Merry Christmas!

The house has been very giggly today. We got a box in the mail yesterday from our friends the Nevens. It had some cool stacking boxes and a "Dodge Tag" game. There are two vests, each with velcro bulls-eyes on the front. Each person gets three soft balls to throw at the other person. Both boys have really enjoyed playing although so far just with me, not each other. Erik, in particular, gets very, very giggly when we play.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

So we are on two weeks of break from school, and sometimes the days get long. By the time I'm making dinner, my patience can be quite thin. Yesterday, Erik was bugging, bugging, bugging me in the kitchen, not with anything particularly bad, but the cumulative effect finally drove me over the edge. I pushed him out of the kitchen and scolded him. He started to cry, which annoyed me more, because I first assumed he was crying about not getting to be in the kitchen, pestering me. I asked him in exasperation, "Why are you crying?" He said, "Because you yelled at me! And you hurt me!" Talk about a low point in parenting. However, it gave me the chance to model a sincere apology. I told him I was sorry, it sounded like I scared him and I was sorry I hurt him. It's a fine line, I can't expect him to understand my perception of the nuance of the situation: he had behaved badly and wasn't listening, I was justified in my anger, but not in what I did with my anger. I can only hope that although he couldn't understand it now, someday he will be old enough to parse situations like that. I asked him to forgive me, and he did, but I still felt pretty bad about what I'd done.

Tonight while we were playing, he told me I have a tender and loving heart. I truly feel forgiven and washed clean.

Merry Christmas!

Lest you think it's all Hanukkah, and Festivus around here, we are participating in Advent activities as well. Lots of faith based ones like lighting Advent candles, and secular ones like watching Christmas specials. A couple years ago there was one on TV called "Elmo's Christmas Countdown" and I taped it. We watched it several times that year, and last year as well. The kids were so little and/or sensitive that even Charlie Brown's Christmas Special was too hard for them to watch.

But this year, it all changed. We watched Charlie Brown talk to his friends about Discipline! and respecting their Director! We saw him choose his famously pathetic tree.

I found eight specials on You Tube that I favorited to show the kids. There's our clear favorite so far, Wil Vinton's Claymation Christmas Celebration. We have the book, "The Berenstain Bear's Christmas Tree" but I found a video for it on YouTube, as well. Can't wait to show them that! One I'm saving for Christmas Eve or Day is two hours of the Yule Log burning in someone's fireplace.

It's the most wonderful time of the year.

Happy Hanukkah!

Adin's preschool/daycare is learning about different December holidays. Today they talked about Hanukkah and made latkes. Adin wanted to know more, so I went to Shalom Sesame and we watched a couple videos. First, we learned about the first Chanukah with Veronica Monica, then we learned about fixing the temple on Extreme Makeover: Temple Edition. I followed some links to a recipe for oven baked latkes, and we are now at the flipping part of the recipe. I'm sure Adin regrets ever asking, but I'm excited about giving them a try.

Oops, I guess flipping latkes is easier when you remember to oil the pan.

Big Cheese Adin

At Adin's new daycare/preschool they have a kid of the week, called "The Big Cheese". They ask the parents to make a poster board of pictures, fill out a survey, and parents can come in and read a book, bring lunch and/or participate in an activity. This week is Adin's turn. Joe selected some photos, which you can see in the background of the first picture.

This morning, Adin was very reluctant to go to Lenox, and to be the Big Cheese. He told me he wasn't big, he was a little cheese. So we started back pedaling and making a much smaller deal out of it. I got to read the book "The Gingerbread Baby" to the kids, which I loved doing. (The teacher took several pictures of me reading!) Then the class made gingerbread houses by taking empty half pint milk cartons, smearing frosting on them, sticking graham crackers to the frosting, and then attaching candy with more frosting. The teachers allowed Erik to stay and make one. That was quite fun to see the way different kids had different strategies. I related to the girl that hoarded as much candy as she possibly could on her plate!

Afterward, Erik and I played a couple minutes, and then left. Adin desperately wanted to leave with us, so that was hard! An hour later his teacher called to say he didn't really get over us leaving, complained of an ear ache and when she took his temp, it was 100.8! So Erik and I returned to pick up Adin and take him to the clinic, where he was diagnosed with a double ear infection! Poor big cheese.

Fortunately, he was well enough that we made it home for: Erik's first playdate with a school friend! He has a buddy from Kindergarten, and has been begging me for months to invite T over for a playdate. I finally called his mom last week and she said T had been requesting the same thing. So today T came over and they got to play superheroes, draw on magnadoodles, play a board game, and 'reminisce'. It was adorable to see them aggressively hug each other and refer to each other as "best buddy". They often would say to each other, 'remember...' and talk about little inside jokes they had from Kindergarten. T has older brothers so it didn't seem to phase him when Erik got a little over excited. T's mom has said several times that they plan to reciprocate and have Erik over, which I'm excited about.

All in all, it's been quite a day!

Monopoly

Joe bought Monopoly Junior at Goodwill this summer. It's been fun, the perfect level for Adin, but a little too simple for Erik. So Joe taught Erik how to play regular Monopoly yesterday. The first game taxed Erik's attention span a little, but after taking a break he asked to finish the game. He begged to start a new game last night, and the two of them spent an hour or more in the basement last night playing. This morning was my turn to sleep in, and when I came down, it was obvious Erik had been nagging to finish the game. So they went right back down for another hour or so.

I don't remember exactly what it was I was trying to get Adin to eat, but his response cracked me up: "I dare not try it." I asked if he heard that phrase in a book or something and he told me, "I growed up saying it."

Clue

Happy thanksgiving! We are having a lovely, warm, day. My parents picked up a board game from the lending library in their building. We've played Clue Junior at home and gave Clue not Junior (as the kids are calling it) a try. We played in parent/child teams and it's very funny to hear as Erik's parent partner whispers to him what he should guess and then he says it out loud. He's very, very serious about games. Adin, on the other hand, is running around the condo half naked, dusting, jumping, hugging, and having lots of fun.

Here's a picture from my Dad's birthday, just to show you what late fall is like in Minnesota this year.

Cleaning Blitz

So often things happen I want to post, but then don't get around to it. While Joe is reading a story about the first Thanksgiving I'll write something up quick. We just had a five minute family cleaning blitz! We all put things away and swept. After five minutes Adin was done, partially because it's bedtime, but Erik was going gangbusters and wanted to keep helping. He found another place to sweep (by the back door) and then helped pick things up off the carpet so I could vacuum. It looks sooo much better! Dare I hope we could make it a family tradition to clean for 5-15 minutes each evening? Perhaps I could motivate them extrinsically with a weekly reward. Hmmm.

Funny stuff Adin said today

I have had a cold this week, and am quite congested. We were driving in the car and I said I wished I could breathe. He said to me, very seriously, "Breathing is when you open your mouth and you don't do any talking or eating. Like this, Mama."

Tonight he told me he was hungry and brought me a giant can of soup. I did not actually believe he was hungry, so I didn't want to open it, plus we have a vat of gazpacho in the fridge. So I dished up some gazpacho and told him he would like it because it was full of yummy fruits and veggies. I warned him that this type of soup we eat cold. He said he wanted to eat it cold. When I gave it to him, he ate a bite and said how good it was (but then didn't eat any more)(I knew he wasn't hungry.) He said Erik wouldn't like it because it has tomatoes in it. I agreed and wondered why Erik doesn't like tomatoes. Adin said, "He growed up different, and a different time." I laughed, it sounded so much like someone talking about how social mores change and how people of different generations see the world differently.

First day of preschool!

Adin was so excited! He woke up and every five minutes was asking, "Is it my first day of preschool?" Then he wanted to go out and have his pictures taken like Erik did on his first day. There are quite a few kids in his class that he was in two year old parent and child class with last year, and he just went over to the table and started playing with play doh.

When I came to pick him up he was super excited. He finally got to play on the 'big kid playground'. They even had a (modified) fire drill. Because it was the first day for so many kids, they went outside before the alarm went off. His teacher, who had Erik for the last two years, said when I picked him up, "He's so different from Erik! I don't think Erik talked for the first three months!"

Adin's only disappointment about preschool? He wished it lasted all day. This is in stark contrast to Erik, who begged this morning to go back to preschool instead of going to kindergarten. Erik pulled out lots of tricks today. He asked to skip. Said he was sick. Blamed me for signing him up for full day (this one was a valid point). I think the actual school day is continuing to go ok, just the getting ready at home is tough.

Last Thursday, after the first day he told us he learned the Spanish word for 'yes'. Friday he said he learned a counting song with numbers 1-10. Today he got off the bus and told us he learned the word for 'circle'. Later he said he knew the words for 'up' and 'down'. He says he doesn't play with anyone on the playground, but I he actually is, just not the involved imaginative play schemes he does with the neighbor kids. His teacher has told me that he chats and laughs with the other kids.

I think my favorite part about the kids going to school is picking them up afterward. I get so excited to see them and hear about their day.

First day of Kindergarten!

It went well. He slept well last night, and seemed nervously excited this morning. Lots of extra energy, but no tears. We took pictures by our new apple trees, on the step and on the bus. After he was safely on the bus, I drove to work and watched the clock until his bus arrived. Then I joined the other parents out front to watch the Kindergarteners and first graders arrive and parade into school. He waved and smiled when he saw me, and was chatting with another boy about the noise level of the cafeteria.

Later I walked through the cafeteria and said hi. I asked how the day was going. "Fine. It's sort of complicated, because everything is in Spanish." I reminded him that all the kids found that part complicated. He agreed, and asked if it was almost time to go home. He seemed overwhelmed, so I didn't linger. After lunch I know he had recess and then they have a quiet time for the kids to rest if they want.

I did go back after school and watched him get on the bus. His teacher was super organized and he got right on the correct bus. I had written his bus number on his palm, and I saw him check his palm as he climbed the steps. He told Joe and me that he learned how to say "yes" in Spanish! He's very excited to go back tomorrow, because they are having (grass fed all-beef) hot dogs for lunch.

Ha! I just previewed the pictures and instead of the picture of Erik and Adin on the steps, there's one of the neighbor girl playing peek-a-boo with Adin. Also, I thought I had rotated Erik's picture already. So I guess you'll have to tilt your head to see how he looked on his first day!

'Tis the week before preschool

Ah, Adin. He's been a bit of a stinker lately, and it's hard to tease out what behavior is because of being three and independent and what's for other reasons. He's been so impulsive and disobeys us so much, that I firmly believe he's reacting to all the kindergarten talk. I think he's picking up on Joe and my anxiety, Erik's anxiety and aggressive behavior and it's making him feel unsettled. I also think he's a little jealous. We talk and talk about Kindergarten, and just a little bit about preschool. Today we all went shopping because Erik really needed bigger clothes. We have vast quantities of clothes Adin's size, so it never crossed my mind to buy him anything new. Tonight at dinner, Adin talked about Erik getting new pjs. Adin said he wished he could have new pjs too. The lightbulb finally went off for me and I told him that just like we bought Erik pjs the day before school, we could buy Adin pjs the day before his school starts.

Adin insists he's starting kindergarten, too. This may or may not help, but I sort of went along with it. I agreed that he's starting school, and talked about his teachers, Kari and Shelli, and some boys he knows in his class. I tried to strike a balance with not bursting his kindergarten dreams, but also grounding him in the reality of his actual class. I'll have to try to do some special things with him on the days that I don't work.

I can't believe how big my little pumpkins are getting.

'Twas the Night Before Kindergarten

Well, this is it. We've gone to Open House. Lots of kids came in and hugged Srta. Joyner, so they must sincerely like her. It's a nice big, open classroom, with an attached bathroom. Erik hung on us a lot, looked around and brought me books to read to him. This was difficult, since I don't know Spanish, but sometimes it was a familiar book, and that helped. The highlight may have been learning that we already know the Spanish word for turtle: tortuga. It was fun to see there were a couple kids Erik knew from preschool, and a couple I knew from other preschool classes.

Open House was Friday, and this weekend was tough. Erik was pretty aggressive and yelled a lot at other kids. I think the Open House ramped up his anxiety level. Today we had a fifteen minute meeting, just our family with Srta. Joyner. She asked him what he wanted to learn in school this year (how to invent things), asked Joe and me what we wanted him to learn (social skills, sharing, school routines). She made sure Erik knew how he was getting home (bus). She checked if he would be eating school lunch or bringing lunch from home. He said bringing his lunch. [Later we looked up what lunch is tomorrow (beef ravioli) and Friday (hot dogs). He's not familiar with ravioli but he loves hot dogs, so he's going to get school lunch on Friday.]

I've tried to be calm and upbeat in front of Erik, but when he's not around I'm a wreck. Yesterday I walked to the library and let myself feel sad. I thought about all his baby and toddler milestones. I cried a little. When I got to the library I started looking through the children's books for stories to read to Erik. I started to feel excited about the years ahead and all the wonderful books I could share with him. That helped. Joe has been feeling sentimental, too. I went through Adin's clothes and bagged the small ones to send to Goodwill. Joe said just looking at the bags made him tear up thinking about how time passes.

I don't know if I'll get pictures and stories posted tomorrow night, but I'll try to do it by this weekend.

Camp Christmas Tree

Erik had his first day at YMCA daycamp! He got on the bus at 8 am and I picked him up at 5 pm. I think the bus ride is about 45 to 60 minutes and they sing songs while riding. He had good things to say about camp. They shot archery, rode in canoes, and swam. When I picked him up he said he liked it but it was too long. This evening for some reason I asked if anyone cried at camp today. He said he had cried a little at the beginning because he didn't know anyone. But that then the counselors told him their names. I suppose after a long day of activities it's normal to forget that one cried earlier in the day, but it surprised me a little.

Back when I was in grad school, the SLP I did my student teaching under told me that preschoolers are not really able to control the volume of their voices. I see this in Adin. When we are riding in the car and he's talking to me, I have a very hard time hearing and understanding him because his voice volume is so low. And when I ask him to say it again louder he can't or won't. Other times, of course, he has a loud voice. I thought of it tonight when he went to bed. He often yawns very, very loudly as he settles down to sleep. It's funny to me to think about the difference in volume between his yawns and some of his speech!

Biking

The last couple weeks of June Erik learned how to ride a two-wheeler without training wheels. That's been lots of fun, although his freedom was lessened because he wasn't able to get started on his own without a push. He was getting pretty close and today he did it! We went down to the garden and he started on his own several times. This makes crossing the street much easier. He's so proud of himself. I kept telling him on the ride how proud I was and Adin started telling him that too! Very cute.

Fun with the kids

The kids and I went strawberry picking yesterday morning while Joe cooked a turkey. Super fun. We went with some neighbors. Erik was a little bothered that he had fewer strawberries in his basket (because he was eating so many). I kept having to tell him it's not a race, he's just eating them, so we can't see that he's picked lots.

We were invited to some friends' for dinner and fireworks. Joe took Adin home at bedtime, but this year Erik got to stay up and watch. Plus, the friends live right off a bike path so he and I biked there! The fireworks started at 10, and for about 45 mins before, he and the other kids were running and asking their parents every 3 minutes or so, "how long until the fireworks start?" He loved the fireworks for the first 15 or 20 minutes. He stood up, and would throw his arms up in the air when he really liked something. The last 10 or 15 minutes he was pretty tired so he sat down and was more relaxed. Afterwards, once the crowd passed us on the bike path home, he thought it was really cool that we were biking in the dark.

The kids and I had some fun with my Dad today. We met up at the Mall of America to go to a petting zoo as part of Toddler Tuesday. Then we walked around the amusement park for a while. A woman offered me a points card (you pay for rides with points) with a few points on it. It was hilarious watching the kids try to decide what ride to go on, or if they even wanted to go on a ride. They were just buzzing around going nowhere fast, from an adult's perspective! Finally they chose a ride and I got to go too, since Adin is too little to ride by himself. It was a mini roller coaster that was perfect for them. Just enough up and down and around to make it fun but not scary. I was pretty excited that they went on the ride, since last year even the little kids' rides were too scary.

Final story, they both often fall asleep in the car as we ride around town. Erik usually falls asleep quicker and wakes up more easily. When Adin wakes up in the car he's very upset, and does not want to leave the car or even be unbuckled. We got home today around dinner time and I really needed Adin to get out of the car. I told him Morfar was coming for dinner and he said some garbled comments about loving Morfar and Mormor, as if he thought it was news to me that he loves Mormor, too! I told him I love them both, too.
Adin: You do? I think Mormor and Morfar are going to have a baby soon.
Me: Really?!?
Adin: I hope it will have lots of milk. (Our neighbor's baby is three months and so we have to remind Adin that he can't share his food with her.)
Me: I'm sure they will give the baby lots of milk. Do you think it will be a boy or girl? Adin: A baby girl.
Me: She will be my little sister!
Adin: You've always wanted a baby sister!
Me: What about you? Have you always wanted a baby sister, too?
Adin: Yes, but my baby sister is gonna be a boy.

I feel I should add in here that there are no plans for Adin and Erik to have a baby sister, neither boy, nor girl!

Monday at the park

The boys and I had a fun day of park hopping yesterday. In the morning we went to a park in Minneapolis, and brought a picnic/snack along. It's been cool again, so Erik was quite disappointed we didn't go in the wading pool. But he was very proud of himself for a new accomplishment: he crossed the monkey bars by himself! Just a month ago, he was scared even to hold the bars and dangle, but we practiced a little bit on holding on and I held his waist so he didn't fall until he was ready. Then he moved on to this sort of controlled fall where he would reach out and grab the bar and then drop. I heard from others (Joe? my parents?) that he was now using the zip line and doing a couple bars on the monkey bars. Yesterday was the first day I got to see him cross the bars. First he did about three, then he did the whole thing! He was so proud of himself!

After lunch we went to a park just a couple blocks away with a neighbor family that has three girls, ages 6, almost 4, and about 3 months. Erik plays with the six year old, and Adin plays with the almost 4 year old, and it's very sweet to watch. Then Adin asked to hold the baby! So I had him sit on the park bench and I gingerly put her in his arms. I think I held my hand under his arm that was supporting baby's head. He did a good job and was gentle, but just held her for a minute and then was done. I thought it was so sweet that he asked to hold her!

I have noticed that the neighborhood kids stay out playing past 8, my kids' bedtime. So Erik and I discussed trying to have Adin and him stay up later and then sleep in later. He was very excited last night when he didn't have to come in and go to bed at 7:30. They came in around 8:20 and were cooperative in getting ready for bed so they were in bed by 9. However, Erik had trouble settling down and was still peeking out of his room at 9:30. He was awake at his usual time of 6:30. Adin, however, was a more dramatic fail. He was awake ALL NIGHT! Crying and restless and needing constant tending from Joe or me. I guess he was way overtired by his later bedtime. So thank goodness, their daycare was open this week and we had to pay anyway to keep our slot for fall. Joe dropped them off at the regular time and I went back to bed and slept til 1 pm! They will be going to bed at their regular time tonight, believe me!

Cute things Adin said today

We went to a picnic at the park and had lots of fun. Erik was upset that the Splash Pad was open but we weren't playing in the water (it was 65 degrees). So he alternated between having fun and being upset. When it was time to go, I loaded them in the car.
Adin: I love you, Erik.
Erik: I don't love you, Adin.
Adin: Well, I love Erik even when he's being naughty.

Adin is in his crib and says to me, "I like you 100% a lot." I laugh. He says, "Actually, I love you 106% good."

I love that kid. And the other one, too.

Proud Mama

We went to the Norwegian Lutheran Church today and celebrated syttende mai a couple days early. The boys greatly enjoyed the hot dogs and ice cream and then...the games! They had about 8 little games set up for kids to play and everybody won a little prize after each game. Adin loved horseshoes and the bean bag toss. Usually Erik prefers to stand back and observe, and Joe was on Erik duty so I'm not sure how much he participated. Except he had all the prizes in his prize bag, so he must have done the activities. Anyway, then they had a variety of team games. First there was a tug of war. We cheered the first round (kids) and the second round (girls). Then they had a round of kids vs. parents. Joe pulled on one side and the boys pulled on the other! I have some pictures on my camera and maybe when it's not midnight I'll post them. I think the boys look sort of terrified in the pictures, but I was so happy they got in there.

Next was an egg relay. Adin agreed to do the relay and I waited with him. There were five teams of four kids. The bigger kids were so great. They were the perfect balance of trying their best, but not getting upset about who won. I had Adin practice holding a coin on his spoon so he could get the concept of holding his spoon flat. Fortunately, by the time it was his turn, another team had won, so I ended up walking the relay leg holding his hand steady around the spoon. Nobody seemed to mind.

Then they had sack races! The first round was just children, but the second round they said the age limit was 100 (sorry Bestemor)! So I decided to jump! I had been encouraging Erik to join in and he refused because it looked hard. I told him the boy I'd been cheering for (who stood in front of me in the egg race) had fallen about 20 times, but he just got up and kept hopping. So anyway, I jumped and then the third round ERIK JUMPED!!! I was so proud of him! He didn't fall but all the other participants were a lot bigger and finished ahead of him so I came out and jumped him the last few yards(stood behind him and lifted him up and down). He got a big kick out of being the one who 'jumped' the highest! Maybe the dozens of times we've explained that it's ok to do something less than perfectly are sinking in. Woo Hoo!

It's like WebMD for preschoolers

Joe gave Erik a set of 2 Superfriends DVDs for his birthday. Erik's really into them and I think has watched all the episodes. They have little vignettes between the episodes: word games, random toys you can make at home and health tips. On Friday we watched one and afterwards we saw a health tip. A kid was flying a kite with Superman and said he had a headache from being in the sun. I was expecting Superman to tell him to drink some water or wear a hat next time. Instead, the kid said he was going home to take some medicine, they had lots in their medicine cabinet. Superman told him he should only take medicine from his parents or a grownup. Well, this is of course, good advice but I didn't give it much thought. Little did I guess how much Erik is taking the advice of his hero to heart!

Joe and I both had commitments on Saturday morning so my parents came over and watched the kids. Erik has shown a variety of mild cold symptoms this week, but I just told my parents we were keeping an eye on him and they could give him Benedryl or Tylenol if they thought he needed it. Mom told me later that Erik had complained his ear hurt and she offered him some Tylenol. He declined, saying he would only take medicine from his parents. She explained that it was good to be careful of who he takes medicine from, but grandparents were approved to give him medicine. He didn't want to take it, and I guess he didn't seem so sick that she insisted. He got some about an hour later when Joe came home.

Erik and Adin have about 6 different piggy banks that I frequently hide because it drives me crazy when they play with (and once ate) the money. Erik also told me this weekend that Wonder Woman told how they could make a bank out of an empty bottle. He was very excited at the idea of making a piggy bank. I found it funny, since he already has so many.

A story from Adin

I wish that I had giant springs in my legs. I would jump up in the sky. I would get on an airplane. I would fly to Finland. I would play fiddle.

Uh, no.

Adin and I were riding in the car and he was talking about someday being 18 yrs old. As usual, he thought he'd need new pants then. Then he switched to talking about being 14 year old. First thing he told me about when he is 14, Erik will have kids and Adin will have a baby! Uh, no. I told him he'd better wait until he's at least 24 and maybe 34 before having a baby. However, I told him he could babysit and then we talked about all the fun things he could do with kids he babysat.

Adin is funny

Adin was talking about how tall he is getting. He stood on a little chair (which he is not allowed to do) and said he was even bigger. He said someday he would be bigger than I am. I agreed. Adin, "When I'm 18!" Me, "Yes. When you are 18 you will be bigger than I am." Adin, thought a minute, "I'm going to need new pants." thought some more, "and shirts."

I put Adin to bed and asked if he wanted a stuffed animal. Adin, "No. You're my snuggle guy."

Adin and I were telling each other we loved each other, then he said, "I love the ceiling." I said, "I love the bed." Adin said, "But the bed is not a person!" I said, "Neither is the ceiling." He found that hilarious and we had to each say our lines about four or five more times. He cracks me up sometimes.

The future

I bought Erik a coloring book called, "The Anti-Coloring Book". On each page is a prompt and often part of a drawing. So there might be a squiggle and the prompt is "the original artist was stung on the thumb by a bee, only you can finish the drawing". Erik asks us to read him prompts until he gets to one he wants to do. So there was a drawing of a crystal ball and he was supposed to draw his future.

He gets started and draws a time machine and Superman (I think he got a couple prompts mixed up) and then I look at him and he's crying. I start asking if he's ok, why he's sad, and he tries to tell me but can't. He says, "It's too sad to say it." So my mind is flipping through possibilities, is he sad because he knows he'll never be Superman? Did he break something of ours and he's afraid to tell us? Finally he says he's sad because thinking about his future means thinking about not living with Joe and me and that's sad.

So Joe and I comfort him and tell him it's a long ways off, that's why it feels sad and scary. I don't really want to tell him that by the time he's moving out he'll want to move out.

Adin gives a hint

The boys are drawing on their Magnadoodles. Adin says to me, "Guess what this is. It's something with three wheels. It's an 18-wheeler!" Then he draws it. "Guess what this is." "An 18-wheeler?" "Yes!"

Funny stuff the kids said today

When I woke up this morning, Adin was in our bed! First time since we got back from Arizona. Joe was up with Erik, so Adin and I got to sleep in until 8:15! Adin woke slowly, and wanted to cuddle in bed for a few minutes before getting up, which was difficult for Erik to accept. Erik was disturbing Adin as he cuddled and Adin yelled, "Stop! I'm trying to concentrate!"

Then while tantruming in bed tonight Adin yelled out, "This is not my favorite place to be! I wish we didn't live here. I wish we lived in Iceland!"

We did a little rearranging this afternoon, and Erik found some old heart shaped candy boxes in his closet. He used the covers to decorate a wall and then was looking at the bottom sections of the boxes. They had conversation hearts glued to them, and one had come loose. Reading his mind, I told Erik not to eat it because it was old and had glue on it. Moments later he says, "It doesn't taste like glue to me." (If Joe had been home he would have used his favorite line: Just because it's non-toxic doesn't mean you should eat it.)

Bragging

Sigh. Well, I'm sorry to brag, but I just have to share. If you don't want to read about it, just stop now!

First, Adin was pushing buttons on my heart rate monitoring watch. He said, "Why does this say 'off'?" I asked to see it. In my normal use of the watch it doesn't display the word off. Sure enough, it said 'off'. I asked how he knew it said off and he read me the letters, although he did read them right to left (F-F-O) instead of left to right (O-F-F). So at naptime we read a book and looked for the word 'off' in it. Adin's not so keen on napping these days, so it can be a bit of a struggle getting him to stay in bed. I was kneeling next to his bed, reaching to get something and he said, "Ah-cuse [excuse]me, I would like to get out of bed." Even for the ultra polite two year old, no you cannot get out of bed!

I've been reading books about race, books that report ethnic minorities talk with their children about race more than white parents do. And that often liberal white parents expose their children to other children of different backgrounds but don't talk about race. When that happens, the white kids notice that the kids all have different colored skin, but also notice that their parents and teachers don't talk about it. And the kids try to think of their own reasons why this is, and they may be coming up with different ideas from what the parents assume (we're all the same, we're all equal).

Which is a very long way to introduce that I've been trying to have age appropriate discussions with Erik about race, even though it's very uncomfortable for me. So on Monday, I mentioned briefly to him that he didn't have school that day, and that it was a holiday. I told him MLK's name and explained very briefly that it used to be that white kids and black kids went to different schools and MLK worked to change that. And that's all I said, and we didn't talk about it again. When I picked Erik up from preschool later in the week, his teacher told me quietly that he was the only one in the class who knew who MLK was! I didn't get a chance to get the whole story from her, and Erik won't tell me about school, so that's all I know. I'm quite proud, though, that he remembered and that he somehow seems to have been able to talk about it in school.

Small world!

Adin and I attend a parent and child class one morning a week. After snack time, we go over and sit on the carpet and read books together. Adin chose a counting book that had the text in English and Spanish. He is learning to count in Spanish at daycare, so I asked him if he wanted me to read the book to him in English or Spanish. He chose Spanish, which was fine when the words were short and easy. After a couple pages they got to be very long. It was a little embarrassing because two of the other parents in the class are native Spanish speakers, and two of the teachers speak a little Spanish, as well. I was quite relieved when Adin switched over to counting in Norwegian. It was easier for me to name the items, but then the nanny of one of the other children asked me, in Swedish, if I was from Norway! It turns out she is a nanny from Sweden, and I just had never heard her talk enough to even pick up that she had an accent.

You gotta sing!

On the drive home from the YMCA today, we listened to a couple CDs. The first was just the song "You gotta sing". The lyrics are "You gotta sing when the spirit says sing" repeat several times. Verse 2 "You gotta pray when the spirit says pray". Then we listened to a CD of a variety of Christian children's songs. When we got home Adin was very sad and wanted to hear the "Deer" song again. It took me several listens to even understand 'deer' and I had no idea which song that was. I listed off all the ones we'd listened to and he said no to all of them. So we came into the house and played and forgot all about it. After his nap, I was changing his diaper and noticed he was singing, "You gotta sing when the deer says sing"! Mystery solved.