Observant One

Every five years, teachers in Virginia are required to renew their teaching license.  As part of my licensure renewal, I had to take a First Aid and CPR course, which I completed last night.

This morning, as we were all getting ready for work/school, I told my family that I had an announcement to make: I could now save their lives in a medical emergency.

I heard Brad whisper to Hannah, "No, she couldn't."

So I started to defend myself by listing off my new skill-set: rigid splints, soft splints, compression wraps, Epi-pen administration, CPR, stop bleeding, and the use of an AED.

Brad especially didn't believe that I could operate an AED.  So he asked me, "What does AED stand for?"

To which I replied, "I don't know, but I know how to use one to save your life."

He laughed, I laughed, Hannah laughed, and then Brad shared that he knew that I wouldn't know the answer to that question before he even asked.

"Notice how Daddy makes fun of me?" I asked Hannah.

"Yeah...I noticed that a long time ago!" she giggled.

First Comes Love

Our neighbor friends came over to play with the kiddos today.  In their adventures, Riley and Emerson found a giant, two-headed, stuffed snake, so Jack was making it hiss and pretending to have it crawl towards the girls.

One of them shared that she didn't like snakes, so Jack took it upon himself to tell her that his daddy used to breed snakes.  "Do you know what breed means?" he asked.

As I tried to figure out the best way to intervene, Jack explained as best he could.

"It means when two snakes love each other and they make a completely new snake!"

So I quietly walked away and jotted that little nugget down so that I wouldn't forget how completely tactful and appropriate my little man was in explaining a tricky subject to his four year old friends.

And then I smiled because, somewhere along the way, he's learned that loves come first :)

You're So Old!

Tonight we had breakfast for dinner.  Mostly because it's easy and quick, and I know my kids will eat well!

Brad fixed the bacon and the littles were overjoyed and eager to eat as much of it as possible.  We asked them to share it equally, and Jack was kind enough to offer some of his to me.  When Hannah found out I wasn't going to take him up on his offer, she was excited to have a few extra slices.  We had to explain to her that he was still going to eat it, and he celebrated this small victory.

Playfully, Brad joked with Hannah by saying, "You got served!"

Jack had a questioning look on his face, so Brad started to explain that it was from a movie called You Got Served, when Jack interrupted to say, "Oh, like you got burned!"

Brad responded by saying, "No, that's a little extreme..."

To which Jack had to explain that the phrases, "You got served!" and "You got burned!" mean the same thing.

And then, laughing to himself, he joked, "You're so old!"

I laughed so hard, juice almost came out of my nose.  Dinner with my family is never dull!

Down on the Farm

As is our custom on Spring Break, we spent the day on the farm.  This year, we decided to go to Great Country Farms, and it didn't disappoint.  The weather was gorgeous - maybe even hotter than I'd planned for!  I think we even got a bit of sun, which felt nice.

My kids love a photo-op :)

Pure joy

This boy loves the slides!

Me and my little lovelies on the hay ride

Summer freckles make their first appearance

Jack showed her just what to do and what face to make!

They were so excited about this ninja course - it's like it was made just for them!

That face she makes when I've taken too many pictures

Funny side story: While we were at the farm, we decided to play a round of mini-golf.  It was only the second time the kids have played, but they were so excited!  Unfortunately, there wasn't a score card and any of those cute, tiny pencils, so we had to keep track of our own putts which wasn't a piece of cake.  For most of the game, Jack was in the lead, and so happily content.  Towards the end, I started to gain on him and finally overtook him.  At the very end, Hannah announced her score, and I announced mine.  Then Jack proudly explained that he hadn't been keeping score; he was just playing to have fun!  There was a grandma nearby playing with her grandkids, and she chuckled when she heard that...

"Gotcha there, didn't he?" she asked.

"Yes, definitely.  He always does!"

But first...

While Brad and I both graduated college with a degree, our thoughts on the matter, as far as our children are concerned, differ slightly.  I certainly would prefer that both of our kids go to college, but it wouldn't be the end of the world if they didn't - if they just really felt that it wasn't for them.  Brad, on the other hand, would feel as though he'd failed as a father if they don't go to college.  And they know this because he's pretty much shared his thoughts...in those exact words.

Last night, as I was getting Hannah ready for bed, picking out clothes for the next day, she randomly said something about how Daddy would have failed as a father if they don't go to college.  I have no idea how this little idea popped into her head because it certainly wasn't part of any current conversation we had going, but I've come to roll with the punches when the little people bring up a topic that seems totally off the wall.

I tried to explain that Daddy is an excellent father, no matter what.  And then, that all Daddy means is that he really wants them to go to school so that they can get a good education and a good job when they grow up.

Hannah continued to talk, sharing how Jack doesn't want to go to college, but that she does.

She crawled up into bed, pulled the blankets up to her chin and announced, "I'm going to college...but first, I'm going to sleep."

Definitely made me laugh - the whole, first this, then that attitude.  First things first, Baby Girl.  You can see that I've taught her that sleep is a priority :)

After we read to Hannah and we were snuggling down, her college conversation continued.  She brought it up somehow, and then Brad asked her what she might like to study in school (math, science, etc.).  She explained that she wants to be a police officer.  {Brad did so well.  It's not the safest field for our girl to head into, and her alternative (being a fire fighter) isn't much safer.  Plus, there's the whole idea that you don't technically need a degree to do either.)

I told her maybe she could study laws, and we did explain that while she doesn't have to go to college to be a police officer, it certainly couldn't hurt.  Maybe she could even be a detective one day, or be in charge of all the police officers!

Those answers seemed good enough for Hannah.  She probably dozed off while dreaming about college and fighting crime :)

             

Meanwhile, this mama will probably have nightmares for years to come about her babies going away to school.  Sometimes, I just want to freeze time!

Crisis Averted...and Messy Fingers

Hannah Bear had a soccer game this morning in the rain.  Since the weather was less-than-stellar, Daddy and Jack decided to stay home where it was warm and dry.  Hannah and I bundled up and went to soccer.  I was glad that the girls got to play today since they were rained out last weekend.  Hannah did extremely well - she scored three goals and played tough the whole time.  I was a proud assistant coach!

After soccer, we ran a couple of errands together before heading home for lunch.  On the way home, Hannah announced, "Mama, can I tell you something?  I think it's a lie."

"What's a lie, Baby Girl?"

"I don't believe that Santa, with his belly like a bowl full of jelly, can really fit down the chimney.  The pipe is just too small."

I decided to wait this one out...while I bided my time, Hannah continued.

"I think he just comes right in the front door...belly like a bowl full of jelly...that rhymes!" she shouted through her girly giggles.

I took a deep breath, thanked my lucky stars that I'd kept my mouth shut, and agreed with my sweet girl of five.

*****

Later this evening, we decided to order Chinese food since neither Brad nor I wanted to make dinner.  Jack is not really a fan of Chinese food, and hasn't really found something on the menu that he loves, so we keep trying new things.  We decided to order him some barbecue spare ribs since he loves Grandma's ribs so much, and believe it or not, aside from the grumbling about getting the meat off of the bone, he really liked them.

It occurred to both me and Brad that it's the messiest we've ever seen Jack get during dinner.  I started to tell him about when he was a toddler, he hated to be messy so much that he would opt of art projects in the toddler room at school.  I said something about how impressed I was that he was eating and not worrying about his messy face.

"Oh, I'm very aware, and it's bothering me very badly."

We had a good laugh about that, and then I told the story of how Miss Tab had suggested that I get a bag of uncooked rice, put it into a big bowl, and then have Jack watch as I put his little cars and dinosaur toys inside the rice.  She was hoping that he'd get over his sensory issues while digging for his toys.  That, of course, is not at all what happened.  Eighteen month old Jack watched with big, blue eyes as I buried his tiny toys in rice, and then he ever-so-calmly walked away to play with something else.  He was not about to stick those tiny fingers in a bowl of rice when there were plenty of other toys to play with.  In hindsight, maybe I should have buried Skinny Bear?

Good Citizens

Today as I was driving the kiddos home from daycare, Hannah was chatting (as she typically does) in the back seat.  She said something about how on one of the days when "we're just lazy-ing around," we should pick up trash instead.

"Hmm...maybe.  What gave you that idea?"

"Well, if we pick up trash, that would be us being good citizens."

And I smiled.  Because I know that she is learning about citizenship in kindergarten, just like my first graders are studying citizenship now.  And she's obviously paying attention and soaking it all in.  It makes my mama-heart and my teacher-heart oh, so very happy.

Now, I guess I need to plan a clean-up excursion with my not-so-tiny peanut.

Adorable

While we were eating dinner tonight (and when I say dinner, what I really mean is a frozen meal I heated up because I am so very, very tired), we were talking about after dinner snacks as we were trying to convince Hannah to at least try the chicken enchiladas.

Jack was listing the various things he might have eaten if he finished his dinner, and at some point, I shared the fact that I often eat a bowl of cereal right before I go to bed.  (Don't judge.)

Jack was intrigued by this fun fact: "Really?" he asked.

"Yeah, I do it a lot.  Why?"

"Aww...that's so adorable."

Just like that.  It was the cutest thing, and I immediately smiled and jotted it down.  I'm not sure what is so adorable about me eating breakfast right before bed, but the fact that Jack had that reaction to it was the most adorable part.

Never too late

The weather outside is simply beautiful.  Every time it starts to get warm and sunny outside, I imagine moving to Southern California and raising our family in sunshiny warmth, enjoying playdates on the beach and flip-flops at Christmas.  I think I'd love it - if only we could get our families to all travel with us...

Today was one of those sunny, dreamy afternoons - except that we had a dentist appointment and Hannah's tummy didn't react too well to the flouride treatment and the extra warm temperatures in our car.  Enough said about that...

So by the time we got home, Hannah was determined to lay low and Jack just wanted to relax.  Soon enough, one of his classmates came over to play, and they went in and out for a bit while Hannah watched a show in the basement.  Eventually, they settled on a game of Guess Who? and then before we knew it, it was time for Katie to go home for dinner.  Poor Hannah Bear came trudging upstairs to complain that Jack and Katie had played a game that she never gets to play with Jack without ever coming to ask if she wanted to play...and they didn't even tell her that Katie was over.

With sad, pouty eyes, Hannah explained that Jack said that Katie told him not to get her because she always screams at her.

I took a deep breath and slowly wandered into what I knew to be dangerous territory:

"Well, sometimes Jack says that Katie thinks you scream at her, so she might not want to always play if she feels like you aren't very nice to her."

Hannah just looked at me and didn't say a word.

"Do you sometimes scream at Katie when she comes over to play?" I asked.

"Well, I was going to start stopping today, but they never came to get me!" she shouted.

I tried to suppress a bit of laughter over the fact that she was going to start stopping today and asked why she yells at Katie sometimes.  Hannah explained that one time Katie got yogurt on the couch in the basement so I tried to reiterate the fact that everyone makes mistakes, and it's okay if Katie makes a mess sometimes, but I could tell that it is not okay with Hannah.

I also tried to gently explain that if Hannah is always bossing Katie around, Katie probably isn't going to want to play with her and so maybe she could try using her words instead of making Katie feel bad.

I could tell she wanted to mull that one over, so we'll see what happens the next time Jack's playmate knocks at our door.

Keep On

Jack might be an engineer when he grows up.  He loves to build with Legos, and not only that, but he's really, really good at it.  He builds his own creations frequently and we're often amazed by the symmetry and thoughtfulness that each one displays.  Tonight, he made a spaceship all on his own and then came upstairs to share it with us.

In order to make this spaceship, Jack had to disassemble part of another set.  His conversation with Daddy went like this:

Brad: Would Lord Business approve?

Jack: He's imaginary.

Brad: I feel like I'm channeling Lord Business...

Jack: You're channeling something that's imaginary?  Keep on doin' that.

And then Jack walked away.

*****

I think we've created a smart-alec.  Just a tiny bit.

But I suppose that means we've also created a miniature engineer.

And both of these things are perfect to us.

Nope.

I came home today after spending a few nights away at a teachers' conference.  I was so excited to get home and see Brad and the littles.  I was also excited to unpack and crawl into my own bed for a well-deserved nap.  I thought maybe we'd take the kids out for dinner tonight, but surprisingly, they opted to stay in and order Chinese.  I think they've had a busy couple of days, moving around with different family members while I was away and Daddy was at work.  Jack and Hannah like their relaxation time as much as we do, thank goodness.  I think some of their motivation to stay in was that they didn't want to have to get out of their jammies, and I don't blame them!

Tonight while we were eating dinner, Hannah pulled a piece of chicken out of her chicken fried rice and asked, "Is this guts?"

Daddy told her that people don't eat guts.

"Or animal eggs?" Hannah asked.

Brad tried to clarify - "You mean animal eggs as opposed to non-animal eggs?"

"I don't know what that means," Hannah simply stated.

"Animals are the only things that lay eggs," he told her.

A few seconds of silence went by, and then...

"Nnnnnope."

We laughed and I got up to get a piece of paper to write this whole thing down.  As I was jotting and Brad was helping me remember exact words, Hannah went into more depth:

"You just got noped."

*****

I miss them so much when I'm away.

I was waiting for this day to come.

This morning I went out to get my haircut, and Brad stayed home with the little lovelies.  When I got home about an hour and a half later, he had a story to share.  I've read about stories like these, but nothing like this has ever been said by our little ones until today.

Apparently, after breakfast and playtime, Brad went up to take a shower.  When he got out and opened up the bathroom door, he found Hannah Bear lying on the floor, patiently waiting for him to be finished.  She had a great big smile on her face, and she popped up, grinning from ear-to-ear.

"Daddy, will you marry me?"

Now later, Brad told me that he'd considered explaining that this wasn't a possibility.  But she was so eager to ask and so happy...he thought it through and decided it was best not to crush her little heart, but to go along.

"Of course, I will, Sweetheart."

Hannah looked up, with an even bigger smile across her tiny face, and happily scampered out of the bedroom and into the hallway.  She apparently had chosen a special piece of her jewelry that she'd wanted to share with Brad, and she picked it up and came back in to present it to him as the bracelet he could wear when they got married.

When I got home, he was wearing it around his wrist.  In fact, he wore it all day, and as I type this post, it's sitting atop his dresser.  I know he'll hold onto it for as long as he lives - or until Hannah asks for it back.  It's no secret that she's Daddy's Girl :)

Samurai Sunday and Low Probability

Even though Jack is getting older and doesn't dress in multiple made-up costumes each day like he used to, he still surprises us every now and then with a really great costume he made all on his own.

Tonight, he and his sister spent time playing together and decided to dress up like ninja masters.

{We were impressed with the Samurai cape.}

They keep us on our toes, that's for sure!

*****

Also, in celebration of rainy, chilly weather, we decided to make Taco Soup for dinner.  Jack and Hannah are not fans of taco soup, and usually we make quesadillas for them and offer them a tiny bit of soup to try.  Today Jack and Hannah earned three Pokemon cards each for helping Daddy to clean up the house, and after showers, he offered them a fourth if they would eat their dinner without complaints.

Jack turned to Hannah and said, "Our probability of success is low on this."

To which our jaws promptly dropped.  And then we laughed at the vocabulary and forethought that goes along with such a statement.

Surprisingly, both kiddos earned the fourth card.  Jack mostly dipped his quesadilla in the soup and managed to squeak by without eating too many beans.  And Hannah whined a bit and then finally tried a taste.  She shyly looked up and announced that she'd like a little bit more.  It's amazing what can happen when you give something new a try :)

You'd better skedaddle

{Video: You'd Better Skedaddle}

This girl - I don't even have words.  Really.

A is for...

Today, while I was walking into school to pick the kids up, Hannah's teacher stopped me to share a funny story about our little woman.  This week the Three's are studying the letter A, so during group time, Ms. Kristen asked the kids to draw something that starts with the letter A.  As she walked around, she noticed Hannah coloring a pretty picture with a blue crayon.  She asked Hannah what she was coloring and Hannah happily responded, "A pool."

Ms. Kristen ever-so-gently explained that pool begins with the letter P.  "/P/ /P/ /P/ Pool," she said.

And Hannah, with her bright, blue eyes, looked up and corrected Ms. Kristen.  "A big pool."

And really, what could Ms. Kristen say to that?!

*****

Other than A big pool, A is also for Awesome.  Which, apparently, Jack thinks he is.  (I'm so glad our children don't lack confidence.)

Tonight while we were finishing up his homework, Jack was jotting down the fast facts he was practicing, and as he wrote, he said, "6 + 2 = 8.......because I'm AWE...SOME."

When I tried to get him back on track, I said, "Jack, what I need you to do is..."

"Be AWE...SOME," Jack interrupted.

And with that, he got me.  I laughed, he smiled, and we put his homework aside to read a story.

I love you 16.

Tonight, after I tucked Jack in and snuggled him tight, Brad and I switched kids' rooms.  I snuggled down with Hannah and gave her a kiss on her head.

I whispered, "I love you so much, Hannah Bear."

She whispered back, "I love you a thousand."

"I love you a thousand and one," I said.

"I love you a thousand and two."

While I lay there amazed at the fact that she could comprehend these high numbers and what it means to love someone so much, she brought me back to reality.

She whispered, "I love you sixteen," and smiled.

And I just smiled back and gave her another kiss.

It was funny because I know the difference between a thousand and two and sixteen, and it is vast.

But I also know that our tiny peanut thinks 16 is also a big number, and her little heart is just swelling with love.

I'm a lucky mama.

My Favorite Cheerleader

I had the worst headache I remember having, all day long yesterday.  Literally, from the time I got out of bed, until I went to bed last night.

Normally, I would have tried to try to curl into bed and turn off the lights, and go to sleep.

But I teach first grade, so that was impossible.  I took several Motrin - nothing.  I pressed on my scalp and adjusted my ponytail all day, to no avail.  I pleaded with the little people to whisper, to no avail.  I felt like they were shouting all day.  I don't think they actually were, although that wouldn't be a first, but I'm pretty sure that was just my perception of their noise level based on the pain in my head.  It wasn't pretty.

After work, I went to pick up the kids.  We gathered all of their things, and I got them home.  We started to unpack the car, when I heard a ringing noise in my ears.  

"Kiddos, we've got to get inside, my head feels like it's about to explode."

I think those were my exact words before I opened the door to the garage and realized that the ringing noise I'd heard in the garage was a very loud, piercing alarm that was going off somewhere inside our house.  Incessantly.

We came inside.  There was no fire.  It was not the carbon monoxide detector.  I made my way to the basement, realizing that the alarm was a leak detector that Brad had placed around our furnace/hot water heater/humidifier.  Which meant that there was also a leak...

Yes, indeed there was a leak.  I turned off the furnace, but the sensor was wet and so the beeping continued.  I tried to dry it on my clothes.  It didn't work.

I texted Brad, but he was at his office holiday party, so I Googled.  Immediately, I found the detector and the Owner's Manual, but nowhere in the manual did it tell you how to turn off the alarm.

I went back to Google, and people said to dry the sensors.

I ran back downstairs, ready to blow dry the sensor if need be, just so that the extra ringing in my head would stop.  Remember...worst headache EVER!

The sensor wouldn't dry, but I noticed an uneven seam.  With, what felt like, Hulk Smash strength, I pulled apart the detector, and pulled the connectors off of the battery.

Silence.  Sweet silence.  I was oh-so-happy.

And I needed more Motrin.

I went to get the medicine when our littlest peanut met me at the top of the stairs.

"Mommy, you did it!  You didn't need Daddy after all - you did it all by yourself!  You stopped that beeping noise - I'm so proud of you!"

I love that we've taught that girl what it means to be proud, I really do.  Because, at that moment, it was just what I needed :)

The Sweetest Kids

So while my life has been a little hectic lately, I can still recognize when the littles are being sweet as pie.

Today, Grandma and Grandpa picked the kiddos up from school and spent some time with them so I could have a few hours to myself.  They surprised the kids with some gummy eyeballs, and Hannah was extremely pleased.  As we were packing up and heading home, I had my arms filled with bags from our day.

Hannah Bear came over and said, "It's okay, Mommy.  I can help you.  I'll carry the gummies."

Now, the fact that she wanted to eat the gummy eyeballs on her way home is not lost on me, but I also know that she was trying to help...selectively.  And I appreciate the thought.

*****

Later, as I ate my dinner, Hannah watched TV, and Jack drew Pokemon friends next to me, he announced, "I'm so lucky to have you for a mama."

"What makes you say that?" I asked.

He explained that I was a nice mama who gives him nice things (like the Draw Your Favorite Pokemon book he was using), and that he knows that some kids don't have books or nice things.  I found it touching that he was being so grateful - in this quiet moment where he was enjoying himself doing one of his favorite things...drawing.

I just love these kids so much.

3 years, 2 months, and 25 days...

...that's exactly how long it took for Hannah to announce, "You're the worstest mama eber."

I told her and Jack that they had five minutes to clean up the family room, or we wouldn't have time to read stories before bed, to which she replied, "You're the worstest mama eber."

I stood in the kitchen, speechless, wondering how, on earth, we will survive the next 14 years, nine months, and seven days.

God, help me.

Just a Tiny Smidge

This is all I can give you tonight because I need to sleep in order to survive tomorrow.  Tomorrow is only Tuesday.  And it's a soccer day.  And bath night.  So you get it...

Last night, around 1:30, Hannah snuck into our bedroom and whimpered next to my side of the bed.  I hauled her up and snuggled her a few minutes before dragging myself from my warm spot and returning her to her nice, warm bed.

At 2:30, she returned.  I could sense her crawling up onto the ottoman to find her way under our covers, and my body just couldn't get up again.  So next to me she slept, you know, with her foot in my back and her hand on my face.  I was that tired...

This morning, I got up, took a shower, and got dressed, and then I came to get Miss Hannah to take her down for breakfast.  She sat up and I could see the lion's mane around her tiny head.  She looked at me, rolled over, and said, "Mommy, I'm going to sleep for just a little bit longer.  Just a tiny smidge."

Daddy, who had been fast asleep, smiled because of that adorableness.

*****

Tonight, while I was simultaneously cooking two dinners (the kids don't like stir-fry...and as it turns out, neither does Brad, but this is not a post on how much I hate making dinner), Hannah came in to announce that she wanted me to come sit with her for "just a tiny smidge".  I had to explain that I couldn't because I was making dinner.

She came over to inspect what I was making.  She promptly stated that she didn't like broccoli or carrots, to which I said, "Hannah, if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."

Johnny-on-the-spot replied, "I do, and it's please come sit with me."

I guess she won?  I was certainly speechless...