Part of Our World

Our Little Mermaid

Another brilliant parenting moment brought to you by Sonic.

Six months ago I had this conversation with the bunny. I typed a note to myself so I wouldn't forget it. I'm just now cleaning out some files and I found it. It still amuses me.


I pull up to the speaker box at Sonic and ask the bunny if she wants tots.

She replies, "No."

I order our drinks and when the dude asks if we want fries or tots, I say, "No, thank you."


I pull forward.

The bunny screams, "Yes, I do want tater tots!"

me: You said you didn't want tots.

the bunny:  I don't want tots. I want TATER tots."

me:

the bunny: (whiney voice) Mommy, can I have tater tots?

me: Okay.

We pull up to the window. I get our drinks and hand the bunny's slush back to her. (Note the distraction.) I have a brief conversation with the gal at the window while she's running my cc. We talk about nothing in particular. She hands me my receipt and I pull away.

me to the bunny: The lady said the tater tot machine was broken today. Maybe we'll get tater tots next time.

the bunny: The machine is broken? We can get some next time? Okay.

Crisis averted.

Lesson learned: Heck yes it's okay to fib if it deflects a full-blown, tot-denied, preschooler tantrum! And it goes on record that I said, "yes."

Brilliant, no?

I parent by tantrum avoidance and I'm not afraid to admit it!

Maps

The bunny has a new game. She draws picture maps to lost "treasures." Then we follow her map and celebrate with dancing when the mission is complete. Maybe we watch too much Dora...
 

p.s. Yes, she dressed and accessorized herself today.

My Village Rocks!

All the Harveys are present and accounted for right now. The kidlets are watching their bedtime movie and the house is winding down. I'm thankful for the calm every evening. Especially right now. Because earlier today I lost Noah.

The short story is, I took my eye off him for 20 seconds and he was gone.

The long, drawn out story:

The kids were playing in the backyard. I was in and out of the house - watching and playing with them and getting dinner ready. I had a roast and potatoes in the oven and the beginnings of gravy on the stove.

I was at the stove when the girl came in. I looked out to see the boy still on the swing. I opened the fridge to grab a bag of mushrooms and looked out to see no boy on the swing. Mushrooms in hand, I went to the window to peek around the corner to see if he was drawing with chalk again. No boy.

I went outside and did a quick sweep of the yard. Nobody. I quickly walked to the shop toilet to see if he went there. Nope. I ran back inside to turn off the oven and stove and ask the girl if Noah was inside. He wasn't.

I went back outside to do a second sweep of the shop and yard. I ran down the hill then back up the hill. No boy.

Ran to the front yard. No boy.

Saw my neighbor and asked if she had seen Noah. No. And neither had her kids. So now she, her three kids, another friend, and my daughter are outside calling for Noah and looking around the yards.

I ran back inside to do a sweep of the house to find...

...no boy.

Back outside, I look at my neighbor and she shakes her head no. So I turn to go back in to grab a phone when I hear the neighbor say, "We found him!"

At this point, I think I started breathing again.

I ran toward the driveway and see Mr. S driving his truck realllly slowly down the street. And alongside him is my boy! He decided to take a walk down the street. In the street. Evidently he was on his way back when Mr. S was coming home. Noah wouldn't get into the truck but he trotted happily home.

And when he turned into the driveway where I was waiting, he gave me his biggest, sweetest smile and said, "Mommy."

I didn't want to startle him so I waited for him to come to me but when he got close enough I scooped him up. He said, "house."

Yes, Noah, stay at the house!

He was gone for less than 10 minutes. But it was the longest hour of my life!

My neighbors are awesome! And wonderful! And I'm so thankful they're part of our village.

I hope never to tell another story like this again. The end.

Snugglin'

They like to antagonize each other like any brother and sister pair. Lately, there's contact (interpret: hitting, smacking, pinching, punching, hair-pulling, etc.) involved. From both parties. Oftentimes I feel like a referee. And sometimes it doesn't end well. Someone will end up in tears while the other one ends up in time out. In tears. And for some reason, my throat will hurt...

But then they do this...

...and all I can say is, "Awwwwwwwww."

My Kids are Cute!

Who can resist this?

They are GREAT helpers! They bathed themselves AND cleaned Daddy's truck at the same time!

My son has outed me. Perhaps we shop there too much? *winks*

Noah has been working really hard with reading and writing. Usually you only have to show him once and he can spell and recognize the words thereafter. When he doesn't know how to spell something, he'll make it up. The other night he spelled and said, "R, J, I, H, spells lawnmower." How cute is that?! I spelled it the right way for him and he drew the picture.

Cheeseball!

She's a mess. Just a mess!

Movie Date

Today was a milestone day for the bunny! She saw her first movie in a theater - Toy Story & Toy Story 2 in 3D. No easing her into the experience gently - we go all out with a double feature!

We both had a great time! I asked her what her favorite part of the movie was and she replied, "eating popcorn and sipping Coke. Oh, and eating gummy bears!" Yep...she's my girl! It's alllll about the food!

I wasn't planning on taking photos but when we first arrived we had the theater all to ourselves. Good thing I keep my little camera in my purse!

By the end of the opening credits, ten other people settled in. We had plenty of room!

We had to get the bucked-sized popcorn and Coke for the bunny's first movie ever!

Oh, I should clarify...the bunny's first movie theater experience was when she was in utero. Also, that was the last time I went to the movies. I don't have photos of that, but I do have this one of us together from today. Stylish, no?

Snake in the Grass

Warning: Do not read any further if the thought or sight of snake guts makes you want to barf. Instead, close your eyes and scroll down to some cute hummingbird photos and videos. I'm giving you the chance to retreat and wait for another happier, snake-free post. But for those of you who don't mind seeing reptile entrails, carry on.

Mike disturbed a snake this morning while mowing. After confirming it was a coral snake he ran over it with the lawnmower. It was somewhere between 16 and 18 inches long. The tail was mangled beyond recognition. The kids and I were inside during all the excitement, but Mike came in to tell me about it and get the camera. Being the nature freak (or is it freak of nature?) that I am, I wanted to see the snake for myself and take the photos. I need to start remembering to bring a ruler when I do this.

More Hummingbird Madness!

I just can't get enough of these little guys!

Hummingbird Invasion

We have guests.
It's the annual fall migration for hummingbirds. They're heading to Mexico for the winter and our backyard is along the way.
This guy thinks the feeder belongs to him. He chases away anybird who looks in his direction. Little meanie!
This is a girl. She's been sharing nicely.
Obviously, Mike is putting crack in the feeders.

Swings & Things

This is a sad, sad picture.
We had a droughtful summer, but the day they* came to build the playground, it rained. All. Day. Long. I'm totally loving the rain, but so sad because the kidlets stared longingly out the window at their new friend. The "new park" was very lonely that day.

The next day, there was rain again. But we got a break in the afternoon and the kidlets acquainted themselves with their new friend!
She's really, really happy.
He is, too. Really.




They played until it was nearly dark. Then they went for a walk by the creek with Daddy. On the way back, they saw a snake.
I'm thinking four feet. Maybe five?
We were all excited to see Mr. Snake! He's a good one...a non-venomous one that eats rodents and the like. The kidlets wanted to touch the snake, but we kept our distance and waved goodnight.

The next day we played most of the afternoon away.

Worth every penny!

*They built it in 3 hours. Would have taken us 3 days. And probably a lot of swearing.

Leaving Mango

Two weeks ago tonight, we spent our first night in our new home! The kids have transitioned beautifully. In fact, any time we leave, Noah reminds us that he wants to, "go to brand new house. I want more brand new house." He doesn't like to leave it! Neither do I, really. Well, except to go out and get food. Hahaha!

We've made a lot of improvements and changes in the last couple weeks and we will continue to make changes in the years to come. While I wouldn't call this house a "fixer-upper" I would say it needs some updating and TLC. In spite of that, we all just LOVE this house and all its little (and big) quirks!

So far, we've added a gas line for the dryer, purchased the coolest fridge, installed a new garage door opener, hooked up cable internet, built a most fabulous fence, and unpacked about a million boxes. Unfortunately, I have a lot more to do in the unpacking and organizing category...

This week, we'll be replacing our two way-past-their-prime water heaters - one is 21 years-old and the other is 10 years-old. We budgeted for this so it's not a surprise, but Mike did discover on Friday that the older one was leaking. The thing about water heaters in Texas attics is that one day they can be fine and the next they can explode. It's not wise to push attic water heaters in this area past 10 years! So the heater that supplies the kitchen and laundry room is out of commission, but we've got plenty of water for the bathrooms.

We'll have the furnaces replaced in a couple months and then we'll slowly tackle the rest of our list of improvements. I'm sure I'll have plenty of blogworthy stories to tell!

In between all of that, the boy has started his first day of Kindergarten and the girl has met her "brand new teacher!" She starts her school year tomorrow. I'll have first day photos later!

The photos I'm sharing now are the last ones from the Mango house. It was definitely a bittersweet goodbye. And yes, I cried when I pulled away from the house.

We put our names in concrete the day our driveway was poured.
The mural we had painted for Baby Noah's room.
6 month-old Noah's feet in the screen patio expansion concrete.
The kids' last lunch. Frozen mini pancakes. Unfrozen. Unheated. On napkins. On the floor. With grapes. :-) (grapes not pictured)They kept themselves entertained with cooler rides.
While I was cleaning, the bunny came and told me she "flashed" her eyes. I didn't pay attention at first, but when I looked closer, I saw that she discovered my mascara...

My Mini Me

The bunny is such a good little mommy. She is always looking out for her brother and helping him.

This morning, she took him to his room to get him dressed. She gave him new "panties," shorts, and a t-shirt. Surprisingly, they matched.

Mid-morning, the bunny helped herself to Rice Krispie Treats. She also made sure her brother was sitting in his blue chair in the kitchen before she gave him one. (How did she get into the gated kitchen, you may ask? She figured out how to open the gates about a month ago...)

This afternoon she took him to the bathroom. I was in the kitchen and this is what I heard:

Okay, Noah go pee pee. Lick up the toi-wet. Good job, Noah! Now shake it! Okay, Noah, Now fwush it. Okay, Noah, wash your hands.

Of course I dashed to the bathroom but not before all that transpired. After making sure all was well (no pee on the floor, toi-wet fwushed, hands washed, hands dried, etc.) I ushered both of them out and told Noah to put his pants back on. Then I went back to the kitchen to continue dinner preparations.

Silly me for thinking I could leave before making sure Noah was dressed.

Somehow, between the front hallway and the living room, Noah lost his pants. But, no worries! The bunny was right there to help him get new panties and bottoms.

She's kind enough to share from her own drawer. *insert eyerolls* And did you notice the "lost" pants on the floor?

I think I need to get her more dolls.

Plantation to Plantation

I feel reasonably confident that everything is going to work out so I'm ready to share our fantastic news! By this time next week, we should transfer ownership of the house on Mango Street and pick up keys to the house on Dewberry Drive.

Most of you know we've been watching the housing market for the last couple years. We had a loose "three-year plan" where we would save like crazy to be able to move into something bigger. Then, when the right house came along, we'd be able to jump on it. That house came along on a Monday, we looked at it on a Wednesday, and we made an offer on a Thursday. We also put our house on the market the same day!

Since then it has been a whirlwind of cleaning, showing, painting, de-cluttering, inspecting, consulting, repairing, re-inspecting, and finally packing. I think the hardest thing on me was keeping this house "show ready" with my clutterbug kidlets underfoot. My tornadic activity an hour before a showing was a sight to behold. Thank goodness the cameras were off! Mike says the hardest thing on him was the double all-nighter we pulled to paint the main area of the house. Remember, kidlets underfoot make painting a bit difficult...

It all paid off! We got a contract on the house within three weeks and we are now a week away from closing. I'm going to be a bit sad about leaving our first home...the home we built...the only home our kids know. I'm sure I'll cry when we back out of the garage for the last time.

But we're not moving far! And I'm sooooo excited about our new digs! It's a GREAT house! It is a little older and will need some TLC but it's perfect for our family! Even the bunny is ready and constantly tells us, "I need to buy a new home, the one wif the stairs."

We'll be gaining more square footage and much more yard. We'll be on the creek and on an out-of-the-way street with no thru traffic. But we won't be far from town. I can't wait to show everyone!

So without further ado, because I know this entire post is a gush fest, check out some photos of our new place.

"Noah and Jordan bolding hands to each other."

Is that not the sweetest drawing ever? She did it all by herself. No help from anyone with anything. She amazes me every day.

We never know what's going to come out of her mouth.

Recently, we went out to lunch. We were having a nice family meal complete with nice family conversation:

Mike: Noah is as pretty as a girl. (think Cassius Clay)

The Bunny: (speaking in high volume) No, Daddy! Noah is not pretty like a girl! Noah is a boy! Noah has a penis! And Jordan is a girl! Jordan has a vagina! Mommy, you're a girl! Do you have a vagina?

Me: Yes.

The Bunny: Daddy's a boy! Daddy has a penis! Daddy are you wearing your penis?

I tried to keep a straight face for this. I tried really, really hard. But I couldn't hold it in and ended up laughing hysterically at the table. I couldn't stop. Sometimes I wish we had cameras rolling all the time so you all can share in our experiences.

Seriously.

I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried...

Shake the Bunny

You may remember a post where I challenged you to Name That Tune. In my haste to blog the video with tears in my eyes and a tummy sore from laughing so hard, I forgot to tell you she was singing her version of AC/DC's You Shook Me All Night Long.

She starts singing with no warning. Usually on high volume - in the car, the shower, the grocery store, the backyard, the playground. And she stops singing as suddenly as she starts. And I laugh. Every. Single. Time!

I've got another bunny rendition. She has a very literal translation of the lyrics.

Boy Stuff

Noah is done with his first year of public school! All in all, it was a pretty good year and he enjoyed it. He'll be going to summer school in a couple weeks but I'm thrilled not to have to share him with others for a while. I STILL miss him terribly when he's away at school!

He had some regressions (potty training) but he had many more progressions! We're seeing expressive communication blossom and just in the last month his pinching and self-biting have decreased tremendously! I'm hoping that the decreased pinching is a direct correlation to his increased ability to communicate his needs with words. I'm fairly certain his decreased self-biting has everything to do with his loose tooth! Scroll past the next two photos if you're squeamish at all...

Noah's tooth is super wiggly, but not quite loose enough to pull out. The night we took these photos, he held his mouth open and let me try to pull it.
This was taken right before the nightly teeth brushing so you'll see a little blood on the loose tooth and a little chicken on the neighboring tooth. :-)
For the last month, we've gone to the beach at least once a week. Sometimes twice. The last couple beach trips have had nice weather and calm seas. Unfortunately, the calm waters allow jellyfish to hang out close to shore. Noah got stung pretty badly about a week ago.
But he was such a trooper about it! He barely complained and kept wanting to go back to the water!
The very next day, the rash was SO much better. You can barely tell he got stung at all.
Yesterday, Mike took the boy to the beach (the girls stayed home) and they both got stung on the shins. The rash is much smaller than the one that wrapped around Noah's leg and he hasn't complained about it at all. Mike says the feeling is a mild burning that's slightly annoying, but not overwhelming. I'm hoping that's all that Noah feels, too.

This is one of my favorite beach photos from this year. Noah really enjoys body boarding and has learned to watch for and anticipate good waves.
And I'll leave you with a vid of the boy on a wave!