I am a girl.
My sister is a girl.
I didn’t really have friend-boys growing up to know what boys were like at Tyler’s age.
They are different than girls.
All boy.
Yep, he is spitting. This was at a local winery where we went to listen to blues music. Yes, I spit (or worse) while exercising, but at a winery? All boy.
After Tyler got a volcano for Christmas, he has been fascinated with the concept of overflow so Paul showed him and Anna the Diet Coke/Mentos videos on YouTube. That was a mistake. A big mistake.
Paul and I bought a couple 2 liters of pop (yes, POP) and a pack of Mentos on a Sunday while the kids were at their mom’s house, then waited for the kids to return to us on Tuesday after school. Apparently as soon as Paul picked the kids up from school, Tyler was begging to do the experiment. If you have ever met Tyler, you know he is um…persistent. [he gets that from me--until it becomes annoying and nagging. that he gets from Paul]
Paul called me as I was driving home from work. He was desperate for me to get home so he could get relief from Pester Tyler. I insisted that they wait for me to get home b/c I wanted to take photos. Paul wanted to knock out the experiment before it got dark. We compromised: I sped up and Paul hid in the bathroom away from Tyler. As soon as I walked in the door I grabbed the camera, Paul grabbed the ingredients (minus a couple Mentos that did not make it past snack time).
I was too late. Paul told Tyler that he could not drop the Mentos in his 2 liter b/c he was wearing an NC State shirt. Of course Tyler refused to change shirts and he was beside himself and in complete meltdown when I got home. It didn’t turn out like that on the video that’s for sure!
Anyone want to help fund a growing boy? Tyler’s last few dinners have been:
I’m a little concerned because: 1. the size of the meals are growing, and 2. as a result the number of trips to the store are growing. I went to the store Friday, then again today (the kids weren’t with us Sunday afternoon until this afternoon). After dinner tonight Susan had to go back to store again. I’ve known the day was coming when he would start eating like this because I remember how much I ate when I was younger, I’m just hoping this will be a passing phase for him (sure to return) and not be a constant until he is in his 20s.
So mom, I know I ate even more than this but did it start when I was 7?
Paul and Tyler went hunting a couple times over Christmas break (yes, there are headless, skinless dead [do I need to add that?] squirrels in my freezer; what if I accidentally grab that instead of a burrito for lunch I will be PISSED). I have to say that I still am pretty wigged out by the whole gun thing. Turns out that Paul could not find some sort of orange something to go hunting so he put Tyler in my orange T (let the record reflect he DID call me at work to ask!). So Tyler tramped around the woods in a T shirt that says, “Better than all the udders!” Apparently my nap-needing disease is passed by osmosis–check out this photo that was snapped of Tyler “hunting.”
Yep, that is a Tyler-sized bump on that log.
Yep, after a long day of hustle and flow of the grueling working world, all I want to do is come home to peace, tranquility, and the schedule being executed by MY expectations (ALWAYS BUSINESS BEFORE FUN DAMMIT!!!!!). However the kids got some really sweet gifts for Christmas that they wanted to play with…
The artist at work
So instead of the fantasy world I live in where the kids are diligently working on their homework, Paul is making a delicious calorie-free dinner made entirely of cheese and garlic, the pets are all napping cuddled together on the couch while classical music plays on the stereo (you know–to build up the brain power during homework), and an ice cold Landshark beer (or glass of red wine–depending on the time of year) is waiting for me, I came into the Red Hot Chili Peppers on iTunes, cats fighting in the hallway, dogs drooling on the new couch, and….well…. this:
The scene at my kitchen table when I arrived home from work.
Tyler had been asking to make and launch (? is that was you do to a volcano?) the volcano that Elli, Michael, and Sydney gave him. So that project started while Anna channeled her inner Gerogia O’Keefe by painting with her new easel and supplies. She is SO gifted in her artwork.
Another angle
1 week before Halloween, Paul and I took the kids to buy their costumes. Anna’s costume was easy from the get go. She wanted to be a vampire. As long as we steered away from the Elvira-type costumes, we were good to go. Tyler on the other hand was much more difficult.
About a month before the big day, Tyler announced that he wanted to be Jason from Friday the 13th movies. First of all, where on earth did he SEE one of those movies. Second of all–he is SIX!!! What comes next in the progression of scariness? Well, I put my foot down–NO WAY! Absolutely NOT! Paul didn’t see anything wrong w it, he voted yes. Stalemate.
Fast forward to shopping day. We pointed out every superhero possible. Tyler wasn’t having any of it: Jason the killer was the only option for the wee one. Sigh… if only we had others to help persuade…
2 weeks before Halloween the debate moved to Robin and Jason’s house. Robin voted no, Jason yes. Stalemate, continued…
Which is how we ended up in the Halloween store smack down. Then as I was trying to find something tough, yet not against the law, I looked at the price tag: $60 for a costume!!!! For a child 4 feet tall!!! Seriously!? Then, as I was sharing this outrage with Paul, Tyler ran up to us w a creepy hockey mask in his hand. Paul took it from him, flipped it over:
$4.99.
The decision was unanimous: we have a serial killer on our hands, people!
We were just hanging around Sunday afternoon–Tyler and I were in the living room playing the Wii and reading the paper, respectively; Anna and Paul were building something in the playroom. All of a sudden Tyler asked, “Where is Jake?!” He said it like he realized we had seen the other dogs, but not Jake.
I was stunned and grateful I had the newspaper to hide behind. He asked again. I had to respond. I defaulted to Paul’s evasive, “What, Buddy?” while I frantically tried to think of an answer. Was he thinking religiously like where is his soul? Was it an existential question–where are any of us really? Did he forget we buried him? The poor boy repeated himself a third time. I had to say SOMETHING!
“Jake died, baby, remember?”
“”Oh, yeah.” So sad.
Tyler saw them in Omega Sports and headed straight for them. We ordered his size from another store, but he insisted on those. Not like most kids (and me too) who change their mind when they can't walk out of the store w the purchase. AND they were on sale!
Remember when Air Jordans first came out? There was a commercial w Spike Lee where the tag line was, “Is it the shoes?” Like those shoes really made Michael Jordan THE MAN. Welp, it didn’t work for Air Jordans. It didn’t work for ruby slippers. Could Tyler’s shoes be the exception to the rule?
Today was Tyler’s first soccer game. He has been pretty excited about the 2 practices he has had so far. He and Paul have played in the backyard quite a bit. I usually crack a beer and bring my Droid out and launch the vuvuzela app for sound effect.
The kids (ages 5-6, Tyler is 6, will be 7 in December) play 4 quarters. Q1 he played in the back field (can’t cross half field line), Q2 sat out, Q3 played goalie (we thought he would break the goal swinging on it he was so bored), then came Q4… He played ?forward?–where he could run and try to score on the other team’s goal. These are not the greatest quality photos, but he really was impressive. I think he gets that from me:
Tyler is #5, on the left in this pic
But alas, no matter how much ass Tyler kicked, soccer still sucks. We ended in a 0-0 tie. What the hell kind of sport ends in a tie? In the words of the great Vince Lombardi: Ties are like kissing your sister.
Oh yes, it is back to school time and we were caught shopping.
No caption: a picture is truly worth a thousand words.
Seriously, we just needed to get Tyler some shoes for his triathlon last week b/c his shoes were at his mom’s house and they were in the mountains. The kid goes through a pair every 8-10 weeks anyway so we decided to make it his back to school shoes. So then of course Anna needed shoes too. I am still working out the kinks to 1) shopping, 2) shopping with others, and 3) shopping with others who are not in my section. The above pic is the picture I came back to after I looked in the women’s shoe dept.
Obviously every shopping trip needs a break for snacks. Tyler was clearly gearing up for YEARS worth of shopping:
Tyler ends his vegan phase.
Anna has been very good lately about trying new foods. She picked out the horned melon at the grocery store one night, and we had it for dessert. It pretty much tastes like nothing jelly. Here is some proof:
After she and Tyler decided they didn't really want to eat it, they mixed the horned fruit w juice from some oranges we had and made "slop."
It is funny how life seems to be so hectic, but when I go to list what has been happening, there really isn’t too much.
Anna is playing softball again this spring. She is on a team w a different coach, but a couple girls are the same from last year. Funny thing about softball–the socks. One is purple and one is gold. The purple one went missing (wherever missing socks go) after 1 game. Instead of just wearing regular socks, she wore the gold one and a regular sock. Didn’t want you to think it was a gang sign or anything.
PS–the purple sock turned up this past weekend (after about 3 weeks on vacation). It was under our bed. Imagine that–a dirty sock 2 feet from where the clothes got pulled off and dropped. Who would have thunk it??
Anna rounds 3rd on her way home.
Tyler is playing baseball (T ball really). He is the only kid who gets overhand pitched to and he SMACKS it every time. He has a great swing and really crushes it. He gets that from me I am sure. The main thing he has been doing though is GROWING! This past weekend I think he ate and laid around the entire weekend. He even put himself down for a nap (normal for me, NOT for this 6 year old boy).
What do growing 6 year old boys and lazy 77 year old dogs have in common?
A few weekends ago Paul and I went to see Simplified play at the Blind Tiger again. Their songs are great and it is always a good time (made better by the recent legislation banning smoking in bars and restaurants). Turns out the band’s drummer broke his wrist so they had a new kid who did ok. Just a little different vibe since he was new.
We like that band so much that their song, “Home,” was the one that we walked down the aisle to at our wedding. Lyrics:
Never thought I would be the one who,
Found someone to make me feel like you do,
It’s true I dreamed of you,
And you came in right on cue,
At the Simplified concert April 16.
Tyler and I were playing basketball one afternoon (which means I was rebounding for him–I am allowed 1 shot per 1 million Tyler shoots). All of a sudden he stops and runs over to the yard by the fence. He wanted to pick me flowers and insisted that I put them in water right away so they would last. Here is a photo of my gift:
What more could a girl ask for?
I have been reading quite a bit lately (Paul would say “as usual”). I recently finished House Rules by Jodi Picoult. She could make the phone book a best seller. LOVE her writing style. I also finished Walking on Broken Glass. It was ok. I am part way through The Irresistible Henry House. It is quirky so far. Henry House is an orphan who is adopted by a Home Ec Dept of a college in the 40′s so his 6 “mothers” rotate weekly for a semester, then he gets a new batch of mother every 4-5 months. It follows him through life to watch how messed up this makes him. It is supposedly fiction, but I think these programs really did exist. I introduced Paul to Bill Bryson and Dave Berry. That’s right, Paul is STILL reading! He even said his next book will be FICTION. Imagine that!!!
We have been riding a lot more now that the weather has warmed up. We are doing our first mountain ride this weekend. Can’t remember exactly how much climbing, but its a lot. Hopefully the bike Garmin will work to measure climbing feet like it is supposed to. Last weekend there was such a drastic change in pressure w that big storm that it said at one point that the incline we were on was 850% grade! WHOA!
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