The sweetness that is Rhys

Today is Rhys' 3rd birthday. I have been taking little mental pictures of him the last couple of days, just to remember him right where he is. The other night Justin made a gingerbread house with the kids.

Starting first thing in the morning the next day all I heard about was Rhys getting to eat dessert. What he meant was eating the house. I came down the stairs at one point and could see him leaning over the kitchen table, trying to lick the roof of the house. I wish I had a camera right at that moment because it was hilarious.

Rhys is insanely smart. He takes this apart. He loves to build things and fix things. He also is very nurturing and has all of his guys or babies, depending on the day, that he has to take care of. He has his buddy, the lion that Ava gave him when he had his tonsils out. He has his moose and a baby monkey. All of them usually have to be in bed with him. He prefers to have them all tucked under his blanket with him because he says they need him. He is pretty convinced that the cats talk to him when they meow and that he can understand what they need. Tequi has gotten him to open bedroom doors because Rhys thinks the cat said he wants toys and is sad.

Rhys gets into trouble like no other and will lie like nobody's business. He does not get that things are really off limits to him and is a repeat offender with things like lotion, soap, make up, and markers.

A few weeks ago, he decided that he would ask Santa to get me make up and shoes. He figured it would be a good gift for me and wanted to know if it would be ok if he told Santa to get me those things. He was telling my friend Val his plan and she told him to ask Santa for some for her too while he was at it. Tonight at dinner Ava was talking about wanting to get all of us presents. Rhys says, "It is ok, I told Santa to get Mommy make up and shoes, and Miss Val too. Remember Mommy? I told her that at McDonald's?" We hadn't talked about that at all past that day but he remembered like it just happened.

My favorite thing about Rhys is his heart. Today I asked him to help Ava with her things when we got out of the car after picking her up from school. She had a bunch of little gifts and projects from her class party and she always insists on taking her coat off in the car and carrying it into the house. By the time I got him out of his seat, she had managed to get everything situated so she didn't need any help. Rhys was crushed. He was sobbing because he wanted to help her. He didn't stop until we got to the door and she asked him to take her backpack. He did and cheered right up. Tonight I was trying to take a nap before going into work. I was lying in bed and it looked like I was asleep. Rhys snuck into my bed, being very careful to crawl around me. He gets right up to my face and gives me a huge kiss on the cheek, making sure to make a good kissing noise. He then strokes my forehead with his hand and leans on me to hug me. He kisses me again and then lies down next to me to go to sleep. If you are lucky enough to be one of Rhys' people, he will make sure you know it. You will be showered with affection. I hope he never loses that. Don't hold back, Bubbie.

flashbacks

I finally went and was the room helper in Ava's class this week. I have really wanted to do this all year, but my theoretical plans for easy childcare for Rhys while I spend an hour in Ava's class crashed and burned so I haven't done it up until this point. I will be doing it way more often now and am just going to have to get creative with Rhys.

Ava earns tickets and gets them taken away based on behavior in school. At the end of the week she can cash in her tickets for prizes. She pretty much never gets prizes. She always, always loses her tickets for talking in class. Last week she kind of laughed and said, "I lost a ticket today and I didn't even have any to lose!" Clearly this ticket thing doesn't have a big impact on her. The prizes that she has gotten often sit in her backpack for weeks so they are clearly not a big motivator for her. Thursday the tide changed. She didn't just lose her tickets. She lost the envelope to put the tickets in! I am not quite clear on how this happened, but she was upset. There were many tears shed over this low blow. She also said she was not allowed to go outside for recess the following day because she got in so much trouble. Again, not quite clear as to what happened to cause her to lose recess because that same day she got a letter sent home from the dean saying she had too many tardies and will get a detention with one more...

So anyway, I go to Ava's class on Friday. I mentioned the envelope situation to her teacher. I wasn't clear on whether or not the envelope was taken away or if she actually just lost it and couldn't find it. The teacher said she might have had it taken away but she would have to check. She did point out that Ava's chair was rubber banded to the table leg. She said that Ava can't seem to stay sitting in the chair. It is always out too far, on the side of the table, she is rocking back in it or she is not actually sitting on it and more like crouching on it. Her teacher says that she has gotten bruises all over legs from walking into her chair all the time. She said that she thinks Ava likes the attention from getting told to sit down.

I didn't even know how to respond. I wanted to laugh. I wanted to tell her that she won't sit because the legs won't stay still and her butt really hurts in those chairs. I know...from personal experience. Ava can sit still. She can sit perfectly still for hours on end if she is watching a movie or something. But she still can't sit in a hard chair. She barely does it at the kitchen table and usually falls off at least once a day. As far as the talking goes...until she is working on something that actually challenges her other thoughts are just going to keep popping into her head that just want to come out. Clearly there is a time and place for talking to friends and she needs to learn that.

By the way, I helped with the science center. (Centers are their other subjects, they work on them in small groups and do six a week.) They were experimenting with colors and what new colors are made by mixing them. They got to use eye droppers with colored water. It felt very scientific. It was also clear to me that not everybody is on the same level as Ava. I sometimes assume that her whole class is pretty much at the same place learning wise.

Me: Red plus blue equals what?
Student: 2.
Me: Nope. Red plus blue.
Student: 2.
Me: Ok, so if you take the color red and mix it with the color blue, what color will you get?
Student: Yellow?

He was really cute in his earnestness.

champion

So to continue on in my journey of becoming a hippy and living on a commune, I went to a yoga studio this week. Not just any yoga studio. A bikram yoga studio. This isn't flowy yoga. This deep stretching poses, meant to extend and compress all organ systems in your body...all in a 105 degree room. It allegedly burns a ton of calories and you will also lose weight. So far I have not experienced any drastic weight loss in my 2 classes. I know. 2 classes. 2 90-minute classes in 105 degrees. I feel like I should have lost a ton of weight because I feel like a champion for a) going the first time and trying everything and b) actually going back again and c) making plans to go back more! I am not going to lose weight, though it will definitely be a perk and I will be a little bummed if I don't, but at the same time, unless I stop eating like a champion sumo wrestler, I can't expect that. I am just kind of hooked on the insane feeling of being a champion after it is over. It is actually really relaxing to be super focused on not dying or falling over and not have the ability to think of anything else during that whole time. When it is over, you are completely covered in sweat, you feel like you just climbed a mountain (I have never truly climbed a mountain, so figuratively) and did some really hard things with your body, improved over the last time and stayed in the room. The very hot room. So you just accomplished something awesome with your mind. Seriously, you just spend the rest of the day walking around drinking water, feeling like a superhero. It isn't just me. I went with my friendTerra and she felt the same way. In our minds I am sure we were really walking down the street in slow motion film action, wearing some sort of long open trench coat blowing behind us, crazy stomp you to death boots, super hot jeans and a comfy t-shirt, ready to rule the world. "What's up? You need me to do what??? No problem, I just did a camel, I can do anything."

Christmas begins!

Ava went back to school today after our vacation and her Thanksgiving break. (I will do a post on Disney, hopefully...eventually. It would be pointless without pictures.) I reminded Ava last night that she had to go to school in the morning. Rhys said, "No! I will miss her!" Needless to say, he got used to having full access to Ava and we needed to plan a busy morning.

So we started to prep for Christmas. We had to move the dog cage around, vacuum and mop. I did an initial cleaning with the vacuum and Rhys then took over. He really was into helping. We got the tree out and set it up. He had fun fanning out the branches. I hated the old bitter yuck spray we had put on the tree in years past getting in my mouth. Our pre-lit tree has dead lights. It is now just a cluttery looking dark tree. Ava requested multi-color lights this year, so I had gotten some on this giant wheel looking thing. Rhys focused enough to stand on the other side of the tree and pass the lights back to me. It was actually impressive that at this point in time, he had paid attention for over an hour.

We then got crazy and got the ladder out and hung some lights up outside. Never in my life have I done this. It wasn't that hard at all. They might blow off with the first breeze, but oh well. He even hammered in a nail and I almost dropped a hammer on my head. It was a very efficient project.

After Ava got home, we made some snow man door hanger decorations and I spent the afternoon ignoring pleas to start putting on decorations. We waited for Justin to get home to do that. Ava was so excited to see ornaments that she recognized and remembered. She also liked seeing all the ones she has made. Rhys was bummed that he didn't have any that he had made or gotten from events. He did like playing with all the movable ornaments and singing his own version of Jingle Bells every time one had a bell of sorts on it. I am so looking forward to Christmas this year. I don't think it is going to be fancy or elaborate. I just think both of them are the right age to make it so fun.

A little story about a boy named Rhys

Here is a little story I should have posted about a month ago. We were over at a friend's house one night. They also have a two year old little boy. He and Rhys are friends from church. So the two of them were in a little corner of the livingroom playing with a tool bench. My friend Lee thinks she will be extra awesome by pretending to be a tiger that wants to eat them. She is down on the ground growling at them and taking swipes at them with her 'paw'. The two boys are not amused. They clearly have been attacked by this vicious beast before so they are actually acting scared and backing into the corner, saying, "no! no!" until Rhys steps up. You see him look at his friend and realize that he isn't going to help and this tiger beast is getting closer.

Rhys has his tool in his hand. A screwdriver. Rhys steps a little bit forward, putting himself between the tiger lady and his friend. Rhys, jabs the screwdriver forward and in a very assertive tone of voice says, "Stop or you're gonna get screwed!"

We all laughed uncontrollably for a few minutes. Poor Rhys was a little embarrassed. He obviously had no idea why we were laughing. I talked to him about it the next day and told him that I was really proud of him for trying to defend his friend...from the pretend tiger that would only tickle.

Rhys being attacked by the tiger earlier that day.

odd to even me

Believe me when I say that I am trying to say this with as much humility as possible, but...I have nice finger nails. I always have. I have pretty long nail beds and my nails don't peel or bend or curl up or under. They also grow really fast and it is actually more of an effort for me to have short nails than it is to have long ones. If you ever notice that I have short nails, you will know that I have actually bothered to do something with them...that being cut them. I have never really been one to paint my nails. I own nail polish but I probably buy a new color once every year or two. I usually only use it on my toes. I get so annoyed at how long it takes me to do them in comparison to how long it takes me to mess them up or for the paint to chip. I am also really lazy about taking nail polish off, so I have been known to walk around with little chips of paint on my nails for months. But every once in a while, I will paint my nails and be amused by all the people commenting on them or questioning if they are real for those two days before they look like crap.

Something has changed. I have been following things on pinterest. I have seen people post pictures of nail polish colors. I have been inspired. I went out and got a couple new colors. I have discovered the secret. Get good polish! For the last month my nails have been painted everyday with maybe only two days of chips. It is lasting a week before it starts to look bad. That is a good return for my effort. (It also might have something to do with the fact that I have been feeling like everyday is a bad hair/clothes/skin/body day lately, so I might as well play up my one asset...but only slightly.) I feel like a whole world has been opened to me! Here are some of my new favorites!

Black Cherry Chutney by OPI, More or less the whole Essie line, but

Mochachino and

turquoise & caicos, and

over the edge.

The one I am currently wanting is All Hail the Queen by Butter London.

I am a little worried that it would look too much like the mochachino color but I think it is will be lighter. When going through all my old polish I realized I often bought very similar colors. I clearly bought new ones because the old one didn't look right and I was just in search of a good shade. I have been very happy with my purchases so far and how they look on my hands. I am wondering how long this little habit will continue. I wonder how many colors I will try...

Well that was a very interesting post for all of you loyal readers. I am now off to work for an exciting overnight of data entry! At least I will enjoy looking at my fingers on the mouse.

Report Card

Ava has gotten her first report card and I had a parent teacher conference to discuss it. Overall she did very well. She got S+'s in just about everything. S stands for Satisfactory. She got a couple E's for Excellent for sight words and music. During the parent teacher conference her teacher described her as "thriving" and does not have any concerns. She says Ava talks too much sometimes, but it is with a girl who is normally painfully shy so she doesn't really want to stop it.

Ava has also had her first laser treatment while attending school. It went really well. The class had a question and answer session with her before hand. Most of the class told Ava they would be praying for her. The cute thing is, they really did! Tonight we were at the Annual Fall Benefit for the school and we had a couple parents from Ava's class at our table. They recognized Ava's name because their son has been praying for her and the laser surgery. Ava also brought home a picture a classmate drew of her. The little girl told Ava that she drew a picture so her family could see who they were praying for.

Deciding on what to do for school was something I agonized over for years. Seriously, years. I could not be happier with the decision we have made. It is the little things that make it so good. The librarian usually ends up being the person who opens our car door for Ava during morning drop off. She always said hello, but after about a week asked me Ava's name. She hasn't forgotten it. Every morning she says hello to Ava, even if she isn't the one opening the door. Ava has stopped being shy with her and says hi back and usually gives her a big smile. I think I am going to have to find out her name sometime soon.