The other day Ed gives him a side of ham with his oatmeal and cuts it up for him. He eats all but leaves two pieces on his plate: Minnesota and Oregon.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
ham states
The little man has become increasingly interested in US geography. One of his favorite games to play is Mama-Doesn't-Know-Where-the-States-Are in which Mama misplaces the states in the giant US floor puzzle and he teaches me where they actually go. Needless to say, he's gotten pretty good at knowing where states go and recognizing the shapes of states. I might go so far to say that the kid is better at geography at four than I was at 15.
The other day Ed gives him a side of ham with his oatmeal and cuts it up for him. He eats all but leaves two pieces on his plate: Minnesota and Oregon.
The other day Ed gives him a side of ham with his oatmeal and cuts it up for him. He eats all but leaves two pieces on his plate: Minnesota and Oregon.
it's the shoes
Chalk this one up there as something I never thought I'd do until I had a child. Along with eat at NBA City, watch a NASCAR race (and enjoy it) and say the words, "Do you want me to TIVO Barney for you?"
About 85% of the boy's clothing is hand-me-downs. It's not often I get to or have to buy anything for him, including footwear. But he was desperate for a pair of tennies. He had two pair of Merrrel hand-me-downs which were fine for running amuck in. But with the weather warming up, he needed something a little more tennis-shoe-y. And I had totally been striking out. Whenever I'd find him a pair I liked, I would bring it home and it wouldn't fit him. I was tired of making trips to buy and return shoes. So I decided he needed to come with me.
Friday we went to Famous Footwear who happened to be having a Buy-one-get-the-second-pair-half-off price. Immediately I spotted the shoes I wanted him to have:
And moments later, he spotted the ones he wanted to have:
Did I mention they light up?
You should've seen the smile spread across his face when I told him to try them on. We slipped them on his feet and he bolted around the store like he had just discovered his legs. The whole time checking out the sides of his feet to watch the lights blink. The boy who never thought twice about shoes, suddenly looked like his whole world was ten times brighter with Lightning McQueen on his feet. Still, there was this look on his face that said, "Mama's never going to let me get these." And honestly, I really didn't want him to get them. They are, how-shall-we-say BUTT UGLY. And they LIGHT UP!! Not to mention my disdain for the fact that they have to slap a licensed character on everything for kids these days. But I knew I was going to buy them for him the moment we saw them. Elian had eyed a pair of light-up shoes before and Ed had given me a hard time when my explanation as to why I didn't buy them was something to the effect of, "Over my dead body." Edpointed out that the only chance he'll have to wear stupid shoes like this that light up is when he's a kid.
But it wasn't Ed's guilt trip that made me cave. It was how my little boy looked when he tried these shoes on. How he thought they were just the coolest thing ever but not once did he ask me if he could have them. In fact, he rarely asks for things and when he does he completely gets it when we tell him no. So I guess I thought of this as his reward. When I told him he could get them, there was a look of disbelief on his face, "Really, Mama?!?" To which I replied, "Yes, but we're getting the Chuck Taylors too." (Though I'm not completely convinced these fit him and I may be returning them soon.)
He wore the Lightning McQueen shoes out of the store, watching his feet the entire time. When we got home, he was so excited to show Papa his new shoes and the first thing out of his mouth was, "Look what Mama let me get!" And secretly, Ed and I both knew that Ed was the one who convinced me that it was okay for my boy to have stupid light-up shoes. But he didn't say a word and let me be the hero. Thank you, Papa. And that night, the boy who previously didn't think twice about shoes, slept right next to the most hideous shoes known to man and he was happy. I guess this might be how my mom and dad felt when I picked out my blue cat-eye glasses.
About 85% of the boy's clothing is hand-me-downs. It's not often I get to or have to buy anything for him, including footwear. But he was desperate for a pair of tennies. He had two pair of Merrrel hand-me-downs which were fine for running amuck in. But with the weather warming up, he needed something a little more tennis-shoe-y. And I had totally been striking out. Whenever I'd find him a pair I liked, I would bring it home and it wouldn't fit him. I was tired of making trips to buy and return shoes. So I decided he needed to come with me.
Friday we went to Famous Footwear who happened to be having a Buy-one-get-the-second-pair-half-off price. Immediately I spotted the shoes I wanted him to have:
And moments later, he spotted the ones he wanted to have:
Did I mention they light up?
You should've seen the smile spread across his face when I told him to try them on. We slipped them on his feet and he bolted around the store like he had just discovered his legs. The whole time checking out the sides of his feet to watch the lights blink. The boy who never thought twice about shoes, suddenly looked like his whole world was ten times brighter with Lightning McQueen on his feet. Still, there was this look on his face that said, "Mama's never going to let me get these." And honestly, I really didn't want him to get them. They are, how-shall-we-say BUTT UGLY. And they LIGHT UP!! Not to mention my disdain for the fact that they have to slap a licensed character on everything for kids these days. But I knew I was going to buy them for him the moment we saw them. Elian had eyed a pair of light-up shoes before and Ed had given me a hard time when my explanation as to why I didn't buy them was something to the effect of, "Over my dead body." Edpointed out that the only chance he'll have to wear stupid shoes like this that light up is when he's a kid.
But it wasn't Ed's guilt trip that made me cave. It was how my little boy looked when he tried these shoes on. How he thought they were just the coolest thing ever but not once did he ask me if he could have them. In fact, he rarely asks for things and when he does he completely gets it when we tell him no. So I guess I thought of this as his reward. When I told him he could get them, there was a look of disbelief on his face, "Really, Mama?!?" To which I replied, "Yes, but we're getting the Chuck Taylors too." (Though I'm not completely convinced these fit him and I may be returning them soon.)
He wore the Lightning McQueen shoes out of the store, watching his feet the entire time. When we got home, he was so excited to show Papa his new shoes and the first thing out of his mouth was, "Look what Mama let me get!" And secretly, Ed and I both knew that Ed was the one who convinced me that it was okay for my boy to have stupid light-up shoes. But he didn't say a word and let me be the hero. Thank you, Papa. And that night, the boy who previously didn't think twice about shoes, slept right next to the most hideous shoes known to man and he was happy. I guess this might be how my mom and dad felt when I picked out my blue cat-eye glasses.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
five-alarm post
Elian's friend Lila's dad is a celebrity. He's a fire fighter. And Saturday he gave us a tour of the fire station.
Behold.
Behold.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
happy birthday, lempi!
Saturday was our dear pal Lempi's 95th birthday. Yes, that's 95 with a nine and a five. Since we were going out of town for Easter, we stopped by on Thursday to wish her a happy birthday.
Lempi is known for her fabulous pies and is well-loved by all the neighbors. On Valentine's Day a while back, she gave me a pie-making lesson. Banana cream. I think I've got the filling part down but haven't quite mastered her crust which uses real, honest-to-goodness lard of course. Mmm, lard.
Lempi has hung up her apron and hasn't baked in the past two years or so. She's still her same happy healthy self but doesn't remember so well anymore. When I see her, I get the sense that she knows she knows me and knows Ed as the guy who shovels her walk, she's just not sure exactly who we are at first. So I often bring up Elian's name and reminisce about the pie lesson. This usually works to jog her memory.
She loves Elian. She used to give him random tennis balls she would find in her yard. And on a couple of occasions, Lempi and Elian rolled the ball back and forth and he impressed her with his summersaults in her tiny front room and that is one memory she likes to bring up whenever she sees him.
This visit, Lempi was in the mood to sing. Although she couldn't quite remember the songs she liked, she kept coming back to "You take the high road and I take the low road." We got Elian to sing happy birthday to her in Spanish. And Ed broke out into a rousing rendition of "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean." When she told us how much our birthday visit meant to her, tears came to her eyes. I only hope I can be as full as life when I am 95. Hell, who am I kidding, when I'm 60.
Lempi is known for her fabulous pies and is well-loved by all the neighbors. On Valentine's Day a while back, she gave me a pie-making lesson. Banana cream. I think I've got the filling part down but haven't quite mastered her crust which uses real, honest-to-goodness lard of course. Mmm, lard.
Lempi has hung up her apron and hasn't baked in the past two years or so. She's still her same happy healthy self but doesn't remember so well anymore. When I see her, I get the sense that she knows she knows me and knows Ed as the guy who shovels her walk, she's just not sure exactly who we are at first. So I often bring up Elian's name and reminisce about the pie lesson. This usually works to jog her memory.
She loves Elian. She used to give him random tennis balls she would find in her yard. And on a couple of occasions, Lempi and Elian rolled the ball back and forth and he impressed her with his summersaults in her tiny front room and that is one memory she likes to bring up whenever she sees him.
This visit, Lempi was in the mood to sing. Although she couldn't quite remember the songs she liked, she kept coming back to "You take the high road and I take the low road." We got Elian to sing happy birthday to her in Spanish. And Ed broke out into a rousing rendition of "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean." When she told us how much our birthday visit meant to her, tears came to her eyes. I only hope I can be as full as life when I am 95. Hell, who am I kidding, when I'm 60.
Thursday, April 09, 2009
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
Monday, April 06, 2009
FURY!
Okay, this doesn't quite capture the speed at which Norman travels to get across the field to Ed, Elian and Duncan. Today he got tripped up because they were standing so still and not making any noise that he couldn't spot them. I kept telling him to "Go get your Papa!" but he couldn't see where they were. Then Duncan runs out all like, "Dude, we're over here!" and then he sort of gets in the way and slows down the charge to Ed.
We'll try again tomorrow. Until then, look for the tiny black spot off in the distance.
We'll try again tomorrow. Until then, look for the tiny black spot off in the distance.
Sunday, April 05, 2009
a most awesome weekend
Oooowiee, what a nice weekend.
The highly-anticipated Duncan dropoff happened Thursday night just as the little man was going to bed. Elian loves Duncan. No, really. He LOVES Duncan. As do we. He's the most awesome dog ever (next to Norman). I've talked about him here. And here . And here. And who could forget here. When Elian found out Duncan was staying with us, he couldn't wait. He started counting down the days. And then Ed promised him he could camp out with Duncan on the floor which only heightened the anticipation.
Since Duncan is a senior citizen, we didn't want him climbing the stairs unnecessarily so we all camped out downstairs for the night Friday. I didn't quite make it the whole night. There's something about sleeping in the same room as Elian that keeps me awake all night -- that and maybe Duncan's sudden crazy breathing attacks. But the boy was in heaven curled up in his sleeping bag next to the dogs. Squirming his way to the hard-wood floor to clunk his head.
Saturday a friend invited us to go swimming at the swanky Minneapolis Club. Ed was the Man Who Got Things Done™ this weekend and installed the second ceiling fan we bought while the boy and I went for a swim. Elian has gotten a little braver in the water and made it across the pool several times on his own (with water wings). I'm contemplating a season pass for the water park near our house.
Today we took Elian to see his very first movie in a theater: Under the Sea Imax 3D! We took the wider seats they had at the center of the theater so Elian and I got to share a seat. It was hard not to watch him the entire time. While he reached out to grab for a fish that swam by, I thought he was going to hit the guy's head in front of him. As some of the sea creatures hunted their prey, I could feel his body tense up beside me. It was a fantastic first-movie experience for him that I will never forget and I have a feeling he won't either.
We've also been spending some time at the park with the dogs. Since Duncan has a little trouble with longer walks, I've been taking Norman and then meeting Ed and Elian back at the park where they let Duncan romp around and get his fill of sniffing. As soon as Norman spots them, I unhook his leash and he runs at them full speed. I'm going to try to get Ed to capture it on video from his perspective because it's pretty funny.
Okay, I think those were the highlights. Oh yeah, and I friended Mom on Facebook. Who knew she was on Facebook? Next thing you know she'll be poking me.
The highly-anticipated Duncan dropoff happened Thursday night just as the little man was going to bed. Elian loves Duncan. No, really. He LOVES Duncan. As do we. He's the most awesome dog ever (next to Norman). I've talked about him here. And here . And here. And who could forget here. When Elian found out Duncan was staying with us, he couldn't wait. He started counting down the days. And then Ed promised him he could camp out with Duncan on the floor which only heightened the anticipation.
Since Duncan is a senior citizen, we didn't want him climbing the stairs unnecessarily so we all camped out downstairs for the night Friday. I didn't quite make it the whole night. There's something about sleeping in the same room as Elian that keeps me awake all night -- that and maybe Duncan's sudden crazy breathing attacks. But the boy was in heaven curled up in his sleeping bag next to the dogs. Squirming his way to the hard-wood floor to clunk his head.
Saturday a friend invited us to go swimming at the swanky Minneapolis Club. Ed was the Man Who Got Things Done™ this weekend and installed the second ceiling fan we bought while the boy and I went for a swim. Elian has gotten a little braver in the water and made it across the pool several times on his own (with water wings). I'm contemplating a season pass for the water park near our house.
Today we took Elian to see his very first movie in a theater: Under the Sea Imax 3D! We took the wider seats they had at the center of the theater so Elian and I got to share a seat. It was hard not to watch him the entire time. While he reached out to grab for a fish that swam by, I thought he was going to hit the guy's head in front of him. As some of the sea creatures hunted their prey, I could feel his body tense up beside me. It was a fantastic first-movie experience for him that I will never forget and I have a feeling he won't either.
We've also been spending some time at the park with the dogs. Since Duncan has a little trouble with longer walks, I've been taking Norman and then meeting Ed and Elian back at the park where they let Duncan romp around and get his fill of sniffing. As soon as Norman spots them, I unhook his leash and he runs at them full speed. I'm going to try to get Ed to capture it on video from his perspective because it's pretty funny.
Okay, I think those were the highlights. Oh yeah, and I friended Mom on Facebook. Who knew she was on Facebook? Next thing you know she'll be poking me.
quote of the day
(Calling downstairs from his bed.)
ELIAN: Papa, is "V" in the alphabet?
PAPA: What?
ELIAN: Is "V" in the alphabet?
PAPA: Like in violin?
ELIAN: Yes.
PAPA: Yeah, it's in the alphabet.
ELIAN: But watch. A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V...Oh.
ELIAN: Papa, is "V" in the alphabet?
PAPA: What?
ELIAN: Is "V" in the alphabet?
PAPA: Like in violin?
ELIAN: Yes.
PAPA: Yeah, it's in the alphabet.
ELIAN: But watch. A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V...Oh.
Saturday, April 04, 2009
fortunes
The other night Ed picked up some delicious curry-to-go from True Thai. They popped a couple fortune cookies in the bag which were then given to Elian. Here are the fortunes which I don't think could be more perfect for him:
You have an active mind and a keen imagination.
You are kind-hearted, hospitable, cheerful and well-liked.
And now that I've blogged about them, I can finally throw them away.
You have an active mind and a keen imagination.
You are kind-hearted, hospitable, cheerful and well-liked.
And now that I've blogged about them, I can finally throw them away.
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