We Aren't Even Out of the Driveway Yet!

Today I was supposed to take Sweet Pea and Spud to their preschool.  Since I'd never been to their preschool (and since I wasn't registered as a designated "dropper-off or picker-up" person, I first was to pick up their grandpa at the tennis courts and then we'd both head over with the kiddos.

You see, the usual arrangement is that their grandpa would take them to school when their daddy is away but today he had a tennis match so he had asked me to fill in for him.  He even loaned me their van and that was probably the first mistake.  I am pretty hopeless with other people's cars.  But he got the car seats set up and had told me that one side door had to be locked and unlocked by hand but otherwise, it should be pretty straight-forward.

Spud wearing some "garden dirt" 

This morning I got both children dressed with only one small "time-out" when Sweet Pea decided she only wanted half of herself dressed.  Both children were fed and rediapered, lunches were packed, their bags were packed with spare clothes and diapers, and I think everything was ready until I looked at the clock and realized I needed to get out the door.  Oh, man....where were their shoes?  And Mika was insisting on braids but she ended up with ponytails and was none the wiser.

Outside, I had my hands full with everyone's bags plus my purse and was fumbling for the door key and trying to keep an eye on the two children so they wouldn't head for the street.

"Spud, STAY!", I shouted.

He froze in place.  Hey, cool!  Their grandpa's set of keys had a dog whistle.  I considered trying that next if they decided to make a break for it.

The next challenge were the car seats.  Trying to get Spud into his car seat was a challenge.  It was further over in the "half seat row" and I had to try to sling him across the floor of the van and up into the seat, which wasn't making my back feel any better.  Then the straps were twisted so I had to fiddle with those and undo them until I got them right.  Spud wasn't happy but we eventually got it. I rushed over to the other side of the van where Sweet Pea patiently waited.

Hmm, I remembered that this was the side that I had to manually unlock.  Oh, no....the darn door thingy was missing and instead of a nice thick knob to pull up on, there was a little thin metal strip to grab.  My fingers are quite weak and arthritic and I really was struggling trying to get it pulled up to unlock the door.  I am hoping that both children didn't pick up on the "new vocabulary" that they might have been exposed to this morning.

Finally, I got the door open.  In the carseat she went and into the driver's seat I went.  Now I just had to release the parking brake and we could back out of the driveway and head out.  Dang!  I couldn't get the brake to release.  In my van, you just press down on the brake with your foot and then let up on it and it pops right up.  It wasn't happening here.  I looked frantically around for some lever I should pull.  I couldn't find anything.  Then I spotted something on the bottom of the dash, right about where my gas cap release is.  Hmmm, well, it had to release something.  I hoped it wouldn't pop the hood.  I pulled and yay, the brake released.  Gah!

We made it to the park and of course, I pulled into the wrong parking area (employees only), had to back up and go around, went into another parking area (wrong one), stopped a jogger to ask him where the tennis courts were and then got directions from him.  As we headed over to the courts, I saw a bicycler coming towards us, gesturing at me.  "Get out of my way," I thought.  "I'm running late."  Then I realized it was their grandfather.

We got the bike in the van, switched drivers and made it to their school in time.  Once we had both children deposited in their classrooms, Laura's dad decided we should get me registered as a designated person for them as long as we were there.

"We'll need to take your picture," the receptionist said.

"You're kidding," I replied.  "I haven't had a shower in two days and I haven't even combed my hair yet this morning."

I smiled wanly at the camera and am now duly registered and looking like an escapee from the looney bin, I am quite sure.

This visit is teaching me a lot of things.  One of them is that I can probably handle children about two hours max and then that needs to be followed by about 12-15 hours of solitude for decompression followed by retail therapy and lots of desserts.  Carrot cake, carrot cake, where art thou when I need you?

Birthday Boy and Frosting Girl

It's little Spud's first birthday this week and his sister and family celebrated it this past weekend so that his Texas grandpa and grandma could join in the fun, since they'll be away on his actual birthday.  Little Sweet Pea helped decorate two little cakes in preparation for the party.

When it came time to light the candle and sing, they called us up on Skype so that we could sing along and watch the fun.  Here is what happened.

Sweet Pea:  Happy birthday to you......Happy birthday to you........
Spud:   What's going on?  Why is everyone looking at me and singing?

Mommy:  Here, Luke......try some of your birthday cake.  It's very good.

Spud:  I don't like this stuff.  Take it away!
Sweet Pea:  Yummy frosting!

Sweet Pea:  Ummmm, REALLY yummy frosting.  I could eat all of the frosting off of this little cake.

Sweet Pea:  No, Mommy....no helping!  This frosting is all mine.  Hands off!

Spud:  Ooh, Mommy and Daddy, is that the iPad?  Is that Nana and Papa?  Can I talk to them?
Sweet Pea:  Nana is SO right.  Frosting IS the best part of the cake.

Spud:  Hi, Nana and Papa!  I just had a green smoothie drink.  It was much better than that birthday cake.
Sweet Pea:  Hgmpthfth!  Can't talk right now.  Too busy eating frosting.

Spud:  Hey, Daddy....Come see the funny faces that Nana is making on the iPad.
Sweet Pea:  This frosting is SO good that I have to get every bit of it off of my fingers.

Sweet Pea:  (amidst the sounds of everyone saying goodbye via Skype)  Oh, frosting.....sweet, sweet frosting.  Gee, this must be how Pooh feels about honey.

It's All in a PA-TX Skype Session

This weekend we had another fine Skype session with Sweet Pea, Spud, and their Mommy and Daddy.   Sweet Pea was talking up a storm, discussing the play kitchen we have here at the house and I was showing her some of the pretend food that we can play with when she's next here on a visit.

"Skype Central" on their end was their iPad and it was set up on the brick hearth of their fireplace.  Unfortunately, little Spud has learned to climb up on the hearth and this was causing some concern (more on that later).

Sweet Pea was "accessing the situation" but it wasn't long before she started inching closer and closer to the iPad.

"Mommy, look....that's ME on the computer."

"I can see my teeth and my eyes when I get closer."

"Nana, what's that little lion doing in your computer?"

"Hmmmm, I think I'll take a closer look."

PawPaw said to Laura, "Judging from that last close-up, I'm thinking you might need to find a tissue."  He's such a comic.

Soon Sweet Pea wandered off to play with her little doll buggy and brother Spud crawled after her like greased lightning.  Next thing we heard was their daddy shouting "NO!"  Laura moved the iPad so we could see.  Sweet Pea had dumped her dolls out of the buggy and was swinging the buggy around in a circle just missing her brother's head.  It was like a whirling dervish version of "Whack a Mole."

We talked some more and I heard giggling in the background.  Mommy moved the iPad again and this time, there was Sweet Pea herding Spud back over to the fireplace by pushing the buggy into his little backside as he crawled along.  He was laughing merrily.  

"Oh, boy....I can make funny faces on the iPad."

With everyone back to the fireplace, little Spud decided to climb up on the hearth.  His sister followed suit and then started playing with the mesh curtains hanging over the fireplace opening.  Her mommy asked her to stop.  She didn't and the countdown began.  When she got to 3, she said, "You're going to have to go to your room for a time-out, Mika."  and then "I'll be back in a minute" to us.

She set the iPad down and off she hustled with a crying Sweet Pea down the hall.  As we heard her in the background talking, we heard some strange grunting and all of a sudden, some blonde hair appeared in the corner of our view of the living room ceiling.  "Oh, oh", we thought.  "Spud has discovered the unattended iPad."

Luckily his momma arrived just in time to save it from a perilous situation and little Spud had to be content to lunge at it in-between bites of baby food.  Right about then the buzzer sounded and Sweet Pea rejoined the conversation and all too soon it was time to wave goodbye and blow kisses.  And THAT'S the latest Skype Scoop from PA.

iPad Skyping - A Blessing for Grandparents!

We love to Skype with our extended family.  With the grandkidlets in Texas, it is usually our only way to see them for weeks/months at a time and to maintain that precious relationship with them.  But with little ones, Skyping via a stationary computer can be challenging, at best.  Let's face it....toddlers and babies get antsy.  They'll only tolerate so much time spent sitting in one spot before they want to wander off.

In the past, Skyping with little Sweet Pea has sometimes been limited to her quick appearance at the beginning of the conversation and then a fast pop-in at the end of the Skype call for a blown kiss good-bye. It's been like eating only one potato chip.  We've wanted more.

That's where the iPad comes to the rescue.  With our daughter-in-law returned to medical residency, she now has an iPad and last night we were able to Skype with them using an iPad on their end.  Oh, boy!  Not only did it draw the attention of the kidlets, but it was super-portable.

Spud was particularly drawn to it, laughing at our images and trying to reach out to grab us.  At one point, he got down on the floor and Jason walked in front of him with the iPad while Spud crawled like a marathon sprinter on his knees following it.  We were able to watch the whole thing via Skype --- on eye, or should I say, floor level.

Little Sweet Pea kept popping in to show us different toys.  She even hopped off the couch and did some fancy twirling and dancing that we were able to watch, thanks to that iPad.

Sweet Pea and I sang "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" together and then she showed me how she could climb the stack of pillows on the couch (which I dubbed "Mt. Mika).  Oh, I know that a laptop could have been moved to follow the action but it still would have been cumbersome, trying to adjust the angle of the screen to catch the action.

Let's face it, there is something irresistible between iPads and  children.  They are just naturally drawn to them.  Add in the convenience of Skyping with the portability of the iPad, and you have a wonderful tool to stay connected with your extended family.  When I see smiles like these, how can I not feel blessed?

From Footsie to Fog

It was just a few days ago that I was enjoying the balmy breezes of Houston, Texas AND life with the grandkids.  Now I'm back in Pennsylvania and freezing!  It's cold up here.

When I woke up the first morning after my return home, I rolled over and said to the Commander, "Do you hear that?"

"What?" he said.

"My point exactly," I replied.  "It's silent as can be.  There are no sounds of children."   In fact, all we could hear were our bones creaking as we moved in the bed.

Now it seems strange to relax in a chair and put my feet up without a little one coming over and either using my legs as a jungle gym or pulling themselves up by grabbing my feet.

Today I had to go to the Army clinic next town over to pick up a prescription.  As I drove up to the gate, I rolled down my window and stuck my ID out to show the guard.

"Um, don't you have a military ID," he asked me.

"What?  What did I give you?" I asked in confusion.

"Your driver's license," he said.

"Oh, my goodness.  Yes, of course," I stammered as I rummaged through my purse.   I pulled out my military ID and handed him the proper identification.

"Sorry about that," I laughed.  "I've been out of town for 3 weeks helping to watch my grandchildren and I'm a little out of it at the moment.  That's what watching toddlers for 3 weeks will do to your brain."

He laughed.  "Don't feel bad," he said.  "The other day a lady handed me her Visa card.  And I had another lady who just handed me her purse and said, 'Here, pick one.'  Of course, she WAS about seventy."

He handed me back my ID and I was on my way.  Hey, at least I didn't insist that he call me "Thomas the Train" or "Diesel 10."

I wonder how the grandkids would have handled it?

Skyping with Mr. Wiggleworm

We had the fun of Skyping with the kids tonight and, as usual, little Spud was a bundle of energy.  Miss Mika, our little "Sweet Pea," was preoccupied with getting her "cuppy" filled with Chai and evading her brother's grasping hands.  Here is how the conversation went, according to Mr. Spud:

Hey, Nana and PawPaw!  Whatta day....whatta day.  You wouldn't believe all the things I tried to get into!

What's that?  You WOULD?  Gee, who's been talking behind my back?

Do I look like someone who would get into any mischief, I ask you?  Have you ever seen such an angelic face?

Aw, nuts!  Can't keep this act up for long.  Let me go, Pops.  I've got things to get into.

Hmph!  Passed off to Mommy!  Oh, the shame of it all.  Hey, Sis!  I'll trade you this lid for your cuppy.

Oh, come on.....it tastes good.  I've already sucked all the dirt off of it.  You know you want to trade with me.

Let me go, Mommy!  I want to play with my sister's pigtails.  That should make her drop that cup.

Oh, boy....come on....just a little bit closer and I think I can make it to Daddy's chair while they are listening to Sis's story.

Yeah!  Look at me!  I'm walking.  (Let go of me, Mommy.  You're embarrassing me.)

Boing, Boing!   I'm bouncing just like Tigger!  Hey, look everybody.

Huh, you want me to stand still so you can get a good picture?  Are you nuts, Nana and PawPaw?  I'm a boy.  We never stand still.

Isn't that right, Pops?  Betcha did the same stuff when you were my age.

Hey, you want to pick my nose?  Cool.  That sounds like fun.

Oh, COME ON!  Do we have to listen to another story from Sis?  Doesn't she ever run out of them?
At least she could give me her cup.

Yeah!  A new toy.  I'm going to play drums on Daddy's head.  Ah-one, Ah-two......  Oh, bye-bye, Nana and PawPaw.  I love you!

Househunting From a Baby's Viewpoint

                          Really, Nana and PawPaw....you have NO idea what it's been like!

Househunting can take a toll on a family, especially in today's market where it is a buyer's market and often buyers are competing with each other for a house they like.  Our son and his family have been going through quite the ordeal in trying to find the right house.  We Skyped about it last night and little Luke, who is a big 7-month-old now, had some thoughts on the subject.

Oh, my....we have had SOME adventures looking for a home for our family.

Button it, Mom, it's my turn to talk here.  They want to know MY perspective on our house hunt.

I just can not believe all the places we've had to go see.

Holy Cow....some of these places I wouldn't put my rattle down in.  But other houses that I've really liked have had other people snap them right up from under us.

I've thought...."Man, are you pulling my leg?  We've lost another one to another buyer?" and yup, back we go, having to look at more houses."

Come ON, guys!  Gag me with a spoon, for cryin' out loud!

Who knew that this house-buying stuff would be such a knuckle-biting experience?

When I hear some of the offers those other people have made, I want to say to them, "Yeah, yeah...just talk to the hand, man."

Mommy and Daddy are getting frustrated and I'm pulling my hair out here.

It's been absolutely disgusting, I tell ya, just disgusting!

Oh, you thought this LAST house was going to be the one, did you?  Well, think again.

Go ahead, Mommy, tell them the latest development.....not that I'm complaining, mind you.

I KNOW, Nana and PawPaw...it's unbelievable, isn't it?  We could end up so close to Gammy and Grandpa.

Hey, wait a minute.  Who invited Grandpa in here?  This is MY story.  Everybody wants to add their two cents!

Whoa....who knew having a conversation was such hard work?  Of course, when you only know one word.....it takes a lot of effort to get your point across.

So anyway....we were back looking at houses ......What?  What did you say?  Oh, you think YOU can do better finding us a house, do you?  Well, then why don't you two come down here and help us?

Pssst, it's ok, Mommy.....I got this!  I know what I'm doing here!

See, I KNEW if I tricked them, maybe they'd fly down here and visit us.

Yeah....THAT'S what I'm talkin' about.  We need Nana and PawPaw to fly down here and be "closers" and get the job done.

Besides, with a smile like this, do you REALLY need an excuse to come down to see me?