Not a New Year Resolution

I realize it has been awhile since my last post.  I would be lying to say that my New Years resolution is to write more frequently; it is not.  Truth be told, there are just many days I have nothing to say.  Then there are days that I have a lot to say, but am too exhausted to even think about it.  Sitting on the couch watching Blacklist or something like a mindless Bravo show is more up my ally.  Then there was the challenge of finishing Colton's Christmas stocking.  There were times when I wanted to write something, felt like writing something, but needed to work on that.  There just isn't enough hours in the day.  When I start on cross stitching the tree skirt, you will probably never hear from me again.  Anyway, in the near future I do predict some new blog posts.  No promises of keeping my thoughts current, not that they ever were in the first place.  

This is the word of The Lord

Jared loves to play church.  Upon discovering Mark's old youth Bible, Jared was more equipped to read the scripture.  What transpired was quite interesting and entertaining.

Jared: God gave us a star, so when we look at it we will think of him.  (I don't know where he gets this from, but it was touching)

God does NOT want us to hit others.  No guns!  And no pushing.  God did not make us so we could hurt others.  (So, I guess he was paying attention when I was lecturing him about guns)  

God does not want us to be naughty.  Farting is naughty.  God does not want that. (God is not going to be happy with me)

Jared is then hit with a moment of true inspiration.

Jared: God does not want Mommies and Daddies to yell at their little boys.  No matter what the little boy does.  It makes Jesus so sad to hear a Mommy or Daddy yell at their little boy.  No more yelling at little boys.  This is what the Bible says.

Thanks be to God.

Do you promise to tell the whole truth?

As dutiful parents Mark and I have attempted to teach our children morals.  Stealing is wrong, hitting is terrible, talking about farts at dinner, although funny, is not appropriate.  Recently we have noticed Jared trying to be sneaky: toys slipped in his pocket at nap time, sneaky extra blanket into bed and hiding it behind his bear, slipping toys into bed.  

Tonight I saw Jared sneaking out of Colton's room holding a diaper.  It was a clear sneak.  It didn't take a lot of Sherlock Holmes work to discover the diaper was hidden under his pillow.  Not what I was expecting.  

As we are getting ready for bed I remind Jared that in our family we don't keep secrets from each other.  I ask if there is any secret I need to know about.  Thankfully,  he spills the beans.  Curiosity gets the best of me, and I ask, "Why?"  

He wanted to wear a diaper.  It's been over a year and a half since he last wore a diaper.  So, I press on, "but why?"

He wants to see what it feels like.  So there I sit, feeling confused, but determined to be supportive.   I am trying to teach him to not keep secrets, so I can't very well ridicule this idea.  On the other hand, it's a little bit crazy.

We agreed, tomorrow he can try on a diaper, and he can always tell Mom and Dad everything, no matter how ridiculous it is.

Don't trust the eyes

It has been brought to my attention on numerous occasions that Colton has very nice, big, blue eyes.  We have sat along parade routes and had people in the parade stop to point this out.  Almost everywhere we go, someone will mention it.

  In the past several months, Colton has figured out how to use his eyes to get what he wants. It doesn't matter if we are getting groceries, picking up a prescription, or eating out, I almost always have a stranger (typically an older woman) tell me he was flirting with them.  This is typically followed up with such phrases like, "what a cutie" or "such a darling."  He will do it to people he knows.  I have seen him work his charm with my brother.  

I have word to describe all of Colton's victims: suckers.  Don't get me wrong, the kid is cute.  But he knows what he is doing.

The pictures below illustrate my point.  It is a time order of events.  First he pulls off the flower, then he turns on the charm.  

 Today hew as using his magic again.  We were outside and he pulled out his Little Tikes Car.  He got behind it and pushed it down the driveway.  He seemed to be impressed with the speed it gained going down the hill, because he quickly drug it back up the driveway to try again.  This time, I saw him push extra hard as it sailed down the drive.  It was no surprise it sailed right onto the road.  Colton stopped, looked at me, said "ah-oh," and smiled a very proud smile.  He can be such a stinker, but this sucker falls for those eyes everytime and I find it impossible to not smile back.  

Busy Weekend and Simple Pleasures

At bedtime, we always have a "talk" with Jared.  The "talk time" originated as a reward at age 3 for giving up his blankie.  Usually, we discuss the joys and concerns of our day.

This past weekend was very busy.  Friday night began with Mark and Jared going to see "The Living Bible" at church.  Apparently there were even live camels and sheep.  Jared was quite taken in with the resurrection.  As he explained to me, "God made Jesus stronger than a super hero, because he woke up after he died."  Saturday morning was a 3 year old birthday party at the park district gym.  Much running around, and loud screaming ensued.  In the afternoon/evening we celebrated my birthday at the Hofbrauhaus.  There was a German band playing many polkas and waltzes.  Much dancing and loud music ensued.  Jared was in his element. Sunday was a little more relaxed.  We did make it to the library and the park. 

At bedtime, I asked Jared if he had a good weekend.  We talked about how busy we were and I listed all the different things we did. I asked him which was his favorite.  He said, "Getting the big book."
 I said, "Oh, going to see the Living Bible?" 
He clarified, "No, getting the big book from the library."  Yes, the big Star Wars Lego book from the library.  Even though he doesn't know anything about Star Wars and occasionally will play with Legos, getting this book was the highlight of his weekend.  I guess it's the little things in life.  Next weekend I'll just give him a box of paperclips and some paper and call that good enough.

Filling the Cup

The four year old birthday party is all cleaned up, new toys have been played with and cards have come down.  That means it's time for the four year old physical.  

When I made the appointment, a cup was given to us to collect first morning urine.  Yesterday, I got out the cup to remind myself it needed to be done.  Jared found much humor in the fact he would get to pee in a cup.  At bedtime, we discussed if he woke up early to call for help so he could pee in the cup.  As excited as he was about it, it is no surprise that at 4:52 he called to go potty so he could pee in the cup.  I had already decided this was a job for Daddy.  

When I saw Jared in the morning he proudly announced that he filled the cup.  He went on to explain he had more pee, but he just peed the extra pee in the toilet.  Ahh, good conversation for first thing in the morning.  

Fast forward in the day to the doctor's visit.  Jared has tagged along on all of Colton's wellness exams.  He is very familiar with the routine.  He takes the opportunity to ask, "why?"  "Why does the doctor look in my mouth?"  "Why does he move my legs?"  "Why does he take off my diaper and feel my penis?" (Never mind he doesn't wear diapers) As you can see, some answers were easier to supply than others.  

Once we are checked in at the doctor, Jared's curiosity continues.  "Why does he want my pee?"  "What happens if my pee is bad pee?"  "How do they know if I have good pee?"  "Do we get to take the extra pee home with us?"  "Do they have a big toilet back there?"  (Oh yes, much laughing when he said the word toilet)  "I'm not getting a shot, right?"  "But Colton doesn't always get a shot...why do I have to get one?"  "What?  Why do I have to have three shots?"

The actual time with the doctor was a success.  He was listening very closely.  When the doctor asked if I had any behavior concerns and I said no, Jared turned to me and smiled.  There was one part of the exam he found hysterical, I'll let you guess which part.  

Then it was time for shots.  I braced myself for all out fits of rage.  But other than a small cry on the first shot, there were no tears.  Even the doctor commented how brave he was.  I was happily surprised.  

On the way home we talked about how funny it would be to get a shot in the butt.  (Yes, much laughter ensued.)

Superhero Party

The Big 4 has arrived.  After months of playing Superheroes, I knew nothing would make Jared more happy than a Superhero Party.  After it was all done, I think my mission was accomplished.

First was the decorations. I bought a few things at the store, but find most of those to be a waste of money.  So, I made my own.  I printed out black and white pictures of Jared from this past year, and printed out colored speech bubbles.  I think it turned out really well.

I also started the tradition of making a shelf with the sign, "These are a few of my Favorite Things."  I place their favorite toys, books, games, etc. on this shelf.  It is personal touch and cost nothing.  In this case, it added to the Superhero theme.

For the party favors, I had each guest receive their own cape. Each guest was a different Superhero.  As I began planning the party, I knew nothing could be more exciting for Jared then everyone being a Superhero.

Even the adult guests got to be a Superhero.

I spent time trying to find great Superhero games.  I didn't have much luck.  So, I wrote down superpowers, and came up with some games.  Here is a link to the documents: Superhero party games

Game 1: Spiderman's Web.  I bought some cans of silly string from the dollar store. 

Game 2: Capture the Villain.  I printed out pictures of 10 villains.  I made a set for each guest.  Then I hid them.  Click  here to download the Villains.

Game 3: Shield/Frisbee Toss.  I had a stack of Frisbees and some boxes.  

Game 4: Kryptonite.  I really wanted to use Kryptonite in a game, but struggled for a good idea.  Since I already had the Villain capture I had to do something different.  So, I bough tongs from the dollar store.  I made blocks of ice using small plastic containers, and added green food coloring.  The object of the game is to move the Kryptonite from one bucket to another using the tongs.  Since the guests are all Superheroes, they can't touch the Kryptonite.  It was the kids favorite game.

Game 5: POW.  So, I didn't want actually fighting.  I figured I would just buy some punching balloons and have the kids do with them what they wanted. 

Food:
We made Bat signal Jell-O Jigglers. I had never made Jigglers before, but thought if this worked it would be pretty cool.

We made the a Captain America shield cake.

I also found lighting bolt ice cube trays.  I only had one tray.  So, I spent a week making ice cubes.  I thought they were neat.  The kids didn't even notice, but the adults did.

Well, we "Heroed up," and had a good time.  All of the effort was worth it, and Jared had a blast.  I'm sure he will remember it.