See ya next Thursday!

The kids and their grandparents will be having a blast...



And WE will be having even MORE of a blast! (when we can get over missing them and trying not to worry...)

Because I want to remember their cute little brains...

Ava was sick yesterday, so we had a little time to burn... here is how my little interview went with the two of them.




Me: How old are you?
Mase: I'm four.
Ava: I one... No I TWO! (with a cheesy grin and two fingers carefully put up.)

Me: Who is your favorite superhero?
Mase: I don’t know. Batman cuz he’s so cool. Cuz he… guess what… on the new one… he shoots BATWEB!!
Ava: um, I want fwuitsnacks. I fast. I wike wonderwoman.

Me: Do you know how to swim?
Mase: Uh, yeah. I know how to swim underwater… yeah, it’s my favorite thing to do. (he doesn’t know how, by the way.) Mom, where is my BALL? It disappeared again.

Me: What do you guys think about me?
Mase: You're cooler than I ever thought... I love you... and I'm looking for my ball.
Ava: Um, I wudd you. You siwwies. (I love you. you sillies.)

Me: Mase, what do you think about your sister?
Mase: I think she's a cutie.
Me: And Ava, what do you think about Mase?
Aves: Um, I O know... He nice!
Me: And what about Daddy?
Mase: He's my best friend because that's just all.
Ava: Um, I WUDD Daddy. He's at work.

Me: What do you want for dinner?
Mase: Mac and cheese... and tacos... and green beans.
Ava: Peaches, toast, apples... um, maybe I want cereal!

Me: Do you have anything else to say?
Mase: Um, I love you... I love Batman and you.
Ava: Mom, I hurt my thumb.

Little of this, little of that

Today I had the car to myself on the way to work. With no Dan Zanes or Wiggles singing in the background, I decided to dust off the old Ipod. I was in the mood for LOUD music that I could belt it out to. (I drive quite a few miles down a county road to get to work so I was only embarrassing myself in front of truck drivers and tanks full of marines.) So I put my Ipod on shuffle songs and only stopped to listen to the songs that would make me feel the happiest. When I got to work with a smile on my face, I had to let out a laugh when I thought back to what my choices were:

Van Morrison
Britney Spears
The Beatles
Dr. Dre and Eminem
Maroon 5
Air Supply
50 Cent

I felt a little conspicuous pulling up to work with 50 Cent blaring from the Element, but when you're In Da Club, you can't hide it! (Not as fun as it was when I was getting gas with Tina and Jana listening to Snoop Dogg... LOVE girls trip!)

Not exactly people you would invite to the same party but all great feel-good music. If I would've had more time, I may have thrown in a little Abba and Billy Joel... and Jay-Z of course.

Great expectations

Ava is not one to fall asleep in the car. Rarely would you ever see her curled up against someone's chest taking a nap, even when she was just a baby. Sleep in bed with us? Forget about it- she just thinks it's a big party. Her crib has always been the only place she could really get some Z's.
I had the brilliant idea of skipping naps today so I could catch up on some fun stuff like cleaning and laundry after I put the kids in bed around seven. So when they were all tired out from playing outside in the hose and making peanut butter granola balls with me, I gave them baths, put their PJ's on, and let them watch Caillou (an annoying show about a whiny four-year-old and his little sister). Thinking I could get a head start and begin sorting the laundry, I left them alone for ten minutes.
Silence is never good when it comes to kids, right?
This situation wasn't quite the "I sorted through mommy's purse and am chewing a whole pack of gum and used red lipstick for some carpet art" devastation, but it was about to sabatoge my plans for the night.
I walked in and saw this:




No! It was only 5:32 pm! Five minutes of hard sleep is known to make a kid stay up an extra two hours.
Scooping her up and scurrying to the kitchen, I offered her one of life's greatest pleasures (in the minds of my children), a sippy cup full of milk. All I got was this on the kitchen floor:





Something more drastic was necessary. I quickly rifled through the pantry for a sweet treat that we call a "sometimes food" at our house... something they really only get for a birthday party, an airplane ride, or going #2 on the potty. Candy! The bag of Smarties had to wake her up.
I carried my floppy child and the candy over to the dining room table to show her the unexpected treat and I got only this:







There was no more bribery that my desperate mind could come up with so I sat her on my lap, cuddled her up, and enjoyed the snooze for five minutes.
Then I let Mason loose on her and she was up and irritated within 30 seconds. Negative reinforcement was the answer this time. (: They quickly figured out how to bond again over Caillou swimming with his sister and surprisingly, they were both OUT by 7:27 pm.