Oh My Back!

Ok....something to consider when adopting "older" kids..... the size of your children when they decide they want to be held, cuddled and carried and the age of your back.

Don't get me wrong, I'm willing to do traction if necessary (and I think it may be) but I just wish I had advanced warning or some kind of "carry me" radar.

Eli will be 10 in June. He may look quite compact but let me tell you the U.S./Iowa feeding program he's been on for the past 18 months have made that little body into a heavily (strong on the heavy) weight program for this mom.

No matter when these surprise hugs, running jumps to be held occur they momentarily stun me (good thing cause the stun blocks the back spasms). He absolutely, under no circumstances wanted to be touched when he arrived home. I remember being so thrilled when we graduated to holding hands. I have a confession to make though, we had to teach him what being carried around was about. He didn't know to hold on, didn't know to wrap his legs, didn't know he could relax. Now he's got it mastered as he climbs up our bodies and leans over backwards, laughing hysterically.

Now please excuse me as I reach for the Aleve and and ice pack....Happy Hugging Everyone:)

I'm Funny

We've noticed over the last few weeks how each of the boys' humor is expanding. Eli is always a goof ball but doesn't really understand jokes. Lucas takes almost everything seriously and waits to see if others find something funny. Part of it is language, part of it is probably not wanting to "get it wrong".

These last few weeks have really changed in this area. Knock, knock jokes are amazingly funny to them......we think so too even if it's the same one repeated 20 billion times. They laugh at jokes on tv and unfortunately they've learned to laugh hilariously at one another and their sisters, either of which usually ends badly.

Today Lucas came into the kitchen and said, "Mom, I'm funny. I wasn't funny in Philippines, I didn't know jokes, I'm funny here, I like jokes and laugh." With that he turned around and went back in his room to play. Here's to the goof ball and the knock, knock jokes and the arguments from teasing....whatever it takes to bring the laughter.

Thank You Mom

We drove to the car dealership tonight to pick up Mike's new company car. Typical of Iowa weather in February.....it wasn't a pleasant evening. It has been warmer these last few days, with lots of melting snow.....which brings fog....a lot of fog and with it comes mist. Yeah!

Mike said it had to be about the worst weather he'd ever pick a new car up in. Add to it that by the time we started to the dealership 40 miles away it was dark. Yeah again!

The boys were really excited to go along and to be "first" to ride in a NEW car. Mike drove it across the street to the gas station and then decided I should drive cause he'd been driving all day. Yeah! Again! (You got the part about the fog, mist and pitch black, can't see 15 feet in front of you conditions?)

We made it 2/3's of the way home and came up on a deer beside the road which resulted in the sudden need to apply the brakes. The deer stood still and we made it by without incident. Then we hear Eli from the back seat, "Thank You Mom! for not hitting the deer. It would be bad and dead." Yep, pretty sure Dad nor his company would have appreciated the introduction to Bambi. It did serve as a lesson to the shorter family members that there is a reason Mom preaches the seat belt rule. I am also pretty sure Lucas is looking into litigation on whiplash.

Super Nanny ~ Ultimate Warrior

Apparently and without our realizing it the boys have a new hero. It is Jo Frost, better known as Super Nanny on t.v.

The boys, especially Lucas, are convinced she is the ultimate in making "naughty, really mean kids" behave. They also are convinced that she will show up at our house if they misbehave. Now I'm not sure but their views are comparable to the boogy man and Captain America (with a British accent - they are also convinced she doesn't speak English) all rolled into this one woman.

We discovered their awe of her tonight when they thought her tv show was on (Charlie Brown was instead and that apparently eased the disappointment). They have seen her program a whole 2 times but it was enough to convince them that we should never ask her to come to our house and they promise to be very, very good. It's almost better than saying Santa is watching!

Half Time Shower

Well Mike is trying. And trying. And trying. To explain football and more importantly the Super Bowl to the boys. Lucas is much more interested, Eli would be more interested if it was a combination WWF/MMA and Kung Fu Panda. Let's say it lasts a little longer than his attention span.

I, being shall we say, not at all interested chose to read a book uninterrupted with sporadic laundry duty. On one of my laundry room trips I met up with Eli who is exalting his choice to take a shower.....it's 7:00?

I said, "why are you taking a shower, aren't you watching football with Dad and Lucas?" He had to give me his "my mom is so lame" look and said, " Mom, it's half time, I STINK!" Hmmm. There must have been some highly physical snack eating during the first half......I'm going back to my book, hope he gets out of the shower before the game is over.

Rights of Hand Me Downs

Apparently Eli is aware of some sort of rights to hand me downs that we have never encountered before. Either that or he just really wants his brothers' things....clothes more than toys.

This morning I told the boys to go get their Sunday School clothes out and get dressed. Eli brought out a shirt to make sure it was all right to wear. As I'm looking at this shirt, I'm thinking I don't think that's his shirt. Lucas, always 10 steps ahead, hollers, "HEY! That's my shirt!"

Eli, in his advanced wisdom of such things, tells us, "No. You are 11. I am 9. You have this shirt when you were 9. It's mine now, I am 9." Well. All righty then. Eli did learn a lesson that apparently supercedes the hand me down rule......it's his brothers' rule of it's mine until I tell you differently and because I'm 11 I will enforce this rule.

Brothers!

Called to the Principal's Office

That is what we heard on Friday afternoon when Lucas was digging through his bag for something the principal gave him to show us.

Okay. No matter how old you get no one hears the words, "called to the Principal's office" and doesn't experience that momentary panic and think what did I do? Parents not only have a flash back to their school days but have the new wonder of thinking what did my kid do? This all takes place in the brain in a millisecond but it happens.

As the picture shows he had a wonderful trip to the principal for his award on his scholastic improvement. It's a big deal (I mean that seriously) and he hasn't let us forget it (I mean that seriously.

When You Are Old....

This evening we were watching a news program on aging parents. It contained an interview with adult children of elderly parents and the situations they find themselves handling for their parents.

Lucas and Eli conducted their usual running conversations of who, what, why and as the story progressed they became quite intense as to why the "old" dad and mom needed to be taken care of. They just couldn't get their brain around that.

We finally gave them the example of my mom who is in an assisted living apartment and needs help from all of the family sometimes. Man....did the light bulbs switch on.

Eli's concern, "are you old?" My response, "not that old yet." (probably getting there faster than I'd like).

Lucas' take on this ...... "Mom, when you old I take care of you, you take care of me now." Eli nodded his head, with great wisdom, agreeing that this would be the best course to take for Mike and my twilight years.

Now you may wonder how this differs from conversations we've had with the girls on this subject. Their take....Alison says she knows a really good nursing home....Rachel says, ummm nope and Sydney digs a really good hole. The differences in kids :)