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Saturday, June 25, 2011

Teacher Spotting

I live very close to my school.  Only four miles away.  This is a blessing.  A very very short commute there and back.  When it's not a blessing, sometimes, is when a student spots me.  I used to (8-9 yrs ago) really really enjoy seeing students.  I will admit, the excitement has worn off.  It's especially awkward when I'm with my whole family and I don't really want to stand there introducing everybody and want to keep it short and sweet.  It happens frequently though.  It's already happened twice this summer.  It is what it is.  Sometimes, I get really excited too, I must admit.  Like last month I saw a little girl I had a couple years ago and I went the extra mile (and then some) for that family.  She changed schools in third grade and I haven't seen her since.  I ditched V on the escalator (don't worry Mark was a couple steps behind us) and ran down to her and her mom and actually embraced her and the mom started tearing up!

However, usually, I'd rather just avoid the whole scene if possible.

Then, today, the shoe was suddenly on the other foot.

Victoria and I were checking out at JoAnn's and I spotted one of V's teachers.  I held her up and said, "Isn't that one of your teachers?"  "Hey!  That's Ms. Barb!!"  she replied and ran straight over to her.  She plowed through her husband, two sons and jumped up and down in front of her yelling, "Hi Ms. Barb!  It's me!  Victoria!"  The cashier looked over and started laughing.  It was cute.  But I couldn't get to her until I was done checking out and this sweet old lady was taking her sweet sweet time commenting on each and every item I was trying to purchase.  So there's poor Ms. Barb trying to make conversation with her star struck five yr old former student.  It was pretty awkward by the time I got over there with Victoria just looking up smiling at her.

Two hours later she's still hopping up and down talking about the Teacher Spotting.  I will keep this in mind next I see one of my students.

Why Must You Follow Me

Today Victoria hopped off her bike and took off her helmet.  1.5 seconds later Christian hopped off his bike and took off his helmet.  Victoria asked him, "Christian, why do you do everything I do?!" in an exasperated tone only a big sister could give.

His sweet and simple reply, "Because I willy willy wike you Toria! Because you're so chubby!"  Followed by his hysterical laughter and her stomping off muttering about little brothers.

Friday, June 24, 2011

I'll Take a Ticket

We have a new little system around here.  If you do something extraordinary you earn a ticket.  Each child has something they want at Walmart.  Victoria wants a $13 Fur Real chipmunk and Christian wants a Big Machine movie.  V needs to earn 13 tickets and C needs to earn 7 tickets.  Let's hope they reach their goals on the same day.

They've both been amazing the last 24 hours and oh so helpful.

This morning Christian told me he was going to clean his room.  Go for it buddy!

He did while I was happily sipping a Diet Mt. Dew and blogging then he told me his room is,
 "Nice and shiny! Come see!!"

As soon as I turned the corner I knew exactly what he did.

He moved everything from his room, that he was able, into the hall.

Then he asked with a smile, "I get ticket, Mom?!"

When Mommy's Out of Town

When Mommy's out of town Daddy serves food with extra cheese and probably takes an extra trip or two to fast food.  This time Daddy also took the kids to Taylor's Falls and then for lunch at the little restaurant - think A&W - he let them each have their own rootbeer as a reward for good behavior.  I don't let the kids have any pop, ever.  So when they do have it I hear all about it.  Mark informed me of all of this on the phone when I was gone.  No biggie.  Something special they share with daddy.

At Mr. Popper the other day Christian was trying to grab my straw yelling, "I'm big enough for pop now!  Daddy let's me!!!!"  Then Victoria admitted yesterday that when I was sitting on the steps with Christian she snuck some of my pop.  I looked at her and she knew it was wrong, I could tell by her sad little expression and then she said, "But Daddy let us when you were gone!" 

I wonder what else will come out about when Mommy was gone. . .

My Mail Girl

The other day Victoria took a four hour nap.  She hasn't napped for the past couple days.  Yesterday while Christian was napping Victoria came tiptoeing down the hall and said she can't sleep.  We cuddled and read on the couch and then I heard the mailman pull up to our box.

I said, "Do you want to go and get  the mail?"  "Yes," she replied and hopped off the couch.  I followed it with, "By yourself?!"  "What?!  I'm big enough to go and get the mail all by myself??"  "Sure, I trust you to look both ways."

I've never seen her get her size nines on so fast in my life.

I was at the top step at the front door videotaping her.  She walked down the driveway, looked both ways - twice - then crossed the street.  Then couldn't exactly reach the mailbox and kind of hung on it trying to reach everything.  While all this was happening two teenage boys were walking down our street.  She must have looked really small to be going to get the mail because they both looked up at the house only to see me standing there with the videocamera.  The both stopped to not interfere with my taping.

I jogged across the yard to help her and smiled at them and happily informed them this was her first time getting mail ever!

I didn't figure they cared and I didn't care that they didn't care. 

Then they continued on their way and Victoria and I were on our way back to the house and the kid said, "Good mom!" with a smile to me.  That just made the whole thing a touch sweeter than it already was.

I began videotaping her running up the driveway jumping up and down saying how she's soooo big now. 

It was adorable.  I'm pretty sure I won't be getting the mail again any day soon.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Pay Attention to Popper

A few months ago we were out at Angelo's for pizza on a Friday night.  We were having so much fun I didn't want the night to end, so I suggested we go to a 7:05 movie to see Rio.  We'd never taken the kids to an evening movie - ever.  Between sitting through a two hour movie and arriving at, basically, bedtime I didn't know what would happen.  We got our popcorn and found our seats and Mark started complaining about his seat being wet.  So, you sat on some spilled pop, no biggie.  But he kept going on and on whispering and standing up.  Finally he went to the bathroom, only to find out someone apparently had an accident during the previous showing. 

He had to leave the movie, go home and shower and change clothes.  I thought it was terribly gross, but yet funny.  Of all people to sit in urine.

Even though he missed half the movie that night still goes down in my memory as a great great night.

Ever since then we're a movie going family.

We saw Hop the night before Easter.

Last week we saw The Bee movie for free in the morning.

Yesterday morning I took the kids to see Mr. Popper's Penguins.  We were planning to go for two weeks.  We noticed every single billboard and sign with Jim Carrey's face on it.  We got to the mall right when it opened and hit the massive clearance at Gymboree (two days in a row) then headed over to the movie.

We got our usual enormous popcorn, that Christian eats for over an hour and mommy enjoys the largest Diet Coke money can buy.

The previews ended and Christian whispered, "Is it over?" with his little mouth jammed full of popcorn.

The movie began and I kept looking back and forth at their little faces mesmorized at these little penguins.

We were all having a wonderful time and then Christian was done with his popcorn and he was ready to leave.  Since that wasn't really an option I pulled out a granola bar to keep him occupied for another five minutes. 

That wasn't enough to get us through the last 30 BORING minutes of the movie.  I walked him down the steps and left V peacefully watching the movie in her seat.  We played games around the corner.  The watched the movie from the bottom steps of the theater.  It went on and on and he started yelling and being so silly and shouting ridiculous things.  I wanted to leave soooooooo bad, but I didn't want V punished.  I was thinking: Cars 2 next week??  I don't think so. . .unless I pack up the whole pantry for the little dude.  I kept wanting him to pay attention to Mr. Popper but since even I was losing interest, he really couldn't be totally blamed. 

Fast forward to today.

He was a little rambunctious which isn't that unusal but he kept getting a little worse and a little worse.  Just trying to push my buttons.  I'm having a hard time figuring out when it's just him being a silly and funny little boy and when to put a kabosh on it.  We were running our last errand of the day and Christian starts yelling and thinking he's being funny.  Then I pick him up and he's swatting at my face.  So I took away the glow sticks he wanted and then all hell broke loose.  We starts SCREAMING (I mentioned he screamed earlier - but that was more like a yell not a scream like this).  I decided this is my chance.  I don't want to.  I want to just hand him the damn glow sticks to keep him quiet and get out of there.  But, nope.  I was putting my foot down right then and there and everybody in that store would know it, unfortunately.

At one point he was parallel to the floor and he was screaming, "I will be a good boy now Mommy!!  I want those baaaaaccckkkkk!!!"  I continued putting the items on the conveyorbelt and paid with one hand.  Victoria waited quietly by the door with a little smirk hopping up and down.  She was going to get her item. 

I could tell by his sobs this was going to be a lesson learned.

Sometimes it's easier to give in and give them what they want immediately.  Sometimes that's ok.  But sometimes you gotta bite the bullet and be the parent everyone is staring at and judging and maybe praying for.  Today was that day.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Happy Father's Day to the Daddy of My Babies

Better late than never.  I returned from Chicago yesterday afternoon and we were out and about celebrating after that so this post is one day late.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

Dear Mark,
 You've been a daddy now for five years.  And you keep getting better and better.


Remember your first Christmas as a daddy?
You enjoyed every moment.


And you still do. . . in your matching pj's.
What a great daddy you are.


You learned early how to make our kids laugh.


What a funny daddy you are.


You knew the importance of reading to our kids early.
What a smart daddy you are.


You do all the things I don't enjoy doing.


What a really really smart daddy you are;-)


You're always ready for kisses from any one of us.



What a kissable daddy you are.



You fix anything and everything that may break
or need a little fixin' or changin' or whatever needs to be done.

What a handy daddy you are.


You lift us up (or down) as we need.

You are a strong daddy.


You even show up to a 2nd grade field trip to help the kids who's daddys couldn't be there.

What a helpful daddy you are.


You take care of all of us when we don't feel good or we're too tired to keep our eyes open.

What a caring daddy you are.



You go on every carousel everytime you see one.

What a fun daddy you are.






You have created traditions in for our family.

You are a creative daddy.



I am enjoying parenting so much,
especially with you by my side.

Our family is nothing without you.
Love you to pieces.

Thank you for being such a wonderful daddy, dad and father.

Happy Father's Day!

Love,
YW