Whew, today we had Mini Me’s 5th birthday party and he is coming out of his shell quite a bit. He gave big hugs to everyone instead of hiding behind chairs and other steady items like my leg. Just look, he even gives his cuz a hug…
The birthday boy and his playmates…
Too cute!
I love it when my kids pick out Mickey Mouse for their party stuff…hehehe!
Ditto Boy is very outgoing. Mini Me, much quieter, more reserved like his dad. Thus far, Mini Me doesn’t answer strangers questions often because Ditto Boy will answer for him before he gets a chance.
Imagine my surprise at basketball practice last week, the first one of the season and the first one ever for Mini Me, when the coach walked up to Mini Me, squatted to his level and introduced himself. He then said, “What is your name?” And without hesitation, no legs or poles or big mama’s behinds to hide behind, he said “Mini Me” just as plane and without hesitation.
My mom then reported this from his Sunday School teacher:
SSTeacher – Mini Me is going to be more than ready for school next year (she is a retired early childhood teacher, gotta trust her)
Nanny – you think so?
SSTeacher: Oh yes, he always knows what we studied the week before and he is doing real well wanting to learn more
Nanny: well I hope so, I know his mom worries because she hasn’t put him back in a structured setting
SSTeacher: Oh no, he is fine, he will do just great
(Mommy smiles at the sweetness)
SSTeacher: Let me tell he did this morning though, I asked each child to tell me something they were thankful for….and each time I got to Mine Me, he would mumbled, “Ditto Boy will tell you”. I would ask someone else and come back to him and he would mumble, “Ditto Boy will tell you”.
She said after several attempts he did finally say his Nanny, Mommy, Daddy and his brother. I can’t wait til he is in a classroom with no Ditto Boy to depend on at all for answering up…
Boy Genius and I headed home. Quiet. Still. Dark. What should we do? Jacuzzi! And, that’s all you need to know.
On Sunday morning Boy Genius took the boys their church clothes and helped mom get them dressed because apparently they overslept.
Uh? Overslept? Not my kids. Not my kids that get up at 6:30 come hell or high water. No way! Even on the weekends we are lucky if we can buy some time til 7:30 and that’s only if they are in our bedroom where it is pitch dark. If they are in their own rooms, they get up with the chickens for real.
Boy Genius returns home. The following conversation is relayed to me later….
Mini Me: You didn’t tell him did you?
My Mom: What?
Mini Me: You didn’t tell Dad how late we stayed up did you?
My Mom: *fighting laughter* No, why?
Mine Me: Because, if you tell him what time we went to sleep, we will be in trouble.
My Mom: And, what time was it?
Ditto Boy: 11:30 but please don’t tell Dad? Please?
Fast Forward to this afternoon. Mom came to my house and sat for a while, then took Mini Me with her to pick up Ditto Boy at school. She never brings them home even if Ditto Boy gets a sad face so we have to watch her. But, when they arrived home, my mom had the above story to tell and finished it off with this…..
Sunday afternoon as they are headed home from my mom’s, the same conversation basically, the kids begging my mom not to tell us, the parents, what time they went to sleep.
And, to finish the story…..Mom is here, Mini Me is playing and she whispers the entire story above to me. And, then says…..
On the way home today…
Mini Me: You didn’t tell Dad what time we went to sleep did you ?
My Mom: No, I didn’t why?
Mini Me: Cause I told you, we will get in trouble.
My Mom: I didn’t tell them (and technically she hadn’t at that point)
Mini Me: Did you tell Mom you scratched our backs?
My Mom: No, why??
Mini Me: Cause she said “No back scratching and if you scratched it, she wont scratch it tonight”
Which is totally whack because we’ve never had a conversation even remotely like that about the back scratching. That kid’s tongue is possessed by demons I tell you.
Now, do you see what we deal with in terms of behavior, enforcing rules and such. Tonight our kids were in bed and making no noise by 7:15. They need a lot of sleep. And, it’s obvious when they don’t get enough. Last night it was almost 7:30 before they went to bed but of course that was before I knew they had pulled that stunt at my mom’s.
Children, did I wait til I was too hold to start birthing them because at this rate, I’ll be in bed before the prom ever starts.
My children beg to spend the night with my mother quite regularly. And, they do stay way more often than they really should but she simply will not tell them no. We’ve had knock down drag-outs because she told them they could and we told them no. Not a pretty site.
But, with the fact that she very well may be headed to my aunts in Florida to help care for her, she has been super lenient about the amount of time they stay with her. And it all started on Saturday night.
They went out there Saturday afternoon to play for a couple of hours while we did our grocery shopping. When we returned, they were full of pleas to spend the night. I’ve learned that instead of answering them and causing an all out war, when they ask, I look at my mom and she gives me some kind of signal as to whether she is feeling well enough. And, this was no different. She had told them both they could stay.
It was 7:15 when we left and she said that they were fine but they just didn’t want to go to bed when they would spend the night. So, with the oldest on this kick of telling time, I took him from his game and pointed him in the direction of the clock. I asked mom if they were bathing that night or in the morning and she said that they could wait. And, so, the lesson began.
Me: It is 15 minutes after 7, do you see that?
Ditto Boy: Yes
Me: When it is 8:30, you and Mini-Me MUST go to bed and go to sleep. No talking, no giggling, none of that nonsense stuff. Do you understand me?
Ditto Boy: Yes, that’s when this hand is on the 8 and this one is on the 6?
Me: Yes, do you both understand that if you don’t go to bed at 8:30 and go to sleep, no talking or anything, you can’t stay next time?
Both boys nod their head in unison. I headed out the door and I looked back in and said, “Oh and no back scratching either, got it?” And, immediately Mini Me broke into a sneaky grin, nodding his head yes that indeed, he would be asking for my mom to scratch his back. He begs at home and I end up doing it most nights but mom can’t scratch both of their backs.
I shut the door and retreated to my quite home, no one to bath, no teeth besides my own to brush, nothing. Just stillness.
Part Two…coming up…
