Van's newest favorite phrase is 'On second thought'
Van: "More applesauce please"
Me: "Well, you just ate a huge bowl, how about you eat some ravioli's first and then you can have some more."
Van: "On second thought, I'd like some right now. please."
Saturday, May 31, 2014
Friday, May 23, 2014
Last Day of Preschool
Yesterday was Van, Finn, Elin and Solvej's last day of pre-school.
It is Finn's last day of preschool forever, next year he'll be in kindergarten! Van, Elin, and Solvej, will be back next year.
Here are Van and Finn riding some cute ponies at the end of the year picnic.
It is Finn's last day of preschool forever, next year he'll be in kindergarten! Van, Elin, and Solvej, will be back next year.
Here are Van and Finn riding some cute ponies at the end of the year picnic.
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Bike Ride Adventure
Today I took Van and Finn on a bike ride down to Menchies the frozen yogurt store. It's a nice ride, 5 miles, but mostly flat and/or downhill.
Here we are having arrived successfully, eating frozen yogurt. It was so fun!
Here we are having arrived successfully, eating frozen yogurt. It was so fun!
Then Svea picked up Finn for a BBQ with her friends and Van and I biked to Abbott Loop Elementary school and played for an hour. It was a great day and fun to spend an afternoon with the boys. (Esther was napping)
Grandma's porch
Esther with her ponytail. Riding her big wheel and snacking on goldfish.
A captive audience. What are they watching?
Grandpa and Uncle Peter are cutting down a tree.
Playing pretend
Like a dream come true, all 5 kids (mine and Svea's) are playing in my yard, on a beautiful sunny day. They find a pile of tile squares (~1ft x1ft) sitting in a pile by the house.
Van: "hey want to play tile step!"
Everyone else: "Yeah!"
They quickly determine the groundrules. I tell them the tile squares can only be on the grass and not the cement. They determine that the grass is hot lava. Once they have 4 tile squares down in a line, they each stand on them. Van is one one end, then Finn, then Solvej, then Elin. Van picks up a tile, hands it to Finn, who turns and hands it to Solvej who turns and hands it to Elin who runs to the end of the line and adds it to path.
It's amazing to watch them organize so efficiently into an assembly line. They talk about how much hard work they are doing.
"We are working so hard."
"hard work, hard work"
Then once the pile is gone (about 20 tiles) they begin picking up the first tiles and adding them in interesting directions at the end.
"We made a letter T!" Van says at one point.
The boys like this part, especially Finn, who loves building things. The girls are a little less interested now. Solvej sits on one of the tiles and Elin rides a bike nearby.
Finn: "We are guards." Van agrees. They continue to build neat shapes by moving the tiles from one end of the line to the other.
Solvej: "I am the queen." She stands up authoritatively.
Elin: "I am the queen too." Elin calls from her bike.
Van: "You're the bike queen."
Elin: "No I am the queen too."
Me: "You could be the princess."
Elin: "I am the queen too." she gives up her bike and stands by Solvej to cement her position.
Solvej: "Shoulders! I am the queen. Bring me a necklace."
(I wish there existed puncuation to convey how she said this. First, so much authority. And she says 'necklace' as if obtaining one is the most nefarious, yet serious task. It's as if she's just asked for someone to be beheaded to exact revenge on the behalf of her kingdom. She would make a great queen.)
Elin: "Give me a necklace."
Finn: "Yes queen. We will get you a necklace" in his robot/soldier/guard voice.
Solvej: "Shoulders, give me necklace; and make it red and sparkly."
Elin: "Mine blue and sparkly."
Anyway, the game goes on from there, but I am loving this new stage of playing pretend, especially on a group level.
Van: "hey want to play tile step!"
Everyone else: "Yeah!"
They quickly determine the groundrules. I tell them the tile squares can only be on the grass and not the cement. They determine that the grass is hot lava. Once they have 4 tile squares down in a line, they each stand on them. Van is one one end, then Finn, then Solvej, then Elin. Van picks up a tile, hands it to Finn, who turns and hands it to Solvej who turns and hands it to Elin who runs to the end of the line and adds it to path.
It's amazing to watch them organize so efficiently into an assembly line. They talk about how much hard work they are doing.
"We are working so hard."
"hard work, hard work"
Then once the pile is gone (about 20 tiles) they begin picking up the first tiles and adding them in interesting directions at the end.
"We made a letter T!" Van says at one point.
The boys like this part, especially Finn, who loves building things. The girls are a little less interested now. Solvej sits on one of the tiles and Elin rides a bike nearby.
Finn: "We are guards." Van agrees. They continue to build neat shapes by moving the tiles from one end of the line to the other.
Solvej: "I am the queen." She stands up authoritatively.
Elin: "I am the queen too." Elin calls from her bike.
Van: "You're the bike queen."
Elin: "No I am the queen too."
Me: "You could be the princess."
Elin: "I am the queen too." she gives up her bike and stands by Solvej to cement her position.
Solvej: "Shoulders! I am the queen. Bring me a necklace."
(I wish there existed puncuation to convey how she said this. First, so much authority. And she says 'necklace' as if obtaining one is the most nefarious, yet serious task. It's as if she's just asked for someone to be beheaded to exact revenge on the behalf of her kingdom. She would make a great queen.)
Elin: "Give me a necklace."
Finn: "Yes queen. We will get you a necklace" in his robot/soldier/guard voice.
Solvej: "Shoulders, give me necklace; and make it red and sparkly."
Elin: "Mine blue and sparkly."
Anyway, the game goes on from there, but I am loving this new stage of playing pretend, especially on a group level.
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
2014 Drafts
I have several 'Drafts' on my blog list, ideas or fragments I've captured but never published. I decided to compile them all so I could delete the drafts.
I have so many, I had to categorize them by year.
These are the 2014 ones, in no particular order.
"I can't sleep. My brain is keeping me awake. It keeps snoring."
- Van
***
Esther is sitting on the edge of the window seat now trying to put on a pair of pants. It is the cutest thing ever. She sits down, gets to the edge and lets her little feet dangle then puts the pants to them. Or pulls a shirt up to her head in an effort to get it on. so cute.
She continues to be the most delightful thing in the universe.
***
"I don't need a kiss. The kisses are too slimy for me."
- Van
***
Van walks in pushing a shopping cart containing his jammies and books, I had sent him out a few minutes ago to do his before bed jobs which include: going poddy, brushing teeth, getting jammies on, and picking out story time books.
Van: "Hello, what's your name?"
Me: "My name is Vanessa, what's your name?"
Van: "Ank."
Me: "Your name is Ank?"
Van: "yeah.
Van: " Yes, I work with Uncle Andy, I work where he works. We work together."
Me: "Oh, what do you do?'
Van: "Well I go in the secret passageway to his work."
Me: "But what's your job there?"
Van: "Well sometimes I sleep at work. The man doesn't let me sleep at work all the time."
Me: "Just some of the time?"
Van: "yeah"
***
Me: "Van let's go on an adventure!"
Van: "I have an idea for an adventure, but we're going to need a gun."
Me: Funny look
Van: There are a lot of dangerous moose and bears out there."
***
Van now has 3 dog alter-egos: 'pickle', 'follower' and 'french fry'.
French fry is his favorite right now, it is who he normally pretends to be, but the others will usually be somewhere in the room.
Pickle seems to have all the skills, at dinner today we learned
"Pickle eats everything, even pepperoni!" (Van personally does not like pepperoni)
and
"Pickle learned how to kill a moose. You know, to eat for food."
Follower only has the distinction of being a dog that follows you around.
***
Me: "Oh no! Van what happened to your knee?" (he had some scratches)
Van: "It's ok, it's just from 'Oscar 1 2 3'"
Me: "Oscar 1 2 3?"
Van: "You know, that place we went with the water and the pirate ship."
Me: "Ooooh, H 2 Oasis"
Van: "Yeah, that one."
Andy said he called it 'Oscar's Oasis' the other day, which is the name of a show he likes to watch.
I have so many, I had to categorize them by year.
These are the 2014 ones, in no particular order.
"I can't sleep. My brain is keeping me awake. It keeps snoring."
- Van
***
Esther is sitting on the edge of the window seat now trying to put on a pair of pants. It is the cutest thing ever. She sits down, gets to the edge and lets her little feet dangle then puts the pants to them. Or pulls a shirt up to her head in an effort to get it on. so cute.
She continues to be the most delightful thing in the universe.
***
"I don't need a kiss. The kisses are too slimy for me."
- Van
***
Van walks in pushing a shopping cart containing his jammies and books, I had sent him out a few minutes ago to do his before bed jobs which include: going poddy, brushing teeth, getting jammies on, and picking out story time books.
Van: "Hello, what's your name?"
Me: "My name is Vanessa, what's your name?"
Van: "Ank."
Me: "Your name is Ank?"
Van: "yeah.
Van: " Yes, I work with Uncle Andy, I work where he works. We work together."
Me: "Oh, what do you do?'
Van: "Well I go in the secret passageway to his work."
Me: "But what's your job there?"
Van: "Well sometimes I sleep at work. The man doesn't let me sleep at work all the time."
Me: "Just some of the time?"
Van: "yeah"
***
Me: "Van let's go on an adventure!"
Van: "I have an idea for an adventure, but we're going to need a gun."
Me: Funny look
Van: There are a lot of dangerous moose and bears out there."
***
Van now has 3 dog alter-egos: 'pickle', 'follower' and 'french fry'.
French fry is his favorite right now, it is who he normally pretends to be, but the others will usually be somewhere in the room.
Pickle seems to have all the skills, at dinner today we learned
"Pickle eats everything, even pepperoni!" (Van personally does not like pepperoni)
and
"Pickle learned how to kill a moose. You know, to eat for food."
Follower only has the distinction of being a dog that follows you around.
***
Me: "Oh no! Van what happened to your knee?" (he had some scratches)
Van: "It's ok, it's just from 'Oscar 1 2 3'"
Me: "Oscar 1 2 3?"
Van: "You know, that place we went with the water and the pirate ship."
Me: "Ooooh, H 2 Oasis"
Van: "Yeah, that one."
Andy said he called it 'Oscar's Oasis' the other day, which is the name of a show he likes to watch.
2013 Drafts Part 2
(Consolidated content of all the Draft posts I never published)
(This is from last year, in our old house)
Today we had new closets installed downstairs to put my clothes in. I had been using the downstairs bedroom as a closet, but since we moved Van into it a few months ago, I haven't had anywhere to store my clothes and they have been in the downstairs living room. I have been looking forward to these closets for a long time.
Our conversations about them today have gone like this.
Van: "Mom, these closets are for all of us"
Me: "No, these closets are only for me. These are my closets."
Van: "Mom, you have to share your closets. These closets are for everyone"
Me: "Nope, just for me."
Van: "Mom, that's what it says here on this tape. Share. You have to share mom."
Me: "No, I paid for these closets and I want them."
Van: "Mom I will share my closets with you. Mom, if you don't share you closets, you can't get a present. So what do you want, to get no present or to share your closets?"
***
Van is working on his set of wooden puzzles (thanks grandpa pat!). He's really good at them now so he's just chatting away as he puts the pieces together and I'm absentmindedly watching him.
Suddenly he is serious,
Van: "Mama. Did you know that sometimes mamas die?"
Me: "Oh dear"
Then he immediately relaxes,
Van: "But that only happens to other kids, not me."
***
Have I posted about similes yet? Hopefully this isn't a repeat, but I've noticed Van uses similes to describe things.
"That bus is as tall as a tall tree"
"that dog is black like a black bear"
"that garbage can looks like a hippo head."
Alright the last one didn't have quite the right form but it made me laugh.
Other things are "High like an airplane" or "strong like daddy"
***
(This is from last year, in our old house)
Today we had new closets installed downstairs to put my clothes in. I had been using the downstairs bedroom as a closet, but since we moved Van into it a few months ago, I haven't had anywhere to store my clothes and they have been in the downstairs living room. I have been looking forward to these closets for a long time.
Our conversations about them today have gone like this.
Van: "Mom, these closets are for all of us"
Me: "No, these closets are only for me. These are my closets."
Van: "Mom, you have to share your closets. These closets are for everyone"
Me: "Nope, just for me."
Van: "Mom, that's what it says here on this tape. Share. You have to share mom."
Me: "No, I paid for these closets and I want them."
Van: "Mom I will share my closets with you. Mom, if you don't share you closets, you can't get a present. So what do you want, to get no present or to share your closets?"
***
Van is working on his set of wooden puzzles (thanks grandpa pat!). He's really good at them now so he's just chatting away as he puts the pieces together and I'm absentmindedly watching him.
Suddenly he is serious,
Van: "Mama. Did you know that sometimes mamas die?"
Me: "Oh dear"
Then he immediately relaxes,
Van: "But that only happens to other kids, not me."
***
Have I posted about similes yet? Hopefully this isn't a repeat, but I've noticed Van uses similes to describe things.
"That bus is as tall as a tall tree"
"that dog is black like a black bear"
"that garbage can looks like a hippo head."
Alright the last one didn't have quite the right form but it made me laugh.
Other things are "High like an airplane" or "strong like daddy"
***
3 years, 5 months, 23 days old.
Van snuck out of the house for the first time.
I went outside to get something from the car and found he had crawled out his ground floor bedroom window and was riding his bike on the front porch.
"I don't want to go to bed mama" he said.
2013 Drafts Part 1
(Consolidated content of all the Draft posts I never published)
Like most 3 year old, Van is big on pretending. My favorite is that he pretends to be other people. Just now he had a bottle of water. He turned to me and asked me to open it in a deep voice. Then he said, "I'm Andy, this is my coffee" as he took a sip.
Like most 3 year old, Van is big on pretending. My favorite is that he pretends to be other people. Just now he had a bottle of water. He turned to me and asked me to open it in a deep voice. Then he said, "I'm Andy, this is my coffee" as he took a sip.
He pretends to be Andy often when he wants to do something only grownups are aloud to do. Like when I'm trying to get him into his carseat, he says in his deepest voice, "but I won't fit."
He also has another person he has made up, his name is either Alice/Alex. (Either way it's a boy, I've asked, he just isn't particular). This is another little boy who is the same age as Van, but has a cat and a dog, lives on the other side of John's road (he tries to get me to turn that way when we're driving). Has a big sister, and a blue slide in his house. Alice/Alex is hilarious because he'll always wonder where Van is, know where Van is, or ask about Van, "So what's Van like?" he asked me once.
Anyway maternity leave is almost up, only a couple weeks and I'll be back in the office, just wanted to record these fun things.
***
Van is in the back yard and says, "hey mama, look I found some poop." He's carrying the dog poop on a shovel to the garbage container we keep out there for it. I thought, 'This is it, this is the greatest thing ever if he will clean up dog poop in the back yard.'
Then as he puts the poop in the bucket, he says, "I put the dog poop on the shovel with my fingers"
"Oh no" I said, "Van we have to wash your hands, that's very dirty."
"It wasn't squishy, I squeezed it and put it on the shovel." replied Van.
***
This is a type of problematic conversation that we have a lot.
Van: "Mom can I bring this ball with me?"
Me: "yes"
Van "why?"
***
"Van do you know what your shirt says? It says 'Silly'"
"Why?"
"because the monkey on it is silly"
"Please I be silly?"
"Sure"
Being silly commences and Andy tries to tickle him.
"Dad, don't tickle me while I'm being silly"
***
Van and Mo man have a love/hate relationship with both behaving badly at times. Neither is perfect and today Mo man has scratched Van, but I don't think he meant it and overall he was being pretty good.
Van: "Mom I shoot Mo man because he's not being nice." (with a small nerf gun)
Me: "Hun I wish you would be nicer to Mo man"
Van: "I wish I had a nice dog"
***
Van likes to measure things. He likes tape measures in particular. If you ask him how long, big, small or what size anything is in any respect his answer is always the same.
"4 lbs"
Not sure why.
How long until we get there?
4 lbs
***
"Mom, I came here to measure you" Van sits on my lap holding a tape measure.
He holds the tape measure across the front of my face.
"what do I measure?" I ask.
"it's 4 pounds!"
***
Van is in the back yard and says, "hey mama, look I found some poop." He's carrying the dog poop on a shovel to the garbage container we keep out there for it. I thought, 'This is it, this is the greatest thing ever if he will clean up dog poop in the back yard.'
Then as he puts the poop in the bucket, he says, "I put the dog poop on the shovel with my fingers"
"Oh no" I said, "Van we have to wash your hands, that's very dirty."
"It wasn't squishy, I squeezed it and put it on the shovel." replied Van.
***
This is a type of problematic conversation that we have a lot.
Van: "Mom can I bring this ball with me?"
Me: "yes"
Van "why?"
***
"Van do you know what your shirt says? It says 'Silly'"
"Why?"
"because the monkey on it is silly"
"Please I be silly?"
"Sure"
Being silly commences and Andy tries to tickle him.
"Dad, don't tickle me while I'm being silly"
***
Van and Mo man have a love/hate relationship with both behaving badly at times. Neither is perfect and today Mo man has scratched Van, but I don't think he meant it and overall he was being pretty good.
Van: "Mom I shoot Mo man because he's not being nice." (with a small nerf gun)
Me: "Hun I wish you would be nicer to Mo man"
Van: "I wish I had a nice dog"
***
Van likes to measure things. He likes tape measures in particular. If you ask him how long, big, small or what size anything is in any respect his answer is always the same.
"4 lbs"
Not sure why.
How long until we get there?
4 lbs
***
"Mom, I came here to measure you" Van sits on my lap holding a tape measure.
He holds the tape measure across the front of my face.
"what do I measure?" I ask.
"it's 4 pounds!"
Monday, May 12, 2014
5/12/2014
We were watching 'The Incredibles' which is about a family of superheros and everyone has a super power. The boy is fast and in one scene he is running on the water.
Van: "He's running on the water. Like a Basilisk!"
Thank you Wild Kratts.
Here's a Basilisk link and a Wild Kratt link for those of you who are not regualar watchers.
It's one of my favorite kid shows, just behind 'Phineas and Ferb'.
On Mothers Day Van put on 'Phineas and Ferb' for me, because he knows I like it.
***
Van and I are driving around town running errands.
Me: "Oh shoot, we have to back"
Van: "to where?"
Me: "Lake Otis and Tudor"
Van: "Where is that?"
Me: "Just up here"
I turn around and we pull up to the intersection. We were just here, but I missed a turn or something.
Van: "OH, that place where you can't dig underground."
He's says this as if it is obvious. And he's looking at something that is telling him that this is relevant. I look around trying to figure out what he could be thinking.
And then I see it.
The 'no digging underground' sign.
Van: "He's running on the water. Like a Basilisk!"
Thank you Wild Kratts.
Here's a Basilisk link and a Wild Kratt link for those of you who are not regualar watchers.
It's one of my favorite kid shows, just behind 'Phineas and Ferb'.
On Mothers Day Van put on 'Phineas and Ferb' for me, because he knows I like it.
***
Van and I are driving around town running errands.
Me: "Oh shoot, we have to back"
Van: "to where?"
Me: "Lake Otis and Tudor"
Van: "Where is that?"
Me: "Just up here"
I turn around and we pull up to the intersection. We were just here, but I missed a turn or something.
Van: "OH, that place where you can't dig underground."
He's says this as if it is obvious. And he's looking at something that is telling him that this is relevant. I look around trying to figure out what he could be thinking.
And then I see it.
Sunday, May 11, 2014
Sand Dunes
So last week Svea met us out at the sand dunes near Kincaid. That morning Van had run the fun run at the zoo, you can see he is still wearing his red shirt from the event.
It was a beautiful day and on the way back we even got to watch the bikers on the dirt biker course.
Covered in dirt after 5 minutes there.
The girls climbing up the cliff
It was a beautiful day and on the way back we even got to watch the bikers on the dirt biker course.
Van is showing me the beautiful view he found.
Covered in dirt after 5 minutes there.
The girls climbing up the cliff
Happy Mother's Day
Andy made us steak, shrimp, potatoes and salad. It was so nice, we decided to have a picnic
:)
:)
Monday, May 5, 2014
Sunday, May 4, 2014
5 mile bike
Van, Esther and I just biked 5 miles!
What a little stud, a beautiful sunny day and we biked from our house down to Trailside elementary playground, then on to McDonalds! (Andy picked us up so we didn't have to bike 5 more miles home)
Van: He just found out that once we left trailside our next stop was McDonalds. "Mom, do you know how much you love me?"
Me: "Yes!"
Van: "That is how much I love McDonalds."
What a little stud, a beautiful sunny day and we biked from our house down to Trailside elementary playground, then on to McDonalds! (Andy picked us up so we didn't have to bike 5 more miles home)
Van: He just found out that once we left trailside our next stop was McDonalds. "Mom, do you know how much you love me?"
Me: "Yes!"
Van: "That is how much I love McDonalds."
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