Adventuring we go...

Today we ventured out for a bike ride and found ourselves at the park! Nathan took it slow and steady on his bike the whole way. I think it was more of his choice of foot attire, his winter boots, than anything else that could have been slowing him down. After all when you are almost four years old, you do get the privilege of dressing yourself! But, the weather was great, in the mid 50's and breezy. And the kids had a lot of fun, after being couped up in the house all week.

I also got to teach Nathan how to go down the pole at the playground. I remember as a kid having several of these at the top of a "jungle gym" at the school playground. I was always too chicken to climb to the top and slide down the pole. Back then it seemed to be so high up there, but then everything seems high up there when your just a little kid. Nathan on the other hand welcomes adventure and risk, and if there is the possibility of getting hurt then that makes it even better (for him)! (I think he gets that from his dad)

Samples

Here's a couple of samples of our day.

Nathan: Mom, I'm still hungry
Me: OK, would you like some vanilla wafer cookies?
Nathan: No, I'll have fruit snacks. They're healthy!



Me: Hey, what'chya doin?
Nathan: (sad face) the TV just turned off
Me: Why? Did you turn it off?
Nathan: No, it turned off all by itself.
Me: Why did it do that?
Nathan: because I watched too much TV

(Followed by a sudden smile and quick jerk back to the living room when he heard the station come back in. That's what happens when you pick up digital TV with an antennae.)



Then later we decided to search the van for missing puzzle pieces. And we found one! Along with some other lost goodies like Nathan's pirate eye patch.

Nathan:(holding the eye patch and puzzle piece in the van) Here mom hold this
Me: why?
Nathan: because I need to put on my aaargh.


And here are a few classics from Gracie, that I have not heard yet today but it is a guarantee that they will be heard by bedtime!

Gracie: knock, knock
Me: whose there?
Gracie: boggey (she's obsessed with picking her nose)
Me: Gracie, that's grouse. Boggey who?
Gracie: boggey boggey boggey
Me: Oh, that's so funny!

Seriously, I think we need some new knock knock jokes around this house!

Me: night night
Gracie: Juice!
Me: no Gracie, goodnight.
Gracie: Juice!
Me: no Gracie, you're not having juice, goodnight
Gracie: (screaming) JUICE!!
Me: (handing her a sippy with a little bit of water in it) Here
Gracie: (shakes it, takes a drink, then chucks it out of the crib) JUICE!

Such a great age

Isn't it great when your kids can fend for themselves? Last night I got sick and Nathan made me a get well card and brought me his favorite book to read, "Stegosaurus". Bryant was home by 4pm and was able to make dinner and put the kids to bed... so that I could catch some much needed Zzz's!

As a I layed in bed last night dreading this morning and the fact that Bryant would be at work and I would have to feed, dress, and change diapers today, I realized how great it is that Nathan can pretty much take care of himself. Which meant if his momma told him to get his sister some cereal or a drink from the fridge, he could also in theory help take care of her too. So, I had it planned out... how I would get the kids fed (or how Nathan would...) and all I would really have to do is change diapers and make sure they were busy watching TV while I rested on the sofa.

Thank goodness, I am feeling much better today! And we have NOT had to put any of my theories to the test. While I have no doubt that a 3 year old can open the fridge and get out a sippy cup or a box of cereal from the cupboard. I am thankful that we don't need to find out how efficient that 3 year old truly is at those tasks.

I am so blessed! And so thankful for my family!

In the beginning...

Well, after lots of thought here I am... blogging! There has been so many moments over the past several weeks that have made me think, "this is why I need to blog... if I had a blog that thing right there would be in it!". And so "hello" friends and welcome to the daily chaos and comics of The Treacle Tribe.

So, if you've missed out at all on what has been happening around our house in the past 3 weeks, I'll try to recap:

• We're renting a huge house (for us) in Springfield, Virginia. I'm talkin 4 bedrooms, 2 1/2 bathrooms, finished basement, 2 living areas.... I know for some of you that seems normal. But, if you think back to what our house was like in Indy.... we super sized the value meal.

• Bryant decided to shave off his hair (in recognition of his balding destiny). It began with a discussion over dinner, then resulted in a trip to CVS and ended with his hair on the bathroom floor and him saying, "can you believe that's all my hair!"

• My children discovered (to my dismay) that Kmart has the same video shopping cart that Meijer used to have. And Gracie was sure to let me know as well as everyone else in the store that she was not happy sitting in a regular cart but that she needed to watch Dora in the Dollar mobile. I on the other hand did not give in (as I used to in Meijer) but, instead let her ride in the basket of the boring shopping cart and play with all the "stuff" that her momma threw in there.

So, there ya go. There's three brief highlights from these past three weeks. The later one occurred just this morning!