Out with the old.

This will be my last post of the year.
My last post of the decade actually.

I have decided that with the start of the New Year will bring some changes.

I am going to try to be even more frugal that I already am.
I am going to set limits for myself when it comes to spending. The first goal is to go 2 weeks without spending a dime and as that nears I will see if I can do it another week and so on.
I am going to cook and freeze some meals (hoping this will force us to eat out less than we do). Not sure though if I will freeze in individual serving portions or family style. Kris doesn't eat many meals at home with his work schedule being the way it is.

I have already started being a bit more thrifty, I turned the heat down in the house by 2 degrees. Granted that is not a lot but it is a start to cutting the bills down.

I am sure I will add more to the ways of being thrifty as this year goes on so if I find something that seems helpful I will be sure to post.

Something Fishy

You can tell the child has never had fish sticks in his life.

At the store Zack sees a box in the freezer section, it had a cartoonish picture of a fish on the front and a picture of the fish sticks themselves. He yells out "Look mom, fish chicken".

Christmas 2009

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Visiting the Big Man.

We stopped at the mall yesterday to see the Big Man himself.

Zack was excited for all of a minute then his mood changed and he wanted no part of going up to Santa.

So Santa came down off this throne and walked over to Zack. The conversation started in the line and then moved so Santa could sit and a picture could be taken. They talked all about Thomas the train but Zack never did tell Santa what he wanted for Christmas.

We were able to get a good picture on the first shot. I really did not want to push my luck much longer with attempting to take anymore pictures. I really don't think Zack would have gone for that.

So here he is visiting Santa

Shh, it's a secret!

There are two Christmas tree lots not far from our house. Every time we head out to the store Zack wants to pass them to make sure the Snowmen and Santa inflatables are still there and are up.

One of the Santa inflatables is holding a list. On one particular day when Zack was not being a very good boy I told him it was Santa's naughty list and I saw his name on it. So every time we pass it he asks if his name is on it.

Tonight when we passed it Kris asked Zack if his name was on the naughty list, when Zack told him no Kris asked why he thought his name was not on the naughty list. Zack's response was "I can't tell you dad, it is a secret."

I got a chuckle out of that.

Playing in the dark

It snowed yesterday which is a once every few years kind of thing around here. I learned a long time ago that if it is snowing, get out in it that day or it will be gone by tomorrow.

Once there was enough on the ground to cover it, I bundled Zack up and we went out to play in it. Who cares we were the only ones out on the block. Who cares we could not see much because it was dark. Who cares other peoples children were already snug in there beds? We had a blast.

Zack made snow angels, threw more snow balls at me than I can count. Knocked the snow off everything he could possibly reach, and then refused to help me make a stack of snowballs to bombard Kris with when he finally came home. As a matter of fact the little stinker stole more than half of them and threw them at me.

It was the best snowball making snow I have seen in a long time. It was just perfect packing snow.

When Kris did come home we had a little snowball fight as soon as he was getting out of the car. He never saw it coming. (Insert Evil laugh here).

I finally convinced Zack to throw snowballs at Kris and not me. Once he did, I heard Kris give a little yell. Apparently Zack got him with a snowball and it went down the back of his pants. (Insert more Evil laughter here).

The snowball fights ended when my dear husband nailed me right in the glasses! That hurt. I did yell at him and eventually he will get over it but darn it, you can hit me in the shoulder, the back, the stomach, the back of my head anywhere but the darn glasses!

Here is a picture for your viewing pleasure of my little snow angel catching flakes on his tongue.

The Tasting

Zack helps out a lot in the kitchen, he loves to help cook, and bake.

On the few occasions we tell him he can not help out, he gets upset and says "But you have to let me help you because I'm the Chef".

It is not always a pretty sight when he is done but he does at least attempt to taste whatever he has created. Here he is licking the beater when he made a pie.And here is the aftermath. I told you it wasn't always pretty. He did enjoy it though.

Go away Sickies

It has been a rough few days around here and it still continues.
Zack still has the 'sickies'.

I took him to the doctor on Friday and was told it is an upper respiratory infection. The doctor expected his fever to break that day, but it did not. Right now it appears the fever has finally broken but I am not holding my breath.

The coughing started on Friday morning and is wreaking havoc on him. At times it gets so bad he busts out crying because he spit up phlegm. The nose is stuffy and not really running. He doesn't like the medicine the doctor gave him but he is taking it as long as he knows he can have a taste of water afterward.

This morning he slept in until nearly ten. Amazing because he is normally up between six and seven. He woke up full of energy, no fever and generally back to himself. I will admit I was thinking great maybe except for some coughing we can get back to normal now.

Kris made him breakfast, he ate some but not all. I was okay with that and told him he could get down from the table. Not more than two minutes later he came over to me started coughing and got sick all over himself and me! Once he was cleaned it happened again.

Now he is resting comfortably on the couch with the TV tuned to Disney channel.

I really hope this is over soon, I don't know how much more I can take.

I did ask him when I was cleaning him up why he always feels the need to get sick on me? How come daddy never gets hit? I did not receive an answer.

KIKI

Kiki is a new member of our household. Well at least he is until Christmas.

One night while Zack was off brushing his teeth, the doorbell rang he and Kris raced to see who was outside our door at 8:30 at night.
When they opened the door no-one was there.

That was strange.

Until Zack looked down on the porch, there was a box, a lonely box just waiting to be picked up and opened.

The first thing we noticed was a cute little elf on the box. When we opened it, that same cute elf was inside! Oh the excitement of having an elf in our house.We quickly read the book that came with the elf and found out we aren't supposed to touch him or he looses his magic. Every night while we are sleeping he flies back to the North Pole and chats with Santa to let him know if *we are being naughty or nice.

This cute little elf was named Kiki. Every morning we wake up and Kiki has found a new spot to sit and hang out for the day. Did you know elves can see through walls? They can hear everything no matter how far away from them you are, almost like a mom :)

Poor Kiki fell off from his perch the other day. It was a terrible thing. Zack came running downstairs all upset that Kiki was on the floor. When I went to pick him up Zack yelled at me not to touch him because he did not want Kiki to loose his magic. I had to convince him that the big man would want us to pick him up and he would not loose his magic powers because we were doing a good thing.

Kiki has since picked better places to hang out so he doesn't fall down again.

I wonder how disappointed Zack is going to be when Kiki goes back to the North Pole and doesn't return again until next year.

* when I say we, I really mean Zack!

Money means nothing

It is annoying when a 3 year old is looking through a toy catalog and you hear the I want this and this and this. He isn't understanding the concept of greed yet but I am working on it. I will probably be working on it until he is an adult but that is a whole other story.

Anyway he is going page by page in the catalog and when he finds something that really interests him not only does he want it he tells me how much it cost.
This morning he was browsing again when I heard "Mom, I really want this and it is only 49 and a half, nine nine cent." I will admit it took me a minute or two to figure out that meant $49.99.
He does not understand the value of money and I understand that it means nothing to him but darn the cost of these toys are amazing.

Now what I really want to know is what ever happened to cheap toys? Come on fifty dollars for a piece of plastic that is going to be broken in a few weeks?

What are we in for when the teenage years hit?

I don't like the sickies.

Zack woke up this morning crying. When I went to him he was burning up. Poor little guy has a 102.4 fever. He was crying pretty hard which I think is what caused him to throw up... all over me.
After he threw up he made sure to let me know "Mommy, I don't like the sickies." I can't say I blame him.
Why is it I seem to get the brunt of it when he is sick?
Shortly after he got sick, I started feeling queasy. It never fails, he and I get sick within hours of each other.
I do not have much energy but no matter what his temperature is he still seems to have enough energy to play.

The mind of a 3 year old.

Normally there are children's Cd's playing the whole time we are in the car. Today I said "It's mine turn to listen to something I want to hear". On the way to pick Kris up for lunch the song 'Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy' came on. Zack and K were in the backseat just rockin out. As we pulled into the parking lot of Kris' job my child yells at the top of his lungs "Lets blow the roof off this place!" and he continued to clap and car dance. I couldn't help myself I was laughing hysterically.

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Out of the blue Zack comes out with "Mommy, my Grandma is shrinking." I had no clue where or why it came out so I asked him why she was shrinking. He replied "She shrinking 'cause I am growing." (He is wise beyond his years)
When I told Kris about it, he started to chuckle and Zack came out with "Grandma just doesn't have it." I asked him what Grandma doesn't have and he said "The growing stuff".

**So Mom, I guess it is official you are done with your growing years.

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Zack was put in time out for hitting K with a pillow. After I deemed that enough time had passed I told him to come out of time out and go apologize to K.
As he was hightailing it of the time out zone he turned around, looked at me and said "So I guess apologize means I have to say sorry."
I guess I forget he is a small person and doesn't always know what the big words mean.

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Zack: "Mommy what time are G and S getting here?"
Me: "Somewhere around dinner time."
Zack "Does that mean they are going to drive in circles?"
Oops, again I need to word things better for him.

Decorating the tree.

We started to decorate our Christmas tree the other night. The bad thing is I can not for the life of me find the hooks to hang the ornaments so I need to get to the store, buy more (which no doubt means I will find the others as soon as I get home), then we will finish decorating it.

The ones that have something built into them to hang from the tree are already on.

In typical tot fashion we have a heavy concentrated band of ornaments at the bottom of the tree. Nothing like the younger generation getting to see and enjoy all the ornaments at their eye level and leaving us older folks with a bare tree to look at. While putting those ornaments on the tree Kris was trying so hard to guide Zack into putting some up higher, it wasn't working out so well. I can't wait to see what it looks like when it is complete. lol

Oh and for what it is worth, at some point in my childhood I was given some information that is not correct and I would like to clear it up now. The word is ornaments. I was always told to pronounce it like it is spelled but in the world of Zack the correct way to pronounce it is "Ottoments".

Frazzled

I have not been in all that great of a mood lately so I haven't posted anything. I figured it was better to not say anything at all than to say something I might regret later.

I am very frazzled lately.

This darling child of mine that I speak about often is to the point of driving me straight to the mental institution. He is driving at a rate of speed that would make any police officer give chase.
I am thinking that the only way things are going to get better at this point is for me to run and hide. Anyone have any frequent flyer miles they want to get rid of? I think the best place for me to hide is Hawaii where I could sit on the beach for a week, a month, a year, whatever it takes :)

I gave my husband my Christmas list last week and apparently he did not see the humor in it.
I asked for a maid, a nanny, and a rich old man. Now why can he not see these things as being important? For crying out loud he calls me princess, you would think he would want me to be treated as such.

I am hoping for a change in attitude around this place so I can get back to my normal self (what is normal though?) real soon.

Size matters

Last night we went to Toys R Us. I went to try to pick up a few things that they were having a good sale on and also to have Zack try out bikes since Santa plans on leaving one under the tree.

As for the great sales, I was able to get two of the four things I went for. I would say that is not bad at all for the amount of people crowded in that store.

Now the bike situation is what really upset me! Yes, I was upset I wanted to cry right there in Toys R Us. My little guy is only three years old, just a baby for crying out loud. This kiddo still needs his mama but somewhere along the line he has grown so much that he completely bypassed the toddler bike size! He got on a 12" and started pedaling around the bike area, his poor knees were practically hitting the handle bars with each pedal. In other words he would probably only get about a month or so of use from the bike before having to move on up.

When he climbed on the 16" he fit perfectly. He took off like he's been riding big bikes like that forever. I stood there in the middle of the aisle wanting to cry. When did my baby get so damn tall?

We then tried helmets on, that did me in! Lets just say he has a noggin like his father. We tried the ones that say ages 3+... ha what a joke. Poor kid could not even get it on his head, it just sat on top. Then we tried the ages 5+... now I am just shaking my head. Poor kid could just barely squeeze into it so it could not have been comfortable. Then came the ages 8+... I am nearly in tears here, the helmet fit perfectly. When did this happen?

The worst thing about the size of my baby, he is like any other 3 year old. He wants the cute helmet with the bright colors, the one with the favorite character, the one any other 3 year old would choose but no, my babies noggin will be covered with something black, red, gray, with skulls or skateboarding stuff on it because that is all that fit him!

I will be searching a lot to find something cute in his size because I refuse to dress my little one like he is older.

You just have to love him.

What happens when you tell a 3 1/2 year old boy to go upstairs and get dressed?

He comes down looking like this...

Anyone else think he is a bit backwards?

Spoons, forks... Whatever.

The other night we went over to Davids house for a visit. While there David and Lilly cooked dinner so we all sat down to eat.
Zack did his usual 'I don't like this' and 'I don't want to eat'. Blah blah blah.
After he ate all the meat and the corn, I told him to eat a few 'spoonfuls' of the mashed potatoes.

Let me just say it now...
Zack 1
Mom 0

He looked at me so seriously and said "Mom, I only have a fork."

How silly of me to think he could possibly eat a few spoonfuls when he didn't even have a spoon!

I tend to forget he takes things exactly as they are spoken.

Schooled

You Sir have been schooled! Schooled by a three year old. (Insert hilarious laughter here).

Zack is definitely a creature of habit. This is a good thing on so many levels. He likes things done the same way which quite frankly makes things easier for me. There is a down side though. The down side is you are doing the same thing over and over again. You play with the same toys over and over again, you eat at the same place over and over again, you read the same books over and over again.

Speaking of books, I have read the same book every night for the past week. I have read that same book in the morning and sometimes in the afternoon. I must admit I am a bit tired of it. Getting ready for bed I told Zack to pick another book because I was tired of reading that one. So he chose two books, that one and another. I tried hard to convince him to pick another book but but Mr. creature of habit would not budge. Rather than anyone get upset I told him I would read the new book and daddy would read the dreaded one. He was good with that.

I read the new book then it was daddies turn. First page down, all good. The second page daddy did not fair so well. Zack could probably recite that entire book without ever opening it so he knows when you miss a word or insert your another one. After getting through the second page and being corrected twice by a three year old Zack took the book away from Kris and gave it to me without saying a word.

Yes I did finish reading that book to him much to my dismay. I do have to say it was such a hilarious thing to see my son correcting his father who was trying to skip some words and inserting others.

Kris I think you better start paying attention and read the books word for word. That son of ours is smarter than the average bear and he will correct you every chance he can. I know you are not much of a reader but Zack is. Embrace it now because it is a fleeting thing, once he learns to read himself, he will no longer need or want us to be there reading to/with him.

The chef.

Zack made his first pitcher of Kool Aid today.

I do not usually buy Kool Aid but there was a packet in the pantry so I figured what the heck. He likes lemonade and this pink lemonade so I am sure he would get a kick out of making it.

He slid the chair over to the kitchen counter, he waited (impatiently I might add) for me to get the sugar out of the pantry. He dumped in the packet, he dumped in the sugar and he carefully poured the water in. He took the spoon and he mixed, being careful not to spill any. He gets done mixing and says "What do I do now mom?" When I told him he needed to taste it to make sure it was perfect, he held that spoon steady until he sucked every last drop off of it.

No sooner did he finish making his Kool Aid when the phone rang. It was my mother so he proceeded to tell her all about his Kool Aid making experience. Once he finished telling her he added 'and that makes me a chef'.

So to all of you who claim you are not a chef, I must tell you that you are wrong. Now get in the kitchen start making something. Go ahead you can do it.

Veterans Day

Wow, I know November 11 every year is Veterans day. A day to honor our military both past and present but I honestly had no idea of why or how this day of all days was the chosen date to honor our men and women in uniform.

So today I learned something new. In 1918 on the eleventh day of the eleventh month at the eleventh hour an end was declared for World War One. It was originally known as Armistice Day and it was meant to honor our soldiers returning from war. Somehow throughout the years it transformed into honoring all our military soldiers.

So today I will say a great big Thank You to all our soldiers. Past, Present and Future. Thank you for all you do in serving our country and protecting all those who live in it!

Confusion

I saw Zack walking around in the kitchen with a cup in his hand so I asked him what he was drinking. I figured he would tell me water since he can get that on his own. He told me "Lemonade" as if I was nuts for asking.
I did not realize Kris had given him some or I never would have asked.
Mr. Polite asked me if I wanted a taste so when I declined he insisted I try it that it was really good. Now I don't particularly care for Lemonade at all but who could resist a little one trying so hard to be nice and share his drink with you.
I took the smallest sip possible, you know the one when the liquid just barely touches your lips.
I handed his cup back to him told him Thank you but I really don't like Lemonade. He seemed very insulted and let me know that is was really good.
I asked him what Lemonade was made out of.

Insert 'Mom your so dumb look here'.

"Mom Lemonade is made out of water, sugar and Oranges".

I guess I need to spend a bit more time in the kitchen with him, he seems to be a bit confused.

Movie quotes

You know your child watches too much of a certain movie when he starts quoting it.

While driving in the car from the back seat you hear "turn and pull, turn and pull." Laughter ensues.

Sitting in a restaurant patiently waiting for your meal, you hear "Wait for it... ALIENS, Oh Snap." More laughter.

Walking around the grocery store I hear "Audiences love... Aliens." So I join in and we laugh.

Sitting at the table eating dinner we hear a noise from outside (wind knocking over something on the porch), I hear "Oh no Mom it must be the green eyed man." I just roll my eyes .

This child is currently obsessed with the movie Bolt. The minute he wakes up in the morning he wants to watch it. If he gets bored during the day he asks to watch it. Let me just say it is very hard trying to convince him to go do something else when he is in the mindset of watching it.
I refuse to turn it on more than once a day. I even have reservations about it being on once a day but it sure does make for some fun moments later on when we are least expecting it.

Oh what a day.

This day is not going so well.

I knew it was going to be a long day because Zack was going to be up early, very early. I fell asleep late last night only to be woken up at 3 am from a child crying "Help, Help Me". It is hard to run upstairs when you aren't quite awake. Once I was in his room he said (and I quote) I am ready to get up."

'What the heck are you thinking waking me up at 3 am as if you are in pain or something is wrong? Are you flipping out of your mind child?' Although that is what I was thinking, I am pretty sure I just said no, it is the middle of the night and you need to go back to sleep.

Of course that response was met with a whining child begging to get up and watch a DVD. Apparently he just didn't get that mommy was not in a happy mood.

"Lay down and go to sleep Zack."

"But Mom. (I love the But Moms don't you?). I really need all my babies on my bed or I will be lonely."

How he knew they weren't all there is beyond me, it was dark in room.

I reached down, grabbed what I could feel, and tried to politely tell him not to wake me again.

Guess what time he did get up for good. A little after 5 am. Although Kris went to him that time I am exhausted and it is still morning.

For breakfast he wanted cereal. No problem that is simple. While he was eating I went to go start the laundry. Stupid mistake on my part.

I came back into the dining room to see the cereal from the box being poured into the bowl, on the table, on the chair all over the floor. That is so not what I wanted to deal with today. He was made to help me clean up the mess.

Having a nap myself would be nice today but I just don't see it happening.

On Halloween night we trick or treated around our neighborhood. We did have a great time walking around looking at all the other costumes and the houses that did decorate.

One house had a blowup snow globe in front that Zack was fascinated with. They also had a "Ghost" (think man with a sheet over his head) on the front porch. Zack and K stood about 4 feet away from him/it and wouldn't move. Then Zack yelled "boo". He was trying to scare the ghost before the ghost scared him. It didn't work, the ghost didn't move. Someone told the kids to say Tick or Treat to the ghost. Zack did and low and behold the sheet moved to show a big of candy, both kids ran up a bit closer! Just as they approached the ghost said Boo both kids jumped back a bit BUT the allure of that candy kept propelling them forward. Before they left that house Zack asked the owner if he could pet the dogs who were on the lawn, both had on a tutu. It took some convincing to get the kids away from the dogs and move on.

Several houses away they really did it up big. The kids couldn't wait to get over there. Once they reached the porch and the motion detected sound effects came on both just stopped. Neither Zack nor K moved. K's mom stood there the chicken asking if the figure on the porch as real or not. They had a stuffed costume with a scream mask sitting on the porch. They had skeletons, ghosts, tombstones, lights, things that moved, you name it they had it! Zack finally got up the nerve to ring the door bell. When he did, it opened and there stood a scary clown masked man. (He did pull the mask up to show the kids that is was just a mask so they wouldn't be too scared).
They got their candy but Zack wouldn't walk away, he kept starring at that masked man. The guy got down low enough for Zack to touch it. At first he touched it gently, then I guess he really wanted to show that guy who was boss because he whacked him a good one! I was so embarrassed. I made Zack apologize and the guy said it was OK but still I was embarrassed.

After we returned home, Zack was allowed to eat 2 pieces of candy. Big BIG mistake on my part! That child was so wired from the sugar he couldn't fall asleep until nearly 11:30 at night! We have been spreading out the candy eating to a piece after lunch and one after dinner but that may change to just one piece a day because the child is wild these days!

High Five

We are making progress in the land of potty training.

Zack has been potty trained for a while now but not when he sleeps. We have been working hard on that the past week or so. Night time is still very much a challenge but (knock on wood) we have conquered the nap time! It has been four days now of napping with underpants on. Four days of dry underpants, four days of dry sheets, four days of less laundry, four days of happy high fives!

Once I am pretty certain this is a trend he will keep up with then we are going to really tackle the night time. I do so of dread that because I know I will have to wake him up and take him to the bathroom before I go to bed and that scares me.

Zack is the kind of kid that once awake, he is awake and does not want to go back to sleep. It does not matter that his body is still very tired. There is a only one switch on this child and once it is turned on, you can not turn him back off.

I have told him that once he stops wetting the bed he will get a big boy bed to sleep in. I hope that helps with his mindset and we can pull this off...soon.

Until then I thank the person who invented the vinyl on mattresses for little ones.

What makes him tick?

What exactly makes a boy think the way they do?

You see I have this adorable little boy who is quite funny at times, quite demanding at other times and sometimes he is the sweetest little guy on the face of this earth.

He says things that blow me away like this morning when he said "mom you know what the coolest thing is?" When I told him I did not know he responded with "Being with you!" Sigh.

He does things that drive me nuts like the button pushing. He has this uncontrollable urge when he sees buttons or knobs that he has to touch, turn and push them. It has to be uncontrollable because you can tell him not to touch them and he can not stop. I do not believe he is purposely being defiant I think it is something within him that makes him do it.

He feels the need to make my job as a parent harder than it should be sometimes. Last night we went through our night time routine then I put an undershirt on him then his pajamas, we said prayers and in bed he climbed. Kris got home about 30 minutes later and went in to give him a kiss. Zack was still awake. Before going to bed, I went to check on him, much to my surprised his pajamas were not on him. I asked Kris if he took Zacks pajamas off him he said no and then said he didn't understand why I just put him to bed with a shirt on. We went back in there and the child had taken his pajamas completely off and they were stuffed under the covers at the bottom of the bed! Let me just say it is really hard redressing a child who is sleeping and weighs a ton. The one good thing... he didn't wake up while we were trying to get him dressed again.

I still don't know why he does some of the things he does and I guess I will never know for sure but one thing I do know for sure is each day there is something new. I may not like that something new but that doesn't seem to matter much to this little boy.

Trick or Treat #1

We went on our first Trick or Treating venture today. I have to say we had a great time.
One of the local assisted living homes hosted it and it was really sweet to see the joy on the faces of the patients as each child entered into their rooms. Some patients had family in there rooms with them to help hand out candy, others waited by their doors for the kids to come.

I have taught Zack that you take only one piece of candy and he was trying so hard to do just that but room after room he was told by the patients to take two or take more than that. He looked bit confused but did as he was told. LOL.

Can I just say this child came home with more candy than he will ever eat! He had a regular plastic Halloween pumpkin that you buy in any store. That poor pumpkin was three quarters of the way full. He has never had that much candy in his entire life!

Zack chose a pirates costume this year. So he was decked out in the gold hoop earring, the eye patch, the hook and the beard. I must admit he was adorable. Lots of people told him he was the cutest pirate they had ever seen so move on over Mr. Depp I think you have some competition!



Note to any parents how cover their little ones eye with a patch, They may not be able to follow a straight line while walking so be sure to guide them before they walk off the sidewalk.

Attention grabber.

So it has come to my attention that I need to teach my son the anatomy of both boys and girls.
You see I have taught him the correct term for his male member, but I have never taught him that girls do not have that specific part.

Today we came home from having lunch with Kris and by the time Zack and I pulled into the driveway I really had to go to the bathroom bad. That will teach me to drink so much at lunch. I was trying to get him out of the car seat in a hurry and into the house so I was telling him to hustle. He asked why so I told him I had to go potty. He responded with an "Oh OK Mom."
Just as we got into the house he asked "Mom, are you holding your penis." I just about lost it right there.
Oh the joys of parenting!

Score.

Score one for the little man!

Tonight Zack asked to watch a video so I put one in for him. The next thing I know he is taking his 'computer' out of the backpack.
I told him he can not watch TV and play with his computer at the same time.
His response:

"But Mom, Dad does it all the time"

Zack 1
Mom 0

I told him he had a point and let him watch TV and play the computer at the same time.
How can you say no to something when you know he is right?

Yucky day.

It has been 9 days since this illness started and I am still not back to normal (whatever that is). I thought it would have gotten better by now but the coughing, achy, headache stuff just refuses to go away.

So I called the pediatrician the other day to inquire if they had received the flu shot in yet and was told "if he is on the list you don't need to call, we will call you when it comes". Alright, I get it. We wait.
Tuesday evening I received a message asking me to bring Zack in Thursday night at 6pm to get his flu shot, and I needed to call to confirm. Zack knows he is going tonight but he is not happy with me at all. I am definitely taking Kris because if Zack throws a tantrum there is no way I can lift him off the floor and carry him out.

When I told Zack he had to get his flu shot tonight he was all upset with me, so being the mom I am, I picked up the phone to call my doctors office and schedule a flu shot for me. The receptionist was rather rude. I was basically told they have one flu shot clinic left and it is full so I should just call one of the pharmacies and let them do it.

When I was there in July I was told by the nurse to call on October for the shot. So for once I followed directions and this is where it gets me! Go figure.

As much as I do not want to get a shot at a pharmacy I guess I will suck it up and go. I will make sure to take Zack with me so he can see he isn't the only one who has to get it.

Frustrating late fees

Yes Ms Librarian, I understand the 2 children's DVDs are 4 days overdue. I have been sick and unable to drop them off. No, I did not plan on them being late. We actually had a visit to the library scheduled on the calendar but unfortunately that is the day I became sick. Had I not gotten sick your DVDs would have been returned before their due date. Yes Ms Librarian, I will pay the late fees on the 'Holiday' one. I have no problem with that since he watched it at least 10 times during those 4 days (oh by the way, it really does need a good cleaning, it skips in 2 different areas).
I do not think I should have to pay the late fees on the 'sports' one at all. You see Ms Librarian had your staff done their job and checked the case before the little lock was put on there, then someone would have noticed the DVD that is there doesn't belong in there and is not even close to being the right one. Therefore I do not think I should have to pay the late fee. The movie in that case was never watched . The movie in that case was not the one we thought we were borrowing from your facility.
Well thank you Ms Librarian, I now know never to borrow a DVD from your library again, I would have no problem at all paying the fees had my son actually been able to watch the movie he wanted but no because your staff doesn't do there job, it should not cost me money.

I can not wait until the new library closer to home opens.

Silent Saturday.

This is why mommy is never allowed to be sick, markers get into the wrong hands when mommy is trying to nap.

No talking, no yelling.

What did I do to deserve this?

This is pure torture I tell you!

I woke up about 2 am I felt like my throat was on fire. It hurts to swallow much less try to talk. I have a few other symptoms of a virus, flu or something but so far I am dealing with those. It is the not being able to talk to the little one that is going to kill me.

Of course he gets up super early today with no hope of him going back to bed. So I being super mom come up with the wonderful idea of each of us get a couch and we watch cartoons all morning.

Um, nope he was not down with that! He wants nothing to do with the couch this morning. How am I to deal with him today when I can not even talk to him much less raise my voice when he does something he is not supposed to do... like spill the milk on the floor which he has already done this morning.

Oh please let this clear up and be gone sooner rather than later. Oh and please do not let him get whatever it is I have.

Seprateriums are good.

What is it about voice mail that makes my child cringe?
We left music class and Zack asked to talk with Kris on the phone. So once he was all buckled up in the seat I dialed my cell and handed it to him. After the second ring he practically threw it at me and told me to leave a message that he wasn't going to talk to voice mail.

I left a message for Kris saying I was Zackary's secretary blah blah blah. When I was done Zack asked what I said. So I told him. The little stinker says "mom, that's nice. I like seprateriums."
I tried to correct him but he was pretty set on saying it that way.

I am going to assume now that as he gets older he will be that annoying person that hangs up the phone when voice mail comes on and my cell phone will tell me I have 15 missed calls. lol

Playroom painting

When ever we are being silly and Zack does something wrong or weird I give him the old "you are fired" line. He usually giggles and says something like "mom you can not fire me, that is just silly."

The other day I decided to get my hind end in gear and start painting that playroom before he is too old to have a playroom. I got out the chalkboard paint and started making him a chalkboard that is big enough for two to share. He came barging in asking to help.
Not wanting to have black paint all over everything I told him not this time but next time he could help. That did not go over as well as I hoped.
He responded with a loud and demanding tone saying "Mom, I am experient and you can not fire me. If you do I will paint myself."

I am assuming he meant he has experience and he will paint the wall himself. Or he very well could have been saying he has experience in painting himself as in his own body.

I don't know you figure it out.

Needless to say the painting is going very slowly because I decided I can only do it when he is napping, sleeping or gone away from the house.

The chalkboard is done but the colored shapes that are going on the walls are a slow process, I am not good a making sure things are level and the level I bought is not sticking to the wall as the packaging promised.

If it ever gets done I will post some pictures.

The Evil Plan

When Zack and I came home today, Zack asked for the TV on. I told him no that is was not going to be on while eating.
He was alright with that while he sat down and ate his lunch.

The second he was finished he asked for TV. I gave in figuring he slept late this morning so nap was probably going to be non-existent today.

After the first show, he begged for a second. I said sure.

The second that show ended he came running into the laundry room and in his little sinister voice said " HA HA Mom it is too late to nap now." He thinks he pulled one over on me but I had already figured no nap, earlier bedtime.

I will let him get away with his evil plot of watching TV and not having enough time to nap. I sure hope he understands tomorrow is back to reality. Mom needs those moments to herself to survive the day to day.

Grounded

Zack has a small bike that he received for Christmas last year. We keep it in the house and take it outside when we go for 'walks'.

I have no problem with him riding it in the house because it is so small and he is only using it downstairs. Well, I do have a problem when he hits me with it. He tells me it was an accident but really I am not buying it.

Anyway I was getting lunch ready yesterday quite honestly not paying much attention at all to the kids. When I thought I heard something. What I was not sure of but I figured I better investigate before something was broken, damaged or injured.

Just as I was coming around the corner I looked up to see the bike tumbling over and over down the stairs! The little monster was trying to drag it upstairs to do who knows what with it! For all I know he was probably thinking of riding it down the steps because you know the apple doesn't fall to far from the tree. Right Kris?!

Of course I immediately ground him from the bike for the rest of the day, BUT I forgot the tell dad so when I left he was on it.

This morning the first thing he did was run to his bike and hop on. Big mean mommy that I am took it away and told him he wasn't allow to ride it at all today. I am sure you heard all the sobbing and the whining and the pleading even if your windows are closed and the radio is blasting. Heck I think if you checked it might have even registered on the Richter Scale when he flopped down on the floor in protest.

I think this kiddo of mine is going to be a daredevil and well I am just not down with that.

Growing too fast.

Yesterday I had the daunting task of cleaning out all the old and too small clothes from Zacks dresser.
Fun? I think not. They are actually in a pile on the floor of his room right now because today I get to to through the closet.

I just amazes me how quickly he is growing. Aw heck I will say it. 'It scares the hell of out me'.
What size is this child of mine going to be in when he starts school? When he graduates? Are they even going to make tuxes big enough when he gets married?

He could not wear newborn clothes when he was born. By the time he was a year old he was in a 24month-2T. Last winter he was in a 4T. Right now (at this moment) he fits in a boys size 6 shirt and a boys size 5 pants! By winter time he will be in a boys 6 pants. The legs will be a little on the long side and I will have to do a small roll on them but the waist will fit fine.

Now before you go to thinking he is a little chunk I have to say he is not. He is not fat, or obese. He is solid! It kills me to try to pick him up. I try not to ever pick him up anymore but he is only 3 so there are times he still needs his mom.

He is rapidly outgrowing his toddler bed and I see a twin bed in his near future. He has outgrown his little bike so I see a bigger bike in the near future. He has outgrown his little turtle sandbox so daddy better get working on a bigger one.

I am expecting any day now to wake up, go upstairs to get him and see that he is taller than I am. Oh how I dread that day.

Evil voices

Today I left the television off and told Zack and K that they needed to go play. I heard much argument over that one before they both decided to go play.

They opted to play Little Red Riding Hood. They take turns one plays Red and the other is the big bad wolf (or as they both say... the big bad woof) then they switch. It is really funny to listen to them. I have told Zack the Red Riding Hood story for quite a while now and I am pretty sure I have never made any part of it scary or inappropriate for a little one.
Today I walked away to do something and they were running around the house as if it were the forest. I wasn't quite sure what K (Red) said to Zack (The Big Bad Wolf) but it had something to do with the grandma in the story. He clearly responded in a little tiny trying to sound evil voice with a "you grandma is gone, I ate her!" I lost it! The voice he attempted to use was priceless and where he ever came up with I ate her is beyond me.

I can't wait to see what other fairy tale they are going to recreate next week.

All clean

I never thought it would start this early in his young life but I was wrong.

After lunch I told the kids to go in and wash up. The same thing that happens everyday. Nothing was different, nothing was out of the ordinary.

If you have ever seen my child after he is done eating, you would know he is mostly covered in ketchup when he is done.

Zack ran to the bathroom to go wash up. He came back out and announced that he found a better way to clean up.

I stood there a second not really comprehending what he was saying and asked him to repeat himself.

"Mom, I found a better way to clean my hands"

At this point I was a bit scared to ask how because lets face it this is the kid that always has A PLAN.

I asked anyway.

"Mom all you gotta do is...
scrub you hands wif da towel"

"Zack did you use soap and water?"

"Nope I did not need um"

Who knew the dry washing would start so darn young? I kind of expected it to happen when he started school or something but not at 3 years old!

Now before you ask, he was not happy with me when I told him his plan was not a good one this time and made him go in and use soap and water.

Flu Shot

Can someone please explain to me why every darn drug store in town has the flu shot available now but my sons pediatricians office does not have the shot and have not received it yet?
I do not feel comfortable walking into a drug store and letting them give my son a flu shot, I would much rather it be at his pediatricians office where it will also be in his medical records.
We could walk in there today and get the mist but not the shot. We are on a waiting list for the shot because I seriously doubt he would go for them sticking anything up his nose.


I just don't get it.

Out of the mouth of my babe.

This child of mine is a silly little boy.

The other day I put him to bed with all the usual babies and we did the same routine so I expected him to go off to sleep in a decent time frame. Oh but how could that be when Kris decided to hammer and bang and staple and just flat out make a lot of noise right outside my little boys bedroom.
After about 45 minutes I went to check on him knowing there was no way he would be asleep.
When I walked in I could see his face by the light following me through the door. He looked frustrated.
We talked for a minute and he asked me if he could yell something out to dad. When I told him he could, he sat straight up in his bed looked toward the door way and yelled "Dad could you keep it down in there I am trying to sleep".
I giggled as I layed him back down and kissed him goodnight again.
By the time I walked out his door and over to my husband I was giggling louder. Kris thought I told him to say that but I had nothing to do with it. So Kris packed up his hammer and stapler for the night and Zack was fast asleep soon after.

______________________________

A few days later I took Zack to the toy store so we could look around and play with the train table. We were there for several hours before I finally convinced him that I was hungry for lunch and we needed to go get something.
We stopped to see Kris who was working at his part time job. He hadn't gotten my message asking him if he wanted anything so I said keep and eye on Zack for a few minutes I am going to run out and get us something to eat. Just then my 3 year old pipes up with "Hey Dad you have any cash on you?" Of course Kris thinks I told him to say that but I had nothing to do with it.
I did tell Kris he should be grateful the child is asking for cash and not his credit card!

______________________________

I took Zack to the hospital yesterday to visit my step dad (Bob). Right when we arrived my mother was checking Bobs legs out (they had been swollen when he went into the hospital). My mother told Zack that grandpa had chicken legs. We visited with him for a while then Zack and I went down to the cafeteria giving my mom some time alone with him.
When we came back up to his room we visited some more before a nurse came in to give him his meds. She and Zack struck up a conversation about any and everything. During their conversation Zack proceeded to tell her that Grandpa has chicken legs. I thought she was going to fall to the floor with laughter. She got such a kick out of Zack.

It amazes me everyday what he absorbs into that brain of his and the fact that he knows how to use this new found knowledge at just the right moment.

9-11

A day to remember.

Chipper little boy.

Lying in bed eyes open just waiting for the little one to call out for someone...anyone to come get him. I hear him in there kicking his feet against the mattress. I hear him flipping from side to side so I know wake up time is just a minute or two (if I am lucky) away. I have this down to a science, he kicks then he flips for no more than a few minutes then he lays on his back and calls for someone to come get him.

Yes I am blessed in the fact that he doesn't wander around, he lays in his bed until someone comes into his room to get him. I don't know how much longer that will last but right now it is one less thing I worry about.

This morning I was pleasantly greeted with a chipper little boy saying "Mommy, Daddy come get me... Mommy or Daddy... someone come get me." The next thing I hear that just brought a smile to my face was "Mommy, Daddy come get me I have a surprise for you. I have a joke to tell you!"

Of course when I got to his room and opened the door he said "Mommy I have a joke to tell you."
And he did.

"Why did the chicken cross the living room?"

Go on I will give you second to think about it.

.
.

.
.

.
.

.
.

Are you ready?

"To go outside!"
And the laughter ensued!

I love mornings like this, I know there won't be any like this when he is older so I try to take advantage of that few minutes before I hear the words "Let's go have breakfast".

Praying Mantis

I just wanted to let everyone know that there is a mistake in the Merriam-Websters dictionary.

• Main Entry: praying mantis
• Function: noun
• Date: circa 1890

: mantis; especially : a European mantis (Mantis religiosa) that has been introduced into the United States —called also praying mantid

You see the world knows this creature as a praying mantis but that is wrong. Well wrong in the world according to Zack.

He went on a walk with his father the other day to the playground. There was one of these creatures on the playground equipment so Kris told him what it was. Somewhere along the way the name has been changed to...

A Meanie-eyed-mantis.

When he told me that I laughed out loud. He just didn't understand why I was laughing. I just love hearing what comes out of his mouth.

Jolly Rogers

While at the beach we took an afternoon to go to an amusement park geared toward smaller children.
You know the kind of place you buy a wrist band for an astronomical amount of money and your kiddo can ride any and every ride there as many times as they want.

Zack started out on the little kids roller coaster. It was such a cute little ride. He went on with his cousin Gabby. He enjoyed it.

Once he got off there he spotted the big roller coaster and that is all he talked about until we agreed to let him go on it. We had to initiate the help of cousin Lexi to go on with him. He couldn't wait. Once he was on he was all smiles. Poor Lexi had to take him on twice because he didn't want to do anything else but that.

When we finally convinced him we needed to walk around and see what other rides there were he opted to get on the Himalaya with Lexi, Gabby and Sydney. Why they put Zack on the inside is beyond me because the girls never had a chance, they were crushed by the time the ride ended. It really was the funniest thing I have seen in a long time.


Here are a few pictures to see just how crushed the poor girls were.
Yes Lexi was yelling at us by the time the ride was over that she would never do that again. Oh but us bystanders sure did love it we had the best laughs. As a matter of fact we all had tears in our eyes from laughing so hard.

We were there for hours and he would not leave unless he could go on that big roller coaster again. So we convinced David to go with him. At that point Gabby wanted to go again so Lilly got in on the deal. Zack was a happy camper.

I am not kidding when I say anything that had any height to it he got a kick out of. All those little kiddie rides that stayed on the ground he really did not care for. So I think I am in trouble with this one. He is going to be an adrenaline junkie and I am going to have nightmares over it.

Vacation photos

More of our vacation.

Why is it that when on vacation the kids think they need to be up at 6am? I am pretty sure I sent out all the proper paperwork in advance saying the vacation wake up time would be somewhere around 8 or 9 am not 6! This child of mine woke ME up at 6 am darn near everyday we were there.

We went to the beach as much as possible because Zack is clearly going to grow up to be a beach bum. He loves digging in the sand, not so much making castles but digging holes as large as he could. He loved being buried and trying to break free of that blanket of sand. The giggles were contagious. He loved to bury other people and I can honestly say that boy can pack the sand down pretty darn well. I was a bit snug when he buried my lower half.

Zack and Kris playing in the sand

He wore Kris out in the water. I know all Kris wanted to do was relax while there but Zack would not have that. He wanted in the water. Once he got the feel of the water at his feet he wanted to be out there with the big boys! I know after a while each day Kris arms hurt from holding Zack in the water.

I figured after the first time a wave crashed over Zack's head he would be done but boy was I wrong! Kris tried his hardest to keep Zack from being hit in the face with waves but there were a few that got away from him.

Zack also tried his hand at surfing. Now that was a funny sight to see. He grabbed someones body board and tried sitting and standing on it. It did not work so well but he did try so that was a good thing.

Zack Surfing

Another highlight for Zack was trying to catch the seagulls. He tried several times but those pesky little devils got away every time.

Kris wrangling in Zack and Duce after they tried catching a seagull.

We told Zack one night after dinner we could go back to the boardwalk and he could pick whatever he wanted for snack. As we were walking by place after place we would tell him what they had. No, No No, No is what we kept hearing. We thought for sure Dippin Dots would be the one that grabbed him. Oh were we wrong. He wanted no part of them. Out of all the good, sweet, yummy treats you can get on the boardwalk he chose Popcorn! Argh had we known that we would have just thrown a bag in the microwave at the house and called it a night.

We went back to the arcade with him the last night we were there so he could play some more games. He wanted to play the blue ball game. I think it was called Pokerino. He loved it. Daddy is teaching him early the importance of poker. Take it anyway you can get it.

Zack at the arcade...not a bad poker hand.

He did catch a cold while we were on vacation so there was one night I did not get any sleep at all, but other than that it was a good vacation.

This was how I knew he was getting a cold, he had already napped for an hour and a half in the bedroom, walked out laid on the couch and went back to sleep for another hour and a half.

Grumpy Mom-Happy Mom-Grumpy Mom.

I have been having some problems with my back, hip & butt area and also my leg.
I did two rounds of prescriptions from the doc to try to feel better but the medicine did not knock out the pain. So my doctor suggested Physical Therapy. I really wanted to get rid of the pain and the feeling like my leg was just dead weight that I was lugging around. So I said yes. Now, I am not in good shape at all so going there twice a week is really quite hard. My legs just do not bend the way Mr. PT Guy wants them too ;)

The first few sessions really kicked my butt. I was starting to feel better which was a really great thing. You know not a 100% back to normal but feeling like I could move again with the pain, like I could go from a sitting to a standing position without a shooting pain running down my leg.

So the other day Grumpy Mom left the building and Happy Mom finally came back in. Zack was very excited to have Happy Mom back. He did lots of hugging on her and playing with her. He even took her out on a date (of course she had to pay because he claimed not to have any money with him).

Happy Mom was playing all the things she has not been able to in a while. Happy Mom was back down on the floor playing with Zack and his toys. Zack was a very happy boy.
Happy Mom and Zack decided to play with his little spinner top on the kitchen floor. Well trying to show a 3 year old how to hold a little spinner and pull the cord at the same time is a job. He just doesn't have the coordination down yet but he is working on it.
At one point the top left his hands and shot out behind me on the floor. Much to far for me to reach without getting up so like any other slacker I told him to fetch it.

I should have turned to watch him get it. I should have known what was going to happen next. I should have seen it coming a mile away.

He was just so excited to have Happy Mom back he was bouncing all over the place. Yes I am sure you can guess that he chose to use my back as a trampoline!

Pain I tell you, pure Pain!

So Happy Mom has left the building and Grumpy Mom is back. Not want I wanted to have happen.


So Mr. PT Guy you darn well better work the magic and make me feel better when I finally get into seeing you today. I understand you are over worked right now because you have entirely to many patients but the heck with the rest of them I am the most important! :)

Speaking

One year ago my little love muffin still was not talking much so we had a speech therapist coming to the house once a week to work with him. We were doing sign language to get some form of communication so the frustration level wouldn't get out of hand. It was very trying for him and I both so we sought out the help of the therapist to help.
And Help she did!
Now we have plenty of conversations about any and every thing! The other day when I called to talk with him on the phone he was telling me he was 'having a discussion with dad about going to the park'. He uses plenty of big words now. You just do not expect these big words to come out of this child.
The other day he wanted to go to the bookstore, I told him no. He turned around and asked Kris. Kris told him maybe so I spoke up and said I told him no. Zack tells me that Daddies make the rules and I shouldn't lie. (I can only imagine what Kris is teaching him when I am not within hearing distance). I went on to explain to Zack that Mommies and Daddies are equal and we make the rules together. He responded with a big "well that's impressive". I nearly cried I was laughing so hard.
I just think back to a year ago and I am in total amazement at how far he has come with his speech and his comprehension of the English language.

Yes there are plenty of moments I think back at how quiet it used to be in the house but I am so glad we got help at an early age. It has been seven and a half months since the therapist said she no longer needed to come out here and I think if she saw him today she would be floored with him.

First day of Vacation.

A few weeks ago we went on our vacation for a week to Ocean City, Md. with David, Lilly, Indigo and Kris' family. Upon arriving in the state of Maryland we hit rain. A lot of rain. It took forever to get over the bridge to the house. The streets were flooded.
When we arrived at the house, I did the typical traveler thing...ran in to go to the bathroom! When I came out Zack and some of his cousins were in the road running through the water which was just below his calves! So much for staying dry.
Once we unloaded the car we were all getting a bit hungry so we headed to the boardwalk to get something to eat. Dough Roller here we come! While there my careful, gentle little well behaved darling son knocked his cup over. All over the table, the chair, him, the floor and Kris.

We decided to let Zack play on the pirate ship for a while to get some energy out since he had been cooped up all day in a car. I don't know whose bright idea it was to go down by the water to check it out but that was the direction we went. I knew before we ever reached the water there was no way this kid of mine was going back to the house dry! Once he hit that water he owned it! No-one or nothing could get him out of it. The water was cold. His skin was like ice but he didn't care. He didn't want to leave. So we walked down the beach so he could continue to run at the waves. I don't know how we got him to go back the house but once there we had to give him a shower to warm him up.

He went to bed a bit later than normal but every morning we were there he was up by 6:30 am. Way to early for me. Don't kids know what vacation means? I need to work on this for next year.

I will post more with some pictures tomorrow.

Grandma's teachings

Thanks a bunch Mom!

You see my mother likes to 'teach' Zack such helpful things. When I say helpful what I really mean is just means more work for me. ;)

When she came out for a few days last week she was nice enough to teach Zack to wash his face... without a wash cloth. You know when you use your hands to cup water then toss it at your face to get the soap off. Yeah she taught him that and he has tried several times but quite frankly there is more water on his shirt, the counter and the floor than there is going on to his face.

Another great thing she taught him was to clean the toilets. Yes she handed him the toilet brush and told him to scrub. Now this in theory would be the most wonderful thing she could teach him since I despise cleaning them... BUT Mr. Helpful came running out of the bathroom today saying "Mommy I scrubbed the potty like Grandma told me." Oh great I think while walking in there not knowing what I will find. Yes he did indeed scrub the toilet only he did not use the toilet brush, he used the little scrub brush that came with his kitchen set!!
Umm yeah that isn't going back in the playroom!

Oh Mom I do have to tell you a great big Thanks. The other day we were driving home from the store and since my radio does not work anymore Zack says from the backseat "K sing the beans beans song" K told him she did not know it so he proceeded to sing it! "Beans Beans good for u , da more u eat da better you feel". Yeah I know he does not have the words right but he tried. At least he was not trying to sing the 99 bottles song you were trying to teach him. I think I would have gone nuts with that one.

I can only imagine what she is going to teach him next. LOL.

Bob

OK Bob if you want attention you do not need to do it this way! Now get out of the hospital bed and stop pretending to be sick.
Oh wait I think I get it, you wanted a vacation right?
Well that really isn't a good place to vacation. They don't let you sleep, they poke you with needles all night and day, the food is not very tasty at all (although my mother would disagree with that) and they don't have that many channels on the television (you can only watch so much junk before getting bored).
So get up and get home soon! You know Zack can not come visit you there, they never allow kids in and I seriously do not think I could keep him quite long enough to sneak him in.

Spelling

This is a warning to all the parents out there.

You know we all do it at one time or another when we do not want our children to know what we are trying to convey to someone.

We spell.

Go ahead and admit it now. You do it just to try to save yourself some frustration.

Well you have been warned that it can and will turn against you.

Today while driving home Zack says "Dad where is the 'g y s t o x d'?" Kris was unsure of what he was talking about so he asked him what that meant. Zack replied "Dad the 'g y s t o x d' you know the Thomas train stuff!"

I was trying very hard to hide my laughter but poor Kris could not hide his.

As so it goes he has been 'spelling' different things the rest of the day.

Promise to update soon

I know I am getting a bit slack with my blog but I promise to get back on track here soon.
We were on vacation the first week of August which I will tell you all about later and have some pictures up for your viewing pleasure.
Then this week has been nothing but doctors appointments and physical therapy for me so it has been a bit hectic. Lets just say getting old really stinks!

So for the people who never leave comments but have asked me why I haven't been updating I leave my promise here that I will be updating soon :)

Priorities in packing

We made the mistake of telling Zack several weeks in advance of leaving for vacation. Not a bright idea because that is all we heard about multiple times a day. We listened to everything he wanted to do when he was on vacation.
"Mom I want to go surfing"
"Mom I want to put sand in the water"
"Mom I want to play in the water"
"Mom I want to wipe out"
"Mom I want to go in the water with Daddy"
And so on.

Several days before leaving I pulled his suitcase out of the closet and told him we needed to start packing so it would all be ready to go when the time arrived.
Like most kids his packing priority consisted of toys, toys and more toys with books thrown in too.
I walked out of the bedroom to get the clothes from the dryer, sat on the couch to fold them and peeked into his room to see all his trains, every book from his bookshelf and all the 'babies' from his bed stuffed into his suitcase. He was trying his hardest to get it closed. He could not zip that suitcase to save his life. I watched those wheels turning in his head.

He tried so hard to zip it closed but it just was not going to happen. Then he asked me to come and close his "soupcase" because he could not do it and I told him no because I was busy.

So he stopped and he thought about it.

I do not know where he came up with the idea but I was laughing when I saw it. He chose to sit his butt on top and try to zip it closed that way. It was so cute to see him use his mind to come up with ways to try to get that closed.

Oh and if you are wondering, he never did get it closed and I repacked so he didn't have to run around all week with a naked butt for all the world to see.

Drop, crack, break

Okay, Okay I get it. I should stop eating or better yet switch to paper plates!

No more glass plates for me please.

I have had the same set of dishes for several years now. I like them. They are a clear glass with flowers designs molded on them.

A few weeks ago while getting a bowl out of the cabinet, I accidentally dropped it and it split into two pretty even pieces. Alright one bowl, I can live with that.

Last week while getting a small plate out for my sandwich, I accidentally dropped it on the counter and it broke into several pieces. Now I am thinking, okay I am down one bowl and one small plate, alright I can live with that.

Yesterday was the last straw. I decided to have a bowl of cereal so I reached into the cabinet for a bowl. Yeah I am sure you guessed what happened next.

Not only did it break but it broke into a million tiny pieces. You could not have even made out what it was even if you wanted to. It scattered into a large area of my kitchen floor and even made its way into the dining room, underneath the chair Zack was sitting it. Even after it had crashed for the next few minutes you could still hearing pieces cracking! It was odd to say the least.Yes there is still some pieces under the stove that I could not get so Kris has a job to do. Have fun pulling the stove out dear. :)

So now I think I will be on the lookout for unbreakable dishes.
Anyone know where I can buy a rubber set of dishes?

Lunch time.

My son has some sort of obsession with Subway sandwiches. What it is I do not know. When he wants to go out to lunch, he always asks for Subway. I am wondering what the heck they are putting in those sandwiches that makes him want to go back there every time he gets to go out to eat.

Here is a conversation that went on recently.

"Mom, I want to have lunch with daddy today."

"Okay lets give him a call and see if he is able to leave work today."

Dialing phone, handing it to little one so he can talk with daddy. Ring, Ring, Ring... voicemail.

"I not gonna leave a message for him!"

So yet again I am the one to leave a message.

A little while later...

Ring, Ring.

"Dad, I didn't want to leave a message for you."

"I know Zack."

"Daddy I want to go to Subway for a free cucumber and pickle sandwich."

"A free sandwich?"

"Zack it is not free, who do you think has to pay for it?"

"Daddy pays for it, he is the best payer."

The swap.

I just wanted to take a moment to say I am pretty sure this idea that I have in my head can be pulled off.

Let me know what you think.

There are days that Kris just does not feel like getting up in the morning but Zack gets up real early. I am thinking Zack could take the place of Kris at work... At least until nap time because then I think they would notice.

What, you think they would notice the height difference?

Well that is an easy fix, Zack could sit at the desk playing games (oops I mean working) on the computer.

He is just like his father. He could talk to anyone on the phone so I do not really see any problems there.

The only real problem I see is that Zack does not know how to drive yet so it would be a little hard for him to get there.

Take a look.
Looks like a perfect match to me. So Kris what do you think? Think you two could pull it off?

And so it goes...

Yesterday, I told Zack there was a cup on the counter if he wanted it. He took it down, sat on the couch and started drinking it.
After a few minutes he yelled "Hey".
When I asked him what was wrong he gave me an odd look and said "Hey this is a sippy cup and sippy cups are for babies!"


And so the sippy cups are being put away.

This morning I told Zack to get into his chair so he could eat breakfast. He pulled out the chair and yelled "I can not sit in this booster seat it is for babies!"


And so the booster seat is now taken away from the table.

Later on we went to the grocery store. I really just wanted to hurry up and get in and out so I picked Zack up and plopped him in the seat of the cart. He said "Mom I want to walk." I told him not today because I needed to hurry up (Lord knows when he is walking you can not hurry because you are putting things back on the shelf that he has taken off). What do you think came next? Yup! you guessed it "Mommy I can not sit in this seat... It's for babies!"


And so I guess it is said I no longer have a baby in the house.

Spin me again Daddy.

Being a kid outdoors on a warm summer night who has the undivided attention of both his parents gets to have the best times, even if it does make daddy a little shaky in the knees afterward.