Puzzle Masters

Last week, we were all working on a USA map puzzle at Grandma and Poppa's house. I showed Luke Wisconsin and told him that's where we live. And, he asked, "Where's the new carwash that they're building?" I think an explanation about perspective is required.

In related puzzle news, this week while by Grandma and Poppa, Erica noticed that there was a puzzle piece missing. She studied it over and said, "How strange!" Alex found that hilarious.

Life at the Zoo

Otherwise known as our house during Spring Break.

And, we did viist the real zoo. Today is the first really, really nice day of spring, so we went to the zoo. Highlights:

• Alex rode a pony. Andy to be specific. I'm not sure what brought on this since Alex has rarely expressed any interest in riding the ponies since he was a really little boy. In fact, Andy might be the same pony he rode on his very first pony ride at the zoo many years ago.
• We heard a zebra 'talk.' It bared its teeth and made a noise I cannot quite describe. It did not sound happy, but it was cool to hear.
• We saw baby Mahal. He's still very cute with crazy hair. And, so snuggly with his mama. Even though it took a few tries to find a mommy for him, MJ and Mahal are great pair.
• The train ride. Luke ran to the crossing gates every time he saw the train coming, let us know he heard the train, and begged to ride the train the entire time we were at the zoo. In his words, the train ride was perfect. It worked out good for me, too. Poppa took the three kids on the train ride while Grandma and I stayed behind to feed Julia lunch. Julia finished her lunch, we went to see where the rest of the gang was and got there just as they were pulling back into the station. Talk about good timing.
• I am no longer pasty white all over. Instead, I am pale pink with freckles from my biceps down.
• A really nice lady took our picture in front of the zoo. It's nice to have a photo with all of us in it.
• We actually made it to the zoo. It has been a crazy week of sick in this house. In summary: Erica - starts a high fever on Satuday which she runs off and on until we finally decide to take her to the doctor on Thursday evening, where she is diagnosed with a double ear infection, Me - stomach bug and fever on Monday, Matt - really bad stomach bug on Wednesday, Alex - slight fever and lethargic on Wednesday/Thursday (he's still pretty congested), Julia - still trying to kick that cough that she's had for about 3 weeks (she's nearly over it now), Luke - no illness so far.

Equally amazing is that we managed an outing to the Mineshaft on Tuesday. Even with sick kids and sick parents, it has been a fairly nice spring break. Not Disney, but nice and pretty relaxing if you overlook the sick part. And, I hardly want to admit it, but my sick day wasn't so bad. Although I felt pretty yucky, it was so nice to sleep and sleep and sleep and then read a book for a little while. A whole day with no responsibilities. Ahhh, that was nice.

I Like Your Style

Luke is full of the best one liners. As we were getting ready to leave for Matt's parent's house on Easter Sunday, I asked Luke to put on his 'new' dress shoes. He slipped them on and said, "Wow, I bet Grandma will really like my style." Such fashion sense, such flair and so much better than the pink clippie bow he wanted to put in his hair so he could be handsome.

Butt Problems

No, not me. It's Luke that's having the problems. Today was a warmish spring day, and the kids were begging me to push them on the swings. With Erica in the baby swing and Julia in her swing, Luke had to use the yellow big kid swing. He is very cautious about this because he has vivid memories of two interesting experiences on this swing. The first happened at least a year ago. Jill was pushing him and somehow he flipped upside down and did a complete 360. He did manage to stay on the swing, which was both frightening and hilarious to watch. His next problem with this swing happened when I pushed him just a bit too hard, and I pushed him completely off the swing. He was not happy, but I giggled.

So, now he's got this whole routine about getting ready to be pushed. He needs to have his butt in just the right place on the swing. It needs to be hanging over the back a little bit, but not too much. So, after about 2 minutes of adjustments, he's ready. And, after a push or two, he needs to re-adjust. Which he lets me know by telling me, "I'm having butt problems. I have to stop and get things adjusted again. You know I have to have my butt in just the right spot." He cracks me up. It would be even funnier if Erica wasn't screaming for me to push her every 10 seconds.

So, watch out, I will soon have some serious 'guns' - all that swing pushing is bound to build up some muscles, isn't it?

Obsession

I have an addiction. I need to have things to read. Books, magazines, the back of a cereal box, newsletters, emails, blogs...I consume words. For many years, my addiction was tamed - fours kids in six years left little time for the luxury of reading. And, when I did read, it was about kids. But, the book fast has ended, and I have been glutting myself on books. I suck them down at the rate of about one novel a day, 2-4 times a week. Shortly after I renewed myself with the consumption of books, I started having mild vision problems. My depth perception was off once in a while. At first, I didn't connect it with all of the extra work my eyes were doing. Turns out my eyes needed time to adjust to all of this extra exercise. Now, they are often tired and burning, but that's because I do most of my reading after the kids go to bed, making for many late nights.

My addiction is fed by the local library, along with the 40 libraries that it's connected to through an online system. Search, find, request, pick-up - it's not unusual for me to have 10+ books in the 'on hold' queue. It's like Christmas morning going to pick up a stack of 'my' books from the library.

Luke and Erica seem to share my problem. The library is a weekly destination for us at a minimum, but we try not to stop there daily for risk of being considered stalkers. And the kids have a whole new field of possibilities - CDs and DVDs. Music and movies to borrow and absorb and enjoy.

Julia also loves to be read to, and we work to track down colorful books and happy music for her each week. Alex still claims that he doesn't like to read, but frankly I think it's growing on him. And, I've hunted down a few treasures for him as well. Last year it was Captain Underpants, now we've moved to Diary of a Wimpy Kid. We're not far away from Harry Potter.

So, the fact that my library card now has 80 checkouts cannot be blamed wholly on me. Strawberry Shortcake videos and Bob and Wendy puppets and Barney music and train books and Lawnmower Boy are all in that count.

What can I say - at least my addiction is fairly cost effective because except for the occasional lost book or video, it doesn't cost anything but time.

What's Happenin'?

Here's what's new - in no particular order.

Erica is on the verge of giving up her afternoon nap. She often naps for about 2 hours in the afternoon (a good thing), but then she is up until 9pm or even later (not such a good thing). So, I guess it's parent's option - an afternoon nap or early to bed, but not both.

Alex is having his first sleepover. Ryan is sleeping over tonight as part of an early birthday celebration. This afternoon, Alex, Ryan, Matt and Poppa went to Discovery World to see a robot battle. Very fun guy outing. Dairy Queen for dinner, ice cream cake at home for dessert. Sleeping in a tent in the basement is making for happy boys. I am trying to ignore the fact that my firstborn is quickly approaching his last single digit birthday. I know everyone says that your kids grow up fast, but really, does it have to be THIS fast?

Julia's hair is getting really long. She has gorgeous dark hair with some curl. Unfortunately, she can turn the back into a tangled rat nest in about 3 minutes flat. So, I think we might go short for the summer. As much as I love those gorgeous long locks, not many people see them and I think practicality might have to win out on this one. Sigh...I'm sure she'll look adorable with a cute little pixie cut, but I will miss the longer locks.

Luke has a bet with Grandma. If he can eat neatly for one week, she is going to take him to the Mineshaft for dinner and games. He's been working really hard to eat without making a mess. I hope this turns into a long-term habit because I am looking forward to the day when I don't stick to the floor around the kitchen table.

Erica is turning diva. She has to play dress up every day so she can be a princess. She insists on picking out her own outfits, and often begs to wear a dress. Jeans are not her favorite because she claims they are too cold. She loves to wear fancy shoes, even with very casual outfits. She is also getting bossy. Our sweet little toddler is becoming a very independent preschooler. And, no progress on potty training. Earlier this week, she insisted on wearing her Strawberry Shortcake underwear - she pooped in them less than 2 hours later. Humf. She seems fascinated by the concept of using the potty chair and wearing her cute undies, so I'm sure she'll be able to get it all figured out soon. She continues to be very affectionate and still gives the best super squeeze hugs. And, she can sure talk your ear off. I love her little voice.