Terrible Twos on Tuesday

I'm not sure who is to blame, better yet if anyone needs/should be blamed for our rough night.

Parents first, Michael and I let Joshua stay up on Monday night WAY too late (something like 10ish?.)
We paid for it.

When we got to school Joshua threw a fine fit over eating goldfish for breakfast. Throwing food, time out, screaming, and tears were all part of this tantrum. As I left his classroom, I may have had a tear of guilt myself.

After we got home that night, I asked Joshua what he wanted for supper. He opened the refrigerator with help, and after searching in his normal spots (fruit drawer first/ veggies second) he was unsatisfied with his findings and kept looking. He discovered the eggs... I let him hold one, but told him that they would break so we needed to be careful. Despite my better judgement, I decided to make an egg. I knew he didn't really care for them, but my "genius" idea was to have him watch and help. I pulled up the stool and let him climb up and watch me crack the egg. He got to stir them, scoop some butter for the pan, and watch as we scrambled the egg. I plopped it on a plate. He looked at it with disgust. Being over hungry myself, I at the egg. Michael made actual dinner for him and I which we then offered to Joshua. Again, uninterested.

I decided to try for the jammies because we were getting nowhere with food. Michael and I, as well as the staff at CTK, discipline with the Love and Logic philosophy (controlled options to avoid power struggles.) Love and Logic usually works wonderfully when used properly (perhaps my empathy in offering choices may not have been what it could have/should have been.) I ended up choosing his jammies and then wrestled with him to get them onto his body. (Jammie time for us has recently been a struggle anyway as Joshua tries to balance independence and reliance on others.)

After the jammies were on, and the screaming had subsided, Joshua remembered that he was hungry. Foolishly I tried to find him something else to eat rather than offering what we had for dinner. Nothing was right and the night continued to spiral during teeth brushing.

There were sorry-s and snuggles before I put him into bed, but no reciprocated, "I love you." My heart was broken. I struggled with parental frustrations with an over-tired two year old. Mistakes were made... hopefully some lessons were learned by him and by me.

Blueberry Muffins!

Recently there was an episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse that featured a mystery. Minnie made 6 blueberry muffins and someone ate them. The wrappers among other things were clues. This episode struck a cord with Joshua. He began asking for blueberry muffins. Michael picked up a bag of muffin mix. When he showed it to Joshua we had jumps and giggles of excitement.  He wanted to bag opened immediately. When we actually had a chance to open them and bake them, elated is how is I would describe our little boy. Michael ate one, and Joshua ate 5. He asked if Donald ate some or if Mickey had one. When he asked for more I told him to ask Daddy to put it on the grocery list. Joshua went running to Michael. Here is their conversation.
"Daddy! More Muffins. Please... TWO!"
"You want me to buy two muffins?"
"YEAH!"
"What kind? Banana?"
"No"
"Strawberry?"
"No, blueberry"
"You want two blueberry muffins?"
"THREE!"
Followed by giggles and smiles from Mommy and Daddy.

Little Boy Imagination

Imagination at work... 

This morning I sat outside of Joshua's bedroom door. I knew he was awake. Over the monitor I heard him giggling and playing and I wanted to have a closer listen before the "Momma, Where are you?!?" I got such delight from sitting there listening to him talking to his stuffed animals and bouncing from one end of his crib to the other. I knew opening the door would shatter the illusion that he was lost in, so there I sat silently listening to his "conversations" that weren't meant to be heard (at least not by me.)

Church Decorating

Saturday morning was church decorating. I'm not sure Joshua remembered trees from last year. He was hesitant to touch the tree because it was "prickly." 

 So, instead of helping me fluff the tree, I found him a different job. I knew there was a toy vacuum in the janitor's closet, and since Bonnie was vacuuming I thought Joshua could help. He loved that idea! And vacuumed away!

 Several people showed up to help get the church ready. Each person used different gifts to make the church look great for Christmas.

 Vicar Jake cleaned the windows. 

 Pastor Phil help get the trees ready for ornaments. 

 Joshua carried the ornaments into church. He was very careful not to spill any of them. 

 Then came the tricky part: getting the ornaments to stay on the tree. Joshua had to balance his independent frame of mind with his eagerness to get the bulbs on the tree. "Do It!" is what is said, and I'm not sure if he was voicing frustration, or if he was trying to get me to help him. I encouraged him to try again until it stayed there. I'm interested to see how he will do with our tree next week.

 One of the bulbs fell off the big Christmas Tree and Joshua volunteered to get it. 

 Joshua enjoyed talking about the color of the lights and the different colored bulbs. 

 Joshua and Gwen took a cereal break and posed for a picture. I wasn't fast enough to get them both smiling, but maybe next year. They were so cute with their green and red I ran for my camera.

 Noah helped his mom by being the counter-weight while she tried to straighten out the tree. 

 Joshua used the box of ornaments as a drum. He thought he was the funniest thing. Joshua had a sneaky face and banged away. 

The best way to get Joshua to smile for a picture is to set the timer and make it into a game. So I set the timer and put the camera on the ladder and ran in front of the tree. He had a terrific smile. I was very impressed! I can't wait to do our decorating around the house. 

Thanksgiving 2011

Thanksgiving began at Pastor and Becky's house around 8:30am

 It was a beautiful day! We had to make several trips back and forth from the car to get all the supplies in the house. Michael and Becky decided that our day should start with brunch. Brunch included: egg bake, biscuits and gravy, waffles, and O & H Kringle from Racine!

 The 15 of us ate our huge brunch while watching the Macy's Parade. I wish Michael and I would have recorded it at home (we didn't watch the whole thing) but Joshua loved what he saw. The best part was the SpiderMan act. We watched it twice and both times he was thrilled. The mommies and vicar Jake took all the kids outside for a parade of our own. We just walked around the block, but it was such a nice day.

 After our walk, the kids had some lunch and took a delightful nap during the Packers/Lions game. I tried to sneak in a few winks, but couldn't get comfortable enough. Michael and Becky had the kitchen under control. Becky's turkey was brined and delicious and Michael made a yummy duck.

 The kids did a nice job eating their Thanksgiving dinner!

 After dinner it was outside again! It was getting cool, but it was so nice for the kids to be able to run around.

 I wanted to be able to take some pictures of Joshua in his Packers gear! 

 Joshua found pine cones in the yard and was very excited about them. He wanted everyone to know what he found. Joshua tried to share his find with Gwen. She wanted none of it. He would set them on the table for her and she would push them on the ground. He would run to get them and give them back to her.

 It started getting cold and dark and we had to drag Joshua back into the house. He would have stayed outside playing away. It makes me think again about needed a house, he loves to play outside and it's harder for us living on the second floor.

Back inside, it was bath time! Gwen was taking a bath and Joshua saw the bubbles. At first, he was just splashing in the puddles. Then I asked him if he wanted to get in. To my surprise he said yes. He was taken a bath with Gwen several times before, but it usually ends with her laughing and splashing and Joshua screaming and crying. That's not how it went this time. They had a great time splashing and playing in the bubbles.

After bath time means bed time!! The children were all separated into their sleeping locations, while the adults set up Cranium. Men vs. Women. The Ladies gracefully won with a point to spare. Our evening ended around 10:30pm.

Thanksgiving was terrific! We are so blessed to have such wonderful people to be around and spend time with. One of my fears when moving across the country from my family was how were we going to spend our holidays. I don't want it to sound like we don't need our families or don't love them, but we have found more family, just family that's not related.  :)

How to Cook a Turkey: from the Lips of Children

“First you kill the turkey, then you cut it. You put it in the oven and make it hot. When it comes out of the oven you eat it.”

“You get the turkey and cut the meat out. Put the turkey in the microwave for 4 minutes.  When it’s done you eat it with fries.”

“You put the neck, head, and legs in a pan. Then the pan goes in the oven at 40 degrees. It needs to cook for 40 minutes. Take it out of the oven and eat it. First blow it off, so it doesn’t hurt your mouth.”

“You catch the turkey. Then you bake it in the oven. The oven needs to be hot. It cooks for 12 hours. The clock dings and you eat the turkey. You eat the turkey with mashed potatoes.”

“ The turkey comes from the barn.  I’ll put chicken and spaghetti in it and stir it up. Then I’ll put on a plate and cover it. It goes in the microwave for 40 minutes. Then we eat it.”

“The turkey comes from a patch. We get it at Easter. You put the turkey in a pan and put it in the oven; it needs to be really hot. It needs to be in the oven for 6 hours. Then we eat it.”

“The turkey comes from the store. When you get home it goes in a pan.  The turkey cooks on the stove a little hot. It cooks for 4 minutes. Then we the turkey with carrots, peas, and corn.”

“ The turkey comes from a farm. My Nana and Papa get the turkey. Put the turkey in a bowl and wait until it bubbles. It needs to be very hot. You need to cook it for a very long time.  Then we eat the turkey.”

“The turkey comes from a farm.  At the house, put the turkey in the oven. The oven has buttons on it. The turkey cooks to make it bigger. When the turkey is done, I eat it with my hands. It tastes nice.”

“Put the turkey in the microwave for 9 seconds. The turkey will be done when timer goes off. We eat the turkey with green beans and ham.”

“The turkey comes from Grandma and Grandpa’s house.  It goes in the oven at 7.  It cooks for 2 days. Then we can eat it with hummus and strawberries.”

“The turkey comes from outside. We find it and take it home.  The turkey goes on a plate then you cook it with eggs. The turkey needs to cook for 100 minutes. The turkey is done when it beats. We eat the turkey with strawberries.”

“First you cut the turkey. Then you put the turkey on the stove. Then eat it.”

“The turkey comes from a garden. Put the turkey on the grill. It need to be 100 hot. It cooks for 35 minutes. When you hear the Ding Ding, it’s done. Then you eat it with a fork.”

“The turkey comes from a barn. You bring it to your house. Take the chicken out. Put the turkey in a pot and put it on the stove. The stove needs to be very hot. It cooks for a long time. The stove beeps when it’s done and we eat turkey with potato sauce and bacon.”

“The turkey comes from the farm. They send it to your house. The turkey goes in the oven at 49. It cooks for 46 hours. The turkey is done cooking when the light goes off. Then we eat the turkey with egg noodles.”

“Turkey comes from the store. First you measure the turkey. Then you put it in the oven at 30 degrees. The turkey cooks for 1 long. Then we eat the turkey with stuffing and corn.”

“The turkeys grow and we get it from the store. You fry a turkey in the oven. The oven needs to be on medium. It cooks for 10 minutes. When the turkey beeps it is all done. We eat the turkey with chicken.

“Turkeys come from a barn. They take the chicken truck to get to your house. You cook the turkey in oil. The oil is in the pan.  The pan goes on the stove. It should be red hot. It cooks for 50-5-4. The turkey is done when it says 5-0-5.”

“First you put the turkey in a pot on the stove with a little sauce and some salt. The stove should be a little hot. It cooks for a day. You need to wait patiently. A bell rings when it is done. You eat turkey with dressing.”

“First the turkey goes on a pan. Put the turkey in the oven and let it bake. The oven should be 40 degrees and it should cook for 12 minutes. Take it out of the oven, wait for it to cool, and when it’s ready you eat it.”

“People at the store makes the turkey so we can bring turkeys home to eat them for Thanksgiving. First, cut off the turkey bones and put the in the garbage. Then, put some stuff in the pan so it doesn’t bubble up.  The pan goes on the stove at 79-89. It cooks for 78 seconds. It is done at 4:15.  Then Grandma comes over and we eat it as a family. We eat some cake too because of all the birthdays with chocolate and vanilla ice cream.”

“We get a turkey from the store, then cut the turkey with a knife. Put it in the oven for 3 minutes. You need to put on a cooking glove to take it out of the oven. Then we eat it! It is delicious!”

“Turkey comes from the store. Put the turkey in a pan, and then on the stove. The stove needs to be on number 4. It cooks for 4 minutes. When the turkey is done we eat it.”

“Turkey comes cut up and frozen. Then it goes in the oven in a pan. It cooks for 13 seconds. After the 1 on the time, it is done. Then you put on the green gloves. Then we eat it with mashed potatoes, corn, steak, and green beans.”

“Turkeys come from the bushes. We spoon it up and put it in a pan. We cook it in the oven on hot. It needs to cook for 5 minutes. We eat the turkey with bananas and chicken nuggets.”

“Turkeys are in the grass, walking in the summer. We make then a bologna sandwich and salad and he comes in the house. We start cooking it in the morning. It goes on the stove with a little battery. It cooks for 3 days. We eat it with salad and hamburger. It is also yummy with rice.”

“Turkeys come from trees and you carry them into the house. It needs sprinkles before you cook it. Put the turkey in the oven at 30 degrees. The turkey cooks for 30 minutes. It is done when the oven beeps. It has to come out and then you put more sprinkles on it and eat it.”

“Turkeys come from the store put it in your cart and pay and take it home. Put the turkey in the oven at 51 or 53 degrees. It cooks for about 9 minutes. When it is done, go play while it cools and then sit down and eat it. After watch a movie.”

“Turkeys come from farms and they walk to your house. Scoop of the turkey and put it in oven.  The oven needs to be hot. The turkey cooks for 30 hours. Put a plate to eat it with chicken nuggets and French fries. “

“Turkeys come from a farm. To get ready you need all of the ingredient. Put the turkey in a pot and then on a plate. It goes in the microwave to get nice and juicy. Then my mom puts the hot stuff on it.  Then we eat it with corn and grapes and if we’re lucky we could get my favorite cookie dough ice cream from the ice cream store.”

“Turkeys come from farms. The turkey needs to die first. Put it in the refrigerator, then on the stove. The turkey cooks for a long day. After dinner we eat fruit snacks.”

“Turkeys come from a farm. They walk to your house. To get the turkey ready to cook, bring it in the house. Put the turkey in the stove at 8 degrees for 9 minutes. When it is 5 the turkey is done. We eat it with bananas and apples.”

“Turkeys come from the pet store. We buy them and bring them home. Put the turkey in the oven at 30 degrees. It cooks for 16 minutes. It is done when it dings. You eat it with grapes.

“Carry the turkey into the house. The turkey goes in the oven at 17degrees. It cooks for 10 minutes. Then I can eat it with salad, eggs, and peas.

“Buy the turkey from the store and bring it home. Put steak inside the turkey and put it in the oven to bake. The oven should be 7 inches hot. It will be done in 2 minutes. Then we eat it with ketchup, bacon, and macaroni and cheese. “

Success!

My mom visited about two weeks ago now and I realized that I don't got to the 

beach enough, even though it's so close! So on Monday afternoon after nap time and a variety of other home chores were accomplished I asked Joshua if we wanted to go on an adventure. 

 We packed up the sand toys, some snacks, and a towel just in case and headed to the beach. We stopped along the way and got a special treat to share while we spent our time in the sand.

 Joshua hunted out the perfect spot, not too close to the water for us to do some digging. I dug a great big hole, big enough for both of us to sit in, and that's just what we did. We sat in our sandy hole and watched the people passing, older gentlemen playing bocce ball, surfers, and the seagulls. Joshua had comments about everything. I realized even in the past two weeks how much his chatter has taken off.

 My son thinks he is a comedian, he tries to make jokes, and show me how cute he is, but we are still finding the balance between being cute and being sassy. And for me, I'm learning what to let fly and what to cut off at the pass. There may have been some sand throwing... look at those handfuls of sand and sneaky smile...

 We took a picture of the two of us. Joshua loves to take them as long as he gets to see it after his hard work of smiling.

 In the past, we have sat in one spot and played in the sand until we were ready to go. Half expecting the answer to be no, I asked Joshua if he wanted to do some walking. He jumped up and said, "Come-on Mama!"

 I thought about how much my little boy had grown. He was exploring and adventuring, but eager to have me there beside him. He was fascinated with the sticks on the beach. He gathered them up and counted them. He did find a vacant umbrella hole to shove the sticks in, and try to find more to fill it. It was fun to watch his wheels turn.

 I started to get cold before Joshua did. I was chasing him around with the camera while he was concentrating on the mysteries of the beach. We gathered up our things shortly before the sun set and I knew I made the right choice leaving my unfinished projects at home and heading to the beach to have some quality mommy-son time.

Sunday Night Beach Visit

Last weekend I enjoyed a visit from my mom. On Sunday night we went to the ocean. I realized that night that I live too close. I has probably been since September, my mom's last visit, since we had gone.

It was a beautiful night. We enjoyed the sunset. And, we were far enough south that we could drive on the beach. This is something that I haven't done here in Florida.
Joshua was not very excited about putting his feet on the wet sand. As much as my son loves the bathtub, and the pool he HATES the ocean, and I'm not sure why. Perhaps that the sand is unsteady. Anyway, we had to be far enough away from the ocean for him to feel comfortable.
Finding some shells made the beach a little more bearable, and before we knew it, we found a hole. Joshua loves the sand especially if there is a hole for him to stand in. The hole that we found was far enough from the ocean for him to feel comfortable and it had water in it. So it was more like a puddle!!

Joshua dug in the hole and splashed in the hole and had a terrific time at the beach. It was a little cool for me. My blood is thinning already, but Joshua loved our visit. When Grandma drove her car on the beach that was even better!
It makes me sad that I take it for grant it living so close to the ocean. I don't want to make it my "goal" to get there more often because that's not measurable, and now we are getting to the month or two that it will get too chilly to visit, but I do want to get there more... whatever more is...

5th Annual Free Kid's Carnival

One of the exciting outreach opportunities that Christ the King Church and School has taken on is sponsoring a Kid's Carnival every year. Last year being our first year it was intimidating to see all the bounce houses and all the children, not to mention spending 4 hours helping kids climb over an obstacle course wall (some of them the same size as me!) This year it was a little different...
I spent time checking out the bounce houses or the slides with my son, who enjoyed them immensely.
For the 3,000 people that attended, let me say that one one more time, 3,000 people!!! we offered free cotton candy, popcorn, face painting, balloon animals, a stilt walker, and a magician, not to mention the 10 bounce houses ranging from those toddlers could enjoy to obstacle courses that the adults enjoyed as well.
I had the opportunity this year to walk around and talk with prospective families for our school. It was encouraging to hear from parents who have enrolled their children for next year. The word is getting around our community about our commitment to excellence in education and more importantly our love for the Lord.
It was a sunny, 71 degree, Saturday afternoon where I got to enjoy some family time, time in the community, and time with the members of my church family. It was wonderful to be a part of such an eager and growing congregation where everyone wanted to share their love of Christ the King.

Hazy, Rainy, Florida Days

I had been trying to catch Joshua playing outside in the rain. He loves to splash in the puddles.

He splashed in the puddles, but not as much as he loved to carry the umbrella.

He marched around so proud to be carrying the umbrella in the drizzle.
I was hoping to see a rainbow. So many people around here have been talking about seeing rainbows, but we hadn't seen one yet. I wanted to be the first to show Joshua a rainbow.
Joshua and I didn't see a rainbow that day, but I was reminded that God keeps his promises. It was a wonderful afternoon parading in the rain with my son.