mr. moon

Max had his preschool open house this week, which involved showing family around his classroom and then performing in a Mother Goose nursery rhyme program. He was the moon in the rhyme 'Hey Diddle Diddle'. He did a great job!

showing Ama & Papa the Colorful Carpet:


hand-in-hand with Ama & Mom-Mom, no better place to be than that:

showing Mom-Mom the bathroom (for some reason this is what he was most excited about showing off):

playing with daddy at the building station:

'don't look over at my family, don't look over at my family':post-show relief:

Max at the park

Signs of Summer - Part 3

Garage sales! I cannot resist a good sale and this past Friday I stumbled upon a great one. We found this gem...a Zurg costume! Max LOVES this. He puts it on everyday, despite the fact that our home feels like the inside of an oven. I'm sure I'll have plenty more treasures to post before summer's end.

Signs of Summer - Part 2

Playing at the park: another tell-tale sign that summer has arrived. Max was thrilled to find such "huge" slides at this newly discovered park. Gus enjoyed the merry-go-round and loved trying to climb up the slide (more than he did going down it). The only bad thing was that most of the equipment was too hot to play on. Is it wrong to wish it was just a little cooler?

Signs of Summer - Part 1

Can it be true that summer is finally here? Indeed, it's true...and I've got proof: summer haircuts! I took the boys to U Village to get the cuts & they both did great. I was shocked how well Gus did, considering the first time I took Max there he cried super hard and had to sit on my lap. Gus went straight to the firetruck chair & never seemed even slightly concerned. After haircuts we enjoyed a snack outside by the fountain. I'm SO happy to have summer weather. Finally!

A Bloody Mess

So the other day Max and I were playing and he said something to the effect of "Don't get my nose!" which, as every mother knows is the tell-tale sign that he wanted me to do just that. Okay fun, an I'm-gonna-get-your nose game. No problem. Well, in the midst of wrestling around on the couch Max gives off a rather non-chalant "ouch" and runs away laughing. He turns around to head back for more and that's when I see it...blood streaming from his nose, all over his face and clothes. Not wanting to panic him, I pick him up and say "oops, we need to clean up your nose a bit" and take him into the bathroom where, of course, there's a huge mirror and he catches sight of the gushing redness. He actually remained quite composed, although he did cry and kept saying, 'make it stop!' After I got him (and myself) all cleaned up I sat him on my lap and said, "I want to ask you a question. I feel SO bad about making your nose bleed. I'm SO sorry. Do you forgive me?" He looked at me puzzled and in a very tentative voice said, "God?" I asked him what he meant and he tried to explain that he was answering my question. I realized that he was associating the concept of forgiveness with God. Goooooood. Then he said, "God hurt my nose and made it all red." Baaaaaaad. I tried explaining that no, God would never do such a thing, that God loves him very much, that it was mommy who accidentally hurt him, all of which only served to cause uncontrollable sobbing. "What's wrong?" I asked, starting to panic that the situation was getting very muddled and confusing for the poor kid. In between sobs I got "question" and "wrong answer" then "I can't do anything." At this point I'm pretty much resigned to the fact that this moment is definitely headed for my Top 10 Worst Mom Moments as I've now bloodied my child's nose, made him think God did it and then walked all over his self-worth by making him think he incorrectly answered my question. I give a mop-up response that attempts to put things right and then pause and finally say, "Hey--how would you like to go out for ice cream?" Problem solved.

Why God Why?

So this weekend Mark and I left the boys at my parents so that we could head over to Bremerton & catch the Death Cab show. It was Gus' first time away from me overnight, but I wasn't too worried about him. It was Max who I was really concerned for. When I left he was clinging to my leg screaming "Don't go! I want to go with you! No Mommy!" Not an easy exit. I checked in about 10 minutes later & he was watching Curious George and had forgotten all about his moment of abandonment. When bedtime rolled around, however, it became quite clear that he had not forgiven me for leaving. When my mom asked him if there was anything he wanted to ask God for during prayers he said, "Ask Him why my mommy left me." OUCH.

Cars and Trucks and Things That Go

This is what my house looks like every day. Every. Single. Day.

Opening Day Starts with a BANG!

About a million bangs, actually. Yeah, there were fireworks after they announced every Mariner player and then a huge blast as they set out to "Play Ball!" What's the big deal, right? Nothing aside from the fact that Max is afraid, and by afraid I mean absolutely terrified, of fireworks. With every "BANG" and "BOOM" his hysterics reached new heights. Luckily I sent him on a hunt with Daddy to find a snack (who knew they had Auntie Annies at Safeco...Max's favorite snack), a drink and something funny to photograph which distracted him from the biggest blast at the end. Once the game started he warmed up to it quite a bit though. Gus did great. He just chilled on whoever's lap he happened to be on, taking in the sights. By the 4th inning the temperature had dropped at least 10-degrees and our kids were freezing so we bailed. We stepped outside the stadium just as it began to snow and it proceeded to dump on us right until we got to our car. Nice. All-in-all, not our most successful trip to the ballpark.



Our mellow fellow

Chillin' with Papa

A much more calm Max--thank you, Auntie Annes!

This is one tired kiddo.

My morning

Max: I just went pee-pee
Me: What do you mean?
Max: I just went pee-pee on the couch.
Me: What? Why?? You know how to use the potty. Why on earth would you pee on the couch?
Max: I wanted to see if my pee-pee could touch the ceiling.
Me: .........

Culture Club

For Christmas, my parents got each of the kids season tickets to the Moore Theatre's family entertainment series. So far they've attended 2 out of the 3 events and it's been incredible. The first show was Buck Howdy. I think Max enjoyed it although, with his reserved personality, it was a bit overwhelming to see all the kids dancing and cheering. Actually, the bus ride downtown was probably his favorite part, although I know he enjoyed the show too, just in his own quiet way. For those unfamiliar with Buck Howdy, he's a cowboy who sings about s'mores, dead bugs and a poor soul named Buffalo Bob who meets an untimely end after eating too many baked beans. Apparently he's a grammy winner and has sung for the president a few times (something he chose to tell the audience which was followed by a chorus of boos...he should know that in Seattle that's more "dirty little secret" than bragging material) If I can figure out how to include it here, I have a video of Max repeatedly saying Buck Howdy...funny stuff.

The second show was the musical "A Year with Frog and Toad" based on the classic books by Arnold Lobel. These were some of my favorites as a kid, so I was excited about this one. Max was super nervous at first, but once the show started he was mesmerized. I think he really responded this time because everyone was quiet and in their seats so he didn't get as overwhelmed. The music was great, the actors were fantastic and the story was engaging, even for adults. I can definitely see why it was nominated for Best Musical at the Tony awards. Max followed along well, laughing and smiling pretty much the whole time. It was so nice for me to see him like this because sometimes I wonder if he's enjoying things since he's so inward with his emotions. I bought the soundtrack off iTunes and we've been listening to it non-stop. I'm kind of going crazy, but I'm just so happy that he had such a good time that it's worth it.
Our final event will be the Dan Zanes concert next month. Max enjoys his music although I think he'll be a bit overwhelmed again since this will be a concert environment as opposed to theatre. Going to these shows is the kind of thing I always dreamed of doing with my kids and I'm so grateful for the chance to experience it. Thanks Mom & Dad!

Easter!

I was so unprepared for Easter this year. It just came so early that I was totally caught off guard. Saturday evening I raced to Target to get a couple things for the boys' baskets which were very uninspired this year, although Max got his "arm clock" (See post below) They seemed happy, so I guess that's what matters. I didn't even get them outfits. In fact, Sunday morning I suddenly thought 'hmm...I'd better see if I have anything for the boys to wear.' Luckily I was able to piece together a couple really cute ensembles. We went to morning service and then headed out to my parents' for an egg hunt (indoors) and family dinner. I think the kids had a good time. Goal for next year: plan ahead!

No time for love

Max: What's that? (pointing to my wedding ring)
Me: That's my wedding ring. It means that daddy and I are married. Daddy gave it to me as a symbol that he loves me very much.
Max: Oh.
Me: Someday you'll meet a pretty girl and you'll give her a wedding ring.
Max: Um...I'm not sure 'bout that. I think I'm just gonna get a clock. You know, with numbers...that I can wear on my arm.
Me: Oh, you mean a watch?
Max: Yeah, a watch. I'm just gonna get one of those.
Me: You don't want to have a wedding ring someday and a wife who loves you?
Max: Nooo! I just want a watch, okay?
Me: Okay, but I think someday you might change your mind.
Max: Um no. I just need a watch.

A thousand words will have to suffice...

I haven't updated in awhile because I don't have any photos to put up. Why, you ask? Well, a few days before Valentine's Day I made some heart-shaped sugar cookies for our family to decorate. I was so pleased with the results that I set them out on the dining table so I could photograph them. As I went to shoot a picture I dropped the camera, causing it to hit the edge of our table and fall to the floor. Yes, I broke it. For all the times I've scolded Max for playing with it, turns out I'm the one who shouldn't be allowed to touch it. The good news is that Canon is fixing it for free (I have no idea why but I'm not complaining) The bad news is it's getting fixed in Illinois. I'm borrowing a camera from my sister-in-law, but I don't have the adapter thing to put the pictures onto my computer, so for now you'll have to make do with no pictures, just words.

Here's a recent conversation:

I'm rocking Gus in the rocking chair in his nursery, trying to get him to sleep. In saunters Max, blowing air out of his mouth.
Me: What are you doing, Max?
Max: I'm having a smoke.
Me: You're what?
Max: I'm having a smoke. Watch. (he blows more air)
Me: Um...where did you learn that?
Max: From daddy.
Me: WHAT?
Max: Daddy goes outside and has a smoke.
Me: WHAT?
Max: You know, when it's cold.
Me: Gottcha (I'm relieved to realize he's talking about seeing his breath when it's cold outside, but I make a mental note to rename that activity before our interview with Max's potential preschool. I can see it perfectly..."So Max, what do you like to do at home?" asks the nice preschool teacher. "I like to go have a smoke outside with Daddy," answers Max. Nice.)

Monster Truck!

Apparently, Nintendo has a monster truck...who knew? We took the boys to see it when it made a pit stop at Nintendo before heading to the Tacoma Dome for the monster truck rally. Seriously, there are so many things I never thought I'd do, say or write before I had boys.

Gus soup and ice cream

Gus absolutely LOVES taking baths (which is a nice change from the scream-fest that is bath time with Mr. Max) and he'd probably play in there for hours if I'd let him. A favorite "toy" is my big wooden spoon. When Max caught him playing with it, he immediately ran and got his "scootle" (stool) and said he wanted to make Gus Soup. It was so cute.

Here's Max giving his soup a good stir:

Gus says, "Don't you cook me, big brother!"

On another note, we're potty training. After Max went poo-poo in the potty, he got to go to the ice cream shop. He looked like this:

Potty training is slow and tough, but Max is a trooper and is doing a great job. I can't believe I have to do this all over again with Gus!