Where Do They Get This Stuff?!

We went to the pool to cool off the other day. This is almost a daily occurrence for us. We want to take advantage of the nice weather while we are on Maui, since we don't know how long we will be here. The boys have really taken to the water, and are becoming quite good little swimmers. Aiden had just come up for air, and his hair was slicked back and puffed up. Ross swam over, gave him a wry smile, and said, "Well hello, Mr. Las Vegas Hair." I must admit, it did look quite a bit like Elvis hair! Hahaha!

A Mind Of His Own

So... we were sitting at the table, enjoying a nice dinner, when Ross decided he wasn't going to eat his vegetables. This has been a recurring thing for him lately, so we decided that it wasn't going to fly. First we tried telling him that he had to eat them in order to get some ice cream later. He said he didn't really want ice cream anyway. Next we had a conversation with both of the boys about a day in the future when they may have children of their own. We asked then what types of foods they would want their kiddos to eat. They both agreed that they would want them to eat healthy foods that make them strong. Then we asked the boys what they would do if their kiddos refused to eat those healthy foods. Aiden said that he would make them stay at the table until they ate their vegetables. Rossi (who was onto our little ploy by this time) shrugged is shoulders and said, "I think I would just let them do their own thing." Trying not to laugh at this comment, Cameron and I moved on to the next step in our vegetable eating quest...sending the little stinker to bed until he agreed to eat his veggies. After a decent amount of time in "the hole", with no end in sight, Cameron went in to negotiate. Finally they emerged with a compromise. Ross agree to eat his carrots if we would slice them up into little discs, put them in a bowl, and pour milk on them like cereal. I don't know where he came up with this idea, but it worked like a charm! He sat down and ate the entire bowlful! I guess sometimes they just need to feel like things are on their terms.

Oh, to be 4....

Here is a glimpse of the world through the eyes of my four year olds. World Wars 1 and 2 are both levels in Super Mario Brothers. Mommy and Daddy got married at the "Awful Tower" in Vegas. If something blows up, it "desplodes". One piece of broccoli makes you stronger than Daddy. Plus signs, crosses, and Urgent Care signs are all referred to as the "Hawaii sign" because they look like the cross on the Maui Lifeguard t-shirts mommy brought back from vacation. Spiders are scary, but snakes are cool (how does that work?). If other kids are fun to play with, then they are considered cousins, regardless of whether or not they are related. Your list of bad words contains the words "shut up", "no", and " butt". Every time you pretend to fight with Papa, it's in Dragon Style, in which you yell "Dragon Style" at the top of your lungs before you attack.Whenever you run, you must "run like the wind". You have not yet discovered that the eighties song "Somebody's Watching Me" is a creepy song. To you it is simply a fun song that you feel you must sing...every time we get in the car. A hangnail is a legitimate excuse to get up at bedtime.You truly believe that Mom can't tell you apart from your twin brother, and feel it is your duty to occasionally test her by asking, "Which one am I, Mom?" And you realize that money comes in three forms: coins, paper money, and "swiping money".

Let's Get Physical

With the nice weather, I have been trying to get into better shape. I usually do the Insanity exerci\se workouts in the evenings, after the kids are all in bed. We had a crazy day ahead of us this morning, and with Cameron being away, I was worried that I just wouldn't get around to it this evening. I decided I'd better get it out of the way in the morning instead. With the baby preoccupied in her exersaucer, and a twin on each side of me, I was ready to begin the workout with my new little exercise buddies. When the show started, my boys considered the fitness buffs on the screen for a moment. Ross took one look at the girls in their sports bras and tight little shorts and said simply, "Uh oh! Someone's just wearing their underpants today!"

Never Misses A Beat

We had just finished bathing all the children, and were relaxing in the living room, when I realized it was a good evening to trim the kids' nails. After fetching the clippers and a garbage sack for the clippings, I noticed how long their nails had actually gotten. In a fake posh voice I said, "Why Aiden, who does your nails?" He held his hand out, and after examining his nails, he said nonchalantly, " Nature."

Be Careful What You Ask For...

Life has been a bit hectic lately, with summer finally arriving after a long winter. We've had plenty of  friends and family visit us in recent weeks, and it has been great to see everyone. We recently went to dinner with some family whom we don't get a chance to see very often. My husband's cousin was passing through town with her new husband and her mother. While the ladies sat and visited with us, the new husband decided to entertain our two little boys with some magic tricks. The twins were fascinated as he twirled coins around his knuckles and pulled quarters from their ears. They were even more thrilled when he started having them participate. At one point in his performance, our new magician friend held out his fist and asked Aiden to "blow". I saw the scene unravel in slow motion, as Aiden sucked in a deep breath. Not yet having children of his own, our young magician friend did not realize that at 4 years old, the term "blow" usually refers to boogies and a Kleenex. I waived my arms to try to stop the inevitable from happening, but it was too late. Our new friend was soon sprayed with a shower of snot and boogies. Luckily, his good nature instantly took over and he had a good laugh about the situation!

The Things They Say...

Anyone who has children can probably agree that it is not always an easy feat to make it out the door in the morning on a busy school day. We were have one of these crazy mornings recently, in which there just didn't seem to be enough time to complete everything that needed to be accomplished before leaving the house. Normally I do not leave the house until I've showered and pulled myself together. On this particular morning however, it was not going to happen. Since my appearance was low on the list of priorities amid the numerous other events that were taking place, I simply threw on a hat and ran out the door. This is something that is very uncharacteristic of me. As we arrived at the school, and the boys were getting out of the car, Ross looked at me thoughtfully and said, "Mom, I don't love your hat...but you still look cute." I couldn't help but smile to myself.