Stupid Bird!

So tonight Jessie and I had a bit of an adventure. When she went out in the garage to feed the dogs, she discovered that there was a bird in there. We opened the door thinking that it would fly right out. Boy were we wrong! This stupid little bird would fly from one side of the garage to the other. It would fly in circles and bang into things. It would even land and sit on top of the open door. But it would not fly out! We probably looked like complete morons to any of our neighbors that happened to see us (not that today would be any different from any other day!). Finally, after almost 10 minutes, the little bird figured out where the big, huge open garage door was and flew out. Maybe we should make our door less invisible so next time the stupid animal won't have such a hard time!

See, even birds want to come stay in my world!

Andrew

So today was a pretty typical day in my world. From the moment he woke up until I was tucking him in, I was constantly having to tell Andrew to talk quieter because we were inside. I'm still amazed at how different little boys and little girls are. Anyone who tries to tell you that they are different because of society or the way they are raised is very wrong, and has obviously never been around children. I ABSOLUTELY love my son, and wouldn't trade him for the world...but I would go crazy if I had 2 of him! Don't get me wrong, he isn't a bad kid at all. He's just all boy, all the time! Everything he does is loud (like father, like son)...walking, talking, opening things, closing things, laughing...everything! And he has that boy sense of humor...farts are hilarious, talking about "pee pee" and "poo poo" is the best thing ever, and crashes of any kind make his day. He is always moving, too. He doesn't ever sit still. Ever. Even in his sleep. And we think it's physically impossible for him to stay quiet for longer than a minute...we actually bribed him and timed it once! But he is also the most gentle-hearted, giving child you'll ever meet. He is sweet and funny. He doesn't like you to be mad or upset with him. He thrives on routine, and likes to follow the rules. He takes what people say very literally. He can be very intense, and he loves to be near people. And he is incredibly protective of his sisters. He often tells me that he wishes he had a brother. It kind of makes me feel guilty. But then again, I know that even though we don't always get what we want, it usually turns out to be what we need.

So, tonight as him and I were walking to his room, and I had to again remind him to be quiet because Devynn was already asleep, I found myself thinking how glad I am to have him. In our house full of pink, he is our blue. With all the estrogen flowing through here, he is our testosterone. While all us girls can be emotional and moody, he is our level-headed thinker. And even though he can be incredibly intense, he somehow balances our family out. He is, as Uncle Steve calls him, "The Boy."

And it wouldn't be my world without him.

Earthquake

We had a 5.4 earthquake a little bit ago. They don' t usually bother me too much, but it sure upset the kids. That was the first one that Andrew and Rylee had ever felt so they were pretty scared. I finally got them down for their naps, although you could really see how nervous they were about being more than 10 feet away from me. I'm hoping we don't have any big aftershocks while they're sleeping.


Other than that, everything is quiet in my world.

Rhino?!

So, I think it's always a good idea for young kids to know the proper names of "private parts". But for some bizarre reason, Andrew was having trouble remembering the proper name for vagina. He kept thinking that a girls "private part" was called a "rhino"! Ryan and I both about fell out of our chairs the first time he said that! Puts a nice mental picture in your head, doesn't it?!

So Ryan decided that he would help Bubba remember by telling him that vagina rhymes with China. It seemed to help and we thought all was good. Until the other day when Jessie's BFF Ali was over.

Andrew went up to Ali and said "Ali, ask me what rhymes with China." When Ali didn't oblige, Andrew started yelling "VAGINA! VAGINA RHYMES WITH CHINA! CHINA, VAGINA!" Ali and Jess laughed out of embarrassment. And Andrew now thinks he's a comedian.

Boys will be boys in my world!

Strange

For some completely unexplainable reason, my kids have all been getting along and playing nicely together. RyRy even pointed out that she hasn't had to sit in time-out lately (which is usually a multiple times a day thing for her!). I'm sure I just jinxed myself, but it's been so wonderful hearing them laugh rather than argue and whine! I wonder if it's a full moon or something....

Laziness

So, on Saturday Andrew was scheduled to have a t-ball game at 10 am. At 9:05 am, we received a call saying that the game was being cancelled because of the heat and the concern of the boys getting heat stroke.

Give me a break!!!!

I think the parents just didn't want to deal with a little warmth...I won't call it heat because I don't think it even hit 90 degrees at the hottest part of the day! There are too many parents out today that are lazy, and are raising lazy kids. These are the same parents that show up late to all the games, even though the games have a strict one-hour time limit. They rarely, if ever, get their boys to practice...out of 14 boys, we have about 7 at any given practice. And it's usually all the same ones. They aren't teaching their boys anything about being part of a team. If you sign your kids up for a team sport, you're making a commitment to get them to practices and games for the entire season. If you don't want to deal with the heat, then don't sign your son up for a league that runs until August!

I guess one of the biggest problems I see with society today is the fact that too many parents are afraid to be parents. They aren't teaching their kids about responsibility or commitment. They aren't showing them that if they work hard at something, then they can feel good about the rewards. Too many kids expect something for nothing. It's sad because these kids don't know the feeling of accomplishment. They don't know that feeling of pride when they worked their butts off for something and finally earned it.

Parents, start being parents. Don't give in, be consistent, and let your kids come to know the joys of feeling pride in themselves and in their teammates. One day, they'll thank you for it. And then you'll have the sense of pride in knowing that you raised them right. And that's what it's all about.

Fears

Devynn's List of Fears

1. Ryan's old Freddy Krueger mask ...she knows that it's in his closet, so she refuses to go in there. She instead will stand near the closet door saying "mask, mask". But if you bring it out, she instantly starts crying and trying to get as far away from it as possible.
2. Shadows on the wall...the look of terror on her face when she noticed my shadow on the wall scared me because I could only imagine what was behind me. I was very relieved it was just my shadow, but that did little to make her feel better.
3. Balloon animals...she was actually ok playing with Rylee's bunny balloon at first, but something happened and she suddenly didn't want anything to do with it. When I tried handing it back to her, she started crying and trying to get away.
4. Whoopee cushions...the classic trick for old prank-pullers...she is scared of it when it is just sitting there. And if you blow it up, and sit on it, she starts crying hysterically!
5. Shampoo suds...her newest fear...discovered this morning while she showered with me. She was quite upset when I rinsed my hair and she could see the lather gathered around the drain. Even once it had all been rinsed away, she kept eyeing the drain nervously.

Dealing with an 18-month old that has strange fears...just another day in my life...welcome to my world!