early birthday party

We celebrated Pop's birthday a day early today. Dennis got him a water gun, and we baked him his favorite angel food cake (which we topped with strawberries and whipped cream). This followed a grilled burger and brats feast, and we all happily stuffed ourselves.

Dennis played with a stick for quite a while, sitting on the top step leading down into the lake from the dock. He twirled the stick around, pretended to fish with it, splashed us with it by slapping the water, and put his toes in the lake to enjoy the cool water. He also played with the neighbor girls, running around with Pop's new water gun and hiding from each other. And David, Allison, and I took all the children on a boat ride and the kids took turns driving us around on the lake. Rusty went with us and made a new friend in Hobbs (and went on to befriend all the lake dogs); he played with the children and enjoyed the boat ride. If today was any indication, this is sure going to be a fun summer at the lake!

Dennis rode down to the lake with Allison and told her "I love my Mommy, but she sure gets me in trouble sometimes. I think she needs a spanking." When they arrived at the lake, he went off to find Gran (MY Mommy) and told her she needed to come and spank me right away. But then he handled the job himself, laughingly swatting my behind and telling me I needed to listen better. I'll do my best!

Relay 2011

This was our second time to attend the Relay for Life event. Dennis enjoyed himself and walked (mostly) 3 miles. He also played in the bouncy houses for hours. We put a luminary out in memory of David's dad, and David arrived just in time to do the memorial lap. The three of us walked it together--pretty special!

We bought 'necklaces' (loops of plastic cord) and were awarded a bead for each lap we completed. Dennis chose all red beads of course, and as we were walking the last lap, he moved the eleventh bead way up on the necklace. He said "the eleventh bead is out--the beads were playing Simon Says and he didn't do what Simon said and now he's out."

And I have to talk about his infomercial interests. He was watching a kid channel and came in to tell us about a kids cookie factory, saying "it helps kids make all kinds of animal cookies and decorate them, so I think I want one for my Transformers birthday next year." And I was in the bathroom and heard him yelling for me to come to the den. I went in there and he said excitedly "LOOK! Pajama Jeans! Don't you want some, Mommy? They have a smooth butt!!". Thank goodness I've hidden the debit card from him.

food parties

I have been perfectly useless since we got home from school. I've been exhausted and had some stomach issues, and I've been attached to the couch. Dennis was good company, but he began pacing about, searching for food shortly before David came home. David, bless him, brought pizza, and it was a supper-on-the-couch event (which drove the dogs insane with hunger and subjected us to much soulful gazing and intense snout licking). After the pizza was consumed, Dennis said "now where are those chips?" and went to scrounge around in the kitchen. He returned with a mostly empty bag of tortilla chips (which incidentally made for a delicious topping on our taco soup this week) and stood commandingly, as if he had an important announcement to make. He did, in fact. He cried "let the chip party begin!" and at our bewildered looks, said "well, the pizza party is over, so now it's time for the chip party." He passed David a chip, and when he ate it, said "no, you can't eat it yet, you have to wait!". He passed him another chip and then handed one to me. He said a prayer over our chip pieces and then we were allowed to munch them.

I'd love to tell what he did at school today, but when I asked him what he did, he said "I can't tell you. It's a secret." I do know the caterpillars arrived and were discussed in science class, and he came home with a monkey paper bag puppet, and, while I was teaching the class next door, I heard lots of children making monkey sounds. Sounded fun, whatever it was!

wild weather wednesday

I hate tornado days. Sure, they are reminders of how fortunate I am to have been missed by them time and again. I am watching the news and keep seeing devastating photos of the damage from the storms that ran rampant across our state today. They are still raging in many areas, and we don't yet know if the next one headed this way is going to miss us. We'll know in an hour or so, but it looks like things are finally slowing down.

As far as I know, my friends and family are safe tonight, and I'm very grateful. Dennis and David and I hunkered down at home, waiting for the signal to move to our "storm nest" in the hallway (thick futon mattress and pillows, created by David). Dennis was both scared and excited. He was disappointed that we never had to get in it, but I wasn't. And the newscaster just announced "and Clanton is not out of danger yet". So we might yet have to.

We've been passing the time playing with Rusty. He quite likes to play tug or fetch with Dennis. And when he gets in the mood to play, he brings a toy over and drops it in front of one of us. He and Dennis have just enjoyed the heck out of each other today! When David took Rusty out for his walk tonight, Dennis said "I need someone to play fetch with--I know! You can be the dog, Mama. I'll throw the toy and tell you when to fetch it!". Yeah, that didn't happen.

We are praying for all those families impacted by the storms.

meet Rusty

We've been toying with the idea of getting a dog for Dennis for some months now. I had decided a Springer Spaniel or breed very similar would be perfect (largely because I want one myself, I guess, and because they're so darn cute), and Dennis wanted a black and white "fire dog". So Sunday, when we were at Bob's birthday party, Becky's aunt had brought her little dog with her. I got a short glimpse of him, and Dennis went out to meet him as well. Dennis really liked Rusty, he said, and thought he was "so cute!" (and mentioned wanting a dog just like him even though he's not black and white). I casually mentioned this to Becky, said that Dennis had seemed to really like Rusty, and today we are Rusty's new family. I'm still sort of shocked how that worked out... They apparently hadn't really planned to give him up but were interested in traveling more, and when a good home presented itself, well, there you go. We're a two dog home again. We've been casually speculating about the mix of breeds that might comprise Rusty, and we think there might actually be some spaniel in him. His snout (muzzle?) and ears look very Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, and his tail looks very Shih-Tzu. And though I typically don't love small breeds (because their ego is SO LARGE), this little guy is pretty personable. He's two, came with a crate, leash, and all necessary accessories, is housebroken and crate trained, and likes to fetch. He and Dennis have spent large periods of time in Dennis' room playing today. Rusty likes to fetch his toy, drop it in front of Dennis, and just as Dennis reaches to grab it, Rusty snatches it away and repeats the process. When Dennis gets the toy away from him, he tosses it and Rusty brings it back. Dennis giggled for an hour as they played variations of this game. Rusty's crate moved right into Dennis' room, and we didn't hear any "I'm scared of my room" excuses when we put him to bed tonight. In fact, I heard him talking and singing to the dog after we turned out the lights. I know it's the first night, and I hope Rusty likes to sleep late, but he seems to be working out well so far! He gets along well with the dog and cat that already live here, and hasn't irritated David at all--it's a win-win. Let's hope it stays that way! Dennis is thrilled to have, as he says, "my very own dog!". He didn't even go after the Tootsie Roll Pop Dennis is feasting on in the picture.

Go Stingrays!

I'm happy to report another victory for the undefeated Stingrays, not that score has ever officially been kept. Dennis stayed in the game for almost all of it today, a nice change. He did name his fellow soccer team members with a variety of Transformer names. I didn't know this until he came to sit out for a minute, saying he was all finished playing, and the coach came over and said "Come on, Optimus, Bumblebee and the other Transformers need you in the game!". That worked like a charm, and Dennis hopped up from his chair and ran back in. When the whistle blew to end the game, he had run back over to the sidelines, and I told him the game was over. He jumped up, pumped his arms up over his head and yelled "HEY, WE JUST WON!". He didn't score any goals today, but he did execute some nice kicks and recovered the ball from the other team at least 2 times that I saw. He did very nicely go and shake hands with his opponents after the game. One of the opponents was his good friend Colden, and there were a few minutes there that he seemed more interested in playing with Colden than playing soccer, but that ended when Dennis was running the ball with Colden hanging off the back of his jersey and trying to stop him! As always, it was highly entertaining to watch. Today's game stopped 4 times because of Shoe Delay (a coach would have to retie one of the players' shoes or a shoe would come off). I love the 3 to 5 year old soccer league!

egg-cellent day

Happy Easter! We have been celebrating the true meaning of the season for weeks now, all the days of the solemnity of Lent culminating in the celebration of the Resurrection today--how wonderful it is to worship a risen savior!

That being said, we did get a visit from the Easter Bunny this morning. I had to wake Dennis up to get ready for church, and when I mentioned that the bunny had visited, he opened one eye and sleepily mumbled "oh, I hope he brought me a rocket ship." Fortunately he wasn't too disappointed with his candy and toy and Lego books!

We had an Easter egg hunt at the lake with Dennis' good friends Laura and Mary Beth. We hid over 100 eggs. We're pretty sure they found them all! They loved that there were so many, and the hunt took a good bit longer than it did last year. And after 3 days in a row with no nap, Dennis sacked out on the couch before supper. The rest of us were watching Ratatouille, and he fell asleep sitting up. We stretched him out and he is apparently going to just sleep through. He was quasi-awake for our drive home, and made it through two bedtime stories, but now is asleep again. Big day!

hidden eggs

Dennis was gifted with 2 Reese's peanut butter eggs last night, and we didn't know that he'd received them, much less that he'd put one in each pocket. He fell asleep in the car, so we just deposited him into bed fully clothed. This morning he climbed into bed with us, and after a half hour of snuggling, he reached into his shorts pocket and pulled out a rather smashed and warm Reese's egg (fortunately it was still contained in its wrapper). He asked if I'd open it for him and David and I both exclaimed over it, feeling bad that we didn't know it was there. We explained that it was a bit warm and would need to firm up a bit, and David got out of bed to put it in the refrigerator. When he'd left the room, Dennis reached into his other pocket and pulled out a second one and said "well, can I eat this one then?". We sent him to the fridge with that one as well. It's just a good lesson in delayed gratification, I think!

We had great fun at the church Easter egg hunt event. David and Dennis are doing a spoon-and-egg walk in the picture. Chloe came down to go to the event with him (along with her Mom and Grandma), and a good time was had by all!

Let's make a deal

Dennis has observed and made careful note of the way we bribe him to do things. We tell him he can do something IF he behaves or cleans something or whatever serves our purpose at the time. I offered him a Toys R Us trip recently in return for taking an early nap, and I asked him if he thought that was a good deal. So yesterday, David was trying to get him to put on his pajamas and go to bed, telling him he'd get a story, and Dennis said "is that your deal, Daddy?". And we find increasingly that he is bargaining with us, say maybe he'd offer "how about TWO stories?" or "how about NO nap but I go to bed early?" and he'll say "what do you think of that deal?". He's quite the negotiator!

We had big fun at the lake today with Gigi, Gran, Pop, Juju, Steve, and Monte. Dennis colored some masterpiece eggs and is gearing up for 2 big days of egg hunting!

fashion consultant

Last night, Dennis had trouble sleeping. I went in several times to check on him and found him reading or staring, and I finally asked what was wrong. He told me "my head is just too full of wishes--I can't sleep!". I told him to pick the best wish and focus on that, so he chose to think about going to Toys R Us and buying a new Transformer (namely, Optimus Prime). He told me "thank you, Mama, now I only have one wish to think about" and he closed his eyes and fell asleep with a smile on his face.

Today was his Easter party and egg hunt at school, and he had a great time. This picture shows him with his bubbles, a prize that was in his goody bag. He happily dispensed all of those as soon as we arrived home, and he and the dog had a merry time chasing and popping bubbles. Soon it was naptime, and he informed me that he couldn't go to sleep without "an overhead hug". I asked what that was, and he replied "when you lay down and get a hug while you're laying down". I leaned over his prone form and hugged him, and he said "no, I need to give YOU an overhead hug, silly!". I had to lie down on his bed to receive it! And he never did nap, so we headed out to Birmingham early, stopped at the toy store and made his wish come true, and then went to his last swim class (he'll resume these in late June). I stopped by a clothing store on our way home, keeping up with that old Southern girl tradition of buying a new dress for Easter. I dreaded taking Dennis along, but he was actually quite good. He did announce, when we got in the dressing room, "Mommy, you're wearing your underwear!", but after that, he was a good companion. He zipped the zippers I couldn't reach, and the two dresses I bought were the ones he liked best. I went to try on shoes next, and he wanted me to buy this awful black pair with brass "studs" on them. I told him they wouldn't match the dress I was getting shoes to match, and he said "but you're getting a black and yellow dress, too, and these are black with yellow things on them--they are PERFECT!". He was disappointed when I put them back. Who knew he was so into fashion?

a small rejection

We had our monthly lunch date at the preschool today, meaning I had lunch with the afternoon care children while the staff had a meeting. Today was our last such date! Next month is the planning meeting for next year, and I'm officially on the staff for next year, so I'll be going to the meeting then! Today after we finished our lunch, I put in The Jungle Book for them to watch (bad weather this morning--no playground time). Grace joined us and sat snuggled up with Dennis. He finally worked up the courage to tell her that he was going to marry her. She said "no you aren't--we have to be grown up to get married, and I want to grow up and be a singer first!". He popped his head up over the back of the couch where they were sitting and told me "she said I couldn't marry her!". He didn't seem all that disappointed, and they continued to sit together for the next hour. I told him he still had some years to change her mind!

He was pretty social at church tonight. He arranged an Easter egg hunt with his friends Laura and Mary Beth for Sunday afternoon at the lake. And he informed Brother Brian that he'd be aiming to dunk him at the dunking booth at the church Easter party on Saturday morning. Brian asked him how he was going to do it, and Dennis said "I'm going to throw a ball HARD and hit the target, and you're going to fall down in the water!". Then he dissolved into giggles. I can't wait to see his plan in action!

so modest

We were headed home from swim class, happy and full after dinner with our friends at Firehouse Subs (and guess who LOVED this particular eatery!). We managed to hit a few red lights and I was anxious to get home, and when I missed getting a green left-turn arrow by hundredths of a second, I made a bit of a frustrated noise. Dennis asked me what I did that for, and I told him that I didn't get a green turn arrow. I was looking to the side when the light changed in my favor, and I looked up just as Dennis was saying "well, you have a green arrow NOW, Mama." I did indeed, and I said "yes, I do--good job watching that for me!". He replied, "Man, I'm so awesome!". I had to laugh, so he said "well, aren't I?". I agreed that he is!

So, Firehouse Subs is a place I've been wanting to take Dennis for a while. It's a sub shop decorated in full firefighter style. Kids get free fire hats, there are fire outfits and hats hanging up, fire boots sitting around... Dennis LOVED it! There's a fundraising effort that happens at those restaurants as well: they sell their used 5 gallon pickle buckets for $2, and the money goes to fire-related charities, firehouses, etc. Dennis was THRILLED when I showed up at our table with a bright red 5 gallon bucket with firefighting emblems all over it. He's been using it to fight pretend fires since we left. I hope the pickle smell is easy to get rid of... I got a "fresh" bucket. It was in the sink and had been washed just moments before!

champs

Dennis and the Stingrays experienced another huge win today on the soccer field. Dennis pretty much refused to play one entire quarter of the game: he stood beside the coach and blew an imaginary whistle. Pretty soon, there were three little boys in blue uniforms running around and blowing imaginary whistles (meaning that they were each sticking a thumb and index finger in their mouths and making a high pitch sound or scream). I'm not sure if it was strategy, trying to get the other team to not play because they thought the whistle had been blown, or if it was just silly fun. Dennis finally jumped back in the game for the last few minutes. He had said he was so nervous that his stomach hurt, but he seemed to get over it. I hate that he may have inherited my nervous stomach. I hadn't even considered that it had come from me until I was telling David about it later and he laughed and patted my knee and reminded me how he had to keep Tums or Rolaids in his car glove compartment when we were dating. Dating made me a nervous wreck back in high school. It took a few months of dating David before I stopped getting nauseous on dates from pure nervousness! I hope Dennis has an easier time, that he'll learn to relax and have fun at soccer or when singing at church.

but Methodists don't do that!

It was a special day at church today--I helped lead the charge of kids waving palm fronds as they marched through the sanctuary during the 11:00 service. This is something that I love seeing every year on Palm Sunday, so I was happy to help organize it this morning. Dennis was very clingy today and didn't want to leave my side for any reason. This was a bad day to start that since I had to leave him 4 times! First I dropped him at Sunday School (it isn't my week to teach) and he got upset, and then he didn't like it when I returned him to the children's service after the 'palm parade'. I had to put him in the nursery after church because I had a meeting, and tonight he had to be dropped off in nursery so I could attend the Alpha course. He was especially awful about it tonight, telling me he just wanted to go home and play, but when we neared his classroom, we discovered that all the kids were on the playground. Suddenly I wasn't important to him any more--he ran to the playground and didn't look back! And when I picked him up tonight, the nursery worker told me he had 'married' both Sarah and Elizabeth (sisters, both blonde, beautiful, and sweet--Sarah's 3 and in his preschool class, and Elizabeth is her older sister). I told him that Methodists didn't generally marry more than one girl at a time, and he admitted that he'd "married them by mistake" when he really wanted to marry Grace but she wasn't there.

We concluded our hours at church by rollerskating in the church parking lot tonight. He was happy to show off his skating gear to Cole (baby brother to Sarah and Elizabeth) and also enjoyed showing off his skating skills to the girls. He's not a bad little skater!

sigh of relief

I'm sitting here, warm and cozy on my couch. It's already been a long weekend, and tomorrow will be a big, busy day as well. My retreat was fabulous but not at all luxurious. We were at a real camp, so real that the bathroom floor was always wet (and was so even before anyone showered), and we slept in bunk beds (made up with our own linens from home). No one short-sheeted anyone's bed or covered the toilet in saran wrap, but we did play plenty of fun games. And I wasn't the only one having fun and games--Dennis went to TWO back-to-back birthday parties at Chuck E. Cheese. Then he went toy shopping and back to Chloe's house for outdoor play followed by a "brief rest period" (rather than a nap). Tonight we went to an event at her school where he played some more, in the classrooms and on the playgrounds. He came home with a new Transformer toy and a new package of Transformer underwear (both from his shopping today). I met them all at the school tonight to pick him up, and he gave me a reluctant hug, saying "we're going inside, right?". I assured him we were staying for the party and then asked him about his day. He told me "I can't tell you--it's a secret. I'll tell you after we eat and I get to play." I presume he was bribing me to stay with the promise of revealing information if I'd let him do so! Dave started to tell me about what they did and Dennis said "STOP--that's a secret, too!". He had such a good day, played so hard, that he fell asleep on the on-ramp to I-65 South! I don't even think he knows he's home!

I can't wait to sleep in my own bed tonight!

away at camp

I was just about to doze off here in my bunk at Camp Hargis where I am for the church Alpha class retreat. Dennis has called to say he wanted to make sure I was safe because "I was so worried about you". As far as I know, all my loved ones are safe and sound. I arrived at camp between tornados and the weather has finally calmed. Good night all!

Go til you stop!

Today was Goodies with Grandparents day at preschool. Gran and Pop and Gigi came to enjoy some time in Dennis' class this morning. He carefully fixed each of them a plate of cookies, goldfish crackers, and oranges, and poured glasses of water. He was so proud to have them there!

He tried to nap, but David was sawing wood (prompting Dennis to come storming out of his room yelling "stop that sawing right now--it's too loud!"). He instead spent a happy half hour playing with his Play-Doh and rolling pin and cookie cutters at the opposite end of the house from the construction. Then we headed to the lake for supper with our morning companions! Gigi cooked a superb meal that we shared on the screened porch at sunset. Dennis entertained us with his antics, running on "high" for hours at a time today. He fell asleep minutes after the car pulled away from the lake house, stopped in his tracks by sheer exhaustion!

He is apparently moving ahead with his plans to marry Grace. Tonight on the way to the lake he told me that when he was a bride and married Grace, she would wear a white dress and he would wear black and they would get married on a ship. I explained to him that the boys were "grooms, not brides" and we argued the point back and forth for quite a while. He insists they will both be brides because the word 'groom' is just silly. I asked if I could come and he said "yes, but you'll have to wear a white dress and marry Daddy again." Sounds fun to me!

really, what's in your ear?

Dennis was happily playing with Play-Doh and a rolling pin and cookie cutters. He proudly brought in a "starfish" he made out of red dough to show us. He went back to the library and we continued with the things we were doing. Then he came in crying loudly that something yucky was in his ear. Our first thought was that Play-Doh was in his ear. We took him into the bathroom, got out the flashlight, and checked, but we couldn't see anything. We tried to get him to tell us honestly what happened, but he seemed confused. He had told us that he accidentally put the dough in his ear. Then he told us a bug flew in his ear. He kept crying that it hurt REALLY bad. Of course this happened right at noon since the doctor's office closes then for lunch, but since walk-in hours start at one, I realize he could have picked a much worse time than he did. David took him to the doctor and discovered that somehow in the last week, he developed a raging bilateral ear infection. It sure came on quickly this time! So we are out of swimming class until next week and switching allergy medicine to see if we can clear up his troubles. Poor little guy--I wonder if this is the reason he's been a bit pitiful and clingy lately. The doctor thinks it's related to his allergy problems, and she gave him ear drops there in the office. She told David the infection was even painful to look at. I sure hope it clears up quickly and he can resume his busy schedule. He did tell me he thought he was "too busy" and didn't have enough time to play with his toys. Next week is the last week of swim class, so that should help. We had planned to sign him up for an immediate second session but now will wait until mid-summer. Soccer will keep him busy enough for the next few weeks!

He memorized his bible verse for tonight amazingly fast, and his Awana teachers continue to tell me how brilliant he is, how he recites the verse first every week! Usually they review the verse several times with the children and have them repeat it, and then they take them separately and have them recite it. I knew he knew the verse to say, so I was surprised when they told me he did two verses tonight. Next week is the last week of book work, and they were 4 verses short, so they decided to try and teach them 2 this week and 2 next week. They told me he learned his second one easily, and I asked him what it was when we got in the car and he recited it to me. I'm excited that he'll complete his book next week and then have one fun week to spend the points he's earned at the Awana 'store'. The last week will be an awards ceremony. I can't wait!

He was observing me painting my toenails tonight and remarked "If I was a girl, I'd paint my toenails red, too. I'd paint my whole foot red!". I asked if he was glad he wasn't a girl and he said "YES! I'm SO glad I'm a boy and I don't have to do that!". He did thank me for wearing his favorite color, though, and insisted I wear the red sandals as well (with my gray pants and blue shirt). I did it just for him. I have never had fashion sense anyway, so it didn't matter to me!

jumping the gun

In the car tonight, Dennis announced "I'm all out of questions!". I told him that I thought he must have been getting close to his quota and wasn't surprised he'd run out. And then he said "what are you doing, Mom?" which I'm pretty sure proves that he hasn't completely run out--either that or he's recycling (because I've heard that one lots of times before).

Just as we were nearing home, he said "Grace and I are in love. We're getting married." I asked him if she knew this and he said "yes, she knows. We're going to get married and we will get a new house and then we'll get a baby and it will be in her tummy." I looked over to see that vein in David's forehead throbbing as he nearly choked over this news. He told Dennis "let's at least make it through elementary school before we have this discussion!". Dennis said "I'm going to marry her when I grow up, Dad." I don't know whether to warn her mother or not!

As we were getting out of the car at home, Dennis seemed reluctant to get out of his car seat. He said "I need you to carry me in the house because my leg stopped working." I gladly lifted him from the seat (always glad for a chance to hold and hug him) and asked him if his leg had gone to sleep. He said "yes, maybe I need to eat a jumping bean to wake it up!". I told him that jumping beans were the last thing he ever needed to eat and set him down in the living room. He said "now both of my legs aren't working. I'm afraid all I can do is play with my toys--I can't walk to bed." We had no qualms about carrying him there, though, much to his dismay. He's so tired from swim class tonight that he fell asleep quickly even though he wailed loudly about being put to bed. I told him we'd all like to sleep late tomorrow. As if happens, we have no morning obligations! So let me get to sleep myself and sleep that indulgent kind of I-don't-have-to-get-up-at-any-specific-time kind of sleep. Makes me happy just thinking about it!

GOAL!!!

Guess who scored his first goal today! We're so proud because he's so proud. He did that little victory move, arms straight up in the air, so cute! The team won their second game today (again, no official score was kept, but the kids kept up with it). We'll have a practice on Wednesday and another game next Monday.

After the game, we attended a pretty special event at our church. A missionary from Jews for Jesus came and led us in a traditional Passover Seder meal. Dennis stayed with the other children in the nursery, probably a wise choice, but we hope he'll get to attend one when he's just a bit older. We learned tonight about all the history, all the connections between the Seder, the Last Supper, and today's communion. It was so fascinating, so meaningful, and we are so glad we were there.

Dennis said so many cute things between soccer and Seder that I'd almost need a book to cover it all. He entertained us by imitating television commercials in the car (example: "Mommy, did you know that Nationwide is on your side?" followed by him singing the jingle). He got his first little Transformer today (Ratchet, an Autobot of course), and played and played with it. I strongly suspect that's what he's doing right now instead of sleeping.

Tonight he said the greatest prayer, and I can't recall it all, but after thanking God for his family and all his favorite toys, he said "no matter if I'm happy or sad or glad, no matter if I'm playing or eating or sleeping or talking to my Mom and Dad, whatever I'm doing, whatever the reason, no matter where I am, help me to be good" and followed it with a special thanks for his parents. Our hearts were just about melted into puddles at that point, and he got even sweeter! We asked him what the best thing about this great day was, and he smiled and said "being with you." And I asked "what about scoring your soccer goal? How did that make you feel?" and he replied "it made me happy, but I had already decided what the best part of my day was and I already told you." Yep. We're completely smitten.

major stage fright

We were EARLY to church today (this never happens). David will probably say it's because he and Dennis went on without me and left me to follow in my own vehicle (he had to go to work right after the service), but I pulled up before they'd even gotten out of his car. We had time to enjoy breakfast with everyone before David went in to watch the service and I went to wrangle preschoolers in preparation for their big entrance and performance. As soon as we got across the street, Dennis became a Klingon (cling-on) and practically glued himself to my leg. He was needy and weepy and turned into Rubber Toddler a couple of times when we tried to get him to stand with the other kids. He was completely freaked out and was behaving completely unlike himself. He refused to walk over to the gym unless I carried him, and fortunately, cute little Grace came to his (my) rescue. She grabbed hold of his hand and walked with him the whole time and didn't let go of his hand until they were walking onto the stage. I just love Grace, love that Dennis also likes her and that they are the same age--I hope they'll be friends for quite a while, especially since they often have such a positive influence on each other at all the different church things they attend! I'd like to say he pulled it together then and sang his little heart out like he did at the Christmas program, but that isn't what happened. He got up there and stared nervously at the audience. He didn't sing a note or perform a single hand motion. He looked scared to pieces, but at least he wasn't the worst off. One of his buddies made it through the entire performance with his hands over his eyes! We left the gym with the children and headed over to the Sunday School class, and he remained clingy for the next hour as I helped keep control over all those preschoolers confined into the small classroom. He was back to himself again when I picked him up later from his children's church service. He insisted on going to hug the pastors, as usual, and as they asked him if he enjoyed singing, he replied "I had stage fright!". He said it was BIG stage fright, too, when he was telling me about it again in the car. We all did our best to assure him that lots of people get stage fright. There seem to be no lasting ill effects!

why I love soccer

I take back all the snarky comments I've ever made about soccer. I regret thinking I'd never involve my kid in team sports. He's wanted to play soccer since last year, and his wish was fulfilled today at his first game. Here's what I love about 3 - 5 year old soccer at the YMCA: no score keeping, very gentle rule enforcement (i.e. keep the ball inside the lines, etc), and heavy emphasis on fun. The teams weren't even really matched--we had 4 players, the opponents had 5--and it totally didn't matter. Basically, a pack of 9 children were running, kicking, smiling, tripping, giggling, and occasionally scoring goals. Sure I was proud when Dennis got the ball away from the opposing team right in front of their goal and successfully ran it all the way back across and executed a beautiful pass to a teammate who then scored. I wouldn't say he's especially skilled, and it might have just been a happy accident. I think it's a tribute to the fun that after Dennis' team scored so many goals, the coaches urged them to let the other guys score. And it's even better that the parents of our team cheered just as hard for the other guys. No winner was declared, and a great time was had by all. I rather think it was the most perfect sporting event ever! And Dennis is so pumped full of team camaraderie and positive reinforcement and encouragement that he's too excited to sleep tonight.

I'm even more thrilled to report that Dennis played outside ALL DAY LONG! He was completely "unplugged" today and played outside with blocks and trucks and cars, played in a hose with his friends at the lake, and then played with his construction toys out in the dirt with those same friends for nearly two hours. We had to drag him away crying. He had a magical spring day, I think, one that we hope is the first of many days just like it in the coming months.

slacking

Since we are turning in early tonight in anticipation of the first soccer game in the morning, I'm not going to write much. We had a good day, quiet, mostly spent at home. Dennis set a couple of "Decepticon traps" and nearly caught me a couple of times in his elaborately rigged upside down stool and crate, filled with things that would lure evil Transformers (old shoes, paper clips, remote control for TV...).

Isn't this a cute picture of the swim buddies? Dennis and Chloe will be ready for the lake this summer!

imaginary grandchildren

We were in the car, on our way home, when Dennis asked "did you know I have 6 boys and 3 girls?". I asked if they were his team or his class (was he a coach or teacher?), and he said no, they were his kids and he was their daddy. And then he told me their names. The boys are "Atcha, Black, Blue, Lacka, Figaro, and Goldfish" and the girls are "Bleeka, Leeka, and Karate". And my spellcheck has just had a field day! Apparently, the girls "live at Gran's house, thank goodness, and we need to drop them off there". And the boys, well "they live at our house, all in different rooms, and my boys can get pretty loud!". Dennis must be planning fruitfulness in his future!

spider package

When the mail arrived this morning, it came up the driveway, so I knew there must be a package. I sent Dennis out the door to collect the package from the driver. He was thrilled that the box was for him, and he opened it to find various Spiderman figures of all sizes along with 2 books. He was so excited, and immediately packed up his new treasures to take with him to Gran's house. She took him with her to the lake so that I could attend a Methodist worldwide leadership summit conference (Internet telecast, I viewed it at church) on the changes the church needs to make to "grow vital congregations" and minister in this new century. Heavy stuff!

I picked Dennis up just a while ago and he had helped Gran plant a garden for Uncle Denny. He and I arrived home, and when I came around to open his door, he said "look, Mommy, the Spidermen are bowing down to God!". I looked to see that he had posed them in such a way that they were indeed! I hadn't told him about my conference, hadn't even brought up religion on our short car ride. I am continually amazed at my child's spirituality. He said an elaborate naptime prayer (he calls it "saying a REAL prayer" when he makes up his own words rather than praying a memorized one), and now he's getting some rest before soccer practice and church later this evening.

I wonder what Spiderman was praying for.

#1 dolphin

First swim class tonight, and it was a raging success. Dennis listens to this instructor and does what he says! In his first lesson, he learned to hold his breath, jump in, bob to the surface, back float, front float with face in water, and blow bubbles. But first he learned the rules of water safety (which he will gladly recite if you ask). I'm impressed, and after just one lesson, I can already recommend Swimwell to everyone!!! Dennis says Mr. Calvin is "such a cool guy!". They were divided into Sharks and Dolphins based on their ability, and Dennis is a Dolphin. He is the only boy Dolphin, and the instructor called him the number one boy Dolphin. Dennis just heard that he was the number one Dolphin, and he's telling everyone!

mythbusting

I'm happy to report a successful and cavity free dental checkup for Dennis this afternoon. He behaved superbly because he's so wonderful, of course, but also because he was being cared for by a truly excellent dental hygienist. She let him assemble the tools that she used to clean his teeth, and when she counted his teeth, she asked him "do you know who else has 20 teeth?" and he didn't. She replied "Spiderman does--he was just in last week". Saucer-eyed, Dennis quizzed her about Spidey's teeth and happily submitted to the cleaning, no fidgeting at all. He chose cookie dough flavored tooth cleaner. Not only did the office staff rave about his excellent behavior, they also praised his super clean teeth. And x-rays reveal no problems with the permanent teeth that are developing. I'm so relieved, hoping he has inherited his dad's teeth instead of mine! He was rewarded with a visit to Target and a supply of assorted Spiderman stuff from the dollar bins.

Tonight we had a Family Couch Night, meaning we ate dinner together in front of the television. How wholesome of us! We watched a couple of episodes of Mythbusters (and David was careful to warn Dennis that we couldn't try most of this at home). We watched a test of whether a scuba diver could actually wear a tuxedo under his dive suit and arrive looking flawless at a party. As it turns out, he can indeed. And then the magic happened. We sent Dennis off to his room to put on his pajamas and he reappeared wearing a football jersey and track pants. Just as we started to scold, he peeled off that outfit to reveal his pajamas underneath and told us "I'm a scuba diver and I'm here at the party on the cruise ship and my tuxedo looks fine--it sure is wet in the sea!". Love it!!

believer

I taught Dennis' Sunday School class this morning and quite enjoyed it. I was especially proud when Dennis told the rest of the class "Jesus came to save us from our sins." I was even prouder when he told us tonight that he had learned that particular bit of knowledge because it was in a bible verse that he memorized for his Wednesday night class. Wow! Bible memorization AND comprehension! That's big stuff for such a little guy.

It was a wonderful day, mostly. There were a few disappointments, a few moments that saw either Dennis or me ducking our heads and sporting hurt feelings, but mostly it was wonderful. And now, tired, drained from the day's highs and lows, I'm going to rest and prepare for a busy, busy week, the first in a busy, busy month of soccer and swimming lessons and preschool and church activities. And apparently room cleaning. Dennis is standing here and he just informed me that he would not be giving me any allowance money until I clean my room "and I mean clean it every day, Mom."

no peace here

It was a fight, a long drawn out battle to see who would gain control of Dennis' rug. The Evil Decepticons (created out of Lego men because we don't actually own any Transformers) tried to blast the Autobots (led by Optimus Prime Dennis, who does a very neat impression, even folding and unfolding his body as he "transforms") out of the room. I know the battle raged all day (except for naptime, when each side declared a brief cease fire), and I'm uncertain as to whether a winner has been declared. It was difficult to discern the victor from the carnage on the floor (before he cleaned up). Possibly the war will rage on endlessly, just as it does in the 1980's Transformers episodes that Dennis has discovered on the Hub channel, which he and David watch together in total absorption.

He played in his room most of the day. We did see him at mealtimes, and supper was especially fun. He discovered how to work the new shiny pepper mill from Uncle Denny and happily peppered his baked potato (and ate it as well, exclaiming that he loved spices). He also invented and told the following knock-knock joke: "knock knock" - "who's there?" - "tag" - "tag who?" - "tag you're it FOR LIFE!!!". He's very proud.

The forces of good and evil will continue to rage against one another in our home, be they Transformers or super heroes vs villains or even police vs robbers. I'm always the bad guy to Dennis' good guy. He did tell me a long bedtime story tonight where I was Fireman Mommy and saved a bakery, finally my chance to be on the side of good!

good report

The tests that came back from the doctor's office showed that Dennis is apparently fine. We will keep a watch on his bathroom habits in the near future and hope there are no more bladder issues. We're glad to know everything's okay.

It was a quiet day, lunch out together, errands run, that kind of thing. We were glad that the three of us could be together--we love David's off days! Tonight was movie night, and we chose Megamind. Dennis liked it, of course, and we actually did as well. After it was over, he ran down the hall, changed into his favorite red pajamas, and reappeared. He slid to the middle of the den doorway, crouched in a superhero pose, crossed his arms, and winked at us. We put little Metro Man to bed without incident--he was completely exhausted!

My ego nearly suffered a blow today. I was wearing a fitted t-shirt instead of my usual loose comfy ones, and Dennis reported that I was fat. I said "really? You think Mommy's fat now?" and he pointed to those parts of my anatomy (hint: the ones on my chest) that are indeed composed of fat and said "well, those are fat on you, not like mine; are they supposed to be fat on women?". Nice to know we are raising a true (as his Daddy is fond of saying) "red-blooded American male", but really, how do you answer that. I took my usual cop-out: "God made people in all different shapes and sizes and colors" and he seemed satisfied enough to drop the subject. But we won't be visiting Hooters anytime soon (not that we ever have)!