Saturday, February 28, 2009

Decision: The Day Started with Food and So It Ends with Food Too

Ethan played all the electronic games until they are dead and he's switched to board games. Of course, that means Grandma Marlys will need to stop what she is doing to play.
First I read a book: Are You My Mother? a Dr. Seuss Beginner Book. We moved to the kitchen after that because Great-Grandma was asleep in her chair. Out there we played the Nemo Memory Card game while I began to fix supper. Ethan didn't want to eat supper he just wanted to play games. When I told him what we were having he said he didn't like any thing with 'pork' in the name (Pork Loin Chops). So I told him it was meat, to which he replied he didn't like any thing with the name 'meat'. Now on to the potato....you guessed it....he didn't want any potatoes or whatever those 'green sticks' were either (fresh steamed asparagus).
No sense arguing with him and we kept playing games.....this time it was Zingo! While Ethan was winning we played; but as soon as I started winning, he was done. No matter, it was time to eat anyway.
I had prepared three baked (actually microwaved) red potatoes and after I fixed Mom's plate, I asked Ethan which one he wanted (remember, he didn't want a potato when preparing it was keeping me from playing games with him). He looked over both potatoes and said 'I want the one that says 'humble genius' on it (where on earth does he get this stuff). Oh, that's not all, when I asked him if he knew how to spell that, he said: h u b l j c s ....whew..... when he started I thought he just might actually know how to spell it! He told me he was sounding it out.
To sum it all up, he also ate the 'pork' 'meat', with ketchup of course, and a glass and a half of milk but no 'green sticks'. What a kid!

Decision: A Boy After My Own Heart....

This is a boy after my own heart! I haven't seen Ethan since we returned from Florida in December. He looks like he has grown and if his appetite is any indication, he'll keep right on growing.
Anyway, first he had Grandma, the Great One, get him yogurt....he didn't like the black cherries in it. When I got here he wanted cereal. His choices were Cheerios, without sugar, or Shredded Wheat 'n Bran, without sugar. He looked over the boxes and said, 'Great Grandma has real sugar, doesn't she?'. When I told him yes, he chose the Shredded Wheat. For milk, his choices were Low Fat or Silk....he chose Silk. What a boy! Not only that, but he ate two bowls.
(I just read this post to Ethan and he is saying that Grandma Marlys is kidding about this picture....Grandma Marlys says: 'he'd be wrong'.)

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Decision: How Best to Describe the Helpfulness of a 3 Year Old........

Today I considered how 'helpful' a three year old is (when he's not being a pest, that is). Take eye glasses, for example. Denver likes to try them on and I try not to panic when he has mine (pulling the bows in opposite directions and the like). He puts them on his little face and tries to look at the cat....then he tries to put them ON the cat...and so forth. When I have convinced him that he should bring them to me ('cause if I get up to get them from him, he runs and bangs them against everything in his path, falling on them to hid them from me when he runs out of room to run....been there, done that!)....anyway, he starts to bring them to me and realizes they need to be cleaned. (This part is not for the 'faint of heart' or 'queasy of stomach').....he licks them and rubs them on his clothes.....then he gives them to me....grinning. I am so grateful that he hasn't broken them, I smile back.
Or, how about when I am getting ready for work. Denver thinks that ANY time Aunt 'maris' spends in the bathroom is the time he should be in there too! I have tried to train him that it is not a spectator sport but he begs to differ. So, I either sneak in when he is busy elsewhere, or I run ahead of him, or sometimes he just knows and is waiting for me. That's when I bark "elbows", he turns around, bends his arms, I lift him by his elbows and carry him out of the room, shut the door and lock it while promising him that as soon as I am ready, I will let him know. When I open the door he comes in, climbs up to the sink and we go through a little routine of washing and drying his hands. Then I answer his 'what's that, what's that' questions and we leave together; all the while I am making a point to remind him that the bathroom is not a playroom (again, he begs to differ).

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Decision: Start Allowing More Time to Get There, OR Stop Taking Cute Pictures!

When I left this morning for my Chiropractor appointment, I found that a couple of kids had left behind these adorable 'snow prints'. Even though I had only allowed enough time to get to the doctor's office, I couldn't resist stopping to take a picture. Good news/bad news....the doctor was running behind and I ended up waiting anyway!
I am so glad my love for the innocent things kids do overtook my desire to be ontime 'cause now I have these pictures to remind me of what really matters.

PS: No, they don't belong to Devin and Denver. Apparently this is one of those places their 'little hands' didn't touch......this time anyway!