Stealth

Let's all take note for a moment that all four of our kids are getting gifts in the mail, from their aunt.

For no reason.

She's nice.  We like her.  Thanks, Auntie Ang.

She knows them so well, somehow (even living hundreds of miles away): She (very appropriately) gave B Transformers (e'hem, robots anyone?) and S girly, beady bracelets that will give her an excellent excuse to get away from the boys once in awhile.

M was given a Webkinz Jr. (who knew there was Jr.?!) to boss around on the computer, (since he really, really likes to boss but is not big enough for anyone to take him seriously).

And Zeke...

You can see that Z is getting a Captain American costume WHILE he is also wearing a Spiderman costume, which he just switched into after donning a knight's cape for most of the morning.

So the kid ran and jumped and tried cool twists on the trampoline and threw his shield like a frisbee....and (and, and).

You should know that M spent alot of that time (in between Z's twists and spins) trying to take away Z's new shield. He kept having to go to time-out for whining and crying for the thing.

Z wasn't ready to share yet.

M finally went to bed, still begging for the shield.


And while the boy didn't get the shield in the end, he did use his crazy stealth moves to somehow end up with both his new toy (the puppy, appropriately named Noh under his arm) AND Z's new Captain America mask.

The little boy's got skills.

Elmer's Glue

My sister knocked off a part of my counter yesterday.  It must be her really large hips!  (Ahahahaah!  Sorry, Jod).  She ran into the corner of it, just like I have at least three hundred times before.

I've packing taped it on in the past, but it looks stupid. When my sister was over, she put a hunk of scotch tape on it, but that looked even worse.  I just peeled off the whole piece of counter and threw it in the drawer.

Next thing I knew, Keith had it all repaired.  And I was so proud.  I was a beaming wife.  So glad for a husband that "gets 'er done" (the whole time, I was wondering why the counter piece took preference to the broken bike tire that's been in the driveway for WEEKS, but.....) *

After I exclaimed my love for Papa once more, S said, "Mom, B did that."

And so I began my exclamations again, but replaced, "I just love when Papa does those things" to "I just love having a crazy controlling robot for a son".  And B beamed with pride.

Apparently, Elmers Glue Stick (purple) is just about as good as duck tape!?  Who knew?
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* Just so you know, K does actually help around the house alot.  But B beat him to it this time.

Spidey, R2D2, Beauty, and Some Kind of Crazy Control Freak....All at a Home Near You

I'm guessing the people who have been invited to read this blog have stopped now.  I don't really have a lot to say still.
Let's see.  Z lives in a costume.  Usually they are too short and really freaking tight, (and I look at him and start sweating vicariously), but apparently, it's a RIOT to be Spiderman in our town, and not so much fun to be plain ol' Beeks.

B is still talking like a robot, but we've narrowed it down.  He talks in "robot voice" and gets all stiff-armed when he is asking a question he knows he won't like the answer to OR when he is self-conscious about other people listening.  He doesn't go all R2D2 with other kids, if no adults are around.  It's weird, but I guess we all did something weird when we were growing up, right?  To introduce myself to my first friend, in Kindergarten, I said, "Hi.  I'm a turtle.  Do you want to be my best friend?"  And I used to pretend I knew how to speak Chinese.  B speaks Robot.  I spoke "Chinese".  K says not to worry: "We both know he won't be talking robot as an adult, right?  It's bound to stop sometime".  And so, I'm reminding him when I can....and waiting.  I wish his batteries would run out or something.

S is pretty sure she didn't request M as a roommate, and she's ready to trade him in for someone else.  She loves him, but she's pretty obsessed about getting her beauty rest, and she DOES. NOT. WANT. M to be talking to her "ALL NIGHT" or climbing on her bed before she is ready to be awake.  The girl is generally an overly kind and patient kid, but if you wake her up before she's ready, she gets pretty darn feisty!  I heard her yelling this morning, "Get.  Out. Of. Here. Now.  I. Mean. It. NOW!"  And I wondered who the heck swapped that with S....
But she explained it when I went to find our real girl.  "M woke me up!"  I reminded her she used to share a room with both B and Z, (and Z used to be awake all night, talking...And screaming when he wasn't talking), so she really should be thankful.

M is two years old.  Three next month.  And the kid is a mess.  I actually brought him to the doctor the other week, because he was so freaking contrary.  All the time.  About everything.  Apparently, that's just who he is, because there is nothing wrong with him, physically.  He's stubborn, that boy.  He makes B seem tame at that age. The difference, though, is I don't have to try 200 different parenting techniques with this young one.  I know what worked and what didn't with "crazy stubborn", and we're going to bypass those things that didn't right away.  B got too many choices as a young crazy control freak, so that by the time he was 3 1/2 ish, he thought he could rule the world.  It took some time to pull him in. This boy, M? Well, it sucks to be the youngest sometimes, small boy.