Sleepin' With My Dad

Matt's childhood best friend, Pierce, sent a present for the boys recently. Tristan immediately named it "the daddy doll". Here was what I saw the other night when I went in to check on him. The next morning, I asked him who he'd been sleeping with. He told me, "I was sleepin' with my dad."

Roar!

If you've been following my blog for a while, you know that Logan loves hair. He loves to yank, tug, pull, and even eat my hair. Ouchie!!

So a while ago, when we were in Kigsport visiting Jennifer, I had a great idea. We went to Wal-Mart, and I looked for a stuffed animal with lots of hair. We found this great lion, and sure enough, Logan loved it. He loves to yank, tug, pull, and, yes, even eat the hair. Well, within a month, that lion was looking kinda rough, so I went to the Wal-Mart here and bought him another one. He totally bonded with these lions. He carries them everywhere, snuggles them, has to have both of them cradled in his arms before going to sleep, etc, etc. By last month, they both looked pathetic! Almost totally bald! Check out these pictures...





So I went back to Wal-Mart to look for new lions. Sold out! I went to the other Wal-Mart in town. No lions! I was starting to get frantic... desperate even! I had to find a new lion, before he managed to remove the last tiny bits of hair from his lions!!

So I called Jennifer, and begged her to go back to the toy section of her Wal-Mart. Buy me ALL of the lions you can find! Well, they only had one. Because she's a dear, she bought it, mailed it to us Priority Mail, and within days Logan had his majestic, hairy new lion...



He hates it! Won't have anything to do with it! I give it to him, he throws it at me. I guess he really has bonded with those poor bald lions. If you've seen The Chronicles of Narnia, you'll probably agree with me that his lions resemble Aslan on the Stone Table, after they've shaved his mane. Oh, well.

Here's a nice family picture of all 3 lions. :)

Playing House

One day last week, I got really creative and made Tristan a new house. I took two large boxes, deconstructed them, and then taped them together to make a big house with a front door. He loved it!

On Monday, we invited Savannah over for a playdate. April and I have joked about setting up an arranged marriage for Tristan & Savannah. They get along great, and at least we know we'd get along with the in-laws. :)

Well, I'm happy to report that they seem to be all for our plan. Tristan was delighted to invite Savannah into his "home". Savannah was in charge of the decorating, and immediately called for the magic markers. Here are some pictures of their domestic bliss...

Had to laugh

OK, I have to post a couple of other funny things Tristan has said recently. If it's not on the blog, I won't ever remember it happened.

The night Barack Obama gave his speech at the DNC, Tristan just would not go to sleep. I finally told him to come in the living room with me. At one point, Tristan said, "Hey, mom! Barack Obama is just like Bob the Builder." Huh? I totally didn't get that one.

Well, if you've ever seen Obama give a speech, you know the audience always chants, "Yes, we can! Yes, we can!" So Tristan said that he was "Barack the Builder"... Can we fix it? "Yes, we can!"

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I try to teach Tristan new words often. He has a real flair for language. (As in, he never stops talking!!) Anyway, his new word this week is collaborate. I told him it means to work together, like a team.

Last night, Tristan wanted to go play in the back yard. I said OK. Then, he said he wanted all of us to go outside together. I told him no, because I was trying to get dinner together, so I could get ready for community group.

"But mom," Tristan said, "I want us to collaborate, by all playing in the back yard together. Would that be collaborating, mom?"

Yes, Tristan, I guess that would be collaborating. He won... we all played. :-)

I stand corrected!

Isn't it funny how the things we tell our kids come back to haunt us?

Whenever we're in the car, Tristan loves to shout out the names of his favorite vehicles. If we pass a fire station, he yells, "Fire truck!" If a Fed Ex truck drives by, he hollers, "Fed Ex truck!" He has lots of favorite vehicles, so car rides are usually quite noisy.

Yesterday morning, on the way to preschool, I spotted a dump truck at a 4-way stop. Tristan didn't notice it, so I loudly said, "Dump truck!"

"OK, OK," Tristan told me. "You don't have to yell. You can just talk!"

I laughed the rest of the way to preschool!

But I still wanna be mommy

This week, Tristan has decided that I'm no longer mommy. My new name is "Hey, Mom!" I thought your kids were supposed to call you mommy at least until they started kindergarten. I have to admit, I'm pretty sad. I'm trying my hardest to teach Logan to call me mommy, but he's just not working with me yet. :(

Happy Birthday, Matt!!!

Here are a few people who wanted to wish you a Happy Birthday. Also, follow the links over to the blogs Arkhiker's Vicinity, The Bear & The Bug, and Bugs & Sunshine, for more birthday wishes. We all love & miss you, Matt! (Birthday wishes from wife & kids coming later today!)

Car Town

Tristan loves cars. I mean, he really LOVES cars. More than a year ago, he started building "car towns". Since then, they've become larger, more elaborate, and more creative. This is what he just built on the living room floor as a "surprise" for me... he called it a "diamond car town".

New Name

Tristan is so funny! He's constantly cracking me up. Lately, I've been telling him, "You're so goofy!" Well, this week he announced to me that his whole name is Tristan Goofy Matthew Perciful. I like it. Kinda catchy! :)

He Loved It!

Tristan loved his first day at Central Christian Academy. According to him, his favorite thing was playing with all the cars. His least favorite thing? Nothing. He said he liked everything.

Here's his recap of the day... He ate cheerios for breakfast. For lunch, he had a sandwich, peaches, and "black-eye peas with black-eye pea soup" (this was actually beans & franks, according to the school menu :)

He played, sang, read lots of books, made new friends, had rest time, and even had time left over for instruction. Yes, instruction. He told me that there was one bully in his class, a boy who did "everything not nice." So Tristan told him, "God would like it for you to share!" Oh, my.

Overall, it was a resounding success. I enjoyed the quiet at home, and a long nap. Tristan wore himself out, and is now sleeping soundly. Next year, I think I'll let him go M/W/F instead of just T/Th. :)

First Day of School

Today was Tristan's first day of preschool. We visited the school last week, and he loved it. We signed him up on the spot, and he's been begging to go to school every day since then. We've been doing a countdown. Tristan would ask if he could go to school, and I'd tell him, "Just 2 more days!" Then he would respond, "Two more long days?" He really couldn't wait.

Well, today was the big day. I was so excited, I woke up at 5:30 and couldn't go back to sleep. I went to wake Tristan up at 7:00. I said, "Tristan, do you want to go to school today?" He was wide awake instantly. The first thing he said was, "I'm not scared! I'm just excited!" Then he smiled at me, and told me that was his happy face.

We got ready, and Dad came over to stay with Logan while I took Tristan to school. When we got there, I had to stop at the front desk to sign Tristan in. When I turned around, he had disappeared! I found him already playing in his classroom. His room is the rainbow fish room, with decorations from the Rainbow Fish book. It's really cool.

I did manage to get Tristan to pose for a few pictures, but he was really more interested in playing, and saying good morning to their class pets (a gerbil and hermit crabs).

After a few minutes, I asked Tristan if it was ok if I went back home. No response. Again, I asked him if he was ready for me to go. No response. He was too busy playing. Finally, I said, "OK, I'm going home now. I'll come back to pick you up later." At this, he stopped playing, to protest. "But Mommy, you said I could stay all day!" I had to laugh. I told him that was right, that I'd be back to pick him up after all day. He went right back to playing, and I left without so much as a goodbye from him. Wow! My "little boy" sure is growing up fast!

Blues Clues Smoothie

This morning for breakfast, Tristan asked for a Blues Clues smoothie. I wasn't exactly sure what that was, but... um... sure. No problem. Just make a smoothie, add several drops of blue food coloring, and voila!

Jump Zone

This morning, Savannah came over to play. Here was the scene in my living room....

They had soooooo much fun!

Funnies

When I was changing Logan's diaper the other day, Tristan said, "Logan isn't potty trained, is he, Mommy?" Nope, I said. Then, Tristan informed me that Logan is just "diaper trained". Hadn't thought of it that way before!

On the way home from church Sunday, Tristan was begging for McDonald's for lunch. I kept telling him no. He finally said, "But Mommy, do we have McDonald's for lunch?" No, I said. He responded, "We DO!" I added, "Not!" His comeback, fast as lightning, was "YET!" (No, he still didn't get McDonald's for lunch, even though I had to admire his quick thinking!)

Hello Again

OK, a quick post. Yes, we are all well. Logan was only sick for 24 hours, thank goodness. We seem to all be completely over the "bug". Unfortunately, my internet has been sick. It has been down for the past few days, and my internet provider can't seem to figure out what the problem is. I just noticed that it had turned on, and I'm not sure how long it will stay on. Hence, if you want to contact me, please call me, until further notice. Thanks!

Here's a quick recap of the past few days. We missed church & the annual church swim party, due to Logan's illness. By Monday morning, he was fine again. At Wal-Mart on Monday, we bought Tristan his first pets. He has 2 betta fish now, which he named Flippy & Sif. (No, I have no idea where he got the name Sif!) Swim lesson on Monday was great. Tristan is really getting brave in the pool! Stephanie spent the night Monday night. Tuesday morning, we went to Jump Zone, for a play date with several friends. The kids had a blast! Last night, we went to Aunt Mindy's house, for dinner & a swim in her pool. That's about it. I'll try to post pics & better updates once the internet is fixed.

And Matt, if you've been trying to Skype me, I'm so sorry! I'm going to call them again today, and insist that they figure out what the problem is. We miss you very much, and can't wait to see your face again!

Sickness & Kindness: Part 3

Yep, you guessed it. Logan caught it, too. Fortunately, I was only sick for 24 hours. Many thanks to my wonderful mom for coming & taking care of us while I was too sick to function.

My internet hasn't been working since yesterday evening. I called my internet provider, and they suggested that I needed a new splitter. So after Logan's nap today, we packed up & headed to Best Buy. We had been in the store only about 2 minutes when Logan started spewing all over the place. Thankfully, there was a sweet lady nearby who had a purse full of kleenex. She offered these to me, to help clean Logan's face somewhat. Also, the store manager quickly produced a trash bag for Logan, in case he needed to throw up any more.

I'd left the diaper bag in the car, thinking I wouldn't need to take it in for such a quick trip. After "the incident", the manager told me he'd be happy to find the splitter I needed, and have it waiting for me at checkout, so I could take Logan to the car & clean him up.

When we returned to the store, several people in checkout let us go ahead of them, so I could get my poor baby home quickly. Just one of the reasons I love this town... people are always so quick to offer help!

Sickness & Kindness: Part 2

Well, Tristan is totally well, but now Mommy's caught the stomach bug. I felt great until early this evening, then all of a sudden... Ugh! I do NOT like throwing up. But I've just taken some phenergan, and I've had some Sprite, thanks to my good friend, Michelle. I just hope that my bout with this only lasts 24 hours, same as Tristan's did. And, I hope Logan isn't next. Thanks for all the prayers & offers of help. I love you all! Headed to bed now. Night, night.

Sickness & Kindness

Late Tuesday afternoon, Tristan started throwing up. Poor kid. He was projectile vomiting all over the house. By bedtime, he had thrown up on most everything in the living room. All the couch throw pillows, and the covers for the couch cushions, had been in the washer. I had cleaned puke off the chair and the floor, my clothes & his hair. Ugh!

But even in the midst of all that, we had a really sweet moment. I was feeding Tristan ice chips, and rubbing his back, while he lay on the floor. I told him that when I was a little girl, Grandmommy would feed me ice chips & rub my back when I was sick. He said, "That's right, because Grandmommy is your mommy. So she taught you how to take care of me when I'm sick." Awwwww. I almost cried. There's something powerful in doing for your children what was once done for you. Thanks, Mom, for all the times you patiently & lovingly cared for me when I was sick. You always knew just how to make me feel better. Actually, you still do, come to think of it. I love you, Mom!!

Tristan was supposed to have swim lesson at 5:30 yesterday, but I called Katie to cancel. He hadn't thrown up since early that morning, but I just didn't want to take the chance of him throwing up in the pool. That probably wouldn't make us very popular at the gym! Katie said we could reschedule for Friday instead, and said she hoped Tristan got better soon. Well, a couple of hours later, she called me back. She said she'd started thinking about how Matt's gone, and what would I do if I needed something, but couldn't leave the house since Tristan was sick. She asked if there was anything she could do to help us out, or if I need her to pick anything up for us. How sweet is that? I only met Katie about 3 weeks ago, and we only see her for 1 hour a week. But she still thought to ask if we needed any help. Pretty cool, huh?

Doctor Updates

Sorry I haven't been posting as much lately. To be honest, I have trouble getting inspired about much of anything when it's so dang hot. I've heard of a disorder called SAD. Apparently, people get it in the winter, when the days get shorter, when there's less sunlight. For me, it's the other way around. I start feeling lethargic when the sun is out for hours on end, beating down on everything with unrelenting heat. Ugh! Give me fall & winter anytime! I mean, heck, you can always put on more clothes, ya know what I mean?

Anyways... I now have the updates for you on my numb feet. In case you missed my earlier post, my feet have been going numb when I work out at the gym. It happens every time I get on the treadmill, or the bike, or the crossramp machine. Not painful, but annoying just the same. Well, I went to the Sports & Orthopedic clinic first, where he asked a lot of questions, then ran several blood tests. The tests all came back normal, including the one for diabetes. When he called me with the results, he said he was stymied. He had no answers, and said maybe the neurologist would figure something out.

My neurology appointment was yesterday morning. The doctor performed a nerve conduction study. The doctor was great, but I definitely wouldn't recommend the test. First, they send electrical shocks into the nerves in your legs, to check that the nerves are properly conducting impulses. The shocks near your feet aren't so bad. But as they go further up your legs, the nerves apparently get deeper, because he kept turning up the power on the electrocution machine. With every shock, you involuntarily jerk and yelp. After a while, I started laughing, just because I felt so silly squirming all over the table! Part two was the needle torture. For this part of the test, the doctor takes acupuncture needles, and inserts them into various muscles in your legs. Then, he wiggles the needle around, as he listens to your muscle. Finally, he asks you to flex your muscle, as he wiggles the needle around. Big ouchie!!! At the end of the testing, he said that I did better than a lot of people. He said many people tell him to stop, and actually leave the office without completing the test, saying that it's the worst pain they've ever felt.

Final results? He teased me that I'm obviously just crazy, since I (that is, my nerves & muscles) performed better on the tests than about 95% of the population would. He said he's seen other cases just like mine, where no cause is ever found. The answer is to just deal with the numbness, and be really thankful that the experts didn't find anything, since if they did, it would probably be "really bad". So, there's my answer. There is no answer. But hey, I'll definitely take that over a "really bad" answer anyday!

I love the things Tristan says!

A few minutes ago, Tristan made this request...

"Mommy, can you please get my Things That Go book for me? It's right over there. Can you do me that favor, please?"

So sweet!