Missing Gamma Rita

A pre-emptive caveat: I expect that at least half of this post will make no sense to anyone who doesn't speak both toddler and hasn't spent at least 8 weeks here doing their level best to mind-meld with Nate and Seth over the rest, but here goes... 

Gamma Rita left on a jet plane ("a BIG jet plane!") last Phthearsday.

My boys were pretty excited about seeing her off so we went outside after lunch to see if we could spot Gamma Rita's plane "up in the sky!". We have a pretty good view of planes departing and on any day other than this one we wouldn't have had to wait more than 2 minutes to see some type of aircraft overhead.

We waited as patiently as we could to wave to you Gamma Rita, but after 15 minutes we had to call it quits.

– Where is you Gamma Rita? I is looking and waiting.

– I straining real hard to see you right now, but you is not there. Where is you? 

– Seriously Gamma Rita... where IS you?!?
– I also still wondering where you is, but thinking at same time that maybe
I strain a little too hard in effort to find out.

It was pretty close to nap time anyway, but we had to shut down "Operation: Spot Gamma Rita" due to an unexpected passenger on board*.

That said, we gave it our best and even if we'd all managed to wave at a plane that day it wouldn't change the fact that Gamma Rita is missing and that we are all missing Gamma Rita.

• • • • • • • 

Dear Missing Gamma Rita:

Thank you for another summer of love. Between us we survived** a season of:

Dumpidee-do walks, wonkies, crookedy ones, tall ones, and broken ones. The naming of flowers – nas-TIER-tiums and cosmos and "the white ones too!". A million alligators, foxtails and dandi-loins. Endless trips to the yellow store, Different Mall and Shoppiers.

Potty learning. Lellow ones and brown ones and big-one-Nate-ones. "Get out of there!", "Switch ones!" and "You kill yourself!". Lullaboys and lillaboys and happy accidents from the latter.

Sausage kierlees, suppiers and making a workable seating arrangement schedule so we could finally stop "switching ones" and get down to the business of eating a meal.

A thousand swings with a lame wing, countless beards and earplanes. The Snow-beards we spotted overhead for a weekend were especially popular (I'll admit I was fairly impressed also). Old Razor-Eyes was excellent at spotting them all.

Kicky legs and fast legs and borrowing quotes from a movie to describe them. "Run Forrest, run!" still makes me laugh.

The rowing of boats, BBQ stands, scanicorns, strap-a-daps and skotches, not to mention all the SCRUNCH!

Boible stories*** and a sack of potatoes always wound the day down nicely.

And last but not least all those cursed watiers (fresh ones and warm ones most especially). You managed them as well as anyone could.

Thank you more than I can say for spending a summer helping me pick toddlers off the ceiling while keeping me sane and having enough humor left in you to have a laugh with me about it all at the end of the day.

We miss you, missing Gamma Rita.

Love,

- L. (and Seth! and Nate! and Seth! and Nate! and Seth! and Nate too!) 

• • • • • • •

*AKA poop. It's hard to tell a story these days that doesn't involve poop.

**I use the term "survived" loosely – even if it did occasionally feel like an endurance test along the way we had a good time, all of us.

***I might not have it in me to ever write posts about the nas-TIER-tiums or sausage kierlies but the Boible stories is too good not to write about. It's coming.

• • • • • • • 

PS. This post would not be complete without more pics, most especially ones of Gamma Rita and her grandsons, so without further ado...

Gamma Rita's babies.

The look that says it all.

Letting our little lights shine!

Despite many attempts to get the boys sitting still long enough for a picture with Gamma Rita, this was as close as we got:

After which Gamma Rita promptly checked for ants in Seth's pants. We never did find any, but requests for "more upside down" were abundant after this maneuver:

Practicing "Mr. Sun" with Nate. Gamma Rita is a good teacher (or maybe it was the other way around):

And of course, the day was never complete without those Boible stories!

A Series Of Happy Accidents

"Remember our golden rule: we don't make mistakes, we make happy accidents, so we can turn this into a beautiful painting no matter what, because between the two of us, we can do anything.” 

– Bob Ross 

Apparently my boys are familiar with the golden rule of Bob Ross because they made what they considered to be a very happy accident all over their room a week or more ago. Also, between the two of them they can do just about anything (especially when no one is looking) which has been well documented here and here. I'm not sure if the "painting" they made was beautiful or not since no one took the time to fully appreciate it before Gamma Rita and I sprung into action with a lot of soap and water and bleach, but even a cursory glance indicated that my sons certainly gave it their all "no matter what".

And just in case you aren't sure where I'm going with this post, it's about poop.

Things ended with a bucket of legos and a few other assorted toys drying outside after a thorough scouring:

And also this: 

Why yes, that IS duct tape!

I bought it in white to fix a one-time thing around the house and despite an occasional empty threat here or there, it's laid dormant among the fix-it supplies.

At least until now.

I did not stop to take pictures of the carnage I walked in on in the AM last week, but by complete happenstance Gamma Rita enjoyed a Klondike bar after lunch the same day and shared a little chocolate and ice-cream with her grandsons. I guess you could say it was another happy accident – at least if Seth recreating a smaller scale version of the "painting" in chocolate rather than poop counts for anything. 

– It look a lot like 'dis everyone, but original was bigger.

– And I doesn't want to alarm you, but when I say bigger I mean lots bigger.

– Almost as big as my poop-eatin' grin everyone! I help with morning art project
so 'dis is qualified opinion.

As for the duct tape, it turns out Nate and Seth were pretty impressed and more than happy to show off for the camera. 

– 'Dis our new and improved diapers, everyone!
– And so far they is holding up despite our best efforts to make more morning
painting fun in room.

– Is OK though. We likes a challenge.
– Also we like duct tape as it turn out. 'Dis really was a happy accident, everyone!

- L. 

PS. I started writing this post last week, so the original pictures pre-dated my discovery of this: 

Duck® Brand duct tape comes in tons of fun colors and patterns as it turns out. You should have seen the look on Nate and Seth's faces when I pulled out the roll of blue penguin tape at bedtime a few nights ago. Trust me when I say it was a definite hit, and much like the plain white it's doing a fine job (so far) of keeping the diapers on in the morning until I make it in to the boys' room.

PPS. My apologies to the late Bob Ross for taking his beautiful quote places it never should have gone. It was, however, too good to pass up.

Sunny Lemon Tinas

Although this post is ultimately about a new dessert favorite at the OP, it could have just as easily been about the end of our summer of hippy-hair love in the form of new haircuts:

– We is rockin' our new look everyone!

Alternatively it could have also been about the haircuts and what my boys get up to when I ask them to "smile for the camera", although I think we've covered this one before: 

– 'Dis IS my really big smile!
– Mine too!

Cute pics (and odd pics) aside, this post really is about a dessert. 

Of course, it's not just any dessert and it's certainly not every day (or any day?) that I've taken the time to come up with a custom order to suit an occasion. In this case however, a special dessert was warranted* and I wasn't able to find a recipe for "Sunny Lemon Tinas" anywhere.

I had a pretty good idea what a Sunny Lemon Tina would look like, but couldn't find a recipe that fit the bill so I cobbled a few things together, made a few changes here and there and voilà! 

In my opinion the cookie part of the recipe by itself is really very good, but in the opinion of my boys it's the sunny lemon part that makes this dessert worthwhile: 

– These some serious cookies everyone.

– Om, nom, nom. I maybe say more later but is too busy enjoying new dessert
right now to make official statement. I trust my "om, nom, nom" will suffice for now.

- L.

*The "No singing!" ban has been lifted of late and has been replaced with things like "More singing!" and even specific requests for songs. "Frère Jacques" is currently at the top of the charts at the OP – and whether it's en Français or in English, it's a bonafide hit.

And yes, of course there's some new OP video to back it up. It's not like I made up the phrase "Sunny Lemon Tinas" after all. Non-French speaking children everywhere have been extolling the virtues of those "sunny lemon tinas" ever since "Frère Jacques" first appeared on the scene.

• • • • • • •

PS. This post wouldn't be right without a recipe (especially after all the hype!) so here it is. As always, click to embiggen (and/or right click and open image in new window to print).

A Poop Joke

The past week has been fairly lousy with rain*. Yesterday was sunny however, and we spent the greater part of it outside either at the park or out for a walk or in the backyard. I was determined to enjoy as much of it with my boys as possible, which included a great deal of running at one point as it turned out.

After some back and forth relays in the backyard with the new bubble mower, I decided to take a breather. This was met with some resistance on the part of Nate and Seth to which I (unfortunately) replied, "I'm sorry guys, but Mommy's pooped. I need to sit down for a bit".

Cue a confused glance between my boys followed by "Mommy pooped!" which I took to mean "Mommy is pooped" in toddler speak since we aren't always down with proper tenses. Cue also Gamma Rita in a fit of laughter. Lastly, cue me with a question mark over my head.

When Gamma Rita was able to stop laughing long enough to get the words out she clued me in and said, "They think you've pooped yourself and that's why you need to sit down".

And it turned out, that's exactly what my boys did think.

Oy.

So henceforth and forevermore any and all "surprises" are now known as treats, and being in a state of fatigue will simply be referred to as "Mommy is tired now". 

*sigh*

- L.

*I wrote this post a week ago and then didn't end up posting it (or anything else) because chasing after my boys lately has left me especially pooped tired at night. The weather has cleared up considerably since then.

A Day At The Park: Two Ways

My boys agree on most things when it comes to play at home, but the park is a whole different ballgame (which is why it's impossible to take them to the park when flying solo). 

I took my point-and-shoot camera along on a recent trip with Gamma Rita and the only two pictures I managed to get of the boys together were pre-park over an incredibly nutritious lunch:

– Turns out we is still lovin' it™, everyone!

And pretty much right before we left where they were miraculously smitten with the same aspect of the park at the same time. Lovely shot of the back of their heads, but you get the idea.

Welcome to a typical day at the park OP style! 

• • • • • • •

This is how the "Nate Way" typically unfolds – and by the way, this is not the same slide featured in the previous picture. This is the "Really Big Slide!" (just so you know): 

– "Really Big Slide" is what I imagine Heaven look like everyone!

I need to caveat this post right now by saying that although I spent an equal share of time with both of my boys at the park there are far less photos of Nate mainly due to the fact that we spent 90% of our time together in the exact same location.

And there's only so many photos you can take of a boy doing exactly this: 

– I could do 'dis all day. And usually I does!

Over and over and over again. What can I say? Nate really likes that slide!

Despite the park resembling an uninhabited wasteland* in all my photos for some reason, things were fairly hopping (busy park on a busy weekend) – and even though both of my boys are quite good at waiting their turn, I won't insult you by pretending they necessarily enjoy it. 

– I is waiting turn which I doesn't really mind that much, but I throws in 'dis
tragic look for effect anyway in case it endear someone to let me through
to front of line.

The other 5% of the time with Nate was spent dashing around trying out anything that could be climbed on: 

– Please note everything around me in focus. Is just me that is blur
for some reason.

Or anything worth riding: 

– Big or small, I rides them all!

And even though the general consensus has been that swings are stinkeroo since Seth lost interest (and anything your brother doesn't want to do is typically not worth doing of course), Gamma Rita managed to coax Nate back onto a swing:

After which it was game-on!** 

– OK. I admits it. Swing is fun.

• • • • • • •

The second half of our day at the park was spent doing things the "Seth Way" and it's probably best if I just let Seth narrate this: 

– Oh hi everyone. Is me, Seth. We is at park today and Nate doing it all wrong
so I shows you how it done right instead. There is a lot to see and do here and
I see and do all kinds of stuff, but everyone know first priority at park is to
impress the cuties. Right now I is gathering ingredients to make one of my
signature dishes. Everyone know the cuties dig a guy who know own way
around a kitchen.

– I has a few recipes I likes to make at park. Macaroni and cheese, grilled
cheese sandwiches and caesar salad are my go-to favorites. Today
we is making macaroni and cheese.

– I start by combining ingredients in handy bowl-type thing hidden under
play equipment. Is especially handy because 'dis secret recipe!

– So secret in fact that it important to take look around from time to time
to make sure no one peeking...

– ... before I add super-secret final touch. Turns out, rocks and twigs are what really
make 'dis recipe.

– And BAM! Is all done.

– I take moment to bask in own success but is fleeting. It take more than a
winning recipe and good looks to impress the cuties after all.

Mommy note: it doesn't take more than that smile and those baby blues to impress me. I could get lost in those eyes (and sometimes do). And yes, they really are that blue.

– Good thing I also has skills at vehicle maintenance. Oh sure, it obvious that
missing wheel is real problem, but taking time to look under hood anyway
make it seem like you really know what you is doing.

– Next I head over to "Really Big Slide" to see what all the fuss about.
I start to climb up to slide 'dis way but discover pretty quick there
no cuties over here so I cuts it short.

– I end up finding more cutie-friendly way to top of slide but when I arrive
it turn out I only find Nate and some big kids and exactly zero cuties.
"Really Big Slide" turn out to be stinkeroo!

– Thank goodness regular slide has plenty of cuties and even though you
not see any evidence of that here, me and my bucket was big hit!

You probably wondering about my bucket right now and why it such big hit
so I give you hint.

– Is not big hit because I using it to make more recipes.

– And it not big hit because I pose here and there to casually show off
a little leg (although 'dis big crowd pleaser also).

– Is big hit because it turn out caring about environment also popular
with the cuties!****

– To be perfectly honest though, I do 'dis part even if no cuties is looking.
Is just fun!

- L. 

*I have no idea how I managed to take pictures of my boys at an extremely popular park on a weekend afternoon and make it look like we were the sole inhabitants. It wasn't especially deliberate, but really... wow!

**I had Seth in hand when I took the swing pics of Nate. It was pretty close to leaving time and I had approximately 500 pics of Seth and a half dozen of Nate. Also, enjoying a swing is a rare beast ever since Seth declared swings stinkeroo*** and Nate took his word for it.

***In all fairness, Seth unexpectedly got sick on a swing last summer and hasn't been on one since.

****Actually, it's not. The part about the recipes/kitchen play, car maintenance and the "regular" slide all being popular with the cuties is quite true, but Seth is definitely on his own with park maintenance. Hunting for "little treasures" is an intrinsic part of going to the park with him however, and the highlight is definitely the trip to the respective bins where we sort things into "garbage" and "recycling".

• • • • • • • 

PS. In case you thought this was fresh material and wondered why the weather was so nice and everyone was looking so spry, these pics are actually from a couple or more weeks ago when the weather was still good and we were between summer colds.

The Potty Learning Chronicles: Part Five Hundred

We're 99% there when it comes to daytime peeing on the potty and no one is happier about it than my boys. It wasn't always that way, but they've really embraced it in the past couple of weeks. And by embraced it, I mean it's had a trickle-down effect (bad pun fully intended) into our pretend play as well.  

I'm going to let Seth take it from here.

– Oh hi everyone. Is me, Seth. I find 'dis nice empty container and it put me
in a mind to fill it with something. If only I could think of what...
Oh, wait – I think of something.

– Here it is.

– Is a bit awkward at first, but once you get hang of it, is surprisingly comfortable.
I even multi-task by making letters on refrigerator.

– And when I is "all done!", I proudly show off efforts.

– Is a lellow one, everyone!

- L.

PS. Seth really loves this game and initiates it any time the yogurt containers are out for play. He also always tosses a yellow letter in there after he's done and says "is a lellow one!".

PPS. Both of my boys say "lellow" instead of "yellow". I have no idea why* since they are perfectly capable of enunciating "you, "yet" and "yak" – not to mention a hundred other words that begin with "Y".

*I said I had no idea why, but it's quite possible (and highly probable) that this is part of their collective drive-Mommy-around-the-bend strategy of late. Unfortunately for my boys, this particular affectation has no effect on me other than finding myself casually saying things like, "Give the lellow schoolbus back to your brother right now!" or "Why yes – that IS a lellow dandelion!" (except for the fear that I will actually start saying "lellow" for real because at this point it already comes fairly naturally).

And unfortunately for me, they most definitely have more tricks up their sleeves than simple "lellow ones". If only it were that easy!

*sigh*

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

We've all been battling a summer cold for the past several weeks – some of us more than others (and at this point it's mostly me), but we've at least managed to get outside every day to enjoy the sunny summer weather even if we didn't venture further than our own backyard. Being cooped up with a couple of very energetic toddlers – especially ones who are on the mend – is nothing to be trifled with. Outdoor time is pretty much mandatory regardless of your own state of health.

Except that today it rained.

I checked the weather forecast and it looks like we're in for a few days of it. Again, active toddlers on the mend and such and 3 days indoors is just not an option. Fortunately we have rain gear (courtesy of both Grandma Leslie and Gamma Rita the Easter Bunny) and despite the grey and wet skies, the temperature outside is perfectly warm.

Also, I'm not so sick that I would pass up the opportunity to parade my boys about in their rain get-ups for a quick walk around the block. Short of being unconscious, who could pass up a chance to show these two cuties off?

– Oh hi everyone. 'Dis just us, being cute.
– As usual. 

My boys have also gotten better about standing still and within reasonable proximity of each other for the sake of a photo for at least 30 seconds if I ask very nicely, which I did.

And then I asked them to smile. This part was met with mixed results, neither of which resulted in anything approximating an actual smile (although it's nice to see Nate is consistent at least!). 

– How you like my smile everyone? Mommy say I keep it consistent at least.
– Mine clearly better if points is awarded for originality though. 

Gamma Rita on the other hand asked them if they could say "Cheese!" – and while we didn't have 100% participation right off the bat, we were getting there at least. 

– Say cheese? Now we talkin'!
– Cheese is one of our favorite words EVER.

Ah, much better!

– Why we standing here again, Seth?
– I has absolutely no idea, Nate.

Note to self: there's a very good reason saying "Cheese!" became so popular when it comes to picture-taking.

It works. Use it. 

- L.