Owl! That hurt!

"Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole" was a terrible movie!  So much violence between all of those birds!  Near the end of the movie Jackson turned to me and said, "Daddy, this really is a good movie for me because it makes me learn." 

To which I replied, "Ummmm, what does this movie teach you?" 

Jackson had to think about it for a minute and finally he said, "It teaches me how owls fly!" 

It was the way he said it.  Like 'knowing' how owls fly (which the movie does not teach you) will solve all the problems of the world.  LOL.  I couldn't help but laugh!  So I told him, "Well, honey, knowing how owls fly really isn't as important as knowing how to read and write.  The shows we watch on Iowa Public Television help us learn, not this movie." 

Was that mean?  Am I a horrible parent because I didn't play along with that? 

Introducing his Royal Highness...

Another fun day at Princess camp for Jackson.  Today they colored pictures, watched a movie, and made this beautiful tiara...

Oh my, the fun I'm going to have when he's 18 and I pull out these pictures.  WAH HAHAHA!

As we were leaving the camp, Jackson was asking the teacher about something else they made and she reminded him that they decorated the one side and it had to dry over night and that they would finish it up tomorrow.  When we got into the car and I was asking Jackson about what he had for lunch and what he did at the camp, I also asked him, "What was it you were talking about with the teacher that needed to dry over night?"  And he said, "Oh, that's just my purse."  LMAO!  I think it is just precious that he is loving all of this and doesn't care that they are making things he is not normally interested in at all.  Anyway, his purse has a train on it and he can't wait for me and dad to see it. 

The rest of the day was pretty low-key as Jackson played on the front deck for a while with the water table, and then moved to the backyard to play on the swing set and then back to the front to play in the sandbox for a couple of hours.  After a quick shower and dinner we have just sat down to watch, "Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole." Jackson has wanted to see this movie since it came to the movie theater but I have had ZERO interest in seeing it myself.  I just found it on HBO On Demand so we are watching it now FOR FREE! 

Oh, so yesterday Jackson and I went to IMMC for his EKG and I have to say that it was a very easy experience overall and only took about an hour.  We even got to a ride a little shuttle car in the parking ramp to the main entrance.  I told Jackson it was like going to Disney World.  NOT!

Anyway,the doctor called me this morning and said that his EKG looked great. :-) 

Magic Wands and Puppy Cuts!

Our first day of Princess camp was a success!  Jackson reported that he had a blast making a bracelet with all of our names on it and a special magic wand to turn daddy into a frog!  Aren't they beautiful?

 

He is going to wear his Knight costume the rest of this week (or so I was informed) as the rest of the girls in the camp are dressing up as princesses. I wonder what is in store for tomorrow?

As we all walked in the door from picking up Jackson from camp, I realized that I forgot to pick-up Gizmo from the vet.  LOL.  So I called first to make sure that he was ready and then we got back into the car and headed over to South Des Moines Veterinary Center.  Boy, was Gizmo excited to see me and the puppy cut they gave him looks AWESOME!  He's so purdy!

This afternoon Jackson and I are off to Iowa Methodist Medical Center for an EKG.  This is part of his new ADHD treatment that the doctor wanted.  I hope we aren't stuck waiting there for a long time and I hope Jackson doesn't complain too much.  I have no idea what is involved with this for a 5 year old so this should be interesting with my little critic.  :-)

Ugh! Thunder and Princesses!

Jackson just came out of his room with tears running down his face holding onto doggie (his over-sized stuffed animal) because of the thunder.  When I asked him why he was crying he said that he was trying to be brave and stay in bed but couldn't.  Poor guy!  Hopefully the thunder lets up here soon because Jackson has a big day tomorrow with the start of Princess camp at the Y.  He already has his knights costume from this past Halloween ready to go with him tomorrow so he can "dress up" with everyone else.  He will be the only boy in the camp, of course.

About two months ago when I sat down with him to tell him about the camps the Y was offering I just told him about the Science and Go Wild! camps.  When he asked me if there were any others I told him that there was one more but I didn't think he would be interested.  When I told him there was a Princess Camp his eyes got HUGE and he said, "Oh, Daddy, I really want to go to that camp!!"  So I called the Y to see if it was okay for my little man to be in the princess camp and they said that was fine.  I am really glad that both the same camp teachers for the past two weeks of camps are teaching this week as well so they already know Jackson.  Maybe I'll get some good blackmail pictures of Jackson for when he's older from this camp.  Hehehehe!

Happy Birthday!

I forgot to mention in my post earlier that today is Peyton's 10 month birthday!  YEA!  I need to get all of my planning done for his 1 year birthday party!  My how time flies...  :-)

I still need to schedule 9 month baby pictures!  Oy Vey!

Things I Thought I'd Never Say...

When I was a kid I can remember things that my parents did that I said to myself, "I will never do that to my kids when I'm older!"  And here I am all these years later somewhere between "No!" and "Please stop doing that!"  As a parent it is hard for you to convey to your kids that you do know what is best for them most of the time.  Jackson is going through this independent stage where he wants to do everything himself and he gets really upset when he is told what to do.  It's hard being a 5 year old, I get it, I was there once too.  But c'mon, kid!  What am I going to do when Peyton is this age!?!?  Yikes!! 

Anywho, we left early in the afternoon Friday for our weekend in Omaha.  The boys were asleep in the backseat, Daniel was on a conference call, and I was driving with a horrible stomach ache that just did not get any better the further we went.  I even pulled over once thinking that I might throw up, but I didn't.  Once we finally arrived at our hotel (it was about a 3 hour drive) and we all got in the room I went into the bathroom and threw up.  :-(  After 3 more incidents of me throwing up the boys all went out to dinner and checked out the town while I stayed in the room.  Maybe Peyton's spitting up incident earlier in the week really was a stomach bug and not to be blamed on his teething. 

THANKFULLY, when I woke up yesterday morning I felt a lot better and we ventured out to breakfast at Perkins (did you hear that the owners recently filed bankruptcy?)  before heading to the Omaha Children's Museum!  What an AWESOME place.  Now I worked at a Children's Museum in North Carolina for 6 years and this place was just on a much higher scale.  The water table, the world of balls (where there are shoots, cranes, and drops for balls and the kids just went wild), the Carousel, and the old Richmond Gordman slides.  One of the best moments was when Jackson and I were crawling around in this play area of tunnels (that are really just for kids but I went in there too) and he turned around and said, "I love you, Daddy!"  Sometimes he just knows how to melt my heart.  But then when Daniel or I are carrying him around and he farts in our arms, not so much!  LOL. Jackson was really upset when it was time to go.  If you have not been to this CM before, you really need to check it out with your kids.

Outside the OCM Entrance

Loved this!  Children of the corn!  LOL.

Earlier yesterday I wrote about the Angry Birds incident... shortly after that Jackson was still in a bad mood because he didn't get his way.  So Daniel suggested that he just watch TV on one of the screens in the restaurant and Jackson quickly replied, "I don't like to turn my head!"  So Daniel pointed out that there was also a TV right in front of him and Jackson did his infamous, "Oh!" His little 'oh' cracks me up EVERYTIME!  After dinner at Godfather's Pizza we went to Jone's Bros. Cupcakes.  OMG!  Those were good.

It was finally time for us to 'hit the pool' as Jackson was going NUTS and I realized that I forgot to pack his swimming trunks!  OMG!  I had them in the washer and dryer at home because he had his swimming lesson on Thursday night and I left them in the dryer.  I could have died!  So we quickly ran to Target to get him a new pair of trunks.  Problem solved (thanks, Daniel)!  As we were walking through to the boys department, we passed the women's section and Daniel said to Jackson, "There's a new suit for ya!" pointing at a two piece hot pink girls suit to which Jackson replies, "That's not my color!"  What a smart ass!  I love it!  After we got back and all got ready we went down to the pool and had a blast.  Even Peyton enjoyed floating around for a bit before getting splashed by another kid and wanting to get out.

On the way back home this morning, Peyton was sleeping and Jackson was busy playing on the Nintendo DS.  Suddenly, Jackson said, "Daddy, do you like my drawing of you and me on the swings?"

It really was a nice trip to Omaha!  I hope we can make it back there again real soon!

Angry Birds

Over the last few months, Daniel and I have become obsessed with the game Angry Birds and so has Jackson.  We just sat down to dinner at Godfather's Pizza in Omaha when Jackson asked me if he could play Angry Birds on my phone.  To which I replied, "What am I going to play with?"  Jackson thought for a minute and said, "Well, you can play with your hands," as his hand danced across the table.  Daniel and I both laughed and I said, "How about you just play with your hands and I'll play Angry Birds?"  Jackson gave me a dirty look and said, "I don't like to play with my hands!"  Well, don't suggest it if you don't want to do it yourself, buddy!  LOL

Weekend Preview??

I hope not.  Peyton has finally started to have a tooth break through and he is MISERABLE!  There is not enough Tylenol and Baby Oral Gel in the world right now!  :-( 

Knees, Play areas, and Bang Bang!

After a morning that really flew by, Peyton and I ventured off to the Y to pickup Jackson from camp.  As we arrived in the room, the teacher told Jackson that I was there.  Jackson quickly got up from his chair and starting charging towards meaning yelling, "Arrrrrrrrrrrr!"  I quickly lifted my knee up to block him from hitting me in my private place and from knocking me over with Peyton in my arms.  The impact of Jackson was braced by my knee but unfortunately he bumped his mouth pretty hard on it instead.  OMG - I felt sooooo horrible!  Screaming, tears, and blood (I think he bite his tongue) later we determined that he was not missing any teeth and he started telling me about his day at camp when the folks at Blank Park Zoo brought an owl, alligator, and SNAKE for the kids to see and touch.  I was shocked to hear from Jackson and his teachers that he touched the SNAKE.  EWWWWW!  Once we got back into the car, I talked to Jackson about what happened and how he can not do that to Dad and Daddy especially when we are holding Peyton.  Poor kid!  I really didn't expect anything like that to happen, but my "wild child" was really coming at me fast and if I had not blocked him I think I would have fallen backwards with Peyton!  I don't even want to think about that.

After a quick nap (yes, I can't get through the day without my own nap while the boys are down), we made our way out to Jordan Creek Mall for a play date with our friends Anita and her son, Mason.  I love that mall and adore their play area because it's very big and open from all sides for parents to watch their kids play.  As Anita and I sat on the bench watching our kids a little girl walked in front of us and proceeded to climb up on top of the gum ball machines in order to get a blue piece of gum from the top.  Anita and I looked at each other and both said, "Where are her parents?"  Kids will be kids, that's for sure, but sometimes they do some stupid things and as a parent I can't help but want to swoop in and "fix" it for them.  As Jackson was running around wild in the play area chasing after girls and boys, playing tug of war, and climbing up on top of everything and jumping as far as he could off of them I wondered are these play areas really safe? 

Jordan Creek Mall Play Area

When I worked at the Children's Museum of Winston-Salem, we used to complain about parents letting their children climb up on the letters of the Animal Alphabet exhibit.  But why wouldn't they think that was OK when places like the mall play areas allow the kids to climb up on EVERYTHING. I really would love to know how many children are seriously hurt in play areas each year.  Anyone know?

Later, after Jackson's swimming lesson, we headed over to the airport to pick up Daniel who had been out of town for work all week.  We were all so glad to see him and headed out to dinner at our favorite restaurant, Bang Bang Mongolian Grill (we are still convinced that Cher started this restaurant based on her hit song).  Afterwards, we even stopped at Dairy Queen and got Brownie Batter Blizzards.  Yummy!!  After Daniel put Jackson to bed and I was finishing up feeding Peyton, we finally sat down to talk and debrief on everything that has been going on over the last week when I heard some noise coming from Jackson's room.  When I went into his room he was on top of his covers laying with his head down on the pillow and butt up in the air.  LOL.  Obviously, he was doing something.  When I asked him what was going on he said, "Nothing."  So I sent him to time out to think about what nothing had happened.  Eventually he told us that he was standing on his bed trying to pull on the chain to his ceiling fan to make it go faster.  We have talked to Jackson repeatedly about not playing with the chains on the ceiling fan and asking us to turn the fan on or off at bedtime.  So now Jackson has no ceiling fan on for the rest of the night because of his poor choice.  At what point does it just "click" in his mind that we have a reason for telling him what to do and what not to do?  Sometimes my little blond headed angel is so adamant that he's going to do it himself that he forgets what we said.  LOL.

I'm so ready for our trip to Omaha tomorrow.  I'm looking forward to so fun play at the Children's Museum there and walking around the Aksarben Village area where we are staying and eating at Jones Bros. Cupcakes.  Mmmmm!  So excited!!

I can't chew it cuz...

The morning started off interesting with Jackson when I gave him his first ADHD med.  Typically he just chews or drinks his medicine, but this med is a pill.  So he ate breakfast and I sat down with him and we talked about the pill.  So I placed it on his tongue and told him to drink some water and swallow it and the pill.  First time was a fail as he was shaking his head and stuck out his tongue with the pill still there.  LOL.  So we tried again... it worked that time.  As he was getting up from the table he said, "Daddy, the reason I can't chew my pill is because it will hurt my loose tooth!"  LOL.  Gotta love his logic... whatever works!!

A day from hell!

We had more thunderstorms last night so Jackson slept with me most of the night.  Early this morning however I was awoken by his head in my side as he was spinning around in the bed playing.  God only knows what time it was but I rolled over and told him he could go back to his own bed since the storm was over, which he did.  MIRACLE!  LOL.

Anyway, I had to get Jackson to the doctor this morning so we all got up early.  And I mean EARLY like 6:45 a.m.  UGH!  After we all got ready I ran Peyton to my mom's house and then Jackson and I made our way to Walnut Creek Pediatrics.  Here's a little background for ya... Daniel and I recently decided to have Jackson evaluated for ADHD.  An incident last week was the final straw for me when Daniel was riding his bike since he's training for RAGBRAI, while Jackson and I rode our bikes around Gray's Lake. This was the first time we did this and it was quite the experience for me.  Picture it:  Jackson was riding his cute little red bike with training wheels next to me as I turned my head towards him and said, "Jackson, why don't you ride up in front of me now."  No response.  So again I said, "Jackson, ride up in front of me now."  No response.  So I yell, "HELLO!"  Jackson turned to me and says, "What did you say, Daddy?"  That was just the start to our hour and a half ride of me trying to give him direction and him saying, "Did you say something, Daddy?"  I was like he's either deaf or ADHD!  The appointment went well and we are proceeding with some next steps for treatment for him.

So you are probably thinking...  'ummmm, where is the a day from hell part?'

Well, when I got home from picking up Jackson for camp and Peyton from my mom's...  guess what the dog did??  Threw up on the couch, the rug, and three places on the floor.  It was ALL OVER THE COUCH.  I thought I was going to die.  So I got the kids to nap and cleaned up that mess.  THEN, so last night I neglected to mention that my baby Peyton spit up three times.  Very unexpected each time right after a bottle.  I was really worried that he wouldn't sleep at all, but he didn't have any problems in the night.  This morning he was fine taking a bottle and cereal and the same at lunchtime.  He laid down and took a 2 1/2 hour nap and when I went in to get him he was awake and smiling.  He started to get a bit fussy so I got a bottle ready and sat down to feed him.  The nipple barely touched his lips and up everything came from lunchtime.  All over me, all over the rug, AND all over the couch.  OMG!  I need to send the couch and rug to the cleaners!  So basically my day from hell was a day of throw up.  Can you top that?

Peyton seems to be fine tonight tho.  I did call the doctor and spoke to a nurse.  There is evidently a stomach bug going around right now and she thought he might have picked up the bug from somewhere.  So it's been Pedialyte all evening and he took a bottle before bed with no problems - finger crossed!

What A Feeling...

Yesterday, I was working on my computer and heard Peyton start giggling.  When I looked up I couldn't help but laugh as it was a moment straight out of the 80's and the movie Flashdance. 

Monday, Monday

Why do thunderstorms always happen in the middle of the night?  I awoke this morning to a flash of lightning and the footsteps of a scared 5 year old.  Shortly after Jackson climbed in bed with us Peyton started to cry.  Our pediatrician talked to me recently about self soothing and letting him "work it out" at night and fall back asleep.  I tried to do that but after 30 minutes I couldn't stand it anymore...  and boy did I feel horrible when I got in Peyton's room.  Poor guy had peed so much his diaper blew up and he was all wet!!  :-(  After I got him all cleaned up and gave him a bottle he was pleased as punch and passed out.  So precious.  When I got back to bed Jackson had taken over my side and didn't want to move over.  What parent doesn't love that at 5 a.m.?!?  After moving the little prince over and getting back in bed daylight came far to quickly.  Typical morning, Jackson didn't want to wake up and was in a bad mood because he didn't sleep well the night before because of the thunderstorm.  Finally Daniel took him to camp and Peyton and I played games working more on his gross motor skills.  We still don't love the sippy cup but he's holding it more and trying to drink from it.  I think his new move to tell me he's full is when he flaps his arms and screams, "DA DA!"  :-)  Eventually Peyton and I ventured to Walmart then to South Des Moines Veterinary Center where Gizmo is being groomed and boarded this weekend during our trip to Omaha and then to the Y to pick up Jackson from camp.  He had a great day at camp and was proud to show me his a crown made from paper that says "Rainforest Observer," the cutest lion he made from a paper plate, uncooked macaroni, and glitter, and binoculars he made from two toilet paper rolls!  Later, we took our camp binoculars with us to Costco for a safari hunt in the store.  Unfortunately they broke halfway through the expedition and he spent the next 20 minutes trying to fix them.  I love his curiosity and ambition to figure things out.  When do we as adults lose that drive?  What point do we think we have everything figured out?  Kids live so in the moment as we adults run around worrying about money, shopping, and what's for dinner...  I need to take lessons from Jackson and remember to live in the moment!  Like that Tim McGraw song "Live Like You're Dying."  It's supposed to rain more tonight...  please just let it rain WITHOUT a thunderstorm!!  We have a long day tomorrow.  I'm dropping Peyton off at Nana's house and taking Jackson to the doctor in the morning, then to camp, followed by nap and swimming lessons in the evening.  I'm tired just thinking about tomorrow.  If I'm tired now, what will I be when Peyton has a bunch of things on top of Jackson's activities?  YIKES!  Goodbye Monday!

Father's Day 2011

What a fun, yet low-key day!  Daniel worked last night at the ER clinic and didn't get much sleep so he slept til about 2 p.m.  Before he went to bed we exchanged our gifts for each other from the boys.  I got a drawing from Jackson and a gift card for Itunes!  Daniel has also ordered a keychain that's coming for me that has both of the boys names on it!  WOO HOO!  Daniel got some candy and S'mores pop tarts plus a drawing from Jackson and a gift card for Itunes.  Daniel and I both know what we like and Itunes are sure an easy bet when in doubt for anything else!  Jackson, Peyton and I spent the morning together playing and working on Peyton's gross motor skills.  He's just so darn precious.  The look he gave me when he already had a toy in each hand and I tried to give him a third was hilarious.  He was like, "WTF are you trying to do to me!"  LOL.  I loved it.  It's moments like this that make being home with the kids worthwhile!  For dinner we went to Heather and Amanda's to swim in their swimming pool and hang out with some of our new friends.  Jackson had a blast playing in the water and rampaging around the yard with some other kids.  He did a GREAT job playing with everyone and I was proud and relieved that we didn't have any real meltdowns or issues with anything.  Sad that the thing that make me nervous now are the thought of my 5 year old screaming and yelling at me in public.  UGH!  Daniel saw the best shirt that we are thinking about getting for Jackson tonight.  It says...  I'm 5, what's your excuse?  HA!  Jackson starts the "Go Wild" camp tomorrow.  Sounds appropriate for him!!  ;-)

Living History Farms

Today was the first day that the boys and I could sleep in since Jackson started summer camp this past week.  It was nice to not set my alarm and just lay in bed for a bit until I rolled over and realized that Gizmo (our long haired chihuahua) had shit in the bed.  UGH!  So much for a relaxing morning as I was stripping  sheets and carrying them down to the washer...  of course, Peyton woke up at that point!  For some reason, my little Jackson did not wake up in a good mood.  Lately he has not wanted to make his bed in morning and complains when I ask him to go pee.  Today, he just didn't want to do anything Daddy asked!  :-(  Anyway, after we FINALLY got dressed and had breakfast we jumped in the car to picked up Nana (my mom, Theresa) and headed to Living History Farms.  (Last month we bought a membership to the Science Center of Iowa and that membership includes access to Blank Park Zoo and Living History Farms). The day was pretty overcast and I was worried that we might get caught in the rain (luckily we didn't).  Once we got parked and check-in through the Visitors Center, we were off!  I had forgot how much there was to Living History Farms (I had not been in over 20 years) and how boring it could be for a kid.  The first 20 minutes there were the best for Jackson as his curiosity for "what is that" and "what does this do" were cute and entertaining, UNTIL...  he was learning how the printing press worked back in 1875 and he picked up a piece of freshly inked paper.  I guess the ink doesn't dry for 24 hours... so he got ink on his hands and proceeded to wipe it all over his shorts and shirt.  The hand print he left on the left butt cheek of his shorts reminded me of an episode of "The 70's Show" when Fez was getting finger printed by his new boss at the DOT and ended up making out with her.  She quickly stopped saying that a relationship for them was wrong and as she exits the room you see two hand prints on the butt of her pants from Fez.   LOL.  Anyway, we did the walking tour of the farms from the 1700s to the 1900s which was interesting until we had to walk up and down a bunch of hills in the mud.  That was NOT fun with Peyton's stroller!  Plus to top it off I got bite on the arm and on my face by a massive mosquito.  :-(  So after 2 1/2 hours at Living History Farms I decided that next time it might be better for just Daniel and I to go as it's something more enjoyable for adults.  Next weekend we are planning a trip to Omaha.  There is a Train Museum there and hopefully Jackson will get more enjoyment out of that!  Tomorrow is Father's Day!!