Fair Play

The Cajun Heartland State Fair is a week-long event that starts every Memorial Day weekend, with live music, lots of traveling fair rides and food, petting zoo, and that guy that makes art out of logs with his chainsaws (personally, I wonder if he's ever worked with ice). The boys had never been to a fair, with the carnival rides and all, so it was an exciting new adventure for all. The boys were first interested in the "Wild Mouse" ride - a fairly tame roller coaster - so we bought some ride tickets and headed for the line. Evan, of course, was too small to ride, but Nathan was tall enough to ride with an adult. Note: Being "tall enough" does not equate to "ready" to ride a particular attraction. Once we were near the line, Nathan decided to take a detour off to the side of the thing and see how it worked. Lots of gears, wheels, track, clicking, clacking, dips and turns... after watching several passes of the ride, Nathan quietly informed me he did not want to ride this one. "That's ok, Nathan! Let's go find some stuff you might want to ride!" I encouraged. And we sure did! The boys drove a "big rig" cab, with two steering wheels, lights and horn. Then my little speed junkies wanted to drive in a NASCAR race. The cars were lined up single file, and Nathan knew which one he wanted to drive - the green one! I was just about to load Evan in beside him, when Evan told me "No, I wanna drive dat one!" He pointed to the car behind Nathan's, so I belted him into it and moved outside the gate to watch. Somehow, in a momentary lapse of sanity, I failed to realize that these little kiddie racecars simply putt-putt around the "strait-away" of the little oval, but whip around the two corners. Not a problem if the boys are riding together. Probably not a problem if Evan had witnessed the cars in front of him do this first. The problem was that I placed him in a car with one of these whip-it turns right in front of him. So, just as I'm outside of the gate, standing next to Laura as we prepare to enjoy the boys enjoying their race, the operator hits the on button. There was no "here we go!" There was no, "ladies and gentlemen, start your engines!" There was not any indication that he was about to launch our sweet little "Boopy" into near orbit, unleashing such shock and awe on the kid that I could only wonder at the amount of counseling may be someday needed to undo my abandoning him to such torture. The ride was only a few minutes, but Evan cried for me to rescue him the ENTIRE TIME. Everyone around us felt so sorry for him, and I'm sure I'm off their ballot for "Dad of the week".

Thankfully, there was a petting zoo around the corner! After petting and feeding the "Baskin Robbins" petting zoo (it was mostly comprised of about 31 varieties of goat), Evan was better. He refused to get on any more "ride-a-vehicle-around-in-a-circle" rides, but he did go down the super slide with us a few times, and I'm pretty sure the overall memory will be a positive one! Nathan wants to know when we're going back.

Jelly Bean Bobo

Evan got chewed up by some mosquitos recently, and had several large bite blisters on his legs. Whether his scratching irritated one particular bite, or whether it swelled up without provocation is unknown. What I do know is that Evan woke up the following morning with a sizeable water blister on his shin. He hurried to show the rest of us his new growth, and exclaimed, "Mommy! Daddy! Look at my jelly bean bobo!"

Booger Nose

One thing about our boys is that they like to come up with creative entertainment. The downside is that, if they wake up before anyone else, they may create entertainment at the expense of those still sleeping. I remember faintly hearing Evan say, "wake up, Daddy!" in his little sing-song voice. I smiled and considered opening my eyes, just as his fingers opened one for me. Both boys were thoroughly amused by that trick, as I fumbled to protect myself from further probing.

Recently, Nathan woke up from his nap before Evan. It was a Sunday afternoon, and the whole family was napping together in our bed. Nathan pulled out a sizeable booger and Laura (also awake) asked him where he thought he was going to put it. The point she was trying to make was that he'd better not flick it, stick it or eat it. The idea was that he slip out of the bed and get a Kleenex or toilet paper or napkin to dispose of his little "nose goblin". Nathan had a different idea - he reached over and stuck it in Evan's nose while Evan was still sleeping! Thankfully, Evan is a heavy nostril breather when he sleeps, and the thing shot right out. Being out myself, I don't know what ultimately happened, but Laura was too tickled to notice where the thing ended up. I'd better go check my ears...

All The Marbles

We've been having to give Nathan lessons on stealing and lying recently. He took a couple of marbles from Party City (supposedly they were found loose somewhere). Nathan asked me to hold his marbles while he got into his car seat. "Where did you get these?" I asked. "They were just in a box in the store," he replied. "Son, that's called 'stealing' when we take things without permission or without paying for them. You have to take them back." I brought him back inside to return them and apologize to the clerk. "Daddy, can we just put them back where I got them?" Nope. I wanted him to hand them to the young man and apologize for taking them. He did a good job and seemed embarrassed enough that I felt he understood the lesson. Within an hour, at Walmart, we had an opportunity for review of said lesson, as he placed a wind-up flashlight in our basket while Laura and I were loading the purchased and bagged groceries. (It makes me wonder how many of those checkout area items go home with people who don't return them.) I had told him he could not get one of these flashlights on this trip, but he slipped it into the basket in hopes we'd bring it home and let him have it. I saw it a few short feet past the checkout. "Nathan, how did this flashlight get into our buggy?!" He lied, "Evan put it in there." In addition to our anti-theft policy, Nathan is learning is that lying always hurts (especially his bottom) more than telling the truth!

Quick Draw

Nathan and Evan were playing outside in the sprinkler. They got bored with it, so they changed out the sprinkler for the sprayer and watered the plants on the back porch (along with everything else out there). After that, Evan grabbed a broom and started sweeping the water off - I'm glad our boys are helpers! Nathan, meanwhile, decided to try out the different nozzle settings on the sprayer - mist, fan, flat, shower, jet! Yep, "jet" was his favorite! He could shoot clear across the yard with it! He could shoot over the fence with it - sorry, Carlos! Laura went out there to make sure he wasn't ruining our neighborly relationships. "Mommy! Look how fast it shoots!" he exclaimed, as he pointed it her direction. She's pretty quick, but she ain't quick enough for Outlaw Nathan! Being in the living room, I missed the excitement. All of a sudden, Laura was standing in the doorway, riddled with water pellets. I knew what had happened. We both smiled. "You get it next!" (I wonder if the other hose can stretch back there...)

Rain On Your Face

Nathan had been acting out a little all afternoon, and had been corrected twice on a particular issue. When he tested me again, I disciplined him firmly for the repeat offense. As Nathan sat in his chair crying, Evan watched the scene with curiosity and concern. "What happened to Nathan, Daddy?" "Nathan got in trouble for repeatedly disobeying Daddy and Mommy," I replied. Evan studied Nathan for a moment, then exclaimed, "Daddy! It's raining on Nathan's face!" I guess my "storm" brought a rain shower along with it!

Big Kids

Nathan identifies all children in one of three categories: Babies, Little Kids and Big Kids. I remember the first time he informed us he wasn't a baby anymore. At that time, there were only two categories: Babies and Big kids. Since going to preschool, he's added the little kids designation, and has determined that to be his place. Recently, though, he told me he's not really a little kid anymore - he's almost a big kid now. He's started calling Laura and I "Mom" and "Dad" more often than "Mommy" and "Daddy". Anyway, he's riding with me last week and, as we drove past a middle school with kids playing outside, he commented, "Dad! Look at those big kids! That's a big-kid school!" I informed him that it was called a "middle school", because that's where kids go who are too big for elementary and not yet ready for high school. A little later, we passed by a high school. There was much more parking lot area and cars. Nathan concluded, "Hey, Dad! That school is for really big kids! And, they can drive!" (Another category!) I told him it was a high school. "Yeah, and there's lots of really big kids there, Dad - like you!" (I assumed he meant "tall" like me, although he could have meant what he said - "really big kids like you") "Maybe there's some '37' kids like you, Daddy!" (yes, he knows my age) I laughed out loud and said, "Yeah, probably so, but the '37 kids' are the teachers. And, just for the record, I'm 38, if you count the womb time." (That should keep him thinking...)

Mother's Day

Nathan and Evan planted flowers in little cups, decorated with flowery paper and love notes for mommy at school. They painted pictures for her and picked out a card for her with two young brothers on the front - fighting in the bathtub! My favorite part of the mother's day preparation was when I asked them what they wanted to tell mommy, so I could write it in their card to her. Almost in unison, their first reply was, "I love mommy!" I wrote "I love you, mommy". Nathan then added, "I want to tell mommy 'thank you'." Simple, yet without prompting, I was proud of my four-year-old "getting it". His mother, as all of ours, is worthy of his thanks and his love. Happy Mothers' Day to all of our Moms, Stepmoms, Grandmas and Grannies. Happy Mothers' Day to our sisters, sister-in-law, aunts, cousins and friends. May your children always love you and have gratitude for the investments and sacrifices you've made in their lives. I know our family is grateful to you all!

Healing

Nathan is SOOOooooo much better! He's been sleeping through the night this week, after some in-the-night pain episodes over last weekend. He's starting to sound more like Nathan - the nasal, higher-pitched voice that came after the surgery is fading into the familiar tones we know. He's fighting with Evan without hesitation or fear of hurting anything again. And, his appetite is much more than we remember before his oft-swollen tonsils were cleared out. Oh, yeah, and his breath doesn't smell so bad anymore! (If that alone was an indicator, I know some adults who should have tonsillectomies asap!) Now, as summer approaches, our next endeavor with Nathan is to get the boy a bicycle. I just have to convince him and his mom that training wheels are for girls and sissies. (That's what my dad's approach was when I was four!) I remember being upset that I couldn't have them like the other kids in the neighborhood, but once I learned how to ride, I was the envy of them all. I had a freedom they did not know! So, I plan to teach him by the old hold-onto-the-seat-until-he-pedals-faster-than-I-can-keep-up-and-then-let-go-and-watch-him-slam-into-a-parked-truck method. (Why did my dad teach me to ride my bike in our apartment parking lot, anyway?) Maybe I'll take him to a nice, big, empty lot instead! Oh, and maybe I'll get him a helmet! (They only helmet I had when I was a kid was for football and baseball batting!) We haven't selected a bike just yet, so stay tuned.

What's For Supper?

As Nathan and Evan learn to discern what Laura and I are talking about, we're going to have to come up with a new code. Maybe we should learn a foreign language (as if they wouldn't learn it faster than we could)! For example, when considering letting the boys have and Icee or snocone, we can't spell it, because they've "cracked the code". Of course, how hard is it to crack the I-C-E-E code - it sounds the same way spelling or saying it. So, we were discussing what we were going to do for supper and, after hesitating to consider if they'd pick this one up, I offered, "P-I-Z-Z-A?" Laura shrugged, and Nathan piped up, "HEYYY..." "DANG IT!" I thought to myself, "another one bites the dust!" Just as I was considering entering the boy in a spelling bee, he finished his thought, "You wanna eat some letters?!"