Sunday, November 27, 2011

Can you hear me now?

This morning I started being interrogated about my hearing. I was trying to sit and have a cup of coffee and egg nog when it started.
Nadine (with a book that makes sheep sounds standing right beside me): Mom can you hear this?
Me: Yes
Nadine (muffles the sound making part): Can you hear it now?
Me: Yes I can.
Nadine (moves a few feet away and muffles the book): What about now?
Me: Yep
Nadine (moves yet again further away by a few feet at a time and asks again...repeat procedure...become a bit frustrated that I can still hear it...finally heads upstairs and asks from there): OK can you hear it NOW?
Me: Yes
Nadine (exasperated groan stomps a little further): WHAT ABOUT NOW!?
Me: Nope can't hear it now.
Nadine (to Ryan who's playing upstairs): OK Ryan mom can't hear us if we are here.

Hmmmm, I wondered for a moment if they were trying to find the best place to discuss my Christmas gift? Probably not. But I appreciate her tenacity to finish her experiment.
"Don't give up! If at first you don't succeed...try again!!
She'll be 6 on Wednesday!! Yay for 6!

Ryan continues to try and convince or confuse me into letting him drive. Earlier I think I mentioned him coming into the house while I was busy working on something and tried
Ryan: Hey mom can you throw me the keys to the quad?
Me: What? um, no not right now buddy
Ryan (shrugs as though it was worth a try)

Lately
Ryan: Mom I'm older (as I'd told him he needed to be) and I'm ready to be Uncle Doug's driver. I'm really ready for the open road.
Me: I guess I meant a little older still. Big like your cousins.
Ryan (shrugs as though it was worth a try)

Sometimes I wish I could bring myself to buy him a power wheels thing.

Braeden is becoming ridiculously conversational. He loves to sing. He spent most of the other day singing the Hallelujah Chorus, and has spent most of today singing "Yucky yucky me" a song from TV that in fact is "Lucky lucky me" but either way makes me smile.

Monday, November 21, 2011

Coffee, eggnog and painted socks.

I find it incredibly hard to blog sometimes. I would love to go on and on about why but that would not likely be very productive. At the moment I need to jam in as much productivity as I can it seems like. I guess I should say, I should be trying to jam in as much productivity as I can, but well...egg nog came out in stores so coffee and egg nog is often make that always a lot more compelling than cleaning the bathroom but it makes a great blogging buddy. I should keep that in mind.

So since I last wrote to you we've done a few minor repairs. The most relevant to me and the kids being a minor krazy glue repair to Ryan's very split chin. Bob the builder makes building a ramp look really really easy, and ultimately it can be, unless you want the flimsy strip of OSB to hold your 35lb self up while propped onto the second step of the porch. Then you're probably going to get a lesson in how not to build a ramp. Followed by a second lesson in impromptu tool box medicine.
Ryan is, as always very keenly interested in machines. We spent a glorious harvest tucked into the back window of Grandpa's combine or riding along hauling grain with Uncle Doug. I'm fairly confident those will be some long lasting happy memories for my second born.
He spent a bit of time drying grain with Uncle Doug too. Now he will re-enact that in our kitchen. To re-enact drying grain all you need is a chair, a cup of coffee and some patience.
Ryan: Mom I'm drying grain
Me: Oh
Ryan: Ya mom I'll need a cup of coffee (as he moves a chair into the kitchen). And noooooowww we sit.
My job at that point is to provide snacks and not to laugh audibly.

He still enjoys to teach me about machines. I had a lesson in "seven pointy seven" aircraft a while ago. I can't say I really followed a lot of the material but I always enjoy a good chat with my boy.

Braeden also had his first combine ride. I wasn't sure what he'd think of the combine, it's big and loud but when I climbed up the ladder with him and he found his Grandpa he leaped into his lap and turned to me with a huge grin and waved offering me a "bye bye mom", he had found paradise. Braeden has a way of being quite a challenge when there's a lot of buttons and levers to pull. Ryan is pretty respectful of those things, seemingly aware that alterations made by him might not increase the effectiveness of the operations. Braeden doesn't at this point care. He just wants to pull levers, press buttons, and yank on the steering wheel. How great.

Nadine also had a lot to tell me about airplanes and the theory of flight. Her theory didn't quite line up with the currently held theory of flight but given that the currently held theory of flight doesn't allow for bumblebee's to fly...well perhaps she's onto something. I really wish I'd have taken notes when she was telling me about it. It was a bit too complex for me to retain, evidently. It involved naps, bright rainbows and a few other things.
Nadine seems to be doing well at school. She really likes to go. She got her report card the other day. A couple A's and a couple B's...well and an unsatisfactory in German but really my German isn't exactly satisfactory either.
She was telling me recently
Nadine: Mom school can sure be awkward
Me: Oh, what part
Nadine: The falling asleep in math part
Me: well yes that can be awkward.
I'm really curious to see if that comes up at parent teacher interviews tomorrow.

She is growing like a weed, well all the kids are but I really notice her looking like a school kid now as opposed to like a little kid. She's a real charming girl. Hard to believe she'll be 6 in just over a week.

While Nadine is at school Braeden and Ryan are often left to help me workout in the morning. They're great at helping me. They offer some advice on form and jump up and down encouragingly.
Ryan: She JUST said not to stop mom. KEEP MOVING.
or another one of my favorites
Ryan: Mom that's not really how she's doing it on the TV. Swing your leg higher mom.
So I tried to take that "that's not how she's doing it" concept and turn it into a lesson in being yourself. Don't buckle to peer pressure. We're all different...I'm not sure if that worked but it was something to fill the void as regained the ability to breath. I'm pretty sure it fell on kind of deaf ears as "She JUST said not to stop mom" followed my insightful lecture.
In the mean time Braeden leaps up and down and tries to do his best to participate in the workout. All the kids are now proficient at "flap jacks" (or jumping jacks in most other houses) and even skaters. Brilliant little workout prodigies

If left unattended the boys can produce a heck of a mess when Nadine is at school. Well they can do it when she's home too but for some reason I've deluded myself into thinking it should be less busy with one child out and occupied but, well, it's not.
You know the sound of water being poured out of a bucket? it makes a certain splashing, and depending on how much water is in the bucket it can continue to splash on for what seems like a while as you process what exactly you're hearing and why. Well that's the sound of my boys building a car wash in the upstairs playroom. Interestingly with the 'short shag' carpet, it takes quite an amount of water to be poured to even get to the splashing sound. Interesting hey? The things you learn.
I'm glad they chose to do that on laundry day.

All the kids really love art. To derail a bad day I'll often break out the paint, or give them the little indestructible digital camera, or playdough...although I detest playdough. It works though. They really get into their art, and their art gets all over them. I've become completely disconnected from the clean up that will be required after an art extravaganza. It takes away from the amount of stuff I can get done while the art is in progress. They all are aware it needs to stay at the table, and other than that...well whatever. I do often sit with them while they do it. Mostly because it's really interesting and they come up with a lot of great, and original thoughts while they are creating their masterpieces. Having said that I realize that while I've been blogging and egg nogging Braeden has painted my sock...I didn't even know he had paint. Also greatly timed with laundry day.
I swear there is only coffee in the eggnog.
sigh. :)

well that's all for now the next load of laundry is patiently awaiting its turn.