Christmas List

Last week the Lego store at the mall hosted a really fun event.  They had an outline of the USA on the floor and kids or adults could make a U.S. landmark to add to the grid.  Sambo made a spaceship and Buddy made a river with a salmon. I wish I would have gone back at the end of the 3-day event to see the final product.  It was really cool already when we were there at the beginning.

For the past 9 months or so, every time Sambo sees something at a store he CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT, I tell him to "put it on your Christmas list."  It's sort of unfortunate that both of the boys have birthdays near Christmas because the poor children have to wait all year for anything.  Unfortunately, Sambo doesn't know how to write and I'm not usually really listening when he talks incessantly about what he wants while we're shopping. 


Well today he confronted me.  He asked me where his Christmas list was.  I told him I lost it.  But he totally called me out and accused me of not writing anything down.  So I had him grab a piece of paper and we started the list.

After telling him that he is asking for too many Lego sets for Christmas (18 to be exact) -- and that Santa will think he's greedy -- he informed me, "You don't control Santa.  He can do whatever he wants."  

Here is what is on the list so far.  Knowing him, I'm sure there will be MUCH more added in the coming days. Unfortunately this doesn't really give me much to work with, considering I'm not buying him 95% of what's on this list.

Sambo's Christmas List:

• Camera
• Remote-Control Train
• Hello Kitty Mini Fridge
• Slushee Maker
• Dad's Remote Control Car
• Gun
• Circle Gum
• Kid Computer
• A Real Ipod
• And we narrowed the Lego list to: Batcave, Speeda Demon, Republic Striker-Class Starfighter, Ultra Sonic Radar

While he and I were looking through the Lego catalog, I noticed Buddy had written me a note on the Ninjago page of the catalog that said, "No Ninjago's, OK mom!"  He has been wanting a Ninjago Lego boat for months and has even tried saving for it.  He said if he couldn't save up enough he wanted it for his birthday, which is in a couple of weeks.  But at the Lego store last week he saw other things he apparently likes better, so he told me about them. I kept telling him, you are sure you don't still want the boat?  You've wanted the boat forever!  Apparently he didn't trust I understood.  Hence the note in the catalog. 

Related:  We will be doing a lot of talking about giving this holiday season so my kids understand the true meaning of the holiday.

Is It Just Me?

....Because I find these pictures hilarious!  G just recently found these and emailed them to me.  I can't stop laughing.

G, age 3 (we assume)

G and me before we even got engaged.  Hanging out at his house in Reno.  This was 15 years ago!

Zoo Trip

Thursday was the last sunny day of the year, so I decided to do a little outing with the boys after school.  I suggested either a pumpkin patch or the zoo.  We went to the zoo less than two weeks ago, but Buddy loves it so he strongly voted for that option.  So that's what we did.  Not surprisingly, nobody was there.  Nobody was there the other week we went either.  In fact, nobody is ever there when we go late in the afternoon.  It's so nice because we can stand around for as long as the kids want to watch the animals without being rushed by other kids that want to get up close too.  The animals must know when the crowds are light because they were all out and very active.  Buddy was so excited to be there.  He was frantic -- like it was the first time he had ever been to the zoo.  He looooooooves animals. 

We hung out in the otter and beaver area for about 40 minutes. First, Buddy realized that the river otter was willing to play with him, so for ten minutes he ran back and forth as fast as he could racing the otter.  When Buddy would stop running the otter would stop swimming.  It was interesting because sometimes the otter would show off and do a flip and Buddy would win.  Other times the otter would swim quickly and beat Buddy.  Sambo thought this was hilarious (and actually thanked God for helping Buddy think of this fun 'game' when he said his prayers later that night).  A few people wandering through the exhibit stopped to watch.  I couldn't tell if they were amused or perplexed over this kid running back and forth in front of the glass.  

Sidenote:  G is really mad I don't have a smart phone so I could have recorded this game.  It's true, it probably would have went viral like the video of the lion trying to attack a baby through the glass at this same zoo. 

While we were in that area, Buddy struck up a conversation with a 65-ish year old man there by himself.  After their conversation droned on for awhile, I texted G telling him I really hope Buddy gets married and has kids someday so he doesn't have to go to the zoo by himself to talk to random kids about animals.  Buddy and the man discussed beavers then frogs for 30 minutes.  It was slightly creepy, but I was standing there the whole time, so I wasn't really worried.  It was more awkward, I guess you'd say.  After we finally ditched him, we ran into him again at the monkeys and even Buddy mentioned he was tired of talking to him, which is saying something.  I had no idea Buddy ever could tire of talking about animals.

While in the monkeys we watched a male and female monkey hugging and kissing each other.  Buddy was convinced they were mating.  I told him they weren't, but he couldn't be convinced.  Later that night when Sambo was telling daddy about this he kept saying how "cute it is when monkeys mate."  I asked him if he knew what that meant.  He said yes, it's when they have babies.  Fortunately/unfortunately my kids know way to much about this topic, thanks to their interest in the life cycle of animals.

Slightly related:  Whenever we go to the bats exhibit I have to stand just outside because I'm terrified of them.  As the kids were walking out to rejoin me Buddy said, "I don't know why you are scared of bats. They are actually really cute.  Haven't you ever been on a romantic date with dad, or your high school boyfriend, what's his name, R***?  And didn't you see birds flying around in the night sky? Well those are actually bats and not birds."

The one complaint I have about the zoo is they make the railings too high for little kids to see over, so my kids always climb up to see.  As Buddy was climbing over the fence to the bear habitat which had a bear wandering around 15 feet from the railing Buddy said, "I'm really glad they tame these black bears."

Happiness

Another craptastic week/month.  But there were a few good things from the past few days:

• Glorious fall weather.  We've had temps in the mid-70's for a few weeks and it's been so nice.  I put my face in the sun every afternoon and I think that vitamin D has seriously prevented the loony bin.
• How much joy Halloween decorations bring my boys.  They LOVE everything about Halloween and have taken great care to make our front porch the scariest on the street.
• The candy bouquet that appeared on my porch today.  (thank you)
• Speaking of candy.  The large amounts of candy, caffeine, hamburgers, and pizza I've consumed in the past few weeks.  
• Weight loss despite all the crap I've been eating.  Unfortunately, stress is the only way I lose weight, but I'll take it, I guess.
• Our dinner conversations with the boys.  So, so funny.
• General Conference weekend.  It couldn't have come at a better time.  Wearing my pajamas all weekend, snuggling on the couch with my family, and listening to uplifting messages from inspired leaders.  Honestly, what could be better?
• Tickets to see The Killers in a few weeks.
• And this is probably a really bad habit, but I've been taking epic naps every Monday after dropping Buddy off to school.  Maybe it's the Monday nap that's prevented the loony bin actually.

Creativity

I was born with zero creativity.  I imagine all kids are creative (besides me), but mine are especially so.  They both are "out of the box" thinkers.  I'm amazed at what they come up with on a daily basis.  Yesterday they rigged up a "water slide" in our backyard.  They've dug a 7-foot deep hole in the field behind our house and play all sorts of games out there.   

Every day Sambo usually works on some sort of "surprise" project for Buddy while Buddy is at school.  The surprises range from "look at how I did my hair today! Isn't it cool?" to a new rock to a castle out of blocks waiting on the living room floor at home.  He is super into making masks too and frequently surprises Buddy with a new one.

 Castle Surprise

 Bird Mask Surprise.  (He made this entirely by himself.)

The Tron Legacy Mask Surprise.

Sambo checked out a book from the library with all sorts crafts.  The boys love it so much we've renewed it 3 times.  Sambo saw one in there with colored water, so we rounded up some Mexican Coke bottles that we just so happened to have lying around.  We filled them with colorful water and lined them up in the kitchen window like a rainbow.  The picture below does NOT do them justice.  They are so pretty!

And I can't leave out Buddy, since he comes up with cool and crazy stuff all the time too.  He made a "Gaboon Viper" for his Raingutter Regatta boat for Scouts last week.  He designed it and besides some of the basecoat painting, did it just how he wanted it.  He also has been drawing a lot the past few months and has quite a collection of dinosaur drawings.  My friend, who is a real artist, mailed him some sketch pads a few weeks ago and he's been filling them up quickly.

Today I picked Sambo up from preschool. The teacher let me know they learned about "mice" today.  She said the kids worked on making a "mouse house."  We both laughed when she told me most of the kids made a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  But she said, "It was really funny because Sambo actually made a computer instead of a house.  He was very intent on working on it and really wants to finish it at home."  As I got in the car, it came to me.  He made a computer because he was instructed to make a mouse house.  Get it?  Computer?  Mouse?  I asked him to show me his computer he was working on.  Sure enough, in the middle of his "laptop," was a trackpad (or mousepad). 

My kids are so awesome.

2012 Reading Challenge

Just like last year, we did a reading challenge this summer.  Our goal was to read 10,000 combined pages in three months.  For some reason it was harder this year, but we finished just in time for a big night out as a family.  For our reward, we went to pizza, bowling, and played some arcade games.  We hadn't taken Sambo bowling before and it's been a good long while since Buddy has been.  The boys were in absolute heaven.  This is one reason I love boys.  They are so easy to please! 

The bowling was really fun.  I was the big winner with a whopping score of 85.  G had to play with his left hand "because his shoulder hurt" (from an injury roller skating with the boys a few weeks ago).  One time Sambo knocked down a bunch of pins and shouted "home run!"  I think he must have heard "strike" and assumed home run would apply to a good frame.  It was pretty funny. 

We also did the other challenge each June, July, and August that we did last summer.  We had a contest between us to see who could do the most service, exercise, reading, scriptures, "special time" with kids, and work.  In June Buddy won $20, and of course, G won the $20 in July and August.  He won every time last year and my theory is he only has to worry about himself and not the kids...

In case anyone is curious, here is a list of the books we read.  I didn't write down G's books, so he'll have to post his own in the comments.  Have you read anything good lately?  If so, let me know!

G read:  3482 pages

M read:  3176 pages
"Eat to Live" (enjoyed)
"Ramona and her Mother" (read to the kids-love this series)
"Heaven is Here" (LOVE and highly recommend)
"All There Is" (ok)
"Ramona Forever" (read to the kids)
"Forgotten Garden" (love this book)
"Power of Positive Parenting" (practical tips for dealing with frustrating kid behaviors)
"Blue Castle" (lesser known book by L.M. Montgomery)
"Drop Dead Healthy" (hilarious-highly recommend)
"Bossy Pants" (hilarious)
In progress:
Book of Mormon
"To the Rescue: Biography of Thomas S. Monson" (soooo inspiring)
"Ramona the Brave" (reading to kids)
"Crossing to Safety"
"James and the Giant Peach (reading to Sambo)

 Buddy read:  3300 pages
"Seven Day Magic"
"The Heini Prize"
"Cryptid Hunters"
"Magical Mrs. Plum"
"Death of Silas Winterbottom"
"Aunt Severe and the Dragon"
"Sasquatch"
"Fablehaven #5"
"Holes"
"Guardians of Ga'hoole #1"
"Storm Runners Eruption"
"Magic Treehouse #1" (read to Sambo)
"Strange Case of Origami Yoda"
"Farmer Boy"
In Progress:
Doctrine & Covenants
"Peak"
"Origami Yoda #2"

Sambo read:  134 pages
"Bob Books 1-14"

Our Second Born

Sambo Starting Preschool 

Today is Sambo's first day of preschool.  We are doing a co-op preschool with curriculum ordered off the Internet with several friends.  I love doing this because I love being really involved in my kids' preschool.  He has been so excited to go to "school," but he's mostly excited to play with his friends and wear his backpack.    

Buddy has such a big personality that I feel like most people don't really know Sambo like we do.  Most people think he's a holy terror, which might be true.  I honestly can't decide on that one.  But he is such a perfect compliment to my personality that he rarely rattles me.  I think he's hilarious and awesome in every way.  I'm so glad he isn't in school yet every day because I sincerely enjoy having him with me.

Sambo is very creative and loves doing "crafts."  Yesterday he made this mask and breastplate out of paper plates.  He is Sam Flynn from Tron Legacy, in case you couldn't tell.  The costume is taped to his face and shirt too which is so cute, I think.

Here are some things that make him extra special.  Consequently, these might be the reasons he stresses people out.  (???)

• He is a hypochondriac.  He LOVES being sick, getting shots, and gets genuinely jealous when other people are hurt or sick.  I finally hid our bandaids yesterday because as much as I beg and plead, he won't stop getting into them.  He is inconsolable if he thinks he has an injury or an illness and you don't address it. 
• He takes bossy to a whole new level.  He spends his entire life correcting other kids and making sure everyone follows my rules.  Obviously I don't mind.  But other people do...
• He also takes attention-seeking to a whole new level.  Anyone that knows him already knows, this, though.  
• Sam is really interested in heaven and has had plenty of "good ideas" to figure out where heaven really is.  He has spent considerable time thinking this through.  A few ideas he has come up with:  "Close my eyes and pretend I'm dying.  Then when I get to heaven, I'll open my eyes and see Jesus."  Or "Get some binoculars for Christmas so I can see all the way to heaven where Jesus is." I hate disappointing my kids, but I had to explain why neither of these ideas would work. 
• He has a foul mouth.  No, he has not gotten over this phase.  (At least I hope it's a phase.)
• He is totally and completely obsessed with his older brother.  He brags about Buddy to all his friends, he tells the haircut lady he wants his haircut spiky like Buddy's, he tries to learn how to do everything Buddy can do, and he prepares for Buddy's return from school with "surprises" most days.  Some of the surprises have included a new frog caught in the yard, a piece of gum, a funny story, a note, or a "craft" he's worked on throughout the day.  As a result of his obsession, he can do pretty much anything Buddy can do, which is saying something considering there is a 4-year space between them.  Sambo was jealous that Buddy is allowed to swim in the "deep end" at the pool, so he taught himself to swim.  He was jealous that Buddy can read "chapter books" so he begged to learn to read.  All his friends are Buddy's friends.  He can build Lego's just as well as Buddy.  We thank our lucky stars every day that Buddy was born patient because he has no privacy.
• Whenever Sambo writes his name on something, he always writes that he's 4 because he hates that people mistake him for being younger.  They do this because he's small and he has a speech delay.  Also, he can NOT wait to be 5 in a few months.
• He does not mind having a speech delay.  He is totally happy with who he is.  He is confident and content with his life.  If he feels like doing something he does it, if not, he doesn't.  I LOVE this quality about him and it's the main reason he makes me feel at ease.   We always say that Sambo is "happy to be here." 
• Sambo has only cleaned his room once that I can remember.  He usually cons someone else into doing it for him.  (Never me.  I refuse.)  He's been holding out for two solid weeks and finally conned a babysitter into cleaning it for him this weekend.  
• Yesterday morning I was driving out of the driveway and noticed Sambo's UPSTAIRS window screen was off and was laying on the lower roof and his window was open about 18 inches.  Now, I don't ever open my kids' windows -- even a crack -- because I'm paranoid about all those stories I hear on the news about another child falling from their window onto the ground.  Sambo was in the car with me, so I asked him about it.  He explained that he opened the window so he could see the neighborhood kids getting on the bus better.  Our windows are big and extremely heavy, so I was surprised he could even get it open.  I'm sure all of you reading are alarmed by this story.  Interestingly enough, I wasn't surprised or really all that worried.  My kids are both very curious.  But Sambo does not engage in risky behaviors, so I'm confident he would never have stepped out onto the roof.  But still, we had to have a frank discussion about why opening the window and removing the screen were terribly dangerous.  (This is our fire escape route as required by us by DHS, otherwise I would have already locked or glued that window shut permanently, fyi.)
• He is painfully responsible.  I am too, so this quality endears me to him too.  He knows all the rules, where everything in this house goes, the day-to-day routines, and makes sure they are followed.  He doesn't always listen and he is quite mischievous, but in things that matter, he is totally trustworthy.  He doesn't wander off, he does what he says he'll do, and I don't feel like I have to micro-manage him (Like others in this house.  But I'm not naming name(s).)  Interestingly enough, when somebody else is babysitting him, he is not responsible at all.  Does anyone have any insights into this?  

He's my little baby and the more he squirms and tries to get away from me, the more I feel like hugging and kissing him.  He is such a delight.  I just love him so much!  I just hope I don't smother him to death with all my loves cause I just might if I don't watch myself...