Goblin on a Mission

Mission: Operation Get-a-Half-Pack-of-Diapers-All-the-Way-Down-the-Stairs



Step One: Wait until mom runs downstairs to get something.



Step Two: Start taking 2-3 diapers at a time and tossing them down the stairs. Repeat until package is empty. When mom returns she should see this:









Step Three: descend 4 steps until diapers are reached. Continue to pick up and toss. By now mom should have grabbed the camera.




Step four: Keep working down the steps until all diapers have reached the bottom. Be thankful that mom knows how to pick her battles, and that she has allowed you to turn this mess-making experience into a game.






Step Five: hand a diaper to mom to remind her that she now has to pick them all up.





Step Six: Smile at your accomplishment, showing off your new two front teeth and your goblin jammies.

Sad But True #4

Our Murphy dog was returned to us on Monday after our friend Corryn took him on a 40 day "outward hound" experience. (He works with at-risk youth, taking them on camping trips., Murphy chaperoned the latest trip.) We sure missed him!!!
Murphs was a little shocked to discover how mobile Rowan is now and frankly, the poor dog never gets a break. Rowan follows him everywhere, usually licking him (yes, my son licks the dog) or rubbing his face into his fur or seeing which body parts he can pull and how far they can stretch. (Did you know dog lips are INCREDIBLY elastic?)
The sad but true part is that Rowan has a cold accompanied by copious amounts of thick green snot. When I came home from school yesterday I discovered that the dog had become a canine kleenex. He had a large green booger stuck to his forehead and three crusty snotwads stuck to his back.
Sigh. Something tells me he'd rather be back in the woods....

Sad But True #3

I had to stick my hand in the toilet today to fish out a matchbox car. Oh well, at least he doesn't know how to flush. Better get the numbers of a few good plumbers just in case.

It seems to be getting harder and harder to Rowan proof. Notice I don't use the word Baby-proof. That can be done. This is an ENTIRELY different game. Today he figured out how to wedge his body between the t.v. and the coffee table, which currently serves as t.v. button pushing prevention. He successfully reached the buttons, ruining a perfectly good episode of Blues Clues and sending a 5 year old into hysterics (which I believe Rowan secretly loves.) So being the clever person I am, I made a long cardboard "L" which I wedged under the front of the t.v and over the buttons. I then taped the corners with masking tape for safekeeping. Darn it if that kid didn't INSTANTLY walk over and in one gracefull movement grab one corner, pull it off and throw it. I mean he just whipped it as if to say "Done with that, Mom, nice try!" I swear he's laughing at me when I'm not looking. Or there's a hidden camera somewhere.

It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time....

...but maybe we should have tried camping in the backyard first before we set out on a camping adventure. Never EVER assume just because the first child could do it at 1 year that the second child can too.

So yes, we set out to Ely for a little family getaway. We stopped in Virginia on the way there to see Mineview in the Sky. For those of you who know Rowan well and his passion for all things wheels, this was almost too much for him. He let out one of his low guttural growls and of course went up to see if he could spin them. I'd love to see that.

Some pictures of Rowan's Wheel Heaven:

























After said stop, we stopped at our friends' Kevin & Tara's from which Kevin, Fitty and Aidan left to go fishing. They caught us seven nice walleyes for dinner! YUM! Tara and Rowan and I tooled around town then went to the campground. Being in a remote place did not stop Rowan's wanderlust or inquisitive nature. He was intent on three things: eating small rocks, throwing his toys into the weeds and then getting mad, and trying to walk up the hill (not so successfully.) It was a cold cold night. Aidan was a trooper, but Rowan didn't make it. At midnight he and I bailed to the warm confines of Kevin and Tara's in town. Figured the other campers probably didn't appreciate the screaming. Thank God for Tara, she got up with Rowan and let me sleep and extra 1 1/2 hours. We did join up again with the campers (Kevin stayed out at the campground with Fitty and Aidan) and enjoyed breakfast, a drive up the Echo trail, and a hike at Kawishiwi Falls. Fun, but exhausting. Perhaps Rowan will be ready next year??? Aidan, on the other hand, is a born camper!

Here are some more pictures!

Aidan watching Kevin clean fish.


Tara to the rescue!!!


Rowan liked the tent when he didn't have to sleep in it!



Kawishiwi falls.

Will post fish pictures when we get them!

Hell On Wheels

Guess who's walking? Yep, it's true. And, just as I predicted, my life just got more interesting.

Look at this sweet face. Who knew it could be capable of so much mayhem.?

Who knew he would wait until Daddy turned his back to start drinking Daddy's beer?

Who knew he was capable of running away and down the driveway as I unloaded the car this afternoon?

Who knew that within twenty seconds after putting the running toddler in the house for safety as I unloaded the car he would find the can of uneaten cat food and start eating it?

Who knew that a 13 month old would be capable of throwing himself on the floor, pretending he has fallen, and start crying for attention?

Who knew that, though the first child would empty and sit in the bottom drawer, the second would empty the bottom drawer so that he could STAND in and and empty the middle drawer of its sharp objects?

Who knew that someday I would walk past a mother with her child on a "leash" and think, "Gosh, I need one of those."

Well, I'm off to make sure the first aid kit is well stocked and to check to see that our health insurance is up to date. Oh, and better hide the matches too.

What does Ringo Starr have for breakfast?

Why, Life Cereal and carrots, of course. That is what my five-year old matter-of-factly responded after telling me he wanted what Ringo eats for breakfast and I asked him exactly what that might be. He eats it to be healthy for his concerts, apparently. And the leftover birthday cake on our counter? That is apparently not from a five-year old's birthday, but from his 68th birthday that he just had. Welcome to Ringo land. For most kids it's dinosaurs and Spider Man. For us, it's a kid who puts on 5 concerts and day and periodically will flash the peace sign and say "peace and love." And who wears his Sgt. Pepper uniform or a tie most days. Oh yeah, and this kid who doesn't like to wipe himself after using the bathroom did today. I was proud of him and said "Wow, you must be five!" and he replied "No, I'm sixty-eight!" Apparently, in Ringo land he will do anything.

And as long as we're talking about the Beatles, I am fairly certain that my second born is going to be a Beatle freak too. This morning he was up earlier than his brother, and we were in the kitchen, listening to the morning show on MPR. Plenty of peppy songs playing, but the one that got him waving his arms and laughing (it actually kind of looked like he was drumming...eeek) was "Ticket to Ride." After the song was over, he went back to spinning his wheels.

All I know, is I am NOT buying two drum sets. They will have to learn to share. Should I start saving now to add a soundproof room in the basement?