Point by Point Discussion

Adam put the kids in time out for screaming at eachother over a book, instead of using their words. So, to his enjoyment, he got to overhear their conversation post-time-out:

Adelaine: "Lukas, no matter what (ie...you know what?)....I have three questions for you (never questions - always her way of making statements of accusation with 3 points).
Number 1.... You lied about the book
Number 2.....I wanted the book
Number 3......You need to be nice to me"
Lukas: "Okay Addy,
Number 1....I did not have the book
Number 2.....I didn't lie
Number 3....It was another Lukas that had the book"
Adelaine: "Lukas....okay...I have five questions for you:
Number 1.....You need to be nice to me
Number 2....You need to be nice to me
Number 3....You need to be nice to me..
(then she fizzled out either due to inability to count or more likely to attention problems we may see later in life with her).

Talk to me Jesus

The other night, we heard the sweetest prayer coming out of Adelaine's room.

She actually was yelling the prayer: "Jesus.....Jesus, where are you? Talk to me Jesus. Jesus, I miss you. I think you're 'beufiful' (beautiful). Goodbye". My heart was filled with gratefulness. Apparently she was dissatisfied with not quite hearing Jesus talk to her, so she tried again.

She yelled, "Jesus....Jesus?"
Then I hear a low-pitched echoy voice "YES?"

I go in the room to find Lukas' face hiding behind a pillow. I remove the pillow to see him talking into a tube-like object to get it to echo. He just giggles. So, is it a sin to impersonate Jesus?

A Picture says a Thousand Words

Our good friends took the kids' pictures for their 3rd/5th birthdays. The first photo is cute and I like it, but very staged and controlled (unlike anything close to our children). The second photo is a little more telling. Adelaine trying to pose all cute (slightly awkward as she is trying to please me and smile, but hs no balance and about to fall over). Lukas isn't trying at all, only mocking his sister. I believe he was sarcastically saying (while patting her head) "Isn't she so cute?"

Adelaine has been trying to get back at him lately, unfortunately by lying to get him into trouble (a trait I fear is haunting me from what I did to my older brother). Just today driving home, I heard her say, "Mama, Lukas called me a farty face." I look at Lukas, ready to come up with some lame attempt at a Love and Logic consequence, but rather than his usual guilty look, he looks super surprised and say, "Hey - no I didn't." Adelaine realizes she is about to get in trouble for lying and just smiles and says, "Oh yeah. He didn't say that. I was just joking." (She now sits sadly in her room early for a nap, not allowed to watch Harold and the Purple Crayon). So sad.

A Little Bit Tipsy

Our dear daughter falls about 20x/day. Since Adam analyzes balance control, he is horrified by how she can just fall down with seemingly no reason. He has put her on a regimine of walking on a board for balance, standing on one foot, putting eye covers on her eyes to increase the neuropathways of the sensors in her feet. However, surprisingly, she does great and appears to have fine balance. It seems that she just does not LOOK where she is going EVER and also can't sit still (example: while trying to grab a kleenex, she spun in a circle three times doing the task). Not sure how to help her with these things besides maybe setting up obstacle courses at this point. All I know is on her 16th birthday, the girl will be only getting a tiny box with a nice set of bus passes in it.

However, it appears that Adelaine is not the only one tipsy in our house. We have definitely had our share of 3buck-chuck wine the last couple months while we were waiting the location of our upcoming move, but thought we hadn't overdone it. However, I had to rethink that after I had seen Lukas' attached drawing (that I found hung up in Lukas' room): He drew a table, a lamp and ....a fine, glass of red wine. Oops. Not sure that one is going to school for "Show and Tell Friday".

btw - a note for our parents who may be concerned about our actual level of consumption - it was only about 1 bottle a week. It is too cheap of a wine to NOT partake in it that much. It just wouldn't be economical if we stopped. Please don't ask us to go against our consciences and responsibility as a citizen. :)

Bed Bugs

LOVE that Lukas is now into bugs and no longer the only boy squeamish about worms. However, he did calmly ask Adam (while holding a slug), "Can I put this in Addy's boot?"
Adam says, "Nope"
Lukas asks, "Can I put it in her bed?" (because apparently that would be more acceptable)
Adam says, "Nope, but thanks for asking first."
Lukas says, "But she'd really scream...." (as if that wonderous sound of Adelaine screaming in horror would actually sway his father's decision).

Apparently Lukas decided NOT that he ought not do such things, but just that he ought not ASK about it, because.....Today Adam ended the life of a very sad worm trapped under the insole of his shoe.

"Bottom" of the Barrel

My patience was about on empty yesterday. I had been awoken by kids 2 times for soaking through clothes and sheets with pee in the middle of the nights (thank you mother for the waterproof mattress pads or my gag reflex would have been on code red). The whining was off the charts, especially fun when they whine in time-out AS THEY YELL "I'm not whining....I'm quiet". YESSSSSS!!!! Lastly, lately Lukas cracks up everytime Adelaine poops and yells "Mama, come wipe my bottom". He has now taken on the tast of EVERY TIME he wants something (like a glass milk or me to cut a craft for him) to first yell, "Mama, come wipe my bottom.....oh, sorry sorry, I mean, can I have milk please." Our toilet downstairs broke, so instead of making the mile-long trip upstairs to a bathroom, Adelaine pooped in the little toddler potty and left the little container in the hall for me to find (and then decide that we are DONE with the nasty toddler potty). So, all that to say that I'm "wiped" with all this bottom business!

such love

No, this isn't a fuzzy feeling blog-post. It is about the ever blooming love my children have for eachother:

(background note: Lukas has taken Karate and with each kick is supposed to loudly yell "Ai")
Lukas is making fun of Adelaine...something like "Addy isn't a princess" to make her mad.
Adelaine calmly walks over to him (we are surprised to not hear screams from her) and just yells "Ai" as she karate chops him in the arm. She walks away. I think Lukas was a little more surprised (and perhaps impressed) than we were.

I was on the phone (hands free of course) with a good friend when she got to overhear my kids:
Adelaine screams, "Dear God. Please change Lukas' heart from being mean. Amen."
Lukas screams, "Dear God. Please don't listen to Addy....ever, ever, ever ever, ever. Amen."
wow, not sure I'll journal those in any spiritual journal