{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Inspired by SouleMama.

Why You Shouldn’t Leave a Box of Bandaids on the Counter

This is the only humorous place one has appeared.  :)

Ages 6 to Adult

Jenga, originally uploaded by petitlu (en plein traitement de ses photos de vaca.

There is a reason nearly 5 year-olds are not in the recommended age group for Jenga.

Today Carter asked me to make a tower with 'the skinny blocks'. Upon completion, I wanted to show him how Jenga is played and slid a piece out then placed it up on top.

Carter: Mom, you are messing up my tower!
Me: It's okay, this is the *game.* It's called Jenga and you try to make the tower EVEN taller.
Carter: It has holes!
Me: Yep. See the box? It gets taller and taller, then the person who can't take out a block then put it on top--the person who makes it all fall down--loses. I really like to play this game!
Carter: Mom, you're freaking me out!
Me (stifling laughter): Really?
Carter: The enemies are going to get into the castle through the holes and take the king's gold! Now it's a bad tower! It's ruined!

So, we rebuilt it, with none of those awful holes.

Wouldn't want anyone to freak out...

Obsessions (Compulsions?)

Carter does some funny stuff, man.  All of my kids are completely unique individuals, and they all are quirky in their own ways, but Carter is the quirkiest in some ways that tickle me to no end.

It’s hysterical to me to recall that a year and a half ago he barely spoke.  He could speak, but was very quiet… you just never knew what waters ran deep in that well, but you knew they were there.

Now?  There are times I beg him to chill out with the constant monologue.  Seriously, I do, because he will go on for hours on end, imagining how his life will be when he’s a grown up.  (Today’s gem: “When I grow up my kids will put seeds in my pockets and chipmunks will climb up my legs to steal them and I will laugh because it will tickle so much!”)  He also is clarifying everything lately.  I mean EVERYthing.  (“What does ‘know’ mean?  What does ‘stop’ mean?  What does ‘you’re driving me crazy with all these questions and I am going to cry’ mean?)

Okay, I made up the last two examples.  I swear he did ask for a definition of know, though!  He is leaving nothing up to ambiguity, and assumes little.

He also loves to classify and sort.  While Bunny could and still does spend hours drawing and otherwise crafting, Carter can sit and make piles and groupings for an astonishingly long period of time.

It all started when he spent an afternoon putting all his duplo blocks into rows by color.  Now, since I know his fascination, I suppose I tend to buy things I know will have an obvious use, but also be fun for him to sort (and sort, and sort).

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These ‘gems’ from the craft store are both the bane of my existence (because they’re all over, and Carter will fly into hysterics if a sibling seems likely to ‘steal’ them) and a delight.

I have containers full of ‘like’ things to switch it up: fake gold ‘pirate’ coins from the party store, periwinkle shells collected from the beach, Bakugans (which are alike when balled up), Zoobs, jack balls, you name it…

However, he will also improvise when we’re out and about, using whatever he can to cobble a collection out of.  Today outing to the discovery museum was no exception.

These magnetic blocks were originally triangles, but Carter joined them together in pairs—all the orange ones.  Thank goodness no one else wanted to use an orange one, because Mr. Man was on a mission here.  Parallelogram… that was today’s new word.  I’m just waiting for him to ask me what parallel means, but thankfully I am becoming used to my role as a dictionary on demand.  There are so many jobs involved in this crazy role as mother… but I wouldn’t trade ‘em for all the lunch breaks and door-pounding free potty trips in the world—not when I get a front row seat to watch each one grow and thrive in their own distinct ways…and grow and learn so much along the way, too.

For the Love of Story Time

Cole has a new favorite story.  All parents know that feeling… the dread and guilt the story you know a little too well brings on.

Your little one comes toddling up, favorite story in hand.  You’re so glad they enjoy it.   You’re soooo tired of reading it.  Eventually, because story time love can be fickle, the book changes.  Sometimes it makes you miss the older one really quickly.

Boom, boom, boom!

My not so quiet 2 year-old stomps my direction, as I am cleaning the kitchen counter for the umpteenth time that morning.

Stowwy!  Read!

Oh, Honey… I don’t think…

Stowwy!   Pwease!

But, it’s…  That’s…

Stowwy!  STOWWY!

Alright.  Story. (big sigh)

We sit.  I open and begin to read.

Heat oven to 275.  Remove all wrapping from ham, including plastic disk…

See, our Easter ham came with directions in a little pamphlet, and Cole knows a good story when he sees it.  You have no idea how many times I have had to read it to him this week.  NO IDEA.

A Laugh for Monday Morning

Treasure

Carter is a raven, always finding little treasures.  A simple walk through our neighborhood is a hunt, especially the ‘through’ streets, which get “I don’t live here, so I’ll just chuck my ________ out the window,” treatment.  Now, don’t get me wrong!  I don’t want to make out like we have a bad litter problem, because there really is not, but if you are a treasure hunter, there is plenty to be found.

You simply must be on the lookout.  Being three and a half feet tall helps, too.

Yesterday he made out like a bandit!  Can you believe people just throw away this stuff?  ;)  The drill bit is particularly special, and Carter said it was for Daddy.  The rest is a gift to me.  Since I have plenty of random crap treasures already, the new procedure is for me to keep a photo and toss the grody junk allow the items themselves to go to the great beyond.

Anyone know what that dice (die?) is?

Safety Dance

Safety Dance, originally uploaded by Kristianna.

My son is a total dork. But he does it well!

You Can’t Make This Stuff Up

Today, eating lunch at the kitchen counter.

Carter:  There is no such thing as cucumber.
Me:  Sure there is, silly!
C: No, there is absolutely NO such thing as cucumber.

Sandy Hands & Feet

Cole has been to the beach many, many times, and really enjoys it. However, we found out on our vacation that Cole really doesn’t like walking on the beach or getting sand on his hands while walking. At home a trip to the beach involves a decent walk, and I use our BOB stroller to transport the boys and our copious quantities of toys, snacks, etc. a few blocks to the beach. So, walking was never an issue for Cole.

In Virginia, however, no BOB. And Cole is 32 lbs. He gets heavy, and no amount of shifting from one hip to the other helps after a few minutes. As a result, I kept trying to ditch encourage him to walk for himself.

This very consistently resulted in him pitching a fit, and either refusing to walk at all, or trudging a few yards behind me screeching. Then he’d get sand on his hands and really become upset.

However, once he was on the beach in situ – he was happy as a clam to get covered in sand and water. Kids are weird.

Motherly Monikers

When Bunny was one, she started to call me Mama. When Carter was one, he started to call me Mama. They still call me that, though I don’t have any ‘rules’ about it. If they want to call me Mom someday, then that’s just skippy.

This one?

He calls me Ma. Yesterday I had a vision of him as a big boy, opening the fridge, hollering, “Ma! What’s there to eat?”

In the Footsteps

Q: When faced with what obviously must be the shoes of a now barefoot giant, what do you do?

You try them on for size, of course!

My silly son.

2009-01-31 001, originally uploaded by Kristianna.

Carter frequently seems to find himself doing things like this. He just walked up to me with a "Easter Bunny" Mr. Potato Head piece in his mouth. He has the goofiest sense of humor.

The other evening he decided it was 'naked time' and proceeded to run around one of the sofas over and over. After about 5 minutes I said it was time to go get dressed in his pajamas. "Sorry Mom! Can't stop!" was his answer. And he didn't. He kept running for about 5 more minutes.

What big boys do

We're still in the process of potty training here. Carter is getting it more at home, but I have not even contemplated going out in public without a pull up. Still a way to go, really.

However, since I often tell him, "Big boys go on the potty," and tell him examples of other big boys he knows who use the potty, Carter has started to tell me other things big boys do.

"Big boys _____," has become essentially Carter's way of rationalizing anything he wants to be true or to do/not do.

Big boys don't take showers. Big boys take baths.
Big boys like peanut butter crackers.
Big boys can use knives. (OH NO THEY CAN NOT!)
Big boys watch Star Wars.
Big boys wear backpacks. Big boys put tools in their backpacks.
Big boys don't need a sweater right now because it's sunny out.
Big boys like chocolate. Big girls eat pink ice cream.

You get the idea. It's fun to hear some of his preposterous facts.

Overheard

This morning I made some bacon and eggs to get 'em going for the Walk-a-thon later. Carter loooves bacon, possibly more than life itself. I gave both of them 3 pieces, and then Carter got an additional 2 pieces (FYI, a piece = half a piece, since I cut the slab in half before cooking).

Carter (who has 2 pieces on his plate): Please share bacon Bunny?
Bunny ignores him.
C: Please say yes!
B: silence
C: Share! Say yes, Bunny!

Finally B switches pieces with C and all is well.

A Little People Renaissance

I have a tender spot for the Little People. While they're not the same as when I was a kid (they were perfect choking hazard shape then), I remember sitting for hours playing with the house and the 'people'... so I have been collecting them for my kids since Bunny was about 9 months old and she got 'her' own house. Little People-ville has grown over the years to include a house, barn, zoo, train, preschool, garage, and many large and small vehicles.

Recently Carter has really gotten into playing with the house. It's so much fun to see him using his 'magining' as his play develops. But he is all boy. Guess what's the first thing the 'Daddy' needs to do everytime we put out the house? Go potty. Sometimes that's all that happens -- different little people going to the potty. Little People-ville really needs a public restroom, heh heh.

(Might also be a reflection on his potty training, which is still 'going', obviously, but I think he just likes the toilet, honestly!)

Out of the Mouths of Moms

2008-04-01 029, originally uploaded by Kristianna.

Another thing I never would have guessed I'd utter:
"Stop breathing on your sister."

But I did. Yesterday Carter walked up behind Bunny, and very forcefully exhaled through his nose onto Bunny's head. Bunny is a burgeoning tattler, but even she was a bit confused. "Mama, um, Carter breathed on me?" Said very unsure. I *suspect* Carter was hoping to get something gross onto her head, as he's been a bit stuffy.

So anyway, I told him to not breathe on her. ::eyeroll::

Loonatic. ;)

Loonatic. ;), originally uploaded by Kristianna.

No comment really needed here. He's obviously my son.

What good is it without chocolate??

Just figured out something. Yesterday Carter discovered a Christmas flap book in with the books and kept yelling at me, while chewing on a flap he’d ripped off. I told him we don’t pull apart the book, and when Bunny asked shy he was doing htat, I said, “Dunno. You also ripped flaps off this kind of book until you were about 4, honestly.” Now, however, this is odd for Carter. He’s a boy, to be sure, so he can have Y chromosome destructive disorder. But he’s not “Bunny destructive”… not just for no discernible reason other than “because it popped into her head.” He’ll bang a toy hammer on the glass door, or huck a car across the room – boy stuff! But ripping a book is not his thing.

So anyway, today I figured out what his deal is/was with the flap book. He came up to me with the book, and was scraping the photo under the flap, saying “Chokkit… help!” Eureka. The advent calendar we get every Christmas! You lift the flap for that day and get a little piece of chocolate! It’s even a Christmas flap book. Now, I get it, dude!

Mercury, I have seen you.

Today I got to see Mercury passing the sun. Very cool. In a geeky, astronomy club way. They were lined up at the park when we got there to have a playdate with one of Bun's schoolmates, and I knew what they were up to, but we were late, so we hustled over to the 'big kid' playground. About 2 hrs later I stopped with the kids and we looked at one of those slit viewers. Yup, little black speck to the right edge of a large lit orb. There were a whole slew of telescopes set up, and we also peered through a couple to see it in 'technicolor'. I can't recall exactly why, but the coolest one was red, and it was something about seeing only the hydrogen burning because of a filter. Bunny loved it, and it was the first thing she reported to Daddy upon his arrival home.

We also went to the Mommy and Me day at a mall, which was 'meh'. Bunny got a balloon flower by one of those freaky balloon artists (who you know also like to dress up as clowns [ick]). She also decorated a paper crown. I guess it was better than sitting at home, but not as good as some other things. I'd initially thought about going to The Jungle or Discovery Museum, but with the sky clearing, I wanted to make sure we kept our date with Anna at the park, and those two places take more time, if you're going to 'do it right'.

In other news, Bunny has named her toes. I'm trying very hard to not learn their names.