Zoo Fieldtrip, That's All

Today our travels took us to the Milwaukee Zoo. I joined the kindergarden class and boy did we have fun! Fortunately there were lots of parents so I only had to keep track of two kids. Our little group joined some others and in the four hours that we were at the zoo we were able to see almost everything and also stop for ice cream. The kids were well-behaved and there were no injuries, missing children, or meltdowns. And so this blog is short, nothing to report other than lots of smiles and good memories. Thanks kids for acting right and making it a great trip!

Injuries, Owies, Tough Doctor Visits

I've been noticing lately how many near-misses we have nearly every day with the kids. Most of them go unnoticed or are quickly forgotten. Today when Shelly nearly bashed her face into the rocker on the rocking horse. Yesterday when, last week when, and so on. Our most memorable near-miss was Shelly's tumble down the concrete steps while strapped into her carseat. Praise God things went the way they did that night, no injury.
Of course the things that are more easily remembered are the actual injuries. Archer's stitches and staples, Shelly's stitches. And more recently, Archer's toe. He had a problem with his toenail and last week we saw a doctor and did a minor procedure to try to fix things up. It didn't quite work out and today we had to go back for a slightly less-minor procedure.

Sidetrack a moment, to a different story that most parents have experienced. The day of shots we hold our babies in our lap, or hold them on the examining table and restrain them while the nurse stabs a needle into their sensitive skin "for their own good." I don't know about the other moms but I've always felt bad about those days. Like I'm betraying my baby's trust, holding him/her down while someone else hurts them. For their own good. The only positive thing is that the kids were too young to remember what I did to them.

Back to the more recent events... Last week I held Archer in my lap with his arms pinned to his sides while he screamed in my ear and the doctor tried to fix his foot. Today we did it again, but it was worse and Archer fought harder and I felt awful. That kid went to school all day, ran around on the playground at recess and bounced around like a jumping bean in the waiting room at the doctor's office. He had no nap, he had minimal sugar and still somehow he had the energy to fight three adults and the doctor as we tried to do something "for his own good." And now, at six, he's old enough to remember my role in his pain. Maybe someday he'll realize it really was for his own good? Its what I'm hoping, anyway.

Just Three Cells

Conversation between Archer and Amy:
Archer - If you bump your head you loose three brain cells.
Amy     - What's a brain cell?
Archer - Umm.... I forgot.
Amy     - What if you bump your head really hard, then do you loose more?
Archer - No, you just loose the same amount.

Hopefully that's true, because I really banged my head pretty hard yesterday, and I'd be very happy to only loose three brain cells after my run-in with the cupboard door. The (sort of) funny thing is that Archer just ran into a wall the other day and I was trying hard not to laugh as I comforted him. "Archer, you've lived in this same house your whole life. And that wall has always been in that same spot. Did you forget it was there?" It only took a few minutes for his tears to turn to laughter. It took a little longer for me, I didn't laugh until I saw that a bruise had actually formed above my eye and I just couldn't believe I'd been dumb enough to bang my head the way I did. My only excuse is that I was looking at the floor, trying to avoid tripping over Shelly's bike, and I did avoid tripping. So that was good, I guess. And we got a laugh out of Mom's injury. I mean, I've lived in this house for almost nine years, and that cupboard has always been in the same spot. So how could I have walked right into it?

Fruits

Sometimes I get glimpses of the fruits of our labors and other times I'm so busy keeping my head down and plowing forward that I forget to look up and enjoy those fruits. Or I'm too out of breath to look up.

I've been thinking lately that "Terrible Twos" is called that because it sounds good, but really "Troublesome Threes" might be a better label. Because it seems like Shelly's threes are worse than her twos. Or maybe I've just forgotten the Terrible Twos now that we're in the Troublesome Threes. Shelly's will is clashing against Mom's and that's completely unacceptable, we know who the winner MUST be and yet we still have to struggle through it every time.

Picture two bison. Or sea lions, or lions, or whatever. They approach, someone is in someone else's territory, there's growling, posturing, circling and if that doesn't resolve the conflict, well we know what happens. The stronger, more determined creature wins. Shelly and I are daily playing out our own little version of that drama, and I'm ever mindful that she cannot win a single battle. Its really tough to be the tough guy, hard to make sure I win every time, exhausting to be the king of the mountain. But the consequences of loosing are too great, I can't let her cross the line, break the rules, think that she can be in charge of me. And so the battles continue. One of these days she'll realize who's in charge and quit trying to take over. And then I'll be able to look up and see the fruits. The well-mannered and respectful little girl who follows directions and plays nicely and knows that Mom and Dad know best.

Now, to avoid sounding too much like our house is a complete war-zone, I should disclose that 99% of our time is spent in peaceful, happy activities. And Shelly is coming along. Archer and I went through the same thing and he has shown me the fruits of perseverence. He is respectful and obedient and we have lots of fun together with few conflicts. I just wish I could remember, exactly how much longer will the Troublesome Threes last?

What If?

One of Archer's favorite questions is "What if...?" Such as, what if Santa and all the elves took three or four days off and didn't do any work? What if all bad words were good and all good words were bad? What if right now was bedtime for everybody in the whole world? What if my name was Shelly and Shelly's name was Archer? I could go on with a thousand more examples but I think you get the idea. Some have answers (We'd still celebrate Christmas, even if there were no presents, because we still celebrate Jesus' birthday) and some don't (Wow, that would be strange) and some I just don't even try to answer and he gets bored and moves on to a new question. The boy surely has a creative mind and I hope he continues to think up questions, ones that have answers and ones that don't, he's keeping us all on our toes.

Now that our secret is out...

I can share some stories about the kids' take on the impending arrival of a baby in the house. Such as...
I was in the kitchen and Archer walked up behind me. He announced, "Simon says put your hand on your head." I ignored him and he said it again. "Mom, put your hand on your head. Simon said." Oh, you're talking to me? You didn't ask me if I wanted to play! So he asked, and I said sure I'd play, and he repeated the direction but suddenly - nope. I ran to the sink and threw up. (WHY is it called morning sickness when I'm usually getting sick in the evening??) Archer stood there watching me and then said quietly, "Simon says throw up." And later, "Simon says try not to throw up any more." Believe me, I'll try.

Archer likes to tell things to the baby, whatever he deems important knowledge and I love how he leans towards my tummy and shares his big brother wisdom. "Apples are round and red, and you can eat them. We're at the restaurant eating lunch now." And Shelly's picking up on this too, telling the baby important things.

Tonight Archer suggested that we name the baby Maya. He remembered that was one of the names we considered for Shelly, before we settled on Shelly. When David asked Shelly what names she likes, without any hesitation she said "Cinderella." David said, "That's a nice name. What if its a boy?" Her response? "Its a girl." So matter of fact, she knows she's right, end of discussion.

Moments

Yesterday we had so many adventures it was hard for me to decide which was my favorite. Shelly and I visited Archer's class for a couple of hours to help dye eggs - I helped with the eggs while Shell joined the class and participated in the activities that everyone else was working on. It was great fun for both of us.

Later on, the weather was so nice that we decided to walk to school to pick up Archer and we stayed for awhile to play on the playground. On the way home we took a different route than usual and its funny how such a simple thing can stir up so much conversation. Just taking a different road that we haven't traveled before turned the walk home into a whole new experience. Are we going the right way? Which way should we turn now? You recognize that mailbox? So we're getting closer to home? Oh the suspense!

When we got home I was thinking about what nice weather this would be for camping and so we built a bonfire and roasted hot dogs and had a campfire supper. We spent a few hours outside just talking and being silly and discussing all the important things in life, like if your hotdog should be just warm or really crispy. If we should step on the ants or just leave them alone. If we should throw some more wood on the fire or let it go out. If we should open another bottle of root beer, another package of hot dogs, another bag of chips...

Each of the conversations we had were so important at that moment, nothing else existed or mattered except answering that one question. Nothing was rushed or forced and we just enjoyed each other's company and stayed up late soaking each other in. I know that a year from now, or a month from now, or a week from now most of those conversations will have been forgotten. But the connections remain. Praise God for all the little moments that connect together into an awesome day, month, lifetime.

P.S. I should also mention how proud I am of my children, how well they work and play together, how eager they are to help me and other people, how joyful and well-behaved they are. Kids, you're awesome!

Benjamin, Smemjamin

I just got done helping Archer sound out all the letters in "Benjamin." Shelly stood in front of me and said "How do you spell Smemjamin?" I tried to take her seriously but she was so serious standing there and I couldn't help but laugh a little. Those two manage to twist words and sounds into all new combinations almost every time they talk. Its amazing I can understand so much of what they're talking about!

Archer just said "I know how to spell Dan. D-a-n. Like Uncle Dan."
Now can you spell Denise? It wasn't really a fair challenge but he tried. "D...a...e...s"

The Perfect Store

Archer just invited me into the hallway where he had set up shop, selling (library) books, (his sister's) toys, and other miscellaneous items (belonging to me). Notice that he's not selling any of his own items! I told him I wanted a book and asked him how much it cost. He said he didn't have any place to put money, so everything in his store is free. I took the book and after I was finished reading it I took it back to the store. I told Archer I would sell the book back to him for three dollars. He gave me the (pretend) money and I gave him the book. What a fantastic way to run a store, but I fear he won't be in business for long!