Three Times the Fun: November 2011

FYI - this was started on 19 November ... will write more for December posts!

Well, in the last month there has been so much going on, i feel like I haven't been able to organize my thoughts. Every time I think about sitting down to write, i just get overwhelmed with all of the things i SHOULD write about that i end up finding something else to do. no good for a consistent blog.

Brady - Cowboy, Gavin - Train Engineer, Aidan-Veterinarian

What's been happening? Well the boys had their first trick-or-treating experiences. It only took about 3 houses for them to "get" what the point was and then they were DOWN with trick-or-treating for about another 3 houses before they kind of got worn out and were asking to go home. We went with a group of friends around the compound, and so while their candy bag just had one layer of candy on the bottom, it was more candy than they had EVER seen all in one place. We still have the bags on the counter, and occasionally they will ask for a piece of it, but since they are getting lots of treat from POTTY TRAINING (well, two are) they aren't quite as focused on the halloween candy. Brady was asking for about a week after Halloween if he could go trick or treating on Halloween again. It was kind of funny to see the look on his face when we said, "Sure, in a year!".

Speaking of Potty Training - 2/3 of the boys are well on their way to being fully potty trained. For the first saturday of the Eid break (now 2 and a half weeks) Curt took Brady and Gavin for a morning out and I did the Potty Party with Aidan (rec'd by friends). The short version is we had pics of some favorite characters in the bathroom, some fun games/toys/treats as prizes, a doll he could "teach" to pee and poop (whom he named Baby Logan), new underwear and the Pullups Do The Potty Dance on YouTube until i can sing this song backwards. He and Brady had been asking to pee in the potty for about 4 or 5 days before this, but he seemed to be the driest the most often in his diaper. While I was getting a little sick of going to the bathroom every 10-15 minutes, it was really fun to have the one on one time with him. I feel like I got to know him even better and understand him more. By the time Brady and Gavin got home, Aidan was now in underwear and Brady freaked. Then Brady saw he could get a Thomas Train if he pooped in the potty (something Aidan hadn't done yet) and determination took over. He tried to poop at least 2 times before nap (even though he had already gone for the day while they were out) and finally nearly forced his lower intestines out after nap and was the first to get a Thomas Train before he was wearing underwear. Amazing. He was SOOOOO upset Aidan had a potty chart and stickers (read: attention) that Curt and I decided we needed to do another Potty Party for him the next day. Now, we had never been around a newly potty trained kid (read: not ACTUALLY potty trained yet), so when we realized he hadn't pooped in nearly 48 hours, and had several wetting accidents that morning, we realized sending Curt out with Gavin and Aidan would have ben a death march for someone. So for Brady's potty party, we spent the ENTIRE MORNING in our bedroom. While large, it was challenging at best. Now, I know Curt had a hell of a time of it occupying the other two downstairs and working with Aidan and his new skill, but keeping the same level of enthusiasm and creativity in 1/8 of the space and no new scenery was TOUGH. As with Aidan, it was quite fun to spend the time with Brady (he named the baby Baby Einstein) and get to know him even better as well. I will say, after giving all of that one on one time, i do feel bad the boys don't get as much individual time as they deserve. HOWEVER, any time we do try to take just one any where, the other two throw a FIT and it ends up being a family trip, or no one goes. anywho . . .. With the Potty Training, I"m happy to report that 2 and a half weeks in, we MOSTLY have days with NO accidents, and both Aidan and Brady are becoming more comfortable pooping right on the potty. We still have treats and prizes, but they are dwindling. We just got some bigger underwear for Gavin, but he still really isn't at the place A&B were when we decided to train them. I think he will be soon, as his interest in just sitting on the potty has returned after an unfortunate poop on the floor incident before a bath one day. He didn't get in trouble or anything, but I think he knew I wasn't overjoyed about it either. :)

Other things the boys have been up to - a few weeks ago when we were asked to play "Monster" for the umpteenth time, Aidan suddenly decides to be a monster himself. He runs up to Brady, pulls up his shirt and gives him a super loud ZERBERT! (or raspberry) He thinks he is just the funniest thing and begins doing it to Gavin, curt and I, eventually a waitress in a restaurant, etc. And of course he loves his title of Zerbert-Monster.

Dad plays Monster with Gavin

The other day, when it was time to pick the boys up from school, they are helping clean up toys on a table. A&B are happy to see me and pretty much quit cleaning things up once I arrive. Gavin says hello, but goes back to his task. His teacher, Mrs. Arife says "let me help you put these pegs away" and pushes a few through the peg board. Gavin LOSES it. We try to give him another peg board with more in it, to just get him to leave with me, to just let him put the remaining pegs away on his board - NOTHIN'. I pick him up once and he literally peels himself off of me and crawls on the floor back to the table. A&B have sunglasses and backpacks on and are READY to go, especially after Brady had tried to poop on the potty but wasn't successful. Calculating this situation, and the 20 minute drive home, the possibility of a newly potty trained boy who may actually need to go #2, I put Gavin's little backpack on myself, pick him up and tell A&B to follow me and make a beeline for our car holding on to a crying, kicking, writhing 36lb+ child who is SCREAMING "STAY AT SCHOOL! I WANT TO STAY AT SCHOOL! NO GO HOME!". Gavin had to be wrestled into his car seat - twice. the first time he crawled out of the car and onto the sidewalk and started walking back toward the entrance. i finally buckled his legs in so he couldn't go anywhere and then was able to corral his arms. A&B are in shock and pretty much sit there in silence watching the escapades. Gavin screams and cries about wanting to go to school the entire 20 minute ride home. Normally, you can't get a word in edgewise with Brady sharing about the day, but other than a few repeats of my "Gavin, school is closed now." he is silent. we get home and I leave the car on and take A&B inside leaving Gavin a few minutes to cool off. I go back out to get him and while he is still crying, he has stopped screaming and kicking. He is still saying he wants to go to school. When we get inside, I just pick him up and he literally MELTS into my arms and goes completely quiet and still. Ordinarily by this time, I would have the boys pottied, changed into pullups, Gavin's diaper changed and we would be reading a book before nap. I decide not to fight it, plop on the couch with G stuck to me (which felt wonderful, even though his insanity was exhausting moments before) and we all watch a little cartoon about bumblebees for 10 minutes. Everyone recovered and we had some REALLY good naps. It's tiring experiencing a fit like that - for everyone! It really was a difficult thing to not say "YOU ARE BEING RIDICULOUS!" because of course it's a WONDERFUL thing he likes school so much now, especially because i fear that this love of learning will be sucked out of him, like it is for some many of us, one day.

Sweet Gavin and his trains

I recently finished "Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys" and it raised so many things for me, especially as I was reading it after the Penn State scandal erupted. It is amazing to think of how many messages we send to kids(and adults) about what's OK for men and boys to be, and how that can limit them in ways that really don't work in order for people to feel whole and accepted. This book makes me hopeful that Curt and I can work towards helping them become well adjusted, happy, emotional adults; and fearful of what their middle and high school experiences will be like. I think in many ways, if we can work to help them have good sibling relationships with one another, they will already be better off having brothers who will defend them and support them in the face of teasing and bullying, but of course, you just never know.

Brady told us he was a "One Man Band" - awesome.

Gavin races down the bridge (new favorite activity for our walks!)

Aidan rides Johanna's bike with Alexandra's helmet. Always prepared!

Curt and I have been having a few more date nights out what with the film festival, our anniversary, etc. The boys asked us at dinner one night before we were going if they could go on a date with us "next time". It was so cute. So we have started calling our dinners out "Family Dates", and they have begun using that terminology as well. Brady asked the other day if we could have a date at the playground with the green and yellow slides (i.e. the indoor playground at the local Chili's). Adorable, and when we said yes, it was like we had offered them a new car or train . . .

QB Aidan - "Are you ready for this?!"

Gavin rides Cecil the Camel

For Curt's birthday this year, I actually made him a cake (Red Velvet thank you very much. but it was dry :( ) and he and i went camping at a local beach overnight with a couple of friends (without the boys). While I'm still interested in trying to take the boys camping, I also agree that it would be a MUCH more exhausting prospect. To be honest, they had fun with Tess and Aryana and Curt and I had fun with some adult friends. It felt like we were gone the entire weekend instead of about 15 hours. Crazy how it works like that. We had a nice big fire and roasted hotdogs and had some adult beverages. We did have some neighbors that were having a dance party until after 2 AM, and then were up with Lady Gaga at 6 AM, but somehow felt as rested, if not more so, than we are after a night in our own lumpy bed. Hearing the waves (once the idiots quit riding their dune buggies up and down the beach and the guy turned off his generator for his RV) and seeing the nearly full moon and just sleeping in the fresh air just have been just what the dr. ordered.

They immediately grabbed our backpacks when we got home from camping (G&A)

We took the boys to the beach for another weekend in November. Surprisingly, things had cooled off enough by mid-November that the water was a bit too chilly for us to really get in. Not a few weeks before it was PLENTY hot and the water was refreshing, but now it was basically a play in the sand day, which was also quite fun. I tell you what, though, if we thought this was cold water, we are going to have a ROUGH go of it when we move back next year . . .