Them Ain't Tawkin Right!

I'll be blatantly honest with you (as usual): I let my boys watch TV. When Jackson Bird was a baby, I tried to keep him away from the TV when Jacin had it on, and I was careful to limit Bird's tube time as he grew older.  As a new Mom, I had read that watching TV before the age of 2 can decrease your child's creativity and leave them "imagination-challenged" (or something). However, once Bird started riding our dog Rascal like his horse, swimming in the bathtub as if he were diving for buried treasure, and fixing the imaginary engine under the kitchen table, I determined our boy was not void of an imagination. And when Levi came along, I decided that there were certain TV shows that had distinct benefits - educational, of course. So I gradually welcomed Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Word Girl, and Wild Krats into our daily routine.

Mickey Mouse comes on from 8 to 9am and teaches teamwork and creative problem solving. (It also keeps them entertained and somewhat quiet while do the morning chores. Too much verbal communication first thing in the morning overwhelms me, so thanks, Mickey, for the help.)

Word Girl and Wild Krats comes on PBS in the late afternoon. Word Girl enhances vocabulary skills and Wild Krats introduces the wonders of the animal kingdom. (Incidentally, my bedroom TV picks up both of these shows, and Bird enjoys watching them in bed with me while I finish my nap.)

Yesterday, something devastating happened. About 5 minutes into a Word Girl afternoon episode (and about 4.5 minutes into my extended naptime), the sound stopped working on the PBS channel. Jackson hollered about it, I messed with the remote, but to no avail. I simply could not get the sound to work on channel 8. That meant naptime was over and we had to get up. I forgot about it until this morning.

At 8:05 this morning, I put Levi in the pack&play in my bedroom and stationed Bird in my bed. I turned on the TV to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and jumped in the shower. About 3 minutes later, Jackson Bird yells, "Momma! Them ain't tawkin right!" After yelling back and forth a few times, I determined that for some reason, Mickey and his friends were experiencing difficulties with their verbal communication. I grabbed a towel and went to investigate. Strangely enough, Mickey and his friends were singing the Hot Dog song in Spanish!! Bird pointed to the TV and reiterated, "See! Them ain't tawking right!" (Yeah, Mickey's not the only one, kid! I silently quipped to myself.)

It was then that I remembered the difficulty we had experienced with Word Girl yesterday. Could it be that somehow Bird had messed with something on the remote, rendering Word Girl mute and causing Mickey to sing in Spanish? After pressing a few buttons, I changed the setting back to English, but not before discovering that Mickey isn't just a cute, friendly, wealthy little mouse: he's bilingual, too!!

I'm Just Firsty!

So it's about 8 o'clock at night. Jacin had just given our teething baby a dose of Ibuprofen and walked out. While I'm rocking Levi, I'm silently thanking God that I've almost made it through another day. Suddenly I hear Jacin yell, "Jackson! No, NO!!" Thoughts immediately start racing through my mind. Oh cheese. Where did he pee this time? What was he "washing" in the toilet? How many window panels has he hammered out? I wait and listen to hear more when Jacin bursts in the door to Levi's room. "Hailey, Jackson just chugged this whole bottle of Ibuprofen."

Now, you might think I'm insensitive, but I'm pretty sure I rolled my eyes and emmited an audible sigh. I'm guessing my response is what prompted Jacin to start shaking the almost-empty bottle and yelling "The whole bottle! What is it gonna do to him?!" Now please know that I immediately discount any quantity-related words spoken when my husband is in a panicked state. So the words "the whole bottle" I quickly realized to be an exaggeration. The question was just how much Jackson had, in fact, really consumed.

I stood up with Levi in my arms, calmly walked over to my panicked husband, and grabbed the Ibuprofen bottle. It was only about a quarter full, but I knew the bottle had only been half full a few minutes ago. So no, he had NOT, in fact, "chugged the entire bottle." But it was pretty amazing how quickly Bird had crept in the bathroom, noticed the open bottle, and tipped it. Bird's explanation? "I'm just firsty (thirsty)!"

I asked Jacin to call Poison Control while I finished rocking Levi to sleep. Jacin looked at me like I was totally ignoring the fact that our oldest son was in dire straights with death knocking at our door. All the while, Jackson's peeking out of his room shouting, "I was just firsty!"

So Jacin managed to calm himself enough to call Poison Control and tell them that our 35 pound 3 year old had consumed about 2 ounces of Children's Ibuprofen (about 10 times the normal dose). Their advice? Watch for vomiting. Just when you thought the night couldn't get any more exciting!

Say What?

Bird says some pretty funny things, like...

1. Momma! There's a one-nation dog on my fire hat!
(Translation: There's a dalmatian dog on my fire hat!)

2. Momma, let's read that Nanoneen book about the scary toast.
(Translation: Let's read that Halloween book about the scary ghost.)

3. To infinity and be gone!
(If you know anything about Toy Story, Buz Lightyear specifically, you know the correct saying is "To infinity and beyond!")

4. Look! There's a zizard on the sidewalk!
(Zizard is Birdspeak for lizard.)

5. Can we go outside? I want to work in the yard with my brake.
(Translation: brake = rake. And yes, he loves yard work. Let's hope that continues.)

6. (whispering and tip-toeing) Let's sneak up like skunks. They're quiet. And then, (now shouting with hands in the air) THEY SPRAY PEOPLE WITH THEIR STINKY SPRAY!! (sigh) I wish I was a skunk.
(I have absolutely no idea why he wanted to compare his "sneakiness" to that of a skunk. He comes up with some very strange similes.  And I definitely not sure why he wants to be a skunk.... )

Life With My Littles

Just a few random moments from life with my littles.

1. With 2 curious little boys, each day is like a living, moving illustration from a library book entitled "Toddlers Love Transportation." Be ready at all times to open the blinds to gander at the passing garbage trucks, run out on the driveway to hear the nearby train whistle, and stop the car to check out a parked tractor.

 

On the way to swim lessons, Bird spotted a tractor.

Of course, we had to pull over so he could check it out.

2. Mom's current workout routine consists of bending over to pick up toys or a crying baby, lifting heavy loads of laundry, and hurdling over childproof gates.

I give him about 1 more week until he has this gate down.

3. Pretend play is great for kids! It enables Mom to get things done! It builds kids' creativity! Even if it entails your son stealing all your cooking utensils to play redneck kitchen.

Bird mixes his soup with his shotgun barrel.

4. Toughness training for the littlest can be difficult at times, but it's a necessary evil if he is to survive through the formative years. Plus, I haven't found a crash helmet small enough for an 11 month-old.

Bird claimed he was "awwesting" Levi

5.  Eating dinner as a family is important. Dinner table rules:
- Eat your vegetables.
- No throwing food.
- Keep phone conversations short.

Bird taking a call from his "worker men" during diner.

6. The 2 hour stretch from 1 to 3pm (aka naptime) is a time to be protected and cherished, but the minute the clock numbers show 5:00 and Daddy returns home from work, the golden hour has arrived.

Singing & Dancing with Daddy wearing mixing bowl hats.

Fourth of July Fun

I really can't remember spending an entire 4th of July weekend indoors, but we did this year! Since it was monsooning outside, the annual picnic at Dude's in Oostanaula was cancelled. Jacin insisted that we eat hot dogs anyway, so we improvised and went to Granny & Pawpaw's to eat hotdogs for lunch (inside).

Sitting on the 4 wheeler under the carport with Pawpaw

 

Eating brownie & ice cream with Granny

Later that night, we had the Witts over for dinner. Jacin and Jason cooked burgers in the pouring down rain while the kids played inside. Jackson Bird and Lucy had a great time chasing each other and screeching. Ruby played with Levi, and 2-week old Baby Clay shamelessly snuggled with whomever would hold him. Jacin and Jason enjoyed talking in the kitchen, and Kim and I attempted to carry on an conversation but were significantly hindered by the raucous racket produced by Jackson & Lucy. A good time (and meal!) was had by all!!

Jacin grilling in the rain. It was a toad-strangler!

Sweet Ruby playing with Levi

JBird & Lucy caught in a rare moment of relative stillness

Playing with baby Clay's carseat & Bird's pirate sword

On Friday, I took the boys and went to the lake to spend the weekend with my family. Jacin had to stay at home because he was on call. Considering the rainy weather outside and the close quarters inside, the boys did pretty well on Friday. Then on Saturday morning, we were awakened by a surprise! Daddy had come! At the last minute Jacin was able to switch call with a work partner and come up to the lake! That made a good weekend GREAT! Despite the weekend-long deluge, we enjoyed inside time with Great Gran & Quincy, Kathy & Jack, Aunt Sarah & Uncle Russell, Aunt Laney (or Aunt Waney as Bird calls her), and of course Meme & Rayray.

Ridin the wave-runner during a brief break in the rain

Enjoying some indoor rough housing with Aunt Laney

Aunt Kathy entertaining Levi with her funny British & Irish accents

The rain stopped long enough to watch the fireworks!

Sparklers with my Levi Bug

My big boy doing his own sparkler

I'm so thankful to live in a free country. God has truly blessed America (and me). May America (and I) bless God!