Punkmin Season

"Mom, can we get one of these little punkmins?"

Friday evening we had to run to Price Chopper and Kiefer made this request as we approached the store. Upon approval, he selected one on our way inside.

After we were back in the car, Kiefer studied the pumpkin a little more closely. Pause... "Mom, check it out, this PUNK-min has moles on it!

Marshmallows

An evening trip to Target - not Kiefer's favorite thing to do. Anytime I break the news that we have to stop somewhere on the way home from work/daycare, Kiefer's typical response is something like, "Mom. Why can't you do these things when I'm not with you? Shopping is just so boring!"

I only needed a few things, but this stop required some persuasion. A special snack usually does the trick. So, tonight - among all the aisles and aisles of Halloween candy pouring off the shelves, Kiefer spotted marshmallows. They were "special" - white, orange and black ghost-shaped, medium-sized marshmallows. He was sold immediately and we were off to check out. "Mom, do not have him put those in a bag. I want to hold them."

We got in the car and Kiefer asked if he could have just a couple on the way home. So, I agreed and as I opened the bag and pulled out "one white one and one orange one, please" as requested, Kiefer said....

"Mom, can we please save these marshmallows until I grow up and go camping? Then I can take them camping with me!"

Wow, ok or maybe we can just buy you another bag of marshmallows when that time rolls around..!

Sooner than later, he requested to hold the bag so the softie behind the wheel gave in and I handed them back with the typical mom speech "don't eat too many of those...you need room in your tummy for dinner."

To which Kiefer replied, "they will just go on the sides, Mom."

Huh?

"The marshmallows will just go on the sides of my tummy. That way there will be room for my dinner to go right in the middle."

He was serious. Oh, the rationale...

Mom Talk

I love a day when we can finally just RELAX. This morning Kiefer and I got up and around and much to his approval - no work, no school! Nice. "So, let's just stay home and a-lax Mom," he requested. Amen to that, little man... So, we did. Stayed home. "A-laxed" (Relaxed).

We started the morning with a few a-laxing episodes of Curious George from the comfort of mom's bed (so I could "sleep in", not really - but at least not have to get up.) Then it was off to the playroom for a spin around the farm followed by good times with the Lego pirates, a new favorite. Please note, there are seven guys - I got one, Kiefer got six. What? How is my pirate going to have a chance at winning battles single-handedly with one cannon and no ammo while Kief has basically everything else? Well, of course I thought it was only appropriate to treat this as a "choosing teams" sort of fairness lesson. "Ok, Kiefer - let's put all the pirates in the middle and then take turns picking one at a time until we each have (close to) an equal number of pirates." Well, he agreed with this little game until he saw that I had three pirates then said, "Ok, Mom, I'll just take these two and you keep that one then I'll play with all of these. In one minute, we will take turns, ok?!" Boy, has someone heard the "sharing" speech/rationale a few thousand times...

So, we played and out of left field Kiefer said "You get what you get and you don't throw a fit, Mom." I realize this is excellent Mom Talk and a phrase that I should adopt, but I have never said this to Kiefer. I can't quite envision this one flying around at his school, so the jury is out on it's origin! Needless to say it brought down the house, even if it was just my party of one. In hindsight, he used this phrase out of context considering the conversation that preceded and followed his lecture, but I loved it nonetheless. I could use a lesson every once in a while to keeps the complaints to a minimum, so I'll try to remember this ;)

We had a great time today and spent part of the afternoon outside covering every square inch of the driveway in sidewalk chalk. Coloring with sidewalk chalk at our house usually consists of Kiefer picking out the colors then delegating to an adult what he wants where. "I need a huge pirate ship right over there. Now draw the sails. Now draw the anchor. Now draw the pirates... No, this one needs a bandana, not a hat." and so on and so on. Well, in an attempt to encourage Kiefer to execute his own creative vision I pulled out a chair and said "Ok, I'm going to relax a minute, it's your turn!" So, that lasted all of 30 seconds and Kiefer was pulling my arm, "Ok, my turn to a-lax, Mom. Now, go draw me an orange T-Rex, please."

When dinner time rolled around, we came in so I could get things ready. I guess we worked up an appetite relaxing because Kiefer actually asked for seconds and refills. When he asked for more milk I poured it saying, "boy, you sure are my milk drinker, buddy!" to which Kiefer replied...

"Mom, you sure are my water drinker."

Farm Love and Melting Hearts

I absolutely love the chance to take Kiefer to the Atchison County Fair each summer. It's a great opportunity to reminisce about my childhood and show Kiefer the animals that kids raise to bring to the fair. I love our suburban life, but I sure do miss going back to the farm. I would not trade growing up on a dairy farm for anything in the world. Granted, I didn't have to do anything (sorry Dustin...you got stuck with all the chores that required any real work!) But I have the best memories of adventure and fun on the farm including one where I follow flocks of baby chicks around our property seeing how close I can get, knowing I will never actually catch one.

This weekend we visited the Nebraska State Fair. Most importantly: the birthing barn, a small facility on the fairgrounds where mothers and newborn baby farm animals reside. Not only was the State Fair a major step up in the "see lots and lots of animals" department from the County Fair, but this mother and new baby thing serioulsy took the fair-going experience to the next level! Kiefer got to touch a piglet that was one day old. Fascinating. Not to mention extremely cute.


But the crecendo moment topping all State Fair experiences (well, a close tie with the bumper cars according to Kiefer) was holding a one day old baby chick. They literally were hatching on the spot and this sweet little guy was taking in his second day on earth from the palms of little eager hands wanting to love him to pieces. Cupping his hands around the chick, Kiefer stared in total adoration. Honestly, I wasn't sure we would be able to give this one back.


"Oh, mom. I want one of these babies. I really wish we lived on a farm so we could have baby am-ni-luls......." [aaaand insert heart melting here]

Which leads me to the second 1/2 of this story. On our drive home from Nebraska, Kiefer randomly said something very sweet - maybe it was an unprovoked "I love you, Mom" or something of similar nature. I can't even remember. The part burned into my short-term memory was this:

"Ah, Kiefer - you are breakin' my heart. Well, maybe that's not right- more like that MELTS my heart...!"

"But MOM, if your heart melts you will die!"

(Oh, my......!) "Wow, good point - ok - what I mean is that you said something really nice and it made my heart feel good, so how about 'that makes my heart smile'?"

Then a scary Star Wars voice answered from the back seat "I'm gonna shoot your heart with fire, Mom! Pbbbccchhhooo! Ppppbbdhdcchooo!" Well, I guess I lost him at my attempted heart melting explanation. He is still a boy, afterall... but I love the moments when his sweetness melts my heart - and makes it smile! xoxo, Kiefer - I love you little man.

Lions With Eggs

One night last week, I came to Kiefer's classroom to retrieve him from school and he was drawing a picture alongside one of his teachers. They were using those plastic tracer-gadgets in different animal shapes and making lions. Even though Kiefer announced "Mom, look I did this ALL by myself"... I could see that his helper had done most of the tracing and "fixing" (when you trace the 1" x 2" very small lion with a crayon - it basically comes out looking like an oval with a small head-like circle and no legs or tail.) So, she had drawn on the mane, legs and tail after removing the trace tool, added a sun, etc. Kiefer was responsible for the grass and dirt that was accurately placed below the lions' feet.

We left and brought the picture in the car with us going home. Kiefer said, "Mom, I need a pencil. I need to draw some eggs."

So, I dug around in the car for a pen - passed it back during the drive and he went to town adding eggs to his picture. "Kiefer - why are you drawing eggs?"

"Mom. So the lions can have babies."

"Well, actually mommy lions grow babies in their tummies like humans and other cats. They don't lay eggs. Birds lay eggs and dinosaurs had eggs."

"No, mom. Lions have their babies in eggs. I've seen them before! Maybe they have them in their tummies in Africa or somewhere like that, but not at the zoo. Those lions have eggs."

More egg coloring continued in the back seat. "Mom, I think I drew too many eggs - they are really close together."

"Buddy, I'm sure it looks wonderful. I can't wait to see it.." Some of the eggs were free-standing while a group of them were together on the grass, sort of like a nest.


"Mom - will you show my picture to your friends? And if they like it - you tell me!"

"Sure bud, I am positive they will love it! It's awesome. I'll take it to work tomorrow."

"But Mama. If they don't like it..... don't tell me. And you know what? When I grow up and go to work, you can draw pictures for me to take to work to show to my friends!"