Drama Kings

So the latest goings on here are a bunch of boy stuff. Ready? Here we go...

The baby is cutting some "stomach" teeth. It's been weeks! This means he wants to be crabby and cry at the closing of any door to his face, and any toy or snack taken from his hand. Therefore, by the laws of nature, the older boys realize this & feel the game is to rip as much food, toys or treasures out of his hands as possible. I'm sure it's just to see how long he can go without breathing & turning purple before he falls down or one of us "rescues" him. It's either that or they like listening to the octave he can reach when he's squealing about it. It started out with us running to him because he sounded like someone had broken his arm. Then the jig was up. "Crying Wolf"-which I think would be #3's Indian name, now has to have a full minute prolonged wail before we come running. Of course if he screeches & stops, we know we HAVE to get up & go blow in his face to make him take a breath before he stumbles into something or passes out. He's always done the hold your breath while you cry until you turn blue in the face bit.

#1 knows he's in charge when we're not in the same room with the boys. He's been properly trained to come get us if they take the cushions off the couch and jump, get into the food in the kitchen, or if he smells poop. However, thing we realized this week that we didn't train him for was ninja looting. The kids were watching something in the living room, we were in the bedroom working on some stuff on the computer. When we go check on them, guess what we find? #2 has reached up on top of the fridge & gotten down a bag with the last little bit of chips/crumbs in it. You know, the one you save, even though there aren't any chips big enough to eat with anything, yet too many crumbs to not feel wasteful about throwing it away. #2 takes this bag to the living room and sits down in the floor in this little cove between the ottoman & the sectional. He has his legs out in front of him & "brother bear" (son #3) wonders by & joins him with his legs out in front of him. SO, there they are, sitting facing each other, divvying up the chip crumbs in that bag, sharing them as quietly as possible.
As soon as they realized we saw them, it was like a car chase ending on COPS. #2 took off running & fled the scene of the crime. And #3 went into the face down, turned his head away from us, so that we OBVIOUSLY couldn't see him & got really, really still. Each of them disavowing the bag of chip crumbs & it's mess. Of course, #1 muttered, "I knew they'd get in trouble." Pretty sneaky for two kids that don't talk yet. Scares me about the teenage years though.

For awhile now son #1 has been really into a website he learned about from his teacher last year. www.brainpopjr.com and www.brainpop.com for older kiddos. He enjoys these & we love he's learning history, geography and really using the computer for education instead of just killing storm troopers. But the other night, our deep thinker caught us off guard. We're tucking him into bed, kissing him good-night when he tells us we need to recap what we've learned today. Alright.
We talk of what we've been doing that evening, then he mentions this juicy tidbit:

Son#1: "Oh and Anakin and Obi-Wan got a divorce."

Me & Hubbo: "What's that!?" "What?" (said with much spittle & stammering)

We did our best trying to stay in that calm, "You haven't flustered me!" parent voice, but I'm not sure it didn't show on our faces how shocked we were. We realize we can't shelter him from friends or people he'll know that ARE divorced, but he SURE hasn't heard that word from our mouths, so we were curious at nine years old where he heard it from. And more importantly, what he thought it was.

Hubbo: "Where did you hear that word divorce?"

Son#1: " On Brainpopjr. Mobie & Annie told me about it."

Me:"What did they say divorce is?"

Son#1: "It's when two people who love each other aren't married any more."

Hubbo: " That's right. But Obi-Wan & Anakin weren't married to each other."

Son#1:"But they were always together & in "Revenge of the Sith" Anakin turns bad and leaves Obi-Wan. He didn't love him anymore so they divorced."

Sigh! We went to bed. This was not a conversation to have on such little sleep. We'll attack it some other day. Maybe when he asks what tampons are.

Terrible Twos Twice

It's been awhile since I posted. December seems to have zapped my strength & tapped my energy reserves down to a breakingly low point. The terrible two's have invaded my home but my problem is double the trouble. The baby is nearing 2 years old so I expected this. #2 son is 7 years old, yet developmentally guess what? Two years old. Double sigh! I don't know if they've planned these little crime sprees or if they are just that in sync. Either way, I may not make it. I'm just telling you now. Divide up my stash of scrapbook stuff & yarn amongst yourselves when I'm gone. And someone come check on hubbo occasionally. Or cart him off to the loony bin, whichever.

The first week in December started out hinky with #2 son starting to act out again. Sigh! Here we go again. My mother came that Friday & watched them so we could go to my husband's Christmas party. He bit her before we ever got sat down to eat at the restaurant.

Second week in December, power outage. Staying here in a cold house for two days with NOTHING but the noise of your own children can really, really make you crazy. Then let's toss in a sprinkling of the baby teething those nasty "stomach" teeth & crying when you looked at him or anytime you shut a door to a room he wasn't allowed in. His nose ran, he was dramatic at anything and everything. It's amazing how if one is crying the other gets upset & cries too. Two peas in a pod pushing each other off my lap, vying for my attention.

The next week in December the kids went back to school, thank goodness, but only for two days. Sigh! I got the Christmas goodies made, and saw a movie just to keep from going insane. ALLLLLLLL this time, all these weeks, #2 son is melting down daily & usually multiple times a day. And not even the usual temper tantrum, now it's full blown, "I'm gonna bite you if you come near me or cross me!" tantrums. Lovely huh? You'd be amazed at how fast a 100lb kid can take you down. Picture a lion cutting out one of those baby wilder beasts from the herd. Not pretty. I think that week he bit everyone but the baby. Also, for fun, he loves to stand next to the keyboard & stick his flattened hand under your fingers as you type. Or as you start to use the mouse. Then there's the pulling of your hand off the keyboard or mouse. He giggles like a maniac too. ARGH! That is a majorly annoying thing. If you think it's not, have someone try it on you. After about the tenth time, I'm ready to cry & stab myself in the eye-in that order.

The final week of December they were home from school, and the new Christmas toys to entertain them. Did that work, distract them? HA! They laughed in my face as I tried my best to ply them with Chex Mix, Twizzlers and talking robots. It's like they were saying, "Funny lady, think WE can actually be entertained? What fun would that be if we can't follow you around everywhere you go & throw a good temper tantrum or fight with each other?!" All this time #2 son is pushing me, pushing me, scratching me, biting me, and pushing me. I kept thinking, these Winter Solstice days, REALLY are longer than the rest of the year.

January 3rd, they were back at school. There were some hands raised to heaven that day I don't mind telling ya. Can I get an AMEN here? Love my kids to death but mamma needed some "alone time". #2 son's school actually called me that first day he went back & said he was melting down so badly, they may send him home. ACK!!!! I nearly choked on my coffee. Seriously!? It's been TWO HOURS! Are you kidding me!? Why did I answer the phone? Fortunately, he stayed all day.

So the teacher, doctors & hubbo and I have put our heads together trying to figure out where this behavior is coming from. We're in the process of adjusting meds, we are on Claritin which seems to be helping-go figure. And although some tantrums are still happening, it's not AS bad as December-knock on wood. The main conclusion is he does needs meds adjusted BUT, he's just in the Terrible Twos. And I did capitalize that for a reason...it's earned some respect around here. Steer clear.

The baby is testing us too. He loves to run turn off the tv. Off & on, for about 5 FULL minutes. I think #1 son would love to leave home right about now. He's kind of giving off that vibe of "What if I was an only child?" The baby seems to be very interested in EVERY drawer in the kitchen and EVERYTHING in them. One day he got out every piece of silverware in the drawer & laid them out on the couch. When I caught him, he ran & hid. You know, that run & lay down on my tummy & turn my head? Be real still & maybe she won't see me thing. but at least he's not tall enough to reach the keyboard yet.

I might make it, then again, I might not. The baby isn't even two years old until March! Pray that we all make it out alive. I didn't ask for twins and I really don't think this is in the rules. The least that God could do is even out the weight ratio!