Halloween Dilemmas

In the two week prior to Halloween, Ben's costume of choice changed daily. Whenever someone asked him what he was going to be for Halloween, he had a new response.

Some of these ideas---T Rex, puffin, water, guitar---did not make the final cut. This was fortunate for me as I was stumped about how to visually represent water.

The conversation went something like this:

Me: You want to be water for Halloween? You mean like a waterfall?

Ben: No, I mean water.

Me (thinking Karate Kid): You mean like a shower?

Ben: No, I mean WATER.

Me: Hmmm. What about Spider Man?

And so, although there were multiple costume changes over the course of the weekend, they all came from our ample supply of dress-up clothes.

Here are some of the costumes that he did wear during this Halloween weekend:

Hawkeye football player, pictured here with the Baby Fairy Princess

Spiderman, pictured here with his neighbor and partner in crime


Spooky Skeleton, pictured here with the Baby Pumpkin

Chris K, pictured here with his business cards

Happy Halloween!

Me: Maggie, what are you going to be for Halloween?

Maggie: I BE BABY WITCH!!!!!!!!

Like Father, Like Son

Chris and Ben at Chris' office Halloween party today

(Striving for complete authenticity, Ben also had business cards and, of course, a Blackberry in his pocket. He even asked for a laptop to put in his shoulder bag but we said no).

Little Miss Mess Strikes Again

Spooky Cyclist

One Last Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

Additional Thoughts About Tree Climbing

Today I watched Ben fall 5 feet off of a piece of playground equipment.

Well, to be completely accurate, I didn't actually see him fall. I only saw him land, in the mulch, his left shoulder blade taking the brunt of it. Fortunately, he fell horizontally so the rest of his body hit the ground immediately following his shoulder, absorbing some of the impact.

My vantage point, three feet away but completely helpless to do anything about it, allowed me to observe that his head escaped contact with the ground, which was useful information for the triage nurse when I called the doctor's office. Twice.

Ben was scared but, miraculously, did not break, dislocate or concuss any part of himself.

And so now that I have actually witnessed both the fall from the fire hydrant and the fall off the playground equipment I wonder if allowing him to climb the pine tree in my backyard is such a good idea after all.

Unfortunately, I don't think that even this fall will deter him from further climbing escapades.

Ben's First Fieldtrip

Earlier this month Ben had his first official preschool fieldtrip to the Harvest Preserve in Iowa City.

Parents and siblings were invited to join teachers and kids on their hike through the preserve. Maggie and I joined in, assuming that any hike encompassing forty 3- and 4-year-olds would be relatively easy.

And for Ben, it was. He scampered up the trail, not even noticing the steep inclines and uneven ground. For me, toting my 21-month old in an umbrella stroller, it was not so easy.

That said, Ben loved every minute of it. We hiked through the woods and when we reached the top there was a clearing with a great statue where the kids were able to run, play, sing and be silly. The music teacher brought her guitar and they sang, "What Shall We Do With a Grumpy Pirate."

"I so cold Mommy"

"What Shall We Do With a Grumpy Pirate"

Ben with his favorite girl friends

Pumpkins!!

October Recap

We've been busy this month and, as a result, I've been neglecting my blogging duties.

A brief recap:

A visit to the Old Capital to see "the burned bell" followed by a Cambus ride

Waiting for the UI Homecoming Parade to start

Eating hot dogs at the Iowa vs. Indiana game on Saturday

Just Going to the Dentist

Maggie had her first dental appointment last Thursday.

I wasn't sure how things would go. On one hand, Maggie is sometimes reluctant to try new things, especially if it means she will have to do so without her parents or siblings by her side.

(NOTE: This is precisely why her toddler "Creative Movement" class has become a "Mommy & Me class," which wouldn't be a problem except we are the only mommy/child duo in the class. All the other moms observe the class through a one-way mirror and I sit "criss-cross-applesauce" while Maggie tugs on my arm saying, "Dance Mommy! Dance!").

On the other hand, Maggie constantly strives to keep pace with Cate and Ben, doing and saying things that my other did not do until they were much older. Sometimes this is not such a good thing (e.g., "Hello Daddy Poopyface!") but sometimes it works in my favor (e.g., the dentist).

Ben went got his teeth cleaned first and Maggie was able to observe the entire process. When it was her turn she sat in the chair (by herself), said "ahhhh!" so Dr. Molly could count her teeth, and then even let her polish her teeth.

Ben and I watched. "Wow," he said. "She's doing great."

And she was going great. As proud as I was of Maggie, my baby, I couldn't help but sympathize with Cate, my first baby. Although she likes going to the dentist now, her first visit did not go well. She sat in my lap, clamped her mouth shut and cried hysterically the entire time the dentist tried to look in her mouth.

As the third child, Maggie is presented with very few situations where she is either 1) completely on her own or 2) doing something completely new to her.

As the oldest, Cate has no choice but to go first. To be the trailblazer. First to go to preschool. First to start kindergarten. First to go to the dentist.

I've often remarked that it's hard to be the middle child, sandwiched between two siblings. It's hard to be the baby, desperately trying to be a "big girl" (or boy). But, as I sometimes fail to remember, it can also be hard to be the oldest.

Shh!

Maggie and I were eating lunch today when she said, "I WANT APPLE JUICE."

Ever the optimist (I mean, someday my kids will internalize this instruction and kind words and good manners will roll off their tongues, right?), I tried to rephrase, "Apple juice please?"

The Baby Dictator tried again, "APPLE JUICE PLEASE!"

I walked over to the cupboard to get a cup. Lately, if Maggie is seated at the table, I've been letting her drink out of a "big girl cup," sans lid.

I pulled one out and started to pour a miniscule amount of apple juice when Maggie yelled, "I WANT SIPPY CUP."

I looked around, "Mags, the only one I can see is Ben's. Don't you want a big girl cup instead?"

"NO," came the reply. "I WANT BUBBY CUP."

"Hmm..." I said. "What about a big girl cup?"

"NO. I WANT BUBBY CUP!"

Well, I thought to myself. What's the big deal? Ben's at school and I can wash it out before he gets home.

"Okay, okay." I said filling Ben's cup and walking it over to Maggie's high chair.

Maggie took the cup from my hands, leaned toward me, lowered her voice as much as she is capable of doing, and whispered, "SHHH! Don't tell Bubby!"

Stinker.

It Begins.

Me (walking into the bathroom and asking what I think is a rhetorical question): Maggie! How did you get up into the sink?

Maggie (looking quite pleased with herself): I GET IN SINK BY SELF!

The Artist at Work

Does a Bear Go Potty in the Woods?

Without spending too much time on the backstory let me say one thing: my kids love to go to the bathroom outdoors.

Seriously.

They are giddy with excitement at the prospect of a park with no public bathrooms. Ben bounces up and down asking, "This tree Mom? Should I go behind this tree?"

Last weekend we passed a port-o-potty while on a bike ride to the park. Ben screeched to a halt, jumped off his bike, and sprinted towards the port-o-potty.

When he emerged I began to deliver my standard lecture on why-it's-important-to-go-to-the-bathroom-before-we-leave-the-house. (Clearly I sound like Charlie Brown's teacher whenever I give this lecture as no matter how many times they've heard it, it doesn't sink in. At all).

"Most people don't like to go the bathroom in these," I told him. "Most people think they're kind of gross."

"I don't," he replied. "I like them."

We've tried to emphasize that public urination should only be used in case of emergencies---you're in a park, 20 minutes from your house with no bathroom in sight. We've tried to tell them that it is NOT an emergency if you're standing in your front yard 20 steps from the bathroom.

This afternoon we were outside and the kids were filthy. The kind of filthy that only 4 hours of playing in dirt and leaves and then painting your body with acrylic Halloween paint will get you.

We had a few things to finish up in the yard and so wanted to keep Cate and Ben outside until we were ready to put them in the tub.

"DADDY!" Cate called. "I have to go potty."

Chris and I looked at each other.

"I guess you'll just have to go behind a tree," I said deciding that this was a better alternative then spending 20 minutes scrubbing dirt and paint off of my hardwood floors.

Somehow magicially overhearing this conversation from 50 yards away, Ben sprinted into the backyard yelling, "I have to go potty too."

This was, quite honestly, the first opportunity Chris and I really had to observe Cate attempt to go to the bathroom outside. It wasn't pretty.

"Cate," Chris said. "I think you need to work on your technique."

"Why?" she replied.

And so we tried to explain that benefits of crouching a bit lower to the ground. We suggested that it might be counterproductive to try and watch yourself go to the bathroom. We gently pointed out that Ben's anatomy might allow him a slightly different approach to public urination.

Cate listened. She considered the merits of our argument.

Then she defiantly told us, "Well, I like my technique and I love who I am."

And she turned on her heel and ran off into the front yard.

The bad news is that she will be a total disaster at any keg party or tailgate that she attends in college. The good news is that she has enough self-confidence (or something...) that she won't really care.

Loving this weather...

We've been taking advantage of the beautiful fall weather this week and spending as much time as possible outside!

On Sunday we visited Wilson's Apple Orchard with aunts, uncles and sweet baby cousins Max and Claire.

Maggie calls them "maxandclaire," regardless of which one she is referring to. As in, "I hold maxandclaire" or "I kiss maxandclaire."




Tuesday we went to Niabi Zoo where we saw the new baby giraffe. Maggie and Ben also got to feed a giraffe (Romaine lettuce hearts).

We've jumped in the leaves and, in our neighborhood, it certainly won't be the last time we do this.

And then, today, we had a tour of the Fire Station, courtesy of the Iowa City Public Library. Ben has been waiting for this day for weeks and I think the experience exceeded his expectations.


And one of the best things about this weather is that I have been able to LET Ben wear shorts and t-shirts all week long.

Of course the BAD news about this weather is that my pile of laundry (although clean) is so high that if one of my kids tumbles in I won't find them until Christmas.