mommypalooza™ ~ a daily dose of mommy mayhem.

Ambitious One.

This evening on the way to violin Nathan told me, "Mom, when I grow up I'm going to be a newspaper boy and an astronaut." - very matter-of-factly.

I had to make sure I'd heard him correctly.  He then explained that he indeed would wake up early, go throw his papers and then promptly change into his "astronaut clothes" so he could board a shuttle and set out for space.

Apparently, he finds the idea of throwing a paper onto a porch from the street quite interesting. He said that it would be such a cool thing to do.  What are some of the stories your little ones have shared about what they want to be when they grow up?   ♥

Shady shades.

The other day when my mom was in town we all took a trip over to the Great Mall.  My original intention was to look for scarves for the boys since N has "been wanting one his whole life!" (his words, not mine).

Of course with Grammy around, we didn't just stick to the shopping list.  She also picked up some socks for the boys and a pair of new shades for each of them.  Now, I love sunglasses just as much as the next person (probaby even moreso) but I don't think I love them enough to wear them like this:

 

W refuses to wear them any other way - seriously!  I truly think they are more comfortable to him that way or maybe he's just being his stubborn self.  N is a little more mainstream:

 

Anyway, thanks Grammy, for the great shades.  The boys love them!  ♥

 

Soaking it all in.

Fortunately both N & W were able to watch the President's inauguration today at home just before lunchtime.  N knew who Obama was the minute his face was shown on the TV screen.  N referred to him (before I corrected him) as "Rock Obama" and remembers using the touchscreen voting machine to cast my ballot for me.  In essence, I guess he's had more of an impact on voting in this historic election than he realizes.  I should've made t-shirts:  "I didn't vote for Obama, but my kid did!"

Tonight at dinner, we went over all kinds of fun facts about the President like what his full name was, his wife and kids, the name of the house they live in, the address of the house, the special room in that house that the President also spends most of his workdays in (N was thrilled to learn it was associated with the name of a shape!), the amenities of the house, etc.  Incidentally, W ears literally perked up when he heard me tell N that there is a bowling alley in the White House!  W yelled out, "I wahn go dayyrrr!"  Then we of course told them there were rumors of Mr. President converting it into a basketball court.  They'd take that too.

We also talked about the fact that the Obamas would have their own special cook who would be able to make any special requests for them.  When I asked N if he'd rather have me or a cook make him breakfast he opted for the cook (who wouldn't?!).  But then, I asked him why and he replied, "because I want to order from a menu!"  So then I told him I'd be happy to make up a menu for him to order his breakfast from.  So, I am thinking my menu of offerings will go something like this:  Eggs, Pancakes, Waffles, Raisin toast, Cereal.  Not exactly a chef's menu but it'll do!

Lastly, when I mentioned to N that he could one day be President if he wanted to, he informed me that he is actually going to be a spaceman because it's a much cooler job and that he really wants to go to the moon.  Then I told him he could go to the moon and be a spaceman, then come back and be President.  He got all wide-eyed and then said, "yeah!  The President flies to the moon!"  We both agreed - sounds like a great story that he could be the star of!  ♥

 

The sweetest words.

My ears just got to experience this . . .

N:  "You're the best-est mom ever.  Out of everyone in the whole wide world, I love you the most."

And what's more, wanna know what I did to deserve that?  Nothing.  That's right.  I got those sweet words for just sitting here while watching Toy Story with my boys.  Gotta love motherhood.  ♥

 

My boys' first tea party.

This past Sunday the kids and I attended the much anticipated Nutracker Tea Party.  The show has been sold out for weeks and I was so thrilled to help promote it as a sponsor.  In exhcange I received a sponsor table for ten and we invited our friends Alexander, John Paul, and Cole and of course their moms.  In an audience almost all full of girls, our table of boys stood out and were the handsomest ever!

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After checking to get our seat assignments, we headed for our table and found the most wonderfully appointed tablescape imaginable.  It was beautifully done and the boys loved it too!  We waited for the rest of our guests to show up while the boys got acquainted with all of the dinnerware at the table. 

Shortly afterwards everyone showed up and the servers began bringing food to the table.  There was a nice little array of kid-friendly fare like turkey and cheese mini-sandwiches, crossaints with pb & j, cheese and fruit, and of course holiday cookies.  The kids were in heaven.

 

N's favorite part about all the great food and drink was the fact that he got to do something he's never done before.  He was enjoy three different beverages at the same time!  We of course had glasses water at the table but then a few of the boys ordered chocolate milk and then a while later our server was gracious enough to bring out fruit punch in festive glasses for all the kids at the table.  I just remember him saying over and over again, "I'm drinking THREE drinks!" as if it were a breaking news story!

 

Soon after, it was time for the show to start and we all turned our chairs to get comfy for the performance.  I was excited!  Probaby even moreso than the kids were.  Then again, I think Angie, Erin and I (the moms) were all very excited to be experiencing this with our sons. 

The show was fantastic and W kept getting out of his seat to dance, twirl, leap, and jump along with many of the songs (and dancers)!  The boys' favorite part was when the nutcracker took away the crown from the mice (rat, really). 

W loved the music and at one point during the show started in with his "dum, dee, dee, dee dum, dum, dum, dum, duuuummmm," attempting to sing along with the song!  Then when I tried to shush him he let out a "NO, MAMA!!".  I, of course, loved watching the graceful ballerinas.  N could hardly believe it when I told him that they were dancing on their tiptoes!

   

All too soon it was all over and we of course appluaded the performers and the orchestra.  The entire experience was such fun and I think I've established a new tradition with my boys.  N keeps asking if Nutcracker Tea Party only happens when it's winter time.  I answer him yes, to which he replies, "ooh, then I can't wait for winter again!" 

For more fun photos of this event, visit my Facebook photo album. ♥

 

Giving Thanks: Changing palates.

 

Today while having lunch, N said to me, "Mom, from now on don't cut off the crusts from my pb & j because I love the crusts now." 

Music to my ears.  Just one less step I have to go through.  I am so thankful N has opened up his range of possibilites of things he will actually eat or at least try.  I wonder if he'll ever try steak.  Hmmm....maybe I should hold off on that.  I'm not ready to share mine yet.  ♥

 

The flu {mist} didn't fly.

I'm gonna feel like a teenager saying this, but......OMG!!  Today we had a 3:30 appointment to get the boys their flu mist for this pesky upcoming winter season. Ugh.  Suffice it to say that this appointment did not go anywhere near as good as I thought it would go.

I was sure that by opting for the flu mist instead of the shot, I was guaranteeing cooperation from the kids.  WRONG!  We arrived at the pediatrician's office and made our way up to the second floor.  N was literally pulling the other way as I grabbed his hand to make our way into the office door.  All the while he was shouting out, "No! No!! No, I don't wanna go in there!"  I just kept wondering what the heck he was so worried about.  It's not like we haven't been explaining the flu mist to him for literally weeks now.  He's known that it could be much worse - we could've opted for the shot.

So we finally made it into the office door where I quickly signed us in and the nurse asked us to make our way into the first door on our right.  We went right in and I sat the kids up on the exam table.  Things seemed to be fine by this point, though N was still insistent that he didn't think he needed the flu mist.  I kindly explained to him this would prevent him from getting very sick for the cold season and would ultimately help avoid having to come back here.

The nurse came in shortly thereafter and had me initial on some paperwork.  In her hand she carried a small tray with two little tubes and two Dum-Dums lollipops.  Completely harmless.

First, it was W's turn.  She asked him to do a practice sniff and he did.  Then she stuck the little tube up his right nostril and he sort of flinched a bit but no tears or yelling. Then the nurse proceeded to do the left nostril and he did that just fine too.  Afterwards his eyes were a little watery but he managed to still remember the important things.  He quickly pointed to the tray, looked at the nurse and asked, "now I get pop?"

Then it was on to N.  As the nurse made her way over to him, he began crouching into the corner and covering his nose and mouth.  You would have thought she was carrying a dagger and lunging toward him!  It became apparent that he was not going to do this without putting up a fight.  I was completely dumbfounded!  After all, it was only a tiny mist, not a shot!  I couldn't believe his reaction, especially since he'd just seen W do it in just a few seconds.

The nurse suggested we lie him down and she could get to him that way.  He of course fought me the entire time I am struggling to pin him down.  He's screaming and kicking and at one point, grabbed the mist thingy out of the nurse's hand and flung it clear across the room and it hit the exam room door.  I was so embarrased and apologized to the nurse but I'm sure she wasn't surprised.  I just remember I kept saying to N to just stop and calm down and that it wasn't a big deal!  I was finally able to hold him down for about two seconds with N's left side of his face leaning on the exam table.  The nurse then quickly shot the mist up his left nostril and it was over.

He continued to cry and yell out, "I never wanna come back to this place!", which was quite comical.  The nurse insisted that he got enough of the vaccine in his nostril but I have doubts about that.  I am sure that he'll end up getting sick now and I'll have to try hard not to be upset the entire time because he could've just avoided illness by cooperating.  Sheesh, kid!

Here's to cold and flu season. ♥

 

Funny response.

Tonight while at group violin lesson, Ms. Jean, N's violin instructor, was helping the kids prep for their upcoming solo recitals.  She started out by walking them through how they would walk up and stand up front to get ready to peform.  Then she showed them how she would walk up with them to help them with whatever piece they were doing.  This would of course be followed by applause for them by the audience and a bow.  But before getting to this part, she asked "who knows what happens after you're done performing?  What happens right after?"

N raised his hand, seeming eager to answer.  She called on him and his reply was, "you get refreshments!"  Ha!  Good one, kid!  We of course all busted out in laughter and N turned around to look at me and was smiling shyly.  I mentioned to him that yes, that was in fact true, but not exactly the answer Ms. Jean was looking for.  At any rate, we all had a great laugh.

Yes, first the bow, then the applause, THEN the refreshments!  I'm glad he won't be too caught up in the performance part and will just be thinking of cookies and juice boxes the whole time!  ♥

 

It really couldn't have gone much worse.

N had his five-year doctor's appointment this morning for his yearly checkup.  And shots.  I had forewarned him all week long about the shots and how he was going to just have to be brave and take the shots.  "All five-year-olds do it," I argued.  He was less than agreeable to the whole situation but seemed like he'd be okay with it when the time came.  Wishful thinking.

We arrived at doctor Tyson's office and N & W were happy about the lollipop possibilities.  We waited only about five minutes before the nurse called N's name and we headed back to the exam room.  We went through all the developmental checks with her.  He names at least five colors - check.  He can hop and skip - check.  He recognizes letters - check.  And on, and on, and on.  The one thing that did actually surprise me was that she was going over a number safety concerns like asking if he wears a bike helmet, when she asked if we'd had a fire drill at home.  Truthfully, we haven't had a full-on fire drill but have discussed with N what to do and where to exit in case of a fire.  I think he'll enjoy doing the fire drill though so I'll have to pencil that in to our busy schedule soon.

The nurse finished up doing his height and weight measurements and then came the fun part.  N got a kick out of the fact that he got to pee in a cup!  His reaction was, "ewww - why am I peeing in a cup?  That's disgusting!".  I had to explain to him that this wasn't just any old regular cup.  It was a special pee cup so that made it okay.  N also ended up doing a vision test there at the doctor's office where it was determined his eyes combined are 20/30. 

After this whole ordeal was over, we headed back to the exam room where N dressed into his patient gown awaiting the doctor.  We ended up reading a Bearnstein Bears book while waiting for her to arrive.  Once she got there, she gave him the full once-over and talked to us for a while.  N did actually have a question for her - "why do you have to get shots every time you turn a different year?"  She replied with the simple reason that the shots help keep you from getting sick from other kids.  N was satisfied with that answer so I was pleased. 

Then came the fun part.

The nurse came back in with lollipops for the boys and a tray full of shots.  Greeeaaat.  N & W began unwrapping their suckers as the nurse prepped her supplies.  N was asked to lie down with this legs hanging over the exam table, his thighs totally exposed.  This is where he got grouchy.  He just kept shouting out, "no! no! NO! NO!" all while trying to unwrap the Tootsie pop.  I finally unwrapped it for him but he was no longer interested in it.  By this time he was lying down and I was restraining his arms.  The nurse began to prep his skin by cleaning it quickly then said, "1-2-3" and administered the first of four shots.  N wailed between each stick no matter how much I applauded him and told him he was brave.  He just kept screaming!  At the end of the ordeal he shouted out while crying, "I NEVER want to have shots ever AGAIN!" at the nurse, to which she replied, "you don't have to have any more shots till you're twelve!".  (I'm still not sure if it was a good idea to tell him when to expect shots again!)

The nurse left the room and I was there with the boys; one having a complete breakdown and one who was simply content enjoying his Tootsie pop.  I just hugged and kissed N telling him how brave he was and that it was over and that he was fine and that I loved him.  You know, all the things a child wants and needs to hear.

Eventually we left and N stopped crying.  Since he'd been through a lot already and it was clear we weren't going to get home in time to make lunch before going to school, I let N pick where he wanted to eat lunch.  He picked the McDonald's over by his school with the outdoor play area and I wasn't going to argue.  It had been a long day already and it was only 11:05 a.m.

N right after shots with the sucker in his mouth.  One of the band-aids is barely peeking out of the right leg of his shorts.

Celebration Saturday.

Today was a very cool but very busy day for the T family.  My mom and stepdad came into town late last night (actually, it was early this morning) and were thankfully here to help us celebrate!  The kids and I got a special treat - Grammy made them an early breakfast and I got to sleep in!  We lounged around the house a bit before heading over to our local Pottery Barn Kids to meet a couple of Star Wars characters during their special meet 'n greet event!  I had picked up tickets a few weeks ago after learning they'd be here this weekend.  I'm not sure who enjoyed it more - the kids or Grammy!

 

 

This was the only way W would pose with the characters - in Grammy's arms.  What I failed to get on camera was his complete beeline towards the door when it was his turn to go up alone.  That was most certainly NOT going to happen!

We browsed around the store a bit while Grammy purchased a few very cool books for the kids and the we headed over to lunch at one of our family favorites - Jack Stack.  The only thing crappy about our visit there was that our waiter was not too keen on what great service should really be.  Oh well, the food was good, nonetheless.  We were all stuffed!

About that time we headed over to Target to pick up N's birthday party cake and then headed over to the bowling alley for the party.  All the kids had such a great time and by the end of it just wanted to devour some cake.  N received lots of great goodies from great friends and has pulled just about everything out to play with it!

 

 

 

 

My favorite, though, was when he received a fist-full of cash from Grammy & Popo and exclaimed, "dollars!" then proceeded to stuff it into his tiny pockets.