Out for a Climb

Last Saturday, the 27th, was Tone' and my 11th wedding anniversary. We decided to go rock climbing to celebrate. I can't think of a better way to spend my anniversary than rock climbing, but i'm sure most people aren't with me on this one. That's okay, more rocks for me:) Nikolas donned his helmet and harness and up he went with no fear whatsoever. He made it even higher than he did last time we went, "way to climb, Bubbers!!". While he was climbing his hands kept getting dirty, (imagine that) and he kept saying, "dirty, icky" and wiping them on his pants before he could go any further. (whose kid is this?) He also kept repeating, " climbing, high. climbing, high". He was very cute and my friend, Tymun, got it all on video so i am hoping to wrangle that out of him (hint, hint).
My niece, Morgan, also came with us as a climbing day was our birthday gift to her. It was her first time climbing on real rock and she did great:)
She seemed so calm the whole time and only let on that she might be a little nervous , maybe, when i would ask how she was doing and if she was, in fact, scared.
And this is how Lukas spent some of his time while we climbed.
People always ask me how i climb with the children. Usually it is something like, "do you strap them to your back and then go up?" Okay, my answer to that is, "NO!" Oh my, really. REALLY? I might as well put my kid on my lap while driving sitting in front of the air bag.
That would be bad. So, no, the kids stay on the ground and those who climb do so one at a time and there are always other people to stay on the ground and belay and hold babies.
Moving on.

Here is one happy mama! I am belaying here with Luke on my back, I am NOT climbing.

Just thought i'd point that out.

Tone' and I both were able to climb as well and I am pretty sure I had more fun than Tone', but it was really sweet of him to pretend like he had fun. After we climbed we dropped Morgan and the boys off at Uncle John's and Aunt Karen's and Tone' and I had a date! What?! Yep, a date. We don't do those very often, but eleventh anniversaries don't come around very often. We had some cash from selling something of Tone's dads (he told us to keep the money, really he did) and so we went out to eat! Okay, normally people don't get excited about going out to eat, but we have been on a very strict food budget for a while now and I haven't gone out to eat in a very long time. We went to Olive Garden and I ordered all my favorites, mmmmm mmmmm. Seafood Alfredo, salad, breadsticks with alfredo dipping sauce and a raspberry Italian soda. Oh how i miss it already. I haven't been that giddy in a long time. Just ask Tone'. We then were going to go to Baskin and Robbins, (there is always room for ice cream) but we were getting too close to Luke's bedtime so we decided to call it a night.

It was a wonderful day and a great anniversary. Maybe not as great as our anniversary last year in Hawaii, but great nonetheless.

Peckels

Yes, that is correct, peckels, though i am not sure of the spelling exactly.



This is the word that Nik kept saying as he pointed at my leg, and this is the conversation that followed:



Nik: Peckels.

Me: Pickle? You want a pickle?

Nik: No, peckels.

Me: Pickle? Why are you calling my leg a pickle??

Nik: PECKELS! PECKELS!!

Me: ................peckels, peckels.........FRECKLES!!! Yes, those are freckles on mama's leg.



Just one of many conversations I am bound to have with my son pertaining to my body's many imperfections, and unfortunately, children always seem to tell the truth when you don't want them to. Not that I mind my freckles, mind you, I really don't, I am a bit worried about the next observation that Nik will make though.



Speaking of freckles; did you know that they are a result of the curse? Yep, I'm cursed. After Adam and Eve sinned one of the many results was that their descendants bodies were no longer perfect and therefore began to break down resulting in mutations, disease and death. Hence freckles: an excessive build-up of melanin in one place, occurring many places on the skin.

See, won't I be great at homeschooling?! I can take any conversation and turn it into a learning experience. Even something as seemingly unexciting as "peckels".

Cute Baby Alert!

There really isn't anything cuter than a chubby faced baby with big round eyes, two teeth and wearing a pilot cap, now is there?
Except for that babies profile, perhaps:)
Luke lucked out today and enjoyed his first ice cream sandwich. Mmmmm, he really like it. And when I say "really" I mean, so much so that i tried to pry it out of his chubby little hands and by the time i had control of it it was nearly flat from him holding on with all his might. And then there were tears. Lots of tears. So softie mama gave it back. Look at him! Wouldn't you?
Cause he is obviously starving.
Then we made it home later that day and I noticed his cheeks were getting scaly, which is what used to happen to Nik as a baby when he had too much pasteurized dairy products. Bummer for baby, i might have to keep his ice cream eating habit to a minimum. Poor guy.

Fun Day for the Boys

Saturday we all went to the Damascus Cruise In at our church. It has been an event now at Damascus for a few years now (or maybe just two) and i didn't realize what a big deal it was until today. The entire parking lots were filled with old classic cars and more, it was a little boys dream come true! There also was live music, old guys with steam engine machines, free food, drinks and ice cream and more. The best part for Nik, though, was the mini motorcycles.
He was somewhat interested in the old cars, but as soon as he saw these he beelined straight for them and swung his little leg up and over the seat like he has been riding them his whole life. We were stuck here for the next hour and then he kept coming back every chance he could.
He also kept trying to push the motorcycle down the parking lot so he could jump on and take off. I kept having to grab him and pull him back and since the key was in the ignition and it ran on a battery I am pretty sure he would have started that thing and took off. Not that he would get far at 8 mph.
His wish partially came true, though, when the owner of the bikes pushed him all over the place and let Nik steer whereever he wished to go. It was all very cute and Nik was making "vroom, vroom" sounds as he went. He was the only little boy that was fortunate enough to get to do this. Along with some envious little boys, I know there were some big "kids" that were wishing they could take one for a ride as well.
It was a fun day for the boys, and I will admit that I had fun looking at all the old cars as well.

Mom Phrases

Lately I have noticed some phrases coming out of my mouth that I would never have suspected would ever grace my lips.
Phrases such as:
( Assume that these all begin with "Nik")

No climbing the screen door!

Stop hammering the cat!

No feet in your food!

Stop dragging your brother by the heels!
( or by any limb, but especially not by the heels)

and my personal least favorite phrase recently uttered:

No peeing on Mama!

Being a mom is certainly more entertaining than i ever would have expected.
Among other things......

Ooooooklahoma

Tone', the boys and I took a trip over Labor Day weekend to attend my family reunion in Oklahoma. It was a trip of a lot of firsts. The obvious one being that it was Nikolas and Lukas' FIRST plane trip and boy was mama nervous about that one. Not that i was afraid that we would crash and die, (though that was in the back of my head), but I just didn't want to deal with the dirty looks if one or both of them started screaming on the plane or something. Thankfully, they were both PERFECT. Yep, shocked me too. I found some of those sticky gel letters at Target for $1! and gave them to Nik about a half hour into the plane trip and they kept him busy all the way there!!! Best dollar I have ever spent. I need to go stock up on more. Baby Luke was happy sucking on his binky and bouncing in Mama's arms. My arms were about to fall off after 4 hours of bouncing, but I had a happy baby and hey, it's good for rebuilding my weak biceps so I can one day climb again.
The reunion was at my moms' cousin Mickey's house near Buffalo on 168 or so acres with a river running through it. After driving down less and less traveled roads and then turning onto dirt roads we finally came to this dirt lane with the "no hunting, no trespassing" sign. We both couldn't help laughing about how stereotypical midwest it seemed. We did find our way to their house without getting shot and proceeded to meet a hundred of my relatives who I hadn't seen in 23 years. Most of them are cousins in varying forms: first cousins once removed, second cousins, second cousins once removed. Eventually we all stopped trying to figure it out and just started calling each other "cousins".
The family consisted of all the descendants of my Great Grandfather and Grandmother Floyd and Dora Bentley and also one of my Great Grandfathers brothers family. There were a lot of people there, but I can't even imagine how many could have been there if everyone had come. My GG Grandmother had 7 children and my G Grandmother had 7 children as well, my own Grandmother being the eldest. She is the one holding Lukas and to the right of me is my Great Aunt Fae who was the sixth of seven. These two ladies are amazing to me. They are both always going and working at something and never let there age get in the way of life. My Grandmother is always cooking for everyone else and taking care of great grandkids and scurrying about doing this and that. My Aunt Fae does upholstery and is always in demand for her skills, I was lucky enough to take home one of her pillows.
And here is another stereotypical midwestern scene. Tone' saw the men practicing roping and thought about going over and trying it out, until he saw this little girl roping nearly as well as the menfolk. That stopped Tone' in his city slicker tracks.
Oh, and, these are all my cousins in one form or another.

Nik wore his red cowboy boots so at least one of us wouldn't look so foreign. The gig was up, though, when his 3rd cousin, who is also two, (and a girl) picked up a large locust and stuck it to Nik's shoulder causing him to freeze and carefully call out, "DADDY, DADDDDYYYY!". She also chased him around with a giant feather which sent him screaming in terror to find mommy. Oh Nik, we need to move to a farm to toughen you up, boy.

Our time with family was up too soon, but I am so thankful to have been able to go. Many of them grew up with my mom or watched her grow up so I especially wanted to reconnect with them. I miss my mom so much and in so many ways that making the trip to Oklahoma and getting to know the people she knew and loved has become very important to me. I guess I am grasping for ways to keep my mom alive. It sometimes still doesn't seem real that she is gone, like, I often think, "did it really happen to me, and to my family?". Will she really not be here to see my children. Never?! Will I never be able to drop by her house unexpectedly to say "hi" and "oh, you're having dinner? How coincidental!"

I am finding that time does help a broken heart, but I am also finding that time doesn't ever heal it.

Nik Notes

I always have so many things about Nikolas that i always want to post but they are sometimes small and seemingly unblogworthy so I never do. Well, now I have come up with a post idea and I am going to compile "Notes" about "Nik" every so often and that way i can include even the little things.
Tonight's Notes:

(This actually isn't small as it was pretty serious)

It was bedtime and Nik was jumping on my bed while i was going through some things for my garage sale I am having on Friday and Saturday (proceeds go to the Lukas needs a new car seat fund). Anyway, all of a sudden there was a VERY LOUD CRASH AND BANG followed by screaming. I turned around and there was Nik on the floor UNDERNEATH THE DRESSER! Only his head was sticking out and the lamp and a container of change was scattered next to him. I quickly pulled the dresser up off of him and saw his legs, which had been pinned underneath it, were folded in a position that did not look promising. ALso, underneath him were about 10 pairs of hair cutting scissors, some of which looked as though they may be piercing his skin. I started screaming for Tone' as I was trying to get the dresser upright so i could pick Nik up. There was something in the way though and so i couldn't let go of the dresser or it would fall back on Nik who was just laying there screaming. Tone' wasn't coming as he couldn't hear me and so i started screaming louder and finally Tone' came rushing in. We got the dresser upright and picked Nik up and checked him all over and found that he hadn't been cut and his legs were fine. Phew!!!! He did, however, have a 3/4 inch cut across him forehead on top of a very large goose egg. He started calming down about 10 minutes later and after applying the magic bandaid and cuddling with his two kikis he fell asleep in mama's bed.
So that ended my rather busy day on a rather exciting note.

I am constantly amazed that any of us ever make it to adulthood. There are so many times a tragedy could occur that I have to believe that God has his protective hands around us keeping us safe. There really isn't any other explanation as to how i survived college.... Even this afternoon, I had asked Nik to get in his car seat and then i strapped baby Lukas in and got in the car and took off. I had only made it about 2 blocks when i realized that Nikolas had gotten into his car seat, but I had forgotten to buckle him in!!! I quickly made it to the side of the road and fixed the issue, but it was heart stopping nonetheless. I just can't keep him completely safe like i want to and like i think i should as his gaurdian, but I know that there is One greater and stronger than I who is interested in Nik's well being. So aside from doing things like keeping him buckled and attaching dressers to the wall, the most powerful thing I can do for my children is pray for them. I found out after my mom passed away that she had been praying for me every day of her life. My sister and I read through some of her journals and she had written what she prayed about for each of us pretty much everyday, even up until she died. I guess we are never too old for our mothers to be asking for our protection. I aspire to do the same for my own children and hopefully they will carry on her legacy of being a follower of Jesus Christ.

Third Time's a Charm

Nikolas was just in his third wedding on Saturday. My cousin, Chelsea, just married a man named Chad and they had little Nik as their ringbearer. The first wedding he was in I walked up beside him and he was given a bell to ring so he was happy. The second wedding he was in he screamed at the beginning, I walked beside him up the aisle and then he screamed at the end, so this time we weren't sure what was going to happen as I was not to be walking beside him. The one plus was that daddy was a groomsman and would already be at the front of the sanctuary.
Mama took careful precautions to make sure everything was just right to give the best chance of him making it up the aisle without me. Fed, check. Potty, check. The key component to my plan though, was gummi bears. I have never been one to bribe Nikolas. I potty trained him with not one bribe. This event, however, I broke my cardinal rule and bribed the child. And guess what? It worked!!!
Here he is stuffing gummi bears into his mouth from the stash I placed in his pockets. I also gave some to daddy which Nik witnessed. We gave him clear instructions that he would receive those bears after he walked, ran or jumped down the aisle. It was his choice as to how he would make it, he just had to get there was all.
Hmmmm, now what is my job again?
Our little ringbearer did better than anybody expected! He held his little pillow in one hand and started walking down the aisle and proceeded to pick up the rose petals lining the walkway. Adorable I must say:) Then he casually meandered down the aisle checking everyone out as if he did this everyday. When he made it to the end he sauntered up to daddy who could hear him saying, "help, help" as he was trying to get those last gummi bears out of his little suit pocket. Then he climbed the steps to stand next to daddy who kept feeding him gummi bears. About that time the Pastor started praying and to Tone' and Uncle Johns ( who was also a groomsman) shock and amusement Nikolas walked down the steps before they could grab him and went directly under the praying Pastor and began to pick up more rose petals and crush them. Then, just as quickly, he came back to stand by daddy just as the prayer ended and everyone opened their eyes. After that I came up and got him and his cousin Zachary took him out to the foyer and played until the service was over.
Now that he has successfully completed a ringbearer job we are confident in his ability to cope with lots of people staring at him and know he is ready for more, as long as there are gummi bears to be had. At 2 1/2 he has many more prime years of ringbearer cuteness left in him, so if you plan on getting married anytime soon we know the perfect little person for the job:)

Ringbearer for Hire!