Professor Jones

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Brady got this toy whip, and went downstairs to dig out his Bad Bart felt hat. He has been running all over being Indiana Jones, jumping over and off stuff and cracking the whip at our recycle bins. Total crack up.

How cute is he?

Here is my little Calvin (Calvin and Hobbes). Brady is around 18 months I think here in the picture. I thought it was lost forever, but Larry has been downloading everything off of our old computer and putting it on here (to get rid of the old one) and all these old pictures are making me very remeniscent (I hate that spell checker is broke!) We are in Long Beach, WA.

Grrr.

So I took some great shots yesterday down at Semiahmoo spit, and when I downloaded them off the camera, they got turned into a NEF file or something. It's my husbands damn telescope (that thing will be the death of me, it's my nemesis) software that won't let me open, flip, or upload the photos. Frick!

But we had a nice afternoon, as I was heading up to check on the in-laws house (all fine) after the windstorm, my mom called and said she had just gotten off of work. So we met up and we took the kids to the spit (it was cold and windy, but sunny) and let them throw rocks. Natalie was very pensive, I think she was just working the Grandma snuggle angle.

Brady could have stayed out there for an hour, but my hands were losing their feeling, and the other 2 were sulking on the bench... cold and ready to go.

Had Erin and Christian over tonight for Tortilla soup... mmmmm. delicioso! And then Brady and I had WWIII at bed time. Ahhh... power struggles with a 5 year old. I'm glad Erin picked up the phone when I called, I was trying not to waffle on my decision, but he was really amping up the begging and pleading. I won in the end, for today anyway. We'll do it all over again tomorrow, I'm sure. If you've ever tried to move a mule, you'd have some idea what it's like raising my son sometimes.

I'd post a beautiful picture of him right now to erase all the stinky comments I wrote about him, but alas, they are stuck. I'll get my hubby/tech support on it. I made him leftover soup, after all!

A Breakthrough

My son.... I finally figured out his personality. He has Larry's mood swings with my mouth. Poor kid. And to top it all off, he has my stubborn streak. I can reason with Natalie "Stop or you're going to have a time out. Do you want a time out?" "NO" "Then stop your behavior" "OK, Mom" End of problem. But with Brady... each count usually brings a fury and the actual time out? Temper tantrum at it's finest. This is when my stubborn streak kicks in and it becomes a battle of wills, but I HAVE to win. Not just because I'm the mom and there would be a great shift if he won, but instinctually I CANNOT lose to him. And I think another problem that Brady and I have is that we are both the older sibling. It's like having 2 chiefs in the tribe, someones always trying to reign supreme.

Anyway. Back to B's Breakthrough. Everyone knows what a horrible eater Brady is. I mean, the poor kid gagged on water when he was a baby, like I was making him drink lemon juice.

So tonight I was munching on an apple that I had cut into slices. Of course, Natalie kept swiping slices. Brady steered clear. From an apple. So I get him into his room, casually offer him a slice. "No, thank you." So I start to bribe him. "Don't you want to see The Waterhorse (a movie)?" You see, his speech therapist and I have been making him earn "points" to go see new movies. He earned a trip to go watch The "Bee" movie by eating Top Ramen noodles, carrots and 3 bites of steak. I'm torturing this kid, right? So I tell him, this would earn you a point to go see that movie. I see his wheels start to turn. "I'd rather eat a carrot!" So I tell him that an apple is so much sweeter than a carrot, and if he liked carrots, he's love apples. And I remind him again of the "financial" benefit for eating A BITE of apple. So he agrees. And he sniffs the slice, rubs it over his lips, gives it a lick, then kind of munches into it, then FINALLY commits to biting it. His eyes light up and there is a glimmer of a smile. I casually note how much I like apples, and say "pretty good, huh?" "Um-hum." And he continues to eat his slice, where usually this is where he puts it down, having fulfilled his end of the deal by eating ONE bite. I play it cool. So he crawls into bed and we're talking and reading, and I have 2 slices of apple left. I offer him one. He eagerly takes it!!! Success. Another food on our list. Now shut up about it being just a damn apple. I'll take my wins no matter how small. I just want my kid to eat simple, healthy food. I don't expect great strides in diet, it would just be nice to be able to eat a simple meal with him. And it would be nice if this kid would trust me when I try and get him to try something new. I've never asked him to eat something that would turn a typical kid off. I don't make him eat beets like some moms I know (hi, Erin! love you!). And Larry just came home and is just as excited as I am, he appreciates this as much as I do. My son... he is teaching me all kinds of things, and forcing me to be patient and creative.

Trail Running

A couple of summers ago, Brady and I started Trail Running up above our neighborhood. I also found out that I need to learn more about my camera, as I've been taking really crappy photos lately, and Larry says it's me and not this camera. Crap. I wanted it to be the camera.

Anyway, Brady and I have so much fun running on the trails in what's left of the woods. It will be so sad when it gets developed, as B and I are making some great memories up there. We usually take Norman the giant Lab, and Katie howled in heartbreak that her man was going out without her. Problem is, last time we took Katie trail-running she almost didn't make it back. She's fatter than me and had to stop and SIT on the walk back. She needs to start on smaller walks, not these aggressive root-hopping, hill-climbing trail runs. And Norman bounds and leaps right along with Brady, they are so cute together (but Norman is the ORIGINAL mama's boy). And ol' Norm is turning 10 in January! That dog has not lost a single bit of his puppy spirit, I think he'll be a puppy till the day he dies. Wild ass dog. And big (like 110 pounds big) And tall (Brady is 45" and Norman comes up to his chest.) But Brady can walk him just fine, 3 years of obedience paid off a little bit, made Norman tolerable.

Check Up's

So we had to get up early this morning and take both the kids to their dental checkup, I took them in their pajamas, less fighting (between me and them).

Brady has a cavity (that can't wait to fall out) GREAT. But the bittersweet news really is that one of his 6 year old molars is in. WHAT?! What happened to my little boy? That is a permanent tooth! My how time flies. And I was told that his front teeth will fall out within the year. I REMEMBER losing my front teeth, it is so strange that I have a child that is forming memories now that he will carry through life. It's easy to think that children aren't absorbing their environment, or that they will forget a traumatic event (not that losing a tooth is traumatic, but certainly exciting). But then I look back and remember my preschool days, and think "Brady is creating those same memories for himself now." Whoa- to quote Joey Lawrence.

Enough of the existential bullshit, but man it slams me in the gut how fast this is all going sometimes! Childhood is so fleeting!