Hero Worship

Boys will be boys and this spitting video proves it. For Nate, the world begins and ends with his favorite comedian, "BraBra" Luke.

Cousins

Just like I was, Luke and Nate are blessed with many cousins. On Scott's side of the family we are a very blended bunch. Recently we all got together at the Ballards house, because Scott's step-brother, Steve, and his family were in town from Alaska.

In 2007 we all had a great time cruising together, and we are looking forward to vacationing again together in Cabo this June. These family vacations are so much fun for all of us, but the highlight is watching the kids play together, find their places with each other and assume their roles, and discover the joy that is cousins.

This picture of the cousins all gathered around the Wii makes me smile, in part because it brings back so many memories of my own cousins. I am most close to my cousins Jenny and Julie, and in the end they are more like sisters to me than cousins. I can hardly think of a significant event in my life that they are not connected to- visits to San Jose, camping trips, laughing at George's stuff, Tepee Town, taking the green bug out for a ride, Knott's Scary Farm, creating shows and songs, Me and My Boyfriend Were Walking Through the Park One Day, teaching CCD, drives through SJC donning Groucho glasses, the dead deer at the swamp, swimming lessons, the summer we went to every Bible Camp in Mission Viejo, the long walk from 10th St. Beach, me being a prissy narc on Halloween, Dominos, not going to Youth Group...

Oh no... cousins... now that I am strolling down memory lane, I am realizing that we were all mischief. As they grow, I'm gonna have to keep a closer eye on these kids ;) Even so, I wish my kids may have the same closeness with their cousins that I have had with mine.

Life's Simple Pleasures

There is a sure way to always make Luke's day... Napkins.

I am referring to cool themed napkins placed in the lunchbox. I always find the cheap party napkins on sale or at the 99 Cent store.

He recently told me that he needs to have three napkins each day so he can share. I absolutely love imagining Luke,sitting at the lunch table, swapping and sharing napkins and stories over a bag of Cheetos.

It really is the simple pleasures that make life great, isn't it?

The Climber

Nate has a climbing problem. It is really a problem. At first it was just the desk in the office, but now he loves the kitchen table, too. Besides being firm, which I am doing, I have NO IDEA what to do! HELP!! So far he's only taken one serious spill. We are about to remove all chairs from the home and resign ourselves to a year of standing. Or eating on the floor.

Who Am I?

"Momma, let's play 'Who Am I'," Luke's new favorite game.

"Okay, are you imagining or guessing?"

"I'm already imagining."

And so we start, "Are you a boy or a girl?"

"A boy," he says with a big smile. His repertoire of imagining in this games has proven to include about eight characters (Captain Jack Sparrow, Troy from High School Musical, his cousins Kurt and Justin, Daddy, Bolt, Gabriela from High School Musical, and his aunt Kiki). If you ever play this game with him, this could be important information.

"Are you real or on TV?"

"I'm in a movie," bigger smile this time... he loves this game.

"What are you're friends names?" I ask.

"Gabriela and Sharpay."

"I know who you are! You're Troy from High School Musical!!!" And I'm so proud of my Mommying, because not only are we having fun, but teacher Amy is thinking that developmentally he's learning to ask questions, piece together information to find solutions, etc... Then it's Luke's turn to ask the questions:

"Are you a girl or a boy, Mommy?"

"I'm a girl."

"Are you Elizabeth Swann? Are you Gabriella? Are you Bolt? Are you Daddy?" he surrounds me with guesses.

Yeah. Not so much on the inquiry yet... lots of imagination, though. And I'm so proud :)





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The Cabinet

The boys favorite play area right now is this kitchen cabinet. The bottom used to store sodas and water, but Nate recently took to letting them loose all over the kitchen floor, so now that bottom part of the cabinet is empty.

They take turns hiding in there and playing peek a boo with each other. It's cute to watch them together, especially since all they do is laugh hysterically.

Lukie...out!

Tonight Luke and Scott and I are playing together in Luke's room and Luke suddenly stops. Very seriously, he turns to me and he says, "Mommy, you sang Football Season and the judges said you nailed. Amazing."

Then he turns to Scott, "Daddy you sang, Bear is Dead, and you were awful. Just horrible. "

Scott and I are DYING LAUGHING. Our son thinks he is Ryan Seacrest from American Idol!!!

Straight faced, he continues, "Mommy, Daddy, one of you is the loser. One of you has to go home tonight. Who will it be in the voting?............. It's you Daddy! You're the loser and Mommy is still in it with Lambert Bert. Now, let's see your journey Daddy!"

And then after doing similar scenarios five or six more times, each of us taking a turn as Seacrest, "Lukie...out!"

That Sunny Disposition

I love our pediatrician, but I also get frustrated when he says, "Your baby doesn't look sick! He's happy and playful!" He's said this to me several times about both my kids. Today, after a second visit within 24 hours, I told the Doc that my child has a great disposition but that he is indeed really sick. He confirmed the diagnosis of sunny disposition, but was reluctant on the sick part. Still, he hesitantly ordered some labs and a chest x-ray. Sure enough, Nate's got pneumonia.

I thank God every day I am now a stay at home Mommy so I can take care of my family; so I can know all of the nuances and the what's right and what's wrong. I imagine (and remember back to) what all of the challenges we face would be like if both Scott and I were working full time, and I literally shudder.

I'm glad to report we are treating Nate at home with some antibiotics, and hopefully he's on the fast-track to wellness!

The Cube Without Our Camera

I forgot my stinking camera AGAIN today!! Arg!!! It was a great photo op day, too, but instead here are some pics from the museum's website. Luke, Nate, Bumpa and I headed to the Discovery Science Center, known as "The Cube", in Santa Ana. I had been really hesitant to go to this museum for fear that it was slightly too old for Luke. Well, BOTH my kids were thoroughly entertained for two and a half hours, with Luke announcing, "I want to come back tomorrow!" Soon we will go back, because they have a Dinosaur 4D movie that we didn't get to check out.

We particularly loved the outdoor Dinosaur area with lots of things to climb on and discover. The hurricane room, the height estimator, the earthquake box, the tornado (Yes, cousin Jenny, they have an actual tornado) and the cloud maker were also highlights.

I love a great find and this did not disappoint!

High School Music School

The High School Musical phenomena has reached our household. Who knew the demographic was the four-year-old boy? Luke calls the franchise "High School Music School". He is in LOVE with the soundtrack, and possibly Zac Ephron. His cd is headed to school with him on Friday for share day. I'm sure his teacher, Ms. Alba, will love Luke's rendition of this video "Bet On It", which he watches over and over and over on the Disney website:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rL37snqMJx8

Idol Fever

For the first time, Luke and I have been recording American Idol and watching it together. Luke was instantly drawn to Von Smith, pictured above. When Von did not make the Top 12, Luke started sobbing. I'm not kidding. He ran into the kitchen and crumbled into a little ball on the floor, weeping. When he finally regained control, he insisted we write a letter to Von and another to the judges telling them all what a huge mistake Von's release was. So we did. I'll let you know if we hear anything back... and in case you are wondering, we are now backing Adam Lambert.

Mischief in March

It's March and that can only mean one thing... Leprechauns are on the loose. This morning we woke up and found that one of those tricky little fellows turned our toilet water green!!!!

Pirates love treasure, and so do leprechauns. We have built a leprechaun trap so that we might get a shot at the leprechaun's gold. Our trap has a silver nugget as bait, and a trap door at the top. Because leprechauns are so mischievous, we made a sign that says, "Do not climb the ladder!" Everyone knows that leprechauns don't like to follow rules, so it's only a matter of time before one of these little guys climbs right up into our trap!

Everybody be careful! Leprechauns are starting to play tricks! Don't let them leave green kisses on your face while you're sleeping! Or turn your milk green! Beware!! And in the meantime, treat yourself to a Shamrock Shake...! Yum!