Potty Talk

Disclaimer: This post really is about potty.  So if you are easily offended, don't say I didn't warn you!

Shortly before bedtime tonight, Nolan was in the bath tub, and Sam was taking a shower in my bathroom.   TJ needed to go to the bathroom, so he was faced with a difficult choice.  Share a bathroom with one of his brothers, or go downstairs all by himself and use that bathroom. TJ hates the dark, so that option was immediately eliminated.  He opted to use my bathroom, since the toilet is around the corner from the shower.  He likes his privacy and this was a better choice than using the toilet that's a foot away from his rambunctious littlest brother.

So, TJ went in and shut the door, but it didn't latch tight.  Thus, I was able to hear the following conversation.

Sam: "TJ?  What are you doing?"
TJ: "I'm going to the bathroom" (he was rather tired so he was speaking in his best ho-hum voice)
Sam:"Are you pooping?"
TJ: (dramatic sigh) "No"
Sam: (in his most understanding tone), "Ohhh.  Are you having a bad potty?"
TJ: (sounding puzzled): "Huh?"
Sam: "You know, like is your potty orange or green?"
 TJ: "No!  Sam!  It's not!"

I was completely cracking up during this.  When has Sam ever encountered a child who urinated in the wrong color?  And why wasn't TJ laughing?  Why did he sound so offended?

One other note: yesterday, Sam used the word 'woozy' in a sentence.  And he used it correctly.

Crazy cats

I woke up this morning to find Katie in my face. After I convinced her to get off me, she climbed in the bathroom sink.

Willoughby is training for a management position. He 'helped' me wrap Christmas presents by swatting at the scissors while I was cutting (!), attacking a pen, and then laying down on paper I had just unrolled.

TJ's thankful card

Yesterday when I was unpacking TJ's backpack after school, I found this:

You may have to tap the picture in order to see the entire note card.

In case the handwriting of a third grade boy isn't your specialty, allow me to translate:
TJ: I am sad and thankful for my uncle, because he is in Afghanistan fighting for our country. Also, could you pray for my Uncle Jared?

I was rather choked up when I read this. After I pulled myself together, I asked TJ what the card was for. He responded that everyone had to write down what they were thankful for and it was posted in their class. They were done with the cards now, so he had brought his home.

I was shocked. So often, TJ's life seems to revolve around petty things: Ninjago, Legos, Angry Birds. But none of those things were mentioned on his card. Instead, he was thankful for something much more important. Family.

TJ turned nine years old today. He is definitely growing up. And after reading his assignment, I couldn't be more proud. If only he had spelled 'Jared' correctly....

All I Want for Christmas...

So, it's that time of year.  The grandparents are asking me what the boys want for Christmas.  I hate that question, because my children are so difficult, but in completely unique ways.

TJ wants it.  Whatever it is, he wants it.  As long as it isn't in the pink section of the Toys R Us Big Toy Book, he wants it, he loves it, he needs it, you name it.  So, it can be very hard to whittle down his list to the things he genuinely wants and will appreciate.

Nolan doesn't think big enough.  I asked him what he wanted, and he smiled and said, "I want a Star Wars Angry Bird" (these cost about $12 at Toys R Us).  I said, "That's it?" And he nodded.  Oh great.  We will let the grandparents fight that one out.

Then there's Sam.  I have asked him repeatedly what he would like and today he finally gave me two ideas.  One, is he would like some new Christmas lights for his tree (I know.  You're shocked).  Papa and Grandma Cindy had given him a special set of lights a couple years ago, and he loved them so much that they died.  So, that's actually a decent idea.  His other idea was so funny.  He said, "I would like a radar".  We asked him if he meant a weather radar and he nodded.  We informed him that we knew he would love to own one but they cost thousands of dollars.  So, that's out.

We had discussed getting him an iPod Touch and loading some weather apps on there, but we aren't quite ready to do that.  We'll have to see what other scientific and unusual gifts we can come up with.

Both a blessing and a curse

Sam is one of my favorite blog subjects, because I just don't always understand him.  He's so intense.  He's so precise.  He's so...inflexible.

Sometimes, it's a blessing.  When we are standing in the Christmas tree section at Meijer and Sam is intently studying every tree with a big smile on his face.  When he's sitting on his dad's lap and they are having a serious discussion about how vibrations are sounds and different vibrations create different sounds.  When his brother is talking about a certain song and Sam calmly tells us the last time we heard that song as a family (and he is absolutely correct).

Sometimes, it's a curse.  Like when he's gotten up out of bed at 9:00 because he's worrying about how one of his Christmas trees doesn't have lights on it.  Or when (again...out of bed past his bedtime) he's fussing over the location of an extension cord Bill lent him and then needed back.  Or when I tell him that I saw them putting up the Christmas decorations in Standale and he gets extremely upset when I don't immediately drive him over there to look.  Or when he's writing his spelling words on the white board and decides halfway through that he needs to switch colors, so he ERASES THE ENTIRE TEST, switches markers, and then calmly tells me to start again from the beginning.

I laugh.  I cry.  I remind Bill that Sam is mostly his fault.  And then I laugh when Bill reminds me that Sam is my fault too.

This is my favorite picture of Sam from our Disney trip.  This is the sheer joy he had on his face, simply from watching a fountain.  I smile every time I look at this. 

Never mind what I said in the title.  No part of parenting Sam is a curse.  Granted, it isn't always easy, but I am so blessed to be his Mom.

Excuse me?!

Monday night was chiropractor night.  Every three weeks, we take all three boys to the chiropractor and all of us get adjusted.  Ten years ago, I would have thought that was the wackiest thing to do.  But we started visiting the chiropractor out of desperation when Sam was so miserable as a toddler and I really think it helps everyone.  Bill has fewer, less intense migraines, TJ's ears have improved, and both Sam and Nolan fight off bugs better.  I can't explain to you why it works, I just know that it does, and it's all natural.

Anyway...when we got there yesterday, Nolan had to use the bathroom.  After he went, I helped him wash his hands and then we returned to the waiting area.  I sat down to Bill's left, and Nolan flopped down to my left.  He promptly announced, "My butt itches!"  Bill and I both froze.  I could not believe what Nolan had just said.  I cautiously asked him to repeat himself.  Nolan grumbled again, "My butt itches!"  It was one of those moments where I didn't know whether to laugh or crawl into a hole.  Why in the world would he be announcing this in public?!  Nolan was obviously less than thrilled with my response (of confused silence), so he plopped his right foot in my lap and pulled off his shoe.  "Will you itch it?" 

I was so relieved.  "Your FOOT itches?" Nolan nodded.  Bill and I started laughing quite hard.  TJ looked rather interested.  He wanted to know what we thought Nolan said.  Neither Bill or I would tell him.

Un-kissed

Our weekday mornings have a very strict routine.  I'm out of our bathroom by 7:00, so Bill can jump in the shower.  Just before 7:00, he starts setting out breakfast. While he is in the shower, I make sure the older two boys get dressed and everyone starts eating.  While they eat, I finish packing their lunches.  At 7:30, I kiss everyone good-bye and head out the door for work. Bill then dresses Nolan, packs up all 3 boys, brings TJ and Sam to the bus and then drops Nolan off at my mom's.  Then he starts his workday.

Wednesdays are different, because I don't have to go to work.  I get up at 7:00, make sure the older two boys are dressed and eating, and then I finish packing their lunches.  I do that so I don't have to keep reminding everyone to make sure someone packed the lunches.  Then I kiss TJ and Sam and crawl back into bed.  Nolan usually joins me in my room and plays with the iPad until I'm fully conscious.

I really was sleepy yesterday.  I packed the lunches, kissed all three boys, and went back to bed.  When I woke up, Nolan gave me a hard time for kissing him good-bye when neither of us left.  He said he had to give it back.  I leaned over him and assumed he would give me a kiss.  But instead, he just pressed his face into mine.  Apparently, that is how you get un-kissed.

Isn't it Ironic?

Last night at church, TJ broke his glasses.  He was adjusting them (I think he was trying to push them more tightly to his ears or something) and they snapped in two.  Since he wasn't being naughty, neither Bill or I punished him.  Besides, he was so upset there was no need.  He understood that he simply wasn't careful enough with them.

Being the wonderfully helpful person she is, my mom dropped Nolan off at preschool this morning then took TJ's glasses to the eye doctor.  I was hoping he would have some frames TJ could borrow while we ordered new ones.  But it was our lucky day!  TJ"s frames were still under warranty, so he got a one-time free replacement.  They had one pair of his exact frames on hand, so my mom left the eye doctor with a brand-new completely free pair of glasses.  Whew!

She decided to bring them to TJ on her way to pick up Nolan from preschool.  She got there around 11:40.  So TJ had been in school for just over 3 hours with no glasses.  Would you believe that during that time, TJ had a vision test??  Nope.  I'm not kidding.  He had a vision test, and (big surprise) he didn't do very well on it.  He came home with a paper that I had to fill out, verifying that yes, he is under the care of an eye doctor, and yes, he should have been wearing his glasses.

My mom said he had JUST finished the test when she got there.  I can't figure out why they didn't immediately re-test him.  But his teacher has been out of town on a family emergency this week, and I guess no one else thought to suggest it.

Replacement for sprinklers

So, summer is over. The sprinklers are off, the garden no longer needs watering, and Daddy had mowed the lawn for the last time this season.

What's an unusual kid to do? Well, Sam is forced to change his interests to indoor things. When he isn't marking invisible fire drill buttons, he is hauling out candles for me to light. We aren't having a seance, I'm just trying to keep him happy. He never plays with them, he just monitors them.

S.W. Baron, Safety Inspector

A couple weeks ago, East Elementary had a fire drill. I am sure it wasn't Sam's first fire drill, but for some reason, he really got obsessed after this drill. When I was at his school for his Halloween party,he pointed out every single light that flashes during a drill and showed me where all the alarm pulls are.

He has also been quizzing me on fire safety in our home and various escape routes we can take.

Then he got ahold of my sticky notes. We have tons of them, so it doesn't bother me when he plays with them. I had to laugh when I found them all over my house.

I also had to laugh when Mr Safety Inspector put on the most ridiculous glasses I have ever seen. I have no idea where he got them. He looks like Elton John.