The science project

We did the classic tornado experiment the other day and Nubbin spent at least 45 minutes playing with it. Next up... the volcano.

Potty mouth

Nubbin's first attempt at cussing... are you ready? 'Peach blossom!!'. He's been saying it whenever he gets mad or frustrated or just wants to yell at Fafa.

I think it's because I made such a big deal about it when he first said it. I was making a big deal because I thought it was cool that my kid could say 'peach blossom', but he mistook that for 'my mommy must think this is a bad thing to say, so I'll just keep saying it'... he thinks he's clever, but I'm still in charge.

Military precision

Husband and I took care of the Getz Gang yesterday in exchange for a date night. Sissy and T had taken our boys the day before. We had those kids on a schedule so tight, it will take them all at least a day to recover and they may not want to come back. Here's the rundown:

3:15 - 4 -- snack, inside play time and TV
4-5:15 -- they helped me pick up sticks in the back yard and enjoyed a popsicle outside
5:15 - 6 -- inside for art while Auntie and Husband made dinner
6- 6:45 -- dinner while they watched a movie
6:45 - 7:00 -- baths for all the kids
7:00 - parents show up -- relax on the couch while finishing the movie they started at dinner

Attention! Imagine the sounds of me barking orders to a bunch of 3 year olds and chuckle...

Daddy dresses the boys

Saturday was my day to sleep in and husband decided to take the boys for a long walk (they walked all the way to the elementary school). He wanted them to all look alike and dressed them in yellow shirts and khaki shorts... they looked so cute walking away together, all coordinated and happy to spend time with daddy.

You want what?

Nubbin's latest thing is incredibly sweet. He's been asking me to wrap up his 'wolfie' like a baby so that he can carry 'her' (his distinction, not mine) around the house. He's been using his imagination a lot when it comes to his stuffed animals, even requesting that they be fed and allowed to color with him.

So, I jokingly asked the other day if he wished he had a baby brother or sister. Thinking that he would pull the expected response of 'No' because he didn't want to share any more of his toys, I was surprised when he said, 'Yes mommy, I wish I had a baby'... silence from mommy. um. wow.

The third parent

Husband and Nubbin were talking tonight about bugs... After successfully answering several questions, husband asked, 'How did you get so smart?' to which Nubbin replied, 'I use my brain. It helps me think.'

I have yet to bring up the subject of body parts, let alone how the brain works. So, combined with husband's constant teaching, I owe Nubbin's knowledge to 'The Magic School Bus' cartoon... TV, I love you.

There's hope in our galaxy

Nubbin just drew his first letter and was able to name it correctly... it's the letter, 'O', in case you're wondering.

Yes, I know. 'O' looks like lots of things... an egg, wheel, circle, even a planet and it does have the distinction of being the easiest letter in the alphabet. Maybe I should save my enthusiasm for something more difficult, like 'K' or 'B'...

Rain, rain don't go away

It was raining on Wednesday, so the kids stayed inside for most of the day. At the point when they were bouncing off the walls, I decided to let them play in the rain. Kids are entertained by the simplest of things...

What the 'F**k'

Fafa's vocabulary has exploded... literally. He started saying 'F**k' a couple of weeks ago. The first few times he said it, husband and I silently stared each other down. Each one silently accusing the other of using profanity in front of the kids...

We then realized that he was trying to say, 'truck.' So, every time we're out and about, the 'word' eventually dribbles out of his mouth whenever a truck passes us.

To combat this and prevent other unwanted stares, husband tries to get him to pronounce the 'T'... 'tuh, tuh, truh', says husband. 'fuhhhh...kuh, kuh, kuh', says Fafa. So much for the english language.

'Who's goin' to the beach?'

We went to Sunset Beach this past weekend with friends and had a blast... Thank you Dad and Alison for letting us come to your condo! The kids really got along well with our friends' children. We turned the outdoor porch into a playroom and they played for hours on end.

We went to the beach on Saturday and then mini golf in the evening. Nubbin was scared of the volcano at mini golf (it spit out fire every 15 minutes or so), so he didn't want to play any of the holes that were inside the volcano.

The last picture says it all... we let the kids watch TV while we cleaned up and Fafa fell asleep on the couch... they were all tuckered out... it was a great way to end the summer!

'Fafa, do you want to go to gymnastics?'

Every Thursday, Fafa gets to go to Little Gym with his Sissy. He loves it. I'm so thankful for Sissy since I don't enjoy the whole perky part and the unstructured play sends me in spasms... I'm too much of a rule follower.

But, I think he really needs to start socializing and getting used to the whole playing well with others. We're still working on the playing well part since I got a report a couple of weeks ago that he kicked some kid who was in his way.

Today, he was all ready and waiting by the door, diaper bag in hand. He was impatient because Sissy wasn't moving fast enough so he kept pointing to the door and then looking at me to open it.

A picture is worth a thousand words

Fafa doesn't talk much yet except to mutter 'uh-uh' whenever you ask him a question, but he does take cute pics when I can get his attention, so here are a few...

Higher Education

I started reading 'The Chronicles of Narnia' to Nubbin the other night thinking that he would enjoy a book with a story line.

I got through two paragraphs of 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' before he stopped me and said, 'Where are the pictures, mommy?' I gently explained to him that he had to use his imagination which is when your mind creates pictures in your head.

He looked at me and said, 'I don't want to use my mind.' After which, he handed me a picture book about trucks and said, 'Here, this book has more pictures.'

I'm laughing because I genuinely expected my 3 year old to be able to sit through reading a novel (I had high hopes to read a chapter a night)... HE'S THREE! WHAT WAS I THINKING? silly me.