Summer Vacation: Day 1

UG!

Ok, so school is out. It's 9:30 in the morning and I would estimate that I have broken up approximately 17 fights. I hope this is not a sign of how things are going to go. Maybe it's just everyone getting adjusted to the new routines. Hopefully. They are currently playing leap frog. I can't see this ending badly.

And I also had the pleasure of calling the IRS today. Ah.. now that's a phone call you tend to put off. It's actually not so bad. It's the second call I've made to the IRS in my life, and neither was terrible. I would rather call the IRS than the DMV. But one thing that cracks me up is that they always refer you to their website, IRS.gov. Like that site is so simple and easy to understand. Yes, reading Publication 15 Article 11 totally cleared up all my questions, thank you so much.

Anywho... Summer break is getting off to a less than stellar start.

The littlest pine tree

Maddy discovered a tiny little pine tree growing in the shade of a bush out front. It's about two inches tall, this pine tree. Larry started watering it, but as the heat gets hotter it seems like the little guy wasn't doing so well in the front.

So Larry got a pot and transplanted the mini pine tree to the backyard. We now have a pine tree growing in a small clay pot in the shade of the hot tub. It's the only place in the yard that doesn't get any direct sun. We have a couple of potted plants in that special spot now.

What's funny is that Larry (I'd say "we", but let's be honest) is going to try to save this tree. But then what? What the heck are we going to do with a pine tree? I suppose we will figure that out when/if the time comes.

And if anyone is interested... the library found The Look Book that I had been searching for. So phew!

Lovies

Maddy has a favorite bear that she has slept with every night since she was born. My cousin gave him to us while I was in the hospital after having Maddy. This bear has the ultra-creative name of "Bear". When she was little she took Bear everywhere she went. Strangers trying to be nice would say things like "Wow, that's a great bear! What is his name?" To which she would reply "Bear." and then the stranger would look at me. I would have to clarify... "The bear's name is Bear." with an apologetic look on my face. Naming things is not my daughter's strength. Never the less, Bear is well loved. Very well loved. When Maddy was about 18 months or so she started "wagging bear's tail" when she would fall asleep. She would hold the bottom of the tail with her thumb and middle finger and then move the tail back and forth with her pointer finger.

Connor also sleeps with a little teddy bear. My mother in law gave it to him while we were still in the hospital. His name is C.B. Which officially stands for "Connor's Bear" but has been changed to meet any passing fancy which pops into my head. C.B. also happens to be Connor's initials. When Connor had a pacifier he would suck his "fire" and hold the bottom of C.B.s foot against his nose. I don't know how that was comforting... but apparently it was. Once he stopped with the pacifier he took to putting C.B. under his head instead.

So about two weeks ago I was putting Connor to bed and he didn't want to lay his head on C.B. like usual. Instead he wanted C.B. sleeping on the pillow next to him, with the covers pulled up under C.B.s chin. I took sad note of this slight separation between Connor and his most cherished possession.

I walk directly from Connor's room to Maddy's room. I go in and Maddy burst into tears. "Bear's tail fell off!!" she wails. In her hand is a small, black, badly worn piece of string. Not a tail. Bear's tail hasn't been an actual tail in years. The fabric wore away long ago. All that was left was the seam of the tail. But it was good enough. But now... the seam has fallen off. A terrible thing. A heartbreaking event. Tears fell. Just a small hole where Bear's tail used to be.

I couldn't help but take notice of the difference here. Within minutes of each other my 3 year old makes a separation from his lovey and my seven year old wails in anguish over losing her lovey's best asset.

But don't worry... Maddy is still sleeping with Bear's tail. My child is comforted by a piece of string. Such a strange child.

The Look Book

Maddy jumps off the school bus this morning and comes running across the street with a panicked look on her face.

"I forgot my Look Book!"
"What?"
"The Look Book! We need to bring it back to school today!"
"You can't bring it tomorrow?" Keep in mind the whole bus stop is on the bus ready to go.
"No! If you bring it back today then you get a Popsicle." This is when another bus stop mom chimes in and verifies this fact. Actually, if whole class brings their library books back then they all get a Popsicle. It's everyone or no one.
"Do you know where the book is?"
"Yes!"
"Ok, run fast!"
When she doesn't come back immediately I poke my head in the door and can hear her crying in her room. I go in and she is digging around frantically under her bed in tears. I help her look but there is no book under there. I put her back on the bus with a promise that I will keep looking for it and will bring it to her.

I look... and look... and look for The Look Book. It's nowhere. I have no idea where The Look Book is. I drive over to her school to catch her before school starts. I tell her I looked and can't find it. She describes it for me. "You know like the sewers under the road? It has that on the cover. And it's black and orange." Um... ok? I tell her I've looked and I'll look again, but I don't think I'm going to find it.

And I didn't.

Bedtime battles

We've been having trouble with Connor going to bed. Granted, this is a problem that we've been having for 3 years and 86 days now, but it's been especially bad the last few weeks. This round had come to a head the night before last when Larry took his favorite toys out of his room and told him he could have them back in the morning if he would lay down and go to sleep. That finally worked. We didn't hear another peep out of him.

Then yesterday he wouldn't lay down for nap. I took him potty and put him in his bed. I told him I wasn't coming back no matter what. NO MATTER WHAT! We said good night and I closed the door. I hadn't even made it to the top of the stairs before he started his games. And he didn't hold back... he went right for the throat.

"Mommy! I need to go pee on the potty!!!!"
"MOMMY!"
"Mommy, I need to go PEEEEEEEEEEE"

This went on for about 45 minutes, but I stuck to my guns. I knew he didn't really have to go pee. He just went! But it was hard, I couldn't help but think he was up there just dying to go to the bathroom and what a horrible person I was for not taking him. Who makes a child beg for 45 minutes to go pee? A terrible person... that's who.

But he did finally give up and fall asleep. And I would like it noted that he didn't have to pee when he woke up.

I got my reward for all my hard work last night when he went down with no troubles at all. He didn't call for us even one time. At least not right away. About an hour after he had been put to bed he started calling...

"Mommy!"
"Mooooommmmyyyy"

But this time it was different. Any mom who has been a mom for more than a few weeks knows the difference between a "I'm mad because I'm not getting my way" cry and a real true "I'm upset, scared, hurt, or stuck" cry. And this was the latter.

But I still wasn't totally convinced. I went up there, but I wasn't happy about it.

I walk in and he doesn't stop crying right away. This is when I know something is truly wrong... it's not a trick. In the dim light I can see something is wrong with his shirt. The silly boy had taken his arm out of his sleeve. Then he put it up through the neck hole... and then back through the arm hole. It was quite a tangle. He cracks me up. I was laughing so hard I almost couldn't untangle him. What a silly boy I have.

I straightened his shirt and he went right to sleep. But now I'm afraid that he knows that getting himself in a predicament will get him after-lights-out attention. Let's hope that I don't have to make him sleep with his shirt half on and half inside out.

Death by Calculus

I had a math test last night. I really don't like my math teacher very much. I mean she's nice and all... but it's like she doesn't take the class seriously. She doesn't seem to care if anyone does well. I'm holding on to an A by a string... and I'm doing the best in the class. That shouldn't be. Someone in the class should know what is going on. Before class we all sit around and complain about how our teacher doesn't explain anything. She goes through the material so fast that when I leave the class I don't have any clue what we were talking about. I just spend the class writing feverishly... my hand a blur, eraser dust flying everywhere. Then when I get home, my notes don't even mean anything. And have you ever tried to learn Math out of a text book. Impossible.

But either way... it's almost done. I only have three more classes, and only the final is left. Sigh. I can't friggin wait!

Say Cheese

I took Connor to get his pictures taken on Monday.

You: Hey Ashley, are these his 3 year old pictures? Didn't he turn 3 like 3 months ago?
Me: Yes, shut up.

He had himself a brand new haircut and I had a coupon. So off we went. He was so cute. I dressed him some navy blue shorts and a baseball looking shirt, with a backwards baseball hat. I love the backwards hat on him. So we go in the little room and he was kinda freaked out. He did every little thing the photographer asked him to do... put your hands in your pockets, sit down, lay down, stand here, he did it all with no problems. But he wouldn't smile. Mr. Serious.

Frog on the photographers head. No reaction. Dancing frog. No reaction. Flying frog. No reaction. Tickling Mommy with frog. Very funny! So that's what we did. She would pose him and then I would scream in delight while a stranger tickled me with a stuffed frog. The things they make us do.

Which he knew exactly what he was doing. He would look at me while I was being tickled and then as soon as he started laughing he would look at the camera so she could take his picture. Smarty pants.