A Bug's Life (a Mason-focused entry)

While this isn't a new development in our son's life, I think it's worth mentioning that Mason possesses an intense fascination for bugs. This has actually helped my fear of bugs diminish. No use passing on my fear. I might as well embrace it. Anyway. Mason absolutely loves bugs; so much so that he will lay right down on the ground and stare at them. Ants. Junebugs. Grasshoppers. Spiders. Worms. He stares at them. He talks to them. Picks them up between his fingers. Shows them to people. And then stomps on them.

If you want to capture his attention, all you have to do is mutter this four-letter-word: "Bugs."

Other things I'd like to share about Mason today:

He is an expert on chocolate milk and all things sweet.

He won't eat anything (please do not disregard the first point)

He loves to chatter and has a very large vocabulary

He believes he IS Batman (After one of the daycare teachers tried to talk him into using the "big boy" potty by telling him that Batman doesn't wear diapers, he proved her wrong. He went up to her shortly after, dirty diaper and all, and said "Miss Kimmy, Batman pooped)

He loves to play; he has always been very good at playing on his own but has recently starting asking people to play with him. "Do you want to play with me Mommy?" He proceeds to take my hand and lead me where he wants me to go.

He loves the song "Itsy bitsy spider" (lover of bugs I tell you)

When I put him in a time out, he starts yelling "I love you Mommy! I love you!"

He is incredibly strong and has started tackling his brother right back.

He calls our two twin neighbor boys by one name "Carter Dylan."

He is not a fan of shirts. Last night he insisted that he wear his pajama bottoms but no shirt. A little man in the making!

Wordless Wednesday

Metaphorically speaking

Damn that Leona Lewis who had to go and title one of her songs, "Bleeding in Love." The other day when I was driving Mason to school, that song came on. I wish I could say I was listening to NPR or something scholarly. I have to admit that I had the radio tuned to KDWB. Well, Hunter was along for the ride and heard the song and, utterly perplexed, asked me, "Mom, why is she bleeding? Did she get cut? Does she have an owie*?" I tried to explain that she felt so sad that she felt like she was bleeding but I really don't think that answer satisfied him. I teach high school English and I spend most of the year helping high school students understand non-literal, figurative language. Most of them don't even get it.

Another example- today I was listening to Vanilla Ice. I'm not going to try to explain myself- it's bad, I know. Hunter's response to the song: "What's this song about? Is the baby made of ice?" As I ummed and awed*, he came to a conclusion: "Oh, wait a minute Mom, I get it. The baby is blue. I got it." I thought that was a pretty good explanation because I realized that I don't even know what "Ice Ice Baby" is about.

*I realized in writing this entry that I don't know how to spell owie or awed (ahed). Add that to the list of words I cannot spell, which includes popsycle/popcycle/popsicle. Yes, I teach English. Even though it's a popular belief, we can't explain every grammatical rule and we can't spell every word in the English language. At least, I can't.

Our Kindergarten Graduate

It was soccer all along

Our first night of soccer was Thursday. I agonized a bit during the day, worrying that Hunter might refuse to play. You see, other activities I have ever signed him up for haven't gone the best. Case in point- Cherub choir (we dropped out), swimming lessons (haven't done it in about four years), karate (um.... it was stressful), vacation bible school, etc. I could run through all of the reasons why I think those activities didn't go very well but I don't have the energy.

What I do have the energy for- telling you about how much Hunter absolutely loved soccer! Hunter knew as we headed into the evening that two of his schoolmates were going to play on his team- the Patriots. He changed into his uniform all by himself. Compare that to changing into his karate gear. Like night and day. Anyway.... Mitch helped Hunter with his shin guards. They're tricky, especially for those of us not well versed in the art of soccer. We took a number of pictures before we left. And I even remembered to pack diapers and wipes for Mason and water and snacks for both boys. I'm typically not that on top of things :).

The soccer time was divided up into 30 minutes of practice/drills and 30 minutes of play/game. Our first opponent- the Buccaneers. They won. While they don't really keep score, the other team scored on us about five times in comparison to our one or two goals. Hunter worked so hard on the field and showed really good instincts regarding the goal. He had a number of really good kicks. He was hesitant to get in front of an opponent who was kicking downfield. On the sidelines, Hunter cheered with gusto. He and some other little guys were chanting, "Patriots. Patriots." When we got into the car after the game, Hunter said, "I want to play soccer again next week." My heart was bursting with joy. It was the perfect way to celebrate our ten-year anniversary. We went out for ice cream after the game.