Cheese

At left are some of the kids having a wonderful time at the piano (which is so out of tune I should be SHOT) on Thanksgiving! At right is Wy refusing to share his grandpa with Noah. He saw Poppie holding Noah and DEMANDED that he be held too. Then Noah tried to hug him and he refused to be hugged. He wouldn't even LOOK at Noah.

Watching a movie with Jack is very much like watching Monday night football. Football games have announcers and now I have one as well. Jack comments upon and questions virtually every second of every show we watch: "What's he doin', mommy? Ooooh, he's finding a nest. Oh, NO! He's scared. Is a bird. Jackson see a bird, mommy. What's he doin?...What's he doin?...What's he doin?...What's he doin, mommy? That bird has a feaver (feather). He is so sad. Jackson's not sad. Is a bug! He's fwyin (flyin). Where's a nest? Oh, no! It's gone! What's he doin? What's he doin? What's he doin, mommy? What's he doin?..." It's like the song that never ends, "it just goes on and on my friends..."

Beth bought a mini basketball for the boys this week. John and Jack were playing catch with the ball. John was doing his best to ensure Jack would catch the ball. About every 4th or 5th toss, Jack would miss the ball. He would immediately say "Oh, no! Jackson's NEVER gonna catch it!" He would then put his head in his hands, look at the floor and shake his head. John and I couldn't even control ourselves. We just sat there and laughed.

Jack is making teeny tiny baby steps in the potty training department. Twice now he has walked up to me to TELL me "I poop my pants, mommy!" Oh the pride in his voice... At least he is becoming aware of the poop. Isn't that part of a 12 step program? To be able to admit you have a problem?

Yesterday he was all about John's belt. I don't know what triggered it, but all Jack wanted to do was play with John's belt. John had enough and asked Jack if he wanted his own belt. Jack thought this was a pretty cool idea so they went up to the boys' room to find a belt. John let Jack pick which one he wanted and showed him how to put it on. Then Jack proudly declared "Yook at mine seat belt, daddy!" He has since been showing off his "seat belt" to anyone who will look.

Jack has decided this box is actually a boat. He and Wy love to sit in this boat and be dragged around the house. Jack uses Wy's little broom as a sort of rudder and begs John or I to pull them through the house. Jack sometimes pulls Wyatt, but pretends he can't do it when you pay attention to them.

Wy is now in love with cheese. He demands cheese, or rather he demands "Chee! Chee! Chee! Chee!" He is despondent when he doesn't get cheese. As far as Wyatt is concerned, it isn't "chee" unless it is yellow and shredded. I tried tearing up a string cheese and slipping to to him with shredded cheddar. He would be chewing along and unerringly spit out the one little piece of mozzarella. I tried buying a brick of cheddar cheese and he freaked out when I offered him a slice. Why, you ask? Because it wasn't shredded. Then I tried to shred the slice I had given him...no dice people. He wasn't having it. I had to shred the cheese in private.

When I left for work this morning it was snowing. Wy was sleeping in his crib. John and Jack were downstairs playing Candyland. Just before I left, Jack drew a card with 2 orange squares on it. As I was walking out the door he called out "Jackson got TWO ononge! Jackson SO HAPPY!"

Until next week, love from Owenland Park!

Splishin and a splashin

I had to wash the car seat covers the other day. As I was replacing the covers and putting the seats back in the car, I heard the boys giggling and squealing with delight. It should come as no surprise to me by now that squealing laughter from these two boys means they are up to no good. Sure enough, they were having all kinds of questionable fun while I was wrestling with car seats. By the time I made it back upstairs the bathroom was bathed in toilet water. They had splished and splashed all over the bathroom. There was a party goin' on in there. Mysteriously Jack was not very wet, yet Wy was drenched, the walls and floors were sopping wet, the towels were soaked and the Thomas book was dripping. It was a big ole mess...Yeah, me.

Wyatt is coming more and more to the belief that he doesn't necessarily have to listen to what mommy says. For instance, when mommy says "Wyatt! You put that down!" He may or may not look at mommy. He may or may not put down whatever it is he has his hands on. He may or may not simply walk away with said object in his hands as if nothing had ever been said. There have even been occasions when Wy backs away from me as I approach to take something away from him. On other occasions, he simply turns and makes a run for it. And so, Wy has had to sit on the naughty step a few times this week. At the moment, he doesn't understand the naughty step. He simply doesn't like it when I don't let him get up.

Jack got a new winter coat a few weeks ago. It has a little Tigger patch on the front. One of the price tags had a picture of Winnie-the-Pooh on it. Wy is OBSESSED with this tag. He refuses to give it up. Every time I think "Wow - I haven't seen that nasty little tag in a few days," Wy comes trotting around the corner with this mangled scrap of paper. He shoves it at you and says "POOH! POOH! POOH!" Then you have to sit and admire it with him. Now, Wyatt is the destroyer of books. He loves them. He destroys them. For as many books as he destroys, I'm amazed that this little bit of paper has survived our Hurricane Wyatt.

Sometimes Jack will cock an eyebrow at me. I asked him to lift one of his eyebrows for a picture and this is what I got...He is actually lifting up his eyebrow. He can now button and unbutton his buttons. He runs all over the place with an "esascope" (a toy stethoscope) and tries to chase down the cats so he can listen to their heartbeats. He chases Libby all over the house calling "Yibby, swow down!"

Earlier in the week I took the boys out to have lunch with Gammy. As we were heading back to the car, we were passing piles and piles of leaves. I asked Jack if he wanted to run through the leaves and he started jumping around "YES! YES! YES, PLEASE!" So I said "Go run through the leaves, tiger." He looked at me and said "OK!" Then he took off at a run yelling "RRRAAARRRGGGHHH!!!" as he plowed through each pile.

Jack has had a bit of a scratchy voice this week. One morning my mom asked "Jack, do you have a frog in your throat?" Jack said "No. Is a dinosaur in my pants." To which I said, "Well, OK then." He went running past me and I saw he had on a pair of underwear with a little stegosaurus on the backside.

Here are the boys just hanging with Poppy. Well, friends, that does it for me this week. I hope you are all blessed in large and small ways this week. Until next weekend, much love from Owenland Park!

Oh, poo...

It has been a bit of a week friends. Early in the week Jack started getting pretty sassy about what he would and would not eat. He would refuse lunch but demand his favorite yummy snacks. He would refuse dinner and expect ice cream before bedtime. One day he looked at Beth and rather crossly declared "JAX NOT EAT THAT." I decided we couldn't run around being held hostage by a three year old so Beth and I started the policy of "you don't eat lunch, you don't get snacks." He refused his lunch and Beth said "OK - but no snacks." He didn't care until snack time. He wanted a snack and she offered him the lunch he had refused. He still refused the lunch. On the way home he kept pointing out fast food places and telling Beth "Jax go to that house." Beth told him "No, you didn't eat your lunch." He would say "Jax likes fries and chicken." She held her ground. Good job, Beth!

I made potato soup for dinner that night, but he refused to eat it. He demanded bread, he demanded fish sticks, he was cross. I just kept telling him he could have bread if he ate some soup. He just kept playing with the food. I wonder if he thought "if I play with it long enough, it will LOOK like I ate some..." That plan didn't work. He played so long that it was bedtime. I gave him one last chance and he flung a spoonful of soup onto the table. I just picked him up and took him up to bed.

The next morning I knew he would be hungry so I gave him a sippy cup of milk while I made scrambled eggs (a sure hit.) He slammed down the milk and then picked at his eggs. I thought his little tummy was full from drinking the milk too fast. Well, who knows what was going on in his tummy but as we were heading out the door he puked in Wyatt's diaper bag and all over the outside of his own bag. That's right friends - both bags full of puke. It was on the floor, the carpet, the chair, Jack, the bags...it was a nightmare. John put together two new bags while Mom and I cleaned everything up. You know when something is so disgusting that all you can do is sit there and laugh? That was me: sitting on the floor barely able to clean up the mess and laughing hysterically. By the time all was said and done, we were 45 minutes late. Jack seemed to not have any troubles the rest of the day. I did rearrange dinner plans to make sure there was something Jack would eat without catering to him. Meanwhile, Wy eats about everything in sight, unless it is a vegetable.

Since we are doing Seussical, I had John bring the boys to opening night. I thought it would be perfect because mom and dad would be there to help out if the boys got crazy. Well, neither of the boys made it through the whole show. John and Wy stepped out about a third of the way through. John left Jack with our house manager Areli, who is in love with Jack. Areli had to take Jack out about 10 minutes before the play was over because he was flopping around on the floor and calling out "Ribbit! Ribbit!" (There are no frogs in Seussical.)

On opening nights, the theatre hosts a reception for the cast and audience. We provide food and drinks and many times the Coterie puts out pizza. This was the case Friday night. I got in line and piled some fruit and veggies on my plate and then I grabbed some pizza. Poor Jack stood at the table with the crossest look on his face. He kept asking me for pizza and I just kept telling him that he could have some as soon as he pooped in the pot. Then he stood there looking at me with his eyebrows scrunched together and stomping his foot every few seconds. He was not happy.

Well, Jack got some pizza Saturday night. Mom thinks he played us, but I'm not sure. I can honestly see it from a few different angles. Just so you know, I thought about taking a picture of the tiny sludge in the pot, but I decided you would rather I didn't. Anyway, I made a huge deal over the little bit in the pot and since I never quantified the poo in the poopin' for pizza rule, John and I put a pizza in the oven. Now, let me tell you that 5 MINUTES LATER there was a nice sized package in the backside of Jack's pants. Do you know how badly I wanted to revoke the pizza? After a few minutes of thought I decided to go ahead and give him the pizza. I never told him that ALL the poo had to be in the pot. I just told him he had to poo in the pot.

The next morning Jack started telling me all about how he pooped in the pot last night and wants pizza for breakfast. I told him he had to poop in the pot today - and that ALL the poo had to be in the pot - No pizza if he pooped in his pants. We'll see what happens and how long this one takes... Last night John said to Jack "I would give Wyatt pizza if he pooped in the pot." Jack grabbed Wy and sad "Wyatt! You get pizza for poop in the pot! Come on, Wyatt!"

OK - now for the random stuff...

I'm trying to get Jack to brush all of his teeth not just the ones in the front. He was brushing the other morning and I told him he needed to brush the other side so he turns away from me. We go through this 3 more times with Jack turning away from me in different directions until I realize he thinks I'm telling him he has to turn around to brush his teeth.

I have officially joined the ranks of 'mothers with children whose favorite toys are missing.' For as much money as has been sunk into all the Thomas trains around here - only about 15 of them can be found. I have looked in bags, under furniture, in cars, in and under over and behind - these babies are M.I.A.

Wy time: Little Wy wants to do everything Jack does. Mom took them on a walk yesterday and when Jack ran through the leaves, Wyatt followed. When Jack found a stick to use as a walking stick, Wy found a stick to carry too. When Jack looked at flowers, Wy did too.

When he gets excited Wy dances: he stamps his feet and pants hu-uh-hu-uh-hu-uh-hu with a huge grin on his face. Sometimes the stamping turns him in circles and then he has to look around for you because you mysteriously disappeared from view...

Wy loves to sit at their little kid table, open the drawer, stick his hand in and close the drawer. He completely freaks out when his hand is stuck in there but doesn't understand he is closing the drawer. And finally, the boy has no fear. He climbs everything in sight. He likes to climb a chair behind the sofa, wiggle up over the back of the sofa then fling himself down onto the seat of the sofa. As far as language is concerned, he is only interested in the names of trains. I thought he was saying "mama" but it turns out he is desperately trying to wrap his mouth around Mighty Mac.

OK, friends, I know there are no photos this week. It was a bit nutty. I apologize and promise to get some shots in the next edition, which I hope will be back to Friday! Until then, God bless and keep you all!

Love, A, J, J & Little Wy guy

Puppy rollers, pots and pans...my life in a nutshell

Folks, the last week and a half flew by in the blink of an eye. The boys and I hung out together in the morning and I spent the afternoons and evenings in rehearsals. Life is back to 'normal' now that we went into performances today. (Except that we will be doing 2 extra shows each week to accommodate the holiday demand. Since I haven't had much time with the boys last week, I have tried to keep our time fun...

I volunteered to look for a prop at my local Toys R Us and I took the boys with me. They had no idea I was working as I just said "Hey! Do you wanna go to a store with just TOYS?" Jack was thrilled to say the least. Up and down the aisles and I'm handing toys to the boys to play with, pulling out discarded toys and putting them on the shelves in the WRONG places. I'm sure I was the mom that all Toys R Us employees HATE. But, I was on a timeline and the boys were having fun so...

Anyway, after a while Jack starts shouting "Puppy roller! Puppy roller!" I had no idea whathe was flipping out about. I had to look around for a minute to even figure it out. He had seen a small stuffed puppy on wheels. I pulled Jack out of the cart and handed him the leash on this little "puppy roller" and he walked that dog all over the store. He turned a corner and the puppy caught on something and fell over. I called his attention to it and he turned around said "OH! So sorry, puppy!" and righted the little fella and off they went again. (This was taken on my cell phone - I can't make it appear any larger than this oddly sized little thumbnail - sorry.)

I took the boys to the park one morning. That wasn't a very well thought out plan as it rained and rained the night before. Oh well, the boys came home with wet pants from the slides. They didn't care. They had so much fun on the swings and slides.

We did spend some time just hanging around the house playing with fire trucks and such... Jack calls pineapple "apple pie." He is desperately trying to assert his independence by refusing to eat things, wetting his pants when he walks into the bathroom and a number of other things. Poor kid - it must really be hard being 3. I should tell him it isn't any easier being 35, but I don't think he will care.


Wy has added a few more words to his little collection - Either I speak mommy or if you listen carefully and know a little bit about the Thomas trains - you can figure out who he is talking about. "Dee-eh teh!" is Diesel 10 and so forth.Here is the little guy Wy playing on the pots and pans - one of his new favorite activities

Little Bear thought he was pretty boss when I was trying to put his car seat back in the car. He clambered up into the seat while I went to get his chair. Then he refused to budge when I tried to get him to move over so I could put the seat in. He thought this was a wonderful game and protested loudly when I finally moved him out of the way.

OK friends, overdue and overtired. I may or may not get one out to you this weekend - All I can say is I love you and I will try.

Concession Speech

Friends-

I must apologize for my tardiness in getting this message to you, but I had no choice. I write to you now from an undisclosed location as I am in hiding. I know that must sound odd to you, but you have no idea of the enormity of this situation. I am sure you are unaware of the shocking displays of prejudice at the polls on Tuesday. Ladies and Gentlemen, Zombies were turned away from each and every voting booth in the country. When the Zombies learned they were not going to be able to vote in this historical election they galvanized and set out for my house. They picked up more and more Zombies as they made their way slowly across the country, state, county, city and finally into my neighborhood. The Zombies were just down the street when we truly understood they had turned against us. Fortunately my family had time to pack and make a few plans for getting safely away before the undead made it half way down the block. Please know that we are safe. Please do no try to find us. We will find you when the coast is clear.

You may think this unfortunate turn of events has turned me against Zombies. Not so, friends, not so. What kind of country are we living in when a dead man is not allowed to vote? I will not give up the fight for Zombie rights. I know the Zombies will not rest until they can vote, adopt babies, get married and set up e-bay and face book accounts just like the rest of us. You can rest assured that I will not rest until Zombies are granted these rights and are able to rest in peace!

Now, I feel I must take a moment to congratulate Senator Obama on his victory after this long campaign. Congratulations, Senator Obama. (One-thousand-one, one-thousand-two, moment over.) I thank the many people who supported my campaign and I offer my condolences to the McCain campaign-in-my - excuse me, to the McCain campaign. Normally I would take a few minutes to talk about how great Barack is and how I plan to support him and his administration, but I can't be online too long: the Zombies are tracing my connection as I write...they are very technologically advanced, you know.

Unfortunately our campaign didn't get us into the White House and that is something I, you, we are going to have to accept. And so I ask that you not go out and start up riots on behalf of the Zombie community or against the Zombies on my behalf. Instead I ask that you consider this simple prayer:

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Friends - we can make a difference, if we just keep fighting the good fight. God bless you all and remember, Zombies are people too.

With serenity, courage and wisdom:
My name is Amy M. Abels Owen and I approve this message.

Get over it...

The biggest news friends? Wyatt is no longer a baby. It happened Saturday while I was at work. Yes in the space of less than 8 hours my baby became a toddler. I came home from work and we were sitting at the table and I noticed he was different. At first I thought someone trimmed his bangs. That was not it. The feeling reminded me of the scene from the Robin Williams Peter Pan movie - when the grandma says Wendy has gotten her "kiss". I can't put my finger on how he changed, but he did. I can see it in his face.

I had the rents take the boys to church on Sunday as I had to work. The boys and I were heading out to the grocery store yesterday and here is Wy as I was trying to reinstall his car seat. He thought he was so grown up and funny by refusing to budge. He honestly thought I would just buckle him up as is...

I'm ready to lose my mind over potty training, people. Sadly, I have become very short tempered with Jack about the whole thing this week. I know my temper is not going to amount to a hill of beans in regards to whether or not that boy does his business in a pot or in his pants. So I am picking a new outlet. I have started praying to St. Jude. You might think I am praying that he will help Jack get on the pot. Not quite. I have decided to pray to St. Jude to help me find patience with Jack while he moseys his way through this process. I'm asking St. Jude to remind me to be nice and kind and to think before I open my mouth. That being said, Jack woke up a few days ago, stepped out of bed, gestured to his SOAKING sheets and said "Mommy, Jax peed in MY bed." It was an odd combination of disbelief and pride.

Earlier this week Wyatt started insisting we take his sox off before he goes to sleep. He can't quite do it himself so he sits or lies there tugging and tugging and screaching at his sox. He sometimes even gets his teeth involved. It is pretty funny and sad to watch him rolling around with sox in his teeth. The poor baby just can't get them off by himself and has fits until they come off.

I have started to notice that sometimes when the boys and I lay down for a group nap that Wy will slip his arm under my neck. I thought this was pretty funny until I looked at it from his perspective: I always put my arm under his neck and snuggle him up. I think this is him returning the snuggling up favour.

You have all seen Jack in his kitty mask. And I believe you have all seen him in his doggy mask. But have you seen Jack the CAT DOG? Terrifying!!!

Last weekend we were in Omaha. One evening we (mom, dad, John the boys and I) were having dinner with my aunts Sr. Johnanna & Sr. Jean and Sr. Jean's brother Fr. Charlie. The ladies set out a large platter of fruit for dessert and Fr. Charlie was teasing Jack saying that I should peel grapes for Jack. I whispered to Jack "say, "get over it, Charlie." Well, I was sure this was one of those times that Jack would clam up and not do what I told him. Without missing a beat Jack says to the priest "Get over it, Char-die."

I took the boys to the bank on Thursday and the teller gave us 2 lollipops. Each lolly had a Kleenex covering it with a rubber band wrapped around the stem and a little face drawn on to make them look like Ghosts. Jack was not havin’ it. He did not like the ghosts. Once I showed him the lolly underneath, he was cool with the whole thing. Wyatt however just about went insane. He was reaching and straining to get out of his seat calling "CA-EE! CA-EE!"

I had John get the boys dressed in their costumes and come visit rehearsal for a few minutes Friday night. Mom says before the boys left the house, Wy was very interested in the kids coming to the door. She said he KNEW what was in the bowl and he was VERY upset that she was giving candy to other kids and not to him. She said she would hadn out some candy and little Wy would lie down with his face on the floor and sort of roll back and forth a bit.

John and the boys got to the theatre about 5 minutes before we were done for the day and everyone thought they were adorable tromping in in their little matching Thomas outfits. John opened the door and when Wy saw all the people, he freaked out. Jack ran right in, stopped, crouched down a bit and hollered "Ribbit! Ribbit!" It was the first time I ever knew trains ribbited...

OK - I know I am late getting this out to you all, but the Suess is keeping me busy. Have patience with me this week as well - I'm going to be up to my eyeballs till about next Tuesday. Until next time, God bless and keep you!

Love from Owenland Park!

Vote, Vote, Vote!

Friends-

While at the polls early this morning I saw a sign on the door. It said:

"NOTICE:
Please remember to wear tennis shoes"

My immediate reaction was one of outrage. I checked my voter registration card, it said nothing about wearing tennis shoes. This was a blatant example of voter intimidation and I started to charge down the long line of voters to speak to the election volunteers. As I started my charge I took one more glance at the sign and noticed that the very next line said:

"while playing games in the gymnasium."

Friends, let me tell you how fortunate those election volunteers are: They narrowly escaped a scathing piece of my mind. Just imagine if I had never seen the second portion of that sign...

Friends, let's not waste time on things that did not come to pass. In this time of National Crisis - yes I say it with capital letters, I wanted to take a few moments to remind you what I am fighting for, what you are fighting for, what WE are fighting for:

WE are fighting for the letter "u" in words like favour and colour.
WE are fighting for 30 hour work weeks.
WE are fighting for a daily siesta and light early evening fiestas.
WE are fighting for afternoon tea and crumpets.
WE are fighting for hot breakfast for everyone, not just elementary kids.
WE are fighting for the elimination of calories from pastries and chocolate.
WE are fighting for the rights of Zombies everywhere.

And remember all those times when you looked at your watch and thought "HOLY MOSES! Where did the time go?!" WE are fighting for those hours. I want you to know, that a vote for Amy M. Abels Owen is a vote to find those lost hours. A vote for A.M.A.O. is a vote to give those hours back to the people they rightfully belong to. A vote for A.M.A.O. is a vote for time on your side, time for you to enjoy a few of life's pleasures, time for you to releax, time for you to actually find your missing sox (Yes we are also fighting for the correct spelling to be sox)- if that is how you want to spend your time, and time for you to do whatever it is you do with the time you have.

In conclsuion, don't let the election volunteers intimidate you just because they are all wearing the colour red. You heard me friends, every last one of them wearing the colour red. There were not wearing red, white and blue. They were wearing red - and telling us we can't wear political signs or buttons and yet they all wear red. So go out there in bright colours. That's right, go out there in as many colours as you can manage. Go out there and show them we won't be denied colour choices, we won't be denied selection: We are Americans and we wear what we want.

Now, get out there and VOTE!
I am Amy M. Abels Owen and I approve this message.