Happy New Year!

Happy

TWENTY ELEVEN

everyone!

(copyright MMXI)

Henry and "Kimas" and Secrets Devulged

Henry can't wait for Christmas - it's all of a sudden a very big deal in our home.
"Kimas, Kimas, Kimas!!" He shouts as a package is delivered to the house. He is very good about opening the packages (that he can) and gingerly carrying the wrapped gifts to my closet to "hide" them, where all other Kimas gifts are currently being "hidden". (I need a new hiding spot, I see.)
Each one is labeled by Henry as "very special". And they are.

Yesterday he and I lay on his bed prior to nap. He looked quite solemn for a moment before he spoke. Very seriously he finally said, "I got a Kimas gift for you. It's a blue shirt."

Henry-isms

Henry's Friends
Henry has a few new friends. Robot is his imaginary pal, for whom I am occasionally asked to set a place at the table and tuck in at bedtime. He talks to Robot, plays with him, and sometimes reprimands him - sounding shockingly like me.

Then there is Poo Poo The Spider, who he always refers to as Poo Poo The Spider and never simply Poo Poo. Poo Poo lives on the ceiling of his bedroom (where an actual spider resides), and often sleeps in "the moon", or the ceiling light fixture. While there is no interaction between Henry and Poo Poo The Spider, it is well understood that Poo Poo The Spider does not hurt, he tickles.

Walter
Henry routinely takes toys away from Walter, whether they are important to Henry or not. When told that he needs to give Walt something to play with, he either loads his brother up with lots of toys, or picks a big toy and then drops it on his brother's foot.

"Snots"
Henry and I went to the clinic to get our flu shots a couple weeks ago. At first, he was fine about going to get our shots, then once in the clinic he became decidedly less enthusiastic. I kept telling him that we were going to do it together and at first he agreed, then he left me hanging out to dry by myself informing me that I could, but he was not going to take part in it. In the end, it was a relatively uneventful visit, except for the fact that I had to force Henry to do something that he didn't want to do, and to make matters worse, it hurt him. And it's hard to do even though I understand that the long term benefits outweigh the short term.

Afterward we sat in the lobby recovering, him sniffling as he sat on my lap. He looked at me and said, "I want to see your snot."
I showed him the spot I received my "snot". He started talking about how Daddy needs to get his "snots".
"Yep," I say. "Let's go get some chocolate."

Some people's parents

Posted by Kevin.....

So I was out yesterday morning, getting an early start on my Christmas shopping this year. I always feel that the quality of the gifts I purchase at the last minute are better than if I planned ahead and bought gifts in, say, early December.

As I toiled for almost 19 minutes in Toys R Us, I had the privilege to be in the company of several people wearing pajama bottoms.

Please re-read that last sentence.

Keep in mind I was in public....virtually surrounded by folks in pajama bottoms and winter coats.

I felt an overwhelming urge to ask one of them if, in fact, a nearby hotel had just been evacuated. But seeing how it was 12:30 in the afternoon, more likely it was a mental health facility with a gas leak.

Editor's note: If by chance you haven't been to a coffee shop in a college town on a Sunday morning, you may not have had the wonderful experience of having a bunch of strangers standing around you in line wearing PJ bottoms with outdoor coats and shoes. This is a trend that has spilled over into mainstream fashion like a mocha latte on Sponge Bob PJ bottoms.

The most troubling site in a cavalcade of troubling sites presented before me was a young couple in PJ bottoms and over sized puffy down jackets. The two of them were picking out toys (for a niece or nephew I hope!) while downing matching cans of Monster Energy Drink.

At 12:30 in the afternoon.

Editors note: If you are unfamiliar with Monster Energy Drink, than either you haven't driven a tractor trailer across Nebraska in one night, or you don't attend your neighborhood "raves" .

Later, when I told Stace about this episode, she asked me, "So what is your problem with these people?"

I told her I also witnessed several "40 somethings" wearing PJ bottoms and was APPALLED, I tell you!

"These People" were most likely parents and as such should maintain some semblance of maturity and sanity in public or when their children or children's friends or parents of their children's friends can see them.

Editor's Note: While I have been "witnessed" to be lounging around in public wearing wind pants and drinking an energy drink there are some subtle, yet very important (but yes, subtle) differences to the couple I "witnessed" at Toys B Us:

Firstly (or "A." if you prefer): Windpants are not the same as Pajama pants even though they may look like pajama pants and I did, in fact wear them to bed the very night before you "witnessed" me.

Secondly (or"B." if you insist): My energy drink was in fact an electrolyte drink with something called "GU" mixed into it, washed down with an espresso.

School

Henny and I were driving to school yesterday when he announced,
"I not going to cry today."
Ok, I thought. The last time we got to school he was very distraught over my leaving (which then left me very distraught), and so he must have been thinking about this.

"Ok, honey," I say, "you don't have to cry, but you know, it's ok if you do."
"I not cry."
"Ok, baby. I love you."
"I love you too." He replied.

We arrived and carried all of our stuff in the building, down the hall, and into his room.
I began to take off all his winter gear as the kids are told that it's snack time.
"Ooo, it's snack time, Hen." I say hoping to entice him.
I steal a look at him as I yank off a boot and watch where he places his socked foot so that it doesn't land in a puddle of melted snow, and he appears apprehensive. He starts to growl.
He does this when he is uncertain. Growl, or make funny faces, or gently smack my leg as he tells me not to do something I am doing that is either bringing him attention or embarrassing him in some way.

I give him a hug and kiss and tell him to have a good day, and I look at him.
His face is puffy, he looks terrified and uncertain and unhappy, his breathing is a little unsteady.
"Come here," I say putting my arms out afraid he's going to see that I'm looking puffy, terrified, uncertain, unhappy and about to breathe funny - "give Mama another hug and kiss."

He gives me a long kiss and hug. Then he turns his back to me, swipes his arm over his eyes, and says, "goodbye."

My brave big kid.

Minnesotans

The boys and I bundled up and went out for a church dinner last night. It took us some time to appropriately dress seeing as how it was 3 degrees.

We arrived, and thankfully some friends took my children away from me while I sat and chatted with other folks. (I am seriously grateful to those in my "villiage" who help raise my kids, and who recognize that I need a break...)

There we were talking about the weather, and the woman says nonchalantly, "It's supposed to really get cold next week."
"So", I say taking a bite of my hotdish, "how long have you lived here?"

I need this.

Posted by Kevin......

Please God, for just one day. Let me trade places with either of my kids.

You see, the movie "Freaky Friday" (and all of it's twenty six various remakes) never actually portrayed accurately a compelling reason why an adult would WANT to trade places with a child.

Sure, the plot always assumed that parents and children view things as being better in the other family member's shoes. But they are always shown the fallacy of this reasoning and after a crazy adventure where you tell your boss why you didn't turn in your "homework" or nonplussed teachers argue with you about Nixon, you must chase down the fortune teller/genie/evil overlord who switched you in the first place and confess your new found respect for your son/daughter/mom/dad.

Or in some cases, the family dog. (I know, I'm confused about some of the plot lines.)

Where was I going with this? Oh yeah, I want to switch places with my sons. Obviously, this would be a dream opportunity for someone to bring me my food and let me nap in the middle of the day (twice), sit and read in a chair, draw on the floor with markers, and put race car stickers on every flat surface.

But the greatest gift of all would be to sleep through a whole night.

My sons are smart. They are way above average intelligence for their age. (At this moment, Walter is helping Henry fabricate the wings for our sportplane project.)

However, they fight sleep as if it's this great evil force needing to be vanquished! And they will battle with every fiber in their being (mostly muscle fiber) to stay awake lest they miss out on something important.....like mommy and daddy watching a DVD or reading a book which is all they really want to do so go to sleep already, why don't you!

And when it comes to eating, Henry apparently received some kind of secret warning that he is about to be poisoned, and therefore has refused almost all food placed in front of him. Even when Daddy demonstrates the food is delicious, as indicated by an overly dramatic "YUUUMMMY" sound that echos throughout our home when I take a bite from his dinner.

So yeah, what was I saying? Oh, I want to SLEEP! I want to eat food that is placed in front of me at a moments notice. I want someone to put my boots on for me. I want someone to drive me around to cool places like the library, the museum, the zoo, the tractor dealership, and of course the bike shop and the coffee shop.

And I will tell someone when I need to use the potty! (Okay, that I do now and it's not well received.)