Tuesday~April 21, 2009When I was a kid and would finally decide I should clean up my pit of a room, I would pretend there was a reason I had to do it really fast, so I could get it over with. My favorite imaginary reason was that my mother-in-law was coming over. Obviously I wasn’t married, but I was good at pretending. Apparently I had noticed that a person cleans before their mother-in-law comes over. Or when anyone comes over, for that matter. I don’t think there many people who can totally refrain from picking up the house before someone comes over. I mean, unless they have no choice and absolutely no time. I do it too. Even if it’s my best friend in the whole world who could care less about the state of my home, I still rush around picking up toys and throwing dishes in dishwasher. Even if I don’t […]
Posted on Monday~ March 31, 2009Miles returned from a trip to the home improvement store with Daddy, holding an empty Blizzard cup. Apparently he knows that I like him to eat healthy and not have too much sugar because the first thing he said was, “Mom, this is just a cup of ice and it comes with a spoon so you can scoop up the ice and eat the ice it’s just ice.” So we talked about lying. I asked him to look at me and told him I don’t mind if he has ice cream. I said he can always tell me the truth. Then I asked him what he had eaten and he said, “Milk.” I suppose that’s progress, getting just a little closer to the truth? ————— He’s sitting at the table drawing pictures and he asks me to tell him a story about what he’s drawing. So I asked […]
Posted on Wednesday~March 10, 2009 The helpful brother:Miles was trying to keep Asher out of a room and went to slam the door closed. I said, “Watch out for his fingers!” His reply? “I’m just trying to help you cause I’m a capable kid!” ———-Potty training continues to go really well (or not):I know he has to use the bathroom, but he’s stalling so I say, “You realize if you pee in your Spiderman costume I’ll have to wash it so you won’t be able to wear it.” “That’s OK BY ME! If I pee in it, I don’t mind.” ———-On baking:We made cookies together and I have no idea what happened to them, but they turned out awful. Flat wafers that tasted more like flour than sugar. I’m guessing some ingredients were added when my back was turned. Upon trying the nasty cookies Miles said, “These cookies are not very tasty…it’s like […]
Posted on Tuesday~ February 24, 2009 We were having one of “those” rides home from preschool. The kind where I know very quickly that school has plum worn out my poor, weepy child. I was trying to refrain from blasting the music loud enough to cover the tantrum that was my child, all buckled in snug behind me, screaming with tears running down his cheeks. This doesn’t happen very often, but he was was mad, mad, mad. Because Asher had a sun visor on his window and he did not. I guess he had a good point. I mean, why the sun-in-the-eyes favoritism, I don’t know? Besides the fact that every time you turn, the sun switches sides, blinding whichever child is closest. The sun has no favorites. So I was trying to explain that when we turn onto our street the sun wouldn’t be in his eyes anymore, but Miles was NOT […]
Posted on Saturday~February 21, 2009 Have I mentioned lately how great Miles is? Have I said how crazy I am about him? Or have I just been whining about temper tantrums and stalling at bedtime? Either way, I have to say that the things this child says alone could keep me going for weeks on end. He’s so bright and happy, thoughtful and vibrant. I’m so glad he’s ours. He says it like it is:Miles and Daddy were playing together and suddenly Miles says disgustedly, “EW! Your breath is NOT tasty! It is so STINKY.” He has dreams:“Mommy, are you thinking what I’m thinking?” “I don’t know, honey…whatcha thinkin‘?” “We should start a BAND. In our basement! Isn’t that a great idea???” “Yes it is, I wanna be the drummer.” He knows what he wants and sells me on it:“Mom, maybe you could go get me some chapstick. My lips are SO chapped….and […]
Posted on Friday~February 6, 2009 1. Miles recently gave us some good advice you may want to give a try: “When you mix mustard and ketchup together, it makes good happen.”(and who doesn’t want good to happen?) 2. The other night I went on a random trip to the corner store BY MYSELF to get some potatoes. Just potatoes. That’s what I wanted. A potato. I find that when I finally get a moment or two to myself, I think about Tuesday. And then I’m glad to have the quiet because I want to remember to pray for the Whitt family. Even while searching for a potato. 3. Ryan got me a touch screen phone about two months ago. It does all kinds of fancy things. I still don’t know how to do any of the fancy things. 4. I’m on Twitter, you know? And everyone is talking about packing for BlissDom, and […]
Posted on Tuesday~January 20th, 2009 What you are about to see is all Daddy’s fault. I mean, the morning of the incident Ryan did spend a whole lot of time shaving his head while Miles watched in fascination. He also showed Miles how everything works, considering it a Father/Son kind of learning adventure. And then he did leave his razor out on the bathroom counter. What 3-year-old who wants to be like Daddy could resist such a temptation? Not ours. No, not ours… So that big bald area? Mostly Daddy’s fault right? I was innocently chatting with my sister-in-law in the kitchen, unaware that Miles had moved across the hall like a sphinx, leaving his cousins to play in his room. He simply moved too fast for me to have time to notice. I’m super attentive, so I KNOW this is not my fault. SIGH. Yeah, that’s pretty. When I took him to […]
Posted on Thursday, January 8th, 2009Miles was watching PBS before dinner the other night. The cartoon portion of the afternoon ended (GOODBYE, CLIFFORD!) and grown-up stuff came on. I was putting food on the table and Miles rushed in exclaiming, “I just saw O’Rock Obama!!!” _______________ (I will now refrain from going on and on and on about the STRUGGLE we are having with potty training. I will keep it short. NIGHTMARE.)I recently was following Miles around, trying to prevent another disaster by saying, “But I think I smell something.” He told me it wasn’t him. I said, “Then how come I smell something?” To which he quickly responded, “That’s just fresh air, Mommy.” (Let’s just say it turned out to be quite the opposite of “fresh air.”) _______________ Miles continues to impress the masses with his extensive vocabulary. He uses lengthy words in the right context and with the right emotion frequently. […]
Posted on Sunday, January 4, 2008Yes. I have Ice Ice, Baby stuck in my head. No idea why. It can be really annoying to have this song in your head, so I’ve been trying to use it to my advantage. Like when I want to get all impatient and frustrated with all the fussing and fighting between the boys, I say to myself “Stop!” Then I collaborate with the patient husband by saying, “LISTEN, you need to take over for awhile or I’m gonna hurt somebody.” This way, I don’t make a fool of myself by yelling and waving my arms around or bursting into tears. I just stop, collaborate and then I say listen. You should totally try it. Stop. Collaborate and listen. Ice is back with a brand new invention. Somethin‘ grabs a hold of me tightly….” Speaking of songs in your head. Miles and Asher and I were grocery shopping […]
Posted on Monday, December 29, 2008 Miles and Asher have had a tumultuous relationship. Asher’s colic and hydrocephalus forced him to be…well…not so much fun to be around. Miles has struggled through the last year and a half, trying to be two and then trying to be three with a wailing baby soundtrack filling his every moment. He became resentful and angry, understandably. Not only did “the new baby” come in and steal the attention, he pretty much turned life upside-down. After Asher’s surgery, things have slowly started to change. I’m finding myself more rested and at ease as Asher improves, crying less and acting like a typical one and a half year old. I’m enjoying the moments more than I’ve had the energy to do so in a really long time. (That was a weird sentence but I’m not fixing it.) I’ve been holding both of my boys just a little bit […]
Posted by Heather of the EO~ Friday, December 19, 2008 Miles is a true three-year-old. You know, cause he’s three and stuff. I LOVE the way his mind works. He’s got the best imagination and sense of humor. He’s also quickly learning how to manipulate conversations as an attempt to get his way or escape being caught doing something he shouldn’t.For example, he’s standing with the front door wide open, staring out at the snow while billows of foggy freezing air pour in the house and the warm air pours out, so his Dad asks him to close the door. He doesn’t. Daddy asks again with a more…serious tone, so he slams the door and quickly spouts out, “I was just checking the tempiture.” Daddy- “Oh really, what’s the ‘tempiture‘ then?” Miles- “Waaay TOO COLD!” (Amen.) ————— We’re driving to preschool and Miles has asked WHY over the same topic about thirty times […]
There is something entirely and completely broken about me trying to post a video. So, NO NOGGIN FOR YOU! (I said I would post a video of Asher post-surgery, but no, I can’t figure out what in the world is wrong with uploading it and I’m sick of trying. So, NO SOUP…er, I mean… no NOGGIN for you!) STINK. Which means I have to share some random thoughts from my head instead. Sorry… Miles just walked over here and said, “We are using this house SOOOOO much, it’s going to get old, but we’ll still live here.” Hope so. Today Ryan (husband) said that the neurosurgeon “must have found the ‘on’ switch…” That was his nice way of saying that Asher is currently OUT OF CONTROL. He’s all over the place! (He was fussy and kind of sleepy before the surgery…now he’s fussy and kind of all over the place! Oh my. We […]
As I’m struggling to get Miles to put his own pants on, I give in to help him and get him OUT THE DOOR (I love him dearly, but he’s three and a half right now.) I’m sitting on the floor and he puts his arms around my neck while whining and fussing because I’m trying to wriggle his little legs into his pants. So I try to lighten the mood, “Thank you for the hug, sweetie.” To which he responds, “I’m not hugging you, I’m just holding on to you.” Nice.———-He spills milk down his leg and commands the dog to lick it off. “TIA!! RIGHT HERE! GET THIS!!!” (over and over and over.) Ryan asks him to go get a towel and clean his leg off himself. Miles says, “But Tia has better equipment.” Ryan – “What do you mean?” Miles – “Better licking equipment.”———-Me- “I love you no matter what […]
Translation:“And he finds me that way and I love him doing that.And he rocks me aroooound and he rocks me and he rocks me…Daddy can you say YAY?(Daddy cackling)And he rocks me around. No, let’s turn it off.I’m all done.” Before you start to question our parenting abilities (or music taste) let me say that I have no idea where the lyrics came from. I don’t often say “he rocks me.” Not that often anyway. So I’m just not sure. (Also, Miles currently looks about ten. This is a bit of an old video, but I had to share it.) __________We were riding in the car recently and Miles asked about marriage. Kind of.Miles – “But why do they live together?”Me- “Because they’re married.” Miles- “But why?”Me-“You mean why do people get married?”Miles- “Yes.”Me-“Well, people get married because they love each other and it’s a way of making a choice to always be […]
Translation:“And he finds me that way and I love him doing that.And he rocks me aroooound and he rocks me and he rocks me…Daddy can you say YAY?(Daddy cackling)And he rocks me around. No, let’s turn it off.I’m all done.” Before you start to question our parenting abilities (or music taste) let me say that I have no idea where the lyrics came from. I don’t often say “he rocks me.” Not that often anyway. So I’m just not sure. (Also, Miles currently looks about ten. This is a bit of an old video, but I had to share it.) __________We were riding in the car recently and Miles asked about marriage. Kind of.Miles – “But why do they live together?”Me- “Because they’re married.” Miles- “But why?”Me-“You mean why do people get married?”Miles- “Yes.”Me-“Well, people get married because they love each other and it’s a way of making a choice to always be […]
Translation:“And he finds me that way and I love him doing that.And he rocks me aroooound and he rocks me and he rocks me…Daddy can you say YAY?(Daddy cackling)And he rocks me around. No, let’s turn it off.I’m all done.” Before you start to question our parenting abilities (or music taste) let me say that I have no idea where the lyrics came from. I don’t often say “he rocks me.” Not that often anyway. So I’m just not sure. (Also, Miles currently looks about ten. This is a bit of an old video, but I had to share it.) __________We were riding in the car recently and Miles asked about marriage. Kind of.Miles – “But why do they live together?”Me- “Because they’re married.” Miles- “But why?”Me-“You mean why do people get married?”Miles- “Yes.”Me-“Well, people get married because they love each other and it’s a way of making a choice to always be […]
Translation:“And he finds me that way and I love him doing that.And he rocks me aroooound and he rocks me and he rocks me…Daddy can you say YAY?(Daddy cackling)And he rocks me around. No, let’s turn it off.I’m all done.” Before you start to question our parenting abilities (or music taste) let me say that I have no idea where the lyrics came from. I don’t often say “he rocks me.” Not that often anyway. So I’m just not sure. (Also, Miles currently looks about ten. This is a bit of an old video, but I had to share it.) __________We were riding in the car recently and Miles asked about marriage. Kind of.Miles – “But why do they live together?”Me- “Because they’re married.” Miles- “But why?”Me-“You mean why do people get married?”Miles- “Yes.”Me-“Well, people get married because they love each other and it’s a way of making a choice to always be […]
This week’s “From the Mouth of Miles” is making me all weepy. As I went to post this, he left the kitchen saying, “Mommy, when I’m a grown-up, I will drink coffee with you.” Okay, but stop growing up so fast… _______After biting his lip, he cries and says through his tears, “I bit my wiiip.” So I try to console him by saying, “Oh, Honey I’m sorry.” There’s a pause and he says, “Don’t be sorry Mom, you didn’t bite my lip.” He’s doing a little dance in front of Asher, who sits on the floor smiling up at his big brother. Miles says, “I’m just showing Asher my moves.” Miles and Daddy are looking out the window and Daddy says, “LOOK! The bird bath is frozen!”To which Miles responds, “Yeah! Now birds can skate on it!” He’s running around all crazy, on a sugar high or something and yells out, “Ladies […]
We’re driving in the car and I look in the rear-view mirror at a strangely silent Miles. I strike up a conversation because I find I can no longer handle silence in the car, it’s so unfamiliar. Weird. I tell Miles that his Grandpa’s birthday is coming up this weekend, and ask what he thinks we should give him. He says, “a small dinosaur toy and a grown-up movie about police.” “Uuum, okay…those are good ideas.” A minute or two passes and then he says, “Mom, why is it your Dad’s birthday?” “Well, it just is. He’s my Dad, you’re right. I didn’t know you had that figured out?” “I do.”———- Just after waking from a nap, he says in a very sleepy low voice, running all the words together, “After Asher wakes up I can put on my pants and we can go to the park and I can get my wiggles […]
———————————————————————————————– After a bath, I look over at Miles (his bath, not mine) and he’s standing there pulling on his nipple. Hard. So I say, “Honey, that’s not going to come off.” And he says, “Yeah, I’m just seeing if it will come off.” So I say, “Those are part of your body.” And he says, “Yeah. They don’t come off. They’re not play doh.” “No, honey. They aren’t play doh.” ——————————————– After a long day of NOT LISTENING AT ALL (Miles, not me) I put him in a time-out and he starts freaking out. So I say, “Miles, I would stop doing that if I were you.” Pause. “What, mommy?” with a look of confusion on his face- what do you mean, if I were you? So I explain (really well). “You know. If I were you, like if mommy was you, I would make a good choice and listen to me.” […]
I’ve heard it said that age three is really, really hard. Some “experts” have even narrowed the hardest part down to 3 and a half. Something happens in the brain and all that. I’m starting to think that maybe “they” really are the experts. (But only sometimes, because half the stuff “they” say makes me laugh a bit as I live out the true reality of raising children). The thing about three, is that developmentally Miles is gaining smartitude. And emotionally, while trying to find his own identity, he’s gaining CRAZINESS. A lot of the time, he’s expressing emotion like he never has before. And other times, he’s simply reflective and knowledgeable.——————-The smartitude thing is quite entertaining. He’s all, “I can count to a million” and, “Look at me! I remember everything ever said to me, EVER!!!” Which is cool. (I’m pretty sure this is the age when every parent fully grabs a […]
The boys and I headed over to pick us up some tasty Mexican goodness from Chipotle for lunch today. Ryan is working out of his home office, and at one point he wanted to eat lunch. (I know, so demanding!) I had me a mad craving for the best take-out burrito with lots of guac yumminess. So I took Ryan’s order and off we went. You know what I think Chipotle is missing? A drive-thru. Wouldn’t that just be the best? No unbuckling of the car seats and no, “Miles, stay right here we’re in a parking lot do not move stay by the tire,” would need to be said. No unbuckling of another car seat and lifting of the 20+ pound baby onto the hip, while grabbing a tiny preschool hand and pulling it across the parking lot, hats flying off in the wind. No, with a drive-thru, there would be none […]
The idea for the following post is stolen from Becky at on top of the world (or at least really far north), a blog I love to read. She interviewed her son, Riley. I decided to do the same with Miles. (Even though I have to embarrass myself to share his responses.) This was so much fun, sitting down with Miles and picking his brain for answers about his mommy, yours truly. If you happen to have a child who happens to be old enough to interview, give it a whirl–so entertaining! 1. What is something your mom always says to you?Miles- Go in a time out! (uuum, that’s really not ALL I ever say…is it?) 2. What makes mom happy?Miles- Cars! 3. What makes mom sad?Miles- Ovens (ha!) 4. How does your mom make you laugh?Miles- You make me bongo (?) 5. What was your mom like as a child?Miles- You were […]
The weekend is here. It’s been a hard week. A death in the family, single-parenting with Ryan out of town, Miles being in the terrible three stage, and Asher being in the terrible teething stage. It’s tricky for me to keep my cool with Miles and Asher. The days are long, and I have to admit that I’m not doing that well. I’m losing my cool more than keeping it. But what pulls me through each day are the very people who wear me out so much. Miles is an absolute joy of a person. He is so curious, full of excitement, sensitive and sweet. Asher is an old soul, so interested in people, so willing to snuggle and freely gives a big, “HI!” to anyone who will listen.So when my back aches and screams at me for lifting Asher off the floor, I do it anyway, because there’s just something about the […]
This morning after I put Asher down for a nap, I started to clean up the house. I put the dishes in the dishwasher and started a load of laundry. I picked up some handfuls of miscellaneous junk and put it away. I was walking back from putting some things away in my room and looked up to see Miles coming toward me with a curious little expression on his face. He said, “Mommy, who’s coming over?” I answered that I didn’t know if anyone was coming over today. He said, “Yes. Someone must be coming over.” My parents came over on Sunday. Not long after my dad sat down at the table, Miles stood in front of him, staring up with those big eyes. (Please note that I was standing in the same room and so was Ryan.) He said, pretty much out of the blue, “Um, Spongebob…um.. Yeah, Spongebob, I watched […]
Me- “What do you think I should do as a mommy? Is there something you’d like me to be doing?” Miles- “You should be a daddy.” Me- “Well, I can’t really be a daddy cause I’m a lady, so I guess I need to stay being a mommy.” Miles- “You should decide which mommy to be then.” I’ve mentioned before that I love the site Mama Manifesto. I love to read and get ideas, share myself and feel encouraged there. A recent post really challenged me and reminded me that I need to try to stay focused on “which mommy I want to be…” My “Mama Manifesto,” (in short, basically goals I have as a mother) is quite long and involved, making me feel a bit overwhelmed. (Much of it can be found in my post from many moons ago, Ambition.) I have this picture in my mind of the mom I want […]
The other day, Miles, Asher and I were eating lunch at the table. Miles suddenly climbed down under the table and was rustling around. I asked him what he was doing and he said, “I’m looking for your princess crown, mommy!”Funny on so many levels really. When he climbed out from under the table, the smell that came with him revealed his true under-the-table mission. Poop. So now you know what to say the next time you’re heading off to the bathroom and someone asks where you’re going. “To find my princess crown.” Thank you for allowing me to pop up in your inbox and for reading my words, silly or serious. I appreciate you. ~Heather
“Mommy why don’t you like all bugs why do some of them scare you why don’t you like all bugs mommy? Some aren’t stingyish.” Thank you for allowing me to pop up in your inbox and for reading my words, silly or serious. I appreciate you. ~Heather
