Pickin' time!

Thanks Larry and Suzanne 

for sharing your bounty!!!

Clinical Trials:

We went to a well child clinic this week.  You know the ones,

you shuffle your preschooler around to

check their eyes,

    check their ears,

   their teeth,

              their development.

You wonder repeatedly how you managed to forget to teach your kid to walk one foot in front of the other and swear to start training for next year's clinic a few weeks early.

 

You fill out a questionare that asks if your preschooler:

Throws tantrums

never; sometimes; often; always

Shares toys

never; sometimes; often; always

Accepts Limits

never; sometimes; often; always

Some of the questions I thought would've been better suited for the mother.

Does your preschooler Mother:

Frequently change moods

never; sometimes; often; always

Use acceptable behavior

to solve problems

never; sometimes; often; always

Understand and Express Feelings

never; sometimes; often; always

Your kid clams up and won't talk until the well meaning screeners ask them to identify a picture of a fridge.

Screener: "What's this?"

Milo: "It's a fridge."

Screener: "Right! What's in it?"

Milo: "Yucky stuff."

ahem...i guess i need to clean out the fridge more often.

But I guess it could have been worse; one of the ladies there told me that a child once answered a question this way:

Screener:"Finish this sentence:

    Mommy is a girl,

    daddy is a...?"

Kid: "Creep."

blown balloon blues

 

I sign Milo up for preschool today.

Don't know if I should sing or cry.  He is a sweetie pie, but I think he's getting bored with me.

This weekend he had a balloon with a face drawn on it.  When we opened the car door at wally world that nasty old wind stole it away.  Due to the fact that this was the 99th

straw-that-caused-an-emotional-breakdown of the day, he got really blue.

He cried and fussed.

(you know it's a bad sign when you walk

into the store with a screamer)

Finally he settled down and said,

"Maybe my balloon flew up to heaven and God is holding it for me."

{Que mom's heart melting onto walmart floor}



         



A little Q and A with the Boss

Q: What is your favorite color?

A: Blue

Q: What is your favorite food? 

A: Hot dogs

  

Q: How old is daddy?

A: 23

  

Q: How old is mommy?

A: 23

Q: Who is the president?
A: Mommy


Q: Where do you live?
A: Here

S*A*T*U*R*D*A*Y*

(clap,clap)

Totally Fantastic.

Spent the morning ALONE with Levi

(that never happens)

We went shopping for some new glasses

and wandered around Wally World.

Josi (the angel child) stayed home taking care of Milo and Elsa and when we got back she had even cleaned the house.

Later we picked up a friend of Josi's and spent part of the

afternoon tie dying. 

I had never done it before,

 what a blast!

You can buy a kit of 3 colors with dispenser bottles and rubber bands for less than $10 bucks.

If you don't think you have enough rubber bands, just stop buy the local grocery store and a cool chick that works there will give you a handful.

(Judy u rock!!!)

Finished off the day playing under the trees with Milo's new set of construction tractors that his big bro brought him from town.  We built a road and watched Elsa sample dirt and twigs.

If I could bottle the love I felt today, I would.  I would open it when I am older and greyer, and just bask in that familiar aroma of my children.

To Levi, Josi, Milo and Elsa:

"May today there be peace within. May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith in yourself and others. May you use the gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content with yourself just the way you are. Let this knowledge settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of us."

— Mother Teresa

White (not so sandy) beaches

 Milo and I spent the morning as graffiti artists using a

sweet little trick

(a complex concoction of water and

food coloring in a spray bottle)

I learned back in the day, when I lived where winter lasted 10 months.

I can remember a few sculpture making contests between the kids in my school .  Our whole class would spend a day fashioning some majestic creation out of the massive amounts of available snow, then filling them in with color for impact. 

Today we just used our talents boycotting winter and adding our own greenery to the great outdoors. 

Cheesey, I know, but after so many days indoors the brain gets a little delirious.

Saturday Quote of the Week

Milo grabbing his toes,

"Mom, I just hit that trash can with my foot fingers, not kidding!"

Wall Walker

Our hometown has a wonderful park, complete with a running fountain, a great playground, and a walking path that winds through the beautiful trees. 

Surrounding the park is an amazing rock wall.  Every kid that grew up here has put one foot right in front of the other making their way around.

So this week on a sunny afternoon, I snuck off to the park with my best little buddy in tow. 

After we chased around a bit and climbed all over the carved bulldog stumps, it was time to join in on tradition and let Milo take his first trek along the wall.

  At first he was nervous but in the end he did it all by himself joining the ranks of wondrous wall walkers.

Saturday Quote of the week...

We were driving to town to pick up the big kids earlier this week.  As we zipped past a man getting his mail out of his box, Milo piped up from the back, "That guy was a bird, cuz he had a beak!" 

Later I told him to tell his dad what he saw.

He said, 

"Dad, today I saw a guy that was a bird.  

I am serious and not even kidding, 

he had a beak!"

Pappy

Lately I have been turning into my mother.  I know you hear that a lot but I mean it literally.  Here is how it goes:  Milo gets out a toy, usually a truck or a horse, and lays out the scenario…he is Pappy and I am Grammy.   The part comes quite naturally for me so it’s an easy game.  What I love most about it though is how when Milo is Pappy he stands a little taller, his voice gets a little louder and he always asks “What do you think, Grammy?”

My Dad is one of Milo’s biggest heroes.  It might have something to do with the line of motorcycles Pappy’s got lined up in the garage, or the loader tractor that is his favorite color of green.  It might be because Pappy has a few cowboy hats he lets Milo wear around.  But mostly Milo probably sees in Pappy what just about everybody around him sees, a kind man with a most generous heart.

We love you Pappy!!