So I Have It On Record...

After giving Trey some medicine for his earache, he reaches around me neck, gives me a hug and says:

"Mom, I'm glad I have you. I love you. A lot."

Coming from the kid who will barely hold my hand anymore, it

melted my heart.

Ditto...

Such a smart boy...

Conversation between Kevin, Trey and myself this evening as we are waiting for Bryan as he is helping a disabled car on the side of the road:

Kevin: That's nice of dad to help those people. Mom, why don't you ever stop and help people on the road?

Me: Well, it's a little more dangerous for girls to help people on the side of the road. Plus, I don't know anything about cars. I help people in other places like grocery stores and malls.

Kevin: Other than helping people on the side of the road, girls can do pretty much everything boys can do. Trey, did you know that a long time ago, girls couldn't vote or have cool jobs or do sports? But now they can do all of those things. Boys are still supposed to treat girls extra special though.

Trey: I know, like we have to open the door for them.

Kevin: But there is one thing that girls can do that boys can't.

Me: And what is that?

Kevin: They can get pregnant and have babies.

Me: Why do you think that Heavenly Father made it so that only girls can have babies?

Kevin: Because it's really hard, and girls are tougher than boys so they can handle it better.

AMEN, KEVIN!!!

I am saving this for your future wife.

Dumb Question

Trey's hair hasn't been cut for about 3 months and is starting to get curly. I love it. Anyhoo, a lady in an elevator asked me the other day if Trey's hair was naturally curly. I had to bite my tongue.

My gut reaction was to say, "No, it's naturally straight. Every morning I get the curling iron out and curl my 4 YEAR-OLD BOY'S hair. Except for when I put it in curlers the night before."

Hmm, maybe she doesn't like silent elevators and just asked the first question that came to her mind. But really, what would be the alternative if his hair isn't naturally curly? Curlers or curling irons. On my four year-old boy. And what are the odds of that? Pretty dang low, one would hope. So anyway, I kept my sarcastic remark to myself. I simply said, "why, yes it is."

Kevin's First Day of Second Grade

So basically.....I DREAD the first day of school. Kindergarten because my little guy was growing up and starting a big, new school. First grade because he was going to be away from me all day. You'd think by second grade I'd be fine. I wasn't. Two words - BASKET CASE. What is my problem? Is this normal? Or am I some sort of crazy mom who doesn't know how to let her children go? The Saturday and Sunday before school started, I couldn't think or talk about it because I would start to cry. Then Bryan leaves town for work on Sunday and leaves me to deal with Monday all by myself.

Maybe I get like this because it seems like time goes by so quickly. I mean, it doesn't always feel like that - not when I'm telling Kevin to simply take his shoes off for the 39th time because there is dirt all over my once clean floor. Or when I'm trying to find the one single lego piece that Trey has to take to bed with him. But really - wasn't Kevin just learning how to walk? It seems like yesterday that Trey was a fiesty little baby that wouldn't stay swaddled. Now they're 7 and 4. I would pay a lot of money to just keep them at these sweet, innocent ages. But they're growing up way too fast. Maybe that's what gets me.

Or maybe it's because I never feel like a good enough mom. Am I teaching them enough? Do I read to them enough? Are they getting the life experiences they should be? Do they laugh enough? Are they gaining a testimony? Do they have enough self-confidence? Maybe I didn't do enough with them during the summer. And now the summer is gone and they start school. And they are under the influence of others for most of the day. Did I do enough?

I know, right? BASKET CASE! And then I drop him off. I shed a few tears and then meet some friends for breakfast. I play with Trey, and then I am a normal person again. And things are just fine.

Anyways, Kevin loves school and very easily makes friends. There is really nothing to worry about. I asked him if he had butterflies in his stomach on our way to school. He didn't understand. I said "butterflies" is when your stomach feels funny when you are nervous about something. "Mom, I don't get nervous" was his answer. Not my child. We said hi to his teacher and then Kevin was all about finding his friends on the playground.

Not wanting to get out of bed so early.

Awww, if only every morning could be like this.

Notice the shark shirt. It's only a matter of hours before his teacher will learn about at least 3 different species. And that's only the beginning.

His teacher, Mrs. Hansen. She also taught both of my brothers when they went to Viewmont.

Kevin asking if he can please just go play with his friends and stop posing for pictures.

When he came home, I asked him how his day was. His response - "It was Terrific. Awesome. And really, really great." After telling me about his day, he said "I am so lucky. I get to go back the next day and the next day and the next day - for nine whole months!" Again, not my child. I'm so glad he likes school so much. Now, I just need to make it through Trey starting preschool in a few weeks.

Nice Try

Five minutes after I put Trey to bed for the night, he gets up and this is our conversation...

Trey: Mom, I think I'm going to throw up!

Me: You're going to throw up? What hurts?

Trey: My chin.

Hmmm . . . I smell a big, fat FAKER!!!

Just to play along, I put a bowl to the side of his bed - just in case his chin got the better of him.

"Mom, I Did a Bad Thing and I'm Really, Really Sorry!"

Silly Putty. Meet my TV remote. Oh wait, it looks like you already have.

Not sure how to go about tackling this one...

Don't Try This at Home

I'm out with the boys the other day and there is this guy who is making animals and hats and different things out of balloons. The line of kids waiting for their dumb little balloon dog is at least a mile long. Of course, the boys want a balloon animal of their own. So here's my GENIUS idea. For some reason I can't remember, I have a bag full of those long balloons at home - complete with a book of how to make those strange animals. I tell them that when we get home, they will get their own balloon animal - whatever type and color they want - made with love from their mom. Sweet.

How hard can it be? I have a step-by-step instruction book after all. Kevin wants a dinosaur. Sure, no problem. Trey wants a giraffe. Great. After 90 MINUTES and about 26 popped balloons, THIS is what they get...

Those are supposed to be baseball hats. Look closely and you might be able to catch the vision.

Really, balloon twisting is a tough job - especially if you want to end up with a balloon that actually resembles something recognizable. Those guys who make it look easy and can do it in 7 seconds have some fierce talent. Oh, and the sound of balloons rubbing and twisting together when you do it too slow is awful. Worse than fingernails on a chalkboard. I'm not exaggerating.

The point - I should have waited 20 minutes in line. It would have saved a lot of time, and a small piece of my insanity that day.