Andrew the artist

Andrew has always loved art. Always. He loved art class in school - I was NOT allowed to pick him up early if it would mean he missed an art class. He had an amazing art teacher in first grade that fostered his love for art even more. He loves to draw and create things - from using Bendaroos to making cards and everything in between. Our house has become a museum. When he draws something, he immediately gets the tape and finds a place on a wall. For about a month Rich and I had a very long train taped on our bedroom wall above our bed. I think he used 5 sheets of paper. (Oh - stock tip!! Paper and tape - invest in them and you will get rich!) We have had skyscrapers taped to our walls, too - and they have been 8 sheets tall! It has gotten so bad that Santa put tape in the boys' stockings last year!

Another thing that Andrew loves is breakfast (brefkist if you are Timmy). If he could, he would eat pancakes and sausage for breakfast, french toast and bacon for lunch, and a HUGE bowl of ceral for dinner. We are working on the concept of bouancy with him right now - we tend to have a Honey Nut Cheerio overflow issue about 3 mornings a week! I know he understand it - he just wants to test his limits and see how many cheerios he can get to stay in the bowl. I think it's a game to him at this point. The dogs love it, too - they stand next to him waiting for the casualties!

One morning Andrew decided to combine two of his loves - art & food. I wonder if Picaso or Michaelangelo started out with various forms of bread and meat when they were little. Did their moms approve? One thing I DO know - their moms didn't take pictures and post them to their blogs!

He has done this a few times since - basically each time we let him have a larger than normal breakfast. Hey - the waffles are whoe grain - does that count for something? And no, this is not a normal breakfast! This may have been a "I'll make breakfast while mom is in the shower" occassion. He can work with smaller amounts, too. One day he made Stonehenge out of his three mini-pancakes and two pieces of sausage. What can I say? He is a master!

Oh - and this is why we will never let him get breakfast in school . . . . I am not even going to think about THAT phone call!
 

What a corn dog!

The other night at dinner we were talking about how Timmy would be buying his lunch at school. Believe it or not, it's actually cheaper - not to mention easier - for then to buy than for me to pack it. Did I mention that it's easier? They have fairly healthy lunches and we can check on them and what they buy (Andrew hasn't figured it out yet - he thinks we have spies!). Have I mentioned the fact that it's soooooooooo much easier to have them buy?!?! Can ya tell that I am lazy? I am all about ease in the morning - there are days when Andrew was lucky if I remembered his snack and clothes . . . let alone a lunch!
Andrew decided to start listing all of the things that Timmy can get . . . popcorn chicken, pizza, plain peanut butter sandwiches, turkey sandwiches, hot dogs, corn dogs . . . . wait - WHAT? Back the bus up . . . corn dogs? Since when did he start eating corn dogs? Seriously? Corn dogs?
Yup, corn dogs. But wait . . . . . it gets better. The logical assumption that one would make is that someone orders a corn dog because they want to, well, eat a corn dog. He didn't technically eat the corn dog. Nope. My genius of a son specifically ordered a corn dog so he could have a hot dog. But wait, I am sure you are asking about the stick to the roof of your mouth corntastic coating . . . I did! (In the interest of full disclosure - I have never had a corn dog or even the desire to have one)
Instead, Einstein peeled off the corntastic coating. Yup - peeled it like a banana. Just so he could have a hot dog. Some would say it was a great way to think outside the box - wonderful problem solving skills. He would make any parent proud!


I should also mention that PLAIN hot dogs were also being served for lunch that day.

Andrew 1, Mommy 0

A few years ago Andrew and I were having a battle of the wills. He had thrown a toy or something like that so I took the toy away. Imagine that! Man - he was MAD at me!!! The kid was barely 3 years old and he tried to bargain with me. I wasn't caving. He then told me that it wasn't fair - that I just can't take things of his. I reminded him that I could - I am the mommy and paid for it so if he does something inappropriate with the toy, I can take it away. That is when I made my mistake.
I mistakingly said that it's mommy and daddy's house so I could take anything I wanted. He was quiet for about .79 seconds. I smirked to myself - I thought I won. Silly me.

Around my boys, you can't make mistakes. You need to bring your A game EVERY SINGLE day. They sniff out mistakes. When they smell one, they go in for the kill. That one fateful day, Andrew went for the kill.
He looked at me - with his chubby little cheeks and the sweetest face EVER and matter of factly told me that I can't take ANYTHING.
"You can't take the ceiling fans - they are bolted in . . . . you can't take the roof, you can't take the windows . . . . "
I had to leave the kitchen. I grabbed the phone and called my mom to let her know that if she really loved her grandson, she needed to come and get him. I was laughing hysterically the whole time . . . . .

And it's only gotten worse!

The face of an angel & the attitude of his mother!

The Jello project

A couple of months ago Sofia was over and I made lunch for her and Timmy. I don't think that Chris and Jennifer ever feed her - she is ALWAYS eating at my house . . . . poor little neglected baby!

Anyway, they wanted Jello as part of their lunch. Perfect - I actually had Jello! I got out two little Jello snack cups and straws. Yes, straws. You see, Timmy and Sofia don't do anything the normal (or easy) way - ever. Why bother to use a spoon for something like yogurt or Jello - especially when using a straw is WAY more fun and makes really cool fart noises. This is one of things that I just go with - it isn't worth the argument and it's pretty funny to hear them talk about it. Plus, I can't wait for the call from our kindergarten principal when she tries to figure out a nice way to tell me that my kid is a slurping his food.
Back to the Jello . . . . as they are slurping up the Jello, they start to discuss the chemistry and physics of it. Why it jiggles, why it's springy, why you can see through it even though it's red, why it's kind of slimy . . . . They then started to suck Jello partway through the straw and blow it onto their plates. They were trying to make cool designs. I know - this is making you crave Jello, isn't it?
So then Timmy starts trying to make different noises by moving his straw to different parts of the snack cup. If you are like me, you are amazed that they have any left - I swear they were magic refilling cups! He was cracking himself - and of course Sofia - up by making as many different fart noises as he could. I was laughing, too - the maturity level in our house is astounding!
All of a sudden, Sofia got mad . . . . . guess why?

Yup, (arms crossed and firm head bobs) "I can't make fart noises in my Jello like Timmy can!"

*sigh*
Bill Cosby has a secure job as the Jello spokesperson!

I know that this video has nothing to do with Jello - but it's REALLY REALLY cute and I need to prove that Timmy and Sofia aren't always a pain in the butt . . . . .

Timmy-in-a-Box

Hmmmm, how to talk about this post . . . . . hmmmmm . . . . well, it all started when we asked the boys to clean up their Legos. Our coffee table has become Lego City - and while I normally don't care, I thought it might be nice to have it cleaned up for our party on Saturday. Oh - I didn't want it cleaned up because I care what our friends think - I wanted it cleaned up because I didn't want to hear the boys whine that their city was messed up. Them whine? Really? I know, it's crazy talk!

They got out the trusty HUGE Rubbermaid container that has been the "Keeper of the City" in the past. Well this time, it almost became the "Keeper of the Timmy". As I was cleaning up, I noticed that the boys were playing IN the container . . . it was funny - no big deal. Well, a bit later I noticed that Andrew had gone upstairs. Then I heard it . . . a muffled, "Andrew?"

"UMMMMM, ANDREW?!?!"

Nothing.

Then I noticed the container moving. Yup, Timmy was in it. But that is not the whole story. He wasn't just IN the box - he was LOCKED in the box. Andrew told Timmy to get in - and the silly boy did. Andrew then put the top on, folded the locks up, and walked away like nothing in the world was wrong. (well, in his mind, things were PERFECT at that point!)

It was pretty funny - as evidenced by the fact that I got some video. As Chris pointed out, I was nice enough to take a 30 second video before freeing my sweet little child from his home containment system. Come on - you would have done the same thing . . . . .

Oh - and Andrew, I totally get why you did it . . . . I have had those kind of days, too!

London 2012 Olympics . . . here we come!

The other night we were doing the normal bedtime routine - but this time it didn't involve inflicting bodily harm on each other. That is a win for us right there! This time, it involved possible bodily harm to themselves. I mentioned that we were painting Andrew's room - so he has been sleeping in Timmy's room. Fun times.They (of course) love it . . . . I am wondering if they sleep at all. Based on the grump factor increasing tenfold, I am guessing that sleep is not something they are focusing on.

So, you might wonder, what ARE they doing? Talking? Reading? Playing the DS?

You silly, silly people! You should know by now that those activities are WAYYYYY too boring my my gentle little angelic boys! (whoa - was that lightning coming at our house?!?!) Nah, instead of doing something quiet, they were practicing their routines for the London 2012 Olympic games! Bet you didn't know that the Olympic Committee has approved a couple of new sports - my boys must have a bat phone connection with the IOC - they got the scoop way before anyone else . . . I wondered what that red phone in Timmy's closet was!

Timmy is excited about the Bed Gymnastics! (the PG version, people!)  Timmy had been working on a routine that involved him doing a front flip from his bed to Andrew's mattress and then a flip back up to his bed (I think that the level of difficulty is much harder - remember, they are overachievers!). He had that mastered in 2.5 seconds so now he is working on a cartwheel on his bed into a front flip down to Andrew's mattress - and then back up. Sadly, I am so NOT kidding.  

Andrew is working on routines for his new Olympic sport - competitive cannonballs. He tried gymnastics but picture a linebacker doing gymnastics . . . . not pretty. He is trying many different things - the Indian Style (is that PC?), the Butt Fall . . . he quickly realized that bellyflops are NOT the way to go. And some of you won't be surprised that he is calculating the water displacement and the angle he has to jump for the highest splash. You watch, they will be teaching that in school soon! It'll be the Buck Displacement Theory (not to be confused with the hip displacement that Chris got when diving in Jamestown).

I think that they are both good contenders for the gold. . . . . that is unless we have a trip to the ER first. I would think it would be hard to come back from an injury in these sports . . . .

R.I.P. Kermit

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the marr. . .


Wait . . . . wrong paper . . . *shuffle, shuffle, shuffle* . . . . . sorry!

Friends, today we are remembering a frog. But not just any frog. He was the BEST frog. We are gathered here to remember a good friend to us all - Kermit. We grew up with him, he made us laugh, and taught us many life lessons - I mean, really, who else has such a diverse group of friends? More importantly, who else can fall in love with a pig and not think bacon?

Kermit taught us not to be afraid of life - he left his home and 3,200 siblings to make it in Hollywood (and he did it naked!). He taught us patience and had a calming demeanor. Well, aside from when Fozzie tried to take over the Muppet Show - but can you blame poor Kermit? He was my first memory of a newsreporter. He survived the dealings with Crazy Harry, was able to fend off Doc Hopper, got to sing with Andy Williams, had Steve Martin as a waiter (wonder if they played the banjo together), build a house with Ty Pennington AND was on American Idol, and even dealt (usually) calmly with Gonzo. Another thing - do you know any other left-handed banjo playing frogs? So after being able to deal with all that he did, you are probably wondering what happened to our favorite frog . . . . .

Well, sadly, the Buck boys were involved. (shocker, I know) Kermie was at our house finishing up his community service (it had to do with a messy incident between Kermit and Miss Piggy - he had finally had enough and used the word bacon. Piggy went nuts and the police were called). Anyway, Kermie and the boys were in Andrew's room chatting. They LOVE the Muppet Show and Timmy was talking about when Harry Balls was on. They then started talking about the episode with Elton John and the funny glasses . . which then lead to talking about the show with Luke Skywalker and Angus McGonagle, the Argyle Gargoyle, gargles Gershwin gorgeously. I know that doesn't sound bad but unfortunately it all took place in 30 seconds. Kermit's head started to spin and he was able to recover - until Timmy asked Kermit if he liked cookies & cream ice cream. Kermit said yes and then Timmy started to explain how they make it and why it's cream in the ice cream when it starts out but then they shake it but it's still cream and add ice and then they freeze it and then they add cookies so it's really cream and but they then make it ice cream - it still has cream so they. . . . . and that is when it happened. Kermit couldn't take it anymore. He croaked.

So now Kermit is moving' right along to his own big lily pad in the sky - reunited with Jim. And for them both, we know that something better came along.
We will miss him but we will never forget him. I think our next vacation will be to Leland, Mississippi - the birthplace of dear Kermit. I wonder if there is a shrine? I wonder if we will be allowed to enter the town? Hopefully they don't read this blog!


And Kermit, if you can hear me, I do want to know one thing - does God really look like Whoppi Goldberg?


“Time's fun when you're having flies.”
Kermit The Frog
May 9, 1955-August 18, 2010