Entry for October 27, 2008

Well, we made it to the coast on Saturday. What a great day! It was 70, sunny and there was no wind. We couldn’t have asked for a better day at the beach and to top it off, no one was on the beach. The boys played in the sand. Cainan liked running from the waves that were coming in. He wasn’t fast enough one of the times and we both ended up getting soaked as I caught him from being completely toppled over and he just refused to put his feet back down until the water had subsided. We were both laughing so hard and I couldn’t move out of the wave until he cooperated. So, we both ended up with sandy soaked jeans that we spent the rest of the afternoon trying to dry in the sun.

We played all afternoon and the boys mostly slept on the 2 ½ hour ride back to Medford. Of course, we asked Cainan before we left if he needed to use the bathroom. And we made one stop just outside of town and asked again. Within 10 minutes of being back on the road Cainan said he had to pee. Joe found a place to pull over about five minutes later and we got the pleasure of our first roadside pit stop with Cainan peeing down a mountain on the side of a road. I don’t think I’ve done that since I was a kid. But I was proud of him for holding it until we could pull over. He was wearing a diaper for the trip but he was insistent about holding it until we could stop. Yea, Cainan! We’ve had virtually no accidents in the last few weeks, although he still favors pooping in his pull-up if he’s wearing one. If he has on underwear, he’ll find a toilet. Weird.

Okay, enough potty stories.

I surprised Joe last week and showed up at church on Wednesday night. Joe does sound for our church most Wednesdays for the 7:00 PM service. I usually pick up the boys from their grandma when I get off at 6:30 and go home to get them ready for bed and collapse myself. But I’ve been thinking lately that Cainan would probably do really well in Awanas because he’s great at memorization. I felt it would really boost his confidence to do well in an activity where he will get great positive feedback and rewards. So, when I got off at 6:30 this week, I rushed home, grabbed the boys and headed off for church. I signed Cainan up for Cubbies and got all the info on it. Joe was happy to see us and it was really nice to all be in church together (Joe works on Sundays, so he can’t go with us). Cainan loved Cubbies and Asher enjoyed his time in the nursery with the other kids. It won’t be long until he’s ready for Cubbies too.

Cainan received two memory verses to learn for the next week: "God loved us and sent his son" and "Jesus loves me". He’s already got them memorized. So this week, when he recites them to his teacher he will get his vest and bag. Thereafter, he gets a badge for the memory verses he learns and we’ll add them to his vest. I know he will excel in this and get his vest filled up in no time.

I’m looking forward to Asher moving on from the nursery, too. He has fun playing, but obviously he doesn’t get that church has any meaning, because all he does is play with other babies and toddlers. I would really like him to get into Sunday School or Cubbies as soon as he can. We’ll see how it goes.

We’re looking forward to Halloween this week. Cainan will be dressing up like Dr. Jones (who was tickled to hear the news) and Asher…who knows. He wanted to be Thomas the train but when I put the costume on him he freaked out and took it off. Now whenever I try to ask him about Halloween and what he wants to be he always says, "I don’t want to talk." And he doesn’t. He just won’t talk about it; even with the bribe of getting candy for dressing up. He just says, "I don’t want to talk." I’m not sure what he’s going to be since we can’t seem to talk about it and when I try to put a costume on him he loses it. He may be a chef—since he loves to cook and has no problem wearing his apron. I just have to find a chef’s hat somewhere. Of course, I’ll post tons of pictures as soon as I get the chance.

Entry for October 27, 2008

Well, we made it to the coast on Saturday. What a great day! It was 70, sunny and there was no wind. We couldn’t have asked for a better day at the beach and to top it off, no one was on the beach. The boys played in the sand. Cainan liked running from the waves that were coming in. He wasn’t fast enough one of the times and we both ended up getting soaked as I caught him from being completely toppled over and he just refused to put his feet back down until the water had subsided. We were both laughing so hard and I couldn’t move out of the wave until he cooperated. So, we both ended up with sandy soaked jeans that we spent the rest of the afternoon trying to dry in the sun.

We played all afternoon and the boys mostly slept on the 2 ½ hour ride back to Medford. Of course, we asked Cainan before we left if he needed to use the bathroom. And we made one stop just outside of town and asked again. Within 10 minutes of being back on the road Cainan said he had to pee. Joe found a place to pull over about five minutes later and we got the pleasure of our first roadside pit stop with Cainan peeing down a mountain on the side of a road. I don’t think I’ve done that since I was a kid. But I was proud of him for holding it until we could pull over. He was wearing a diaper for the trip but he was insistent about holding it until we could stop. Yea, Cainan! We’ve had virtually no accidents in the last few weeks, although he still favors pooping in his pull-up if he’s wearing one. If he has on underwear, he’ll find a toilet. Weird.

Okay, enough potty stories.

I surprised Joe last week and showed up at church on Wednesday night. Joe does sound for our church most Wednesdays for the 7:00 PM service. I usually pick up the boys from their grandma when I get off at 6:30 and go home to get them ready for bed and collapse myself. But I’ve been thinking lately that Cainan would probably do really well in Awanas because he’s great at memorization. I felt it would really boost his confidence to do well in an activity where he will get great positive feedback and rewards. So, when I got off at 6:30 this week, I rushed home, grabbed the boys and headed off for church. I signed Cainan up for Cubbies and got all the info on it. Joe was happy to see us and it was really nice to all be in church together (Joe works on Sundays, so he can’t go with us). Cainan loved Cubbies and Asher enjoyed his time in the nursery with the other kids. It won’t be long until he’s ready for Cubbies too.

Cainan received two memory verses to learn for the next week: "God loved us and sent his son" and "Jesus loves me". He’s already got them memorized. So this week, when he recites them to his teacher he will get his vest and bag. Thereafter, he gets a badge for the memory verses he learns and we’ll add them to his vest. I know he will excel in this and get his vest filled up in no time.

I’m looking forward to Asher moving on from the nursery, too. He has fun playing, but obviously he doesn’t get that church has any meaning, because all he does is play with other babies and toddlers. I would really like him to get into Sunday School or Cubbies as soon as he can. We’ll see how it goes.

We’re looking forward to Halloween this week. Cainan will be dressing up like Dr. Jones (who was tickled to hear the news) and Asher…who knows. He wanted to be Thomas the train but when I put the costume on him he freaked out and took it off. Now whenever I try to ask him about Halloween and what he wants to be he always says, "I don’t want to talk." And he doesn’t. He just won’t talk about it; even with the bribe of getting candy for dressing up. He just says, "I don’t want to talk." I’m not sure what he’s going to be since we can’t seem to talk about it and when I try to put a costume on him he loses it. He may be a chef—since he loves to cook and has no problem wearing his apron. I just have to find a chef’s hat somewhere. Of course, I’ll post tons of pictures as soon as I get the chance.

c142

Entry for October 22, 2008

Did I mention we went back to the pumpkin patch on Sunday? We had so much fun on Saturday before we got rained out and the weather was better on Sunday, so my mother and I took the boys back. We had so much fun again. This time Asher decided he wanted to go through the hay maze. I was surprised that he would be interested since it looks like a dark and scary place to begin with. But I knew he had heard us talking about it in regards to Cainan and how great Cainan did leading us through the maze so, I figured that’s why he wanted to try it.

Let me explain a few things about this maze. It is made entirely of hay bales that have been covered with dark plastic tarps. The result is a maze that, while not pitch black, is still very dark and confined. It’s perfect for ‘tweens who want a thrill and like running around in the dark without their parents. I knew Cainan would not be afraid of it because he isn’t afraid of anything, let alone, the dark. When I took him through it the first time, he completely understood the concept and lead me by the hand around every turn yelling, "This way, mommy. This way." I was very impressed that he understood what we were doing and did so well finding his way through.

Asher, on the other hand, I didn’t dare get near the thing. Asher is afraid of many things, especially the dark. When he decided he wanted to go in the maze on Sunday, I figured we’d get 10 feet in, around the first curve where it gets really dark and he’d turn right around and run for the entrance. Boy, was I wrong!

Asher may have loved the maze even more than Cainan. Between the two of them, my mother and I went through every twist and turn for a good 15 minutes, over and over again. While Cainan preferred to stay in the maze and run around in circles, Asher would lead me from beginning to end, then run right back to the entrance yelling, "Come on, mom. Let’s do it again!"

They would giggle furiously whenever they ran into each other around a corner and they especially liked breaking free from my mother and I to run off on their own. I was so impressed with both of them.

After the maze we visited the goats, rabbits and geese again. I believe Asher could have stayed there all day playing. Cainan quickly tired but was fine once I found a basket for him to ride in. It was nice just to be together in the nice fall weather.

After nap on Sunday we spent the rest of the day outside playing at home. I love warm falls days. The vibrant colors of the changing leaves surprises me every year. Even though it was sunny and 70, there’s still that crispness to the air and the smell of fires on the breeze. I swear Asher could live outside if it were possible. He followed me around everywhere I went and every time asked if he was ready to go in, the answer was always, "No, not yet. I just want to play outside." I completely understand. I feel alive when I’m outside in the sunshine.

Cainan is content wherever he is, even if that’s in a dimly lit bedroom reading books. I, at least, make him bring his books outside and get some fresh air. Once he sees Asher playing, he usually gets up and joins in. Joe even joined us to sit on the porch and watch the boys while I pruned trees, giving up the Sunday game that was on. It was a lovely afternoon for the whole family.

Hopefully, we’ll enjoy a similar weekend coming up. The weather’s supposed to be great and I’m contemplating a trip to the coast if at all possible. Maybe the coastal atmosphere will help Joe feel better. He’s been sick and overwhelmed lately. It would be great to have a stress free family day at the beach, roasting hotdogs and make s’mores. Of course, if we go, I’m sure you’ll all know ‘cause I’ll blog about it.

Entry for October 22, 2008

Did I mention we went back to the pumpkin patch on Sunday? We had so much fun on Saturday before we got rained out and the weather was better on Sunday, so my mother and I took the boys back. We had so much fun again. This time Asher decided he wanted to go through the hay maze. I was surprised that he would be interested since it looks like a dark and scary place to begin with. But I knew he had heard us talking about it in regards to Cainan and how great Cainan did leading us through the maze so, I figured that’s why he wanted to try it.

Let me explain a few things about this maze. It is made entirely of hay bales that have been covered with dark plastic tarps. The result is a maze that, while not pitch black, is still very dark and confined. It’s perfect for ‘tweens who want a thrill and like running around in the dark without their parents. I knew Cainan would not be afraid of it because he isn’t afraid of anything, let alone, the dark. When I took him through it the first time, he completely understood the concept and lead me by the hand around every turn yelling, "This way, mommy. This way." I was very impressed that he understood what we were doing and did so well finding his way through.

Asher, on the other hand, I didn’t dare get near the thing. Asher is afraid of many things, especially the dark. When he decided he wanted to go in the maze on Sunday, I figured we’d get 10 feet in, around the first curve where it gets really dark and he’d turn right around and run for the entrance. Boy, was I wrong!

Asher may have loved the maze even more than Cainan. Between the two of them, my mother and I went through every twist and turn for a good 15 minutes, over and over again. While Cainan preferred to stay in the maze and run around in circles, Asher would lead me from beginning to end, then run right back to the entrance yelling, "Come on, mom. Let’s do it again!"

They would giggle furiously whenever they ran into each other around a corner and they especially liked breaking free from my mother and I to run off on their own. I was so impressed with both of them.

After the maze we visited the goats, rabbits and geese again. I believe Asher could have stayed there all day playing. Cainan quickly tired but was fine once I found a basket for him to ride in. It was nice just to be together in the nice fall weather.

After nap on Sunday we spent the rest of the day outside playing at home. I love warm falls days. The vibrant colors of the changing leaves surprises me every year. Even though it was sunny and 70, there’s still that crispness to the air and the smell of fires on the breeze. I swear Asher could live outside if it were possible. He followed me around everywhere I went and every time asked if he was ready to go in, the answer was always, "No, not yet. I just want to play outside." I completely understand. I feel alive when I’m outside in the sunshine.

Cainan is content wherever he is, even if that’s in a dimly lit bedroom reading books. I, at least, make him bring his books outside and get some fresh air. Once he sees Asher playing, he usually gets up and joins in. Joe even joined us to sit on the porch and watch the boys while I pruned trees, giving up the Sunday game that was on. It was a lovely afternoon for the whole family.

Hopefully, we’ll enjoy a similar weekend coming up. The weather’s supposed to be great and I’m contemplating a trip to the coast if at all possible. Maybe the coastal atmosphere will help Joe feel better. He’s been sick and overwhelmed lately. It would be great to have a stress free family day at the beach, roasting hotdogs and make s’mores. Of course, if we go, I’m sure you’ll all know ‘cause I’ll blog about it.

Entry for October 22, 2008

Entry for October 21, 2008

So, Asher has really picked up on coloring and drawing. He loves it! Any time he has the opportunity to use a pen, pencil, crayon, etc., he seizes it.

Last Thursday, at approximately 6:00 PM, Joe went into the garage to change a load of laundry and put in the next load. Unbeknownst to him, Laura had left a red Sharpie marker somewhere within reach in the living room. What happened in the ensuing five to ten minutes while Joe was changing the laundry can simply be described as and abundance of permanent artistry.

I arrived home at 6:45. I walked in the door and Asher comes running down the hall. Joe’s first words were simply, “Asher, what do you have to say to mommy?” Asher looks up at me guiltily and says, “Sorry”. I’m momentarily confused why he’s apologizing so I start to look around the room. "Why are you saying sor..." my voice trails off as I notice the entire surface of our olive green, microfiber chaise lounge is covered in red scribbles. That was not all. Three to four books were on display next to the chaise, opened in all their red, scribbled glory. Several toys now carried red markings, including one of my Discovery Toy tractors I use for shows.

I wish I had taken a picture of the massacre. No one would believe it now if they saw our living room. Of course, when I purchased our couch, Cainan was a year old and Asher was on the way. I paid the extra money for the stain protection. They guarantee any spot can be removed or they’ll replace the item. Standing there, looking at the surface of the chaise, I had visions of a brand new lounge.

Joe had pulled out some upholstery cleaner and once I had a moment to calm down and speak with Asher, I went to work on the chaise. Amazingly enough, the cleaner removed the Sharpie, with a lot of elbow grease. We now have a very clean chaise lounge, four fewer books and a permanent place to rest our ottoman (as to cover the spot on the carpet which we also discovered had been decorated).

Asher, although apologetic, was not very contrite. We believe he understands that if he ever, ever, ever finds a pen, marker, crayon, etc., anywhere, he is to bring it to us and ask permission to draw. He is not to take it upon himself to color anything. Of course, we’re not taking any chances—the markers are once again in a safe place.

Asher spent the rest of the evening showing me the toys he was still allowed to play with that had not been colored red, and which books he could read that were not obliterated by his red pen of doom. Again, his celebration of the toys he could play with lead me to believe there was little contrition. I did little to him other than talk; Joe had already banished him to his room and time out upon finding the freshly colored couch before I arrived home. He did apologize several more times when I told him how upset I was, but then he’d parade a clean toy in front of me and say “Look, mommy. I can play with this tractor. It’s not all red.” Hoping that would somehow cheer me up.

My boys…