Merry Christmas

I can't even believe its December 23. Christmas Eve Eve. The impending winter storm has moved our holiday travel plans up a day. I'm sitting here just waiting my Lewis to get home from work so we can make the trek to Grandma and Grandpa's. They say its supposed to be the worst storm in 40 years. We'll just see how it all plays out. Too many times have they promised and not delivered. But I guess we should be expecting to be snowed in at Grandma's for a few days. A cozy Christmas at Grandma and Grandpa's. I just hope we all still like eachother when we leave.

The boys are busily playing with some magnets and metal trucks. For the time being they are busy. But it looks like it may be getting out of control. Its only a matter of time.

A few days ago we were playing in the boys room. Jack had become Santa and directed Will and I to go to sleep so he could deliver the presents. After a few rounds of jolly laughter and joyous praise for the packages I mentioned the best present was Jesus.

Jack left the room for a minute and returned with a blanked draped over his head and announced he was Jesus. With arms open wide he told us to come into his arms. He told us he loved us and was taking us to Heaven. He instructed us to hold on tight and close our eyes. Then he made some swishing sounds and led us to the living room and said we were in Heaven.

I pretended to be enamoured by the beauty of heaven and described how Heaven must look. Then he told us he was taking us to Hell to go kill the Devil. We again held tight and we went downstairs. He went in the laundry room and explained that was the Devil's house and kicked a few laundry baskets and said he was dead. YEAH!!! We were all excited the deed was finally done.

Only a kid can come up with a story line like that. Jesus and Santa are the two best things of Christmas, even if Jack doesn't really believe in him.

Which leads me to the next little tid bit I wanted to share.

Jack is quiet worried that Will is going to believe in Santa and keeps asking him if the thinks Santa is real. Will replies with a "Yes" and Jack just about goes ballistic "Mom! Will believes in Santa, tell him he isn't real!!"

Toilet Troubles

So from the title you'd think this would be about potty training again. And, I guess, in a way it is.

You find some of the most disgusting things in a toilet, but my Will is the most creative about toilet creations. This past summer he found a washcloth on the side of the tub and told me "I flushed that cleaner thingy". You what? What thing? Oh! The washcloth is gone! Luckily the toilet ate it with out any trouble.

Lately he has again had a fascination with flushing things, and the toilet had indigestion.

I had some sponge bob Dixie cups left over from a birthday party a few years back. I thought the boys might enjoy them to use after brushing their teeth. Will used them to put upside down in the sink and turn the water on full blast and soak the bathroom with its spray. More recently he had decided they would be fun for dunking in the toilet. Jack found him flushing one in the toilet to which we explained he couldn't do.

Well last night Jack and Lewis were playing video games in the basement, I was feeding Ella, and Will was supposed to be going poop. Hm... Flush..."what are you doing Will?" Flush... "Will!, What are you doing?" Flush... Ahhh, do I have to get up?

I walk into the bathroom to see water to the brim of the toilet and a Dixie cup floating at the top in a mixture of brown and yellow toilet water with bits of toilet paper. Too descriptive? I'll let you clean it up. Anyway. Thankfully I walked in at that moment or it would have gotten even worse.

I pull him off the toilet and make him sit on the floor. I should've wiped his butt first because there is still a small bit of poop in the carpet. I fish the cup out and start plunging like mad but it won't budge. After about 5 plunge cycles it lets loose to a slight trickle. How many cups did you flush?!? I'm guessing 3, but I'm not even sure.

We send the kids to bed, its after bedtime anyway, and Lewis keeps working on it. We are able to flush water only, but nothing else. I'm glad I have a second bathroom.

I call my dear old dad, a plumber from childhood, and he is going to try and help us today. I'm so glad he was coming up anyway.

This kid will do about anything. I sure hope that vast inquisitiveness is put to good use as an adult.

Seriously?

I sometimes wonder what exactly goes on inside the mind of a six year old boy. But if I was in there I'd probably need therapy.

By the time I woke up this morning Jack had already dressed himself and was getting breakfast ready. I am usually told to just pick something out from his collection of clothing, so I was very impressed he did it himself and told him I was proud of him. Upon picking him up from school I looked in his book bag and pulled out a pair of pants. My first thought was "oh no, he peed his pants", but they were clean and dry. Hmmm? What was under those snow pants?

Jack explained he had a tank top and shorts on. He has snuck them under his clothes and stripped in the hall before class started.


Wow, seriously? You wore that all day. Do you realize the high temp was 18! "Did your teacher say anything" I questioned. "no, he said nothing". I sure hope they don't call cps on us.
I couldn't stop laughing. I probably should have showed more disgust, but it was really funny. And honestly it doesn't surprise me all that much considering his dad still wears shorts with snow on the ground. I'll never understand. Thus the complexities of the six year old boy.

Little Mouse

Will was playing with a combine his dad had had as a child. It was stored out in one of his parents sheds for many years and a mouse at some point over the years had decided to chew off part of a tire.

Will was inspecting it and said "mom, someone ate this tire.". I explained it was a mouse and he replied "the mouse mommy must not have told him not to eat tractor tires." I guess not hu?

Mine, All Mine!

So Jack came home on Friday with a penny war fundraiser where the kids are supposed to collect and donate pennies for the local habitat for humanity. I was looking through the papers and casually asked what it was about. He must have been over tired because his reaction was a bit much. He immediately began crying and yelling, he ran into his room grabbed his piggy bank and crawled up to his bed, all the while yelling "they aren't going to get my money!!!". I told him I knew how he felt because everyone wants my money too. His piggy bank remained in his bed until I told him I wouldn't make him give any of his money. I think we'll skip out on this fundraiser, but God and I have some work to do on instilling a giving spirit.

Update

Its been a mundane few weeks. My life consists of nap schedules, nursing Ella, taking Jack to school, and keeping Will busy. Along with all the normal house chorse that seem to fill up my week.

We had our first snow storm of the season, seven inches of welcome snow. A white Christmas we will have. Everyday since Jack has been begging to go sledding. Well, more like whining at me to the point of fury. He is relentless, but with Ella, its too hard for me to take them, and by the time Lewis gets home its dark. So he has to learn to wait. Patience is the hardest thing to learn, for a 6 year old, its nearly impossible in this fast food society.

I thought Will was getting better at this potty thing, but then he hasn't really taken himself unless he is wet. But even that is somewhat of an improvement. At least he cares that he is wet. I've started putting him in time out for wetting his pants. I hate to punish him for it, but its been a year of fights, and this seems to have brought some progress.

He has also been having some conflict with saying "oh my Gosh" and "oh my God". I'm certain he's picked it up from T.V. as we don't say this at our house. But after several weeks of correcting him he should be able to remember we only say "oh my goodness" as to which he asks "Can we say oh my man, oh my cheese, oh my tractor...?" On and on. Yesterday he told me he wanted to pretend God was here so he could say "oh my God". I had told him its only for talking to God. So apparently in his eyes if God is here its okay. The mind of a 3 year old.

Ella has finally rolled over! A little behind, but my kids have never been known to be the firsts at doing anything. But then again, I walked at 9 months but was never very athletically coordinated. She is getting so strong. She has also gotten very archy, so its hard for the boys to hold her without her trying to jump out of their arms.

As I mentioned above we had a snow on Tuesday. On Wednesday not everything was quite cleaned up and Lewis was afraid my van wouldn't make it through the piles of snow the plows left behind. I had plans for Dot to stay with the younger two while I walked to get Jack. But at one p.m. Ella began exorcist puking. I've never seen such a thing. Then at 1:15 she did it again, and again at 1:40 or so. Three times in less than an hour seemed a bit much for a four month old. I decided to call our doctor before getting Jack from school, just to see what I should do for her since she is so young. The receptionist put it in as a red flag so they'd call back right away. They sure did, the nurse was very concerned and wanted us to come RIGHT AWAY. I didn't really see the urgency and asked if I could come after I picked up Jack, but they were concerned about her dehydrating. So I had Dot come over while I took Ella to the doctor.

They got me right into the room, Tony told me Dr. Broderson had some USD students with her, but I said I didn't have time since I had a short time opening before I needed to be back to pick up Jack and it was already 2:15. But guess who entered first. The students, annoying me to no end.."Did she eat too much cereal? Is she teething and swallowing too much spit? Is she pulling at her ears?" No, she is happy and just threw up 3 times in an hour! That's it, not big story here, except the off chance its from the cereal she ate earlier, but it wasn't the first time she's ate it either. So finally Dr. Broderson arrives in the room at 2:40 and tells me if she keeps throwing up call them so they can get her fluids. AHHHHH!!!! That is exactly why I called!!! YOU COULD HAVE TOLD ME THAT OVER THE PHONE!!!!!!! How irritating! Sometimes I really hate the doctors. office.

Luckily I had called the school to have them tell Jack I would be late, I showed up at 2:53. Seven minutes late, and Jack was even still a little worried he would have to go to kids inc. I apologized and we went home to Drink hot cocoa and marshmallows.

So Thanksgiving has come and gone. We had a nice holiday, but Grandma's house always wears me out. Even though we have two extra adults they always seem to wake up extra early and be extra energetic. Will spent a lot of time with Grandpa giving him hugs and snuggles, Jack spent a lot of quality time with Lewis building with the erector set. I spent most of my time caring for Ella. She is getting so much fun. She has grown and changed so much in just 4 and a half short months. She likes standing most of the time you hold her and she spits at you when she is really excited. Her pointer and middle fingers are her best friends, they are always in her mouth. She has gotten into a really nice routine with sleeping and naps.

Since being home Will has LOVED taking baths. While Jack is at school Will will spend over an hour in the tub until he is wrinkled as a prune. I have the cleanest boy in the neighborhood. Jack has been bringing home books and is beginning to read. Its more like memorization, but he is very proud of his accomplishment, as am I. I'd like to write more, but Ella is complaining about something. Probally gas as she hasn't pooped for several days. Oh to be 4 months old.