Visit with Grandma Mouse and Paw Paw

Grandma Mouse and Paw Paw (my parents) came to visit for a few weeks this month. We always come up with fun stuff to do when they are around. Here are just a few things we did.

We spent an afternoon at Cattleman's Ranch and Steakhouse. The kids love the Ranch and the rest of us love the steak!

Max and Zach took them to their favorite park and ran into some friends there. Max and Lily conquered the climbing rock all by themselves and then Zach wouldn't rest until he could get up there too (with a little help from Paw Paw)!

Also during their visit, Grandma Nana (Jeff's mom) celebrated her 60th birthday. Since we couldn't be with her, we had a party in her honor. Max helped me make her a train cake b/c "she will LOVE it" and made sure it was chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and chocolate sprinkles. We sang Happy Birthday over the phone and blew out her candles. I'm sure she appreciated the thought. The cake looked awful but it's a long story and SO NOT MY FAULT!! Right MOM!?!?
Basically the middle didn't get cooked and I had to cut it apart and reshape it with the cooked pieces I could salvage. Not bad, considering...

Things We Learned from Grandma and Paw Paw

Max and Zach learned A LOT from Grandma Mouse and Paw Paw during this last visit. And I'm not talking about dirty words and obscene jesters--they are already too familiar!--I'm talking about even more useful life skills. For example, here is Zach at the arcade racking up tickets from the Whack-A-Mole game. Now if you know Grandma Mouse, there is no doubt who taught him these skills!

This is Max demonstrating how to devour a donut in nothing flat. A trait he MIGHT have inherited from his Paw Paw! In fact when I told Max that Paw Paw was coming, his first comment was "Oh wow, he can take me to the donut store and get me some donuts!" Poor kid, the only time he gets donuts is when Paw Paw comes. Maybe that's how he stays so thin.

And Zach is following in the his brother's footsteps. I do believe this may have been Zach's 1st donut ever. He quite enjoyed it I assure you.

Grandma Mouse and Paw Paw also help Zach to overcome his fear of riding the the train at the mall. I guess an audience to show off for helped him to be brave.

And they got Max to ride his "new" bike!!! He has barely touched the things since Christmas, but they got him out and riding it for a little while. He still prefers his smaller trike but at least he did it long enough for pictures!!

Albuquerque Trip

While my parents were in town they thought it would be fun to take the boys on a roadtrip to Albuquerque (about 5 hours away). I thought it sounded like a great idea until they said I had to go too! It actually turned out to be a really good trip except that I was sick the whole time. The boys did great in the car and slept pretty well at the hotel so all in all much fun was had by all. The Albuquerque Zoo was a lot of fun for the boys. It was a beautiful day and all the animals were out. This zoo has tons of animals to see AND a train to ride. What could be better than that?? ( BTW I love pictures of the boys looking at stuff together.)

Max had a great time at the zoo. He said his favorite animal was the polar bear, but he does a pretty good impression of a flamingo too. Next time you see him, ask him to show you!!

Albuquerque also has a big botanical garden to wander through. Another beautiful day for that. I think Zach could have run through the park for hours (maybe he did) but he did stop for a few seconds to pose for a picture!

Max reminded everyone how important it is to stop and smell the flowers too!

We also went to the aquarium while we were there. It was a little smaller than what I'm use to but the boys love fish and Max has decided that sharks are about the greatest things ever!!

While we had a wonderful trip to Albuquerque the best part was when we got home. Max went back to school and told his teacher that he went to Guatemala and rode a giant ship in the sea and had amazing adventures. He also told her that he bought brightly colored blankets for everyone and he's "bring them tomorrow"! It is hard to compete with his imagination!

4 A.M.

So I found myself up at 4:00 this morning. I decided it would be a good time to get a few things done. I did a load of laundry, cleaned the bathroom, and scrubbed the kitchen floor. Why did I decide to do this you ask. Is it because I couldn't sleep? No. Is it because I wanted to clean my house in peace and quiet? No. Is it because I'm compulsive about the cleanliness of my home and couldn't rest knowing there was work to be done? Yeah right! I was up at 4 this morning doing all of these productive things for one reason and one reason alone. VOMIT!!

Yes that is right. Max woke up in a terrible coughing fit (which he has) and threw up in his bed. After I cleaned him up and changed the bed, he immediately did it again. He also got my kitchen and bathroom in the process. So I was up cleaning house at 4 A.M. today. I guess the bright side is I don't have to do it now!

Another Question for the Week

Why, oh, why does cute little Zakky ALWAYS wait until I sit down to eat to decide it is time to poop??? And he's not subtle about it either. Oh no, he comes right over to me turns bright red and starts grunting. What about me eating brings on his urge to have a bowel moment? Really? It happens at any time of the day, no matter what I'm eating or what/when he ate. No common denominator except that Mommy sat down with food.

So day after day, meal after meal, I am constantly facing the same dilemma. Do I get up and change him right away, risking the possibility that I will lose my appetite in the process, not to mention letting my food get cold while I do it? OR do I let him wait until I am done? And yes, he stands right next to me reeking of his completed "business" and whining because, well, something smells pretty awful.

So this is one of those tough decisions I face daily as a SAHM. Sometimes I choose to address the issue immediately while other times I just let it linger. But I always wonder WHY.