Ok, so those of you that know my children know that Will is, for the most part, calm and sharp and witty. Owen is pretty much a train of destruction. He's adorable and smart, coupled with fearless and VERY "passionate" (about everything) with lots and lots and lots of energy. Remember the Tazmanian Devil from the old Buggs Bunny cartoons? That's Owen.
I pretty much live in fear of the things that Will will think up and dare Owen to do...
So tonight. It followed a really long day. Will was home sick with croup, so we spent 2 hours at the doctors office, brought Will home for a nap, and Owen did not nap. Our DVD player is broken (yeah, all you parents who don't have cable are feeling me now, aren't you), and Owen was in full "Owen form." Full steam ahead and heaven help what's in his way. Every furniture cushion in the living room ended up on the floor to dive on, every toy on top of the cushions, you get the drift. I called my mom just before dinner to try and gain some sympathy for my insane day, and of course right when I really needed 3 minutes of alone time to chat, they followed me into my office, while I tried to relay the story of my day to my mom. After ~60 seconds, Owen starts trying to close Will into the office door. Literally, and for fun. Only Will didn't think it was fun. Mom had to get called back, children kicked out of office and I removed Owen from hanging off of the office doorknob.
**Time out for a note** We've discovered many things about our house that are "interesting" and one is that the doorknob on our office door has a keyhole...they just had an extra exterior doorknob and stuck it on the office door. But no key. This was news to us. It's amazing how many keys fit in the keyhole, but do not turn.** Note Over.
Apparently in the process of playing with the office door, Owen figured out how to turn the inside lock. Hadn't happened in 3 yrs and won't happen again seeing as the lock has now been removed. Mommy didn't notice that my 22 month old locked the door, so I turned off the lights and closed the door behind me (praise the Lord Owen LEFT the room before the door was shut). I'll end this the short way...it took a locksmith 2 hours to undo what my 22 month old managed to do in 5 minutes. (except right when the locksmith went out to call his boss and admit defeat, Wes borrowed his tools and managed to unlock the knob!!). It's seriously 10:45pm and the locksmith just left about 45 minutes ago.
And what was tonight going to be? Oh, yeah, relaxing movie night for Wes and myself. We'll try again tomorrow. I'm going to bed!!
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Being "had" by your one year old...
I'm either enjoying this blogging idea way too much, or my life is simply too adventurous to remain silent...but regardless...here's another story from last night. I'd say it's about Owen, except that Will's comments were PRICELESS and so classically "Will."
For those of you who don't know Owen well, let's just say that he's...um...strong-willed. 'Stubborn as a mule' also works, except that he's proving to be pretty smart in his "outsmart the parents" attempts. He also has a temper. (If you can remember this in your prayers at night, we'd greatly appreciate it). Well, last night we were all working puzzles and Owen had one of his wooden trains in hand. He was standing on a puzzle, so Wes asked him to move and helped edge him off of the puzzle. This, for some reason, made Owen furious. He really wanted to stand on the puzzle. So he turned around and swung his train at Wes' face...barely missing clocking Wes in the head. He immediately gets popped and deposited into his crib for a minute or two of time out (this is, sadly, not an uncommon occurrence). After a minute, we get him out of the crib and tell him to either say he's sorry or hug Daddy. He looks square at us and says "No!" Back in the crib he goes. Needless to say...he does not do time out quietly. Seething fury would probably be about accurate. We go through the process again. "Owen, tell Daddy you are sorry or give him a hug." "NO!" Back in the crib. Apparently the screaming that Owen was doing from the crib was beginning to bother Will, so once Will realized that Owen wasn't going to give in any time soon, he quietly got up, walked to Owen's bedroom door and said very politely "Ok, Owen? I'm just going to close your door now." And walked right back to the living room, sat down, picked up his puzzle pieces and announced "that's better." This time when we get Owen and tell him to either say he's sorry for hitting or hug Daddy, he doesn't immediately say no. He sorta collapses onto Wes for what appeared to be a hug, so I let him go, Wes hugged him (note that Owen did NOT hug Wes like we thought he was about to) and he immediately scooted out of Wes' grasp and sat on the far end of the couch, looked at us...and laughed. Red-faced, tears and snot and anger pouring off of him...and the second he "got out of trouble"...he looked at us and laughed. Laughed! Wes looked up and said "I think we've just been had."
You know...you can get a college education for a lot of things...but figuring out how to understand, outsmart and outwit your preschoolers and toddlers just ain't in the curriculum.
For those of you who don't know Owen well, let's just say that he's...um...strong-willed. 'Stubborn as a mule' also works, except that he's proving to be pretty smart in his "outsmart the parents" attempts. He also has a temper. (If you can remember this in your prayers at night, we'd greatly appreciate it). Well, last night we were all working puzzles and Owen had one of his wooden trains in hand. He was standing on a puzzle, so Wes asked him to move and helped edge him off of the puzzle. This, for some reason, made Owen furious. He really wanted to stand on the puzzle. So he turned around and swung his train at Wes' face...barely missing clocking Wes in the head. He immediately gets popped and deposited into his crib for a minute or two of time out (this is, sadly, not an uncommon occurrence). After a minute, we get him out of the crib and tell him to either say he's sorry or hug Daddy. He looks square at us and says "No!" Back in the crib he goes. Needless to say...he does not do time out quietly. Seething fury would probably be about accurate. We go through the process again. "Owen, tell Daddy you are sorry or give him a hug." "NO!" Back in the crib. Apparently the screaming that Owen was doing from the crib was beginning to bother Will, so once Will realized that Owen wasn't going to give in any time soon, he quietly got up, walked to Owen's bedroom door and said very politely "Ok, Owen? I'm just going to close your door now." And walked right back to the living room, sat down, picked up his puzzle pieces and announced "that's better." This time when we get Owen and tell him to either say he's sorry for hitting or hug Daddy, he doesn't immediately say no. He sorta collapses onto Wes for what appeared to be a hug, so I let him go, Wes hugged him (note that Owen did NOT hug Wes like we thought he was about to) and he immediately scooted out of Wes' grasp and sat on the far end of the couch, looked at us...and laughed. Red-faced, tears and snot and anger pouring off of him...and the second he "got out of trouble"...he looked at us and laughed. Laughed! Wes looked up and said "I think we've just been had."
You know...you can get a college education for a lot of things...but figuring out how to understand, outsmart and outwit your preschoolers and toddlers just ain't in the curriculum.
"What's a vaccine, Mommy?" (busted!)
Where to start, where to start. So many past stories I want to share...yet the present keeps throwing adventures into our lives daily. But I've got to post of this grand adventure from back in the fall. Flu shot day...for both boys.
Any of you that have ever taken multiple children to get shots at one time should have a clear idea of where this story is headed. Owen needed his 18 month shots, and both boys needed a flu shot. Well, I'm no dummy (at least I think that, but my 1 and 4 yr old keep proving me wrong!) so I did not tell Will that he'd be getting a shot too, I planned to wait until he asked. Mercifully, he thought he was just going to help Owen get his shots and see his doctor, whom Will ADORES. Well, Owen gets checked out, we talk to the doc and he is very careful to not say the word "shot" in front of Will. He leaves and we are hanging out in our little room, waiting for the nurse (who was apparently on a long phone call). Will and I are reading and Owen is doing what Owen does best...being loud. Crashing his plastic "Push and Go Thomas" train into the door at full speed. I'm sure the people in the rooms around us were appreciative. All of a sudden, Will looks at me with his big ole blue eyes and said "Dr. Purvis said I needed a vaccine. What's a vaccine, Mommy?" Yep, I was smooth busted. I explained that it was a "little bitty shot that wasn't going to hurt much at all" and that I'd need him to be a big boy and help me while Owen was getting his 4 shots. Obviously, Will could have cared less about the size of the shot or how many Owen would be getting, but it was worth a try, right? Then, Will jumps down out of my lap, turns at me with the angriest eyes he could muster, clenches his fist and yells "You make my heart so MAD, Mommy!! My heart is so MAD AT YOU!!" Then he starts to sob and pace the room. Then Owen takes a break from trying his best to plow a hole in the door, notices Will is sobbing, and decides that something must be wrong worth crying about and begins to sob as well. Awesome. This goes on for about 5 minutes until I finally get Will sidetracked with the camera on my cell phone and Owen back to destroying something, though it escapes me now what it was. I just know it was loud. Our nurse walks in, and Will gets his flu shot first. He kicks and flails his way onto the table, gets a shot and doesn't even realize the shot was over until we told him he could get down. I get Owen up on the table for his series of shots and realize that Will has collapsed onto the floor sobbing about how badly his leg hurts. We get Owen pinned down long enough for shots and Owen does what you'd expect from him...he comes up swinging. Throwing both fists in pure fury at anyone close enough to notice. But by the time I get his feet on the floor, he picks up his train and is perfectly happy in life. Will (who only got one shot compared to Owen's 4) is STILL on the floor sobbing. I somehow get our bags together, open the door and Will begins to crawl on the floor dragging his leg behind him saying "My leg hurts...my HEART hurts. My leg hurts...my HEART hurts." (While Owen is running full speed ahead to the front. He's no fool...he knows where the suckers are!) Well, the nurses step politely over him and we get to the checkout counter where he finally decides that walking would be better at getting him out of the doctor's office with any amount of speed and we go on our way. Daddy will definitely be coming along next time...although I must say that now that we are removed from that lovely visit...the picture of Will dragging his leg behind him down the hall and Owen running happily for the sucker basket makes me laugh out loud. There are REASONS they don't tell you these things before you have kids! :-) But while they might make for bad days, they sure do make for interesting and often good memories!
Any of you that have ever taken multiple children to get shots at one time should have a clear idea of where this story is headed. Owen needed his 18 month shots, and both boys needed a flu shot. Well, I'm no dummy (at least I think that, but my 1 and 4 yr old keep proving me wrong!) so I did not tell Will that he'd be getting a shot too, I planned to wait until he asked. Mercifully, he thought he was just going to help Owen get his shots and see his doctor, whom Will ADORES. Well, Owen gets checked out, we talk to the doc and he is very careful to not say the word "shot" in front of Will. He leaves and we are hanging out in our little room, waiting for the nurse (who was apparently on a long phone call). Will and I are reading and Owen is doing what Owen does best...being loud. Crashing his plastic "Push and Go Thomas" train into the door at full speed. I'm sure the people in the rooms around us were appreciative. All of a sudden, Will looks at me with his big ole blue eyes and said "Dr. Purvis said I needed a vaccine. What's a vaccine, Mommy?" Yep, I was smooth busted. I explained that it was a "little bitty shot that wasn't going to hurt much at all" and that I'd need him to be a big boy and help me while Owen was getting his 4 shots. Obviously, Will could have cared less about the size of the shot or how many Owen would be getting, but it was worth a try, right? Then, Will jumps down out of my lap, turns at me with the angriest eyes he could muster, clenches his fist and yells "You make my heart so MAD, Mommy!! My heart is so MAD AT YOU!!" Then he starts to sob and pace the room. Then Owen takes a break from trying his best to plow a hole in the door, notices Will is sobbing, and decides that something must be wrong worth crying about and begins to sob as well. Awesome. This goes on for about 5 minutes until I finally get Will sidetracked with the camera on my cell phone and Owen back to destroying something, though it escapes me now what it was. I just know it was loud. Our nurse walks in, and Will gets his flu shot first. He kicks and flails his way onto the table, gets a shot and doesn't even realize the shot was over until we told him he could get down. I get Owen up on the table for his series of shots and realize that Will has collapsed onto the floor sobbing about how badly his leg hurts. We get Owen pinned down long enough for shots and Owen does what you'd expect from him...he comes up swinging. Throwing both fists in pure fury at anyone close enough to notice. But by the time I get his feet on the floor, he picks up his train and is perfectly happy in life. Will (who only got one shot compared to Owen's 4) is STILL on the floor sobbing. I somehow get our bags together, open the door and Will begins to crawl on the floor dragging his leg behind him saying "My leg hurts...my HEART hurts. My leg hurts...my HEART hurts." (While Owen is running full speed ahead to the front. He's no fool...he knows where the suckers are!) Well, the nurses step politely over him and we get to the checkout counter where he finally decides that walking would be better at getting him out of the doctor's office with any amount of speed and we go on our way. Daddy will definitely be coming along next time...although I must say that now that we are removed from that lovely visit...the picture of Will dragging his leg behind him down the hall and Owen running happily for the sucker basket makes me laugh out loud. There are REASONS they don't tell you these things before you have kids! :-) But while they might make for bad days, they sure do make for interesting and often good memories!
Friday, February 13, 2009
Beam me up, Scottie!
While there are many stories that I intend to go back and share on this blog, I have to start with our most current adventure. It was this morning, in the place that all moms of young children have nightmares about...Walmart. Yes, for reasons that I can only chalk up to temporary insanity (or "toddler brain") I took both boys with me to Walmart for the BIG grocery run. We went early this morning, b/c I assumed we would have a quicker time of things. Owen rode in the front of the cart and Will walked slowly along stopping to look at everything he might want along the way. Mercifully we made it through the grocery part of shopping and for once, I let my children coerce me into stopping in the toy section for a toy. Owen went nuts over a Thomas train and Will found a little Spiderman car. We make it to the check out counter and I'm congratulating myself on doing such a wonderful job controlling my children, avoiding fits and getting out of Walmart without leaving it or us worse for the wear. Right at that great, prideful moment, Owen turned to show Will his train...and in all his mighty force, slammed Will in the nose with his train. Will screams and begins to sob, Owen thinks it's hysterical and begins to laugh his head off, and blood begins pouring out of Will's nose. Now it's time for me to dig my money out of my purse, while trying to hold Kleenex on Will's nose and load a massive amount of groceries and diapers into the buggy. As I begin the "steer the heavy buggy with one hand while holding Kleenex to Will's nose, out into the drizzling rain" walk from Walmart...I pray for probably the 1000th time since becoming a mother for something to please beam me up...deposit me into my car dry, unbloodied, with calm kids...and send me on my way. Instead we came home, washed blood and tears away...and determined to never EVER think that starting my day at Walmart with two boys would be a good idea again.
Work in progress
I have wanted to have a blog to document all of the crazy adventures of the McCleese house, and have decided that now is as good a time as any to start. Bear with me, stories and regular postings to come!
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