Just a reminder

Henry was telling me things he wanted for this past Christmas.

"Mom," he says to me.

"Yes?"  I respond.  I can't say "What" because then I'll be stuck with it.  Stuck with what, you ask?  That's it.  I'll be stuck with what.  It's a fun game the kids play, oh yes it is.  Even more fun is when they try to get dad to play.

"Dad!"

"What?"  he says.

"Ah ha ha ha!  Now you're stuck with it!!  Ha ha ha ha!  10 seconds to get rid of it!"

(The only way to be rid of it is to get another unaware person to say "what?")

But dear Andy, he's figured out a way to circumvent this game.  "I don't want to get rid of it," he says.  "I like it!"

Oh, the groans and the "But Dad!" we hear.

But back to Henry, and his Christmas list.  He looks at me ever so intently, no trace of irony anywhere on his face.  "You could just shop at an office supply store for my Christmas presents."

Love it.  This from the kid who wanted (and got) a laminator for his 6th birthday.  No specifics this time, just anything from an office supply store would do.

In which I realize MY limit

Today Owen and I went ice skating. While we were on the ice, he asked me how long it had been since I last skated. "About 1000 days?" he guessed. I laughed. "No, more like about 4000!" Ack! He could not figure this out. "Why?" I really had no good answer. I tried to tell Andy yesterday that I'm allergic to the cold. Maybe that's why I haven't been ice skating.

Anyway, I didn't fall much, but I was so slllllloooooow at first. Owen didn't care. But he did notice when I sped up. He has a heart of gold, and he can be so sweet to me. When I started to move a little faster, he came up to me with a big smile on his face. "Mom, you're getting the hang of it!" And then I got a big hug. I thanked him for noticing.

But. O to tha M to tha G do my feet hurt. What is with the constant feeling of being on the cusp of two crippling foot cramps the ENTIRE time I was skating? Were the skates too big? (They were my sister's.) Yes, she will love me for saying that. Were they not laced tight enough? Or, and what I suspect is most likely, is it just a matter of me aging by about 4000 days since I last skated?

I will skate again, since the boys seem to be crazy about it lately. But if anyone can tell me how to make it feel better on the feet, 4000 kisses to you!

He doesn't suffer from a lack of confidence

Yesterday I was drying Aidan's hair (my two older boys have super thick hair that would freeze into icicles if I didn't dry it during the winter months.) As I brushed it out near the end of drying, Aidan shook his head, declaring, "Nah, I don't want to be that handsome!"

A few minutes later we were all watching Olympic skiing. Aidan declared his intention to be an Olympian someday. We encouraged it. I remember aching to be an Olympic gymnast the year that Mary Lou Retton won her gold. I want my kids to feel they can do anything, that they have no limit on what they can accomplish. Why take the fun out of that feeling?

You and me

Yesterday I took Aidan to the doctor for his 7 year well child visit. Both Aidan and the doctor were very chatty. Aidan wanted to know what heart valves look like as well as how they work, so Dr. B got out one of his medical textbooks to show him. Dr. B was explaining things, and Aidan waited for a break in the explanation. When there was one, he asked, "Do you know if a box jellyfish can cut out your heart?" Without missing a beat, Dr. B said he knew box jellyfish were particularly poisonous, but that they couldn't cut out one's heart. All in all, the visit went well. After we left I took Aidan to the library . He chose several fiction books, but was really interested to see what we could find out about poison dart frogs and box jellyfish. I did find a book about the world's deadliest creatures. To our delight, it included box jellyfish and poison dart frogs. We deemed our library visit a success. As we were leaving, I got a text that invited Aidan to a friend's house for dinner. He wanted to go, so I dropped him off at the friend's house. He turned to me and said, "Aren't you coming?" I said no. He really wanted me to, and when I said no again, he asked when he would see me again. When I told him 45 minutes, he was satisfied, but only after two kisses.

A doctor visit and a trip to the library was really special. We both enjoyed our time with just each other. I am lucky to have three really sweet boys, but one on one time with any of them is rare. Yesterday Aidan and I made the most of it.

Oh me, Oh my, OMA!

Today is my mom's (and my children's Oma's) birthday! I wish wish wish we were there to celebrate with her. I know if we were, though, she would focus less on her and more on us, so this way hopefully she can really celebrate her special day. Just a few thoughts on what makes her special...

Owen likes her back scratches and snuggles.
Henry says "WHAT!!??" and then that he likes her costumes.
Aidan likes her cinnamon rolls.

I like all those things too! Thanks, mom, for always taking my calls. Some days I don't know where I'd be without them. You raised me right and gave me wings, but I still need to talk to mom!

Now mom, go have dad dress up in a costume, give you a back scratch and make you some cinnamon rolls.

We love you!

1st Badge and other events

Aidan got his 1st Cub Scout badge tonight. He seemed pretty neutral about the whole thing, actually. He was waaaaaay more excited about building a Lego Santa. When he finished, he followed me around in his anxious way. "Mom? Do you think Santa will steal him?" I reassured him that Santa was not a thief, but that was not enough. I must have heard the same question three more times. Finally I said, "What kind of guy do you think Santa is? He brings presents, he doesn't go around the house stealing things."

It really is a very cool Lego Santa. Maybe someday I'll figure out how to move images from my camera to this computer and you all can see for yourselves.

It's a very exclusive club

Owen was overcome with emotion today while he was coloring. "Mom, this is my BEST day. I love to color," he said while coloring a poster-sized image of Ahsoka and R3. "I'm going to start a coloring club. To be in it, you have to like to color. And you have to like me."