nothing like a little hopscotch in november

a day in the life of a monkey

Yesterday we went to see Macy's "Day in the Life of an Elf." We figured we'd get there early, you know, beat the crowds, I mean it's not even Thanksgiving, people! WRONGO BONGO! We saw the line wrap around several corners and ropes and high-tailed it to the Macy's cafeteria. That'll teach us to think ahead. Looks like we'll have to pair it up with our usual pilgrimage to see Santa on our Secret-Visiting-Day when there are no crowds. Ha!

Elian loves to eat at the Macy's cafeteria. It's like Old Country Buffet to him where he can pick whatever he wants. Most of the heated items weren't out for the weekend so he couldn't get his regular macaroni and cheese that he gets when we visit Papa for lunch. He decided he wanted sushi instead. No, really. Sushi and a Granny Smith apple as big as his head.







I opted for a tiny sample of chicken-noodle soup and a giant spinach salad.



And Papa went for a pressed ham and cheese sandwich and some kind of grainy salad. Apparently he didn't feel his meal was photo-worthy.

After lunch, we wandered over to one of Mama's favorite places. The little man chewed bubble gum for the very first time (he'd tried a piece a few weeks before but never actually chewed it - just like Bill Clinton). It was totally funny seeing him swing his arms like he was Mr. Cool Guy chewing his gum. He tried to make eye contact with everyone we passed to make sure they knew he was chewing gum. It was hilarious. You can see how much he's enjoying it by the look on his face. It was probably the most stale gum ball on the face of the earth. I know because I chewed the other half (for about 14 seconds). Poor guy, his only two experiences with gum have been with totally hard and stale gum balls.

ni hao

When we moved into our house, I liked the fact that we were so close to a school. Even though I knew nothing about it, I imagined how great it would be to be able to walk my child to school every day. Sadly, due to lack of funding/enrollment the school closed and I still haven't done any serious looking into kindergarten yet.

We talked about the possibility of Spanish Immersion school. I mean a kid named Elian Hernandez (not to mention a man named Eduardo Hernandez) pretty much has to speak Spanish. But the Spanish Immersion school starts at 7:30 a.m. As if. So imagine my surprise when I learned that the school so close to us will probably be reopening. As a Chinese immersion school.

From what I know so far, it's one of the first Chinese immersion schools in the Midwest. It's growing so fast that they've grown out of their space in St. Paul. And it starts at a reasonable 9 a.m. I'm intrigued. I think there's been a waiting list for the kindergarten, so who knows how realistic of an option it is. Dude, can't you just imagine the little man speaking CHINESE?!?

then there's this

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a morning visitor

We had this sweet routine going on at the Hernandezeseses (well, sweet for me anyway). I'd get out of bed a little earlier, scarf down a bowl of cereal, then take Norman for a walk. Papa got to share a little quality time with the boy, waking up with him, feeding him breakfast and maybe even building a marble run or two.

But lately, that plan has gone by the wayside. As soon as the little man hears me make my way down the stairs, he yells for me. "MAMA! I want to eat breakfast with you....!" While I'm very flattered that he wants to share this meal with me, and I'm happy to do it, it kind of throws off my morning flow. So my little puppy (the role he usually assumes in the morning) and I go downstairs, make his breakfast, we eat together, then I get a later start walking Norman.

Last night we were driving home from the cousins' house. From the back seat I hear, "Mama, when it's close to morning, can I come into your bed." Since I'm very curious where this is going, I agree to it. I ask him about the details, will he just walk to our bed and climb in? No, apparently mama is to wake him up when it's close to morning and bring him into the bed. I'm still a little puzzled about what brought this on. So I tell him, if he wakes up close to morning and wants to come to our bed, he can just walk over and tap us on the shoulder and we'll lift him up.

So this morning, on schedule, we hear him sort of whining and moaning in his bed at about 6 am. This usually means he is tangled in blankets or wants someone to cover him up. Ed goes in to check on him and carries him back to our bed. Surprisingly, he immediately falls asleep between the two of us and since Ed's getting the brunt of his kicking and pushing, I'm thinking it's kind of nice. About an hour later, I wake up and start to put my dog-walking clothes on, and as if responding to some sort of alarm, Elian jolts out of his sleep and says, "MAMA! I want to eat breakfast with you!"

to-do list

This past weekend the little man made himself a to-do list. The boy has lots of responsibilities. It was two-sided, people!





He wrote it pretty lightly and my hack photography didn't quite pick it up. It reads:
Go to race cars.
Brush teeth.
Put sticker on chart.

I know, we are very demanding parents. Someone call social services.

freeze cut

The little dude has brought up "freeze cut" on more than a few occasions recently. It took me a little while, but I've figured out what he was talking about: Frost bite.

I like freeze cut. And like his word "muss-word" (for mustard), I don't think we will be discouraging its usage any time soon.

if i had millions of dollars

I would finance a scientific study to prove toddler PMS. I seriously believe the little man and I experience crazy hormonal unbalance at the same time. Take what happened so far today:

I go to pick him up from his little pre-school class. I accidentally tug a little of his hair while helping him put on his hat. The crying begins: WAHHHHH!!!!

Before we exit the building, he wants to sit on the counter and jump off like he sees his friend AJ doing. I say, "Let's just get going buddy." He seems to take it pretty well. We start our walk home and he starts sobbing. I ask him what's wrong to which he replies, "I...don't...knowwwwwwwwww...."

We meet up with a little girl who's in his class and lives down the street from us. They start to race each other down the path of the park. She gets to the street and proclaims herself the winner. Without missing a beat, he starts to cry, "She...said...she...wonnnnnn. She...didn't...win!!!!!!"

We make our way inside the house. As I start making lunch he sees his SPAM beach ball that's a little flat (and has been for days). He starts to freak out. "MAMA, CAN YOU BLOW UP MY SPAM BALL!?!?!?!....tears, tears, tears,...BLOW UP MY SPAM BALL!!!" He finally settles down and scarfs down his lunch. (Maybe it's hunger?) I ask him what he did in class. He tells me about prints they made with apples and paint. Then his face falls and the waterworks start again, "WE LEFT IT THERE!!!!...!!!!...!!!!" (No, it's PMS. Definitely PMS.) I explain that maybe it wasn't dry and it wasn't ready to be taken home. We'd pick it up next class. I mean it's not like we don't have a mountain of pre-school projects already (I didn't say that part out loud).

Now he's in bed listening to Pooh stories. I'm crossing my fingers he takes a nap. Or some Midol.

just two handsome dudes

you're welcome, usps

The little man has found his muse. Out of nowhere he'll announce, "I want to write a letter to (insert name here)". The lucky recipient is usually a grandma or grandpa or maybe the last people to send him candy in the mail like MISTERANDMISSUSRODGERS.

After raiding my office supplies, he'll sit at the table where he'll begin penning (or crayoning) his thoughts. He dictates what he wants to say, and I'll spell it out for him while doing dishes. It usually goes something like this: "Dear Grandma and Grandpa, I love you. You are my best friend. Love, Elian" He sent one to Papa at work the other day that said: "Dear Papa, I like playing pool with you. Love, Elian"

He often embellishes his prose with little boxes. Then, after completing his cover art, he attempts to slide it into the 6x9 envelope but usually calls for assistance. He insists on licking the envelope himself and never fails to ask about the pesky clasp. And finally, he carefully selects one of the Disney stamps he picked out at the post office, places it on the envelope and walks it out to the mailbox.

to everyone who rolled their eyes at my obama postings, this one's for you

Obama Win Causes Obsessive Supporters To Realize How Empty Their Lives Are

a photo series by elian luis hernandez

yes. we. did.

little men in footie pjs

Elian's cousins Ian, Isaac and Eli visited for a few days. They're so sweet and play so nicely with Elian. I feel like I didn't see him the whole time they were here. The boys had a great time trick-or-treating, bowling, building marble runs and train tracks and big cousin Ian spent a lot of time texting his new girlfriend and carving a heart with their initials into his pumpkin. The little man was sad to see them go.