On Being Five

A few weeks ago the little man turned five.  He was very excited about his birthday, not tremendously excited about people singing the Happy Birthday song to him, very excited about eating cake for breakfast, and has said he wants to be five for two years, because when he turns six he has to stop sucking his fingers at bed time.  Which, by the way, might happen sooner than that.  The dentist said a couple weeks ago that his teeth are starting to get loose, so he might have to stop sucking his fingers before the age of six.  Our deal is when his grown-up teeth start coming in, the finger sucking has to go.

Anyway.  Five.  Dexter is FIVE.  Today he told me he wants to celebrate his next birthday at midnight on the day he turns six.  With, you know, all the family and people who are going to be here to help him celebrate.  I told him good luck with that, I shall be sleeping...

At his five year check-up last week he was 46 inches tall, and 43.5 pounds of muscle, bone, and brains.  He needs four vaccination updates before he can go to Kindergarten in the fall.  He chose to have 1 shot last week, and then go back in three more times and get 1 shot each time.  He freaked right the hell out when he got his one shot because "it was a lot more pointy looking than Erin's shot."  But afterward he decided it was much better than he thought it would be, and the rest of his shots (on the next three trips we make to the doctor in the next five months) are going to be fine.

I thought it would be fun to take a look inside the brain of Dexter at five, so he answered some questions.  He has already asked if he can do another one when he is six, and he is already deciding his answers.  For example, his favorite color when he is six is going to be pink.  Please, be shocked...

1. What is your favorite color?  RED (I, quite honestly, believe he is making this up)

2. What is your favorite toy?  TRAINS (I know, I know.  It's surprising)

3. What is your favorite fruit?  APPLE  (or, as Erin calls it, BAPPLE)

The boys have to taste test before they decorate their cars.  You know, to be sure the candy isn't poison.

4. What is your favorite tv show?  Curling (we've been watching the Olympics)

5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? TUNA (and olives.  Mostly he enjoys the olives)

Unfortunate car crash

6. What is your favorite game?  ANIMAL UPON ANIMAL

7. What is your favorite snack?  CHEESE

8. What is your favorite animal?  CROCODILE

9. What is your favorite song?  NO! (It's actually called "Tantrum."  It's on one of Sandra Boynton's albums)

10. What is your favorite book? Your Body (great book, from Usborne, about how your body works.  So, yes, Dex can tell you where urine comes from.)

11. Who is your best friend?  I don’t have a best friend

12. Name one thing you do really well?  Play Animal Upon Animal (true - he is an excellent animal stacker)

13. What is your favorite thing to do outside?  BUBBLES

14. What is your favorite drink?  MILK

15. What is your favorite holiday?  Christmas

16. What do you like to take to bed with you at night?  MOON (pillow)

17. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?  TOAST

18. Where do you want to go on vacation? Grandma and Grandpa’s House

19. What do you want to be when you grow up?  A lot of things – drive trains, build houses (69,000 houses).  (Dex has frequently said he will live to be 200 years old, because he has a lot of things he wants to do.  He's going to start building houses next year, by the way.  And he has said he's going to need some help.  So if anyone needs something to do, you can help build 69,000 houses.  And apparently, add a hallway and a kitchen on to our master bathroom.)

20. What is your favorite thing to do with Mom or Dad? Play with you

Happy Birthday, Mr. Five Year Old.  We love you very much.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Skating

One of Dexter's friends had a skating birthday party this afternoon, so Dex and I went skating.  Me for the first time in a good 12 years.  Dex for the first time ever.  We were a little worried that he would get frustrated, from all the falling.  From not immediately being super awesome.  From all the people.  It turns out we need not have worried.  He was AWESOME and he LOVED IT and he WANTS TO GO BACK TOMORROW.

Waiting for his mini lesson

Gaggle of children, all equally terrible at skating

Mama!  I got a duck!  The teacher spread rubber ducks across the ice for the kids to gather and put back in a box.  And then go back to get another duck.  Simple.  Yet brilliant.

After cake we tried out the pushy thing.  We (I) decided it was not going to work out.  Dex was too tall, so he was essentially pushing down on it and skating in place.  Entertaining, yes.  Effective, no.

So we went without.  We don't need no stinkin pushy thing.

Always the engineer, Dex checks out how his blade works on the ice.

Skating was a tremendous success.  Dex was happy.  Mama was proud.  Daddy was happy to see Dex so happy when he got home.  Erin was grumpy because I think all her molars have finally poked through.  Not, mind you, her other two bottom front teeth.  But she's got some molars.  Mama is also VERY VERY tired.  With VERY SORE ankles.

Please be entertained by Dexter's skating video.  Yes, the child who skated for the first time today was JUMPING on the ice.  He's crazy.  DEXTER'S SKATING VIDEO (click to view)

An Unexpected Valentine

Dexter just gave me a totally unexpected Valentine, when he came upstairs and said he and Daddy were going to Dunkin Donuts for lunch.  And that he wanted Erin to come, too.  And so here I sit, on a Sunday afternoon, in an empty house, with Olympic ice dancing live on TV (holy crap, the live commentators are a little bit insane.  I think Tara Lipinski and that crazy ice skating dude whose name escapes me.  You know.  The swan costume guy).  It seemed, with this unexpected Valentine from Dexter (and Daddy, as really HE is the one who is doing all the heavy lifting there), an appropriate time to share some Valentines Day photos of the kiddos.  Who were home all day.  Because there was no school.  Again.  Some more.

But first, a quick photo of what we seem to be doing almost every evening before and after dinner.  Which is...  watching curling.  Yes.  Curling.  The non-stop, action-packed, highly entertaining sport of curling.  By the by, did you know there's Curling Nationals next month?  Fairly near us?  Might have to send the boys.

Enthralled.  With the Curling.  It is mind-boggling.

Valentines Day was not all sunshine and roses for Erin.  We went to a play date in the morning.  She only got one nap.  She has six (yes, SIX) teeth coming in right now.  She was a little less than happy about life in general.

Considering all his anti-Valentines banter, this one was really quite lovey on Friday.  He gave lots of hugs.  He made some Valentines.  He WILLINGLY took pictures for the holiday.  I was shocked.

He was my Valentine.  And I was his.

Today, as he was gobbling up Daddy's Bomboy's candy, he told me, "Mama, I am not going to ask you if I can eat your candy.  Do you know why?  Because I think you will say no."  And, really, the boy is not wrong.  I do not willingly share my Bomboys.

Erin, willing Dex to be HER Valentine.

Heart Breaker, indeed.  "What's a Heart Breaker?" Dexter asked on Friday.

VD overdose.  The kids needed a little nap.  In the front entryway.

It's hard work being a Valentine

No idea why Erin wants to wear Dexter's Crocs.  But she insisted.

The one blue Croc really completed the outfit, I thought.

The serious Valentine.

Hope you all had a nice Hallmark holiday.  Dexter is still anti-friend-Valentine for school.  Which is fine with me.  He will have a little VD party at new school tomorrow, with no pressure to exchange Valentines, but will be given the opportunity to make a Valentine for someone he likes.  It will be interesting to see what, if anything, he comes home with.

The Calm Between Two Storms

Had a little bit of snow last night.  Expecting another 4 - 8 inches tonight.  In the calm (translate, drizzle instead of snow or rain, and after Daddy had shoveled) between the storms we played outside for an hour or so.  Erin was DELIGHTED to be outside - I'm not sure her feet have touched outside ground in about a month.  This is also the first afternoon nap she has taken all week, so we plumb tuckered the girl out.

YAY!  We're outside!

This snow stuff is a piece of cake to walk through, when Daddy has spent three hours clearing it...

The mound of snow next to the driveway?  Is very very tall.

Like, taller than the baby tall.

The snow in the yard?  Also very tall.  Like, Dexter needs assistance to walk through it tall.  Like 14 inches tall.

Runaway baby!  She so badly wanted to go down to the road.

She was so very angry when I told her she had to come back.

Trying to sled.  It took a while to make a path through the snow so that the sled could actually make it down the hill.

Car is not going anywhere any time soon.

Don't know how the dog got up there.  Don't know how he's going to get down.

Finally relented and took Erin for a walk down the (really nicely plowed) road.  She walked pretty far.  I was impressed.

Ummmmmm.  We seem to have lost the bottom of a kid.

Ummmmmm.  We seem to have lost the bottom of a dog.

Watching Daddy put a face on the snow man

Snow man.  Snow kid.

Snow angel.  Snow dog.

Buddy was very excited someone was down on his level to play with him.

Trying hard to wiggle herself down the slide without help from Mom.

All bundled up.  May as well swing for a while!

No school today.  John is "working from home."  He actually might be working right now, and Dex is reading a book under the desk in the office.  No school tomorrow, I am certain.  It works out well for Dex, as he is vehemently opposed to Valentines Day celebrations at school, so had previously declared that he would be staying home on Feb 14th.  Got your wish, little man.