Ten random thoughts

#10. Why does Gibson think he can speak fluent Spanish? And why does he think we can understand him? He knows he's just making it up, doesn't he? But then again, maybe not....... Maybe he really believes it. He certainly seems serious about it, and uses it at times when you'd think one would want to communicate clearly -- like when he yells out warnings to his brother. (Just so you can follow my train of thought here.....We'd been hiking a trail in a local park and a mountain biker was riding up behind us. Both boys were hiking up ahead, with Landis a good 10 yards ahead of Gibson, and I didn't want them to get smeared. "Hey you guys!!" I yell. "Get over to the side. There's a bike coming!" So Gibson stops in his tracks, leans forward, cups his hands to his mouth and yells out, "Landis! Basta did a ye yammo a la esta!" -- which loosely translated apparently means "Get over to the side so you don't get smeared by the oncoming mountain bike!") And that's just one instance. He does it all the time. He sings along to the radio in "Spanish", he gives instructions in "Spanish", and he speaks to native Spanish speakers in "Spanish". Seriously. He even rolls his R's and gets the accents in the right places. Where does a kid get that kind of confidence?

#9. At what age is it appropriate to decide that you will no longer be wearing underwear? Is 3 too young? Landis refuses to wear it, and I'm not sure if I should make him. When I insist on it he acts like I'm torturing him -- rolling around on the ground and yelling "PLEASE!!! NO UNDIES!! I don't want to wear undies!!!! NO!!!!!!! NO!!!!!!! NO!!!!!! PLEEEEEEEEAAAAAASE!!!!!!! I HATE UNDIES!!!!!!" The way he carries on, you'd think I'd lined his tighty-whiteys with sandpaper. Is he old enough to decide for himself?

#8. Hot dang! I just made some baked oatmeal with cinnamon and raisins, and it's FANTASTIC!

#7. How to you appropriately time-out a kid who enjoys being solitary? Like when, a couple of days ago, I sent Landis to bed 2 hours early for acting like a complete and total turd for the majority of the day. And how I cleared out his room so he wouldn't have any toys to play with, and how he pitched a huge fit about it, but then we found him an hour later skipping in circles around the upstairs wearing my kayaking helmet, lost in his own little world of make-believe. His early bedtime was supposed to be a punishment, but instead he was thoroughly enjoying himself and his time alone.

#6. I've been working so hard on my "post-baby saggy pelvic floor", doing yoga and pilates for the past year and a half so that I could finally laugh, sneeze, or cough unexpectedly without whizzing in my pants. I've been doing really well too. And then I went and got this horrible cold where I can't stop coughing and coughing and coughing and coughing........ and now I think I'm back to square one. (cough,cough,cough,cough,cough,cough,cough,cough...Dammit!!)

#5. Earlier in the week, when Mike went to the "chop-shop" for his appointment to render the boys useless -- or at least directionless -- and I was doing my usual pick-up at school, I found myself sitting in the car staring at the clock. And when I knew he was actually in the doctor's office, under the knife, I got all emotional and cried. And as I gripped the steering wheel and listened to the argument happening in the back seat about who was looking at whom, and who had to look out what window, and who had to wear what sunglasses, I had to ask myself "Self......? What is THIS all about?" I don't think it's so much that I am sad at the fact that we are done having babies. My kids are old enough to go to the bathroom on their own, eat on their own, play on their own, and for the most part they sleep through the night -- which are all huge accomplishments. And, if I may be frank, I can say with complete certainty that I am not anxious to go back to non-stop butt wiping, and diaper buying, and middle of the night feedings, and all the other things that make having a newborn exhausting. Square one is a hard place to go back to when you've been away from it for so long. Not to mention the fact that I'd have to put the brakes on going back to work for at least another four years. And as a family, we can finally do things like multi-day rafting trips, and roller-coaster riding, and lots of other super-fun things that would come to a screeching halt if we were to procreate one more time. I was, and am, totally on board with keeping our family as it is. So if the tears have nothing to do with the fact that we are done having babies, what then?

#4. Hmmmm.... Wonder if Mike minds that I just posted about his "boys".

#3. I've almost kicked my Diet Dr. Pepper addiction. I can say this with confidence, since I just made a 12 pack last for 2 weeks, instead of 3 days.

#2. Ugghhhh. It's bathing suit season. Our pool is officially open, and I'd still like to cut these last 8 pounds. How does one do that when everything tastes so yummy?

#1. Twix bar or apple? Twix bar or apple? Twix. Definitely the Twix.

(Cartoon credit goes to hugh macleod at gapingvoid.com)