Wednesday, March 30, 2011

A Special Delivery

a long awaited day has finally arrived. a day that could not have come any sooner. 
mama wanted to get her little guy something special. something he truly wanted and longed for that would make his days a little happier around here. he had been asking for weeks for the trains Annie & Clarabelle for his Thomas table and i ordered them right up off the internet. mission accomplished. so i thought.
we eagerly awaited the mail every day. but days turned into weeks. and for a 3yr old, that seems like an eternity.
i tracked the order, and to my dismay the order originated in no other than CHINA.
 if it wasn't for bad luck, i wouldnt have any at all.
we began to get on with our life,we stopped stampeding to the mailbox every time we heard the dog bark, and even quit stalking the mailman.
 i hope bum comes out of this unscarred.
but this morning the bell rang and it was a box that needed signed for.  from China.


Special Delivery indeed.
 the sparkles in his eyes and smile a mile wide lit up the whole room.



he couldnt wait to get his happy little hands on them.
Nev did the honors of opening the box after a long fight with the tape and scissors. 
 yay for team work. 
Love ya Sis:)

                                                                          

and so Denver wasted no time. Annie & Clarabelle were escorted straight to the Island of Sodor in a moments time and Bum has been busy ever since. I will never forget the sound of the train table in full action heard from other rooms of the house. clinks and clanks and a random crash to the floor because someone derailed. the rolling of the wheels on the tracks, his choo choo sounds and endless conversations with the trains. i believe those sounds will forever echo in my heart till the end of  time. perhaps they are being recorded in the environment as well. and who knows, maybe the next occupents of this home might just hear them too.   


and even though it is offically spring, as Bum finished opening his package, he looked out the window and discovered ...snow. it was snowing. big fluffly flakes. i think it is old man winter's final fairwell.
a goodbye kiss. 
 Bum runs to the window and says: its Christmas mom! and me and Nev laughed. 
 but this is Chistmas. a package of pure happiness delivered straight to our door, (from CHINA), the kids happy, healthy, together, and to top it off, chinese for lunch. Merry Christmas my sweet little man. Merry chinese christmas.  
and as for Annie & Clarabell, i think they are gonna like it here. 


A boy's story is the best story ever told. ~Charles Dickens

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

mondays are for hikes

today was a day of adventure. an experience of new things. a day packed chuck full with too much to do and not enough time to do it. 
we've been held hostage for too long, and finaly we have broken free. so take that old man winter! time for some long walks, and fresh air. Lots of fresh air. and according to Denver, it was a splendid idea.
so i grabbed my gang and out we went. first lunch. then Aullwood farms.


yea, i know it's monday but school can wait until my kids are done learning.
Denver with his puzzle's, in complete concentration, tounge and all. 
 and Nev examining a skull and bones.  




and just when you think it's safe to rest in a nest, you get jumped upon!
by a 32 pound flying bum.

its nice to see Nev in a good mood. absorbing all the good the day has to offer. full of appreciation and plans on how to make her spring the best of all springs yet, with an agenda of refreshing activities & goals.
i am all for goals. 


the log across the stream was a great accomplishment for bum today. it was his first time confronted with this challenge, and he was reluctent at first. little by little he would make his way a little further. but thats bum. pushing his luck a little at a time. with his sisters encouragement and his bravery combined, he did it. and back again. thats my boy.

London rode in a pack on my back, and was never happier. she never made a peep all day, I wouldn't have know she was even there except for the 57 strands of hair she managed to pull out of my head and the occasional wet willie that stopped me in my tracks a time or two. 
she just looked around, learning, and absorbing nature for the very first time. 
I wonder what she's thinking about.
but with all this fresh air we got today, i bet when we wake in the morning, she'll be just a tad bit bigger.


the kids couldn't resist sticking their heads through the head holes of this cutout, and of course i couldn't resist taking the picture.


                  
 how sweet the sound of our feet stomping through the trails and the water. just us.
 the laughter and continuous questions indicating their will to learn.
this spring and summer will hold many more days like this i hope. according to Nev,
we will make a point to do something productive each and every day, even the rain won't stop us for that is why umbrellas were made.
i think i like that way of thinking.
                                                               
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.  ~Albert Einstein



Tuesday, March 8, 2011

A Denver day

it's Tuesday again. Denver's day.
 its gettin him out of the house and treating him to an afternoon of tadpole tales at the library and a yummy lunch of his personal choice. a special day for a special guy.
I've even been known to brush his teeth for the occasion.
the highlight of the day is a puppet named Bernie.


so now the library is not the "library" it's called "Bernie's house".
after story and dance, they get to create a craft, denver calls it "playing with paper",
and today they made a caterpillar.


and food of choice, was pancakes....for lunch.  or should I say brunch.


but today we wanted to surprise him. take him somewhere different. somewhere new. you know, stimulate the brain a little.
so i asked him. if he could do anything in the whole world today, what would it be, and he said he wanted to go somewhere where there are dinosaurs and bears, in which made
it a perfect day for a trip to the museum.
we didn't tell him where we we're going, but he new it would be an anventure. 




where he crawled around with the bears, and dug for dinosaur bones.
and all the hard work sure built up an appetite, and nothing sounds better than a piping hot pizza on a cold day, so they put on their aprons and got to work.
its pizza time at the parlor


when they asked what i wanted on my pizza, i said i wanted everything they had.
~on the double~



















i could see they were getting busy in there, so i didn't complain about the wait.



and it was well worth waiting for.  it was the loveliest pizza i have ever been served. pizza made straight from the heart, topped with tender love and care.. never better.

then onward to the zoo.
Denver got to see all kinds of animals, and even one's he's never seen before.
my personal favorite was the bat exibit, it was the most dispicible, horrifying, utterly discusting display i've ever seen and I sincerely loved it. i could barely bring myself to part with them.
just breathe erica, it will be ok.
one foot after another. then repeat.




so denver got to see bears, dig dinosaur bones, play in water, work in a pizza parlor,
animal hospital and grocery store.
he drove a "digger" truck, a pick-up truck, and a recycling mobile.
he got bossy with sis one too many times, and even got thrown in the slammer.
just a little reminder as to who's the boss around here.

that oughtta teach him.



after he made bail, we stopped for some Twinkies and to rest a bit.
it sure would have been nice to take a small nap, but we forgot our pillow pets,
so with that, we called it a day.
who knows, next tuesday we may do it all over again.
and i can't wait.

~It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.  ~Frederick Douglass

Friday, March 4, 2011

Mall rats

Denver spent the day with his grandparents, and afterwards was dropeed off to me as I was getting off of work, so they didnt have to drive him all the way home. Since we were already at the mall, I decided to take him inside and show him around. We walked, held hands and rode the glass elevator together. I don't remember the last time we had time together..just us.  He was riding one of the quarter rides as he spotted the train.
I had forgot all about the train!  
i knew I wasnt getting out of there without letting him ride, but I didn't think I had enough cash. we made our way to the train station with a plan to take the train hostage but luckly i managed to round up a few loose dollar bills and some quarters, from my purse, and we had enough for 2 tickets... whew.


the price of the tickets seem like a lot...until you see the priceless smiles it brings, and then you forget all about it.

and there he is again, a Bum in his glory. we were the only one's on the train. the train conductor couldn't stop laughing at Denver. as soon as Denver sat down he yelled "All Aboard"! and after the ride, he refused to get out. he demanded another ride, but after realizing i wasn't gving in, he reluctentaly deboarded the train. his only question to me was, "where are the tracks"? and it was a pretty good question I suppose.

~Let him hang out with you, remember he has a need to be around you, to learn what being a man is all about. ~
 (Life Lessons on Raising a Boy), Harry H. Harrison