Miracles Never Cease

Wyatt awakened from his nap a while ago and when I went to get him, he didn't want me. Gasp! He has been all about me, all day, every day for a while now. There are days he asks for Daddy all day and then won't go to Jeff when he gets home. Needless to say, it's a little wearing.

But today, he asked for Daddy. When I tried to pick him up, he wouldn't stand up and just repeated his request. So I went outside and told Jeff that he was being requested. Jeff had just started washing my car, so he suggested putting Wyatt in swim trunks and sending him out. Wyatt agreed to the plan and while I was changing him, I asked him if he had any dreams during his nap. I ask him that every day, twice a day. 99% of the time he tells me he had dreams of Isaac and that they were playing. Today he told me he dreamt of Daddy. I love it!

So I delivered Wyatt outside, he promptly grabbed a sponge from a bucket and started 'helping' wash the car. I've seen the two of them come around the side of the house a couple of times in the past hour or so, but I'm currently not needed. This is a little bit of bliss, I tell ya! I'm surfing for new recipes, watching the Thomas Crown Affair (an all-time fav, I have to say) and enjoying the quiet. Woo hoo! Now this is what I call a relaxing long weekend. Hope you're enjoying yours!

Dear Foreign Friends,

It turns out that handy little ClustrMap resets once a year, which means I'm back to a measly (pardon the pun) few dots. I'm sad to be so....domestic. It's a little hard on the self-esteem.

If you live somewhere exotic, would you help a girl out and log on once or thirty times? Thanks a million!

-Me

Moon Stars Comin'

Wyatt has a slight obsession with the status of the moon and the stars. If it's naptime, then in Wyatt-speak that means "moon stars comin'" If he's up for the day, he's likely to mention "moon stars sleepin'". It turns out we have a pretty decent Air & Space Museum about 15 minutes from home so we decided to take him. Jeff got online this morning to check ou thte opening time and discovered an animated movie, Fly Me to The Moon, is currently playing at the IMAX theater there.

Jeff thought it said it was a 45 minute show, so we were a little surprised when it lasted and hour and 15 minutes. Wyatt was a champ, though, not making a peep. The 3-D effect was very cool and both Jeff & I felt slightly affected by some of the motion scenes. Wyatt tried to grab a drop of juice that floated toward us near the end of the movie, so we have reason to believe he enjoyed it, too. When it was over he asked for more movie and then, realizing that wasn't going to happen, turned toward the screen and said, "yay movie!" while clapping. His very first movie and we took him to an IMAX in 3-D! We might have escalated his expectations of the movies. And of course we got to wear some rockin' 3-D glasses. Don't these guys look hot?

I sure love my boys.

The Catch-Up Post

We've been home for a week and I've not mentioned a thing about the rest of our trip. Suffice it to say, the vacation was fantastic. And while I am utterly at a loss for words/motivation to tell you all about it, my sister is awesome and has detailed the whole thing over here. You really should read it - she's a great writer. And thanks, Suse!

In my little world, I've had a hard time recovering from such devoted family time. I think part of it has to do with Wyatt waking up - literally - every 45 minutes the last two nights we were there, or maybe it was because our flights were delayed (I detest you, O'Hare airport!) and we didn't get home until midnight last Friday or maybe it's because my husband turned around and left for a week the next day, but whatever. I didn't bounce back well at all and I took it out on the blog by avoiding it. But look! I'm back! Lucky you.

Jeff got home today which is a welcome relief. I mean, it's always nice to have him around but Wyatt didn't recover well either. He's been very two this week! I think that going from Mom, Dad, Grandpa, Grandma, Aunt, Uncle and two cousins with unlimited outdoor fun to just being with me and having a cold didn't help. But now Daddy's home and all is right with the world. We got to meet Jeff at the jet today when he returned and Wyatt loved it. He couldn't wait for Daddy to get out of that airplane so he could run over to him - too cute!

In miscellaneous Wyatt news, his new favorite phrase is "dat way!" This is usually spoken in the whiniest voice you've ever heard and accompanied by vigorous pointing. It's quite possibly the most annoying phrase I've heard. If it really meant something, I'd be fine with it. But it doesn't. It just means, "I don't like my current situation and I think if you take me somewhere else it will be better. And now that we're somewhere else I'm still miserable, so keep walking lady!"

Wyatt is extremely into his basketball hoop all of a sudden. He can spend a large amount of time shooting hoops in his bedroom, which is okay from the self-entertainment standpoint but not so much from the "no throwing in the house" stance. His other favorite 'sport' is baseball, played outside with his new t-ball set and inside with his mini-bat and ball. "Hit ball and bat" can be heard a hundred times a day.

The spitting is still an issue. And for those of you who think I'm making a big deal about nothing, my sister witnessed it last week and remarked, "oh, that's like real spitting! that's not just a fine mist." It's a complete attention-getting device and I've started asking him if he just did it to get my attention. He's so honest he says, "yes." So now I'm trying to teach him that's not the kind of attention he wants from me. I also made a list of house rules and posted them on the wall for all to see. Just so you know, if you come to see us there is No Hitting, No Throwing Toys and No Spitting. I've told Wyatt he can have a sticker at lunch time and again before bed if he goes through the previous block of time without breaking any rules. I have not stocked up on stickers because I have my doubts.

I might have been driving a little fast today on our way to the base because I felt like we were running late. I decided I should ease up a little after Wyatt started saying, "Hurry hurry! Cars coming!" Where does he get this stuff?

One From the Road

We're on vacation this week in Breckenridge with my family, so the cousins are having a big time. Actually, the adults aren't doing so poorly either. There have been a LOT of laughs, most of which are generated by comments from the young ones and I've really been negligent in not carrying a little notepad around so I can remember them all.

Thomas and Wyatt are only three months apart (Thomas being older and a little more streetwise) and this is the first time they've really played together. I think it's safe to say they're enjoying each other's company. Wyatt slept horribly last night but one of his late-night cry-fests included him whining, "mommy, mommy, Thomasssss" as he fell back to sleep. Every morning when he wakes up he immediately says, "cousins!" and wants out of our room. Andrew (at five, he's the leader of the youth gang) slept in this morning and Wyatt kept wanting to go get him. My kid's going to have a harsh reality next week when there aren't any built-in playmates!

Thomas is sleeping on a mattress on the floor, so the little boys have discovered they can sneak upstairs and use it as a trampoline. They're thick as thieves! Wyatt came wandering downstairs this morning with Thomas a few feet behind, and Grandma very innocently asked, "Thomas, what have you been up to?" Well, Thomas bolted out of the kitchen as Wyatt answered for him, "pushin', pushin'". And then I had to tell him not to be a tattle-tale. He immediately stopped his whining and ran off to find Thomas.

We've done all kinds of fun stuff so far, including lots of rock collecting, playing at a park, hiking a one-mile trail at the top of a local mountain (even the little boys walked the whole thing), feeding chipmunks from our hands, shopping, riding miniature trains, eating out and hanging out. So far, it's a great vacation that's going a little too quickly. The little ones are down for naps at the moment which probably means the adults will be, too. We're all blaming it on the altitude but I think it's more likely due to herding a five-year old and two two-year olds while also trying to coordinate the schedules of six adults. And the best news? Despite the fact that it was SNOWING when we got here on Saturday, the weather now is exactly what you'd hope for from a Colorado mountain summer day. Lucky us!

Archives

Let me dust off some old pictures and share them with you - for now we have a fence! Jeff's parents spent about ten days with us and the men worked from early until sundown for eight days straight to produce the best fence this subdivision's ever seen.

Cautious at the beginning...

then a little more serious, what with the gas-powered auger and all.

And then, the big guns. Just kidding, this was the work of the utility company after the guys hit an unmarked line (and incidentally excellent entertainment for a two-year old!)

There was much cementing.

And there were many days of nail gunning.
This is why I say it's the best in the neighborhood. Yes, he's out there with a level and a hammer, tap-tap-tapping until it's just.perfectly.aligned.

Like father, like son. This photo was taken at about 8 pm after many days of work. (P.S. that couch is no longer in our lives and I can't describe that bliss well enough!)

Lest you think they were out there alone, the dogs were on hand to supervise,

and, of course, Wyatt helped with the wheel barrow.

Let me tell you, it's a little slice of heaven on our side of that five feet of pressure treated pine. I can open the back door and let the critters, er, Wyatt and Millie out to play and not worry about them. It's a serious life improvement!

Oh, and a little story for you: remember the cat walker? Well, his mom doesn't approve of our fence and told Jeff as much in a fairly rude, surprise verbal attack. He assured her it wouldn't affect the cat walking path. I'm not sure that made her any happier, but it sure made us laugh! Indeed, it hasn't changed their habit but now we only see walker's hair as he ambles by.

At Least We Contribute to the Tax Base

I continue to be impressed by the free activities here. This morning, a group of us went to a park I hadn't heard about yet and it was fantastic. Not only does it have a cool playground, but it also has a petting zoo! We had such a great time (except for the part where I almost got stuck in a slide with Wyatt - needless to say I didn't fall for the "on your lap?" plea again). Wyatt was not what you'd call a "quick study" considering he had his finger gobbled by a turkey and a herd of chickens, but as the adage goes the third time was the charm. It was then that he mastered throwing the food through the fences instead of offering it with his cute little digits.

We're very clear now that a goose says "honk honk"

...and up wandered a peacock

Wyatt and his buddy checking out the guinea fowl (I think?) and that little bit of bagel being held by his friend? Yeah, the chickens got it about one minute later.

Mastering the throw into the chicken coop.

Nice horsey.

Posing with the deer - I told him not to get too close since there were big signs saying "this animal bites". Encouraging, don't you think?

In addition to all these lovely creatures were the aforementioned turkeys, a pot-bellied pig, cows, llamas, sheep, goats, swans and ducks. Not bad for a morning out of the house!

Oh Spit.

All the time, it seems. He just wants to spit and I find this a most difficult discipline situation. I mean, how do I prevent Wyatt from spitting? I can't exactly shove it back in his mouth and he has mastered so many types of spitting that I'm flummoxed.

His most often used method is the cart spit. It's used as a renegade move from shopping carts when he doesn't appreciate being strapped in and/or shopping. I find it disgusting, as I'm sure fellow shoppers do, too. Lately there's been more of the dinner's-not-over-yet? spitting, which always includes a mouthful of milk. Extra gross. And this morning it was a fine mist onto the windows by the front door because Isaac wasn't here yet. Truly, how do I handle this?

We are, of course, always telling him it's inappropriate and gross and not okay and we're so. stinking. consistent. with all this but to no avail. If anyone has great spit prevention techniques, I'm open to suggestions.

P.S. Family with whom we'll be spending time soon - this is fair warning.

Today I Was Assaulted

Don't worry, I'm fine. A little scarred in the retina, but otherwise fine.

So here's the deal: it's tax-free school supply weekend here and that includes clothing items that are under $100 each so of course I went to our nearby outlets to see what deals could be found (nevermind that it's also 25% off weekend at Gap and Banana outlets). Sadly I was not the only one with this idea and I just spent a few hours among throngs of people from all walks of life.

Oh, the assault? Mostly visual. Can someone please help me understand where the disconnect is? I mean, I can put on certain items of clothing - short shorts, no-support braless shirts, fitted tops - and use my handy dandy mirror to see that woah! That looks horrendous and should never be seen on my frame again. Do people just not have mirrors? Yes, we all have our moments. I'm sure at least a handful of you are reading this thinking, "does she not remember that insert item of clothing here that she wore to insert public event here?" I'm fully aware that mistakes have been made. I just try to be self-critical enough to not make the same mistake twice. And especially I try not to make multiple mistakes in one outing. You know, like untoned thighs+super short shorts+low cut tight fitting tank top without a bra and oh, honey, you need a little support up there+strappy wedge sandals. Am I painting a picture you can see? Because if not, I can run right back out to that mall and take pictures of approximately 397 examples. In the first five minutes.

Here's another thing - don't make me wonder if you are pregnant! I'm understand there's a window in the gestational process where you look neither svelte nor pregnant, but I absolutely do not believe there are that many pregnant teenagers and middle-aged housewives in this zipcode. And one last thing, for you moms and teenage daughters who are out shopping together: you shouldn't be wearing matching outfits. It's just wrong for so many reasons. One of you - or maybe both - is unclear about your station in life.

As if those things weren't enough, it's about a hundred degrees in the shade (it's an outdoor mall) and just as my eyes were glazing over from all the abuse I had to walk past two of those designer fragrance outlets. With their doors propped open! Now my olfactory system is poisoned, too.

Rough day. I gotta go take a nap.

On Joy and Gratitude

I feel compelled to profess how grateful I am for my life. Why today, you ask? Well, because in the last 48 hours I have learned of an F-15 crash that didn't have the same happy ending as my husband's did, two and a half years ago (no, we don't know the family, but my heart aches for them because I cannot imagine what they are going through) and a friend's little girl who has been diagnosed with a brain tumor. Man, life is not fair. These two families are heavy on my heart.

And I also have to share a little of my own personal joy - our furniture was delivered today! For the first time in my married life, I am actually comfortable on our couch and feel like my home is starting to reflect me.

Please forgive me for mixing such heavy and fluffy topics, but hey. That's who I am.