Projector
Daily photo: Projector Fun
Halloween pictures up on my Flickr. Most are of Asher in his tiger costume. The Spider-Man pics from a couple of weeks ago are still there.
Tiger
Scorched Earth Campaign
I broke down and hired a landscape maintenance company to clean up our yard. It has gotten so far our of our control this past year! Ian and I have been busy doing things like running companies and raising humans, so it’s not like we’ve been slackin’ or anything. But we let the yard get to the point where it’s hard to see all the landscaping we once had, which kinda makes all that hard work we previously put into the property moot.
So, it’s fall and the leaves are falling and the grass and weeds are a foot high. Our neighbors probably hate us. With no end of busyness in sight and a powerful feeling of being grossly overwhelmed by Nature’s bounty, we made the call for help.
The workers have been here a day and a half. They have weeded out pernicious bermuda grass and pruned many shrubs down to the ground. They have lopped off limbs, cut out suckers from trees, and taken a year’s worth of leaves out of the “flower beds.” The tackled the wisteria from hell. They uncovered the strangled daylilies. They vanquished the blackberries. They filled a giant truck with tall sides (smaller than a semi, much bigger than a pickup) to its brim with yard waste and hauled it away. Then they brought it back again for another load. Eventually, they chopped and cleared enough of the jungle to actually mow the lawns.
I know that this work was desperately needed. I know that my plants will be happier for having the space and resources to grow in the coming year. I can look around and see so much that’s improved. But the truth is, this kind of tough love is difficult for me to accept. I love a riotous garden bursting with color and exhuberant growth. The area of my backyard that I think of as my future “secret garden” isn’t so hidden as it used to be, now that the workers have gone and unchoked the bushes. Low tree limbs that I liked are no longer reaching; vines turning a gorgeous rust color with the cold are no longer writhing up my house. Without the carpet of red and gold leaves and the overgrowth, it’s kind of scrubby and bare around here now.
It will grow back. It always grows back. I can’t help but feel a little sad, even though I tipped them.
Bad Night
Asher is sick with a mild cold. Most of the time he’s his usual self, but then he punctuates that with periods of bitchiness. One of those charming periods started last night at 10 o’clock, just when Ian and I were drifting off to sleep, and lasted until 12:45 a.m. During that time, he kicked me, scratched me, pinched my nipples, hit me in the face, and pulled my hair. It’s not fun trying to sleep with an attack baby by your side.
“Mom! I’m uncomfortable and mad, and you’re trying to sleep! What the hell? Don’t you know I’m The BABY? I RUN THE SHOW AROUND HERE. How dare you try to sleep!”
Ian snored—loudly—when I wasn’t talking to Asher or crying out of frustration. I eventually gave up and turned on our nightlight and the TV. Asher was delighted to be sitting up in bed watching the tube. “This is WAY more fun that sleeping or torturing you with my tiny fingernails, Mom!” Lucas slept fine until he wet the bed. At 12:30 a.m. we were all awake and looking at each other. Ian and I were both pissed off, Lucas wanted to snuggle with us and didn’t consciously realize that the reason he was out of his bed was because of the puddle in it. Asher thought it was grand to see everyone in the middle of that long, boring dark thing. What do they call it? Night?
I’m so freakin’ tired. The effects of sleep deprivation are cumulative, I’m certain of it.
It Has Arrived
The painful moment when I give up my office to my son so he can have a bedroom and move all my work crap into my cute living room has arrived. I am sad about The Move. It may actually take me weeks to complete it, as cleaning and organizing are NOT my strong suits in life, but the process has begun. Yesterday Ian and Lucas built my giant bookshelf/room divider from Ikea. It has been sitting in my living room in its three boxes for weeks, and yesterday it went together so quickly that if I hadn’t known its origin, I wouldn’t have believed it was an Ikea product.
The truth is that Asher has accumulated enough stuff —clothes, toys, etc.—that it’s all scattered everywhere and there’s nowhere to put any of it away until The Move is done. Even if he doesn’t sleep in this room, we need the space for his stuff.
Last week we gave away a La-Z-Boy chair. We have its twin to give away still, so if you know of anyone who wants a blue La-Z-Boy let me know. It’s functional, not ugly, and comfy if you’re tall. If you’re my height, it’s not so comfy. Thomas? Steve? Bryn? Anyone?
The good news is that we’re going to buy some new furniture this year and next.
He Chose Daddy
I started writing this post days ago, but work intervened in a majorly stressful way.
Tomorrow Lucas will be 5 and a 1/2 years old. Hard to believe, really.
At this very moment, he outside in the backyard playing Spider-Man. He’s running around in the backyard flinging webs at bad guys. I caught him with a handful of dental floss that he was using as web. He’s been playing Spider-Man quite often and I’m really hoping he doesn’t freak out at the last minute (like today) about this costume like he did last year about the robot costume RoRo bought him. The weekend before last, he wore the Spider-Man outfit to the pumpkin patch, but when we got there he decided to change. I guess he didn’t want to wear it there because the other kids weren’t wearing costumes.
He’s such a big boy lately. He has become quite good at getting ready for school in the morning without much help. He tromps out the door to go to school and face his day with just the briefest of pecks. “Bye, mom. I love you, too!” he shouts over his shoulder. Sometimes his days are quite long and we don’t get to reconnect until after 5 or 5:30 in the evening. But it’s now no biggie, whereas before, such long absences were the source of tears, frustration, or acting out behaviors.
Lucas’s teacher, Mrs. K, says he’s just a joy in class. He is acting so grown up and she is able to give him important jobs to do. On Monday, he and another boy were sent outside before playtime to assess the thunder/lightning situation. She told him it was a job for him because he is so very brave. The story came all the way home to me in his own words, which must mean her compliment made an impression on him.
I attended the Parent Tea last week. One morning per month the parents are invited to come to the classroom for about 30 minutes. The kids get to share their school experiences with the parents a little, and the parents get to see the kids in action (if on a special day). Lucas brought me Sunflower, his Little One, to see. I said I was very happy to see Sunflower again because it had been a long time. He was in Fairyland over the summer, you see. Sunflower is the doll that I sewed clothes for last fall, but Lucas doesn’t know that I helped to make him. That part is a secret. Sunflower stays in the classroom with all the other Little Ones, one for each child. At the end of this year, Sunflower will get to come home with Lucas and live with us.
Lucas says his “best friend” is a boy named Ian, who is in the other class—he’s a White Roser. I’ve heard about how they play together and hold hands. I met Ian today for the first time, and he was indeed holding hands with my son. They looked thick as thieves together.
In Lucas’s imaginative play we’ve seen lots of heroic characters emerge: fire fighters, police officers, the dirty job mechanic guy from TV, and environmental do-gooders. Lucas now likes to save the world from destruction, likes to play at being sports stars (especially basketball, which seems to be his favorite, but also sometimes soccer or baseball). Recently he spent the afternoon scuba diving and surfing, and winning surfing competitions. Sometimes he plays really oddball games: Like being a butcher! The other day he was butchering a cow (couch cushion) with a butcher knife (small plastic clothes hanger) and giving out samples of meat rolls (a la Costco). I’m told that at the Bs’ house, the children often go hunting with bows and arrows; often their game is the placid and domesticated cow.
Tidoo, his special dolly, is still loved, but doesn’t get played with much anymore. She patiently waits for nighttime snuggles and doesn’t demand more from him. She’s not looking too good anymore—she’s all greasy and her stuffing is so matted she has no body in her body. Once in a while I hear her name crop up when Lucas is talking about his many harrowing adventures.
Sometimes we still hear about Lucas’s sister, but not nearly as often as when he was four. I think having a real brother has made all those imaginary siblings pale, somewhat.
Bike riding is big, big fun these days. I wish I weren’t so busy because then I could take him out to ride more often. Lucas isn’t yet savvy about traffic, so I have to go out with him. Asher and I end up walking or sitting our driveway watching Lucas ride up and down the street. Now he takes his feet off the pedals as he whizzes past us. He’s so confident on the bike and it makes me feel so joyful to see how accomplished he feels.
Grandma VoVo and Lucas have a great time together. She picks him up once per week, usually. Lately they’ve been doing all kinds of art projects. They made a jointed skeleton out of thin white foam. It’s about 4 feet long. We have to finish the skull by cutting out eyes/nose/mouth and then we can hang it on the door or wherever as a Halloween decoration. Come to think of it, we had better get that done ASAP.
We have only two tickets to the Pumpkin Path at the school tonight. Obviously, one of us has to stay with Asher while the other parent takes Lucas on the tour. Today, Lucas chose daddy. I’m a little disappointed, but not surprised. I’ve always known that at around 5 years old, Lucas would transition away from me and gravitate toward hid dad and new and exciting manly interests. It’s right and good, and it still makes me a little sad sometimes.
Pumpkin Patch Adventure
Pumpkin Patch photos from Sunday, October 21, 2007.
We visited the pumpkin patch about a week ago. Pumpkin patches are one of my favorite places to take our family, despite my allergies. I absolutely love pumpkin photos, so of course I snapped a gazillion. A few of the best ones are on my Flickr, if you care. I had to contend with some bright sunshine and harsh shadows, but a few turned out really nice.
What’s Your Favorite Stain Remover?
Damn it! Boys are MESSY!
This is not news to me, but I am now considering buying stock in Spray ‘N’ Wash.
