Play Place Story #1

We have  been visiting my family this week and staying at my parent's house. And as we are here I have discovered that I don't challenge my children to progress in their development enough. Nolan still needs help with his shoes and going potty. Kevin doesn't tie knots for the play things he straps on and interrupts conversations all too often. While I am positive my mom doesn't intend to make me feel any certain way I am acutely aware of these inabilities through their interactions with her and so I have been contemplating ways to urge my boys to move forward a bit, become more independent. - Of course the other half of my heart longs for them to stay little, but that is irrational and impossible, so I am doing my children no favors by allowing them to remain immature, right? 

I decided to surprise them with lunch at McDonald's today. We got there and got our food and went to sit down. The place I chose for us happened to be next to a young woman (I think) who is developmentally delayed. This person is an employee of McD's and asked several questions several times in a language style commonly associated with a 2 year old. Kevin responded marvelously by answering the questions over and over and over again while eating his food as quickly as possible without being rude. I was very proud of him for his manners and kindness. 

After we ate we moved to the play place that is three "stories" tall. You parents know what I'm talkin' about, this thing had three levels, two twisty slides, three places with steering wheels, and tower at the top. "SWEET!" was Kevin's exclamation as he entered the space and Nolan tagged right along. After a little while Nolan started to cry and despite my best efforts I could not coax him down. Another mom asked if I wanted her to go get him, to which I nearly replied, "Why, do you think I'm too fat to get up there?" but I didn't. - So up I went to get him and literally drag him down (because every parent knows how ridiculously difficult it is to do anything besides), all the while telling him that if he wanted to come back up he would have to do it himself because I was not climbing back up again to get him. "Okay Mama." - And we both sat and rested when we got to the bottom. - After a few minutes he wanted to get down and go again and I reminded him, "You have to do it by yourself, Nolan. I'm not climbing in to get you again." 

"Okay Mama," and off he went.

The boys played for quite some time, 35 minutes or so and when I finally said it was time to go, Nolan happily started down the mountain... and then got stuck in the same spot as before. 

Sticking to my guns I told him he would need to slide down it just like before and he began to cry... not the whimpering "I don't want to" cry but the "I'm scared out of my mind and I can't get down" cry. 

With several other parents watching I tried for a long time to coax him down. I sent Kevin up to grab his feet and pull him down (no dice). I spoke in a very calm tone (as calm as one can sound in a super tall echoey area) and tried to get him to come down for TWENTY minutes. - I nearly decided to just sit there until he came down, but then I realized that it was drawing more attention than I care to be responsible for, and so I went in after him...again. 

Nolan has been sleeping for almost two hours and I don't know if I will wake him up. He was exhausted by the end of it, as am I.

It's time for my baby to become a kiddo. 

Spam!!!

Spam is a favorite dish of my husband and my son Kevin. They love to make it when mom isn't around because I can't stand the stuff. Usually they make it on a "man day" as they like to call it. They have particularly weird traditions for those times which I will neither understand nor divulge to protect the innocent. :) It's all good fun I'm sure, but it's weird.

Spam is also a form of irritating communication from people you neither know or have interest in. I have gotten such comments on this blog, which stinks because it's a blog where I share the lives of my boys with my friends and family so that we can all feel a little bit closer. I don't know whether someone is taking the time to log onto public blogs one at a time or whether they have a sophisticated sort of way to do it to lots of blogs all at once. I don't really care which one it is, I would just love for it to stop happening to this blog. If any of my FRIENDS out there know how to help make that happen, I would love to know. 

Spring

During a home schooling session I asked Kevin and Nolan: "How can you tell that it is spring?" 

Kevin replied, "The sun."

"What does the sun do?"

"It cares for us... and gives us light... and... it burns bugs when they come out to catch some sun."

That's my boy.

BBQ

"Mom, What would happen if I barbecued a napkin?"

Kevin asked me this question at lunch today and my mind immediately pictured him at 12 in the back yard of our home standing over our barbecue and holding a napkin. I nearly laughed out loud but he would not have known why and I didn't want him to think I was laughing at him. 

Still glad we have AFLAC.

Soccer Season Begins

Nolan liked cheering more than running but everyone needs an assistant right? His team won their first game. Nana, Papa and Kaytlyn were there in time to cheer him on... and hold him while his team played so I could keep coaching. We're working on the staying with the team and playing the game part.





Kevin ran with the purple shirts and tried to get to the ball. An eternal optimist he said, "Maybe next time I'll get to kick the ball." He is learning a lot about playing on a team. He has a great coach. I'll have to remind him to tell the yelling mom on the sidelines to stop coaching his team for him. - His team also won thier first game with Nana, Papa, Kaytlyn, Dad and the yelling mom to cheer him on.

Kenli

On Sunday our friend Kenli visited from Texas. When the boys saw her at PUMP it was like she had never left. Kevin sat by her in worship and when she came to have dinner with us Nolan promptly drug her out to the play ground and all over the play structures. ~ We had good conversation, a lot of laughs and took some great photos. The boys always seem to turn on the charm for her. 

Kenli, it was good to have you in our home again. I know you are not leaving until Saturday or something but we probably won't get to see you before you go. Come visit again soon! And have a good time in Amarillo.

Nolan-ism

"Camel-ope": A sweet, juicy fruit with orange flesh and a greenish-grey rhine.