Bug Tastes

Unfortunately, Gavin has been experiencing yet another round of ear infection issues.  This is with his third set of tubes and two sets of antibiotics.  There are times that I think, 'When will this ever end for him?' On top of this, he is battling allergy season, which has already been a doozie, a swollen taste bud and a stiff neck.  He seriously looks like he is going through a war zone sometimes.  Poor guy.

Tonight we tried to lighten the tone of all the sickness and grumpiness and had a little family fun night with Chinese food and games.  We played Willy's Wiggly Web, Lalaloopsy, Red Rover and Fleas on a Dog...yes, that is the name of the game and the point of the game, I could have been a millionaire if I had thought of it. We had a great night of laughs and we all had a good time of silliness.  It truly did our hearts good.

On the way upstairs, we were having so much fun and laughing when Sophia busts out with, "Gavin, show daddy your bug tastes!"
     "What are you talking about?" Todd responds back.
     "Do you want to see Gavin's blue taste bug?" she says seriously, meaning taste bud.
BWAAHHHHHAAAHHH-----Blue Taste Bugs! What in the world?! You can't make this stuff up! What a great night of laughing and silly fun.  I would never have imagined that a swollen taste bud could bring us such joy or rather the kids that are concerned about the swollen "taste bug." Pretty soon, they both will be rolling their eyes at us over this story.  I don't care.  It will be etched in our memories forever. 

SCABAHDOO!

For some reason, sitting at the dinner table is the perfect opportunity to allow all gasses to escape from the body. At least my children think so.  Constantly we hear gas noise and giggles, knowing that this will trigger annoyance.  Gavin lets off a few, Sophia lets out a belch the size of Texas. 

     "What in the world was that?" I ask her, shocked that a little girl could sound like a 1,000 pound cow.

     "It was the people in my throat.  They are yelling scabahdoo!"

Your guess is as good as mine as to what in the world this means.  How can I possibly be angry at people yelling in her throat.  You have to admit...it was pretty creative.

5,000 Piece Puzzles

Chilly?  He's got a jacket ready that he's stashed in the back for when I'll need it.
Hot?  He's asking me if I'd like a cool drink.
Tired?  "Take a nap,"  he says as he states he'll finish cleaning up the dishes in the sink.

How is it that he just knows what to say?  What to do?  How to make me feel better?  I have a hypothesis, but I don't quite know how the magic works.  Here is my thinking...When God leads you to your soul mate, they are just so in-tune with who you are, how you feel, and what you need that they themselves almost feel YOU.  That is the only explanation as to how couples, such as my relationship with Todd, works in this inexplicable manner. 

I'm not saying that all moments are perfect in every second of our marriage, no...let's be real; however, I am stating that there is an undeniable aura-like feeling around how we interact with each other.  I refer to it as "the back of the hand."  We are each other's back of the hand as we move with the other, know where we are going and generally agree with the movements, but we can also "slap" some sense into the other one when necessary. 

I have noticed that not all couples have this puzzle piece.  I'm imagining it would be like having the whole 5000 piece puzzle put together minus the upper right corner piece.  How crappy would that feel to have all that work put in, all that heart and soul invested in seeing a completed product only to find out that the box never contained that last, missing piece?

Well, I have the piece, in fact, all the pieces.  There are days that I realize that I have sections of my puzzle that are put together incorrectly, but I am confident that all 5000 of my pieces are accounted for.

Cheers to the love of my life.  As this Valentine's Day is coming upon me, I realize that I'm one lucky lady and, let's admit it, he is one lucky fellow too. :)

From Genius to Gerbil Brain

There comes a point, as a mama, when you realize that your child is, well...how should I say?...a genius.  I realize that I am probably the only mother experiencing such a feeling and so I feel uncomfortable bragging on such a celebration, but it's too hard to resist.

So, we have the basic letters and sound knowledge; however, the real genius shone through when we were playing "The Ladybug Game."  This game is a mind-blowing adventure about ladybugs traveling back to their home leaf passing through dangerous habitats with predators such as a deeply anguished praying mantis looking for prey.  It's intense.  It takes a lot of skill and agility to surpass such dangerous beings, but by collecting aphids to feed them at their hungriest state, we were able to cross. 

In the course of journey, Gavin needed to collect 10 aphids.  It took a while to get the necessary number to pass the angry ants, but he was able to collect 14.  ...this is where he showed his genius ability...He then put his aphids in a group of 10 and then placed the additional 4 below.  Obviously, he is well aware of base tens...duh.  His number sense is out of control.  He is practically perfect right?

Fast forward to later that evening...We were having a serious conversation about one of his friends and her allergy to peanuts.  We discussed the need for an epipen as well as how to locate mine if I ever need it.  This conversation (although shortened to share my point) lasted about 10 minutes and got pretty intense.  There were many questions asked and lots of concern from our children about this serious topic. 

At this moment, I hear words from his mouth that make me second guess my child's amazing abilities as he states, "Well, I've got an allergy.  I'm allergic to mirrors."  OK, so he totally didn't get it.  The conversation felt like it was so deep and, of course, I was talking to a "genius" so he was following me right?  Um...no.  The answer would be "no." Isn't that how we feel sometimes?  Like, what just happened here?

So, this is my thinking...God brings us those delightful moments when our children astound us with their perfection and demonstrate abilities that make us so proud, we actually glance around to see if we are the only ones to notice.  But, He balances us with moments that help us to bring us to reality, to allow us to see how our children grow, both physically and mentally. 

Was the grouping by tens just a fluke?  Maybe.  Not sure.  I'm just glad that I got to experience his wondrous abilities and at the same time be reminded that, yes, he is only 4 and just like every other phenomenal child. And he is mine.

The Salon

There are few things that cause such stress

Than a little girl in a cute pink dress

With comb and ponytail in hand

And a sneaky grin and a face of demand.

 

“I’ll comb your hair,” she says with glee

I go to jump and bolt and flee;

However, she is fast and smart

She wields her comb with such an art

 

Before I know, I feel it there

The comb she had right in my hair

She yanks it down and pulls with might.

In my reflection, I’m quite a sight.

 

As I let go a wince of pain

It’s nothing to her, it’s just a game.

Of beauty shop and “let’s pretend.”

Through tears and groans I beg to end

 

But then I look into her face

In those seconds I can’t replace

The joy I bring to her with this

A simple “hair-do,” a little wish

 

Of mama-daughter “fun and play”

A memory of a simple day.

 And then I feel another tear

A pull of scalp, a yank of hair.

 

And in my head I think once more

This should be fun and not a chore.

I sit as still as I can bear,

And pray my hairdresser leaves me with hair.

Cute Vs. Beautiful

This morning we were watching a commercial by Estee Lauder that involves a woman about to get married as a little boy comes in to give the bridal bouquet.  Of course, the bride is drop dead gorgeous and I look over to see Gavin's reaction as his mouth is hung open, practically drooling.  He then says, "she's cute," matter of factly.  I told him that I agreed and asked, "Don't you think she's beautiful?"

This is when he stunned me by his answer...

"No, she's just cute.  The only ones who are beautiful are you and Sophia."  My heart stopped by his response as, of course, my eyes welled up with tears that he would consider us to be the only women in his life worthy of being beautiful.  (I'm sure he also meant to mention all of his grandmothers and aunties in this list too...don't be upset)

I then asked, "What makes them just cute and us beautiful?" He responds with, "You are you." Okay, I'm convinced that I have the most intelligent son in the whole world.  He's already learned the perfect words to share with both his mama and his sister.  I'm in love with him...can't you tell?

Run Away

Yesterday, Sophia came down the stairs with Gavin's backpack on her back, in bare feet, proclaiming that she is leaving home. 

She packed her bag with a blanket and a doll and was adamant that she would be leaving.  I did suggest that she put on some shoes before she took her long journey, which she briefly considered; however, decided that she should worry about packing her baby up for the ride. 

After she put her finishing touches on her traveling gear, I asked to take her picture so that I could remember her always.  I told her that I was so very sad, but asked her to write when she got there. She reluctantly agreed.  This is the photo I snapped before her journey to the center of the earth...or to the dining room.

At the very moment that I took the picture, I realized that I will soon be watching her pack her things for real and head out to the big world for college, marriage, and life beyond.  I'll cherish this moment and be thankful that her trip has been postponed for another 18 or so years.