Sprinklers: God's Gift To Moms

Have I mentioned before how much I love sprinklers? I LOVE sprinklers. If I weren't already married, I might marry a sprinkler.

It's the best equation in the world during the summer:

HOT DAY + KIDS + SPRINKLER = STRESSFREE PLAYDATE FOR MOM

For the second day in a row, Jake has a friend over. Both days, the boys have spent most of their playdate in the sprinkler in the front yard. They are Power Rangers, they are Transformers, they are washing the car...whatever, the important thing is they are NOT fighting over toys. They are giggling and happy, the way boys in a life insurance commercial would be.

I've got to figure out how to recreate this in the winter...

By the way, if anyone else has recently decided to teach their (almost) 5-year-old The Golden Rule, heed my warning. You will constantly live with, "Mommy, remember The Golden Rule. Respect!"

I'm so close to screaming, Cartman-style


But really, that's not what I would want done to me...

Annie's 6 Month Portraits

I guess that ruins everything...

Jake and two buddies from school are all doing Summerbridge Activities workbooks this summer. As their prize for completing the first month's activities, we're having an ice cream party at TCBY this Friday.

This morning Jake was fighting swords against some invisible assailant. I wanted him to go ahead and do his workbook page for the day, so we'd be done with it. Here's how this conversation went.

Me: Jake, let's do Summerbridge. It's your last page this month, then you'll get to go get ice cream.

Jake: Arrgghhhh...[thud]

Me: [look around to see what fell]

Jake: [on floor with sword "stuck" in chest, eyes closed, tongue stuck out]

Me: Umm, Jake? Don't you want to be able to get ice cream with your friends?

Jake: [opens eyes to roll them at me] But I'm dead.



The Quigley Word of The Day:

ma·ca·bre
Pronunciation: m&-'käb; -'kä-br&, -b&r; -'käbr&
Function: adjective
Etymology: French, from (danse) macabre dance of death, from Middle French (danse de) Macabré
1 : having death as a subject : comprising or including a personalized representation of death
2 : dwelling on the gruesome
3 : tending to produce horror in a beholder

Example: My son's macabre games always end with him on the floor, sword in chest, tongue lolling out of mouth.

What Tape Can Do

While Jake's bath water was running tonight, I did a little laundry and checked my email. Annie was already in bed, Jake was playing in his room.

With tape.

When I turned off his water and went to get him, tape stretched across his room. From closet to desk. That's maybe six feet of tape.

Jake is so proud. "I didn't know tape could do that, Mommy!"

Tomorrow I think I'll introduce him to toilet paper. Let him see what that can do in a room...

Loving Summer

Right now Annie is in her jumper, bouncing up and down like a beach ball, while Jake stands in front of her dancing and barking*. She is giggling uncontrollably.

I love it. Never mind that in a few seconds, Jake will be begging to "go somewhere" and Annie will be fussing to be held. For just a little while, all is well with the world.

*Yes, that's right. Barking.

Just Do Your Best, Honey...

A week in review...

Last weekend Jake went to Grandfather Mountain and Tweetsie Railroad with Granny and Papa. He had a GREAT time (his description). He got to feed bears, ride rides, meet real cowboys... He's still talking about his trip. Today while he was riding his bike at a park, we were in a wooded part of the trail. He asked if I thought there would be bears, and when I said no, he said, "But Mommy, bears are real. I saw them." I'm just hoping they aren't in the middle of Greensboro...

Jake spent each morning this week in a camp done by the Community Theatre. He seemed to love every bit of it, so much that I'm wondering if he might want to do some sort of acting class in the fall. The camp ended with a performance the kids worked on all week. They danced to "Jungle Boogie," while wearing animals hats and standing in front of the "set" they designed. The camp was for 3-5 year olds, so the set was pretty basic: the camp counselors cut out trees and let the kids color them. Jake did so well, of course. :) And we now have his first program from a performance. Aunt Caitlin should be proud: another actor in the family.

While Jake was in camp Thursday morning, Leslie came to Greensboro to go to a storytime with Annie and me. This was the first time Annie was the focus of something like storytime--usually she's tagging along because of big brother. This turned out to be perfect. It didn't end up being a storytime, so much as a gathering for kids in a library. Annie got to play with stacking cups and soft blocks. Now that she's reaching for everything (ow, my hair!), she loved this chance to hold new things. And to shake them. The girl loves to shake things. I can't imagine what might happen if she got ahold of a kitten...

Thursday afternoon as we were leaving to go bike riding with some of Jake's friends, Jake decided to see if he could throw a rock over Annie's head. Now, I didn't know he was going to try this. Had I known, of course, I would've told him not to throw the rock. But I'm sure Jake knew I would say that, so he did it while I wasn't looking.

I didn't see the rock come our way (I was holding Annie), I just heard the thunk. It was like slow motion. I realized Annie had been hit just after Jake did. Annie took a few more seconds. She started wailing, Jake started crying, and I...have no idea what I did for about 10 minutes. Fortunately Leslie was still at our house, so she took Jake aside while I checked out Annie. I called her doctor, who told me what to watch for in case of concussion or other damage. I love my children's doctor, in case I haven't mentioned it. The office is so good with kids, and they're good at follow up too. The nurse I spoke with called me back twice that day--once to tell me what the doctor had said, and once a few hours later to make sure Annie was okay.

And Annie is okay, of course, or several of you would have heard about this much sooner. She had a small bump on her head Thursday, which became just a red mark by yesterday. Now it's not visible at all. Trauma averted.

Jake will most likely never throw a rock again.

He didn't end up biking with his friends that afternoon, obviously, but we went out both yesterday and today for him to ride his bike at the Guilford Courthouse Military Park. Wow, we've been missing a great place! My dad has asked several times if I've taken Jake there, and we went once to the visitor's center for a children's program, but I had no idea it was so wonderful for walking (and bike riding). Sometime next week Jake and I have planned to take his bike and a picnic and stay there for a few hours. Today after Jake had had enough of his bike, we walked to the monument of General Greene. Jake asked me if he "winned or losed." When I told him that he'd actually lost that battle (ahem, "tactically defeated" is how it's worded on the website), I started to explain a little about the Revolutionary War. Jake took off running across the field and yelled back, "Mommy, I only wanted to know if he winned or losed!"

That was fine, I'd already said what little I know about the war. "We fought the British. We won." (Right? This is why we don't have to eat fish and chips.) So I concluded the history lesson by yelling back to Jake,

"Honey, he lost. But he did the best he could!"

How many times did Nathanael Greene's mother probably say the same thing to him?

Instead of cleaning, I'm doing this...

Bloggy Funny

Leslie sent this to me, and I thought many of you (or your spouses...) would sympathize...I know, I know, Ike.

Smart-A$$ kid...

This morning Jake asked me the daily question. "Do you love me better or Annie?"

I answered with a diplomatic, "I live you both with all my heart."

He rolled his eyes and replied, "But your heart is only as big as your fist."

Perhaps we have a doctor here, but I don't see romantic poetry in his future...

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day, Ike! Happy Father's Day to my dad and to Richard, Ike's dad, too. I love you all very much. And I thank you all for being the wonderful influences you are in my children's lives.

I can't write enough about how grateful I am to have met you, Ike. You've changed my life in so many (positive) ways. I can't imagine life without you...and I'm glad I don't have to. Enjoy your day, you deserve it. I love you.

What do I know about being 5??

Jake's girlfriend (I love writing that...how adorable!) came over today. This was the last time they'll see each other before she goes out of town with her grandparents, so Jake wanted to dress up for her. He also asked me to put gel in his hair...seriously. We skipped the gel, and he only dressed up for a few minutes, then he changed clothes to go play in the sprinkler.

I was worried that Jake would be disappointed about his day because they seemed to bicker quite a bit. They spent a long time together a few days ago, so I thought maybe this was just friendship overload. However, when she left, I asked him if he'd had a good time. "I had a GREAT time," he shouted.

Huh. Well, there you go.

Our Summer So Far

Caitlin and I spent Saturday in Chapel Hill. We walked to South Campus and back up to Franklin Street to give her an idea of what her legs need to get used to. We spent a lot of time in the graveyard on campus...my fault more than hers. We avoided construction as much as possible. And I learned a valuable life lesson: A lot changes in 9 years. The campus is so different... At any rate, this picture is Caitlin by a pretty fountain. I would've taken a picture of her by the Old Well, but we drove by it and had too many cars behind us to stop to take the picture. The fountain we were able to get while I sat in the car. Incidentally, I have a picture of Caitlin, Mom and me in front of this same fountain when I graduated (nine long years ago).






Jake, Annie and I visited Leslie in Charlotte today. We got to see her beautiful new home and explore her incredible neighborhood. I've never seen a neighborhood like it. Three pools (or was it four?), playgrounds everywhere, a golf course, a gym... I wouldn't ever leave if I lived there.

We also explored Concord Mills (oohh...what a great place to spend money!) before we left. The pictures show Jake on the carousel at Concord Mills and Leslie holding Annie while Jake and I rode. I hate that the one with Leslie and Annie is so dark. We'll just have to go back again to take a new picture!

Good news for those of you who've been up late worrying about this (okay, me): I found a bathing suit for Annie! Concord Mills had a Carter's outlet, which had a great selection of bathing suits. They apparently size the suits as if babies wouldn't wear swim diapers underneath, but guess what? I'm not that stupid. I know that if she didn't wear a swim diaper, she'd surely poop in the pool. So I bought a larger size to accomodate the diaper. It is, as you probably could guess, absolutely adorable on her.

DON'T TOUCH MY BABY!

...you snot-nosed, slimy-fingered kid.

This is probably my biggest pet peeve these days. I understand that small children are fascinated by babies. I understood during the school year that if I took Annabelle to Jake's class, I should expect to fight off small fingers.

BUT I do not understand how I can be in a public place, with the parents of aforementioned snot-face, slimy-fingered kids there as well, and still have these kids touching my baby.

Example. Yesterday we went to the children's museum with one of Jake's friends. While they were playing, this filthy looking little boy appeared from nowhere. He just materialized beside me trying to grab Annie's hand and repeating, "Cute baby. Stupid baby." Yeah, I think something may have been wrong with him. But that's not the point. The point is his mama was RIGHT THERE watching while this kid tried to put his hands all over my baby.

Do parents like this not remember having a baby? Do they not realize that if their kid touches my baby's hands, my baby is going to have their nasty germs in her mouth?? Yuck.

I'm thinking of writing to my local representative. It's just disgusting. These parents who let their kids touch other people's babies without permission should obviously be shot.

(It's Monday morning. Apparently I'm irritable.)

Kindergartener

My plan was to put these pictures beside the picture of Jake from his first day of school, but that picture is nowhere to be found on my computer...

At any rate, these pictures show Jake yesterday, before school on his last day as a PreK. I am SO excited that summer is here! He had three friends over today, and it was wonderful to not have to sit in the car line. :) I cried yesterday, just a little, on our way to meet two friends after school. I just can't believe he'll be in kindergarten. That's practically college.

Speaking of college, my sister and I are spending tomorrow in Chapel Hill. I think she thinks I'm going to show her around the campus, but I actually plan to show her around the important part of Chapel Hill: Franklin Street. Pepper's Pizza, here we come.

Another Mommy's Heart Is Broken...

It was bound to happen, I know. The inevitable love of another woman. The leaving of the mommy for someone more age appropriate.

But did it have to happen so soon??


After an afternoon in the sprinkler, Jake and his girlfriend (yes, apparently it's true. They wrote each other love notes and everything. Do you hear the sound of one mommy's heart breaking?) drove off into the sunset.

Or anyway, they drove as far as they could until the battery died.

Annie fought the beans...

...and the beans won.

(This is Annie eating green beans.)

Meltdowns

How many more days of school? Just two. Two. I can make it. When those two days are over, can I have my sweet, even-tempered child back??

A few weeks ago, Jake had the Worst Meltdown Ever. Kicking, screaming, throwing things, crying...and I'm pretty sure I saw his head turn 360 degrees... He had a friend over at the time, and it was so bad that I called her grandmother and sent her home. It was absolutely the worst tantrum he's ever had...

...until today. When I picked Jake up from school, his teacher said they didn't have rest time this afternoon. You know, today was the big Moving Up Ceremony (which was beautiful and made me cry. I'll be a basketcase at Jake's next year), with a picnic afterwards, so it was a big day. Then we went straight to karate from school, with no downtime in between.

So on the way home Jake started his NEW Worst Meltdown Ever. It was brought on because I said that 1) no, we couldn't go somewhere else instead of home, and 2) no, we weren't having McDonalds for dinner, and 3) no, he couldn't have chocolate when we got home because he had a big cookie at the picnic.

Which of course made me "mean" and made Jake hate me. He hated me one minute, then apologized profusely the next, all the while crying and whining. This fit continued at home when he saw his friend Molly across the street because I told him he couldn't go over to play today (he's going tomorrow, and it was 4:30 already).

I can't describe it well enough. It was like a war zone...all trapped inside my normally sweet kid.

I know this is all because he's exhausted. School has worn him out, and it's time for a break. I can't wait til summer when he can sleep in a little longer and take afternoon naps if he needs them...

But the silver lining? Jake was in bed sound asleep at 6:30 tonight. It's a record.

Where have I been??

Well, there's no good reason for me not blogging. I just haven't been. Well, I do have one semi-good reason, actually. It's because every time I get on the computer, Brandee has a new blog entry. I can't keep up! :)

This morning at Jake's school, they're having a Moving Up Ceremony. Since the PreK & K are combined, and the first & second grades are combined, I think this ceremony is mostly for the kindergarteners and the second graders. I asked Jake yesterday if he wanted me to come, and he looked at me like I'd mortally wounded him just by considering not going.

"You have to come. I'm moving up to kindergarten!"

Well, of course I do then...

We're having a picnic lunch after the ceremony. This is when our class will present the gift we purchased for Jake's teacher. I put myself in charge of organizing the gift, so I'll be glad to see it get into her hands...

Time for school. Three more days...