New Boots

It snowed. Not enough to cause many problems with the streets, just enough to play in.  Of course, Lydia wanted to go out. I had bought some boots for her at the end of the season last year and stored them in the garage.  I found them and cut the tags off, then put them on Lydia. She stumbled around the kitchen then complained "Mom, I can't walk in these boots!"  Silly me, I had forgotten to take the tissue paper out of the toes.

Love me

Lydia found a stuffed toy that sings "Jesus Loves Me" when you press a button in the hand.  We have had it for a while, but like most things it has been forgotten for a time and then rediscovered. During lunch I had the song running through my head so I decided to ask Lydia if Jesus loves her. With no hesitation she answered "yes". I decided to keep going and asked if her Daddy loved her, "yes", and Ryan "yes".  Then she interrupted, "And you love me!"  "That's right I love you so much!" I thought that would be the end of the conversation. Then Lydia said. "And I love me!" I wish always I felt so secure in the arms of love.

John the Scientist

John is 6 years old and wants to be an inventor when he grows up.  He's not waiting.  His first invention that has "worked" is a network of shoe laces that he uses to connect the pull string from the ceiling fan to the string on the light in his closet to turn on the lights in his bedroom.

Saturday, Ryan came home with 9 extra large helium balloons.  Sunday, John decided to use them to do an experiment.  He knew he could tie them to toys to make them float, but in true "Up" style he decide to try to make a person float.  Who was the likely candidate?  Lydia, the smallest person in the house.  He took her to the stairs where the ceiling is the highest and gave her all the balloons.  Mom is very grateful that the experiment didn't work.  He told me it was OK because he was ready to grab her feet once she lifted off.

This week he brought home a small toy snake that he had received as a reward for good behavior.  What could John do with this?  Hmmmm, water makes plants grow.  Would soaking it in water make it grow?  He decided to find out.  He filled a cereal bowl with water placed it on the kitchen counter and put the snake in it.  Nothing happen to the snake, but dad was startled when he came home from work.  For a split second he thought it was real.  If the success of an experiment is measured in emotional response from his parents he is right on every time!

Grandma

I am heading off to Utah this next week.  Sarah is scheduled to have a C-section, her baby is breach, and she wants me there. Her husband is leaving town 3 days later for a job interview and both of them want me there for her then. I'm just not sure how useful I will be in the days in between. I wasn't even sure if I could get away, but everything has fallen into place. I have a wonderful proffessor who is understanding and will work with me so this doesn't destroy my grade. A classmate in my other class will help me stay caught up and turn in my work for me. The kids are out of school for fall break so I don't need babysitters. The final piece to the puzzle is that we were able to change the plane reservations.  Instead of being gone during Thanksgiving week, I will be missing Halloween.  That's an acceptable trade.  I leave the day after Neal's 18th birthday, come home the morning of Lydia's 3rd birthday all to be there for my granddaughter's birthday. One week and one day and I'll be a grandma!

Another Blog

OK my trusty followers.  I have not been blogging as I used to.  Why you ask?  I am splitting my time.  My 4D art class requires a blog and I have been writing there.  The subject however is very different.  I am talking art. Photos of some of my work is found there.If you are interested the site is DarleneKThomas.wordpress.com.

My second distraction is Tyler.  I send him 2-3 page letters every week and those take a bit of my time.  When I think of it I will try to start copying some of those stories here. 

Here is an excerpt from this last week.  My foot is healing from the break and I am wearing shoes now; rocker soles so I don't bend the foot. It feels good in the morning, but by evening it hurts.

Friday evening my foot was hurting, Dad and Melissa were at the Rockies game, Ryan was out, somewhere, so I had Neal drive me to finish birthday shopping for Peter.  The car was out of gas, really, really out of gas so of course we’ve got to get some. While Neal is pumping I see this guy ride up on his bike, he has a head lamp and a claw.  He starts going through the trash cans looking for cans.  He finds 2 in the first can.  He crushes one then opens the second and drinks it before crushing it.  I wonder how many cans it took to buy the lamp and the fancy claw thing.

                From there we go to Target.  Neal is easily distracted in the toy aisle and of no help picking anything out.  Honestly they don’t seem to make as many good toys as they used to.  Either that or we already own the really good stuff. I head over to the crafts and find a toy light table.  As much as the kids wanted to play with mine I think it’s a good idea and get it.

                Back at the car I notice that the door to the gas is open.  On closer inspection the gas cap is gone. Yup, Neal had put it on the roof and driven off.  I made him go back to the gas station to look for it.  No luck, then I made him go in and ask.  They had one, but it didn’t fit. Too bad, now Neal had an extra chore to do Saturday. That was a $10 lesson.

Lydia's clothes

There was a time that Lydia liked picking out her clothes. That phase seems to be over. And it seems to be my fault.

Lydia has been getting away with not wearing pants lately.  She is wearing a dress, or better just a shirt and training pants while she is learning to be consistent about using the toilet.  Friday, she decided clothes were optional and she wasn’t wearing any.  I left her alone for half an hour hoping she would change her mind.  She didn’t.  After trying to convince her, bribe her and threaten her, I finally wrestled her into a shirt and panties with her kicking and screaming the whole while.  After I was done she stomped out of the room only to return a few minutes later.  She had stripped and hidden her clothes. When she says “I don’t want to!” she means it.

Deductive Reasoning and a Two Year Old

Lydia is home alone.  Everyone else is in school and she only has Mom and the dog to keep her company.  For me this is a huge change.  I am used to a small group of preschoolers running around.  The up side is that she will watch the "princess movies" that her three older brothers shunned.  They have been sitting around collecting dust since Emma started school 7 years ago.

Today is was Snow White.  During the movie Lydia got hungry and asked for a snack.  When I asked her what she wanted she thought for a moment, looked at the TV screen, saw the wicked queen lift the apple out of the vat of poison and gave the obvious answer "an apple".  Wouldn't an apple dripping poison in the shape of a skull make everyone want one?  She happily munched her snack through the rest of the movie. She didn't even pause when Snow White fell to the ground unconscious.  I wondered how deeply she thought about things.

Deeper that I thought.  A few moments later she announced the need to use the bathroom.  Toilet training began last week with little interest or success.  A bag of chocolate candy increased the interest and the success the last two days.  After a successful trip to use the toilet and the promised reward/bribe, she waited a few minutes and decided that the candy was so good that she needed another and sitting on the toilet would get it for her.  She sent he audience (me) away, waited a bit then announce that she was "all done".  Of course this was all an act for my benefit and the acquisition of chocolate.  When I called her on it she reluctantly relented to the fact that she hadn't truly earned another treat.  Mom is not quite as easy to fool as she thought.