But, then they have to pay me!

Several months back I blogged about my future astronaut, who turned six on Thursday, by the way. As can be expected with children who have barely begun their school years, he's changed his life's ambition yet again.

Both our boys have a bit of an obsession with New York City. Jack's is partly thanks to the Big Apple Adventure VBS theme a couple of summers ago. Anyway, Jack has decided since he'd like to live in New York, he would like to drive a taxi. Never one to squash dreams, we have assured him that he can be the best taxi driver in New York City.

On the way home from bible study tonight the topic came up again. Sam, our three-year-old, was lamenting about the fact that Josh would not be home when we got there, "I wish Daddy didn't have night work on this night."

I reminded him that God had called our daddy to be helper and that tonight was a night that he was doing his best to help people. Jack added, "that's what all jobs are; they are to help people." After a short pause, he added, "except the job I'm going to do. It's not really helping people."

Just to test his current mood, I explored, "Really? What job are you going to do?" He said, "You know...a taxi driver." In the spirit of encouragement I assured him that taxi drivers help people get where they need to go. I went further in an effort to emphasize, "One day you may pick up someone who is sick or maybe even a pregnant lady who is about to have a baby, and you'll need to drive them to the hospital. That will be helpful."

Without even a pause, he chimed in, "but, then they have to pay me."

Disney Diaries, Post 5 (Let's Go To Hollywood!)

On our third park day, we ventured to Hollywood Studios, which is the old MGM. In addition to a lot of the Pixar characters, there are Star Wars rides and of course the Tower of Terror. We began with the Disney Junior character breakfast at Hollywood & Vine. The food was tasty. The atmosphere was just okay. If it hadn't been for the fact that Jack's favorite character was here, this would have been a skip-able one. The boys did get to meet Jake of Jake & the Neverland Pirates, and they were thrilled. Handy Manny, Agent OSO and one of the Little Einsteins was also there, but the boys were not as interested in them.

I left breakfast a little early to get the boys signed up for the Jedi Training Academy. Once in line I realized the boys had to be present to sign up. They hustled over and we began quizzing Sam on his age. You had to be four to participate. If he wanted to do it, he was going to have to pretend to be four, rather than three. He was cool as a cucumber in line, saying, "I'm 4!" Then, once we got up front and the man asked him how old he was, sweet thing said, "I'm 3!" So, needless to say, he didn't get to participate. Maybe next time.

While I was in line with the boys, Josh scored fastpasses for Toy Story Mania. Once we got Jack's Jedi time assignment, we headed over to the Star Tours ride, which was a big hit with everyone. Sam loved it to, but that may have had something to do with the 3D glasses. He got to wear them again when we saw Muppet Vision 3D. The boys got to meet Phineas and Ferb, Lightning McQueen and Mater, and even Buzz and Woody.

Around noon it was time for Jack to report for his Jedi Training Academy. He received a robe and was instructed on his duties. Soon, the show began. A master Jedi carefully instructed the padwans. Suddenly, Darth Vader and two storm troopers emerged. Each padwan had the opportunity to show their new skills and fight Vader. It was quite thrilling, and Jack loved it.

The boys agreed to brave the Tower of Terror, especially since we called it a haunted hotel. Jack enjoyed the introduction which includes a Twilight Zone type retelling of how the hotel became haunted and why the elevator no longer functions properly. But, he didn't enjoy the drops. Afterwards, he said, "that wasn't fun." Sam added, "That was not a good idea." It may sound a little cruel, but any time the boys got a little whiny or complained we jokingly suggest we return to the haunted hotel. They'd straighten up immediately!

With sure action and excitement, we thought the boys might enjoy the Indiana Jones stunt show. It was a little late starting, and we learned it was because of some set difficulties. So, they were only able to show us the first scene (of 3), which is only about five minutes long. The boys didn't know any different, and didn't seem to mind. Later we got in place for the Pixar Pals parade. Somehow in all the loud excitement, Sam managed to drift off. After the parade, Jack noticed his brother, "Mom, look at Sam. He's asleep. He's pretty cute!"

We enjoyed some down time and then headed to a car stunt show. It included cars racing, jumping ramps, motorcycles and fire. In other words, the boys loved it! We had dinner at Mama Melrose's, which was good, but not great. Our service was not so good, but our bellies were full. We did a couple more rides and then headed to watch Fantasmic, the closing show.

I had heard Fantasmic was a bit scary for small children, so I was a bit worried the boys wouldn't like it. The hardest part was the wait. You have to arrive 30-45 minutes prior to showtime to get an okay seat. Keeping the boys entertained on the bleachers required all the goodies in my backpack. A coloring book worked for Jack and a set of stickers kept Sam occupied for a solid 20 minutes. I'm so glad I hauled that backpack around all week. Once the show began, all was good. The special effects were pretty spectacular. I could see why the show had a reputation. At one point there was an enormous evil dragon and the entire lake was on fire! I saw families with tots streaming up the aisles and out. Our boys didn't seemed too concerned, and the show ends on a much happier note.

Tuesday favorites:
Jack: Indiana Jones show, the parade & picking out a gift to bring back for our neighbor, Fin
Sam: The good guys at the end of Fantasmic (again, the most recent thing he had seen)
Mom: The Jedi Training Academy
Dad: The Star Tours ride and the Muppets Show

To the Moon & Back

Jack, age 5, future astronaut

I'm sure you've heard it. I see it all over the place. A few simple words that carry a weight of emotions: I love you to the moon and back.

Well, I've never thought it would carry such a literal meaning until this week. If you have a young child or have spent any length of time around one, you know they can be indecisive. My five-year-old son is no different, especially when it comes to future occupations.

It wasn't too long ago, he was frustrated at the thought of being unprepared to follow in his daddy's footsteps. And even more recently, he declared he'd have three jobs when he grew up. One would be a doctor, one would be fighting bad guys and the third would be driving an ice cream truck. I asked him if he'd give me free ice cream. He said, "I will if I see you."

Well, this week, he's decided he's going to be an astronaut. I, of course, haven't had the heart to tell him our nation's space program has been all but shut down. Instead, we've been encouraging and assured him he can do anything he wants to do.

Looking for a chance to encourage him, I assured him that astronauts must know how to read. He sighed, but agreed he could continue learning. Josh informed him that astronauts have to do a lot of math, as well. So, yesterday, when he emerged from quiet time, he snuggled up to me and said, "okay, I'm ready to practice some math." We spent 20 minutes doing simple addition and subtraction.

Today while riding in the car he asked, "Mom, do astronauts have to know left from right?" I assured him they do. He said, "probably so they can get to the moon!"

Oh, sweet boy, I really do love you to the moon and back. And, who knows, you may just be up there one day!

What a Ride

With Josh scheduled to work all weekend, we made big plans to do it up right on Friday night with a fun family night. Luckily, this weekend was the Mountain Laurel Festival. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the festivities, Pitts Park became a carnival of fun.

A small side note: whenever Josh asks Jack what he wants to do for fun he always says, "go to the fair!" Josh always has to remind him that the fair isn't until the fall and even then it's only for one week.

You can imagine the excitement when I drove by Pitts Park on Tuesday after preschool to show the boys what we were planning to do on Friday night. Sam said, "that be fun!"

They rode every ride they were tall enough to ride, some of them even twice. And then of course we stuffed our faces with hot dogs & cotton candy. It was a full and fun Friday night!

You can see lots more of our fun here.

Anxious Giver

Last Tuesday, Josh reminded Jack that they would be doing a little mother's day shopping. Josh asked him if he knew what he wanted to get me. He immediately responded, "Yes! A necklace."

That sweet boy searched over the gift garden & first selected a wrapped gift from the wedding registry area. "Let's get this for Mommy!" Josh, ever so wise, told him he didn't know what was in there (not to mention that he belonged to some newlywed couple). "But it's so pretty," Jack begged. Josh told him once he picked out a gift that he could tell the sales ladies it was for his mommy that they would wrap it for him. He eventually selected a necklace & took it to the counter announcing proudly it was for his mom. The lady asked, "Would you like it gift wrapped?" Jack said, "No, just wrap it up."

Next followed five days of pure torture for the little giver. "Is it Mother's Day today? How many more days till Mother's Day?"

Today he made sure to tell me that I should wear it to drop him off at preschool. "I want everyone to say, 'Oh, I like your new necklace!'"

Mom...

My mom has a pretty smile. I like to make her smile by...doing what she says, like getting in the bathtub and turning on the water!

My mom is smart! She even knows...when I need a bath and when I don't!

I guess as a mom to boys, I put a bit of emphasis on cleanliness these days.

Lost in Translation

Sam just ran into the living room and told Josh, "I watch fooball!"

Josh replied, "Sam, just when I thought I couldn't possibly love you any more."

Overhearing from the kitchen table, Jack said disapprovingly, "Did you just say you don't love Sam any more?"

Medicine for the Heart

You may recall my post from last week about how I was caught a bit off guard by my oldest's words. I didn't lament over it, although I do recall he seemed to mouth the same phrase at me a couple of days later following another incident.

And, even though I wasn't stewing on it, it did feel good to hear him do a 180, without any thought to his previous statements. On Monday, while he, Sam and I were eating lunch, he said, "You're the bestest Mom." I smiled and said, "Oh, thank you! What makes me the bestest mom?" He said, "Well you are always fixing things. And you make the bestest things." He could have meant I make the best hot dog, pineapple and pretzel lunches or perhaps he meant I had done a good job at fixing him and his ailing brother as Monday was a bit of a sick day. Either way, it felt good. I told him how much I loved hearing him say that, and that it made me feel very good.

On a related note, Saturday night as I rocked Sam before bedtime, I was telling him how much I loved him. I told him that I love him, and that was the reason I made him a birthday cake and we had a special party. Without skipping a beat, he muttered, "I wuv Ooo too!"

Stung

I assumed it would happen eventually. I've even told myself it was a mark of being a good parent, but that didn't make the sting any less piercing. Sunday night when Jack asked if he could watch a DVD in the car I told him he couldn't. He had just made a series of less than optimal choices when preparing to leave church, and I explained that he had to work harder to make good choices so that good things could happen...like movies. His reply: "You're mean!"

Ouch! That hurt. I know he doesn't think I'm a mean person. I'm hoping it just felt my restrictions were mean, but it still hurt. I didn't tell him how much it hurt me, but I did spend the next several minutes reminding him of all the things that I had done for him to show him that I love him.

I wasn't prepared for it to start so soon. I hope it is just a fluke. Surely boys can't be so dramatic, right?

When I grow up...

A friend and I who both have boys about the same age were laughing the other day about how amazed we were that our preschoolers were talking about their future occupations, spouses, etc. This was serious thinking ahead. Jack's typical ideas about the future don't begin with "when I grow up," but instead, "when I get big like a daddy..."

A couple months ago, he was upset after we had tucked him in. Josh went in to talk to him and the conversation led to the idea that when Jack was a daddy he would have a job too. He said, "but I can't have a job. I haven't learned how to fix sick people yet!"

In the last few weeks, he has told me on a number of occasions that he wants to be a football player when he gets to be a bigger boy. "And I'll go to the big school (a.k.a. Habersham Central)." Tonight in the car, out of nowhere, he said, "Mommy, when I get big like a daddy, I don't want to be a football player that is in the game." I'm thinking is he about to tell me his future goal is to be a benchwarmer?? Then, he adds, "I want to be the coach. Like Hudson's daddy. And I'm going to wear those big headphones!"

perfect labor day

What a way to celebrate Labor Day! We knew rain was in the forecast for us today, and they weren't kidding. It has only let up a couple of times today. After a late night Saturday, it was nice to have a day to sort of catch up on rest and get some things done. But, other than some minor projects around the house, we enjoyed a pretty labor-free day. The boys did great for being cooped up...in fact they never got out of their pajamas! Getting ready for bed tonight we already had PJs crossed off our list. Here's a few recent funnies:

Jack is playing with a toy telephone. He covers the receiver and whispers to me, "It's your parents." This alone was pretty funny, but I decided to quiz him a bit and asked him if he knew my parents' names. He said, "John & Lisa." (By the way, that is my brother & sister-in-law.) I corrected him: "Mema & Pop are my parents." To which he said, "Oh, yeah. They are your mom & dad."

While playing with his matchbox cars and lining them up along the bottom of a shelf, Jack explained to me that his cars were having a tea party. I said, "a tea party?" He said, "Yes, but it's a blue tea party. Pink tea parties are for girls."

Jack also recently informed me that he likes monsters, but girls don't. I said, "oh, yeah." He replied very matter of factly, "yes, girls like kitty kats."

Yesterday at church our children's minister passed along this scene. While she was sharing a story about Mary & Martha, she explained that they were sisters. Jack piped up and said, "I have a sister named Sam!"

america's favorite cookie

A week or so ago, we were at the grocery store. When I paused our shopping cart to pick up milk, Jack noticed a photograph of someone dipping an Oreo in a big glass of milk on display. He looked at me in amazement. "Do some people put their cookie in their milk?"

I admit I felt a little guilty, that I hadn't yet shared this American past time with my son. So, I promised him he could try it after lunch. He was a natural. I'm pretty sure it lived up to his expectations.

fun in the sun

Sam found a perfect hiding spot

Several days ago we spent our Saturday with family on Lake Lanier. It was a birthday celebration of sorts for me and my brother. It was a cloudy day, which cooled it down a bit. The one rain shower that moved through happened to do so while we were docked for lunch. We spent most of our day cruising in the pontoon boat and introducing Jack to tubing. I'm pretty sure he's hooked.

His first go round was alongside dad. He kept yelling, "go faster!" And "don't slow down!"

Finally he agreed to take a break. After lunch, my brother and sister-in-law decided to take a turn. Jack wasn't as good a spectator as he was participant. He kept yelling (unbeknownst to them): "just fall off!"

Jack was thrilled when they decided they'd had enough. I decided I'd get on the tube with Jack this time, but before we even got that far he announced, "I won't be scared to do it all my by self.*" So, we put him out there alone. Partly because of his lack of weight and our lack of speed he fell off right away. I was afraid he was done. He did seem a little scared floating alone in that big lake, and yelled, "come back" as we circled back around. After swimming to the rope, he said, "I want to get back on, daddy!"

*I still love that he says "all my by self" instead of all by myself.  

like curious george, not george from seinfeld

A couple of weeks ago, our church organized a "mommy & me" trip to Imagine It, the children's museum in Atlanta. In anticipation of our arrival, I tried to explain to Jack where we where headed. He asked if it was a museum like George goes to. And just to make sure I knew he was talking about the cartoon monkey he added, "Like Curious George, not George from Seinfeld."

I assured him that this was the kind of museum where we could touch everything! Jack loved shopping in the market, running the register, loading the grocery truck and milking the cow. Sam was a busy body as well. It was a workout to keep up with the two of them.

this boy likes to shop for groceries!

squeeze!

Sam loved the ability to explore

painting fun!

poor kid

So, we've been gone for a week vacationing in Asheville. Once we returned we weren't quite ready for vacay to end, so we tacked on a trip to the aquarium. I'll probably fill you in/bore you with all the details over the course of a few different posts, but I think I'll ease back into blog-o-sphere with an update on my poor deprived 3-year-old.

You'll remember his persistence with wanting an iPad for his birthday. While walking around downtown Asheville one morning last week, we passed a cafe with sidewalk bistro tables. Of course there were a number of folks with laptops, notebooks, etc. He spotted that beautiful apple device and said with utter dejection, "I wish I had an iPad." As if he's the only 3-year-old that doesn't have one.

We stopped in a department store during a stop last week to scout the clearance racks. While I looked for spring/summer wardrobe steals for the boys for next year, Jack spotted a shirt. Now, I guess I should come to terms with the fact that he is beginning to want to make decisions about his own wardrobe, but I feel like I still have final say. I don't remember exactly what the shirt looked like, but it was something along these lines.
I told him he could not get the shirt, nevermind that it wasn't on the clearance rack...it was ugly! Of course, he showed it to Josh proudly. We left without the shirt. Much like the iPad, I thought it was over.

Monday while spending some time with my mom, Jack told her about this awesome monster truck shirt he found. He told her he had prayed to God that he could have that shirt and added, "can you get me that shirt for my birthday?" This kid is unbelievable!

Just Ask Jack

If you've got a burning question, I've got just the person to answer it: Jack. Our ever-curious 3 1/2 year old is full of answers these days. Here are just a couple of examples:

Sam has gotten to that stage that he must remove his shoes when he is in the car. I remember Jack going through a similar stage, but can't for the life of me remember how long this lasts. It doesn't matter if we are going an hour down the road or around the corner, he will do everything he can to get those suckers off. It can make running multiple errands quite frustrating. Last week after opening his door to get him out, I notice he has again removed his shoes. I say aloud, "Sam, did you take your shoes off again? What am I going to do with you?" Jack looked at me and said very matter of factly, "Putting them back on."

Another evening last week, I let Sam enjoy himself at dinner and feed himself his yogurt. Of course, I knew what would happen, but a bath was on tap for that night anyway. I was in the kitchen, and Sam's back was to me. So, I asked Josh, who was standing closer to the table, "how's Sam doing over there?" Josh's said, "He's doing great, Mama," with such joyful encouragement. Jack looked at him as if he were crazy and piped in, "He's got it ALL over him!"

Maybe it will paint my toes?

You may remember a couple weekends ago I shared that Josh's aunt had come to visit along with his parents. She brought along a pretty cool little gadget that made Jack an instant friend of Aunt Pat. I was hoping he'd eventually forget all about it, but not so fast...

(in the car yesterday)
J: Mom, when it is my birthday next time, I want one of those things like Mrs. Pat has.
(before I can say anything he adds,) Not Mrs. Pat from my school. Nathan's Mrs. Pat. (Nathan is Patsy's grandson and Jack's cousin). You know a iPed.

Me: An iPed?

J: Yes, a iPed!

No, Luke, I AM Your Father

So, last week at preschool, Jack's teacher relayed a funny story to me when I arrived to pick him up. They were talking about Mother's Day coming up and Father's Day would be following soon after. Jack interrupted (in what I can only assume was a some what dejected tone), "I don't have a father."

Jack's teacher said, "what about your daddy?" And he said, "Oh, yeah!"

So, while my sister was staying with us for a couple of days we decided to celebrate Thursday night with a chocolate chip cookie message cake. I won't go into all the details, but this is a very funny joke to the three of us! And Jack certainly didn't mind that we were enjoying cookie after dinner!

His Perspective

Each Tuesday and Thursday when I pick the boys up from preschool, I ask Jack how his day was. I usally ask if he ate his lunch, what kind of things they did at school, until I can find a subject to get him talking. A couple of weeks ago, I overheard the teacher tell one of his classmates who was having a bit of separation trouble during drop-off that they would be making popcorn that day. I made a mental note.

Later when we were riding home, I asked Jack about school and asked if he made popcorn. He excitedly said, "Yes, and I made a tree dog, but it's not a dog." You can imagine my confusion after this statement. So, I asked for clarification. He simply repeated the statement. I decided we'd move on and returned to the popcorn. I asked if he had eaten any popcorn. He said disgustedly, "Noooo! It had glue on it!" Then, the lightbulb came on and I realized just what he meant. Finally, last week, I walked in to find this on the wall by his classroom:

So, the "tree dog" was a dogwood tree made with popcorn. I was glad my thoughts had aligned with reality. In other silly sayings of a three-year-old. Jack wore a whole in the knee of one of pairs of jeans.* When we got in the car after school he told me sadly, "mom, my pants got broked."

*on a side note, I know I have two boys, but I guess I didn't realize we would reach the age of clothes destruction so soon! So much for hand-me-downs for little brother.

Dialogue with a 3-year-old

As you might expect, dialogue with a 3-year-old can be interested and often times highly entertaining. Here are some funny exchanges from the last few months:

When praying at night, we've been talking about not just thanking God for all the fun/good stuff (which he's been doing for a long time), but also asking for forgiveness or saying sorry for our bad choices. Often he asks for help remembering what bad choices he might have made that day. One night I reminded him about the fact that he had whined several times that day. So, he prayed: "Dear God, I'm sorry I was whining, but I just wanted some juice..."

Our curious 3-year-old has gotten very interested in letters and what they spell. After Christmas, we were making some returns. He noticed my Ann Taylor LOFT shopping bag. He says, "L - O - F - T...bag."

And if you ever doubted if the things you tell them will be repeated, here's some proof. We talk a lot about choices, making good vs. bad. Last Friday night, I left Jack in the care of my mom as I was attending a MOPS event. I encouraged him to be good and behave while I was gone. As I left the room, he called out, "Make good choices, mommy!"

While talking to Josh the other day, Jack told him, "I love baby Sam, but I don't like it when he messes me up when I'm trying to watch something. But, when he doesn't, I love him."