Misconceptions

A is such a smart kid, that sometimes I forget he's only three (almost 4). Today, though, he made a few comments that made me smile and remember that even though there is so much he understands, he still has a looooong way to go.

1- We went to the zoo today, and they were putting up solar panels. Of course, Mr. Nosy had to know what the construction was all about. I tried to explain how the panels take the energy from the sun and turn it into electricity. He got a very sad look on his face and said, "Oh... I guess that's why the sun isn't shining very much anymore. They are taking all of the energy from the sun."

2-On our way home from the zoo, he all of a sudden got super excited as though he just had the world's best idea. He said, "Mom, someday when I grow up, I want to be a penguin."

3- Later, we were playing Chutes and Ladders... his FAVORITE game. He picked out the playing pieces for each of us because "they matched." I was a little confused because one was an Asian-looking girl and the other was a boy with brown skin. So, I asked, "You want our pieces to match? Do these two really match?" He looked at me shaking his head and practically rolling his eyes and said, "Mooomm. They both have pointy shoes. See?"

Progress

I have claimed for years that A is the pickiest eater on the planet, but I feel like over the last few weeks, maybe he is giving up claim to this title, at least a little. The past two days alone, he has eaten:

Melon
Pears
Apple
Carrots (cooked)
Carrots (raw) dipped in hummus (he actually REQUESTED this for a snack!!)
Shredded bbq pork sandwich
Braised short ribs! He had to dip it in ketchup, but he ate every single bite without complaint!!

I know this may not seem monumental to anyone else, but we are talking about the kid that lived off of dairy and carbs for three and a half straight years. He's been telling me since December that once he turns 4, he'll try more foods! I guess since we are less than two weeks away from the big birthday, he is ready to try. Hooray! Makes for more enjoyable meals with less stress, less fighting and fewer tears.

I know it's been awhile since I've updated, but I can't really think of anything super funny or exciting to share. Don't get me wrong... life is good. Just a little ordinary. Not blog-worthy. Here are a few updates:

-Both boys slept in until 7 this morning! I was tired yesterday, so I went to bed early which means I got a GREAT night's sleep! Everyone has a better day when momma is well-rested.

- This was the first sleep-in day in awhile. For some reason, we are back into the routine of 5 am wake ups! Ugh. It was hard enough when I didn't know any different, but after the boys slept in for two weeks straight, I thought we were finally over the bump. No luck.

-C had his first no-nap day today. We put him down at the normal time. He had been acting a little grumpy. Thought he would be out like a light. No dice. He laid in his crib reading books for the entire duration of A's quiet time. When the timer beeped, C was still wide awake and ready to get out. Oh, I am not ready for this step. If it means he'll sleep through the night, I guess it's okay, but I got an entire extra year of naps out of A. I'm hoping it was just a fluke day.

-The weather was beautiful this weekend! Yesterday we walked to a neighborhood park. I was AMAZED that we were the only ones there. It was practically a spring day... or at least it felt that way. I know it was only 37, but it felt much warmer. Today we ventured out to a park after our failed nap attempt. This time, the park was packed. Just how it should be on the first nice weekend in months. Although it was warm compared to the winter weather we are used to, I was a little surprised to see a few kids in shorts and a couple of girls in tank tops!

-I've been reading a lot lately. Shepherding a Child's Heart (it got off to a good start, but in the end i didn't like it but would love to decompress with anyone who has read it before), Forgotten God (just started but I'm liking it so far), The Shack (liked this one. i know it caused some big debates and it isn't completely Biblically accurate, but it sure did challenge my stereotypes of God).

Winter Days

The new rule in the house is that C's paci is only allowed in his crib. Not being one to give in easily, his new favorite activity is sitting in his crib alone reading books. It's pretty adorable. He'll stay in there for a long time... 30- 45 min...by himself... just flipping through books! Anything to have some precious paci time!

Our kids traded sicknesses off and on for two straight weeks. It was a LONG time to be house-bound. We busted out some new art supplies, which was fun. C has finally reached the stage where he won't just stick the paint in his mouth, so he got to join in. Oh my does that boy love art! He asks every day in his cute little 2-year old voice to do a "pwo-jet" (project).

On one of our sick days, we drew some roads and a construction site on large art paper. The boys pushed trucks and scooped up "dirt" (aka Smarties) for nearly an hour. They had so much fun and were adorable playing together. They can be such good, kind friends to each other, and when that happens, it is just precious to watch.

I know this one is random, but I just wanted to point out how well we eat. How delicious was this meal?!? Homemade pesto with chicken raised on our friend's farm served atop homemade whole wheat pasta. Yum! Does it get any better?

Orchestra

My parents took A and his cousin to a kid's concert at Music Hall. Before the concert, they had a "petting zoo" with the instruments. The boys got to touch and play a bunch of different instruments. A had a blast! He talked about it for a long, long time afterwards.

A few years ago, I started following a blog called kissesfromkatie. She doesn't update as often these days (after all, she's 21 and has 14 adoptive daughters!), but I love when she does. Here's a quote from today that I loved.

Maybe I will never sleep past 7:00 in the morning and maybe I will never have time to brush my hair and maybe I will never be able to eat a full meal without getting up and down a million times. It’s worth it. Maybe it will always take me twice as long to do everything and maybe I will never have a really clean house and maybe my days of staying out late with friends are over. It’s worth it. Anything I have to give up is worth just that one minute when they look at me and call me, “Mom,” when those little hands grab mine and those big eyes look at me as if I hold the keys to the world. It’s worth it.

We are on day three of confinement. Ugh. I guess that's what winter is all about. Here's how it started.

Friday night was a fun night for all of us. Our friends from across the park called last minute and invited us over for dinner. She had made a large pot of soup (tortellini and squash... yum!) and decided to share the bounty with us and another family. So our spontaneous dinner party was so fun. Delicious food, great wine, sweet friends. The kids played well and the adults enjoyed time together.

The next morning, A went to the symphony with my parents. He had a blast! They did a special kids event and had time for the kids to touch and play some of the instruments before the concert began. The smile on his face in the pictures says it all. He loved it.

After the symphony, we met my parents and A for lunch. In the middle of lunch, A started coughing as though he was choking on his pizza. We all paused, and though it seemed to last awhile, he ended up being just fine and claimed he was just stuffed up. That is the same cough that has continued since Saturday.

No church on Sunday. No venturing out of the house. Then the fever hit on Monday, so no school today. I thought his fever had broken last night, but it's back again. Grrr... And the cough will NOT go away. Looks like another day inside tomorrow. We are all getting a little bit of cabin fever. I'm really hoping he's better by tomorrow. He'll be amazingly bummed if he has to miss school again on Thursday or even worse, gymnastics on Thursday evening.

So that's where we stand. Anyone have any fun ideas for keeping kids entertained inside in the winter? I think we've played with most of our toys about 100 times each. I'm up for suggestions!