On our ride home tonight Jack explained a game he's been playing with his friend William at recess. Apparently it's sort of an Indiana Jones meets The Magic Tree-house/Dr. Who. Jack gets to be Indy and William is Shorty. There is a tree in the playground they call the "Time Travel Tree."
If I understood him correctly, they went to the Time Travel Tree and it took them all the way back to before the Big Bang. "Where were you?" I asked. "Before the Big Bang Mama - before the cave men and the dinosaurs - before the earth!"
"Okay, but if there was no earth, then where were you?"
"In space. We are floating in space."
"Gotcha - well how do you get back to earth?"
"That's the problem, there is no Time Travel Tree because there is no earth, so we are stuck in outer space. It's really not fair because I don't have my whip either!"
"What happened to your whip? Doesn't Indy always have his whip?"
"Well, the first time we used the Time Travel Tree we went to the future and it got lost, so now I don't have it when we are in space."
Alex chimed in with this question "Why can't you get a new whip?"
"ALEX" Jack said, "you can't just find a whip in outer space!"
Trying to avoid an argument about whips in space, I jumped back in to ask for more details on the whole floating around in space thing. Jack clarified by saying they have to stay in space until the Big Bang, at which point they can get back to earth because, as Jack said "that's when God created it - he made the bang."
"Oh No" Jack says "there is something important I forgot to tell William."
"What's that?" I ask.
"I forgot to tell him that after the Big Bang and the earth gets made, it starts out all water. So it's going to take a long time to get to the Time Travel Tree. First the land has to come, then the tree. It starts out as just a twig you know."
"Really?" I say. "I had no idea . . ."
I have to say, I like the idea of Indy and his buddy floating through space looking for Indy's whip.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
Sick Day
Sunday morning started with Jack declaring he felt "icky." "Icky how?" I ask, rubbing sleep from my eyes and hoping Joel already had the coffee going (poor man had to work all weekend so he was already up). "Icky in my tummy." Now understand, Alex declares his tummy hurts, generally speaking, at least once a day. Basically, if Alex is bored with the current activity or doesn't want to eat what is in front of him, he tells any one who will listen that his stomach hurts. This got him sent home from school a few times, but now his teacher has caught on to the method of his madness.
Jack, on the other hand, has yet to fake a single illness (or if he did, he did it so well I still don't know). Knowing a stomach bug was making it's way around, I told him to go the bathroom and downstairs I came. Nothing came up/out, but he looked crummy and so I got him settled on the love-seat with a cozy blanket and a water bottle and our lobster pot in case he couldn't make it. . .
Our plans for the day now significantly altered, it was a day filled with random chores and amusing anecdotes. Alex, who was not sick - AT ALL - enjoyed filling his new baseball card binder and singing quietly to himself "Pedroia - Pedroyyyyyaaaa the Destroyaaaaaaaah." Jack, did not enjoy moaning quietly from the love-seat and refusing all offers of food.
"How about some toast?" I offered. "No thank you" replied Jack. "I want toast! I'll eat toast! Can I have jam on my toast? No peanut butter, just jam. I'll eat it Mama, I'll eat it." enthused Alex.
Jack felt so crummy he didn't want to play cards or any other game and so it was hard to keep him entertained as he could never decide what he wanted to watch or have read to him. Alex would chime in with his preferences, and thus the only thing Jack did know was that he did NOT want whatever Alex requested.
Things were getting a bit frustrating for the one adult in the house, so happily our friend was still willing to take Alex for a couple of hours and he got to see a basketball game at the nearby high school and thus was out of Jack's hair.
Jack decided a bath would help and so he assumed almost the identical curled up position from the love-seat, only now in the tub. The one difference, besides the obvious water and nudity, was in the bathtub he also had his sailboat. The bath did not help, but it did energize him enough that I got him to eat an egg. This made me feel better, but not Jack. As a mother, I have to say that nothing SUCKS more than watching your child feel crummy and there is NOTHING you can do to make it go away.
Alex returned home and was amazed that Jack was still curled up on the love-seat. "Wow, are you STILL sick?" he asked? "Yeah . . ." Jack whimpered. He may not get sick often, but when he does, he is extremely pitiful. "Well when will you be better? I want to play!" "I don't know Alex, someday I'll be better . . ."
We ended up all enjoying a marathon of "Ace of Cakes" shows on the Food Network. The most excited Jack got all day was when they made a cake of a Clone Trooper helmet. Mary Alice started out saying it was a "Storm Trooper" helmet, but as soon as they showed a picture of the example they were going by, Jack shouted out "that's a CLONE trooper, not a STORM trooper!" The force is strong in Jack.
This morning Jack was back to his Love-Bug self; I love the healing power within that boy! We still kept him home and I was with him until I took him to hang out with my Mom so I could go to work. Alex sweetly patted his big brother's head before leaving with Joel and called out that he loved Jack. Lovely moment - aren't they always the nicest when they are leaving each other?
Jack made up for the lost play time and had his Star Wars guys battling the Play-Mobil Napoleonic soldiers (who Jack says are Revolutionary War soldiers - specifically one of them is George Washington). He kept asking me to come in and see the carnage around my vintage Fisher-Price castle (the battle site). It was impressive how victorious the soldiers were against the multitudes of Star Wars guys. Jack said it was because George Washington shot down the jet pack.
So now we just keep our fingers crossed that the illness is out of our house - or that if any of us get it, we get the 12 hour version Jack got!
Jack, on the other hand, has yet to fake a single illness (or if he did, he did it so well I still don't know). Knowing a stomach bug was making it's way around, I told him to go the bathroom and downstairs I came. Nothing came up/out, but he looked crummy and so I got him settled on the love-seat with a cozy blanket and a water bottle and our lobster pot in case he couldn't make it. . .
Our plans for the day now significantly altered, it was a day filled with random chores and amusing anecdotes. Alex, who was not sick - AT ALL - enjoyed filling his new baseball card binder and singing quietly to himself "Pedroia - Pedroyyyyyaaaa the Destroyaaaaaaaah." Jack, did not enjoy moaning quietly from the love-seat and refusing all offers of food.
"How about some toast?" I offered. "No thank you" replied Jack. "I want toast! I'll eat toast! Can I have jam on my toast? No peanut butter, just jam. I'll eat it Mama, I'll eat it." enthused Alex.
Jack felt so crummy he didn't want to play cards or any other game and so it was hard to keep him entertained as he could never decide what he wanted to watch or have read to him. Alex would chime in with his preferences, and thus the only thing Jack did know was that he did NOT want whatever Alex requested.
Things were getting a bit frustrating for the one adult in the house, so happily our friend was still willing to take Alex for a couple of hours and he got to see a basketball game at the nearby high school and thus was out of Jack's hair.
Jack decided a bath would help and so he assumed almost the identical curled up position from the love-seat, only now in the tub. The one difference, besides the obvious water and nudity, was in the bathtub he also had his sailboat. The bath did not help, but it did energize him enough that I got him to eat an egg. This made me feel better, but not Jack. As a mother, I have to say that nothing SUCKS more than watching your child feel crummy and there is NOTHING you can do to make it go away.
Alex returned home and was amazed that Jack was still curled up on the love-seat. "Wow, are you STILL sick?" he asked? "Yeah . . ." Jack whimpered. He may not get sick often, but when he does, he is extremely pitiful. "Well when will you be better? I want to play!" "I don't know Alex, someday I'll be better . . ."
We ended up all enjoying a marathon of "Ace of Cakes" shows on the Food Network. The most excited Jack got all day was when they made a cake of a Clone Trooper helmet. Mary Alice started out saying it was a "Storm Trooper" helmet, but as soon as they showed a picture of the example they were going by, Jack shouted out "that's a CLONE trooper, not a STORM trooper!" The force is strong in Jack.
This morning Jack was back to his Love-Bug self; I love the healing power within that boy! We still kept him home and I was with him until I took him to hang out with my Mom so I could go to work. Alex sweetly patted his big brother's head before leaving with Joel and called out that he loved Jack. Lovely moment - aren't they always the nicest when they are leaving each other?
Jack made up for the lost play time and had his Star Wars guys battling the Play-Mobil Napoleonic soldiers (who Jack says are Revolutionary War soldiers - specifically one of them is George Washington). He kept asking me to come in and see the carnage around my vintage Fisher-Price castle (the battle site). It was impressive how victorious the soldiers were against the multitudes of Star Wars guys. Jack said it was because George Washington shot down the jet pack.
So now we just keep our fingers crossed that the illness is out of our house - or that if any of us get it, we get the 12 hour version Jack got!
Monday, February 1, 2010
Sunday's at Church with Alex
Our Alexander Bander Bear was in rare form on Sunday when we went to church. Our Pastor, a wonderful Grandfatherly man, brought the children to the front for his "Children's Time." Now please understand, our church is tiny (not in physical size, but in membership). There are generally 30+ people in attendance and this week there were 5 children for Sunday School. In the winter we worship in our vestry to save the cost of heating our large, old New England, sanctuary.
Our Pastor was working to relate some of Paul's teachings from 1 Corinthians to the children and thus he told them about his two sons and how though very different from each other, they always were close and have remained good friends now that they are adults. As he began his story he said, "now some of you have brothers or sisters" to which Alex interrupted by declaring "I DO! He's right here (pointing enthusiastically) - JACK!" (polite chuckling from congregation)
"Yes, Jack is your brother, very good. Now my first son was very interested in bugs and fish -"
"Jack has a fish - his name is Batey (as in Beta fish)!" (more polite chuckling)
"Excellent. My son basically liked all sorts of small animals. Do any of you have pet mice?"
"We have mice in our house! Sometimes our kitties eat them." (slightly louder chuckling)
"Well yes, many older houses have mice. These were pet mice my son kept in a cage."
He was then able to get most of his story told - we learned how the animal loving son became a doctor and the other son, who liked to build things, is now a computer engineer. They still help each other out (resetting dislocated fingers/rebooting computers)- very nice story. In wrapping up he said that while they have always been close, that didn't mean they didn't fight sometimes.
Slightly in jest he asks "now, none of you fight with your brothers or sisters, right?"
"Oh No!" Alex shouts. "We fight, I punch Jack!" (laughter erupts from congregation).
Bless our Pastor - for countless reasons - but he kept a straight face and let that comment pass . . .
When the children were dismissed for Sunday School Jack came over to me and said "Mama, WHY did Alex have to say all that? I mean, I hit him too sometimes!" **sigh**
After the service numerous people came to me to say how cute Alex is, how funny he is, etc. I, of course, am thinking that from Alex's statements, one would think he goes around punching Jack all the time with no consequence - which is most certainly NOT the case! I explained that to a few folks, but one friend summed him up perfectly "Now that kid - he's a pistol."
God help us all.
Our Pastor was working to relate some of Paul's teachings from 1 Corinthians to the children and thus he told them about his two sons and how though very different from each other, they always were close and have remained good friends now that they are adults. As he began his story he said, "now some of you have brothers or sisters" to which Alex interrupted by declaring "I DO! He's right here (pointing enthusiastically) - JACK!" (polite chuckling from congregation)
"Yes, Jack is your brother, very good. Now my first son was very interested in bugs and fish -"
"Jack has a fish - his name is Batey (as in Beta fish)!" (more polite chuckling)
"Excellent. My son basically liked all sorts of small animals. Do any of you have pet mice?"
"We have mice in our house! Sometimes our kitties eat them." (slightly louder chuckling)
"Well yes, many older houses have mice. These were pet mice my son kept in a cage."
He was then able to get most of his story told - we learned how the animal loving son became a doctor and the other son, who liked to build things, is now a computer engineer. They still help each other out (resetting dislocated fingers/rebooting computers)- very nice story. In wrapping up he said that while they have always been close, that didn't mean they didn't fight sometimes.
Slightly in jest he asks "now, none of you fight with your brothers or sisters, right?"
"Oh No!" Alex shouts. "We fight, I punch Jack!" (laughter erupts from congregation).
Bless our Pastor - for countless reasons - but he kept a straight face and let that comment pass . . .
When the children were dismissed for Sunday School Jack came over to me and said "Mama, WHY did Alex have to say all that? I mean, I hit him too sometimes!" **sigh**
After the service numerous people came to me to say how cute Alex is, how funny he is, etc. I, of course, am thinking that from Alex's statements, one would think he goes around punching Jack all the time with no consequence - which is most certainly NOT the case! I explained that to a few folks, but one friend summed him up perfectly "Now that kid - he's a pistol."
God help us all.
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