Always Makes Me Laugh

Around bedtime, Michael gets crazier than usual. He just runs around like a drunken college kid, flopping himself all over the place. Unlike David, who used to sit still for a dozen books at bedtime, Michael needs to be doing at least one other thing during story time. Tonight, he was playing with his trains, his all-time favorite thing to do. All of a sudden, he threw himself on the trains and started hugging them saying, "I love these toys! I love these toys!" Then, he picked up one of the trains and put it up to his ear and said, "Hello? Is anybody home? Is anybody home?" So silly, my Michael ;) 10 minutes later, he was fast asleep in his bed...

Pickin' Up Chicks

I took the boys to McKennan Park to see a kids' opera today. After the performance, we went to play on the plaground and in the supervised play area. I swear, I turned my back on them for 5 seconds and when I found them again, they had both picked up some cute girls - David found 5 year old Elizabeth, and Michael, in a whole separate part of the park had found 3 year old, Hannah, who ironically is Elizabeth's sister ;)

Singin' the Blues

Last weekend, we took the boys to the Sioux Falls Jazz Fest. It was a hot hot day salvaged only by the strong breeze that always seems to sweep across the plains around here. The festival includes not only jazz musicians, but also blues artists too. Everytime I hear the blues, I am reminded that I dig that stuff ;) We saw a family group perform: a seventeen year old kid from Mississippi and his two younger sibs...and they rocked! They made their own guitars out of car mufflers (see the pic or watch them on this link).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujf6zeo3D2k

We've been to lots of festivals in our short time here in Sioux Falls, and being the kid-friendly town that it is, there is usually some sort of Kids' Tent to entertain the little ones. For the most part, these Kids' Tents are pretty much the same: inflatable play areas, face painting, balloon animals, etc. But the Jazz Fest gets the prize for best Kids' Tent. David and Michael made their own rainmaker instruments, guitars, and harmonicas. They heard a musical performance and learned about the blues (syncopation, chords, soloing, etc) while playing in their very own Blues Band. The picture shows David performing his solo. He was really into it ;)

Of course, even with all the fun things that there were for the kids to do, Michael was most amused by the water fountain and jugs ;)

My Picasso

David's art work is getting pretty darn good these days...Notice a cat with sharp teeth, a mouse, and a house with a Christmas tree. All recognizable ;)

Wax On, Wax Off

Yes, we did see the new Karate Kid. And ya, it was decent. But that is not what this post is all about ;) We visited the Japanese Gardens in Sioux Falls the other day! There is a nearby park called Terrace Park with, well, yes, a terraced hill at the bottom of which is an outdoor theater. David directed us in a family version of Cinderella. We strolled up the hill to a playground where we played for a bit before eating our picnic lunch and heading down to the Japanese Gardens. The highlight for both kids was feeding the lake fish bits of their leftover pizza crust.

Swagger Wagon

This is our new car. This is my life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ql-N3F1FhW4

Dinner Conversation

At dinner tonight, we said our prayers and David said, "I think somebody else heard our prayer." "Who?" I said, "God?" "Yep," David said. At which point Michael put his hands up and asked the Question of the Day, "Who is God?" "God is who made all of us, Michael. He made you and me and David and Daddy." "And Mamma and Pappa," added David, "and Mamo and Papo and Liz and Chris and Bill and Lindsay and Anthony and Jeremy and Cousin Michael and Angelica and Aunt Shannon and Aunt Laura and Uncle Steve and Aunt Gina and Uncle Pete." "And he made the trees and the plants and the animals," I said. "Did he make the beavers, too?" asked David. "Yes, he did, David." "Did he make any places?" "Yes, he did. He made the waterfalls of Sioux Falls." "That's very big. How did he do that?" "He's omnipotent, David." "Ya, I know he is, Mom." (We've had this part of the talk before ;) Again, Michael puts up his hand and blurts out yet another Million Dollar Question, "Where is God?" "Up in heaven," David said, pointing up to the ceiling. Michael looked up suspiciously. "Above the sky," I agreed. "Where does the sky end?" asked David. "Where heaven begins," I replied. (Is that called begging the question??) "I bet God sleeps on a cloud," said David. "I bet he does, David. All the angels too." Michael points up to a few random spots in the sky and says "There's an angel. There's an angel." (Don't you kind of wonder what he really sees up there, if anything??) I told David and Michael that my grandparents were angels in heaven. David asked their names. "Leona, Aurora, Peter, and Michael," I answered. "Hi Aurora," Michael said and waved heavenward. (I hope you heard that shout out, Grandma. I know you had 6 boys yourself, but I wonder if you've ever seen the likes of my Michael. Who, by the way, said the entire Our Father last night at dinner!) David said that he was going to be one of the fast kind of angels. Then he changed the subject on us: "I like lots of girl things." "Like what, David?" "Fairies and girls. That's all I can think of." "I like trucks," Michael asserted, just to make sure there was no doubt where he stood on the girls stuff vs boys stuff dilemma. Michael wasn't quite done with the theological part of our discussion. "Where's Jesus?" he asked. "In heaven with God" I said. (I'll save The Holy Trinity for another dinner discussion ;) "Riiiiiiight there, " said Michael and pointed up to the ceiling. The boys continued wolfing down their Kraft macaroni and cheese and pears. We ate in relative silence for awhile (wherever Michael is, there's always some noise: "Drum!!!" as he bangs his fork against his empty plate, slurping as he attempts to drink his yogurt, yelling "PLLLEEEEEEAAASSSSSE" when I ask him to use his manners.) Suddenly, Michael broke into his own rendition of The Beach Boys "Barbara Ann." And just like that our profound (and very cute) dinner conversation was over.

In other news, we have two showings scheduled at our condo this week. Yahoo!

Smooth Ride

So, the big news of the weekend is that on Saturday morning, we finally got our NEW CAR!!! It's a Toyota Sienna, with so many technological capabilities that by the time I learn how to use everything, we will be on to a new car.

You know, I get harrassed a lot for being an micro-manager super planner. But let me give you an example of what happens when you don't overplan. You buy a new car, pick it up at the dealership, and your kids are so stoked to ride in it for the first time. But you don't have car seats for it and the old car seats are so impossible to get into and out of the old car, so you don't dare try to move them. In fact, since your kids have both almost outgrown their current car seats, you don't even know which type of car seat you need and which models out there are worth their salt. So, you go to Target and buy two car seats. Any two. Then you send your husband to Barnes & Noble (which, by the way, your son calls Barnesinople because he learned about Constantinople somewhere along the line and gets the two confused) to read Baby Bargains and find out if your car seats pass the test. He finds out that in fact both of the seats you picked were given a D grade. So, he calls to tell you that he needs to return the two car seats to Target and that he has found the model of the seats that he wants to get. So you get on Amazon.com to try and find that particular seat, assuming that Target isn't going to have it in stock. You can't seem to figure out how to get your free two-day Prime shipping, so you pay $30 for shipping. When your husband gets home, he confirms that Target doesn't have the car seat you want, so you click the "Buy" button, shipping charge and all. No sooner have you bought the seats (which now say that they may not arrive until August 2!!), your husband says, "Maybe we should check somewhere else around here before we order them." But of course, the ordering has been done. So you call Toys R Us. Yes, of course they have the car seats that you need in stock. 14 of them in fact. So, you tool around on the computer until you figure out how to cancel the Amazon order and you send your husband to Toy R Us to get the good car seats. And he spends all of nap time trying to get them ready for installation so that when the baby wakes up the kids can finally drive in the new car on the way to an art fair about an hour away. THAT'S what happens when you don't uber plan ;)

But let me tell you, the trip to the art fair was HEAVENLY! I cannot remember the last time I have felt so peaceful in the car. The boys were engrossed in their Little Einsteins video on the double-wide drop down movie screen that's in the car. The hum of the minivan over the highway just about lulled me to sleep (Brian was driving, thank goodness). And Brian and I actually got to hold a conversation. In the car. Just the two of us. Heavenly.

See the attached pictures here. The boys in the poorly-planned out car seats in their brand new minivan! David couldn't even look away from the movie screen for one second to take a picture. Michael, as you can see, did look at me for a split second, but this was all I got when I asked for a smile. I think he was annoyed that I was interrupting the show ;)

So, today's Sunday. David seems to be pretty much over a fever he has had for the past 3 days. Michael is on a week-long stretch of sleeping into the 6 o'clock hour. Knock on wood. Seriously, knock on wood. And Brian is golfing (with his boss) for the first time in ages. Life is good.

I went to church alone this morning. Brian and I have agreed that while we are deciding which of the 5-6 Catholic churches to adopt as our new parish, we should divide and conquer. I went at 9 am senza kids. He went at 11 am senza kids. That way, we could both listen to the homily. I'm not sure if it was because this was the first mass that I could focus on in the past 3 3/4 years, or if it was because of news from my hometown that the 3 year old child of one of my high school classmates, and the grandchild of my 3rd grade teacher died this past week of leukemia, but I cried through most of the mass. I felt like a weeping fool! It reminded me of all the crying that I did after I had David. What did it take to make me cry those first few weeks of parenthood? Any human touch. Any commercial on TV. Any song's lyrics. (Here was one of the church songs today that made me weepy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfxf4YMYd1k) But both after David was born and today, I wasn't particularly sad. In fact, I would say that in both instances, gratitude was my prime feeling. I was crying and crying. But I wasn't sad. I was happy ;)

Brucewashing

So, the kids are becoming Springsteen fans. It must just run in the blood. I mean I am sure it has nothing to do with the fact that they were watching full concerts by age 18 months. No wait - David "saw" a live show in utero! They have been requesting to hear Born in the USA (the song, not the album) over and over again on our car drives. When the intro comes on with the pounding drum beats Michael yells "Mighty Max!!!" David asks repeatedly if there is a way to adjust the car CD player to "repeat mode" so that he doesn't need to waste his time with any other tunes. Heck, David has even incorporated Bruce into his humor. Recent knock knock joke told by David: "Knock, knock." 'Who's there?" "Bornteen." 'Bornteen who?" "Born in the USA (sung)." Not funny, but hilarious. In the past 2 weeks David has asked me 1) Is Bruce a fairy tale? 2) Is Bruce a human? Hard to believe, son, but he is a mere mortal, yes.

Had a fabulous night out on the town with Brian tonight. Got dressed up and went to one of the finer dining establishments in our fair city and had a great time, chatting and eating.

Sweet Home Chicago

On the one hand, I am victorious. We pulled it off. The long-weekend road trip to Chicago. Without our new minivan, I might add. Oh ya, we roughed it ;) I think that psychologically, it was important for us to see that this trip with 2 little boys really wasn't that bad.

But on the other hand, I have failed as a daughter-in-law. I realize that after spending an entire weekend with Mamma and Pappa I have not one picture of the boys with their grandparents :( Cousins, yes. Neighbors, yes. But not their beloved Mamma and Pappa. Opportunity missed. I know that Mamma took some, but still, I have failed.

On Saturday, we were able to go to Andrea's bridal shower. It was so great to see her and her funny family. Can't wait to see her rock that wedding gown in September!

Sunday we hung out at Mamma and Pappa's and ate a fraction of the food that they are hoarding in their fridge and freezers. (I kid, I kid, Mamma and Pappa ;) Ant and J came over for dinner and dessert at a local ice cream shop. The boys had a blast in the pool and with the water guns. It was a wonderful family 4th of July. Thanks Mamma and Pappa!

Monday we got to hang out with Fr. Rog over a healthy Polish breakfast ;), and then we hit the road for Sioux Falls. Even with the kids, the trip, both ways, took us about 9 1/4 hours, which in the end, ain't so bad.

What I am trying to say is this: Fair warning to all you Chicagoans - you hain't gotten rid of us just yet!

In other news, we are dropping the price on our condo. We just haven't seen the traffic during this first month and a half that we wanted to see. We are hoping to tap into a different group of buyers with this price drop. We are hopeful that soon somebody will recognize what a gem our condo is. Great unit, unbeatable location...anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

No Rest For The Wicked

That's what Mam'o always says. No rest for the wicked. And don't let this picture fool you. We didn't let Mam'o and Pap'o rest for one minute ;) Man, we had fun!!! A puppet show, a stroll downtown, swimming, canoeing, fishing, Science Center, Great Plains Zoo, buffet lunch at Valentino's, Mr. Twister show, Chuck E Cheese (twice in one day!), deer and fawn spotting, Fairyland Detective Agency (outdoor children's theater), a 33rd Birthday Party, Kidtopia toy store, the list goes on and on! And of course, there were the more mundane yet equally sweet moments - eating together, playing in the "backyard", reading together, napping together, cleaning up nighttime "leaks", watching Thomas and Sid the Science Kid together, performing our own plays at home, getting up together (at 5 am some days - thanks Michael), rocking and singing Michael to sleep, playing in "Papo's car."

The only down part of the week was when the adult-sized chest of drawers fell on top of my David boy. Yep. He was in his bedroom for privacy while he pooped. (Although, he has been potty-trained for over a year, he still insists on pooping in his diapers. He says he'll poop in the potty when he's 4. I'll believe it when I see it ;) All of a sudden we heard a loud crashing boom. It took me a few seconds to remember that David was in his room by himself, but when I did, I went racing to the door and turned the knob. Locked! David had locked the door. I was freaking out, saying, "David try to come open the door. David let us in." I could hear him crying and realized that he couldn't or wasn't going to open the door. By this time, my Mom was outside seiing if she could get in the window, my dad was in the crane technique pose about to kick down the door when I said, "Wait, let me get my credit card." I picked the lock, opened the door and saw one of the scariest sights my eyes have ever seen. Poor little David Joe's body completely under this huge dresser of drawers. His face was terrified and he was crying. With adrenaline on his side, my dad lifted the dresser off of David and we tried to calm him down. It took a while, but he eventually started talking. He said that he felt like the dresser almost broke his ear. He didn't have any pain, and seemed to be mainly just shaken up. I called his doctor about 10 minutes after it happenned and they recommended that we stay away from the ER and just come to them in about an hour, which is what we did. In that time, David slowly became more and more like his old happy self. Doc said he looked fine. His ear and side of his face/head had a few minor scrapes, but otherwise, he was looking good. We all were really scared by the incident, and so grateful that he is OK.

Saying goodbye to Mam'o and Pap'o today was tough, but we know we will see them again in late July. When Michael woke up from his nap, first thing he said was, "Where's Papo?" When I said, "He's driving to NY," Michael cried, "Stop it, Papo, Stop it Papo. Hold Papo." Sweet little Michael. Later in the afternoon, David said, "You know what we should do sometime? Give Mamo a group hug." Sweet little David.

Last but not least, we got to have some kidless fun thanks to Mamo and Papo too. Tried out a nice Sioux Falls restaurant, saw TS3 at the drive-in, and caught Karate Kid too! And although it wasn't exactly fun, I also took advantage of the babysitting to go and get my SD Driver's license. I'm official. Watch out SD. There goes the neighborhood...

And oh yeah, I turned 33 on Monday. Best thing about birthdays for me has always been the excuse to eat a whole mess of chocolate cake ;) David and Brian did a beautiful job decorating. Michael sang me Happy Birthday several times throughout the day. Got some great gifts too: Nelson Mandela autobiography, gift certs and Groupons for dessert (yay!), Springsteen DVD, 333 must-have songs for my Ipod (compliments of Uncle Pete),and a whoopee cushion. And the best gift of all? Ya you know it's gonna be something cheesy: getting wished a happy day (via facebook, email, phone, text message) by dozens of friends and family and being with my 3 beautiful boys and my folks on my special day. Love you all!