Pathetic

Poor little Bubbs fell down the stairs today, injured once again courtesy of his big brother. This time it was matchbox cars on the steps, which I had told Silly to remove, and he didn't listen (surprise, surprise). I don't know if Bubba tripped on a car or not, but either way, when he landed he smacked his face on the open matchbox car box which left an ugly bruise and scratch right across his nose. I know that really hurt, smacking his poor little nose. He cried for a few minutes, but now several hours later I don't think he even notices. I took some pictures after he woke up from his nap. I thought about cleaning his grubby little face first, but the dirt added to his crazy-haired, injured nose pathetic-ness.

Scott of course keeps asking if I'm sure Bubba doesn't need stitches and what we can do to make sure he doesn't have a scar. It's just a superficial scratch, but I'll put some Neosporin on it to appease him.

Notes

Cakes left the best note for Santa on Christmas Eve and I finally got around to scanning it in.

She's into fill-in-the-blank lately.

As usually happens when we return from Grandma's house, where rules are practically non-existent and every wish is granted, there is an attitude adjustment period. It seems to get worse every time. Combine this with the fact that Cakes is going through both an "unfair" stage and a "dark" stage (more on that later) and you get one seriously grouchy, emotional girl with a major attitude problem. I should take some of the credit for her attitude though since mine has been less than stellar lately. Her (or our) attitudes are most evident when working on homework or practicing the piano.

Last Tuesday I had told her she wouldn't be getting any music money for practicing since she hadn't practiced at least five days that week, but if she wanted to earn some music money for something else, she could read the Piano Explorer magazine her teacher hands out every month and write down five facts. She started to work on it but the attitude started and I told her she couldn't do it if she was going to have a bad attitude. This of course escalated into her screaming in her room, practically hysterical after I gave her one last chance to shape up or go to bed (it was bed time, so not a serious punishment). At some point she screamed lots of names and such at me. Once she calmed down she tried to convince me to give her one more chance, which I didn't do. Sometime later she snuck down the hall and slipped this note into the family room...

I have no idea what she was trying to spell after that drawing, but I assume she was asking for her piano notebook. I had asked her if she wanted a drink of water and told her she would have time in the morning and in the car before piano to finish writing so she could earn some money from her teacher. Later we got this note...

The blank in that one is for "baptized" which I guess she didn't dare try to spell. I should also mention that her new favorite song, off of Taylor Swift's latest CD is "Mean." I'm pretty sure she thinks that song sums up her life.

Which leads me to her dark phase. She's been asking for at least a year now if her outfit makes her "look like a teenager" and then lately she's been choosing lots of things in black (scarf, boots, shirt, leggings, skirt...) and she would wear these black clothes every day of the week if we didn't insist on clean clothes. I teased her a little while we were shopping Saturday, pointing out that she's not supposed to wear all black until she turns into a grouchy teenager.

Our only conclusion so far is that the girl needs more sleep. She keeps giving us other reasons why she needs her own room, which we're working on, but it will be a while.

She's not all grouchiness though. She's really been ejoying the family scripture reading we started in December. We read just a few verses a night having to do with the nativity, along with this advent calendar my mom gave me with little story booklets that frequently coincided with that night's scripture. And now we're reading from the Book of Mormon (most) every night.

Family Fun

We had a fun little family weekend; Scott took Friday off (since the USS Enterprise FINALLY deployed!!!) and we picked Cakes up at school then headed for Great Wolf Lodge. We've been there a few times before and always have fun, but I have to admit, knowing they send you a survey after your visit, I can't help looking for things that need to be fixed, or other things they could do to improve. For instance, I don't need a whole table, just a place to stick my shoes so why not some shoe cubbies or something? And it's really annoying that the towels for the water park must stay at the waterpark, which means you walk back to your room and freeze. I don't want to have to pack my own towels or robes or whatever else. Lots of hotels provide robes, and goodness knows GWL is expensive enough.

Bubbs was slow to warm up to the whole water play idea (again) which means I spent the first hour or so just floating around in the wave pool with him. We finally made it over to the littlest water slides and he took at least five minutes getting down the slide the first time. Silly carefully walked him up the steps then he just stood and watched other kids slide for a minute or so. Then he stepped up to the edge of the slide and stood there for at least two minutes looking down deciding how to step down into the slide without any of the water jets touching him. Other kids just went right around him as he stood there pondering. Finally he sat down on the edge, carefully placing his feet in then slowly sat down in the water, where he waited another minute or so before very, very slowly scooting his way forward until he slide down. And loved it! After that I was there at the kiddie slides for at least an hour while he slid down over and over again without taking any time to stop and think. Silly even caught him at the bottom and helped him over to the side. Bubbs would not let me pick him up and carry him back to the wall, he had to walk and climb out himself. After at least 20 times down the easiest slide he got really brave and went down the yellow slide that was much rougher with bigger water jets. He went right down like it was no big deal and kept going over and over and over.

Then Cakes wanted to show me her skills crossing the logs. She's spent lots of time on the grown-up slides with Scott. I didn't dare try any slides this time because I didn't want to end up feeling sick. I'm perfectly happy hanging out in the wave pool or watching little boys slide.

             

Silly's favorite thing was getting splashed by the giant water bucket. He went back and forth from sliding with Bubba, to running over to the fort when the bell started ringing to let you know the bucket is about to spill. One time he sprawled out on the ground which I'm sure resulted in a nose full of water.

Scott's favorite thing to do at the water park is splash people; he even got Bubba to help him, which says a lot because Bubbs doesn't really like getting sprayed, which is inevitable when you're in the fort.

 

We played for a few hours Friday night and another few hours Saturday morning. When we finally got really hungry we set off for Pierce's Barbecue. Bubba liked my BBQ chicken sandwich a lot, but did not like it when Scott dipped his fry in BBQ sauce. I think we all could have eaten more, but the line was long and seating was scarce. We didn't want to be table hogs so we set off to do some shopping at the outlets.

Cakes was complaining that her jeans were too tight, which they really were, so our first stop was to find her some jeans that fit. She found some really cute ones at Guess, with sparkles, and then begged for a black and gray striped shirt, also with sparkles. She's really been wanting some boots so we looked until we found some black ones, not too fuzzy, because this is my child that can't wear fleece or sweatshirts because she's instantly too hot. Scott took all the kids to the Nike store while I found myself some decent, much needed, pants at Ann Taylor.

And it seems, that where outerwear is concerned, I apparently married my dad. I am constantly telling Scott, just like my mom tells my dad all the time, that he does not need another jacket. The last thing in the world he needs is another jacket, yet everywhere we go, he looks at jackets. At least he has some variety now, for quite a few years there he just had "fuzzies" in a variety of colors. So of course, we had to look in Columbia, where we just so happened to run into my brother and his wife. That gave me a chance to tell Clark about a conversation Silly and I had last week. We were talking about turkey and somehow that got Silly thinking about hunting.

Silly - I think Scout and Sisco are hunting dogs.
Me - yes, Clark and Whitney take them hunting.
S - And I think Clark and Colton work for a grocery store
M - You mean they hunt and sell meat to stores?
S - Uh-huh.

Oh how I love hearing what goes on in that little brain!

Anyway, back to Columbia; I got a really nice coat (used to be $210) for about $40 which was sweet. Silly found a camo fleece, and he's been searching for more "army clothes" so we couldn't pass that up. And Scott found this super cute Jacket for Bubba with built in mittens. Bubba falls into the same "doesn't need any more jackets" category, but this one is for next year. Scott found himself a new polo and a really nice long sleeved shirt. He likes clothes with logos on them; he refers to them as his sponsors.

After shopping we went to Quaker Steak and Lube for dinner and it was REALLY good. Not just better than I expected for a diner-type place good, but really good. The kids cleaned their plates and were still hungry. Bubba made car noises while we ate (there are racecars hanging from the cieling). Our waiter talked us into their caramel apple quesadilla for dessert which disappeared pretty quick (and I wasn't even helping since I'm on a junk-food strike for the month). Apparently there is another one in Richmond which we just might have to check out next time we're in town.

To top it all off, yesterday we went to Gymboree to spend my MIL's Gymbucks and pay for it with the gift card her mom gave me for Christmas. We bought $100.85 worth of clothes and it cost me less than 4 bucks, including a "plain jean skirt" that Cakes has been wanting for months.

Hot as a grill

Silly has been complaining about being hot recently; which is a new problem for him. He's usually the kid that's cold, being the skinny type that he is. I think it's thanks to his new love of hooded sweatshirts, and the fact that sometimes he keeps the hood on all day long, even at school.

He has also figured out that when he tells me he's thirsty my response will be, "Where's your water bottle?" He used to always say he didn't know, but now he's prepared and tells me where it is, and that it's empty.

This morning he brought his water bottle to me, asked me to fill it up, then sprawled across the piano bench to wait. Every thirty seconds or so he had something to say like, "you haven't filled my water bottle yet" or "you're never going to get me any water" and "I'm so thirsty." Have I mentioned he's also severely lacking in manners?

Finally, after a whole 3 minutes of waiting near death from dehydration he yells at me, "I'm getting hot as a grill and you're not getting me any water!" After making sure I'd heard him correctly, I filled his water bottle.

And speaking of being hot, as in cheeks burning out of total embarrassment - my fellow Joy School mothers reminded me this morning that Joy School starts at 8:00, not 8:30, like I've been doing since we started back after Christmas break, and like I told the new mom who joined our group. Things like that make me wonder what happened to my brain. And I find myself thinking, once again, that it's not like me to do such a thing, which gets me thinking that if I'm doing so many things that aren't "me" maybe it's time I rethink just who I am and what it is I do.

They're okay for Frosty

Cakes and Silly were out riding their bikes this afternoon and at some point they decided to be nice little helpers and collect trash from the sidewalk. They even split it up into a bag for trash and a bag for recycling. After dinner tonight Silly was telling Scott what they had done and told him they'd seen lots of cigarettes, but didn't pick any up. That turned into a whole conversation about smoking and how bad it is for you. Silly said they're bad for your heart. Silly said someone's mom smokes a pipe so Scott asked him if he meant a pipe like Frosty the Snowman, or did he mean cigarettes. Silly said she smokes a pipe. Then he says, "But that's ok for Frosty, because he's just a snowman." We tried to convince him that they're not even ok for Frosty, because they need fire, which is hot, and Frosty might not have melted so fast if he hadn't been smoking.

Speaking of snowmen; when we were with the in-laws the kids were outside playing in the snow before we headed back home. A lifelong neighbor across the street came over and started playing with the kids. At some point Silly came inside to tell us that a girl had come over to play with them. Gummy (the kids have decided that's what they call Scott's mom now) asked him if it was a girl his size, and he said no, a big girl (the "girl" is a lady the same age as Gummy). I went out a little later and Peggy, the neighbor, was having snowball fights with Silly and had helped Cakes build a snowman.

Don't you love her use of nature? He even has a snow hat.

 The kids had so much fun with their new friend and I think they're looking forward to playing with her again.

My String Present

I got that certain something I wanted! My sister and mom found one super cheap on Craigslist. Scott was against buying one because it was too big, which is funny really, because I'm always the one telling him he can't buy something for the kids because it's too big. Silly got the easel that hangs on it for his string present, which he was not at all happy with at first. He saw it and just walked away saying "Why did I get something I don't even want?" But then after I followed my string (which, by the way, was the longest, most complicated string present ever, going under just about every leg of furniture in my brother's house then all the way across to my parents' house where my dad had parked over top of it) and found the learning tower, I told him his easel fit on my tower. He suddenly thought his easel was super cool and now refers to the learning tower as his art studio.

So, to explain the puppet thing; there is a kit you can buy for the learning tower so you can use it as a puppet theatre, drive-thru or lemonade stand but all the reviews I read said it was pretty crummy. Well, my mom made me an awesome puppet theatre/lemonade stand curtain (if you look closely you can see the lemon print on the other side of the curtain). She even sewed a ribbon into it so you can draw the curtain back. How cool is that? Now I not only have something multi-functional, which I love, I also have the coolest little curtain ever. She even made backdrops! You know you wish my mom was your mom.

The first day we were home from all our Christmas fun, I think Bubba hardly left the tower. He can color with chalk (or dry erase markers, as soon as I find some of those washable ones).



He can help with the dishes



And even turn the water on by himself





When we ate dinner that night he briefly sat in his seat, then went right back to his tower to wave at the rest of us and say, "heh-woh."

Hanging out before church

Even Cakes likes it.

I told my sister she revolutionized my kitchen life. Now the boys can help me without falling off barstools and it's much easier to keep them where they need to be if they want to help me in the kitchen (which they always want to do). I have an eye out for a pint-sized apron with sleeves so Bubba doesn't get soaked when he helps with the dishes. It is big, but worth it!

The other cool thing my sister gave me was the Power Tunes book! We had these cheesy videos with stories of famous Americans, each teaching a different value and each with it's own song. Some of those songs we still sing. She found the book on Amazon and we sang all the songs we could remember while we sat around at mom's house. I asked her if the fact that we remembered so much made her investment at least 20 years ago worth it. :-) Then I went and found the MP3s of all the songs at ldsaudio.com. I haven't put them on a CD yet, but I will! And then I can sing all the corny songs to my kids and fill in the blanks for the parts I forgot.

Christmas Recap

For anyone not acquainted with my family, let me explain our typical Christmas craziness as briefly as possible: Christmas Eve morning we have a big breakfast with Scott's family, then open all the presents under their tree and exchange gifts with them. Christmas Eve night my family has lots of yummy food, sings just about every Christmas song we know, acts out the Nativity story and 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, and each person gets to open one gift. Christmas morning Santa leaves presents under Scott's parent's tree (we always sleep there) and then we get ready as soon as we can to head back over to my parents' and now my brother's house (which used to be my sister's). There we have bagels for breakfast, open our stockings, open the presents under the tree, then head across the street to open the presents under Mom and Dad's tree and finally anyone who has a string present follows their string to an extra big, or extra special present. If that's not enough, we then head over the a get together with Scott's mom's family, have lunch and exchange presents with them. And at some point I return to my mom's house for clam chowder for dinner and mud pie for dessert.

Here are this year's highlights.


Silly actually happy to receive clothing as a gift! He loves hoodies



Cakes put her ski set to use right away, later posing her doll outside on the snow for some pictures.

Bubba was mostly interested in other people's presents

Luvin' on some Pillow Pets

 




Finally interested in his own present



Silly's "small" excavator

Bubbs driving his car

Trains from Mamie at Uncle Clark's house

Cakes sulking because she didn't get her American Girl doll flute...yet

Playing the role of a present delivering elf at Mamie's house

The whole group!

And finally...a flute! This was the one thing she kept saying she wanted and she had to wait until the very end to get it.

Bubbs running around; if you look closely you can see string on the ground



Helping Silly follow his string (the rule is you have to wind it up as you go - no getting ahead of the winder)



Cakes working on her string, which led to...

A new bike! She was definitely at knees-to-handlebar stage with her old one

 And even I got a string present! But, I'll have to save that for another post because no pictures were taken Christmas day. Plus, it deserves it's very own post.

Scott and I have an argument on Christmas Eve every year over who is supposed to be doing what. It usually starts with one of us asking a question and the other not giving the right answer. I told Scott I'm going to write out our Standard Operating Procedures for next year and if there are any departures I will write them down and sign them and neither one of us is allowed to ask the other any questions, because that's where things go wrong. Just follow the instructions; that goes for both of us.