a flying car and a blackbird.  From the looks he gets, I am pretty sure few of his listeners think there are museums with flying cars and birds in them…)

Oh, and Grady was asleep when we saw Owen’s two favorite planes, so we have to go back.

I  love, LOVE these machines that cost two quarters and a penny.  The machine keeps your quarters, but smashes your penny, makes a new  imprint on it, and gives it back.  It is the cheapest souvenir you can buy and the boys are thrilled to get them. (and they all fit neatly in a little book that Lisa bought for the boys – so I am not forced to throw  the souvenir away when my boys aren’t looking…)

PEPS

It was PEPS dinner tonight.  This dinner always makes me laugh.  Here are quotes from everyone who was there.  (Each quote has nothing to do with the next)

Alan: Vicki, you owe me when we get home.

Vicki: I’m glad to be 40 and still playing volleyball!

Michael: That’s ok, Mom.

Dax: Mom, are you feeding Michael?

Gail: You'd think I’d get more done.

Rob: how can I make fun of Julie? (ok, he didn’t actually say that, but I know he is thinking it…)

Madigan: When is Charlotte going to get here?

Logan: You can build something with my Legos.

Eric: Jack, do you have on pink and purple necklaces?

Me: Huh?  That’s over my head.

Jack: Brownies, brownies.

Owen: Logan, let’s make shooters.

Becca: Let’s organize camping!

Charlotte: Let’s be bad girls.

Snoqualmie Falls

Eric and I are trying to get our monkeys to be comfortable walking a good distance on their own.  They can walk about two miles fairly easily on flat ground, so today we went for steep.  Snoqualmie Falls has a great hike that is about a half-mile each way, and fairly steep.

The boys did great! (even if I was a little nervous about my ability to carry them up the hill if they didn’t make it.) They made it all the way to the top by themselves.

Owen climbed up a “steep mountain” by himself.  It was only about 5 feet, but he was so proud!

It is amazing how much fun the boys had with the sticks they picked up at the bottom of the falls. 

I may not have combed my hair this morning…

Switch

Venice had to be booted off the summer travel plans.(sad)  I was really looking forward to going to Venice, but it is too big of a challenge to get to Corfu from there.  And since we are going on this trip to celebrate our tenth wedding anniversary in Corfu, that stop had to stay…

So, our new addition is … dun-ta-da-dun … Stuttgart, Germany!  Ah yes, the cradle of the automobile.  I am sooo excited to go to the Mercedes-Benz and the Porsche museums…

Friday

I am hoping the title of the post will throw everyone off.  My goal was to post every day.  Friday slipped away before I noticed it was gone…

Friday night was “cousin night.”  Most of the cousins on Eric’s side of the family met for food and drinks at Joeys. I had a great time, and am looking forward to the next “cousin night.” Everyone still up for camping?!

Still, I am not so sure the 30-somethings with two young children are really meant to be up until 1 am.   I think that I felt Jet lag!  You know, from flying back to the 20-something era of my life.

Lauren

Since Auntie Mimi is out of town this week, we get to keep Lauren.  We love when Lauren comes over for a visit, but I am not so sure that Lauren feels the love from the manner that we send it her way…

For instance, Owen and Jack screaming and running around Lauren in circles hitting her and pulling on her clothes is meant to show her how excited they are that she is here.  I am pretty sure that is more of a torture technique to a 16 year-old.

Then there is Owen saying to Lauren on Tuesday, “Wow (Lauren), you are up kind-of earlyish.  Why are you up?”  And then on Wednesday, “Woah! It is morning and you are awake.”    I think these seemed kind-of insulting to Lauren, but it was just that Owen  and Jack asked me a thousand times on Monday [variations of these...] “Is Lauren awake?  Will she get up soon? Why is she sleeping when it is light outside?  Are you sure she is not awake? Can I just go in her room and check to see if her eyes are open?”  I finally answered that teenagers need as much sleep as Grady, and that she would get up at lunchtime.   They just couldn’t believe their luck the next two days when they realized they would get more time with her.

I am fairly sure that sitting in the car while I run into the grocery store leaving her with the monkeys is not her idea of love, but boy do I love her for it!

And I am going to guess that laughing at her with her while she tried on clothes that she said she didn’t like, but I made her try on anyway, was maybe not the most direct way to show my love.  (well, until she saw that some of them looked Good on her.)

Where is the love?!

Surely she must know that this is love? (well, maybe she won’t until she has a teenager driving her car.) Anyway…

When we have to relinquish Lauren to Grandma on Friday, it will be days before Owen and Jack will stop asking for her the moment they wake up.  It will be weeks before they tell me all the things they made with Lauren while playing with the green play dough. It will be months before  they stop asking when she will come over again.  And hopefully it will be less time before we will be able to subject her to some more of our unique “love.” 

Ferry

A sunny day in Seattle calls for an event.

A ferry ride to Bainbridge Island.

(I highly recommend that you NOT leave your lights on while you wait in line for the ferry for 40 minutes, because it is really NOT fun to watch all the cars pass by you and have to get a jump from a grouchy Ferry Worker while your three and four year-olds helpfully tell you that you should really start the car because they are going to miss the ferry – and repeat this several times a little bit more loudly each time because surely you must have NOT heard them or you would have started the car by now.

Oh, and don’t bother asking the ferry worker if it is likely that your car won’t start again if you simply drive onto the ferry and turn off the engine because the battery probably won’t have charged enough.  He will most likely tell you, “That’s not my problem.”  Because it is NOT.)

But things get better on the island…

The famous cookies at Blackbird Cafe (you never eat the same shaped cookie twice!) Owen picked out a “red suitcase” and when he realized it was a train car, he bit the wheels off to “fix it.”  My smart cookie.

Jack didn’t get why Mama thought her drink smelled so delicious, but it did.

Grady felt that I should focus more on his formula than my drink. (sorry Grady)

 

We discovered a new park.

    Grady discovered a park.

Mama taking some {should be} cute photos.

Mama dropping the camera when she realizes that Jacks entire head and body are able to fit through these bars and the cement barrier barely comes up to his waist.

Jack and Owen kill 15 minutes running up and down the ramp while Mama prays for them not to trip.

Owen tries his hand at photography.

Jack helps Owen out by doing a solo run down the ramp…

… and not stopping so that Owen captures some stellar Speedy-Mama moves when Jack steps off the sidewalk. (don’t you love how he is looking right at me as he jumps off???)

Jack tries his hand at photography.

Lauren gets in on the photography game.

Mama wants her camera back.

  A teenager realizes it takes a LONG time to get ANYWHERE with a three year old.

Grady loves the ferry ride home.

Owen and Jack love Grady.

Time to relax.   A long and fun day! (and an hour of quiet for Lauren, Grady, and Mama while these monkeys sleep in the garage.)