Note to self: be more clear

Gabe has been dying to go swimming, but ever since they filled the pool it's been cold and/or rainy. So today, while we were on a walk, I said, "Let's go stick a toe in the water and see if it's warm enough." (It was in the mid-seventies, warm enough for a kid, maybe for me, but a little windy, so I had to see if I could take it before I made promises.)

Now, I am fairly certain that once I opened the gate I said, "Stick your hand in." But as I was doing just that, I look up to see Gabe standing at the steps, one foot in, one foot out. "It's warm enough, Mommy!" He exclaims. My mouth must have been hanging open. He still had on his shoe and he was wearing long pants.

So, I've learned. Don't use an expression with a five year old unless you really mean it.

Growing pains

Wow, I'm tired. I was so excited that we had a weekend with nothing to do, but now I think I need a break from my break. The boys haven't been the easiest people to get along with lately. Gabe is Mr. Attitude lately. He has taken to bossing everyone around, including Matt and I, and no amount of being sent to his room is convincing him to stop. In all fairness, I know this is just his attempt to control things since school is almost ending and he is moving, but temper tantrums and bossiness is not going to be accepted. So, he's been a bundle of joy.

Chi is cutting teeth and almost constantly whiny. He's also waking up at night and it's been a struggle to get him to go to bed. But then he's still getting up at 5 am, which thankfully for me, is Matt's problem. But we are both exhausted. Matt from the night time stuff and me from the constant whine all day long.

There has actually been some funny stuff, but I'm too tired to remember what it was. :) Oh, well. They'll come up with other funny stuff to do, I'm sure.

Gabe has been doing really good on his new bike. He's getting the hang of things and building his confidence. He's also much more careful at road crossings than he normally is on foot which I find interesting (good, but interesting).

Dancing machine

Chi will stop what he's doing to dance whenever he hears any kind of music. Usually it's a "Get Physical" bent arm, twisting side to side motion. Today he had a hand rolling, not "wheels on the bus" but more of a "handjive" a la "Grease" thing going on. Hmm...come to think of it, maybe he just has a thing for Olivia Newton John. Gabe likes to dance too. He's been pulling out some break dance kind of moves. Sometimes you just gotta crank up the tunes and dance it out.

My reindeer flies sideways...

Well, graduation day is almost here. We've mostly been getting ready for the party. Matt has his robe and tam, mostly de-wrinkled now. So, while "Pomp and Circumstance" is played we will be able to sing along the little known words, "My reindeer flies sideways. Your reindeer flies upside down. My reindeer is better. Your reindeer is dead." (Go on, sing it to the music. It really fits.)

The party is going to have a Mexican seaside theme. Gabe wants a sandcastle birthday cake and it's easy to make Mexican food for a crowd, so it just kind of came together that way. Gabe and I made a fish piñata and I made some tissue paper flowers to make things festive. The cake is going to be built with several cut cakes and the sand is created by crushing Nilla wafers. I also got chocolate seashells to decorate it. I hope it comes out as well as I imagine it.

Gabe is having trouble with the idea that he'll be in a new school next year. He'd be in a new one anyway since he's in a private preschool and he'd be going to Kindergarten in the fall, but it's not really working to get him to see the logic. He is still sad that he won't be with his friends. I don't think he really wants to move again, but he knows we are looking at houses and to him that means he's one step closer to getting a dog. He was looking at pictures online with me and deciding where the dog could sleep in each house. It was funny. I figure what ever helps at this point. I know we won't get a dog until we settle in, but if thinking about the dog makes him feel better about the whole thing, then he can help pick the best house for a dog.

Chi is doing well. Growing I think. Either that or the kid just has no grace at all. :) He is falling all the time. But he also realized that we check that he's okay so when he's mad he'll fall down on purpose and look to see if that got our attention. He can be very ornrey that way.

Why Twitter and I don't go together

Twitter is all the rage, but I'm not buying in. It's not because I want to resist new technology, it's that I don't get it. My life is not that interesting. I have trouble writing this blog some weeks; what could I possibly tweet multiple times a day? Just got up. Or Thought about having Cheerios, but went with Frosted Flakes. Oh, yeah. That's riveting. And really, that about how exciting most tweets are.

Most people are not really interesting enough, but the problem is we think we are. It is really the most incredible exercise in narcissism ever. I wonder if any one ever cares what I write about on this blog, and here I am speaking to an audience of people who care about me (or they wouldn't be here). I just don't have the narcissistic chutzpah to believe twitter will make my life any more complete or that anyone will be better off knowing what I do all day long. I like to have some parts of my life private.

But that is another question. Why is there this obsession with privacy fences? Why are we so concerned with blocking out our real life neighbors, all the while putting our whole (boring) lives out there for literally anyone to read? I don't get it.

Michigan

Matt has finally submitted the thesis!! It is forever done, everything that had to be signed has been signed. He accepted a job as Assistant Professor at Saginaw Valley State University in Michigan. We will be moving this summer. Relief, joy, happiness, amazement, all being felt around here.

Growing...

The boys are growing up. Everyday they amaze me. Chi has no fear. He climbs up on anything and everything. He takes on life full force, and if he crashes and burns, he picks himself up and goes running again in that funny toddler way of running. I can't believe how aware and smart he is. He can do a shape shorter puzzle designed for two year olds. Sure we help him a little, but it's still impressive. He never seems to miss anything. I just wish he could talk in English so I could know what he was thinking.

Gabe can do things that just last fall he couldn't. I watch him climb and jump on the playground, and my stomach still lurches even though I know he has so much more control now. It's getting easier to watch him swing off the edge of something and land safely below or climb bars fast as a monkey. But as it gets easier to watch, I realize that even as I am getting what I want, I am losing a part of his childhood. It is hard to believe he will be off to Kindergarten next fall because it seems to have come so fast, even though I know he's more than ready.

And then there is the giggling. It's impossible not to enjoy life when they start giggling!