WWII

Eric and I took the monkeys to the flight museum today – one of their favorite places to go.   I was not of particular use to anyone as I could not name all of the airplanes and tell their unique functions without reading the tags…After going to Normandy this summer with Eric, Owen is very interested in learning more about WWII.  It is fun to listen and watch as Owen and Eric talk about this newfound interest.  And Owen is learning where different countries are on a map, and spouting off the names of the planes and key figures which is quite funny.   But war is a pretty hard topic for a five year old.  It is hard to know how much to explain.   Today we were watching a movie clip at the flight museum and the movie segued to Kamikaze pilots as a new fighting technique.  Eric and I promptly walked away with the boys, but Owen did not like that we left.   It is not easy to explain why you don’t want to talk about something when you don’t want to talk about it in order to explain it.  Yeah, well, Owen was confused too…

Take Time to Stop and…

…touch the sluggies.

No roses here – slugs are more interesting to three-year-old Jack anyway.  And three mornings a week with just Mama and Jack is on our schedule now.  Jack is very much liking choosing exactly what we are going to do. 

And an update from yesterday – Jack loved his school day.  He was happy when I picked him up.  “Where’s my brother?” was the first thing he asked.  Jack’s answer to every question I asked him regarding school was, “I don’t remember.  Uh, let me think about that.”

The one thing he did tell me about (sort of) was his pink necklace that he made.

Jack: Look Mama, I made a necklace.  It’s pink.

Mama: Wow, you made a necklace.  Um, was there anything else on the table when you were making that necklace?

Jack: No

Mama: Were their beads?

Jack: No, there were no beads, silly Mama!

Mama: There wasn’t anything else on the table?

Jack: No.

Hm.

Mama: Did the other kids put anything on their necklaces?

Jack: Yeah, Fruit Loops.

Mystery Solved.

Jack’s First Day

Jack squeezed my hand and huddled against me as we walked down the school hall .

Jack: Mama, I want you to stay here with me today.

Mama:  Today is a teacher and kids day.  Mama will pick you up right after school.

Jack: I will make four homeworks in school - for our whole family, ok?

Jack gave me a quick hug, put his backpack and coat where they belonged, put his name on the “attendance sheet”, grabbed a name tag  and gave a cheery hello to his teacher.  Then he sauntered over to the back of the classroom.

Mama: Can I have a good-bye hug Jack?

He didn’t hear me, and I wanted to leave him happy, so I sacrificed my “closure” and turned to walk away. So sad.

Owen: Jack! Come back and give your Mama another hug!

Jack swung around, got big smile on his face, and ran to hug both me and my Knight in Shining Armor.

_____

This was truly the “first” day of school for me.  The first day when I would be alone – both boys in school.  I was feeling sad as I walked back to the car with Owen.

Owen: (choked up voice) Can I sit in Jack’s car-seat?  It’s just…well, I miss him so much.

His eyes were watery and he had a sheepish grin.

When we were in line at Owen’s school, he looked down at his bracelet.

Owen: I am looking at Jack’s.  I miss him the most!

Memory Lane

Our lazy weekend turned into a sick weekend for poor Owen.  He had a sore throat and a fever.  Sick for Owen is usually just really sleepy – which is what it was this weekend.  So we added a few more movies and reading on the couch.  Still a pretty good lazy weekend.

My mom (Mamau) came over for a little visit today, and while she was here, she got in on the reading too.  We were in the middle of the Beverly Cleary book, The Mouse and the Motorcycle, so she continued with it.  As Mamau was reading with the monkeys cuddled around her on the couch, I listened from the other couch.  

I watched my little guys’ faces as the excitement of the chapter came to a peak.  Owen gets jittery, and Jack gets motionless.  When I read to them, I don’t get to watch their reactions. That was fun.

As my mom continued to read, I closed my eyes.  I was suddenly and strangely transported to a time from my early childhood – when it was me being read to by my mom. I WAS five year old, and I felt all of the comfort and innocence of myself at five. It sounds so silly as write it now, but the experience  was so real and pure, and very very strange. While I have heard my mom’s voice very often, the cadence of her reading a children’s story was different.  That sound brought me right back to a time that I cherish.  A time of simplicity and happiness and contentment.  

I love to think that I am also making those memories with my boys.  And I hope that they can hold on to them as they grow up, and life becomes much more complicated. And even though the boys may not remember each specific book we read, or game we play, or chat we have, I hope there remains the essence of simplicity and happiness and contentment.

Lazy Day

Today was a pretty great day.  I woke up to Eric handing me a white mocha from Starbucks.  We lazed around most of the day – played with the boys, did some laundry, scrapbooked.  In the evening we ate pizza with Nana and Dock, and watched The Empire Strikes Back.

Owen has been dying to watch the movie.  There were a few parts that Owen wanted to avoid (having been warned about them from playing the Lego Star Wars game) and he made Dock fast forward through them.  Owen asked a why or how question about every 30 seconds throughout the whole movie.  Jack thought every major decision by the characters in the movie was made in order to avoid the Snow Monster from the first scene.  (That was Jack’s goal, and so why would it not be everyone’s goal??)

As we were getting ready to leave D & N’s house, Dock explained to the boys that Baby Carlisle could hear their voices (from inside Nana’s tummy).   At first the boys thought Dock was pulling their leg, and so they talked in silly voices – sure Dock was playing a trick on them.  But, as we walked down the front steps Owen yelled, “Good-night Baby Carlisle!”  I can’t wait to watch my little monkeys interact with this new little guy.  It has been so fun to see the boys’ excitement as they have watched Grady grow, and I know they will enjoy this new little one as well!

Week Over

I am giddy that it is the weekend.  It was really helpful that the sun was blazing today, but the excitement was mostly because I will have my family for three days!  Jack could sense my good mood, and took advantage, having me stop at some {un}interesting thing in every aisle in the store we were in.  “Look at this cuddly bear.  Oh!  It is so soft.  Come back and feel it.”  “Follow me to this section, I need to show you something.”  And I felt; and I followed.  It seems like it is high time for Jack to have a turn to lead.

When Owen was one and two Eric and I would often follow him around parks and stores in crazy patterns like those Family Circus cartoons from the Sunday paper.

Poor Jack didn’t get to be followed around since we were already following Owen around when Jack was one, and had to follow Owen’s preschool schedule and Jack’s nap schedule when Jack was two – too busy to dilly-dally on many errands…

Jack doesn’t seem to mind taking his turn at three.  He is simply thrilled with the turn.  And I am happy to let him be care-free now that we have the luxury.

It almost makes me look forward to Wednesday when Jack and I will have some more one-on-one time together.  But I am not going to even make a suggestion that any weekdays come around sooner!   I am happy to let the weekend drag slowly by and do little else than hang with my three guys.

Sneaking In

This morning Owen had no intention of going to school.  He stayed up in his room and hid under his covers.  It took a lot of coaxing to get him downstairs and ready for school.

When I made a snack to send with Owen I slipped in a little note.

  I love that Owen can read it - that I can sneak into his mind sometime in the middle of his school-day.

It does feel a little wrong somehow, like cheating or something.  But I didn’t let that stop me…

When Owen got home from school and I asked if he found the note.  He said, “I read it lots of times – over and over.  I even read it to Charlotte.”  He had such a big smile.

I got a big smile too.  I think I am going to sneak into his classroom more often.