That's What YOU Think

My kids do not think like I do. (Shocking, I know.)

Rumor has it this will continue well into adolescence. It's been said that even when they finally acheive adulthood and some form of maturity... they may still think differently than I do. (I assure you I will do my best to prevent that from happening.)

Um, this is not exactly what I meant when I said,
"Lay down and go to sleep!"

At what point do they begin to think like adults? At what stage do they look at a bookcase and cease to think that climbing it would be fun? When do they realize that drinking the water from the tub they just peed in is actually NOT a good idea? And don't even get me started about scissors.

No, children certainly do not think like we do. They have a wonderful sense of seeing the world only as it is presently. They do not look to the past, and they cannot look to the future. They see items and circumstances only as they are now. Which is their gift.

"I think I need a hat in the next size down..."

I look at our pots and pans reminding me of meals that need to be made, dishes that need to be washed, and meal planning that has yet to be done. My children see clanging cymbals, containers for trucks, and sometimes - hats. Whatever they happen to need in that moment, the objects around them can serve the purpose. They are not restrained with rules of how things are to be "used", what they are "for" and how they "work".

The imagination of a child is an amazing miracle. The world around them is still pliable. They can bend any object to serve the purpose at hand. The rigid structure of adulthood has not pierced their thoughts, inhibiting them from licking peanut butter off the table or turning couch cushions into forts. Responsibility and knowledge don't weigh on them, preventing them from enjoying dirt, water, food and bugs.

Mud Pie. It's no longer just for dessert!

They don't care if they get dirty. They don't have to care. That's what we're here for. So, as I walk around the house and find things that are a little "off", I have begun to take pictures. (Shocking, I know.) Reminders that their vision of the world around them is so different from my own...

Please join me on a short but fascinating trip into the minds of my children. But please, no questions - I have no idea what they were thinking.

"Whaddya mean pockets aren't made to hold dirt?
It works perfectly!"

"Who needs pancakes? Or a shirt? Or the ability
to actually twist open the cap?"

"But every time I took one bag out, another
popped up in it's place! Isn't that how
the game works?"

Swim suit or new headwear? She's such a
fashion trendsetter.

Why yes, that is a kitchen sink filled to the brim.
Why yes, that is my daughter drinking straight from it.
Why yes, that is my son scooping water oblivious to
how abnormal this entire situtation is...

You see: Iced Tea Pot
They see: Stuffed Animal Sleeping Quarters

Oh, like you haven't found your keys hanging from
holes in the walls at your house. Right.
(How the holes got there is another story...)

*No Caption Needed* (Ha!)

"Hey mom! What's in-hi-bition?"

"It seemed like a good idea at the time."

"How come adults have no idea how fun this room is?"

You see: Laundry Basket
She sees: Chair. Or Train. (Depends on the day.)

Speaking of trains... why bother with the plastic one
when you can invent your own?

I love the reminders that my children definitely do NOT think the way I do. On second thought, I take back my earlier statement. Maybe I won't do my best to teach them how to think like me. Maybe I'll even learn a little something from them.

Another, Um, Month Gone?

It turns out October is a surprisingly busy month. We have birthdays, trips to pumpkin patches and local attractions like Apple Hill, and of course the usual chaos that comes with red-headed mess makers:

"See no evil..."

"Look ma! No hands!"

I've been working on planning specific activities for the kids. Part of it is to encourage imagination and play, helping them to learn and experience new things. The other part is that sometimes I get to strap them down in one place for 20 minutes:

"Ooohhh... look Grace! Mom thinks this will keep us
out of trouble. Hahahahaha!!!!"

Mark only gets to play with the caps to the markers.

Grace got to color with markers for the first time, and
did a great job drawing circles for mommy!

Strapping them down is helpful, but not foolproof. While they were playing, I got a phone call and went into the other room for just a moment...

"Um, mommy? What does the 'permanent' in
permanent marker mean?"

Luckily, they were washable markers. I may walk out of the room when my 3 year old has a rainbow of markers in front of her, but even I have some brain cells left.

Remember the rice and beans Grace had such a fun time with last March? Mark was too little to participate then, but he's finally outgrown putting things in his mouth all the time, so I let him try it out recently. He loved it! He did quite well, but toward the end he still tried to eat some. Nevertheless, it kept them both busy for a long while which made me happy. Oh, and them too.

Why yes, that is a pink tutu over a party dress.
If one is pretty, two must be prettier!

Mark really got into the whole sensory experience. After
using just his hands for 20 minutes, he graduated
to full body immersion.

It's hard to believe I haven't posted ANY pictures of all our adventures the last two months. I finally went through them, and picked out some of the best. There are over 100. Hey, I told you we'd been busy!! Even the Grands may not be able to handle that much Sunshine at once, so I'll share just one with you today.

When daddy was on vacation last month, we did lots of fun stuff - including the Children's Museum. Both of the kids had a great time playing, exploring and working. Well, maybe not working, but training for future employment.

"What extension please? Can you hold?"

Panama Canal Director OR Disney Park Engineer

Ships captain OR
the role of Ginger on the new Gilligan's Island

Bus Driver OR Practicing for Drivers License

"'Don't worry dad, I've got this one!"

"If you run out of fingers, you can always use your
tongue. It helps."

This was by FAR Gracie's favorite play area. The register
beeps, the drawer opens, and she even handed me
my change! We did this over, and over, and over....

Life isn't always roses though. Earlier this month, Grace was climbing on a toy and fell off. She has a huge smile on her face because she was granted permission for a band-aid. If only everything were that simple.

"This has to rate at least TWO bandaids!"

Mark also got a bandaid this week. He went to the doctor for a check up. He's in the 75% for height, which means his Daddy is very proud of his "big boy" and his mommy is going to have to buy size 2T footie pajamas because his toes are threatening to burst out of the 18 month sleepers due to those long legs.

Mark had a GREAT time at the doctor's office. He played when we first arrived:

"Wow! This doctor stuff is fun! Let's do this every week!"

"I'll dance, you spin on the chair... then we'll switch!"

"Let's see, yep! All stocked up. Are we done here?"

After the kids were done touching, opening and playing with everything not baby-proofed, the nurse finally arrived. Mark cried when I put him in the scale to weigh him (25 lbs!). He cried when I put him down to measure him. He cried when they measured the circumference of his head. He cried when they took his temperature. He cried, cried, cried...

"Breathe? How can I breathe? I'm practically
hyperventilating here!"

"Look lady! Only I put things in my ears!
And for the record, it's usually something edible!"

If he had known what was coming, maybe he would have saved the tears for the final scene:

"What was THAT? I don't care how many
band-aids are involved. I'm NOT going to smile!"

"DeeDee... they SHOT me! SHOT ME!!!
Isn't that illegal or something?"
(DeeDee is a nurse, that's why she can smile while
Mark is so upset...)

"Nevermind what I said about the
doctor being fun. I'm NEVER going back!"

Gracie is also growing by leaps and bounds. You can't see it on the outside, but her words and actions indicate a much deeper level of understanding. She is still in love with the moon, and frequently asks to see it. "Where did the sun go?" is a nightly question, and "It's dark outside/in there/in my room" is a frequent comment.

Recently, I put her hair in a ponytail when we were in the kitchen. When I was done, she said "I'm going to go look in the mirror!" Daddy asked me how long she'd been saying things like that. I replied "About 2 seconds!" She has been fascinated with the mirror lately though. I caught her yesterday admiring how it works:

"Why yes, you do resemble Mrs. Potato Head!"

"Uh, mom? Some privacy please? I'm practicing for
my role on the next Toy Story movie."

"Oh my goodness! Buzz in trouble again??"

"Don't worry, I can be worried and pucker up for the
final kissing scene. Buzz does have a thing
for redheads you know."

Well, you made it to the end! I hope your month was filled with more smiles than bandaids, and that you're taking the time out of a busy life to enjoy those you love. Good job for making it all the way through... not everyone does you know.

"Whew! That was exhausting!"

I'm Not Dead... My Laptop Is

*Warning: This post is not meant for younger audiences. It contains lots of text and NO pictures. I'll try to make it vaguely interesting for those of you willing to brave a pictureless post.*

Did you know that veteran bloggers tell newbies that you should always leave your readers wanting a little more? That way they come back to visit your blog. Something tells me they didn’t mean to write regular posts for a year and then stop for an entire month. Just an educated guess.

Well, if it helps, I’m not dead. But my laptop *almost* is. So I’ve been babying it along, hoping to keep it functional until we get it fixed. The part arrived today (collective cheer) so I hope to be back to our regular programming soon.

In the meantime, I’ll update you on the last month. I was going to wait until the laptop was fully up and running, but as I called to wish my dad a happy birthday (Happy Birthday Dad!) even he asked what was up with no posts for a month… I get the distinct feeling Sunshine SAHM fans aren’t feeling very sunny.

So, here’s a quick recap – no pictures (they take lots of time and the computer is screeching at me even now).

Four weeks ago…

We were vomiting.

Well, Mark was vomiting. But the rest of us soon followed suit. Robert had to stay home from work to help me, and then he got to stay home so I could help him. The kids did pretty well – especially since the television ran about four times as much as it usually did. Deprogramming them was almost as much fun as having the flu.

 Three weeks ago…

We went to visit Papa and DeeDee, played in the dirt, and made plans for a “purple” birthday party for one cutie pie about to turn three. Everything about the birthday was “purple”. For some reason, “purple cake” was the order of the day, and she must have requested it at least three times a day. She saw some of her presents in the closet, and would say “Gracie’s toys? Gracie’s toys?” Somehow I managed to keep them from being played with until the big day, despite how adorable she was when asking for confirmation that they were indeed for her.

At some point, Mark decided to start in on his terrible two’s… just like his sister, he’s got an early start at eighteen months. Apparently my kids are as impatient as their mother. Mercifully, he has just begun to test the waters. He hasn’t had any full blown tantrums, but the signs are all there. Sigh. This too shall pass. (Right? RIGHT???)

 Two weeks ago…

Daddy was on vacation! We started with a visit from the cousins. We did lots of fun things, including going to a nearby park with a water feature. Mark was timid at first, but once he realized he could run through the water he loved it. Grace was still pretty cautious, even though her cousins were clearly enjoying it. After about ten minutes in the water she headed for the playground. She played there until we decided to pack it in then suddenly decided she really wanted to play in the water again. Surprise. We finished the night with ice cream cones. Mark was so exhausted he couldn’t even finish his. Everyone slept well that night! *grin*

Both of the kids are very verbal now. Of course, Mark isn’t nearly as good at communicating, but he is further along than Grace was at his age. He says things like “bye bye” when he sees a set of keys and “down” when he wants you to pick him up. So, when he pointed at our key holder and said “Bye bye down!” I knew he wanted me to pick him up so he could reach the keys. (Which he promptly took to the back door and tried to “unlock”.)

Yeah, I speak toddler. I’m smart like that.

Grace loves to say “Look at me mama!” as she climbs onto the swing set crossbars or jumps from the top of the toy chest. Lately, she’s been very vocal about wanting to “go bye bye” in “daddy’s big truck”. I tell her we are going in my car, and she screws her face into a disapproving look. She still heads for the back door though.

This week we were playing in the back yard and she ran up to me excitedly saying "Look mama, look!" She grabbed my hand and ran over to the side yard, me in tow. When we stopped, she pointed to the sky and said "Clouds!" 

I love that little girl.

She also loves to point out spiders. There are a number of them that hang out by the back sliding door. She will gaze at them (protected by the glass) and talk about the “ciders”, count them, and generally be fascinated. I’ve tried very hard not to pass on my fear of all things crawly. This week we saw a cricket. While she was very happy to talk about the cricket, she said “I’m scared!” when I tried to bring her close enough for a good look. Maybe some things are just genetic.

The cousins went home on Saturday, but our week had just begun. We went to the zoo, the children’s museum, the playground, on walks, and visited friends. It was an exciting week! All the new experiences resulted in random requests later. As we got in the car to head home from the store, Grace said “I want to go see the animals.” After deciphering the message (it’s much harder to speak toddler when the request is completely out of context from your activity) I told her we couldn’t. Later, she wanted to “playground”. At some point, I made the mistake of telling her we needed to take her to the beach someday. Since then, she has asked at least three times if we could go to the beach. Have I mentioned she’s never been?

Hopefully some zoo and museum pictures will make their way to Sunshine SAHM soon…

On Saturday we had a family birthday party for Grace. She loves all the people and having lots of kids over to play. She was much better at opening gifts this time. Last year, she was a bit miffed that we had her open a gift and then wouldn’t let her play with it. This year, the moment she finished opening one she would look at the table and ask for another gift.

Christmas should be really fun this year.

This week we’ve been attempting to get back to normal and slide into a routine again. Grace found her potty training chair in the garage when daddy was cleaning up from the party. She brought it into the bathroom… and Mark has fallen in love with it. He can play “poo poo” all he wants – this mama’s not ready to try at eighteen months again! Maybe I’ll get up the gumption when his second birthday rolls around.

I might have some new motivation for the potty training however. Grace and Mark lead busy lives, but Daddy and Mommy have lives too. (Sort of.) We’ve been house hunting. Some days I’m so excited I can hardly wait to decorate the kids rooms, get our family pictures onto the walls, and generally be able to make some permanent changes.

Other days, my children vomit on (someone else’s) carpet, slam the door into (someone else’s) drywall, show an interest in potty training (in someone else’s house), and smear the contents of their diaper on (someone else’s) wall… and I begin to wonder if we should wait a little longer before buying.

They say no news is good news. For us, this has been true (with the exception of my poor little laptop being on the fritz). I hope to be bringing you my parenting words of wisdom on a routine basis again soon. Of course, I’ve never imparted any wisdom prior to this, so don’t hold your breath. But keep checking back! (Or, enter your e-mail address into the box on the upper right sidebar. Your address will never be shared, and you get a nifty little e-mail with a preview of my newest posts along with a link to the blog. Easy peasy… and no more constant checking for a new post!)

Another Week Gone...

I took very few pictures this week. Don't worry, I'm not ill or anything.

We did a lot of the usual; running errands, playing in the backyard, even went out of town to visit some friends yesterday. Thinking about my post today, I decided to pull out the camera this morning so the Grands wouldn't go into withdrawal for lack of pictures. But a funny thing happened on the way to the backyard...

Today I didn't take pictures for the Grands, or for my readers, or even for my children (seeing as how this has become their virtual baby books). Today I took pictures for me. Actually, for the future me.

Outside it was seventy two degrees with a light breeze. The sky was a beautiful blue, with wispy clouds that made you nostalgic for a park, a blanket, and time to just reflect. I found myself reflecting on my children as they played on the swings, dug in the dirt (naturally), and shared (or stole, depending on where you were standing) the tricycle. I listened as Grace let her imagination spill out of her mouth, telling Mark about her cooking. She rushed to make pancakes as Mark happily brought dirt to the table for her to cook with.

The weather and innocence of play combined to make me feel nostalgic for what was playing out right before my eyes. I was watching Grace and Mark through the eyes of the future - knowing that mornings like this would be what I would miss.

For my future self, to help you remember:

When Mark was small enough to sit on your belly
and squeal with delight as you rocked him back and forth...

When Grace would literally jump on your back
in the hopes of a horsie ride...

When she brought to your attention the
smallest things that you would pass by...

When she concentrated so hard on making
the perfect mud pancakes...

When she showed such pride in herself for what
she had made (despite any fashion faux paus
her mother committed with her clothing)...

When, despite the joy it would bring to your kids,  you decided
to save the life of a snail by keeping its hiding place a secret...

Knowing the kids would make other discoveries, like
the worm in the grass only a toddler would see...

Yes, they will grow up. But somehow, they just keep
getting better.

And on another day, when the sky is blue and
the clouds beg for reflection, you will
have your memories.

Awwwww.... quit yer snifflin'. Next week they'll be throwing rocks into the toilets, lauching blueberry yogurt onto the windows and eating the dirt pancakes. Trust me.

Since today was actually a pleasure, and I'm in a pretty good (albeit nostalgic) mood, I thought I'd share yet another first. The kids got haircuts. Grace is a pro, and had no problems in the chair:

"Yes, as a matter of fact I AM the star of the Sunshine blog!"

A little pampering to make sure I look fabulous for the camera...

Mark, on the other hand, was a bit less enthusiastic, as this was his first cut...

"I was saving that hair!"

"C'mon people! It took me 16 months just to grow
the hair I've got!!"

Okay, time to pull out the big guns. I don't think there is a man on the planet who cannot be sated with just a small bit of television or video games. My son is proof:

"Ooooohhh! Look! An iPhone! Go ahead
lady, do whatever you want."

Mark is actually watching himself
through the phone's camera.
(Apparently he finds himself as entertaining as we do!)

I hope your week didn't completely pass you by. Take some time to just sit back and watch your loved ones. Young or old, God has really created some amazing people! Have fun this week and if you can't find anyone around worth watching, you can always use the camera on your phone to watch yourself. Mark swears it's pretty enteraining.