One more thing...

Friday night the space station flew over at 8:50 p.m. We let the TJ and Sam stay up and took them outside to watch it pass overhead. It was the perfect night for it....almost dark and not a cloud in the sky. The boys watched it intently as Bill and I explained approximately how big it is, what the astronauts are doing up there, etc. As it moved out of sight, TJ said, "Hey! Did you see that?"

I asked him what he said. "I think I just saw one of the astronauts throw a sandwich out the window!"

Week in Review

I have to admit, it is getting harder to keep up with this blog, now that I am working 30 hours a week. We will have to see if things get easier (or crazier!) once school starts next week.

TJ will be in first grade. That means he will eat lunch at school every day. I do not have a logical explanation for why, but I detest packing his lunches. It doesn't bother me to feed him at home at lunch time, but I strongly dislike making lunches up the night before. I told him I would appreciate it if he would get hot lunch at least twice a week. He genuinely prefers just a peanut butter and honey sandwich, so this will be a sacrifice for both of us (the two hot lunches a week for him, and me packing three a week). We'll see how it goes.

Here are the funny moments from this past week.

Sam, sitting on the potty, suddenly has an epiphany. "Mom! Clark and I are as big as ourselves!" Long pause. "I mean, I am as big as Clark now!"

TJ was misbehaving at some point during this past week, and Sam was listening to me threaten him. I told TJ to "knock it off, or you are going to spend the better part of the morning in your room." Sam's comment? "Or a really long time." Isn't the better part of the morning a really long time, especially when you are six?

At the boys' request, I made cheeseburgers for dinner Friday night. I didn't have any meat thawed, so I made veggie burgers (those babies cook up in two minutes!) Nolan didn't seem to notice he wasn't eating real meat. Sam spied chopped carrots and onion in the veggie patty, and carefully picked out as much as he could. TJ was the funniest. I asked him what he wanted besides cheese on his burger. He replied, "potatoes and cucumbers." At first I was grossed out, but then I thought about what he was saying. I asked him if he mean TOmatoes and pickles. He agreed that was what he meant. But then he decided no pickles, but he needed lettuce. And then he asked for 'the big round thing like what I had on my burger at Grandma Cindy's.' That really confused me. After a couple minutes of thinking, I pulled out an onion and TJ lit up. "Yes! I want that!" What is really funny is he ate the tomato, lettuce, and onion. Good boy!

On Wednesday night, the boys had a sleepover at my mom's. Sam just loves having sleepovers, and had requested this. It worked out well. I stayed with the boys until bedtime, tucked them in, read them a story, then headed downstairs to exercise. Bill was leaving for Detroit early Thursday morning, so this meant my mom didn't have to come over to our house early to fetch the boys before I left for work. TJ understands the reason for the occasional sleepover, but he does not like them. He prefers to be at home, with his parents, in his own bed. After I went to exercise, TJ got up and was telling my mom he wanted to go home. Then he announced, "I just can't take it anymore!" Well, I came back up, left an extra light on for him and convinced him to go to sleep. He survived.

Tonight at dinner, Bill asked Nolan what color his hair was. Without hesitating, Nolan said, "Dark blue."

Chicken and beans??

Yesterday afternoon, out of the blue, Sam said:

"You know what, Mom? I really like chicken and beans."

This was an odd statement for several reasons. 1. It wasn't mealtime. It was the middle of the afternoon. 2. He isn't a big fan of chicken (unless it is doused in ketchup or mustard). 3. He isn't a fan of beans, regardless of what they are doused in. 4. I have never fed him chicken and beans together.

This afternoon, TJ and Sam were playing the living room. I overhead TJ say, "Sam, your fight is over." I'm not sure what fight was over, but I hope Sam fought a good one.

Tonight, we went swimming at Jon and Lisa Bratt's pool. They lived down the street from us in Comstock Park, and we've stayed in touch with them since moving out to Marne. Sam didn't really swim, but squirted people with his water bottle, and sat on the top step of the pool with Nolan (who spent a lot of time playing in his inflatable boat and demonstrating he has no fear of water, gravity, or lack of oxygen). After awhile, Sam came over the patio area and asked to sit in the hammock. He was happily swaying back and forth when he noticed Lisa watching him and smiling. Sam sat straight up and said "Hey! What are you lookin' at ME for?" Of course, everyone laughed.

3 items from TJ

On Monday night, I was baking two cakes. I know, I know....you are wondering why I was baking. I had volunteered to bake for a funeral luncheon at our church. TJ was eating dinner and watching me work when he asked me why I didn't cook much. I immediately felt bad. At that moment, he was eating pizza from Little Caesars. It is true. I do not cook as much as I used to. We do Schwans 1-2 nights a week, and we eat out (or pick something up) about once a week. It's helping me stay on top of things at home, in addition to working 30 hours a week. I started to explain all of that to TJ when he cut me off.

"No, no, that's not what I meant! Why don't you cook cakes and brownies like Grandma?"

Then I understood. He wasn't criticizing the change in our dinner habits, he was wondering why I don't bake more often! I laughed. I told him that many people in my family (Mom, Amanda, Jared, Brianna, Bill) all love to bake, but that I just didn't care for it. TJ looked rather grumpy and muttered that HE liked to bake. I pointed out that Grandma, Auntie Boo, and sometimes Daddy all let him help when they bake.

His mother is a failure as a domestic goddess. And frankly, I don't care. He lives in a very clean house. I hope someday he appreciates that instead!

Second item: Yesterday was the final Wee People Picnic of the summer. I had to work, and Amanda had the boys for the day. She took the boys to the picnic, and my mom went along with Clark and Miles. Kristi and her girls were there, which meant all of my mom's grandkids were at the picnic. TJ had to tell me all about it. He informed me that all 8 Van Dop cousins were there, plus two more still 'in tummies.' That made me laugh. And Amanda, if you hadn't told everyone, well, I just outed you!

Finally, TJ has a new accessory on his bike. Here it is:
I am not quite sure why he wanted that on his bike, but let me reassure everyone that no pesticides have been applied to his bike.

It's a miracle

Sam is potty trained. AND poop trained. Words cannot even begin to describe my relief. Bill and I aren't even partying. We are just sighing with relief.

And now Nolan is showing an interest! He's pooped on the potty a couple times this week. I'm not going to rush him, but I'm certainly not going to discourage him either.

I have been changing diapers for almost 7 years straight. I'm so ready to be over this....

Sam's first bee sting

This afternoon, I defrosted the chest freezer in the garage. It had quite a bit of frost in it, courtesy of the neighbor boys constantly opening it to see if I have any popsicles.

While I finished up, Sam was in the driveway watching the sprinklers. He pooped on the potty earlier (again!!), so of course I turned the sprinklers on for him. Suddenly, he was crying hysterically and running up the driveway. I met him at at the garage entrance and he showed me his hand.

He had been stung. I think it must have been a wasp, as there was no stinger, but it got him on the palm of his hand and it HURT! As usual, Sam tried to deflect attention away from the fact that he was crying. So, he tried to blame his mother.

"Mama! It stung me! You should have put sunscreen on me!!!" Long pause. I would never laugh at a child who is in pain. "I mean...bug spray! You should have put bug spray on me!"

I brought him inside and ran his hand under cool water. He didn't want ice, but he did let me fill his water bottle with ice water and he held onto that for awhile. After 10 minutes, he was as good as new, but still rather offended that the bee/wasp had the nerve to sting him in the first place.

Nolan's color and clothing issues

Nolan knows his colors. I can't take credit for that. He is a smart kid who picks things up quickly. Blue is his favorite color. Last night we went out for ice cream. I held him up so he could look over the hard serve ice cream and he announced he wanted pink ice cream. He enjoyed every bite of his strawberry ice cream.

Nolan also loves elephants (he calls them "eldephants"). He has a set of 5 onesies with various animals on them. Two of them have elephants on them.

On Wednesday, I went to put Nolan in this shirt:


He got very upset and said, "No! Want BLUE elephants!" (The elephants on the shirt above are all brown). I was confused for a minute, but then I grabbed this shirt:
Nolan said, "Yes! Blue elephants!"

Well, this morning, the blue elephant shirt was in the wash. I had laid out the brown elephant shirt. I actually had forgotten all about Wednesday morning's episode. I was in the bathroom getting ready for work when I heard Nolan sobbing hysterically. I could tell immediately what the problem was (you could hear the words "blue" and "elephant" among the sobs). Bill couldn't understand him, and had no idea why Nolan was being so resistant about getting dressed. I went in Nolan's room, filled Bill in, and then explained to Nolan that the blue elephant shirt was in the wash, and couldn't we please wear the brown elephant shirt today? Nolan thought it over, pulled himself together, and reluctantly agreed to wear the brown elephant shirt.

Sheesh! I thought that by having only boys I would avoid clothing drama like this!

Random Funnies Brought to You by TJ

The other day Bill and I were talking about TJ's college fund (which is in rather pathetic shape at the moment) during dinner. TJ looked up and said, "I don't need to go to college. I'd rather ride my bike." We laughed and told him that was definitely a cheaper option, but he shouldn't rule out college just yet.

In that very same conversation, we were talking about money. I told TJ that college was very expensive. TJ said, "You need money? Just get me a color printer and I'll get you all the money you need." I think my mouth fell open. Bill laughed and said that TJ had seen that on an episode of iCarly.

TJ is becoming aware of what goes on when adults run errands, and he wants to help out. Last week, he and I went and got our hair cut. On the way home, we stopped for gas. He asked if he could get out of the car and watch. I said yes, so he jumped right out and watch me start pumping the gas. Then he went and got the window squeegee and proceeded to start washing all of the windows. They were lovely. Much messier than before he cleaned them. I had to laugh at how intently he was cleaning them for me.

The other day we stopped at the ATM. Again, TJ asked permission to get out of his booster seat so he could watch me. He came up to the front of the van and I explained what I was doing, and what the machine was doing. I hope I can get him to understand the work that is involved in getting money in the bank. It doesn't just appear there like magic. There's a lot of hard work involved!

Last week, Amanda took TJ blueberry picking. She said they spent some time discussing cousins and babies. TJ told her that Uncle Nate and Auntie Bree need to have a baby, so that Uncle Nate always has someone to play the Wii with him.

Tonight we took the boys out for ice cream (Sam's reward for keeping his pants clean ALL DAY and doing a very nice poop on the potty!). As we pulled up, a 1941 Cadillac convertible pulled up next to us (no, I didn't know the year off-hand. Bill talked to the owner while we were eating). TJ said, "Mom! Look! They have a cool car AND a puppy!" I laughed. The puppy was nice, but nowhere near as fascinating as the car.

Sam's appointments

I apologize for my absence. Life has been really busy lately!

Last Wednesday, TJ and Sam had dental appointments. Immediately afterwards, Sam had his four-year well-child appointment. Both boys did very well at the dentist (although TJ had THREE cavities! I think his baby teeth have got to go! They are costing me a fortune!). The hygienist met with me after their cleanings to review everything with me. She immediately commented on how Sam was 'quite the character.' I smiled, but waited to hear what he had done this time. During his cleaning, he looked up at the hygienist and said "So....what's your situation?" The hygienist didn't know what to make of that. I doubt any other four-year-old has asked her that. She finally said, "Well, I have to work all day", but she wasn't sure if that was what he meant. The hygienist told Dr. Mike what Sam had said. Dr. Mike went right up to Sam and asked, "So, Sam, what's your situation?"

Sam's response? A big smile and "Oh! I'm good!"

After the dentist, we had a little time to kill before we went to the pediatrician. So, we drove through the construction zone on I-196. The boys wanted to check out the progress and drive on the brand-new lanes. They really are easy to entertain!

At Sam's appointment, we got his 4-year stats:
40.5 inches (53rd percentile)
40 pounds exactly (80th percentile...remember when he used to be off the charts??)

Sam entertained Dr. Conner and was quite cooperative during his check-up, with the exception of hopping on one foot. He wouldn't do that for her. Then she slipped out and 3 nurses came in. I hadn't told Sam he was getting shots. I didn't want him to stress or worry about it. I boosted him up on the exam table and helped him lay back. I told him he needed to get a couple pokes, but I knew he would be brave. One nurse held his knees, and I held his hands. The other two nurses administered the shots (2 in one thigh, 3 in the other. 5 pokes!) When the first two shots went in, Sam stiffened up and started yelling, "Stop! Stop! Stop!" By the time the last shot went in, Sam was covering his eyes. He didn't want the nurses to see the two tears that rolled down his cheeks. I felt so bad. He was offended and angry that the nurses did that to him, and that his Mommy didn't stop them. I picked him up and cuddled him until he had himself under control. TJ was fascinated by the entire procedure. I reminded him that it took 5 people to hold him down, and that people several miles away could hear him screaming. Sam was tough and brave in comparison.

So, Sam is ready for school now...except for the ongoing poop issue. He did a big poop on the potty yesterday. But then he filled his pants today. One step forward, two steps back...

Jambalaya

I made jambalaya for dinner tonight. My children will all eat it. They won't all eat chicken nuggets or hot dogs, but they will all eat jambalaya. Weirdos.

The recipe I use calls for Tabasco sauce. We use Frank's, cuz, well, Frank's is the best! I only put a tiny bit in while I am cooking the jambalaya. Bill and I spice up our portions after I dish it up. Tonight, Nolan insisted that he get extra Frank's on his. He ate it all up without a word of complaint.

Sam, my sauce man, looked troubled by the meal. I couldn't figure out what his problem was, but he finally clarified it for me. He announced that there was rice in the jambalaya, therefore, he needed the 'black sauce' on his plate or he wasn't going to be able to eat it. He said black sauce always goes with rice. I knew what he meant and at first I tried ignoring him, but he insisted he needed the 'black sauce'. Eventually, I got out some soy sauce, put it on his jambalaya, and he ate it. You can almost hear people in Louisiana screaming in horror. I just chose not to watch him eat it.

As for TJ, he informed me that it was 'the best meal he never ate.' Silly boy. He ate every bite and seemed quite pleased that I used green pepper and roma tomatoes fresh from our garden to make the meal.