The Invisible Boat

Jack, like most kids, is keenly aware of his surroundings. We are constantly impressed at the things he notices, the conversations he hears and can repeat. We have found a chink in his observant-armor, however.

Tugboat.

Apparently Jack does not notice her at all. She had been down at Grandma Bernice's during our trip and we had yet to go get her. During dinner last night Jack suddenly blurted out "Where's Tug?" We had been home a full two days at this point.

When the kids were in bed, Chuck drove down to Northfield to get her and brought her back, so she was there this morning.

Jack had been out in the living room, with Tug, for about half an hour this morning when he finally turned and saw her and goes "TUGGY!!!!" I said "Jack, did you just now notice that she's back?" and he said "well, someone was licking my feet while I was eating and I was like 'Who's that licking my feet?!'"

Thanksgiving Lessons

Holidays, time with family, and 20 hours in the car give you lots to think about. There were many lessons learned this Thanksgiving. I'll list a few, and you'll have to check Flickr later for pictures (technical difficulties).

• Jack is incapable of "making it" longer than 20 minutes without food.
• Ryker is incapable of sitting quietly.
• Even with dietary restrictions, Kaya and Christi can tag-team to eat pizza - Christi eats the crust and Kaya eats the cheese.
• It will take you 3 minutes to enter the zoo for every 1 person you attempt to go with - that means 33 minutes for us to get in the door. I'm not kidding.
• Related to that - the sliding doors at the St. Louis Zoo slide and ALSO open on a hinge, so double strollers really DO fit.
• Ryker and Jack really, really like hugging and holding hands with Beth.
  
• Josh is Jackson's hero.
• Ryker thinks it's hysterical when you pretend his socks smell funny.
  
• Jackson really likes taking care of Ryker, and will "make him fine." This holds true except when Ryker needs consoling in the middle of the night - at that point Jack will be so passed out he won't hear him crying 1 foot away.
• Chip and Christi aren't worried about their kids getting too close to the Wildlife Refuge that is down the road, mostly because the kids would have to get through the "Crazy Farmer" first.
  
• When it was time to say goodbye, Ryker thought everyone deserved a hug, but that Josh would appreciate a simple wave goodbye instead.
  
• I never laugh harder than when I'm in a room with my family, especially Christi and Beth -- and StL, my mom's house, and Charlie and BJ's always feel like home.
  

Kids These Days

Sometimes we laugh that the kids will grow up knowing all sorts of things that didn't even exist when we were kids; namely the iPhone. They see it and ask to have their picture taken, or play games, or use a picture that you've already taken to draw all over, or ask you to write your friends (or THEIR friends).

And it's great, mostly. Jack and Chuck have had many bonding moments watching different blues guitarists play, or watching Ozzie Smith give instruction to random little kids (check out The Baseball Bunch, if you're bored).

One of Jack's new favorites is playing a game called Paper Toss. I happen to be obsessed with it (again, if you're bored, try it out). You fling this little balled-up piece of paper into a trash can, taking into account the speed of the wind generated by a little fan on either side of the screen. It really is pretty mindless, and usually calming. Chuck has a different opinion of the game, having to endure watching Jack aimlessly toss the paper no where near the trash can. He just sits there flicking the paper straight every single time, no matter the wind. Jack also insists on having the sound turned on, so you hear the fan, and the random sounds of paper hitting the opposite side of the room.

You also hear the random people that talk in the background. At one point, during one of Jack's games, the dude in the background said "So, how was your world tour?" and without missing a beat, Jack says "good." No laughing, no glancing up at Chuck to see what he would think. Just a matter of fact answer.

Does he think that the Paper Toss dude, who you don't even see, would really be asking him real questions? I guess if you can virtually toss e-wads of paper, I guess a random voice here or there isn't that far off base.

A Coup

Chuck and I knew we'd be tested. We knew a day would come when forces would align and attempt to shake our confidence, rattle our sense of security, and try to make us understand who is really in charge.

We just didn't think that that day would come so soon, and that the turncoats would be our pets.

Reese and Tug conspired yesterday to try to get the humans to move out of the house. First, Kitty peed at the bottom of the stairs. We are hardly ever downstairs, but decided to go play ping-pong down there after school yesterday. While we were happily amusing ourselves, Kitty tried to pin us down there with a barrier of gross-ness. I calmly cleaned it up and moved on. Kitty then peed on Jack's bed. She does that when she's mad at us. So we (Chuck) put new sheets on his bed and we (Chuck) made a (not-so-)mental note that it's MY (Jamie's) turn to clean it up.

After getting Ryker in bed, I took a nice long shower and was ready to relax for the evening. I opened the door to our room and noticed a pile of something in our hallway, right outside our room.

My thoughts, verbatim, and in the exact order in which they flowed:

1. "What animal thew up THAT much stuff?"
2. "I should turn the light on so I can get a better look."
3. "Hmmm. It's furry. And has ears..."
4. "OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD!"
5. "Breathe"
6. "IT'S A BUNNY IT'S A BUNNY IT'S A BUNNY IT'S A BUNNY IT'S A BUNNY!"
7. "I should totally Twitpic that."
8. "I am NOT touching it."
   
9. "If I leave it, Chuck will come out from putting Jack to bed and trip on it."

I made the decision to go get Chuck out of Jack's room and make him deal with it. I calmly stuck my head into Jack's room, careful not to open the door too wide so Jack wouldn't catch site of the carnage.

Me: "I need to borrow Daddy for a second."
Chuck: "Why?"
M: "You need to get out here."
Chuck: "Why?"
M: "You NEED to get out here."

I switched places with Chuck, carefully, and he stepped into the hallway, paused, and then cracked up laughing, his eyes bugging out of his head.

After we (Chuck) got that all cleaned up, we tried to resume a normal, peaceful evening. But the animals weren't finished. I climbed into bed ready to forgive Killer for her antics, and having almost forgotten about Kitty and HER antics. Then I touched it. Pee. In our bed. On our new duvet cover.

We will NOT be defeated.

Slideshow

I submit for your viewing pleasure - Ryker doing two of his favorite things:

1) Watching slideshows of family photos
and
2) Babbling

Jack Has Coined a New Phrase

The other day I was holding Ryker and kept tipping him backwards and saying "Dip!" - which he found totally hilarious.

After doing this for awhile, I did it one more time -- "Dip!".... and Jack added "...in the sauce."

Chuck and I cracked up. He didn't say it again until yesterday morning. Chuck was holding Ryker and tickling him and Jack said "Dip him in the sauce, Daddy!"

Creative, I thought.

A List: Things That are Cute

Things That are Cute Coming Out of a 4 Year Old's Mouth But You Hope They Don't Ever Say When They are in College:

1) "Everybody get in my bed! We can all get in my bed!"

2) "Hold my monkey please."

3) "I'm pooping!"

4) "I can write my name and all my numbers!"

5) "Can you help me with my pants please?"