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.