The difference between boys and girls: Halloween edition

AJ complained last night that we didn't have any Halloween decorations outside, and so he decided to make a ghost. Assuming he wanted something 3-D, I started looking around for a styrofoam ball that could be wrapped in tissue paper. AJ, meanwhile, had a much simpler vision. He drew a ghost on a piece of paper and cut it out with scissors. Ta da!

The story could have ended there, but then AJ noticed the styrofoam ball I had at last dug out from the bottom of the bucket of craft supplies. Suddenly his mind started racing with possibilities. I showed him how to wrap tissue paper around it to create a ghost.And that was the last I touched it. AJ's imagination went into overdrive.

It was about that time when Sydney looked over and noticed her brother was having fun and getting to use scissors and tape. So of course she had to join us and make a ghost of her own. With no other styrofoam balls available, I taught her how to ball up old newspaper for stuffing. (Sound effects are key. You must say "crumple, crumple crumple" as you do it.) She decided her ghost needed to be a girl, and so I tied it off with a pink pipe cleaner and then let Sydney take it from there.

Behold - their finished masterpieces:

AJ created "Beetlejuice." He's never watched the movie, but apparently has seen posters or pictures or something. To him, Beetlejuice represents the perfect Halloween cross between a skeleton and a ghost - a little spooky, but not too scary. Using additional tissue paper and about a half a roll of tape, he added arms, a bow tie and hat. He then cut a hole in a piece of paper so that "Beetlejuice" looks like he's climbing out of a grave. Note the tombstone, the colored grass and (it's hard to see) the brown dirt right around the edge of the grave. He even added birth and death years on the tombstone. Talk about detail!

On the opposite end of the detail spectrum, Sydney's friendly, girl ghost needed hair. Of course. Sydney found another pink pipecleaner and asked me to help her tape it on. Impatiently she waited, eager to color in eyes and a mouth. After that it was sparkly sticker time. I counted ten flower shaped stickers at the point I first asked if I could take a picture.

"Not yet, Mom, I'm not finished," was her reply.

(It was hearing his sister's desire to add more decorations that prompted AJ to determine he needed to color in some dirt .)

At last they finished and agreed to let me take their pictures. If you're curious about AJ's body language, it's supposed to be crying, "Help! Beetlejuice is trying to get me!"

Sydney was quite disappointed that bedtime arrived before she had a chance to make a boy ghost to accompany her creation. Now you know what she'll be doing tonight.

So we never did resolve the original complaint of no outside decorations. I actually do have some, but have just been too lazy to dig them out. Perhaps AJ's next craft can involve making a ghost out of something more weather resistant. I can't wait to see what his imagination can do to enhance a white plastic garbage bag.

Gus at four months

He's actually a week or so passed the four month mark, but who's counting. If I'm tallying anything, it's the number of toys he's demolished or the extra number of times I have to vacuum to clean up the evidence of chewed up toys, Kleenex, paper, wrappers he's pulled from the garbage... you get the idea.

Here he is: our 35-pound shredding machine:

I'm not sure which is harder to believe: he's four times the size he was when we brought him home, and he's still going to double in size one more time.

Thirty-five pounds was his official weight Friday at his final puppy check-up. He's now fully immunized and doesn't have to go back to the vet until next fall. (At least not for shots. He'll be making an overnight visit in the next month or so, after which I hope his puppy testosterone will forever be in check. AJ may think Gus likes to hug his leg, but, um... yeah...) I suspect Gus weighs a pound or two more than what the vet's scale recorded. The morning of his visit, my little billy goat threw up. A lot. Pardon the too much information, but it's truly quite amazing how much grossness can come out of a dog this size.

I was concerned at first. Then I remembered the various shredded items I'd been picking up that morning. Let's see... there was the foam sword, a rubber snake and the plastic love of the Little Mermaid's life - Prince Eric. (It's okay in the underwater kingdom. Listening to Sydney play, Ariel didn't grieve for long, she's already moved on to Cinderella's turf and is happily dating Prince Charming.)

The toy snacks were in addition to the cat food and cat litter he snarfed on a sneak visit to the basement. I just can't imagine... what could possibly have upset Gus's stomach?

Overcoming his fear of steps and going downstairs is Gus's newest accomplishment. Much to the cat's dismay. Poor Spike has nowhere safe to hide anymore.

In Gus's defense, he's gotten much better in many areas. He's been fully house-trained for at least a month and generally let's me sleep until 6:55 a.m. on the weekends. He's remarkably consistent in timing when he sounds the alarm that he's been in his kennel too long and can't wait another moment for us to wake up and play with him.

He's also very gentle with the kids. We've needed a few Band-aids for accidental scratches from sharp teeth and claws, but rarely does he get so rough I feel a need to intervene. And he's a very good snuggler.

AJ now expects Gus to wake him each morning for school. The routine is as follows:

1. I lift up Gus and put him on AJ's bed.
2. Gus runs across the bed, stepping on AJ a couple times and nudging him with his nose.
3. AJ sleepily tries to wrap his arm around Gus while Gus checks for anything he can chew up on the shelf of AJ's headboard.
4. AJ at last succeeds in putting Gus in a submission hold so Gus lays down next to him.
5. I return a few minutes later and remind Gus he was supposed to get AJ out of bed.

There's a reason dogs are called man's (or boy's) best friend.

12 years of wedded bliss have brought us to this day

It's kind of ironic the movie I was trying to watch on TV last night was called "Just go with it".

Jeff was working and I was exhausted. All evening, the kids had somehow managed to be even louder than usual, alternating between running around and wrestling with Gus, and complaining to me that he was getting too wild.

Finally, with the blessed peace of bedtime looming, I'd sent AJ into the bathroom to take a shower. Sydney and Gus had followed.

And then... quiet. Ahhh... such an amazing moment. I should have been suspicious, but I was too thankful and busy savoring the calm.

Which was probably good, because it came to an all too abrupt end when AJ - in somewhat of a state of undress because he'd been getting ready to shower - ran into the living room. "Mom, Sydney did something. She needs you. Come quick!"

And so into the bathroom I ran. I'm sure the final few minutes of the movie weren't that good anyway... the couple just finally gets together and lives happily ever after. I reached the scene of the disaster, and there Sydney huddled on the edge of our tub, tightly gripping a mirror and moaning. My little vain one loves looking in that mirror. Had she somehow broken it? Had she cut herself on the broken shards?

I wrapped my hand around hers and gently pulled the mirror away, fearing the blood that would be revealed. Instead, I saw this:

"Mommy," she said, her voice quiet and apologetic, "I used your black stuff."

I really, really wanted to sound stern in my response. But all I could do was laugh. Sydney looked so worried. And then she found a silver lining, "Hey, I kind of look like Daddy now."

Why yes, I guess I do see a bit of a resemblance between her thick, blackened brows and Jeff's.

Did I mention today's our anniversary? Thank you, sweetheart, for the last 12 years. As we so often say to each other, thanks for putting up with me. I love you!

 Looking back on that magical day, we pledged our love for better or worse. We had so many dreams for the future. So many hopes for happily ever after. I'm fairly certain none of them involved a preschooler getting into mommy's make-up bag, but overall I wouldn't change a thing.

P.S. No I did not grab a camera before running into the bathroom to check on my daughter's welfare. I did that afterward and made her re-create the scene. She might as well learn that if she makes a mess that big, it's gonna end up on the blog.

Costume dress rehearsal

It feels good this morning to wake up and know I definitely made the right call. On this chilly 36-degree morning, which is supposed to only warm up to a 47-degree afternoon, I don't have to figure out how to fit my kids' Halloween costumes under or over a winter coat to go trick-or-treating at Boo at the Zoo. (It's an annual fundraising event at our local zoo that's held two Saturdays in October.)

Last Saturday morning, when I heard the forecast was 70+ degrees, I'd raced around to find and assemble costumes so we could go that day. I knew we couldn't possibly get that lucky two weeks in a row.

Meet the Halloween princess and the Army soldier.

This is shaping up to be the most inexpensive Halloween ever. Two costumes for less than $10 bucks! Sydney wants to wear "the same pretty dress" she wore last year. I'm okay with that! And AJ wants to be a soldier. He already has a pair of camouflage pants, and I was able to find a $9.95 shirt at WalMart. Jeff pulled out an old Army hat, plus the patches off an old uniform. I used Stitch Witchery (my new favorite product - way cooler than a hot glue gun!) to adhere the four patches to the shirt. His black winter boots completed the ensemble.

Mr. Perfectionist was a little concerned by the relatively dark color and large pattern on his uniform, He remembers Jeff's final uniform (the more modern version) had a more pixilated design and was more tan in color. Thinking quickly (I am a spin doctor!), I pulled out a photo album from when Jeff deployed to Bosnia. There he was in the darker uniform with an identical hat to the one AJ was wearing. Oh yeah! Suddenly the costume was definitely cool!

The day wasn't just about candy and costumes. We actually did spend a little time looking at the animals. I noticed the coin-operated treat dispenser in the petting zoo had been removed. I wonder if they needed to protect the animals from over-eating.

When we hit the play areas, AJ was quick to find comrades in similar costumes to play with him.

I don't recall what Sydney was declaring in the photo below. Probably something like "Trick or Treat!". It gives me chills on this very cold morning, to look at her bare legs. Hard to believe that just one week ago, I'd questioned if the long sleeves would be too warm.

It also gave me chills to see AJ in a fairly realistic soldier uniform. If his current fascination to be "a brave Army soldier like Dad was" lasts, I could see him dressed like this for real in less than 12 years. If that day comes, I hope I will be brave enough to support his decision to serve his country in such an important way. Right now, the thought scares me to death.

Let's all take a moment to pray for world peace. Wouldn't that be the most amazing treat!

Gum chewing 101

Now that's she's a bus-riding preschooler who's even done real homework, there's just no end to the things Sydney is willing to try.

Digging through her bag of candy from last weekend's Boo at the Zoo (I'll try to finally write about it tomorrow), she found a piece of gum that somehow hadn't already been handed over to her brother. She and AJ negotiated some sort of deal awhile back - he gets all the gum and she gets the Dum-Dum suckers.

I suspect their treat treaty has just hit a snag, because Sydney made an important discovery this week.

Sydney: "I do like gum!"

Me: "Then where is it?"

"It's in my tummy."

"You're not supposed to swallow it, remember?"

"I didn't swallow it?"

"Then how did it get in your tummy?"

"I ate it."

I reminded her that she's just supposed to chew gum, and when she's tired of chewing, then she should spit it in the garbage.

"Oh. Can I try again?"

"I suppose."

She picked out a new piece, carefully unwrapped it and popped it in her mouth. Less than five seconds later she leaned over the garbage can and - with all the force she could muster - spit out her gum.

"There, I'm done."

Satified, she walked away. Some day we'll work on the cliche of walking and chewing gum at the same time. I don't think she's ready for that yet. For now, we'll just focus on chewing.

Once upon a time, they liked homework

Oh how Sydney has dreamed of this day!

On more than a few occasions, she's pretended she's had projects that must get done, busying herself coloring or painting at the dining room table while AJ works on spelling or math. And now... at last... she has real, honest-to-goodness homework of her own!

Wouldn't the world just be a so much happier place if all homework assignments involved Play-Doh?

The note from her teacher explained we have a week to finish the five activities listed. Projects range from looking for leaves to reading books. The purpose is to get parents and kids working together and having fun learning. As a side note, it says "Some children like to call these sheets their 'Homework'."

Yes, she most definitely does!

As AJ worked on writing this week's spelling list, Sydney followed directions, rolling Play-Doh into little balls and pumpkins.

She surprised and impressed me when she showed me how she could line them up big-little-big-little, "Look! It's a pattern!" Next she started lining up patterns based on colors. She was on a roll, doing way more than she was expected. But she knew Mommy and Daddy were proud, and that was all the encouragement she needed.

AJ was rather jealous. His homework involved writing words and then outlining them with colored pencils. (I don't quite get the purpose. Somehow this is supposed to improve his penmanship or ability to remember how to spell. Or something) The promise of Play-Doh became a powerful incentive for him to finish his project and join his sister's fun.

Together they molded hockey pucks, dinosaur skulls and more and more little balls. Neither wanted to stop for a silly little thing called bedtime.

Years from now, I know we'll have plenty of frustrating nights of algebra and chemistry homework that will baffle me even more than the kids. And when that happens, I'll fondly look back at this night, remembering that once upon a time, homework was exciting and fun.

Bus ride

It's one thing to be big enough to go to Miss Tina's class. But nothing says "big girl" quite like your first ride home on a real school bus.

Even if your older brother thinks you can't manage the stairs by yourself and doesn't give you the chance to prove that you can.

Oh yeah! Who's the big girl now?!? Have you ever seen such an expression of delight and accomplishment?

Day three for Sydney at preschool, as fun as it was, clearly got overshadowed by the ride home. I'd picked her up and brought her home the first day, and she had to go to the after-school daycare program the second day, so this was her first time riding the bus with the big kids.

Jeff brought the kids to me at work this evening on his way to work, and before she was even in the door, Sydney blurted, "I rode the bus home and Dad took my picture!"

AJ was surprisingly unexcited to have his sister on the bus. When I asked him if he liked having her along he answered, "Not really. Miss Jill (Miss Tina's assistant) made me sit next to Sydney, and she was really annoying. She just kept talking all the way home."

Our next door neighbor Jolene sat near them and talked with Sydney during the ride. I've told AJ that from now on, anytime Jolene sits by Sydney, then he doesn't have to.

I have a sneaking suspicion that once he's given a choice, his big brother instincts will kick in and he'll complain if she doesn't sit by him.