Author Archives: twindemu

A Picnic in February

This weekend has been amazing for the northwest, especially since its February. It’s been perfectly clear and surprisingly warm; low 60s. Today we decided it was perfect day for a bit of a winter picnic. So we headed out to Green Lake Park and found an amazing spot right on a dock out on the lake. We couldn’t beat the spot out in the lake and also away from the hoard of Seattlelites who come out of the woodwork just like us when the sun comes out. Feels very much like spring.

 

 

Like Father Like Son

Today we went to Kaelen’s birthday party at Jump Planet.  Cole loves that place.  He gets so excited and begs and begs Dad to jump with him and climb up and slide down the slides.  I actually love jumping with him; the only down side is that a guy my size tends to sway the entire structure.  Really have to watch for other kids.  We had a great time jumping and sliding and all too soon it was time for food and cake.  We somehow were having so much fun we missed the call to leave so Cole and I were the only one’s left bouncing by the time Steph came over and told us we were all alone.

Oddly enough when we got to the ‘party’ room Cole loses all sense of shyness when he sees the kid’s table with all the kids sitting around it.  He quickly finds a place and sets up shop.  Today was no exception.  He quickly found a place and started gathering anything around him: apple juice, cookies, goldfish, fruit cups and finally pizza while we were waiting for cake.  You would think that boy never eats.  They were taking a little long with the cake and Cole literally was eating everything in sight.  The boy’s mom next to Cole finally moved the plateful of cookies that Cole and the boy had been sharing, directly in-front of Cole to avoid an on-going reach Cole had been making in front of his neighbor.  Finally cake!  And Cole received a big piece, and loved it.  All the rest of the kids were starting to abandon their cake and go find their parents – but not Cole.  This cake was apparently quite amazing to Cole, he had no desire to slow.  As he came to the end all the children at the table were gone.  Cole, however, was amazingly still not done he continued to drink apple juice, water, eat cookies, and goldfish.  Finally as he reached for another fruit cup I decided it was time to step in.  The only boy at the table, clearly he had more than enjoyed that birthday party.

I seem to recall a very similar picture back when I was his age.

 

Working and Email

Cole has two distinct characteristics – he is creative and he doesn’t like diaper changes.

The other day I asked him to come sit down for a diaper change.  He replied “Sorry Mommy.  I’m working.”  I looked up and found him starring intently at the computer.  “Come on Cole, let’s change your diaper,” I repeated.  Without missing a beat he said “I’m reading my email. Just a minute.”   A few minutes later (he apparently had a lot of email to get through), he piped up, “Ok Mommy, I’m done with working.  I’m done reading email.”  He then, slowly, came over for the required diaper change.

Baking Soda Footprints

As Cole gets older and enters the “3s” he is increasingly “busy” and into things. It had been a while since he had played “sink” and he spent a good 20 minutes perched on his “tower” happily splashing water around in the sink (with copious amounts on the cupboards and floor).

Knowing he was safely occupied, I picked up Alex for a quick diaper change.  As I stood up from my changing position on the floor, I first noticed that Cole was no longer at the sink, but running/dancing in the kitchen. Cute!  Then I rounded the corner.  And saw it.

Seeing that I was busy with baby brother, Cole had exited the sink, entered the pantry and spied the baking soda. He had picked it up and was carrying it with him during his running/jumping/dancing spree.  The result?  Clouds of baking soda covered the kitchen.  There was powder in inches on the floor, powder on the refrigerator door, soggy powder paste where the soda had mixed with the “sink” water from his earlier play.  And – as proof of a good time – tiny Cole footprints danced a path throughout the kitchen, showing his path.

New box of baking soda = $1.07
Baking soda footprints = priceless

From the mouths of babes…

Growing up and sorting out things is sometimes easy…and sometimes hard.  That said, its fun to watch as Cole works through ideas.  Tonight, it was a combination of thoughts on Jesus mixed with his ideas/fears about us leaving him with a babysitter.

Tonight putting him to bed, I told him “I love you. Daddy loves you. Jesus loves you.  Even Elmo loves you!”  He smiled and said, “Jesus come down here.”

“Yes Baby, we want Jesus to come down here. But we love him in our hearts and we can talk to him any time we want to.”
“Jesus came down before,” he said.
“Yes,” I answered. “Jesus came down.  Then he went back to Heaven for a while. We can’t wait for him to come back.”
“Jesus come back again. Mommy stay home. And Daddy stay home. And Jesus stay home with me and Alex.”
“Yes, Mommy and Daddy and Jesus are all here with you.  We love you.”

We pray that this simple understanding and acceptance of Our Father stays with our precious boys as they grow and find that many areas of life are not always so simple.