Rainy Day

A steady drizzle of rain and fog surrounded our village this morning causing our family to sleep in, or really, to over sleep.  When the girls finally woke me, and I rolled to look at the clock, it was 8:17 am!  Hugo's school starts at 9 am, yikes!  We hustled and hustled and... we made it on time.  Hugo didn't have the best of breakfasts, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich it was, but we made it.   We had a small argument over whether or not his new Ironman mask would be his show and tell item or not.  Hugo said yes, I said no, thinking it was too big for school.  By the time I was stuffing all four of us into rain gear, he had forgotten all about arguing over an item for show and tell.  I'll bet he reminds me in the van on our way home.  He has a memory like an elephant, or should I say, like his Momma. 

Happenings

We woke to another 3 inches of snow this morning causing Hugo to have a two hour delay for school.  We lazed around for a bit before descending the stairs to begin the morning chores.

1.  Tend the fire.

2.  Milk for the girls.

3.  Crunch for Evie The Cat.

4.  Breakfast - cereal or pancakes, cereal or pancakes, 

cereal or pancakes... blueberry pancakes!

5.  Get dressed for the day.

Hugo was excited for school because he wanted to bring one of his dinosaur books for show and tell.  Preschool is awesome, everyday is show and tell day at preschool!  When I picked dear Hugo up today, he told me he had had 3 time outs.  3!  The number was quickly downgraded to 2 time outs once he saw the look of shock on my face.  I wish they'd send a note home with a detail or two as to what he had been up to.  He also had an unexplained nose bleed.  Could be from the dry air in the building or because he can't seem to keep his fingers out of his nose!  Eeeeewww Yuck!

As the snowy skies parted, the sun blazed from noon time onward.  It was wonderful.  Our snow drifts shrank, icicles melted and dropped from the roof, puddles formed in the drive promising to freeze as the temperature plummets overnight.

UPS delivered a new forward facing car seat for one of the girls (someone will inherit Hugo's seat) along with a high back booster seat for Hugo.  Life is moving forward and the children are growing.  I guess we might sell the girls infant seats.  Cesar should be doing back flips from joy over reading that I'll possibly part with a baby item.  We still have Hugo's infant carrier in the attic and I plan on keeping that one for just in case there might be another little one in our future.

Sabine has been a cling on with her bottom molars pushing up at the skin.  She is still walking about the house like Frankenstein/Bambi.  Very cute.  I've got to get a picture of Marlo and her new way of getting around.  She stands up on her knees and "walks" on them.  She's figured out that she has her hands free to carry toys.  I rub lotion into her calloused knee caps morning and night.  She also busted the knee out in one of her jeans today.

Our thoughts and prayers are with my brother-in-law Raphel as he began treatment for eye cancer early this morning.  We love you Tio Raf!  Hugo thinks you are the coolest ever!

The Ramp

Late this afternoon, I stumbled upon Hugo as he filled the powder room sink with water to wash his hands and to play with his submarines. He was being ever so quiet. My heart warms whenever I discover Hugo in the midst of make believe all on his own.

Today's quiet time was of the enforced variety. As I picked Hugo up from his preschool classroom, he took off running down the long hallways and out the door without me. He didn't leave the building, he loves to hold the door open for me. He'll pry the heavy door open with all the strength he can muster and then stand with his back against the glass while he waits for me. Adults who see me coming, with a girl slung under each arm, usually will pause and hold the door open for me. This frustrates our little Hugo. He doesn't like help with his jobs. Hugo was holding the door open for me as I ascended the staircase.

Our real trouble began once I was through the door. Hugo took off to run down the wheelchair ramp. All the boys, and a few of the girls, do this every day. Hugo has had problems with the ramp in the past, it seems to bring out the worst in him. I must add here, that some lovely lady friends missed Marlo and Sabine so much during Christmas break, that my arms were free at this particular moment. Hugo ran the ramp twice, I thought that was plenty due to the fact that others were holding our babies and it was time to head for the van. Hugo did not agree. Imagine an ugly scene, with your favorite four year old kicking, screaming, whining, crying, falling down, you name it, it happened. It was ugly.

I made it across the street with Hugo, and tossed him into the open van. As I turned to take the girls, one by one, from my waiting friends, I apologized to them. They made me laugh by saying that they had been there before and understood. One lady said she knew what I wanted to do with him once those van doors were shut... Really? I'm not so sure what I wanted to do with him. I kinda wanted to cry, to throttle him, to hug him, to talk to him, to have him look me in the eyeballs while I talked to him, but I also wished I could back up time and begin the day over.  To my knowledge, none, none, none of the other preschoolers have ever thrown a fit outside of school like Hugo has.

I'm not prepared for my child to grow up. He has been so easy up to this point, that sometimes, when he acts like this, I feel as though I don't know him. Who is this? May I trade him in, please?

I do know that he is tired. I worry about all day kindergarten next year. Hugo still takes naps every other day or so. The boy needs his sleep.

Back in the house, I felt pretty fried from the scene we created outside of school. We ate lunch and I put the girls down for their naps. After that, Hugo and I had a talk. He was banned from the TV and iPad for the day. He took it better than I'd expected. He played quietly in his room up until I happened upon him with his submarines in the sink. We had our little photo shoot on the stairs, he asked to watch Dino Dan a few times, I reminded him of the ramp, we ate our dinner, more playtime in his room, and before we knew it, it was bed time!

I'm happy to report, that the day ended well.

Playdate Tuesday

 We hosted an impromptu playdate for two of Hugo's preschool classmates this afternoon.  Rowan's Mom gave us his booster seat so he could ride home with us in our van.  It was very exciting.  I'm not sure which boy had the bigger smile on their face.  Sweet Rowan has been telling his Mom that he wants to have a van with two baby sisters in it.  So cute and very familiar sounding!

There were peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, apple slices, and two kinds of cookies to fill their bellies with.  Hardly anything was eaten at all.  All the boys wanted to do was play.  They played in Hugo's room and they played downstairs in Sheri's apartment, yes we still call it that!  Eventually, the party moved outdoors while the girls napped in their cribs. 

We played on Hugo's new swing.  Tried our best at taking turns.  They rode his big wheel down the sloping driveway over and over.  Again we all tried our best at taking turns.  Eventually we set out for a walk up to watch cars drive past the tall hill.  There the kids climbed the fence, searched out sticks for make believe guns, and decided to destroy a weed tree.  The name of which escapes me now.  Thomas was very upset about hurting the tree at first.  After I explained that it was a nasty weed and needed to be taken out, he joined in with the other boys and was all for the destruction.

Our walk about the yard took us to retrieve the mail, visit the turtle, hand play in the standing water of the burn pit, and back up the sloping drive to the back door.  We were all bushed and thirsty so inside we went.  The girls were wrestling upstairs, the fire needed stoking, and the boys begged to play with the new iPad.  It was a great afternoon.