Saturday, March 30, 2013

My Brother's Cars

Son #1 has been fascinated with cars since before he could walk.  He has a huge collection and loves to bring them out to the kitchen table to race them.  Son #2 wants to join in but Son #1 is usually very possessive.

One evening while Son #1 was taking a bath, Son #2 crept into the kitchen and spied the pretend race left askew on the table.  He wobbled to the chair and belly-flopped onto the seat.  Slowly, he rose to a standing position.  He lifted a car from the table and eyed it silently. 



Then, his imagination fired up.  He carefully pushed the cars back and forth.  As his game continued, Son #2 became increasingly animated.


Suddenly, tiny car noises erupted from my little baby.  He roared and revved engines as the cars squealed around corners.  Periodically, a crash would occur.


Son #2 was so engrossed in his game that he barely noticed me taking these pictures.  I crept to the bathroom where Son #1 was drying in a towel and said.  "You should see your little brother playing with your cars just like you."

Son #1's eyes brightened and he exclaimed.  "Oh my goodness!  He's trying to be like me and race!"

My two little boys are going to have so much fun growing up together.

P.S.  Please ignore the dates on the pictures.  The dates are wrong.  The time stamp was on but I had to share them anyway.  :)

The Wash Cloth

Yesterday afternoon, I was busy folding the laundry in the living room.  Son #2 bounded in from the back yard and scurried to see the piles of clothes.  He yelped and cooed while tossing the neatly folded stacks onto the floor.  I sighed in exasperation and began to refold the jumbled mess.

Son #2 discovered a fresh wash cloth on a stack of crisp linen.  He picked it up, brought it to his face, and made a funny sound.  I looked down curiously and asked.  "Baby, what are you doing?"

He giggled and responded.  "All done."

I watched him as he ran around the living room with the wash cloth.  Son #2 stopped suddenly and put the wash cloth to his face again.  I gently pulled the wash cloth down and looked at his face.  Clear boogers trailed down his nose to his upper lip.  He grinned and blew his nose on the wash cloth.  My eyes opened wide as I realized that my sweet baby boy was blowing his boogers onto my clean laundry.

Son #2 looked up from his soiled wash cloth and mumbled something in baby talk.  Then, he bobbled down the hall toward his room.  Before entering, I caught sight of him blowing his nose into the wash cloth again.  I closed my eyes, shook my head, and tried to find my happy place.

I will focus on being proud of Son #2 for blowing his nose independently.

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Out of the Mouths of Babes

After eating lunch at my mom's house, my husband and eldest son began to load the car with our belongings.  I gabbed with my mom and sister while my youngest son wreaked havoc upon the living room and hallway.

As Son #1 and his dad exited the front door, they came upon the new neighbors standing on the sidewalk casually smoking cigarettes.  Son #1 eyed them and exclaimed in a loud voice.  "Smoking is bad!"

My husband's eyebrows shot up to the sky.  He muttered to Son #1.  "Don't be rude."

Son #1 would not be deterred.  He self-righteously announced.  "Smoking can kill you!"

"Shhh!"  My husband responded tersely.

How my husband wished the ground would open up and swallow them.  Yet, he stoically continued with Son #1 to the car.  The neighbors stared possibly out of disbelief.  Six-year-old children can be excruciatingly honest sometimes. 

With all of Son #1's proclamations about the evils of smoking hanging in the air, my husband hurriedly tossed our things into the back seat.  Quickly, he and Son #1 climbed into the car.

When Son #2 and I got into the car, my husband told me the story.  I giggled impishly as my husband said.  "Don't look at them."

As we drove away, I said with a touch of chagrin to the neighbors who just happened to be out of earshot.  "Welcome to the neighborhood."

Sunday, March 24, 2013

The Dandelion

Toddlers discover so many things.  Son #2 was running in the backyard the other day and found a fuzzy dandelion.  His eyes grew as big as saucers as he twirled the weed between his fingers.  Cottony seeds swayed to the spinning motion.  Son #2's face lit up as he watched the dandelion dance.

Son #1 yelled in a tattling voice.  "Mom!  Look what Baby has!"

I replied casually.  "It's OK.  It's only a dandelion.  It won't hurt him."

Son #1 became interested and peered at the fluffy weed with his baby brother.  I prayed the boys would not blow the seeds off the stalk.  Those seeds are trouble for the lawn even though they are fun to watch as they lilt through the breeze.

The boys giggled with glee as they played with their little find.  Then, the moment of fascination passed.  Son #2 tossed the dandelion aside and raced with his big brother to a new backyard adventure.



Sunday, March 17, 2013

Diarrhea in the Tub

The sun was beginning to set.  Dinner had been eaten and the boys were getting ready for bed.  Son #2 joyfully splashed in the tub.  His tug boat bobbed up and down while little rafts floated about in the water.  Son #2 shrieked with delight as water droplets landed on his face.  He stomped like Godzilla from one end of the tub to the other end.  Then, he inspected the faucet.

I listened to my tiny son play as I sat on the living room floor.  My husband and I had spent the day working in the garden.  We were exhausted and taking advantage of the quiet evening.  My husband sat on the couch drinking from a water bottle.  A silly movie had half of our attention while we were shooting the breeze.  In the middle of our conversation, I heard some grunting coming from the bathroom.

"__________!  He's pooping in the tub!"  I yelled as I sprinted to the bathroom.  Words fail to describe what happened next.

I rushed to my baby.  There he stood clasping the faucet grunting with all his might.  Runny, yellow diarrhea splashed into the bath water like a fountain.  Two solid turds floated in the yellow, foamy mess.  Bath tub toys bobbed about desperately reaching for clean air.  Wash cloths sank to the murky bottom of the putrid basin.

I shrieked to my husband.  "Oh nasty!  Help me!"

My husband popped his head into the bathroom and said.  "I can't.  I'm on the phone.  The air conditioning just broke and I'm calling the repair man."

(Blankety-blank air conditioning!)

I lifted Son #2 from the foul stew and placed him onto the bathroom floor.  Quickly, I wiped the streaks of yellow diarrhea from his legs and bottom.  Then, I flushed it down the toilet.  After semi-cleansing my baby, I ran to the garage to ask for a pair of gloves.  My husband generously handed over his last pair.  Now, I was armed and ready for the rancid task that lay before me. 

Back in the bathroom, I scooped up the loathsome wash cloths, squeezed out the rank water, and rushed them to the washing machine.  My husband brought me a bucket and I proceeded to load it with the feculent toys.  Praise God for bleach otherwise I would have to dispose of everything.

While I was disinfecting the tub, I noticed that my naked baby was playing in the toilet. 

Mother of Pearl! 

Not the toilet!!!

Things had gone from bad to worse.  My baby reached his chubby hand into the toilet and splashed with delight.  Toilet water droplets scattered across the bathroom floor.  Son #2 giggled with glee.  He swished and swirled the water around as I frantically cleaned the tub. 

I shouted to my husband.  "He's playing in the toilet!!!!"

My husband tried to console me.  "At least THAT water is clean!"

Cleaner than what?!

I tried not to dwell on the fact that my baby had emptied the contents of the toilet bowl onto himself and the floor.  I also tried to ignore the moisture where I stood.  My baby was still naked so the makeup of the moisture by my feet was a toss up between toilet water and pee.

Finally, I finished cleaning the tub.  I lifted my baby into the newly disinfected basin and filled the bottom with warm water.  Then, I proceeded to scrub my baby clean.  I wrapped my baby in a fresh, fluffy towel and walked into the living room.  My husband looked up and said.  "Look at my boy!  You're all nice and clean.  No more diarrhea!"

Son #2 chortled impishly.

My husband responded with surprise.  "He thinks this is funny!"

Friday, March 15, 2013

Livin' On A Prayer

Last night, Son #1 was getting ready to take his bath.  Right before getting into the tub, he decided that he needed to use the restroom.  I called out to him.  "Hurry up Son!  The water is going to get cold."

He did not reply but instead broke out into song.  I was confused and listened at the door.  From where I stood, I heard my eldest belting out the lyrics to Bon Jovi's song "Livin' On a Prayer".

I giggled and eavesdropped as my little boy sang in a rock and roll voice.  "Oh Oh!  We're half way there.  Oh Oh!  Livin' on a prayer.  Take my hand and we'll make it I swear.  Oh Oh!  Livin' on a prayer."

I ran over to my husband's office and exclaimed.  "Did you hear that?  Listen to him sing!"

My husband giggled and replied.  "Yeah.  We were listening to that song earlier this morning."

I tiptoed back to the bathroom door and peeked around the corner.  Son #1 was peeing into the toilet and singing as loud as he could.  "Oh Oh!  We're half way there.  Oh Oh!  Livin' on a prayer.  Take my hand and we'll make it I swear.  Oh Oh!  Livin' on a prayer.  Livin' on a prayer."

He heard me at the door and turned with a smile.  However, he did not miss a beat and continued to sing his rock and roll anthem.

Son #1 is just awesome!

Uh Oh

Son #2 has learned a new phrase.  Now, everything he says is.  "Uh oh!"

My husband got him going on this phrase one sunny morning.  He worked with Son #2 until our sweet little baby was saying "Uh oh!" every couple of seconds. 

Son #2 is so cute when he says it. 

The cat walks by and he says.  "Uh oh!"

I hand him a bottle and he says.  "Uh oh!"

My husband gets a cup of coffee and he says.  "Uh oh!"

Son #1 races cars around the kitchen and he says.  "Uh oh!"

My brother takes a plate to the sink and he says.  "Uh oh!"

The dog curls up in a corner and he says.  "Uh oh!"

Abuelita knocks on the door and he says.  "Uh oh!"  Then, he runs like a mad man to the door in order to escape to the front yard.

Then, I say.  "Oh _______ !"

Hopefully, he won't pick up on that phrase.


Double 0 Monkey

One morning after traveling all night from skiing, my husband and I lay in bed while the boys watched Curious George.  Curious George was a spy that day and was very busy with his espionage.  Son #1 and Son #2 were glued to the TV watching with anticipation the monkey's every move.

The episode ended and I shouted from my room.  "O.k. guys!  Turn the TV off."

Son #1 grumbled.  "Ahh Mom!"  However, he obediently complied with my request.

Son #2 toddled away from the TV to his toys.  Son #1 scoured our Tupperware cabinet for a lid.  While Son #2 busied himself with some cars, Son #1 peeked around the door to the bedroom and shyly smiled.  "Mom, can you put this by Dad?" 

He handed me the lid to our juice pitcher.  I shrugged and placed it by my husband's arm on the bed.  Then, I sat crossed-legged on the bed and watched our eldest son trot off into the living room.  My husband called out.  "Hey Son!  Why do I have this lid?"

Son #1 reappeared at the door with an empty toilet paper roll and said.  "I'm Double 0 Monkey."

As soon as Son #1 disappeared to the other room, my husband and I melted into silent laughter. 

"Double 0 Monkey?"  My husband mouthed. 

"Yeah."  I replied. 

"Curious George was pretending to be a spy." I explained.

"Ohhh!"  My husband whispered.

We doubled over into fits of giggles again.  Double 0 Monkey was completely oblivious to our laughter.  However, he did a great job of spying from his post in the living room.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Frustrated Skier

A couple days ago, we went skiing down a snow packed mountain side.  The sun glistened off the snow crystals and the sky was a deep blue hue.  No clouds could be seen for miles.

My husband, Son #1, and I rode the gondola to the top of the mountain and were amazed by the breath taking scenery before us.  We took pictures and then scouted out an easy trail for Son #1 to attempt. 

This was Son #1's fourth time skiing.  He was very excited about being on top of the mountain and was confident in his ability to traverse its slopes.  We made our way slowly down the first slope and onto a winding trail.  Son #1 sailed over the powder enthusiastically on the top half of the mountain.

As we neared the bottom half of the mountain, Son #1 began to show some fatigue by losing his balance or dropping his poles.  Each time, my husband or I would help him stand up but we could tell Son #1 was losing his patience. 

Suddenly, Son #1 tipped over into the snow again.  I reached down to help him up but he dropped his poles as he was getting to his feet.  I patted his back and handed him his poles.  Sadly, Son #1 would not be soothed.  He shrieked in frustration and threw his poles to the ground. 

As the poles bounced along the path, a fellow skier commented.  "I feel the same way!"

127 Episodes of Frasier

Recently, my husband has decided to watch every episode of Frasier on Netflix.  Son #2 loves to watch the red line at the bottom of the TV expand as the episode loads up.  He claps his hands and bounces around giggling with glee.  Son #2 is even beginning to recognize the theme song to the funny little sitcom.

Now I know someone out there is judging me and my husband for watching that much TV but I do not care.  Frasier is funny. 

One night, my husband and I had just finished watching the 127th episode of Frasier.  The song "Tossed Salads and Scrambled Eggs" emanated from the TV speakers. 

Kelsey Grammer belted out.  "But I don't know what to do with those tossed salads and scrambled eggs.  They're callin' again.  Scrambled eggs all over my face.  What is a boy to do?  Goodnight everybody!"

Son #2, who had been dancing to the music, called out in a tiny voice.  "Goodnight!"

Yeah.  I know.  We watch too much TV.

Pretend Restaurant

One sunny and cold afternoon, Son #1 pretended to be a chef at a restaurant.  He pulled double duty as a waiter as well.  From the living room of my mom's house, I could hear Son #1 frantically stirring, mixing, and banging utensils around. 

Son #1 called out from the miniature kitchen.  "O.k. Food is ready!  I'm going to be the waiter now and you guys have to order."

All the adults in the living room raised an eyebrow but congenially agreed to order the invisible food.

Son #1 trotted into the living room proudly and began to take orders.  Then, he made his way to the counter to collect his entrees. 

A giggling little boy appeared around the corner and delivered an entrée while announcing.  "Here is your poop spaghetti."

The recipient made a sour face and declined the nasty yet invisible dish.  Son #1 doubled over with laughter and delivered yet another entrée a la poop.  This customer replied.  "Eww."

After several attempts to serve us invisible poop, Son #1 bounded back to the kitchen to prepare new food.  A few minutes later, he appeared with a dish for his Tio (Uncle). 

Son #1 announced.  "Here you go.  This is rice and beans with no poop in it!"

Well, it's about time!

Friday, March 1, 2013

Spaghetti On My Face

The other day, Son #2 sat at the table enjoying a big bowl of spaghetti.  He greedily dug both hands into the noodles and sauce.  Then, he stuffed the handfuls of food into his mouth with gusto.  Pieces of spaghetti flew down from his mouth to the floor, kitchen table, and chair. 

Son #2 turned to me and grinned a sticky, tomato smile.  Then, he attacked his bowl of spaghetti once more.  His tiny hands squished and mushed the pile of noodles.  He giggled and threw the mashed up mess onto the floor.  The squishy spaghetti hit the floor with a loud splat.  He peered at the mess on the floor and chortled with delight. 

Could he make the kitchen any messier?  Could he make himself any messier?  Son #2 was determined to try.  My little baby grabbed fistfuls of spaghetti and smeared it all over his face.  He licked the sauce from his hands and nibbled at the noodles.  Red sauce and noodles streaked his face from his hair line to his chin.  He was definitely a sight to behold.

These pictures are our adventures while eating.  Enjoy!