Josh Sauce

When I go back and read this blog, my favorite posts are the ones where I get to remember kid moments. It's not the events or trips that I worry about forgetting, but the day-to-day personalities of my gremlins at different ages. So coming up, you'll see a post for each of my babies, documenting their current craziness.

Photo cred: Elizabeth Glenn

Let's start with the boy who sets the tone for our whole family -- Mr. Josh. I have to figure out a better nickname for him, because he's got several for me. Lately, he calls me "Meems", I think because he hears Matt and other family members do the same. But usually he uses Meems in the context of exasperation. Like when I ask him to put his dishes in the sink, it's "Awwww, Meems!" with a cute little smile.

Josh has a super silly side. He wore mismatched flip flops all summer, on purpose. He thinks every joke is the best thing ever. I took my friend's good-mom tip and started writing a joke on his napkin every day when I pack his school lunch, so he's learning a lot of them to share with his friends. Half of his photos turn out something like this because he thinks he makes hilarious faces.

He's got a lot of energy, which is a good match for Jude. Even if it means they wrestle all over the clean laundry. They play a game where Josh shoots arrows way across the yard and Jude runs to fetch them one at a time. Little boys really are like dogs in that way -- they need to run out all that energy! Also, the smell. Just kidding. Mostly.

Josh is such a good big brother. He gives Jude all kinds of ideas, teaching him new games and activities every day. And Adele...I'm pretty sure he will never let another boy get near her. He is nothing but sweet, sweet, sweetness toward her. His adoring words are going to give her so much confidence as she grows.

Josh has a really close relationship with his dad. They have such effortless fun together. Matt has been reading The Hobbit to the boys, and loves to show them funny YouTube videos before bed. Josh has learned how to write emails so he can say hello to Matt while he's at work.

He is still very preoccupied with video games. Even when we strictly limit his screen time, he's constantly thinking about his last or next game. He'll be sitting at the counter eating dinner, staring off into space, then suddenly spew a bunch of video game word vomit to anyone who will listen. Something about leveling up, and beating someone with a whatsit ability, and other hogwash that I don't understand. Usually it's about Skylanders, or he'll throw in some Pokemon cards to mix it up.

Here he is playing his Ratchet and Clank game while wearing a Ratchet costume. That is dressing for the occasion. 

We had him on a system all summer that worked out really well. I would give him a list of chores every day, including things like empty the dishwasher, fold towels, clean room, practice piano, read to Jude, and finish five pages in homework book.  Then, for each chore completed, he could earn one or two points, each one translating to ten minutes of screen time (watching a show or playing a game on the phone or PlayStation). It kept him productive every day, and made him earn his screen time. He loves rules, timers, and calculating his points, so this was perfect for him.

Josh is zooming through his piano books -- mostly without my help, I'm ashamed to admit. Somehow I'm able to make regular time for all my piano students except him. But when I do make the effort to sit down with him, I'm amazed at what he has taught himself just by reading through his books. In July he was nearing the end of Book A, and two months later he's almost done with Book B. Here's a clip from July:

My boy loves to read and write. He always takes a book in the car, and finished the whole Shel Silverstein collection in days, which gives my heart warm fuzzies.  His current favorite is Hardy Boys. 

I find cute notes like this sometimes around the house. And he comes home from school with books he has made in art class that are usually called "I Love My Family". 

Same thing with Adele. That was way easier than writing "I love you Adele".

But don't let this sweetness fool you! He's still a little boy who likes combat and bathroom jokes. Here's a sample of our hangman game during church one day:

He was so excited to finally lose his first tooth on July 30th. He had been waiting for that day through all of kindergarten. I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner. His teeth get a good work out every day, since he's starting to eat like a linebacker. Heaven help me when these hungry boys become hungry teenagers.

I love to see how smart this kid is getting. He makes me so proud. He actually wanted to go to math camp this summer. So we signed him up for the same week that Jude went to sports camp. It was a good fit for each. Example: as a fun after school activity (when video games aren't available), Josh likes me to make math worksheets for him, the harder the better. And he loves to play games with strategies and numbers. Here, he's playing a card game he learned at math camp...against his toy cars.

They both LOVE puzzles. I bought a set of eight 100-piece puzzles because I wanted to challenge them. Here they are with all 800 pieces on the table at once. They worked all week, with a little help from me, and wouldn't clean up until they were finished with all eight. (Sound like anyone you know, Mom?) I'm so happy to have buddies who will do puzzles with me when I grow old and useless.

Josh started first grade last month. He was so excited to see his great friend Will at school right after he got off the bus. That's right, I said BUS! He had started riding the bus to school a few mornings a week and really likes it. He runs full speed to the bus stop every time and is super anal about not being late. The first day of school, I walked him to the bus stop and ran back to my car so I could meet him at school and walk him to class.

Here's my big kid with his brand new Skylanders lunch box. Dream come true, right there. His first few weeks were a bit of a struggle in the behavior department. He has a hard time adjusting to change, is about as stubborn as they get, and is very bored in class right now as they're doing a lot of easy review stuff. He came home after a hard day and wrote this apology note to his teacher all by himself. 

He's a good egg. We're just working on some six-year-old boy things right now. I'm encouraged by the fact that he might one day grow up to be as charming and successful as one Garth Algar.

Power Rangers need birthdays, too

Josh turned six in June. We had his birthday party here at the house again, which we've done year after year, just with a different theme. Josh doesn't really like change. I have a feeling he's going to be the child who makes me stick to family traditions religiously until he's 40.

The six-year-old theme: POWER RANGERS.

This year I don't really have super cute birthday ideas to share. Josh was old enough that he helped plan the party games, decorations, and cake. It was pretty simple and perfect. In case you were wondering, that's a shark bow on the cake. I had no idea what it was, but he showed me a picture, and we made it work.

Josh and Jude made this "ball contraption" with Grandma Cheri before the party started, per the birthday boy's request. 

When guests arrived, as usual, we had coloring pages at the table and balloons all over the ground to keep them busy. Josh chose the pictures to be printed.

This cutie took his coloring seriously, and preferred finishing to participating in silly games.

I needed a game to keep them occupied while Matt prepped for the next activity, so we improvised a game of "Duck Duck Goose", but called out Power Ranger colors instead. They loved it.

Next was a "power stone" search. The boys helped me paint a bunch of rocks different colors beforehand, and the kids had to find them in the yard. We did this a couple times.

For another game, we threw bean bags at pictures of Power Ranger villains to try to knock them down. Please note Josh's homemade decorations on the wall behind the couch.

At cake time, Josh was shy as usual and tried to hide under his chair while people sang. But I know he secretly loved it.

Jude still thinks that every birthday party is for him too. He was super excited all day, especially to be hanging out with so many big kids.

Here's part of present time. The kids always hover and inch closer and closer until Josh is crowded into a corner with his presents and I can't get a decent picture. But it's fun to see how excited they all get.

Last of all, we hit the pinata in the basement. I kind of had an emergency situation that week in which I could not find an appropriately themed pinata ANYWHERE, so the day before, I decided to make one. The paper mache didn't quite have enough to time to dry, so after a couple hits, the hook ripped off and it wouldn't hang from the rope anymore. Matt ended up holding it while kids whacked it open. Nobody got hurt.

Party success! That night, we had a quick family party for both Matt and Josh (and Jude a little bit) so Grandma Cheri could be there.

I didn't get pictures of all the presents, but lots of new hats and Cardinals gear were had, and Josh FINALLY got the gift he has been begging for for months -- Skylanders. There was much rejoicing, and like great parents, we allowed it to consume his life for a few days before we left for a long trip West.

June is for No Shirts

June IS for no shirts. Or at least exposed belly buttons.

June is when we say good riddance to winter and enjoy a few months of not having to haul big coats and hats and boots around everywhere. (Remember that? Try not to remember that.) 

I am in love with my kids' super white, wintry, translucent skin that never tans. It keeps them looking like babies to me. They are programmed to always wear a shirt with their swim shorts, but I just love it when they run around like centaurs. (Babies included.)

But I guess June is for other stuff too, so here's a little update.

 Josh finished kindergarten honorably. He had the best teacher EVER and it was hard to leave her. He even accidentally called me Mrs. Burks sometimes at home for a while. Here he is at his school's field day celebration.

When it got warm, we started spending Mondays and Tuesdays after school at the playground. It started with one special time, and of course became the expectation for EVERY non-rainy day. I had to take a picture of the crazy fluff that was raining down on us for about a week. I'm still not sure what this is, but it was everywhere!

This is how Adele does park days.

While Josh finished up school, we enjoyed our last few days as a threesome at home. Jude REALLY misses Josh while he's at school. Summer break was very, very welcome here.

We had our first gardening class of the summer during the last week of school. Matt was out of town, so I decided to be an extra fun mom by picking Josh up from school, hanging out at the playground for extra long, taking us all to his favorite pizza place, and then going straight to Dow Gardens to plant our plot. This is where I learned that I need to be less ambitious as a new mom of three. Too many plans and timelines and expectations never go just right, and always end with me overworked and yelling at somebody. For my little ones right now, less is more.

Even though it was a long day, they're pretty cute kids. Those are just pretend grumpy faces.

Here are my hard-working gardeners preparing our plot.

Matt's comment on this little collage: "Does this not capture the nature of my three children? The sleeper, the reader, and the person who may currently be getting arrested." 

Matt and I lucked out one night when our friend offered us free tickets to a foodie event at the Center for the Arts. It was this cool presentation by Chef Steps with modern high-tech ways to cook interesting foods. Lots of science and laboratory-type gear and ingredients, with plenty of samples for the audience. It was delicious! We came home with a new wishlist of kitchen equipment. Here's Matt on stage waiting for a piece of reconstructed, sous vide, deep fried steak, with hollandaise made in a nitrous oxide siphon. Very fancy,

That explains Matt's Father's Day gift from me: a siphon and a box of nitrous oxide cartridges. We made our own vanilla bean whipped cream first thing, and it was delicious.

But I guess if you want Father's Day pictures with him and his CHILDREN, I can give those to you, too. Josh made a cute card, and Jude wrapped up a football toy that he got in a Happy Meal.

Where's Adele in all this action, you ask? She was learning how to talk. She always has a lot to say.

Josh had to have a couple more cavities filled in June because I have terrible tooth genes. Aaaaand I guess we could work on flossing. It was really annoying because they couldn't get him numb enough on the bottom, so we had to come back to fill the second one a few weeks later. We came back to a different  dentist who was NOT good at working with young children, and neither of us was happy with the experience.

So afterward, I picked up the other kids from the sitter's house and took them to have some fun at the library. Faces were painted, and all was forgotten in the magic of pretend play.

There were also some birthdays and vacations in June, but those get their own posts. Stay tuned for more updates. I'm hoping to get caught up here soon, because this little girl is growing like a weed, and I don't want to forget a single minute of her sweetness!

Mother's Day is Every Day

It's true. I am a mother every day, no vacations. Every day, my kids give me precious moments and infuriating moments. Every day, they treat me like the most important person in the world, and like their personal servant. They are at those special ages where they need me almost every waking minute, which both fills my heart and runs me ragged. I'm trying to spend more time enjoying this phase of motherhood lately. Because in a few years, I'll be the one begging for their attention.

 This was my first Mother's Day with three children. It was also my first Mother's Day with a daughter. I have never felt so busy or so needed or so exhausted as a mother. I'm not sure if that makes the day more special, but it does make me want to take longer naps.

Here is the dreamboat who made me a mother:

Josh made me this cute card, bracelet, and recipe book in Kindergarten. All the kids wrote down their moms' best recipes from memory, which resulted in some pretty funny instructions. Josh wasn't too far off with his, though.

Matt got me some gold-leaf coated playing cards with a special case. Where I'll use them, I don't know quite yet, but they're fancy.

We ate dinner on the patio, complete with my favorite cocktails (grape juice and Fresca). Matt had made a new salad recipe that I chose, but it turned out to be weird and overwhelmingly fennel-filled. Good thing it's the thought that counts and not the taste.

We've been working to make our boys more brave outside. For some reason, this spring they decided that bugs of any size were the scariest things in the world, and would rather stay inside always and forever. Fortunately they've gotten much better since then, but here's a look at what we were dealing with back in May.

 

There are few things in life better than making your kids laugh. My children are not perfect, but they're cute, funny, and mostly sweet. When they're not sweet, they make up for it with the BEST hugs. They usually like me, and we get enough pictures to remember the great moments. What more can a mother ask for? Life is good.