Here Comes the Sun

Nothing like 6 hours in the swimming pool to give a kid his first sunburn of the year! No, I am not joking- last Wednesday, Max spent six hours in Grandma and Grandpa's pool, taking breaks only to use the bathroom and eat a super-quick lunch. Even with several reapplications of sunscreen, the rays still got through... but for how fair Max's skin is, I think we did ok.

The big development this year is that Max's toes can touch the bottom of the pool! This opens up a whole new world for him; we put up the rope to separate the shallow from the deep, and he is free to do as he pleases! What fun! Understandably, he was a total zombie after his six hour swim, and the next day he was still tired. But by Saturday, he was ready to go at it again! This time he "only" swam for four hours, and Sunday he was back in for another three. Thirteen hours of swimming in five days?? I think this week was a preview of the next three months. I am so thankful for the access my kids have to the water!

Poor Lucian missed two of the three days of swimming because of his marathon afternoon naps, but I'm excited to get him in the pool more this year! When he did swim, he worked up the courage to jump off the side of the pool into my arms! This is the same kid that would barely leave the steps last summer. I think with his big brother as an example, he may very well turn into a fish too.

I didn't get any swimming photos this week, just the rosy aftermath. But next time I'll be sure to snap some good ones!

Hopefully next time you hear from me, it will be with baby news... but so far, nothing to report!

Morning Coffee

Oh what an improvement this was from Saturday morning! Instead of our eldest barging in at 6:00am, we didn't hear a peep from the kids until 8:30. And that, my friends, is a beautiful thing. But almost as beautiful were the first words out of Max's mouth this morning. After climbing into bed with me and snuggling for a few minutes, he told me, "I'm going to make you your morning cup of coffee, Mom."

"Oh, ok sweetie," I said. "Come on up and get me when it's done!" So he jumped out of bed and ran downstairs. Paul and I laughed to ourselves and wondered what we had in store for us. A few minutes passed as we listened to the padding of little feet downstairs. Then we heard Max pound up the stairs, and seconds later he burst in saying, "Your morning cup of coffee is ready, Mommy, just like I promised!" I climbed out of bed and followed him downstairs, not quite sure what to expect. He brought me to the table and I saw a green plastic cup filled with "coffee" (water) waiting for me at the head of the table. "Here's your coffee!" he exclaimed proudly.

I looked around to figure out where the water had come from and discovered that he had pulled one of the dining room chairs into the kitchen and up to the stove. Our teapot had apparently been full of days-old water that he had used to fill my "coffee cup", only spilling a small amount onto the stovetop. There was even a pile of paper towels that had been used to try to clean up the spill. (Who is this kid and what did he do with Max?) I enjoyed my coffee under Max's watchful eye, sneaking away to pour it out a little at a time into the sink, until my cup was empty and he was satisfied.

I don't know what got into him, but I felt like it was Mother's Day all over again! The kid has a heart of gold.

Over the River and Through the Woods

Paul's sister Megan graduated from college last weekend! I can NOT believe she is done already. Paul was able to join the rest of his family in North Carolina for the celebration, but alas, I am too pregnant to fly... so the boys and I hunkered down at my parents' house for the weekend. I sure missed being there for the graduation festivities, but it ended up being a fun and relaxing weekend with Grandma and Grandpa.

We dropped Daddy off at the airport on Thursday evening after dinner and then drove to Grandma and Grandpa's house to begin our long weekend away from home. The boys stayed up long enough to read some stories with Grandpa, but the real fun began the next morning with... you guessed it... pirate pancakes! It's become so much of a tradition when the boys sleep over that during bedtime prayers that night Max said he was thankful for "the pirate pancakes Grandpa is going to make tomorrow!" (As if there was any doubt.)

Friday, Max helped Grandma plant some flowers, we went to a few garage sales on a hunt for little girl clothes (success!) and we went on a walk around the neighborhood... cut short by the imminent rain and my inability to walk more than two-tenths of a mile without nearly falling over.

We were greeted Saturday morning by doughnuts from Grandpa, and then Max literally spent the entire day playing in the back yard. For dinner, we grilled hot dogs and cooked marshmallows over the fire pit, then Grandma and Grandpa put the boys to bed so I could have a "sibling date" with Ben. Yeah, believe it or not (I barely do), I was out in downtown Minneapolis on a Saturday night! Crazy, right?

Sunday (Mother's Day) we had a lazy morning, with more pirate pancakes. We went to Mass at 11:00, then in a repeat performance of the day before, Max explored Grandma's beautiful backyard for the entire afternoon. Come evening, my mom and I met up with Ben for dinner and a show, leaving my dad with the boys, some buckets and a hose. Oh my, did they ever have a good time. The show was great, things went smoothly at home, and Grandpa and the boys picked up Daddy from the airport at 8:45. We all met back at our house around 9:00, when I walked in the door to find Max and Lucian with plastic daggers clenched in their teeth! Auntie Kelley had decided to deck out her nephews with pirate goodies, and they were wired!

We said goodbye to my parents, settled the boys down and got ready for bed. It was a great weekend, but it's sure nice to have my husband home. Thanks, Mom and Dad, for taking such good care of us!

Snapshots

My boys are polar opposites when it comes to getting their photos taken. If Lucian even notices the camera is in the room, he starts posing like a GapKids model. If I dare to try putting the camera away, he points and yells, "YEEEZZ! YEEEZ!" (cheese!) until I snap one last picture. He loves it! He'd stand there all day.

"Cheese!"

"Cheese!"

"Cheese!" 

"Cheese!"

But Max? Oh Max... it's as if there is something repelling him from looking at the camera lens and smiling simultaneously! The only time I have ever caught a genuine smile on film was when I took him completely off-guard. But as soon as he notices Mom trying to snap a picture, he puts on a series of ridiculous expressions... really anything but a real smile! Over the course of about a minute, I snapped this series of pictures in an unsuccessful attempt to capture a smile.

"Yesssss, masterrrrr..."

"What did I do?"

"Uhhh..."

"To be or not to be..."

"Seriously, Mom? Still at it?"

"Fine. Just to make you stop, here's a decent one."

I must say, he's got quite the repertoire of expressions already. With Louie, I will never want for happy, smiley photos to chronicle his childhood. But Max definitely adds a new dimension to every picture that he is in! He's a testament to the fact that mothering is imperfect and messy... and we really can't make our children do anything. I am reminded of that each time I reach for my camera.

Walking the Plank

What are you lookin' at?

Hang on to your hats, we now have bunk beds.

With baby #3 on the way, we knew we would need more sleeping space, so we used the Easter full house as an opportunity to set up bunk beds in the boys' room. By the time Baby Girl is old enough to need Louie's crib, Max will be more than ready for a top bunk, but the novelty of the new furniture addition has already caused me some major headaches!

Take last week, for instance. I was folding laundry in the guest room upstairs while the boys were playing loudly in their bedroom. In general, loud equals safe in our household; if I can hear them, I know they're not getting into trouble. Apparently, this is no longer the case when the top bunk is in play! I found out later that the bunk beds had been transformed into a pirate ship- the top bunk was the deck and the bottom bunk was the hold.

On a whim, I peeked into the room to see what they were doing and, to my horror, witnessed Max standing inches from the edge of the top bunk, Lucian directly behind him. Max yelled, "I'm walking the plank!" as Lucian gave him a nice piratey shove on the back. As I promptly died of a heart attack, Max managed to fall backward onto the safety of the mattress.

Several strong words and new rules later, both kids were safely on the floor. We've now gone about a week without incident (I think I may have put some healthy fear into their hearts) but I know it's only a matter of time until the first major injury. I would appreciate any advice from bunk-bed-owning families about how to keep your children alive once this treacherous item of furniture has entered the picture! Is there anything I can do, or am I staring at the inevitability of a broken arm?

I think I'm going to put the ER on speed dial...

**As my husband reminded me in the comments, I did unintentionally leave out the crowning jewel of this story. How could I have forgotten to mention Max's response to being taken down from his ship? Those words... I must have put them out of my head. I didn't think I'd hear them for at least another eight years! When he realized his cavorting on the deck was finished, at least for the day, he turned to me and whined (in his very best teenager voice) "Ahh! You ruined my pirate life!!" **

May Day!

We decided to kick off the beautiful month of May by delivering May Baskets to some of our friends and family. Max got to pick out the color scheme for our baskets... chosen because of the resemblance to pirate treasure, of course. (Gold and jewels!) He and Lucian decorated the cups with stickers and buttons, punched holes for the ribbon handles, and helped me make tissue paper and pipe cleaner flowers. It was a fun project, but the highlight for both boys was definitely the delivery!

On Tuesday morning, we packed all of our baskets into a box, put them in the car and started our deliveries. Most people weren't home when we delivered their flowers, so Max go the joy of running away from each house without getting caught... which would have been nearly impossible had anyone actually been home, seeing as we had to buckle into a carseat before driving away!

Special Delivery!

Gotta get away...

Whew! Made it.

Lucian's turn to ring the doorbell

We did get caught at Grandma and Grandpa's house! After ringing the doorbell and running around the corner to hide, Max got caught by Grandma, which he was not a bit upset about. We even got to take a lunch break before hitting the rest of the houses on our list! It was a fun way to spend a day and usher in the season of Spring.

Caught by Grandma!

The Inquisition

Why?

Why? Why? Why? Why?

Whywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhy?

Are you tired of this yet?

I try really hard not to get frustrated at Max's overzealous curiosity. I answer his questions to the best of my ability... usually. But sometimes it gets downright ridiculous! I know all kids have a "why?" stage, but is it too much to ask that he only ask questions that have answers?

I'll give you an example. Usually these conversations start out innocent enough. "Why did you give Lucian a smaller plate than me?" "Because he doesn't eat as much as you do."

And does Max then respond with, "Oh!" and go back to whatever he was doing? Ha, ha, hahahaha. Let's continue. "Why doesn't he eat as much as I do?" "Because he is smaller than you." "Why is he smaller than me?" "Because he was born two years after you." "Why was he born two years after me?" "Because... uh... that's when he came out of Mommy's tummy?" "Why is that when he came out of Mommy's tummy?" (Oh dear... uhh...) "Because that's when God wanted him to be born." "Why is that when God wanted him to be born?"

And this is about where I give up. Either I throw up my hands in frustration and snap, "Because He did." or I throw the question back at him: "Why do you think that's when God wanted him to be born?"   If I ask him a question back, he usually comes up with an answer. In this case, maybe it's "Because it was a good time to be born." or something of the sort. I'll usually smile and say, "Yeah!" or "That could be!" or "Oh!"

And then, THEN my friends, is the question that drives me up a wall.

"Why did you say 'Oh!'?"

This happens at least a few times every day. What kind of answer can I give to this question? Why did I say 'Oh'? Why does anyone say 'Oh'? To end the conversation, that's why! But if I give any kind of response to this question, it results in a completely new line of questioning, ala "Why did you want to end the conversation?" And we're back to Square One.

I feel like I'm walking a fine line here. I don't ever want him to stop asking questions. I love his inquisitive nature, and I love that he wants to know the answers to everything. I only wish that two or three rounds of questions would satisfy his curiosity... rather than six or eight or ten.

Lately he's been really curious about the human body: skeletal system, organs, the like. I love answering these questions, if I can. But even these quickly devolve into meaningless back-and-forth before he's satisfied:

"Why do we have a skull?"
     "To protect our brain."
"Why does it protect our brain?"
     "The skull is made of hard bone and it goes all around our soft brain to keep it from getting hurt."
"Why is it made of hard bone?"
     "Because if it was soft it wouldn't keep our brains safe"
"Why wouldn't it keep our brains safe?"
     "Why do you think it wouldn't keep our brains safe?"
"Because it would be soft!"
     "Oh!"
"Why did you say 'Oh!'?"
     ".........."

The one thing I really enjoy is watching Max go after other people with his endless line of questioning. As they fumble for answers to some of his most ridiculous questions, I just get to sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. Watch out, you might be next!

At Home

It's official. I have become a homebody. Within the last six months I have finally made the transition from needing desperately to leave the house at least once a day to being content to stick around the home front for several days in a row. Don't get me wrong, I love getting out! (Especially without my two adorable cling-ons.) I still really enjoy our trips to the library and play dates with friends, but I no longer feel like I need these outings in order to function properly. Our home life has fallen into such a rhythm that I actually look forward to days that we have nowhere to go.

I'll take you through a quick tour of my change of heart. When Max was born, I don't think I left the house without Paul for a full two weeks. I think I was afraid that if I took him anywhere, I would suddenly drive off a cliff or spontaneously combust or something. But I ached to get out and get around! As soon as I got over my initial fear, I took him everywhere. Then when Lucian came and I began to stay home full-time, I tried to find excuses to leave the house every day: grocery shopping, visits to the library, even just driving around the neighborhood... I had to get out or I would go crazy! It stayed like this for quite some time, and although I managed to suffer through the days that we were home-bound, I didn't enjoy them. I counted down the minutes until Paul came home, thinking that if I didn't talk to an adult soon, I might lose all cognitive function! Ok, so I still follow him around like a puppy when he gets home- things are just better when he's around- but I no longer mentally wait at the door for him.

If I had to put it into words, I think the change began with Max's increased interest in learning and doing organized activities. When he just wanted to play pirates or Duplos with me all day, I wanted to pull my hair out. I used to feel really guilty about this. I mean, am I not supposed to love playing with my children? In moderation, I don't mind building Duplo robots or sailing the seven seas looking for treasure, but it was wearing on me. Then I suddenly realized that Max was old enough to do crafts and activities, bake with me, learn some early literacy skills... and the days began to fly by!

Now we do a "project" of some sort almost every morning. We love baking cookies and muffins, Max is memorizing the names of all of the bones in his body, we do simple "science experiments" around the house, and we are taking time to enter into the liturgical seasons. Instead of waiting for the day to end, there are many days that I feel like we can't fit everything in! Yes, we still have those days that can't end fast enough, but I can honestly say that I love being at home with my boys.

Part of me worries that when our baby girl comes, everything will be turned on its head and I'll be clawing at the doors again. But I think that maybe... maybe it's not just Max that has changed. Maybe my heart is really, truly, finally in my home. And when our baby is born, maybe this time the transition will be easier because I've discovered that everything I need to be happy (and sane) is right here. At home.

Shopping with a Pirate

I wonder how many of my blog posts have a pirate-related title? It seems like any time I have a story to tell about Max, those scallywags are somehow involved. Tonight it was a simple trip to Target for corned beef and heavy whipping cream (not to be used together, I assure you). We were waiting at the deli counter and Max started softly singing, "fifteen men on a dead man's chest... yo ho ho and a bottle of rum..." The deli worker looked up at him and asked, "So you like pirates, huh?"  "ARRR!" was his enthusiastic response, followed by, "Do you want to hear my pirate song?" Of course she did, and he repeated (at a much higher volume) "Fifteen MEN on a dead man's CHEST! YO HO HO and a bottle of RUM! Want to hear it again?" and hear it again she did, whether she wanted to or not. By then our meat was sliced, but as we wheeled away from the deli counter, he continued to sing at top volume until he finally got distracted by the frozen dinner aisle. I could barely keep a straight face, but I couldn't help wondering what all the other customers were thinking of me... "Where did that sweet, innocent child learn a song about dead men and rum? What kind of mother lets her child sing about such things??"

But crazy mother or not, I made no attempt to stop him. In fact, our pirate adventure continued into the kids clothing section, where Target was having some great deals on summer clothes. I started sorting through shorts and t-shirts and found not one, not two, but three pirate-themed t-shirts in Max's size. Meant to be? I think yes. I took the kids to the dressing room so Max could try on some shorts, and he Argh'ed his heart out to the dressing room attendant, who assured him that he made a very convincing pirate. When he took out his "hook" and began challenging her to a fight, however, I decided it was time to move on. By the time we made it to the check-out, Max Salty had retired for the evening and my own Maximilian was back. But what an adventure we had!

We Adore You, O Christ...

"Dear Jesus, I adore you. I love you and thank you for dying on the cross for me... Today I want to follow You up the hill of Calvary and to understand a little better at each station all that it cost You to make me God's child. If I had been the only person in the world, You would have been willing to suffer in just the same way... Thank You for loving me so much. Please teach me every day to love You more and more."
   -Stations of the Cross for Children, Preparatory Prayer.

Paul and I have tried to make a commitment this Lent to pray the Stations of the Cross with the boys every Friday. I am overwhelmed by the idea of bringing the kids to St. Joseph's parish Stations of the Cross, because although it doesn't last too long, I feel like the time would be spent more on shushing and juggling wiggly kids than praying and teaching. So instead, we have decided to go to the church by ourselves in the evening and walk the Stations as a family. We found a great children's version of the Stations at a blog called Family Feast and Feria. The link to the printable booklet is here.

This week, we are heading out of town today so we won't be able to make it to the church. Instead Paul came up with the idea of having Max draw each of the stations so that we could pray it in our living room! It turned out to be a great idea for our little artist- he took some creative license (Mary ended up with a pirate's hat, and Simon of Cyrene has a toy pirate ship), but he got the basic idea. The best part was that it gave us a great opportunity to discuss each of the stations as he was drawing them! When he drew Jesus being stripped of His garments, Max's big question was whether Jesus would ever get a new robe. We talked for awhile and decided that in Heaven, Jesus would make a brand new shiny robe for Himself! When he drew Jesus falling the first time, his immediate question was, "Who's going to help Him??" Out of the mouths of babes...

When we were done coloring, we placed the drawings in a line through our living room and up the stairs. Then we walked from station to station as we would at the church, stopping to pray at each picture. It turned out to be a beautiful way to pray the Stations right in our home!

Real Pirates: Aboard the Whydah

Months ago, it was brought to my attention that there would be a pirate exhibit at the Science Museum starting in February. Of course we marked it on our calendar right away, and soon we started to see Jolly Roger banners and posters finding their way into downtown St. Paul. The Red Balloon Bookstore hosted a pirate party a few weekends ago, and Max has been on pins and needles to visit the actual exhibit since then.

Thursday evening turned out to be the perfect time to go! We ate a quick, early dinner when Paul got home and  made it to the museum by 5:30. Apparently 5:30 on a Thursday is not prime museum visitation time, because we had the run of the place. Max got to spend as much time as he wanted at each piece of the exhibit, and we even backtracked to his favorite spots a couple of times.

And what an exhibit it was! I'm heartbroken that I forgot my camera, but I guess words will have to suffice. We started out in a dark room watching a short video on the history of Captain Sam Bellamy and the Pirate Ship Whydah, then the screen rose to reveal the actual ship's bell that rang as the ship sank into the sea three hundred years ago. It just got better from there. We learned how to load a cannon, make sailing rope and play "Sheep's Knuckles" - Max lost the game to a "real live" pirate and was told he'd have to be pressed into service on a ship til he could pay his debt. (Too bad it didn't really happen... it would have been a dream come true for our son!) The rope maker even gave Max a piece of the rope that he wound right in front of us... and that rope stayed tight in Max's fist for the remainder of the exhibit.

We also hoisted a Jolly Roger, learned about the different flags used by famous pirate captains, and touched actual pieces of eight-- real Spanish silver pieces recovered from the wreck of the Whydah. Interesting factoid: the treasure from this shipwreck is the only real pirate treasure ever discovered! And there were chests and bags full of it! Wow...

The crowning moments for Max were getting to step foot on a scale model of the Whydah's main deck, stand in the captain's cabin next to a model of Cap't Bellamy, and walk down into the hold of the ship. For the first time, all his imagining became totally real for him and he could stand among pirates on a ship! Unfortunately he wasn't allowed to climb the rigging (yes, he asked) but he still had a magical experience.

This was our first trip to the Science Museum, and we learned that they really know how to do things right! If we could, we'd go back again every day until the exhibit closes. Max certainly would never get bored, and honestly, there's plenty more I'd like to see again!

If ever his interest in pirates was in danger of waning (which I don't really believe it was), this trip to the museum was enough to solidify his passion for the foreseeable future. So shiver me timbers, mateys, we're off to sea!

Snow Day Baking

My mom's neighbor coined a phrase this morning that perfectly describes our current experience: we are "slushed-in"! West St. Paul is usually right on top of things when it comes to plowing, but I guess they decided it wasn't really worth it today. Our alley hasn't even been touched, and that's usually the first to be cleared! So it turned into a nice, quiet day at home, watching the pretty flakes fall... and then melt as they land... turning into messy slop on the roads. Well, at least the trees are beautiful!

One of my new favorite morning activities to do with the boys is baking. I love baked goods, and the boys love getting their hands dirty. Win-win. This morning, we decided on cinnamon-vanilla scones with vanilla glaze. (drooooool...) I gathered the ingredients and utensils on the kitchen table, and we went to town! Max has become quite a good little helper, and Lucian... well... he tries. As Max carefully measured flour into the bowl, Lucian scooped it right back out with a wooden spoon. After Max whisked an egg in a measuring cup, Lucian promptly knocked the cup over, spilling egg all over the table!

I tried to include him as much as I could, but it's a little bit of a wonder our batter turned out at all. I was helping him measure a teaspoon of baking powder, but he got so frustrated that I wouldn't let him do it himself that he flung the teaspoon up in the air, half of the powder landing in our already-measured flour and sugar. I estimated the correct amounts from there and attempted to keep him at arms length until the kneading began. That he was able to do just fine! The boys "smooshed" and "lumped" the dough, and I formed and cut it. We let the scones bake, glazed them, and my oh my were they good!

In case you want to try these yourself, we found the super easy recipe here. The glaze I added was just 1 cup of powdered sugar mixed with a couple tablespoons of milk (keep adding until it's the right consistency) and a splash of vanilla. We drizzled the scones with glaze after they cooled. Honestly, that was the hardest part of the whole process: waiting for the darn things to cool. But patience is a virtue... and they were worth the wait!