Innovative!

Today I have been spreading pine straw in our (newly sodded!) front yard. This morning, Mac kept trailing me saying, "Mac help too? Mac help too?"

I stopped and looked at him, thinking how can he help? What can I do to keep him occupied?

"Mac, this is a job that you really need gloves for. See how Mama is wearing gloves?"

He considered this. "Mac wear gloves too?"

Ugh. Who knows where his gloves are? And anyway, the only gloves he has are fleece winter gloves--pine straw will poke right through and jab him. But, in order to get him occupied, I responded, "Okay. Go inside and look in you top dresser drawer where your underpants are. See if there are any gloves in there."

I was pretty sure there were not, but I hoped he'd go inside and be distracted by a toy or something, and be out of my hair for a few minutes.

Five minutes later, I hear his voice from inside, through his open bedroom window.

"I found them! Mama! I got the gloves!!! I'm coming to help!"

Hmm.

A few minutes later, Mac comes bounding outside, ready for action. He has a pair of socks on his hands and is so proud. Innovative! Not only was I impressed that he thought to put socks on his hands, I was equally impressed that he managed to get them on--since he has trouble getting them on his feet.

Anyway, of course, he "helped" for about 45 seconds until he realized it was hard work and not really much fun after all. I was relieved, because his "help" was basically picking pine straw up from a place I'd already spread and putting it someplace else, leaving big random holes throughout.

Not long after he came out with the socks, I decided to water my window boxes before spreading pine straw around the bushes underneath them. I filled the watering can, and went to turn off the spigot. I didn't realize that it was loose...so suddenly the watering can was overflowing...I pulled it out of the way...without realizing the force of the water coming out. Poor Mac was standing about 3 feet away and got blasted with a direct shot of cold water coming hard out of the spigot. I was franticly trying to get it off and he didn't have the instinct to get out of the way. I felt terrible! Not only was the poor kid soaked from head to toe, he was probably hurting from the force of it, and definitely terrified. This whole episode probably lasted about 5 seconds before I was able to get it turned off, but it was 5 seconds too long! Poor Mac! I felt so bad, and apologized a thousand times.

Anyway, I finished the rest of the yard work while they were napping. A much hotter time of day but so much easier to get work done!

My Tender Hearted One

Arden has a tender little heart. Unless something really changes, I can tell that she will be shy.

I've known this for awhile about her--mostly in contrast to Mac. I remember at Mac's 4 month (or was it 2 month??) check up, the doctor commenting about what an engaging personality he had. He was the baby that loved attention--from anyone--and seemed to know how to make himself appear in the cutest possible way (smiling, tilting his head, etc.), so that anyone around would notice him and talk with him.

When Arden was a few weeks old--just starting to engage, smile and interact--she was so different from her older brother already. She loved me, Brad and Mac, but was a little more careful around others. I began to suspect that she might be a shy one...

My hunches proved right. Now, at 6 months, she rarely smiles at strangers but instead looks to make sure I am there. At youth group this week, she burst into tears and wails when the high school girls began to talk to her. (She was completely overwhelmed--where her brother, in the same situation at that age--ate the attention right up.)

It's hard to see her so upset--but it's so sweet too, because she needs us. Brad, Mac and I are so smitten with her!

(By the way--Mac's first unprompted "I love you" was last week, to Arden. "I love you baby! I love you baby!" They are like 2 peas in a pod. His chief goal is to make her laugh--and he does, easily. I feel almost like they have their own language sometimes. It is SO dear.)

I wan sum-ping!

"I wan sum-ping!"

Translation: "I want something!" (or, "Feed me!")

I know a day will come where I miss hearing these words. But for now, I'm SO TIRED of hearing this again and again....all.day.long.

I asked the Doctor is it was okay to feed Mac all the time. (He's hungry--or so he claims--ALL THE TIME.) He said it was fine. I felt reassured.

Raisins. Bananas. Apples. Goldfish. Peanut Butter (he goes through one jar of peanut butter a week. A normal sized jar. Really.). Milk? I am not exaggerating when I say that he would drink 3 gallons a week if we let him. He's at about a gallon and a half now. Yogurt. Mini-wheats (plain). Frozen peas (still frozen). He loves them all. Pleads for them all. It seems like all the time. In reality it's probably about every hour and a half that he asks for something to eat.

"I wan sum-ping!" (I want something.)

"I wan luns please!" (I want lunch please. He says that at all times of day.)

"I wan pea-nu-butter-banana!" (I want peanut butter and banana.)

"I wan gol-fis milk!" (I want goldfish and milk.)

"I wan wasins!"(I want raisins.)

On and on it goes.

(Despite my constant--CONSTANT--reminders to phrase the request: "Mama, may I have peanut butter and a banana please?" He never remembers this format, and only remembers to say please about half the time.)

What will it be like when he's a teenager!?!?!??!?! How will we afford to feed him then????

Easter and Other Happenings

It's been a long time...

I am kind of annoyed by bloggers who never post. And now I am one. Such a hypocrite!

We've had a lot going on! I'll start with Easter pics...

I. LOVE. THIS.

(My mom is my hero--literally. This pic is so special and so beautiful of the 3 of them.)

Blade of grass to eat, anyone? {What was going on here? I have no idea.}

Are they siblings or what?!?! They look so much alike to me here.

During Mac's naptime, Arden and I hung out on the back porch. I think she's so beautiful! I love her eyes!

Later that week, Mac was running down the sidewalk and tripped. He caught himself with his knees and his face. So this isn't a funny expression he made...it's his swollen lip. It was twice it's normal size after he fell, but seemed much better an hour later. He had 2 skinned knees. Poor baby!

Sorry for the blurry pic--but doesn't this just make you smile??

My view. We walk all the time: for exercise, for errands (grocery store, pharmacy, other places close by), to the park, to visit friends and neighbors. I love baby legs and toddler knees. They are so sweet.

This one makes my heart want to burst. This might be my favorite picture of the two of them ever taken. Yet.

Mac likes to ask, "Please carry two babies!" Now that Arden can hold her head up well, Brad and I can both hold them simultaneously. He LOVES it.

Arden turned 6 months old Friday! So we started rice cereal. She loved it. She's wearing a very *loud* bib. I realized that I have a serious bib shortage (otherwise she would be wearing a more understated bib for her monumental first feeding). It started when Mac was this age. I just never invested in good bibs. That will change this week. (Good bib qualities: very big, waterproof back (or at least very thick), not loud (just my taste), with a built in food catcher/fold in the bottom). I realize that I need to buy about 1,000 bibs that fit this description.

Mac is potty trained {mostly}! I told him last Monday, "Soon you're going to wear big-boy underpants." (I keep putting it off and saying things like this to him to make myself feel better.) He immediately ran to his room and brought me a pair. He was totally ready. It was so much easier than I thought!!! For the first few days I made him sit on the potty about once an hour. The past few days I've waited for him to tell me. He's nearly accident free! (I say nearly because we have not yet mastered #2 on the potty. We're getting there...!)

I will say, that though I'm glad we've accomplished the feat, it is a little bittersweet. Diapers were the last real babyish thing in Mac's life. Now he's officially not a baby, and I'm a little sad about this. He's truly a little boy now. It's GREAT, but a little sad for this mama.

Last but not least, we had a huge yard sale yesterday. My sisters and I sold loads of stuff. We all got married but never really moved out of my mom's house. We all still even had clothes in our drawers and closets! So to help her with the overwhelming clutter of 3 teenage/college girls' rooms (because that's the stage we left them in!), we've all been working on cleaning up and clearing out her house (our rooms in particular). The Goodwill pile got so big we decided to try to make bank on it! It was a success!! It was cool to see how the yard sale helped so many people, too. An elderly man bought an exercise bike for his wife who just had heart surgery. A middle aged woman bought tons (TONS) of books for "the center" (some sort of after-school program for kids, I think). A newly divorced mother of three bought clothes and a toy chest. A teacher bought stuff for her classroom. A non-English speaking family bought clothes and a sweet little pocketbook (for play) for their little girls. It was really special to meet the people who were going to use these things, and really cool to see how this was helping many of them. (We gave super-great deals to some of the people who seemed down on their luck. They could not have done better at a thrift store.) By the end of it all, we were FLAT OUT exhausted, but it was worth it and I'd do it again. We arranged for a charity to come pick up unsold items, so it was nice not to worry about what to do with all of it (but not so nice that they were 5 hours late!!!). All in all, a good day though!

(By the way, if you're ever going to do a yard sale, don't put stickers on items. We saved loads of time by not pricing things. We just told people as they walked up, "Items in this half of the yard are $5, in this half are $1, and driveway items are priced as marked." We negotiated with lots of people. Many folks who frequent yard sales thanked us for the clarity of this. I've also heard that stickers are a waste of time because people change them. This system worked so well for us and saved us countless hours of pricing items.)

It's been a great, busy, wild couple of week in the Anderson house!

I'm Mac

Stranger to Mac in store: Are you her brother? (nods at Arden)

Mac: No! I'm Mac!

**************

Brad to Mac: You're my little man!
Mac: No! I'm Mac!

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Me to Mac: You're funny!

Mac: No! I'm MAAAAC!

**************

Mary...

Today Mac pulled a picture of Aunt Erin and Uncle Evan off the shelf. The following conversation ensued:

Mac: (showing me the photo) What's that?

Me: Mac! You know who that is. You tell me.

Mac: Aunt Erin and Uncle Evan! (sounds like: Aunt Air and Uncle Ev-on)

Me: That's right. That's the day they got married.

(Long silence)

Mac: (quietly, to himself?)...had a little lamb.

Me: Did you just said "had a little lamb"?
Mac: (With a sweet and slightly embarrassed grin) Uh-huh.

Get it? Mary had a little lamb?? This made me laugh so hard. But I guess he doesn't know what it means to get married. The only reference he has is the song. I think he knew it wasn't right--that there must be another use for the word. It's so cute to seem him trying to figure things out!

Traffic from Mac's Point of View and Some Fun Pics

Mac is a chatterbox during our car rides. He is watching everything--mostly looking for ambulances and bulldozers (but happy to see any emergency vehicle or construction equipment)--and speaking every thought that crosses his mind. This evening he brought a smile my face during the following conversation after we saw a motorcycle pass us and speed out of sight.

Mac: There's a motorcycle!!!! He's going FAST!!

Me: Yes, he's going too fast. It's not safe to go that fast, so he might get in trouble with a policeman.

Mac: He's gonna get spanking!!

Me: No, Mac grown-ups don't get spankings. They get worse things that spankings when they get in trouble. He might have to pay lots of money, or sometimes grown ups who get in lots of trouble have to go to jail.

Mac was quiet, apparently considering this information. I don't think it's ever occurred to him that grown-ups can get in trouble. I'm pretty sure he has no idea what jail is. The car ride continued normally, until another car passed us (this one was not speeding at all) and I hear from the back seat, "He's gonna be in TROUBLE!"

For the rest of the ride, any car that passed us (even if it was pulling up beside us at a red light), Mac exclaimed that that person would be in TROUBLE. Funny.

Got some cute pictures of Arden the other day...

Not a lot new in Arden's world. She's still a happy girl.

Loves her fingers. She's five months old now. 5 MONTHS!?!??! Wow.

And she rolls over now! So cute!

We went to a birthday party today. The girls were supposed to dress as princesses and the boys as knights. We had planned to be out of town this weekend but changed our plans at the last moment. So I whipped up a costume for Mac just before the party. He loved it--though he has no idea what a knight actually is. (And, he doesn't look like he's loving it in these pictures, so you'll have to take my word for it.)

When we arrived at the party, one of the other moms said, "Oh! A little crusader!" It's obvious, but I hadn't thought of it! I just put the red cross on his chest because I knew I'd seen it. I'd forgotten where I'd seen it. Is that a little un-PC of me? To dress my child as a crusader? (Wasn't there even a children's crusade? Did I dream that?) Is that offensive to people? It's not the brightest point of church history, to be sure. Hmm...oh well. It was done. I was thinking KNIGHT...not a certain kind of knight. He had a great time regardless.