Parenting advice from Isaac:

We were outside enjoying a fire. A log broke and scattered ashes around the pit. Aukai pulled on some leather gloves and Isaac asked if he was going to clean up the embers. When Aukai responded "yup" Isaac said, "You're a good dad."
Me: "What makes a good dad, Isaac?"
Isaac: "Oh, you know, someone who takes good care of you?"
Aukai: "Do I take good care of you?"
Isaac: "Oh, yah!"
Me: "How does Daddy take good care of you?"
Isaac: "You know, like right now where he is cleaning up so we don't get hurt."
Me: "Well, that's good." Pause. "Isaac, what makes a good Mom?"
Isaac: "Somebody who helps you with stuff."
Me: "Like what kind of stuff."
Isaac: "Anything, as long as it isn't something you're supposed to do on your own."

What my kids want to be when they grow up . . .

Isaac was about to get out of the car after church last week, when he stopped, looked out the window and said, "Mom, maybe I won't be a paleontologist when I grow up. Maybe I'll be a stay-at-home dad. That would be fun."

Ashton was showing me a toy he got from the dentist this week. He was very excited about getting to go in TWICE (to get a filling revised). I asked him if he wanted to be a dentist when he grew up (because I am trying to brainwash my kids into NOT going into medicine). He quickly retorted, "No, I think I just want to stay a kid."

Smart kids, eh? :)

The Coolest Guy

So It's been determined that Jesus is really awesome. An example of a few things he can do: walk on water, swim without getting wet, stand on his head, and push a swing so hard that it goes over the bar. There you have the gospel according to Ashton. I feel spiritually enlightened now, don't you?

C'est la vie.

Left for work at 6:10 AM. Got home at 8:45 PM. Looking forward to a 30 hour shift tomorrow. After days like this, I embrace Abraham Lincoln's famous words: "I laugh that I may not weep. That is all, that is all."

A few random Isaacisms

Isaac's first day at school:
*Ring, ring* "Hello."
"Hi, Isaac, this is Mom. How was your first day at school?"
"Oh, it was good!"
"Ya? What was the best part?"
"I got to eat lunch at the cafeteria!"
"That's fun. Did you learn anything in class?"
"Ya! We got to do math for ONE WHOLE HOUR! And then we got to go to RECESS!"
"That's cool. Did you make any new friends?"
"Ya."
"Do you remember any of their names?"
"One was named Isabella, and one was named, oh, I don't remember."
"Well that's fun. Do you think you'll ride the bus tomorrow?"
"Maybe. That would be OK, I guess."

Isaac commenting on our night-time books:
"Mom, I like science books more than story books." Stands up and starts pacing, running his hands through his hair. "Do you know what I think killed the dinosaurs? I think it was a combination of ALL those things. Maybe there was an asteroid, and that killed some of the dinosaurs, and then an ice-age came and . . . " he trails off for the following five minutes, pacing around the room with wide eyes and a focused look on his face.
I've decided he should become a science professor when he grows up.

Isaac's thoughts on peanut butter:
"Mom, I LOVE crunchy peanut butter, because it has peanuts in it. Did you know some people can't eat crunchy peanut butter, because they are allergic to peanuts? Some people can't even eat CREAMY peanut butter because they are allergic to the peanut butter."

And a couple Ashtonism, just for fun:
"Ouch, that wasp just stung me. That kind of hurt." *Pause* "Actually, that REALLY hurt!" Starts running around the playground, crying.

The other night Ashton refused to go to sleep until Aukai turned his pillow over. He has a Scooby-doo pillow that has two sides. The first side has Scooby hiding under his paws. When Aukai turned it over, Scooby had a big smile on his face. Ashton insisted on sleeping on the smiley side.

Pretty in Pink?

So, one activity I did not mention on Ashton's birthday was spending the afternoon at the doctor's office looking at pictures of "the baby." She is now 14 oz. and very active. Despite the fact that I am admittedly against genderizing colors, the excitement of a girl in the family necessitated a change in background color. :)

Happy Birthday Ashton!

Today was a big day. I can no longer use Ashton's age to justify thinking about him as a toddler. No, he is now officially a big boy. Those who know Ashton can tell you that he has been 3 going on 10 for quite some time, but now he is 4 going on 20 and as big and mischevious as ever. To celebrate we spent the morning at the zoo and then had a small party with our wonderful neighbors (one of whom is 97!).

Ashton saw a pic of this cake on the cake box and decided that is what he wanted! We had initially talked about putting on sprinkles, but when I pulled them out of the cupboard he looked at me seriously and said, "No, Mom, you're not doing it right." Thanks to Aukai and an emergency trip to the store, we finally got it "right."

Ashton, here are 10 things we love about you:

1. You are very happy and very funny. You love being silly and making other people laugh, and frequently exploit this to try to get out of trouble. You are mischevious, and we always know we're in trouble when your eyebrows go up, your eyes sparkle and you scrunch your nose.

2. You are extremely kind. Whether its lying about Isaac's timeout so he can get out and play or sharing your favorite candy, you love to make others happy.

3. You think you are Isaac's twin. When older kids and kids your age are over, you frequently opt to play with the older kids. When I suggest otherwise, you state, "No, Mom, that's a baby."

4. You love music. When Isaac practices violin, you like to play along using the piano or blocks. This drives Isaac crazy. You make up elaborate songs describing your activities and imaginary worlds about dragons, monsters and aliens. We nicknamed you our 'little bard.'

5. Your favorite colors are green and pink. You love anything sweet, especially ice cream, but also love all fruits and most vegetables. You don't like crusts. You love pizza and will tolerate hot dogs. You love roasting anything over a fire!

6. You have an imaginary friend named Fiona. Fiona has red hair. She can be as tall as a house or as small as a beetle. She can swim in the ocean without having to come up for air. She is always kind and has taught you almost everything you know. Fiona has an infinite amount of money and will always give it to you if you break a favorite toy.

7. You like pretending you can't speak and using gestures to communicate. You do this when you are feeling especially silly or especially grumpy.

8. You know your mom is a sucker. When you get out of bed at night you creep along the walls to reach her before Daddy sees you. You love to cuddle with her in bed in the morning until she gives up going back to sleep and offers you breakfast.

9. You love anything to do with balls or water. You are unusually coordinated for someone who just turned 4. You throw a frisby better than your mom.

10. You are incredibly independent. It is not unusual to find you making your own food, such as lemonade (with a dose of fresh-squeezed lime juice and fresh mint from the garden).