The Butterfly Pavillion

Today is our last day of spring break. How silly is it that we have to go back to school on a Friday? Anyway, we crammed in one more fun excursion before getting back to the grind. We met our friends Kirsten and Riley at the Butterfly Pavilion. Nicco liked all the creepy crawlers and was even brave enough to hold Rosie, the icky tarantula. I have been to the Butterfly Pavilion twice and in those two trips the only people in my company who held the spider were Nicco and Grandma Madsen. MY Grandma Madsen. A sweet little old lady and a 3-year-old out braved me both times.

This picture is a little fuzzy because Nicco was bouncing with excitement pointing to the big, bright, blue butterfly that flew past his head.

Here are Nicco and Riley posing for us.

This is in the exploratorium where they got to climb in a psuedo-spiderweb.

And here they are jumping and playing in the bee hive.

Another fun day. I am not looking forward to going back to work tomorrow, but at least the weekend is coming up soon! (I know, poor me. Feel sorry for me when you get a moment.)

Wildlife Experience

I wanted to have some fun with mom and dad before my break is over. We planned to go to the Firefighters' Museum in Denver, thinking it would be fun and interesting and something new for us all. However, after reflecting a bit, we realized that the museum is just blocks away from Civic Center Park, the home of a Tax Day Tea Party. Considering that we all prefer to avoid crowds, (meaning more than 10 people, according to dad) rowdy crowds in particular, and wacky protest crowds ESPECIALLY, we decided that the Wildlife Experience on the other end of town would be preferable to the Firefighters' Museum. Also taking into consideration Nicco's fear of firetrucks, (what the what???? I do not know where that fear came from, and how he even thinks firetrucks are something to be afraid of is quite beyond me) the animal exhibit was a much better choice.

This fun place has ever-changing exhibits. The current collection is called Animal Grossology. One section was all about poop, another featured blood sucking critters like leeches, mosquitoes and tics. There was a wide variety of body functions and creepy looking creatures from air, land, and sea. Here, Nicco is pumping blood into a leech. Mmmm...

Here he is listening to an animated fly discuss fly habits, including vomiting on people picnics.
The next shots are in a different section, all about forest animals. Here he is in an eagle's nest,

Now he is crawling out of a cave, home to bears, bats, and foxes,

and here he is inspecting some insects under a magnifying glass.

We had lots of fun and enjoyed the art and sculptures and playing with the interactive exhibits. All in all, I think this was a much better day than we would have had with the tax day protesters.

The Big T.V.

When we moved things around to make room for our big t.v., we decided that it would be a good idea to paint the wall. Nicco is helping. Such a helper.
And here it is...see? Not so bad. Just like a large picture hanging on the wall.

P.S. Please ignore the clutter on the table...that is one issue that is yet to be resolved.

Quote of the Day

Nicco and I have some little traditions when we go to the store. When we go to Target, we get pizza and soda and "an airplane or somethin'" and when we go to King Soopers, we get a free pink cookie and ride the penny pony. On our way out of the store today I asked him how his cookie tasted. He said "It's cookie-tastic!"

Going Private

After receiving a comment from a random stranger, I have decided to make my blog private. I look at friends of friend's blogs, so it doesn't surprise me that others might find me through friends of friends, but still...a little creepy. I am receding into a darker corner of my little world.

Happy Easter

For about a week Nicco has been saying that we will be going up to Grandma and Grandpa's house when it is Easter time. Sunday morning when I started packing up his little travel bag, he looked at his wrist (naked of a timepiece) and said with wide eyes, big smile and slight quiver of excitement in his voice "Is it Easter time? Is it on?" I said "Oh yes, it's on."

Nicco got his silly on later in the evening, above is a silly face, below is a silly game he played over and over where he made his daddy grab him by the britches while he ran cartoon style with his little plumber's crack showing, until he collapsed in a heap of giggles only to jump up and say "Do it again, Daddy!"

Here he is making all his favorite colors.
Checking out the pictures on Grandma and Grandpa's camera, in his handsome Easter outfit.

And the egg hunt.

As always, we enjoyed the day with Grandma and Grandpa. The Easter services were lovely, dinner was delightful, and we only had to brave the raging blizzard for half of our drive home. We did actually go home, in spite of the weather and Nicco's insistence that "we can sleep here. Let's do that!"

Mommy and Nicco's Day of Fun

We got dressed, brushed teeth and hair, got in the car, and went on an adventure! First we went to the Children's Museum (which was dirty, and...let's just say we were a minority ethnic group) I was lucky that Nicco was sleeping when we pulled up, because there was a HUGE sign for a new ride at the Aquarium-a SPONGEBOB ride. I may have to check it out in more detail and venture back to that neck of the woods next week. After a short visit at the museum, we went to the Build-a-Bear Workshop so Nicco could build-a-bunny for Easter. He named it Sarah. Hmmm...a crush on Sarah at school perhaps? He likes doing the computer stuff at BABW. Then, we went to McDonald's to play. We got there just as the crew was finishing a 6-hour cleanse of the play place, and we were the only ones there! Bliss! After a while, another little girl arrived with her grandma. Nicco loves to follow bigger kids around, and was thrilled to have a companion. Here are some snippets from their conversations:

Nicco: You! You! You! We have the same! See, you? We have the same! (referring to their happy meal toys)
Me: Nicco, perhaps you should say, 'Excuse me, what is your name? My name is Nicco, and we have the same monster toys.'
Nicco: Excuse me, I'm Nicco. See, we have the same! What is your name?
Ella: I'm Ella, and I know.

Nicco: (to me) She asked me how old I am.
Me: Did you tell her?
Nicco: (Head shake no, and shoulder shrug)
Me: Say 'I'm 3. How old are you?'
Nicco: I'm 3.
Ella: I'm 5. I have a cousin who's 4, and he thinks he's so smart but when he climbs up here, he just gets stuck and calls "grandma, grandma!" He's not as smart as me, but I'm 5. So...

Ella: I'm going to go up here.
Nicco: I'm going to go up here.
Ella: I'm going down the red slide.
Nicco: I'm going down the red slide.
Ella: I'm going to look for the letters in my name. E-L-L-A
Nicco: I'm going to look for the letters in my name E-L-L
Ella: You are just repeating me.
Nicco: You are just repeating me.
Ella: Stop repeating me.
Nicco: Stop repeating me.
Ella's Grandma: Ella, he's littler than you, and just having fun.
Nicco: He's little and having fun
Ella: Now you are repeating my grandma.
Nicco: Now you are repeating my grandma.
Ella: Stop.
Nicco: Stop.
Ella: Say okay
Nicco: Say okay
Ella: Say okay
Nicco: Say okay
Ella: Say okay
Nicco: Say okay
Ella: Say OKAY!!!
Nicco: Say OKAY!!!

Nicco: Hello you.
Ella: I think you mean Ella.
Nicco: (Shoots a look at me as if to say "What in the heck is she talking about? I wasn't talking to her. I was carrying on a random conversation with one of my many invisible pals. Is she CRAZY?")

Nicco followed poor Ella up and down and around. She was a pretty pleasant girl, relatively tolerant of my little copycat/follower, if not quite as enthusiastic for his attention as his loving cousins.

Cat and Mouse

I am "working" (a.k.a. getting paid $5.50 to read and blog for an hour) and Nicco is downstairs watching Tom and Jerry, L-A-U-G-H-I-N-G his pants off. I can't see him, but based on the giggles streaming up the stairs and through the hallway, his pants are most certainly laughed-off. The other day, we raced around the table and the circle that encompasses our living/dining/family rooms and kitchen, taking turns being the mouse and the cat. I don't want my kid to be a tv junkie (well done so far. phtt.) but the giggles and games of cat and mouse once in a while are a good payoff for my fabulous parenting. I promise, when I am done "working," I am going to turn the tv off and we are GETTING DRESSED and GOING SOMEWHERE. Then I will come back and clean some more.

Kudos

So, Patrice has been at his new job for two months. Practically every day, his employers thank him profusely and compliment him on the work he does. He has been harboring hopes that this enthusiasm for his efforts will eventually translate into a bonus of some kind, preferably a bonus with the portaits of our former presidents. Green portraits of former presidents. Small green portraits of former presidents that might fit, oh, I don't know, in a wallet or something. Anyway, last night he came home with good news and bad news. The good news was that we won't have to pay as much in taxes as we anticipated. The bad news, he said, was that he would not be able to ask his employers for a raise any time soon. That being the bad news, I worried that they had an eccentric mood swing and fired him on the spot. He quickly relieved my anxiety and took me out to the garage to see his "bonus." A 47" flat screen HDTV. We will need a bigger house to accomodate it! Kidding, kidding. The T.V. is just a T.V., but the message was important. It is nice to be appreciated and to have your efforts rewarded. I am proud of him. In spite of the monstrosity that is now housed in my living room.

P.S. After actually moving furniture around to accomodate the new television, it is not the monster I imagined it to be when I first saw the box. I will even go as far as to say it looks just fine.

Late Night Paranoia

So here's how my night went:

1. Load up on Exedrine Extra Strength Migraine formula
2. Place a cool washcloth over forehead
3. Curl up in fetal position
4. Hope and wish and pray for relief before the sun comes up

My attempts at alleviating my insane headache were unsuccessful. Then sometime in the middle of the night, I heard someone (or something) knocking on our door. There were flashing lights outside. I could not hear Nicco breathing through the monitor. I heard the knocking again. I had a sudden overwhelming sense of fear that Nicco had somehow woken up and gone outside in the FREEZING cold and snow and was knocking on the door to be let back in. Then I thought someone stole him and the lights are the police and they are knocking to give my poor frozen child back to me. Then I thought it was some crazy homeless tramp who smelled all the food Patrice and his friend spent all day cooking trying to get in and was holding my baby hostage because he sneaked out because I still could not hear him breathing on the monitor. When I finally gathered my wits a little bit, I leaped out of bed, head and heart pounding, and checked on Nicco. He was in his bed, sleeping soundly, apparently not having moved an inch since I snuggled him to sleep in the first place. Then I looked out his window and saw the flashing lights on a big truck. That still didn't compute with my drugged up brain, but I felt better knowing my kid was sleeping safely in his bed. I went back to bed, wide eyed and alert in spite of the pain in my head. I heard the knocking a few more times and debated about waking Patrice to go check on who (or what) was outside. Eventually, I calmed down enough to shut my eyes again just before the heat, computer, printer, and monitor sprang back to life in a whooshing and beeping return of power.

So here's what actually happened:
The power went out. That is why I couldn't hear Nicco.
The power went out and Excel had utility trucks out all night working to restore the power, and that is why there were flashing lights and a big truck outside my window.
There were really high winds. That is why the power went out.

I still can't explain the knocking...probably just the pounding in my head.

Whimper, Sigh

Camera, broken.

Tamara, sad.

Right before spring break. And Taxes.

Kid Art

I introduced my kids to Georgia O'Keefe this month. For their masterpiece, I told them that they could only paint one flower chosen from a vase of silk flowers, they had to fill their whole paper, and they had to use every color they saw in the flower. This is a sample of what they produced:

The white tulip is my favorite. To borrow a phrase from Nicco, is that awesome or what?

Hiccups

So, Nicco has the hiccups. This is what he thinks about that:

"Darn hiccups, would you STOP that?" (Tiny fist shaking in the air and pounding on the table.)

"Mommy, you can have hiccups another day. I have them right now."

Mouth wide open, fingers half way down his throat:
Nicco:"Look mom. See?"
Me: "What did you say?" (Because with his mouth wide open and fingers half way down his throat it sounded more like "Oo, ah. Ee?")
Nicco: "Hiccups" (as in "Duh, mom. Can't you see the hiccups in the back of my throat? Do
I HAVE to point them out to you?")

Back in Time

One of my preschool moms gave me the French Muzzy children's language program. Trouble is, they are on video tapes. That is right, VHS tapes that go in a VCR. What is a VCR, you might ask? You might ask, but I won't address that particular aspect of this little trip down memory lane. A couple of years ago, our neighbors purged their house of all kid things, including quite a collection of Beanie Babies (I guess they decided those "collector's items" won't actually pay off.) and several Disney videos. I promptly passed the Beanies along (I think to the trash...I am often too lazy make the trip to Goodwill, and the end of the driveway is so much more convenient) but for some inexplicable reason, I kept the videos. Patrice plugged in the VCR so Nicco can watch his French lessons, and he was thrilled (Nicco, not Patrice) to finally have technology capable of playing his videos. Today he watched "Pokey-nose" and "Nine Little Dogs" a.k.a. Pinnochio and 101 Dalmatians.

This is What Happens...

...When Nicco has unsupervised access to the camera:

"These are my tootsies"

"This is my mouth"
"This is my face""This is my eye!"
"See mommy, I taked all those pictures!"

I deleted several, mostly pictures of the office and other undiscernable body parts.

Snow Day

Sheila told me there is a saying in Ohio that there are 3 snows left after the Forsythia bloom. If the same rule applies in Colorado, we have 2 more snows. I woke up on Thursday morning to this view off my patio:

I quickly checked my e-mail and saw that school was cancelled due to the coming storm. I don't recall ever having a pre-emptive school closure in Colorado, but I was pleased as could be to stay home. That meant I would not have to rush to the doctor after school. Mom and Dad arrived at our house just in time for hot, homemade creamy chicken soup and promptly after lunch, Dad took me to my appointment in his 4-wheel drive Pilot. I am sure I would not have made it out of my neighborhood in my car, and even if I did, I would have been stranded outside the parking lot at the doctor's office.

While Dad and I were out on that errand, Grandma crocheted a baby blanket with a little help from Nicco:
After "helping" grandma, Nicco "flew his kite." That entailed throwing the skein of yarn, running to where it landed, then throwing it again. Repeat forever. My house looked like one enormous spider web. We were glad when Patrice made it home early. It took him an hour and a half for his usual 30-minute commute. We were also glad that his boss loaned him their big SUV. I don't know that the little Saturn would have made the trip. Once all our loved ones were settled in for the day, we played, read, ate homemade chilli, watched basketball, and checked the news frequently for updates on closures for Friday. By the time I went to bed last night, Cherry Creek Schools had still not announced whether they would be open or closed. I got up early to check the reports and happily, I was able to go back to bed to enjoy another snow day!

This is the view of my front yard 24-hours after the first picture: Hooray for spring snow! Double hooray for snow days in March!

Results

All is well. My doctor told me that she didn't feel anything that remotely caused her alarm. She ordered an ultrasound for me and said even that is probably an overcautious measure. So yay. I overreacted. Thanks for thinking of me, it meant a lot to hear from my family and friends.

...And Then I Don't Feel So Bad

When the dog bites, when the bee stings, when you discover a lump in your breast...

Yeah, simply remembering my favorite things is not helping much with this one.

I am going to the doctor on Thursday, fully anticipating learning that I have an infection in a gland or perhaps a cyst. Nevertheless, I hopped on the Paranoid Express last night after the discovery, and that is a fast moving train, I tell you! Hard to jump off.

I share this with you (my 3 loyal readers...) after talking with Di about sharing personal information and confirming the fact that we all need each other for help, love, support and prayers but won't receive any of that (except the love, that is unconditional) without sharing our troubles.

So there you have it. If I am incomunicado for a couple of days, it is because I am distracted by the noise and lights flashing before me as I convince myself it is probably nothing and I really need to get off this crazy train. That said, if you don't mind mentioning my name as you lay you down to sleep, I would indeed appreciate it.

Spring Fever

Spring has sprung...

Lilac buds, forsythia blooms, sunshine and a little wind instead of winter snowstorms on the heels of a week with 70 degree days...need I say more?

A Peek at the Inner Workings of Nicco's Mind

A few days ago Nicco's teacher Ms. Kim saw this picture of Nicco on my keychain from when he was about a year and a half old. She said "That is a cute picture! I never saw a baby picture of Nicco before!' She turned to him and said "You were a cute baby." At home several hours later Nicco said (emphatically, with grand hand/arm gestures signifying utter disbelief) "Ms. Kim did not even know I was a baby!" The next day at school I told her what he said and she assured him that she did know he was a baby once, but she just did not know what he looked like when he was a baby. Last night he said (totally random and out of the blue...no baby pictures around, my keychain was not in sight, and no real reminders of Ms. Kim in the vicinity, 3 days removed from the original incident) "Remember mom, with the keys, and Ms.Kim?" It is funny and interesting to me that he is sort of fixating on the idea that Ms. Kim doesn't know about babies. It disturbs him on some level.

Quote of the Day

On Tuesday, Nicco and I stopped at the Cold Stone Creamery near our house for an ice cream treat--black (chocolate) ice cream with rainbow sprinkles. On Wednesday when we drove past the ice cream shop he asked if we could stop again. I told him not today, maybe another day. Today (Thursday) when we approached the aforementioned ice cream shop he said "It is another day...(dramatic pause)...Can we get ice cream?!"

100 Things

Mom has been pondering a journaling class lately. I don't know the exact details she has been trying to work out, but she was looking for resources, ideas, and a teacher. I have a book called "A Journal to the Self" that I happened to pull off my shelf recently. Mom glanced through it and came across a section about listing 100 things. There were a lot of good ideas, and I have been thinking of my own 100 things. Mostly what 100 things I would like to list. I think I should list 100 things I could list 100 things about. I think I will start with the easy and obvious 100 things that make me happy: (In random order, my list is a stream of consciousness) (It also took a LONG time to write...it is unedited at the moment.)

1. Snuggling Nicco for "1 minute" before he falls asleep.
2. The way Nicco folds his hands under his chin when he sleeps.
3. Burgers and Fries (capital B & F...not just any old burger and fries.)
4. Reading great books
5. My "soft" (The fluffy soft robe Patrice gave me for Christmas a year ago, affectionately named "mommy's soft")
6. Reading great books in my soft. (Is that cheating? Combining two happy things to make a third? It is my list, so I make the rules. I declare it is not cheating.
7. "Working" on Saturday mornings. It makes me happy to turn on my computer and read (or blog) while I make money. Granted, I make more money if I actually work, instead of "work," but getting paid to read makes me happy, even if it is only $5.50 an hour.
8. Refreshing my billing page after an hour of "work" and seeing my tutoring income increase by $5.50.
9. Sneaking on Daddy. When we hear Patrice open the garage door after work, Nicco and I sneak and hide behind the wall until he comes in. Nicco giggles and giggles, so sneaking is not sneaky at all, but it is a silly little ritual that makes me happy.
10. 300 days of sunshine a year. I don't think I would be happy in Seattle.
11. Unlimited long distance.
12. Fairview.
13. Weekends.
14. Chocolate.
15. Spying on Nicco when he is at school.
16. Listening to Nicco "sing."
17. Watching Nicco "dance."
18. Our house
19. Bailey
20. Having Nicco's grandparents nearby, so they can pop in when they are in town.
21. Technology-the web cam makes me happy. E-mail makes me happy.I am happy that technology provides a way for Nicco to know his family who are not nearby and cannot pop in for visits.
22. LOST
23. Netflix
24. Quick visits (most recently, Diana's quick visit here. A few months back, our visit to Utah)
25. Learning that one of my student's dad's is a closet Republican Jew!
26. Fresh squeezed lemonade at a baseball game on a summer day. Take or leave the baseball game.
27. The first day of spring break
28. The last day of school
29. Our big comfy bed
30. $1.65/gallon gas
31. Learning something new (French~I'm working on it!)
32. Traveling
33. Sleeping in
34. The ocean
35. Sunsets
36. Sushi
37. Tomatoes
38. Flip Flops
39. Reading stories to Nicco
40. Roasting Marshmallows
41. Patrice making Nicco laugh so hard he almost chokes
42. Weekday picnic lunches with Patrice
43. Clean laundry folded AND put away
44. The Pink Panther theme song (Nicco slink walks, humming the theme song)
45. Nicco speaking French. (He said "allez, on y va" (come on, let's go!) as he struggled with a "sitting one" on the potty. It made me laugh.
46. Blue eyes (both my boys have beautiful blue eyes)
47. Nicco "working" on his laptop while I work
48. Love from my family, one and all, but especially from my two boys.
49. Hugs and kisses (Nicco tells me specifically that "hugs and kisses make you happy")
50. Nicco's "cost" (nothing in our house is free...even a sippy cup with chocolate milk costs. The cost is a dollar and a kiss. I would be RICH, rich I tell ya! if Nicco had real dollars.)
51. Fuzzy pants
52. Fuzzy socks
53. The fresh clean smell and feeling in the air after a nice spring or summer rainstorm
54. A bright, fresh winter day after a snow, but before anyone has driven on the roads. The blue blue sky and white white ground make me happy.
55. Cuddling by the fire
56. Ode to Joy
57. Road trips (specifically, the trip Patrice and I took in 2001 around Colorado. Whenever I hear Frank Sinatra, I think of that trip. Also the trip we took to Vegas in 2004. Happy times.)
58. Months that start on Monday
59. Sweet assurances (some of these eternal truths were reinforced and re-learned at Time Out For Women with Mom)
60. Time Out For Women with Mom
61. Feeding ducks: Every time I can remember feeding ducks, it was a happy time for me. I enjoyed it as a child, but I think I enjoy it even more as an Aunt and as a mom. I remember taking a walk to a little pond with Lucy when they lived in Highlands Ranch. She stood on a rock with her arms uplifted and announced "I am queen of the world!" I don't think I can write her pronunciation of "world" at that time in her life, it was something like "weald" So cute! I also LOVE feeding ducks with Nicco.
62. Crossing things off my lists
63. Relaxing in my hammock (my first mother's day present!)
64. A relatively large balance in my savings account
65. Nature, as in deer wandering through the yard at Mom and Dad's house, a fox sleeping in the sun in our backyard, etc.
66. Signs of spring
67. Growing things: a little garden, lots of grapes
68. Eating the things we grow. It is very satisfying to have a fresh tomato and cucumber salad, and the 100 jars of jelly from last year's grape harvest made me really happy.
69. Kid art
70. My bookshelf
71. Going to the library
72. Going to the bookstore
73. Christmas songs
74. Holding my boys' hands
75. Tuesdays (I only have 8 students on Tuesdays instead of 22, so things are quieter and we have better opportunities to do some really fun projects.)
76. Rituals and traditions: Whenever I go to Target with Nicco, we get pizza and a soda and "an airplane, or somethin,'" when we go to Bailey, we go to the park and the hot dog, Nicco "costs" for things he wants, 1-minute snuggles before sleep, talking to Papi and Mamie every Saturday or Sunday morning, etc. Maybe I should do a 100 rituals and traditions list!
77. Lilacs
78. Photo projects: our keychains, calendars, and planners
79. Playing games together (except Scrabble. Scrabble makes me cranky)
80. Live musical theater (my faves: Les Miserables, Wicked, and a happy surprise, Urinetown)
81. Patriotic music (including both of our national anthems, The Star Spangled Banner and La Marseillaise)
82. Fresh baked bread
83. Fresh baked cookies
84. Mike Baker: His column always makes me laugh, but I confess, it doesn't always make me happy.
85. Volunteer armed forces. I would NOT be happy if my son were required to serve our country through the military. I would probably not be happy if he chose to serve in the military, but I am happy he has the choice. (Freedoms I enjoy...another 100 things list?)
86. Marriage. Mine is a happy one, as are those of the people closest to me. Happy marriages make me happy!
87. A hot bath after a long day, especially a long cold day. Or even better, after sledding! Mmmm...a hot bath after playing in the snow. Aaaahhhh...
88. Sledding
89. Nicco's "monthday" album, pictures taken of him on or around the 25th of each month since he was born. Patrice's idea, a good one! Looking at his monthday album makes me happy.
90. Mini eggs
91. My two boys
92. Blog updates. Seriously...I refresh the screen roughly 50 times a day, just to see if anyone has updated yet. I know, a little ADD. Also maybe a little OCD.
93. A clean house (The result, not so much the process. Although, depending on my mood, the process can actually make me happy.)
94. Napping in the sunshine (Specifically the patch of sunshine in mom and dad's dining room by the deck. Also on my hammock.)
95. Opening the house windows on warm days
96. A good job
97. My handful of friends. Literally...I think I have 5 friends!
98. My family, immediate and extended.
99. A good night sleep, waking up refreshed.
100. Squares
     
     
     
     
     

A Quick Visit

It was exciting and fun to have the Biles family visit for a little while. It was kind of hectic, but great to spend some time together. Nicco and I headed up the hill on Monday after school and got to Grandma and Grandpa's house in time to make doughnuts (WHAT??? Doughnuts in March? The last days must be closer than we thought...) Grandma asked the kids if we should do doughnuts or dinner first. Lucy said dinner, Nicco said doughnuts. We flipped a coin and doughnuts won. Lucy was a good mixer of dough, and Nicco made sure the holes made it to their proper place...his belly. When Nicco didn't eat dinner, we regretted the doughnuts first decision. (To a small degree. I mean really, if you can't fill up on doughnuts and spoil your appetite at Grandma and Grandpa's house, is life truly worth living at all?)
Nicco has a small hero-worship going on for Duncan. Duncan is just the coolest thing walking in his little world. He had a blast following Duncan around, imitating words and gestures and showing off a little himself. They fed the fish together, played in the yard together, played cars and airplanes, and all the other silly boy things they do.

Oh yeah...they also played in the bathtub...

We spent Monday night in Bailey, I woke up early to go to school and drove back to Bailey again Tuesday afternoon to spend more time with the fam and to pick up Nicco. That afternoon I let my little bird fly a teeny tiny bit. Duncan "refurbished" Dad's slingshot and he wanted to be outside shooting. Nicco wanted to follow him, of course. They stuck near the house and the driveway and it was cute watching them play. A little later, Duncan wanted to go outside again. The cutie put socks and shoes on Nicco (actually, I think he neglected the socks...) and took him outside to play. He didn't say anything to me, just got Nicco ready. Diana and I watched from the window as they walked around, Duncan pointing out presumably cool things, and Nicco just a step behind mimicking his walk and gestures. At one point, Duncan gave Nicco an instruction. (I assume it was something along the lines of "you stay right here while I climb this enormous huge boulder that would shatter your tiny fragile bones and possibly kill you if you fell off.") Duncan scampered up like a little mountain goat, and Nicco stayed firmly planted on the ground below. I instinctively reached to open the window and holler "NO CLIMBING!!! DON'T LET NICCO UP THERE! PLEASE STAY WITH MY SMALL CHILD!!!" But I resisted, and Duncan returned to Nicco's side quickly enough and continued to guide him on a brief two-boy trek around the yard. This may make some of you laugh, especially those of you with highly adventuresome children (plural...older sibs to guide and train the younger ones who are accustomed to grand exploratory adventures without their mommies holding their hands) but it was the first time I let Nicco outside in an unfenced area without me. Granted, I was watching from the window and would be at his side in roughly 3 seconds if anything happened, but still. A test flight for my little bird all the same.

While I was at school on Tuesday, the cousins had small adventures at the park and the "hot dog." A visit to Bailey would not be complete without those two stops. I might add some pictures of that later, if I can get my hands on mom and dad's camera.

Mom and Dad brought Diana and kids to my house on Wednesday to spend the night. We made Patrice make burgers and fries. He was gracious and kind to indulge me, especially since he had to miss half of LOST to cook for us all. Nicco and Duncan entertained themselves some more, here they are riding bikes in the garage. Again, Duncan was a super awesome big cousin/friend to Nicco.

Diana and I stayed up late (but not TOO late) having a sister talk. Nicco and I dropped them off at Russell's sister's house Thursday morning on the way to school, knowing that even though they were still in town only a half mile away, we wouldn't be seeing them again that visit. I was glad that we crammed a lot of fun into a couple of days. Good times.

P.S. Nicco is playing "cousins" right now. His build-a-monkey and duck puppet are his "new cousins, because I had to take my other cousins to their house. Lucy and Duncan are not here any more. They are gone. But look mom, this is my cousin monkey and my cousin ducky." They are camping under the stars on his soft blankie. He said "See you tomorrow, sweet dreams." then gave each cousin a goodnight kiss.

I Love You, Bleh

I don't know what it means. It's what I've been getting lately. Love with bleh. Sometimes I request my love with no bleh, and sometimes I get it. Nicco is not Burger King, you can't always have it your way. Sometimes he still says I love you, and sometimes he specifies I love you with no bleh. Like I said, I don't know what it means. Bleh doesn't seem to be a bad thing in spite of how it sounds, so I guess I will be happy getting I love yous, with or without bleh.

Pretty Lights

I was unloading the dishwasher the other night and Nicco was "helping." He pointed out the window and said "Pretty lights." That usually means there are Christmas lights or some other sort of outdoor decorative lights. He also usually follows his "pretty lights" statement by reminding us that "Santa Claus is lying down until next year, getting rest for the big night." I didn't see any pretty lights, but he insisted. I looked out and saw the crescent moon and I thought Venus was a porch light or something, it was so big and bright. (Perhaps I should have paid more attention in what, 3rd grade science in the space unit? It was probably earlier than that when someone explained the difference between stars and porch lights. In my defense, the moon and Venus were low on the horizon, easily level with porch lights. Or maybe I should have just looked longer than half a second. Or maybe given the omission of the Santa Claus explanation, I should have known that something unique was happening.) Anyway, about a half hour later, the news anchor on T.V. was talking about the awesome pairing of the moon and Venus. It wasn't really visible by the time I checked again, but they said it would be similar the next night. I looked, Venus was indeed impressive, but not as much as the previous night, apparently. I should have listened to Nicco!

Once Upon A Time

I have been thinking about writing about how Nicco references the past for a while now. I know (from experience...I have 11 nieces and nephews and a few hundred young students after 9 years of teaching preschool) that little kids have many cute and adorable ways (also many NOT cute and NOT adorable ways) of expressing themselves. So, here are a few "Nicco-isms" that I think are cute and adorable.

*Yesterday when I was little, remember? (as in "I saw that episode of SpongeBob yesterday when I was little, remember?" Also, when looking at pictures of himself as a baby "I slept in my crib yesterday when I was little, remember?")

*I grow talled (as opposed to I growed tall, or I grew tall) (He stood on tiptoe to pee in a slightly taller toilet than he is accustomed to, therefore needed to "grow tall.")

*I turn them offed (a pattern...he puts the past tense -ed ending at the end of the sentence, not at the end of the verb. I know. No wonder he corrected my grammar the other day.) (He "turn offed" his tears so he could join us in the family room again.)

*The end is pretty. (This isn't really about the past, just a cute saying of his that I like. He likes sunsets. At dusk he will say "the sun is going down. It is almost the end. The end is pretty.")

I love all little kid-isms. Please feel free to share yours.

(P.S. I will feel sad and rejected if nobody shares their kids' cute and adorable sayings after I invited you to do so. Validate me. Comment on my blog. I command you.)

P.P.S. PLEASE?

Mushy Gushy

Unless you randomly stumbled across this blog by, I don't know, opening links to friends of friends on your friends' blogs, then you have probably met me. Since I don't have that many friends to begin with, it is reasonable to jump to the assumption that I don't have that many friends of friends either. Nor am I many people's friend of friend. I guess that is what I meant to say. Anyway, unless you are an accidental tourist of my blog (unlikely) you have met me. And if you have met me (likely), you know that I don't gush or get mushy about my (here it comes...) twoo love. (Read the Princess Bride if you haven't yet. Or just watch the movie. No, really. Read the book.) So, to keep up with the "My Husband is the Most Wonderful Husband in the History of the World and the Greatest Father on Earth Ever" gushy wives out there, I am going to share a moment of "aah, isn't he just the cutest daddy EVER?" And by that, I mean simply that it was really nice to have Patrice come to our Daddy Day breakfast at school today with Nicco, and he looked handsome. When mom and dad arrived at the hospital after Nicco was born, they asked Patrice how he felt and he said (with the New Daddy tear in his eye and catch in his throat) "I am a changed man." (I KNOW!!! This has never happened to anyone else! Amazing! With all the babies born EVERY SINGLE DAY, Patrice is the only one EVER to be completely changed after the birth of his child!) So anyway, I love to see Patrice in his daddy role. I like to use my objective eyes and look outside myself and just see us as a traditional little family, doing traditional little things. Daddy came to the Daddy breakfast at school. Fun. Cute. Fulfilling. Warm fuzzies all over. Yay for me. Mine is the Most Wonderful Husband/Father of A Child in The World TO ME !

I'm a Bad Mom

Nicco didn't have the greatest weekend ever. He didn't eat much all weekend, and Saturday he had a fever. He seemed better on Sunday, but he still didn't eat. His fever was gone and he was pretty much back to normal, except for taking a long nap. I figured he wanted the nap because of the fever the other day and not eating. I was not excited about getting up to go to work this morning (WHAT???) and I actually said out loud to Patrice "I almost wish Nicco still had his fever so I would have to stay home." (This is foreshadowing) I walked past Nicco's class at lunchtime and his teachers pulled me in because he was being very stubborn about not eating. He even started to cry when I tried to convince him to eat something. I let it go, because I don't want to create food issues, and I told him that we will go to the store and he can pick out some things that he will eat at school. No more than 10 minutes later, Mrs. Georgia came down to my class and told me I had to get a sub and go home because Nicco was throwing up. So, my evil wish came true. I had a half day today, and because of the vomit, I can't take Nicco to school tomorrow either. Guilty guilty guilty....

Quote of the Day

My co-teacher has a really great stuffed dog that she brought to school for the kids to play with. He is the favorite pet, and Nicco has become attached to him lately. He wanted to take Marley upstairs to his class today, but I wouldn't let him. He found a suitable stand-in among the stuffed toys in his classroom, and when I spied on him as I walked my kids past his classroom, I saw him playing with a puppy while he "listened" to his teacher read a story. A few moments ago, Nicco dragged his big doggie onto the couch and made a doggie nest for himself. He said "I like doggies and nests." I told him I saw him playing with doggies at the circle during story time. He said "I did not play with doggies at school today. I only played with one doggie. One doggie, mom. Not a lot." My apologies to the grammar police. I will pay closer attention to singular and plural usage in the future.

Hooray for the Library!

I went to the library to pick up a book about Charles Demuth for our current Masterpiece work at school, and of course I stopped by the sale shelf, you know, just in case. What do you know...there were three books on my Pulitzer list and a few other interesting books too. I picked up seven books for $3.50! Again, HOORAY for the library!

A Small Boast

Sometimes I get a little proud of the projects I come up with at work. We are in a process of changing our whole curriculum to be more child-generated. Part of that process was to get rid of all the "unnatural" products in our rooms. We replaced bright plastic bins with wood, wicker, and bamboo baskets. We also took down all the manufactured art and replaced it with photos of our kids in the different centers, as well as samples of their own artwork. Since we took down our pre-fab alphabet, I had the kids paint all the letters to hang on our newly bare walls. My co-teacher was not optimistic about their ability to reproduce a recognizable alphabet, but I just knew they would do a great job. So in spite of the protests from my partner, I took on this task and the kids came up with this beautiful (in my opinion) display:

Another project I am particularly proud of is our "Masterpiece of the Month" where we learn about one artist, his or her particular style, and some art concept. Then the kids reproduce well-known paintings. So far, we have recreated "Summer" by Giuseppe Arcimboldo, a "mural" by Jackson Pollock, a "Composition in Red, Yellow, and Blue" by Piet Mondrian, "The Starry Night" by Vincent Van Gogh, and "Water Lilies" by Claude Monet. Our Water Lilies are still on display at school, but here is one of my student's portfolios of the other four:
I don't feel like I am being too prideful, since it is really the kids' work that is praiseworthy here.

Happy (Sappy...?) Mommy Moment

The other day, Nicco asked me for a snuggle. We collected his "lot of things" (Sponge, Soft Blankie, sippy cup, an airplane or two...) and settled on the couch for a snuggle. He petted my hair ("because it is so soft") and said "Mom, I love you." I said "Nicco, I love you." He repeated, I repeated. He repeated, I repeated. Even though the repetition from 3 year olds gets tiresome sometimes, I let this one go on for quite a while. Ahhhh...basking in the unconditional love of a toddler.

So Here's the Thing About Facebook...

I'm Stubborn. Yes, Stubborn with a capital S. For those of you who don't know me that well, I will just relate one small story. When I interviewed for my first teaching job, my principal told me that he called someone to get a little more information about me. That is totally normal, in fact, it is the precise reason we make personal and professional reference lists. He said he called the one person who probably knows me better than anyone else. I said "You called my mother." Affirmative. The question he asked her was about my greatest strength and my greatest weakness. Mom said that I have one personality trait that is actually both. You guessed it, I am Stubborn. So you may be wondering how this relates to Facebook. I will never join Facebook. It is not because I think Facebook is stupid. I think it is a great tool for finding old friends and getting in touch and sharing stories, events, etc. It is not that I think that people on Facebook are stupid. Most of the people I know with Facebook profiles really enjoy the contact it brings them with friends, family, acquaintances (and apparently, random strangers...maybe it is the random stranger thing that makes me a little stubborn.) One of the arguments people have used to convince me to join is that you can find old friends, people you haven't seen since high school! The thing is, I didn't have that many friends in high school, and if I can find them, they can find me! I don't want to be found...I am on Goodreads and I have a blog. That is as "out" as I want to be. My friends at work keep telling me they will get me on there by the end of the year. That statement alone ensures it will never happen. (Remember that Stubborn thing I mentioned earlier?) Then the stories they tell! Holy Cow! I won't share them here, but truly, if you are trying to convince me to join, you probably shouldn't share all the humiliating and embarrassing things that happen to you on Facebook! Now I'm feeling a little like it is '1984' and I will be examined by the Ministry of Truth...I may go and make my Goodreads profile and blog private....aaahhhh.....

So here's the thing about Facebook...if you invite me to be your friend, I will ignore your request. Don't equate ignoring a "friend request" with actually ignoring a friend. I probably love you and have no intention to hurt your feelings, (you were probably just being nice and don't really care if I accept your friend request anyway) but I am not going to join Facebook. Most of you have blogs or Goodreads accounts. You all have phones and e-mail addresses. I pretty much keep in touch directly, indirectly, or vicariously (i.e. my brothers-in-law and cousins-in-law via my sisters and cousins...) with everyone I love and want to be in touch with. I am not going to join Facebook. LOVE YOU ALL!!!

Buddies

It is fun (if a little disconcerting...) to watch the next generation of Madsen/Russo kiddos playing together. Nicco and Dylan are 5 days apart and they have gotten along famously the 2 times we have thrown them together. They mimic and encourage each other, and only when they were pushed to their tired limits did they argue about toys.
Here they are watching a light/music toy together.

Too cute...if only they were always so calm.

Here is the other (silly) side of Nicco and Dylan. They have different moves, but they are equally entertaining.

SUPER!

We went to the annual Super Bowl party at the Russo's house. They are such gracious hosts. As always, the food was plentiful, the company was delightful, and the game certainly did not disappoint this year. On the way over I asked Nicco if he was going to cheer for the Cardinals or the Steelers, and he said the Cardinals. He was sitting next to Mr. Russo, however, and quickly changed his mind. He repeated every word and gesture of John's and put on quite a sideline show for all of us. Thanks to John for keeping it G-rated!
Here is my little man, sitting in his football watching chair with his bowl of game snacks.

The 3-D glasses for the Monster v. Alien commercial were a little tricky, but he made a good effort at using them. His sticking out ears didn't stick out enough to keep the glasses on his head.

Here is Nicco's reaction to the first touchdown of the game. He was very excited. He even won the 3rd quarter pool and got $3.00! He was this animated for probably 3/4 of the game, but then his little buddy Dylan woke up and he spent his energy playing with him instead.

It was a fun evening, and I am glad that we are still part of the crowd at the annual gathering. Maybe someday mom and dad will be in town for the Super Bowl instead of traveling!