Guess who’s back…back again…

Test? Test, test, testing one…

Anyone still out there?

[drops mic]

Recipe sharing

Leo woke up talking about corn dogs. The exact first thing he said when he opened his eyes was, “Mom, do you know how they make corn dogs? First they put a hot dog on a stick and then they dip it in corn. Then they grill it in some fried water.”

(That was the point where I lost it and started laughing. He kept going.)

“What?! Is that not right? But I saw it on tv!”

“Leo, are you hungry?”

“I don’t think so. But I was dreaming about corn dogs.  So maybe.”

We’ll see

We’ll see in a couple of weeks for whom he smiles brighter, the professional school picture photographers or his μαμα. 😉  

Ruby =

Unimpressed.  

Life is difficult when you’re the princess of the house. Your loyal subjects won’t leave you alone. 

 

Halloween again

It’s getting to the time of year where all we talk about as a family is Halloween costumes (and the cider mill.) Simon has no costume ideas this year and is not happy about it. Several months ago, he mentioned wanting to be the Phantom of the Opera, but he got over that. 

Instead, now LEO wants to be the Phantom. He has no idea who the Phantom is or what he does. So Simon filled him in. 

“The Phanton lives in the old theater and ruins all the musicals.”

I’d say that about sums it up. Ha!

Career change?

Leo started to ask Mike about what he did for work. Then we started talking about my work. I started to tell him, and almost instantly, he interrupted me and said, “Oh! I thought you ran a ferris wheel!”  And he was serious. 

Scary bedtime story

The most horrifying thing just happened to me. I will tell you about it in the form of a scary story…tis the season and all. 

One night, a still kind of youngish pre-middle aged mom laid down to go to sleep really early (because she has the sleep needs of a preschooler). She was trying to clear her head of everything – kids, work, papers, reading, soccer, etc. This all was scary enough! But it was at that moment that she realized that exactly TEN YEARS from now, Simon would be in COLLEGE…THE HORROR! The disbelief! The agony!

[and then she cried herself to sleep]

The End. 

4 years

Four years ago today, Leo graced the world with his presence.  Well, perhaps “grace” is not the right word.  He more like EXPLODED into the world – two weeks early, very quickly, and in the middle of the night.  He has remained that way since then.  He is a firecracker.  There is no other adjective I can use to describe him.  Nothing else does him justice.  The world is his and we’re all his supporting characters.

I distinctly remember lying in the hospital after his birth, just him and me, during one of the few moments that week where we were alone.  I was looking at him and wondering what in the world he would be like when he reached the age that Simon was at that time.  Simon was 8 short weeks away from being 4.  So, here we are.

They couldn’t be more different.  And yet, they adore each other.  Most times.

And so, to honor Leo on this day, I have one wish for him.  I hope that he never loses his fearlessness and that he uses this power for good.  He could take over the world through sheer, boisterous excitement and charm, if he wants to.  Simon is a genius in the way a tortured artist is – he gets into his head a lot.  He’s a thinker.  He could definitely take over the world, but he probably wouldn’t want to, because he could predict all the complications of doing so.  Leo, unlike Simon, spends a lot more time DOING than thinking.  He does think…he just does it after the fact.  He doesn’t seem to let pesky barriers stop him – he just hurdles (usually literally) right over them.  I admire, respect, and am awed by him for that.

I am not as smart as Simon, and I am not as brave as Leo.  But I am lucky to have them both as examples to follow.  And I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Carl

We had Simon’s parent-teacher conference tonight.  While we were in his classroom, he pulled a pencil out of his desk to show me.  He told me he named the pencil Carl.  And that sometimes Carl misbehaves.  When I asked him how Carl the pencil misbehaves, he told me that sometimes Carl goes to weird places in his desk.

Carl.  He named his pencil.  Carl.

For the record, Simon’s teacher said all good things about him.  Good things about Simon, I mean.  Not Carl.

(Simon said this post should be 90 words.)

Forest baby

Leo, “Mom, where did you find Simon?”

“What? Find Simon?”

“Yes. Where did you find him? Like how I came from your belly? Did you find Simon in the forest or something? Did he come from the forest?”

[we blank stare at each other for a solid ten seconds]

“No, Leo. Simon came from my belly, too.”

“Oh. Huh. I thought he came from the forest.”