Wednesday, September 23, 2009

The facts as I see them.

The Salad has active imaginations.

* I found A standing in front of S, who was perched atop an upside down container of Legos. A had the green shoestring they use for bead lacing in her hands, one end in her ear and the other end held to S's chest, "listening" to her heart say "ba boom."

* After one particularly loud clap of thunder during a storm a few weeks back, M gave me a confused look and asked if there was a "blender outside?"

* Sunday, I watched the Salad pretend to be lumberjacks. They used sand shovels as axes and plastic, battery operated, handheld fans as chainsaws. M disassembled our water table and laid the legs at the base of our tree. "Logs," he told me.

* While driving past an old factory whose chimneys were puffing out smoke, A pointed and squealed "Oh look, Mommy! A castle!"

* Not 1, but 3 Salad members insisted that the electric company trucks digging up a street in our neighborhood were most certainly digging a hole for the Easter Bunny.

* "It's raining!" S laughed as she banging her sippy cup on the table over and over, sending drops of juice onto her head.

* I found M clutching a pool noodle up against a wall. When I asked what he was doing, he told me he was climbing a "ladder."

* For weeks, M carried around 2 sections of track and the station from his train set, making a buzzing noise. "Weed whacking" was the explanation that time.

* Laughter erupted from the nursery during what was supposed to be naptime. I went to inspect the situation and what I found was the Salad sitting in a row in S's bed. S was at the helm, hands at 3 and 9 o'clock on her Fisher Price aquarium. It was a "steering wheel, ma" she told me, totally exasperated that I could not see that. They were "driving to see Poppy's choo-choos."

* My mom and Aunt Jo took the Salad out for a walk one day. M picked up a stick and pretended to ride it like a horse. In fact, he's been riding on it like a horse for about 2 months now. Wanna see why?


Because it really, really, really looks like a horse.

Friday, September 4, 2009

Sunny Day

R and I took the Salad to Sesame Place today. We figured it would get Elmo back in their good graces since the Great Pacifier Incident of 2009. Mission accomplished. All is well in Elmo's World. La, la, la, la.

We didn't realize how hard it would be to have 2 adults and 3 kids. I mean, of course we know it's hard. We are outnumbered everyday. I meant at an amusement park, wiseguys. Most of the rides allow 1 child per adult. So 2 waited with R and I rode with the third. I heart alone time with just one Salad ingredient. I got to watch M's eyes grow wide as we flew in the air on the Flyin' Fish ride. I cuddled A when she realized she wasn't all the crazy about how fast the ride went. And I actually got to hear S squeal and giggle and ask for more, without anyone talking over her.

For lunch, we spent $47.00 on 2 bottles of water, 1 hot dog, 1 chicken breast, 3 chicken fingers, 1 cheese burger, french fries, mac & cheese and apple slices. Pricey? Absolutely. Delicious? Not sure. A ate the chicken breast meant for me. No worries, I ate some cold mac & cheese when the Salad had had their fill. Around 3:30 we went back to the same Cafe for a snack. The kind girl at the cash register recognized us and took pity on me, giving me a discount on the food. Only $13.00 for 2 chocolate puddings, 2 cookies and 7 strawberries. Take that, Sesame Place!

The Salad rode and splashed and ran and bounced and laughed and cried and smiled for photos with Abby Cadabby and Elmo and drank juice and drew attention right through nap time, all the way up till dinner, when we scooped them up and left the park to eat dinner on the way home in the car.
The day was a glorious success. I am blessed to have a partner like R, who knows going into big outings that they are going to be hard and plows forward, nonetheless.

Truly though, the highlight of the day came when I was changing them into jammies. A volunteered to be first, so when she was changed, she ran to R and laid on the couch with him. This is the exchange I heard . . .

R: I love you. Do you love me?
A: No. Mommy.
R: What? You only love Mommy?!
A: No. I love you.
R: I love you.
A: I love you.

And so on and so forth for about 5 minutes. It made my heart feel full.

We brushed teeth, read and into beds the Salad fell. About 10 minutes later, I heard quiet singing coming from M . . . "Sunny day, mumble the couds away. On way to mumble air is SVEET! Mumble mumble to get. Mumble mumble Ses STEET!"

Seriously. My heart might just burst.