Vanilla

Nathan is "vanilla".  He likes things to be familiar, predictable, orderly, simple.  He also prefers vanilla ice cream over the "wild" flavors I like.  Evan is more likely to go for the mint chocolate chip, mocha madness, or at least chocolate and coffee flavors.  Nathan is fine with vanilla.  Evan likes to stand up on his bike, put his feet up on the top tube, and ride with one hand - sometimes all at once (much to our disapproval!).  Nathan is content to stay safely on his seat. (Although he did ride through a ditch the other day - on purpose!)  Nathan tests the water before getting into the pool.  Evan does a running jump in the pool without even considering the depth or temperature.  Nathan is a thinker, a strategist, pointing the way.  Evan is a doer, an activist, leading the way (most often, according to Nathan's direction).  I love them both for who they are.  There's no favorite one. They're both highly favored above all the other kids out there.  Truth is, they're both like their mom and I in so many ways. I do, however, prefer Nathan's straight-forward honesty to Evan's sneaky tendencies.  Just a couple days ago, Nathan confessed to Laura, "Mom, sometimes I get the coffee creamer carton out of the fridge and drink some right out of the carton.  It's REALLY GOOD!"  So THAT's where it's been going! 

Oh, and it's "french VANILLA"!

The Streak

One of my favorite songs as a kid was Ray Stevens' "The Streak".  "Oh, yes, they call him the streak... fastest thing on two feet... "  This past Sunday evening, Evan and I had some pool time together while Nathan was playing at a neighbor's house.  After we got out of the pool, we went inside to change into dry clothes.  I helped Evan get dry and sent him to get dressed in his room while I got dressed in mine.  When I came out of my room, Evan was nowhere to be found.  "Evan..." No reply. I checked the bathroom, his room, the kitchen, the backyard, and opened the front door to see his bike next to Nathan's in our neighbor's driveway.  I was just about to head over there when the phone rang.  It was the neighbor.  "Hello?" "Hi, David (muffled laughter in the background)... I just wanted you to know that Evan had come over to visit (snicker) with nothing on but his underwear!  So, I sent him home to get some more clothes."  "Thanks!" I said, as I looked out the door to see him drive up in all his "glory" - with a "what's-the-big-deal" expression on his face. I'd post a pic, but I don't want any weirdo's checking out my son... At least he wasn't naked (this time).

Cowboy Evan

It was a steamy Saturday morning and Evan woke up with something in his craw.  He was itchin' for the rest of us to getty-up with him (although Sat is the ONLY day I can actually sleep in).  Before I could even get out of bed, Evan was standing beside it with a cowboy hat and some boots that looked a lot like some I had deep in my closet. Oh, that's because they WERE.  So... by the time I got to the front of the house, Evan was outside in the driveway, waving howdy to neighbors and passersby in his cowboy hat, surf shirt, jogging shorts and my boots.  Nice.  I called him inside for breakfast, and he took off the hat and boots.  A few minutes later, I grabbed the garb to move it off the table.  "NO, Dad! Don't take my cowboy stuff!" Evan, I'm not taking it - I'm just moving it out of the way.  "But DAD! I'm not done being a cowboy!"  Son, I've got a feeling you're going to be a "cowboy" all your life!

How to Kill the Devil

Nathan comes up with some crazy ideas.  Seriously.  He's always thinking up ideas for machines, gadgets, etc. and often will rummage through the house and build contraptions like the fold-away luggage cart he attached random wires, cables, boxes and toys to.  I asked him what he had and he told me it was his new "machine".  What does it do?  "I don't know yet," was his reply.  Well, on a recent drive, he came up with a new idea...

"Mom, I have an idea for a 'booger-a-thon'!"
A WHAT?!
"A booger-a-thon!  Everybody saves their boogers in a big jar, and when it gets full, we make the Devil eat and and it will kill him!"

The really funny thing is that he was SO serious about it!

Speedy "E"

If you've followed the blog for long (at least since June) you know that the boys learned to ride their bikes without training wheels this summer.  If you paid attention to the pics and video clip, you noticed that Evan's bike was significantly smaller than Nathan and friends.  This worked to provide two issues: First, Evan was always lagging behind the other boys, no matter how fast/hard he pedaled.  Second, a family road trek for a mile or so would leave Evan BEAT!  I told Laura that I suspected Evan would be blowing the other kids away once he got a bike the same size, as he was always working at least twice as hard just TRYING to keep up.  Finally, I had enough of watching him pedal so hard and still lag behind everyone.  SO, we decided not to wait until birthday or Christmas to give him an upgrade.  Saturday, we went to Toys R Us and let him sample and pick out a new bike - same size as Nathan's.  He decided on a blue one and as soon as he hit the street with it, he was SO HAPPY!! The boys rode for awhile with their friend, Charles, and then Evan came inside for a drink...

Hey, pal! How's that new bike working out for you?
It's AWESOME, DADDY! It's MUCH BETTER than my John Deere bike!
Do the other kids like it?
Yeah, but DADDY! - When we were racing our bikes, I BEAT EVERYBODY!!

Ahhh... I KNEW it!  I suspect now I'll hear the older boys complaining that Evan's going too fast as opposed to the complaints of how slow he was all summer!

Gleanings From Summer Vacation

Below are a few of the boys' discoveries on our trip to Florida this Summer...

Boys can get away with peeing on the side of the interstate.

Grandma and Grandad live a LOOOONNNNGGG way from us.

"Mom, it's weird how Grandma and Grandad live together, but Daddy's Mom and Dad don't."

COOL! We've got more COUSINS than we THOUGHT!


The beach is COOL!!

Waves can knock you over and turn you upside down in the surf. :-(

Too much sand in your shorts is irritating.

Sleeping in a hotel is kinda fun!

The boys weren't quite ready for The Journey to Atlantis ride at Sea World.

We saw two Baluga Whales playing, and one of them had this thing he was poking at the other one, and Daddy said we should go check out the other animals, because they needed some time alone.

If you have enough wet-wipes and a change of clothes, you can get ready for bed in the Sea World parking lot - before the drive "home".

Once you decide to do it, you can swim without floaties!

If you stop paddling, you canNOT swim without floaties.

You can get a LOT of free booklets and fliers for FREE at state welcome centers!
(yay. where's the recycle bin?)

Some gas stations have VENDING MACHINES inside the RESTROOM!  Dad said they are "personal hygeine" items - whatever that means.

There's no place like home!

Truth-Teller

Nathan is a realist.  He calls it like he sees it, and that's that.  He hates anything he believes to be unjust, and he will vehemently argue/fight for what he believes to be the truth.  So... he has a tendency to correct others when he feels they are wrong.  They may not be, but if he THINKS they are, well, he's gonna let them know.  Case in point: Evan was recently in a Mommy-mood, where he wanted to be with Mommy, touching Mommy, "MY-Mommy-not-your-Mommy" stuff.  At one point, Evan declared, "When I grow up, I'm gonna MARRY Mommy!!"  Nathan, irritated from Evan's Mommy-itis, quickly informed him, "No you won't! She's gonna be all old and wrinkly by then!"

Used Car Salesman

Nathan has several friends who own Nintendo DS portable game systems.  He wants one, too.  They cost $130 - $170, depending on the model, plus game cartridges.  I'm thinking about birthday, but Nathan's thinking NOW.  I told him we'll have to see what happens for his birthday or Christmas.  He decided to take matters into his own hands.  He's been VERY helpful lately - taking out the trash, cleaning up his room, cleaning the TOILET - all without asking.  Of course, when we commented how helpful he's been, he told us he's working for a big allowance - so he can buy his "DS".  I told him his allowance was a privilege and that his participation in household chores was part of his responsibility as a member of our family.  I would be giving him his usual allowance ($3), and any extra work/pay would have to be negotiated beforehand.  So, after his shower (yes, he prefers to take showers now) one recent evening, he lined up all of his AND EVAN'S remote-controlled cars and trucks along with some non-electric vehicles and began hawking them to the family.  "CARS FOR SALE!!"  "TWO FOR TWO DOLLARS!!"  "GET YOUR CARS FROM NATHAN'S CAR DEALERSHIP!!"  As I went to check on him, Evan was giving him two dollars - to BUY BACK HIS OWN CARS!  When asked what he was doing, Nathan informed me he was selling used cars for DS money. (Reminds me of my brother selling mardi gras beads to the neighbors for a dollar each.)

Short-Distance

The distance from here:

to here:  (1st Day of School, Aug 12, 2010)

just seems WAY TOO SHORT!