Morning with the boys

This morning we all managed to sleep in a little even Glayde who seemed to have not set his alarm for work. I'm enjoying the boys sleeping in a little this week with the hope that Grant will be in morning kindergarten next week and I will be dropping him off at 8:25 each morning. I say hope because we don't know what time, class, teacher or room, Grant will be in until Friday evening when the school officially posts all the class lists. This is a bit of stress for me because I just can't plan for babysitting swaps, classes, appointments or just about anything for next month without knowing if Grant is in the morning class or one of the afternoon classes.

Back to this morning, Grant snuggled in bed with me and started discussing life, the universe and everything else he could think of. Heath popped in with a demand to have his shoes put on even though he was still in his pajamas. I was pleasantly sucked into Grant's discussion about "wanting to grow up and be big really fast". I tried to impart the wisdom of living in the moment, enjoying what you have now. I mentioned that as a kid there are so many fun things to do. Kindergarten is starting soon. There's Halloween and Christmas soon to follow. There's lots of little fun outings in between. What was he looking forward to growing up for?!? Evidently having kids and becoming a grandfather. I guess that's a testament to how fun we make parenting look but boy is that a strange ambition.

About this time I realize that I can't hear Heath playing in his room and maybe I should get out of bed and see what he's getting into. As I walk down the hall I notice that the gate at the top of stairs is unlatched and wide open... the possibilities of what Heath's doing downstairs are staggering. This child is independant and likes to make concoctions of toilet paper and liquid soap in the bathroom. He likes to color on anything from doors to chairs to random toys when he can't find a piece of paper to his liking. This morning my little self starter decided to make his own breakfast. Luckily he can't open the refridgerator door or it could have been worse. He snagged a cup of water, that thankfully had a lid and a straw in it, and the ziploc bag of graham crackers and was having a little breakfast in the family room. Heath amazes me with his ability to take care of himself maybe that's why he thinks talking is overrated.

Back to Nature

Okay I admit it... I'm not always the most prompt blogger. I have my reasons this week like our internet being flaky to non-existent for several days and just generally running around like a chicken with its head cut off. So let me update you all on our weekend. We went on our first family camp-out! And it was pretty great. The boys had loads of fun at Portola Redwoods State Park. The drive there was a little nerve wracking as Page Mill Road went from bustling thoroughfare to two lane road with no shoulder and lots of switch backs. Glayde survived the drive as a passenger even with a bit of high anxiety.

Once we checked in at the campground, the real fun began, setting up the tent while entertaining two rambunctious boys. We even squeezed in a hike before dinner. Glayde had the joy of cooking over an open flame while I tried to keep the boys away from said fire. I even broke out the dreaded playdoh. Hey we're miles from home and out in the wild, what can they ruin with it here?!?

After dinner, Grant had a bit of an issue in the bathroom and I decided to take my camera from around my neck and sit it up in the window. Really who needs to help a 5 year old wipe with an expensive camera dangling in harms way!?! After the mandatory hand scrubbing following the potty incident, we walked out with dripping hands and no camera. Once I'd unearthed our paper towels, dried two pairs of hands and got the boys back to playing, I realized that I'd left my camera in the bathroom. No problem I knew where I left it. I sauntered into the bathroom, checked the window... no camera! I searched the bathroom, the stalls, the unmentionables boxes, the trash... still no camera. Okay... I'm sure it's here somewhere. I went through our mess supplies, no luck. I searched the bathroom again. Glayde searched the bathroom. I asked the families we're sharing our campsite with... no camera. I'm panicked I admit it. I'm thinking of all the pictures I've lost along with the camera and how long it will take us to pick out a new model, order it and get used to it all over again. Glayde ran up to the ranger station to see if somehow in under half an hour my camera turned up there. Nope... no camera. Glayde eventually approached one of the chaperones for the group at the next campsite over that shared our bathroom. The chaperone was huffy... none of their girls could have it... they were eating dinner. Glayde asks that she please just ask around as his wife is going to be hysterical or possibly catatonic soon. Several minutes later one of the girls from the group ran up and gave Glayde the camera. There was no explanation of why my camera wandered off or when it was going to be turned into the rangers maybe they just really needed 100+ pictures of my kids playing and looking goofy. That was the big drama of the trip, my camera wandering off for about an hour in the wilds of the redwood forest.

Afterwards, the s'mores were tasty. Even the raccoons were hoping for a nibble. The boys thought sticky, gooey desserts were great and proceeded to buzz around the campsite on sugar highs even though it was well after both of their bed times. We finally settled in for the night and I have to say that the ground was hard but at least I didn't sleep on any roots!

The next morning breakfast was yummy. So what if Glayde and I chased our oatmeal with s'mores while the boys were conveniently busy playing with other kids?! We set off on another hike or should I say buffet for the mosquitoes? The highlight of the morning trek was the Old Tree which is over 12 feet in diameter and nearly 300 feet tall. That's Heath proudly posing at the base of the tree. We made it back to camp without Glayde being completely sucked dry by the mosquitoes and began the process of packing up. Yes, all this for just one night in the wilderness. It was a great outing and I look forward to doing it again for a couple of nights and you have to enjoy the mild temperatures in Santa Cruz Mountains especially in summer.

Ahh... summer camp

This week Grant is off at Mad Science summer camp. It's a day camp here in town. And let me tell you it provides me with 6 hours of bliss each day. It's just so much easier when I only have one boy to worry about. Some how my two are like a "really bad feed back loop" as Glayde would put it. One of them will get hopped up on goof balls and be bouncing around the living room. The next thing you know the second as tearing after him trying to keep up and do more. It doesn't matter how many times I say "no running in the house," they still run after each other and escalate the pandemonium. So with Grant out of the house, Heath and I have been having some restful days together enjoying the quiet.

Grant seems to really like the class lest you think I'm sending him to class for solely the benefit to my sanity. Monday was all about birds and bugs. He made a bug catcher and a bird house. They did experiments and played games. That night he was really upbeat about the whole thing relating what he learned. It took another day before he told me "When I first went to Mad Science class, I was nervous. I didn't enjoy it much. Then I started playing with my friend." Hmm... There maybe depths to this child that we haven't touched yet.

Tuesday, there was some drama at class. During morning recess, Grant said he was "jumping on a log and saying silly things to my friend when a bee stung me! Why did the bee think I was going to hurt him?" We do a fair amount of hiking and have explained to Grant not to swat at bees because if you frighten them they will sting you. We're still not sure exactly what happened because Grant "never saw the bee". But he was a real trooper and when he called home with the help of the teacher, he tearfully said that he wanted to stay and play. I would have taken a picture of the sting but after my 6 hours of bliss the sting wasn't all that noticeable.

Ah well, off to enjoy my last free hour of the day because as soon as that Mad Scientist just home the ruckus will commence.

All knowing

Somehow when Grant hit the magical age of 5 years old, he suddenly knew everything or was at least determined to figure it out. He's always been a curious boy. He wants to know how things work and where the firemen shopping for groceries, but things have been kicked up a notch in the last month. Here's a little conversation between us at lunch one day.

Grant: When there's lots of traffic and the ambulance comes to take you to the hospital, what happens to your car?
Mom: Oh you mean well usually that would mean you were in a car accident. You car probably isn't working now. So a tow truck would take your car to the mechanics.
Grant: What kind of tow truck? One that holds lots of cars or one that pulls just one car?

This went on for a while with me explain the basics of tow trucks and what the heck a mechanic is. Then Grant was happy that he knew enough about the whole situation and finished his lunch. Fast forward a couple of days and Grant starts blowing Glayde's mind with a few tidbits he learned from a commercial.

Grant: Dad did you know that there are allergens in our carpet?
Dad: Oh really... (thinks to self where is this conversation going?)
Grant: Yeah, allergens are kitty and doggy dander and they get stuck in the carpet.
Dad: Umm hmmm.
Grant: We need to put baking soda on them so that they'll fall out of the carpet and we can vacuum the allergens up!

Yep, he's definitely a sponge. We'll see what happens next week when Grant is off to Mad Science day camp. WOOHOO! Oh sorry! I'm a little excited about the thought of Grant being in camp. You see I've worked hard all summer to survive until this point. Now I'm going to be rewarded with 6 Grant-free hours for 5 days straight! I love that boy but he can sure drive me to distraction.

Mystery No Longer

Well, I gave in and took Heath back to see the doctor about this viral rash that won't go away. It's been a little over a week since it first showed up and it's showing signs of leaving anytime soon. I just haven't been taking Heath out and about all the much due to it. I was worried that it might really be contagious and we'd infect most of the town.

After consulting a couple of dermatology books the doctor decided that the rash is Gianotti-Crosti syndrome. Basically it's a rash that can be triggered by a viral infection like hepatitis B or Epstein-Barr. The rash itself is NOT contagious and typical appears in children 9 months to 15 years old. The average age of patients is 2 years old (surprise surprise!). And the rash can last 2 - 8 weeks! Thank God we went back to the doctor this week instead of waiting until next week when I would have been really freaked out that he STILL had this rash.

The funniest part of the this whole thing... I have a second cousin whose married name is Gianotti. Too strange. Now back to the land of tantrums and scribbling on inappropriate things.

Mr. Mischief

This is the face of an unrepentant mischief maker or maybe just a self reliant chef. I've been giving Heath a little more liberty around the house and this is how he repays me.... He's hungry and instead of coming and asking mommy for a snack, he goes into the kitchen and makes himself a snack. He grabs a donut out of the box and empties the last of the raisins on to the coffee table. Of course he needs some utensils to go with his finger foods, so he grabs the spoon he used at lunchtime for his yogurt and has a little snack party in the family room.

When I found out about this little party I sent him to his room to think about what he'd done. What else is a mother to do with a 2 year old who doesn't do time outs. He'll kick, scream, thrash around; all so he doesn't have to sit in the timeout chair. So instead he's banished to his room which does oddly disturb him. Today on the way to his room he noticed that I left the computer unattended and unlocked, so why not stop and send someone an email?!?

This whole episode has taught me to never leave my computer unattended and unlock even if I'm am just making a break for the bathroom. Plus I shouldn't expect Heath to leave things on the counter. Evidently to him that's an invitation to go exploring or try out his culinary creativity.

You all might be wondering why I haven't blogged much in the last week. Well, Heath has a mystery rash that has kept us rather house bound of my own volition. He's been to the doctor and they say it's just a rash caused by a virus. Nope not a popular virus like varicella or rubella. Just some unnamed virus. The doctor assured me that Heath wasn't contagious now but I still haven't felt like dragging him out in public too much just in case he is infecting others. So after spending 3 days last week stuck in the house and a weekend without much of anything fun happening, I'm not in the most festive of blogging moods.

With any luck this week will be better. Or least I can keep telling myself that.