Queen of Wonder

I am sitting with my feet up and Alex is opposite me looking down at my feet. He runs his index finger across my newly painted big toenail. I think he is admiring the deep raspberry color. Alex: So.... (then there is a pause) I wait. Alex: You have hair on your toes? Another pause. Me: Silence (I cannot believe he just said that ! Whenever I am sure what he is going to say, I am one thing: wrong!) Me: Yeah, you will too when you are older. Alex: Oh.... does daddy have that? Me: Yes, Alex, he does. (I am wishing this conversation will be over soon. ) Another long pause. I won't even attempt to predict...

I overheard my 6 year old Alex, talking to his 5 year old buddy in the backyard. I sat in my chair with my back to the boys. Alex said: My mom has a web site, know what its called? He used the word web site like he was talking about some cool new Lego Bionicle. I had to smile.

My sister Becky is here for a visit and Sam is making sure the second day of her visit is especially draining. First, we took him to his swim lesson. Of course he would not dive like he usually does. He must have known we were watching and waiting. Alex's lesson is actually at a different pool where we plan to head next. Before going to Alex's lesson, Becky wanted to stop at Trader Joe's for a few things. Instead of having everyone get out of the car and deal with the commotion that would cause, we decided to drop her off and wait while she shopped. As she was getting out of the car, the whining...

All this driving to and from swimming lessons and hanging out at the pool is a bit tiring. It seems ridiculous to say hanging out at the pool is tiring but it IS . Spending three to four hours in the sun and water is exhausting. Having my guard up while keeping constant attention on two young boys in the water - more exhausting. Hanging on to Sam the super "swimmer" in the water? Super super exhausting. Did I mention Sam, at 3 1/2, now likes to DIVE? Yes, in his swimming lesson, (first week of swimming lessons, ever) he has decided he wants to DIVE. One day, at the end of class, they asked the...

At dinner tonight the conversation was noteworthy Sam kisses Alex at the dinner table. Me: Awww Alex: Does that mean I marry him? Michael: No, that does not mean you marry him Alex: Why? Michael: There are laws against that Alex: Why? Michael: You are not allowed to marry your brother Alex: Can you marry your sister? Michael: No Sam: You can marry a princess? Me: That makes you prince Alex: What if you marry the queen? Michael: That makes you King Alex: What if you are a boy and you marry the king Michael: Well... then you are a queen...

A couple people had suggested to Alex (6) that he tie a string to his wiggly tooth and then tie the other end of the string to a door knob, and well, you know.... I am not sure he was clear on the concept-- but he was working on getting it out... He has been causing a cringing, nails-on-a chalkboard (shoulders-shrugging, eyes-squinting, head-turning) reaction in me, every time he jiggled it. I am SO glad it is out. Post extraction conversation : Me: Alex, was your tooth ready to come out or did you pull it out? Alex: yes I did Me: you did what? Alex: pulled out my tooth Me: did it hurt? Alex: no...

Continued from Part 1 ... 1:00 I eye my next-door neighbors house through my dining area window (different neighbor than the one I saw at the fabric store). I know she is an excellent seamstress. She used to sew draperies before she retired. I wander over to see if she can help me read the pattern. I swear, all I wanted to know was how to lay out the pattern so I could cut it. All that talk of ‘nap” made me a little unsure of myself! What happens next is a whirr of activity that will last some 5 (FIVE!) hours. When I show her the pattern she seems just as confused as I am. She tells me she is not...

Alex’s is in “camp” this week at Camp Edventure More . The week's theme is magic & medieval times. He loves the camp. It is a mixture of science and art so I feel good about it. Some of the science projects at camp are inspired by exhibits at the San Francisco Exploratorium. Each day, at 3:00, when I pick him up they hand me a goldenrod colored paper that summarizes what they did for the day and it also has a box entitled "Don’t Forget" that lists what is coming the next day and the rest of the week. Every day the "Don’t Forget" box states: “Medieval Carnival and Magical Medieval Dress Up Day...