I know, I know...

Sorry it's been awhile, but life has been a bit crazy. Things are under control, there is just a lot to fit in and I get tired. I'll try to be better after the move. Have patience.

Gabe told me yesterday that he no longer wanted to be a fireman when he grows up. I asked him what he did want to be. He said that he didn't know what you call it, but he wants to help people when he grows up. He thinks old people need help. Like if they need their lawn mowed, he would do it. Or taking old people to the grocery store to help them get around and find everything. He doesn't think old people want to drive every where themselves. I asked him what made him come up with this idea (thinking he'd seen or heard something somewhere) and he said he saw the people mowing the lawn at the apartment and he just thought old people need more help with that then the rest of us.

I was kind of amazed. It sort of sounds like hospice care. I am sure he will go through many phases by the time he grows up, but I couldn't help but be proud of his desire to help people who need it.

We are strange

Some of the weird ways our minds work:
Chi has been stuffy and therefore not sleeping well, so while putting on his pajamas I grabbed the Baby Vicks. Gabe said, "Can I help rub in the Vixen." We started giggling for different reasons. I had Santa's reindeer running through my head. Matt was thinking Chi certainly would enjoy being rubbed by a vixen in about 15 years.

Days later...
My throat was hurting (darn kids spreading around those germs!) and Matt offered to go get throat lozenges for me. "What kind do you want?" he asked. "I don't know. Ones that work," I replied. "What, do you mean like magic ones?" he mocked using jazz hands. "Yes, the ones with jazz hands." Conversation continues on as we make a list of other items needed. "Okay. Is that it? Do you want anything else?" Matt asks. "A baby elephant," I say (not sure why, so don't ask). Matt replies, "Hmm. Only if it's reasonable." "How can you tell? Are you going to ask it if it's reasonable?" So, list reads: lozenges with jazz hands, toothpaste, and a reasonable baby elephant.

Michigan bound

It took some time after we got back from our trip to be certain we would be able to rent the house we wanted. There were a couple of issues with it and the owner was on vacation, so we had to leave without being certain because we only felt one place had what we needed. So, happily, it was a successful trip. We still have to sign the lease and fax it back but that should all be fine. We also had toured the elementary school Gabe will be in and were happy with what we saw, so that is good.

We picked this house because of the location and the large fenced in back yard, mostly. We saw a few on busy streets and some without fences (one without a fence on a busy street) and that just wasn't the best situation for us.

At this point we are just feeling ready to go. I know I'll miss Ames, but since we know we are going it's hard to just sit around waiting. Matt is still doing some work in the lab, but it seems to be more like busy work than anything else.

Al the Watch Gator

This is Al. He's our watch gator (instead of watch dog). He kind of cracks me up when I walk by the boys' room at night and Al is standing guard. We actually use him because Gabe needs the door open a crack and the door won't stay that way. One night I discovered Al is the perfect doorstop and his personality has grown.

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.