Adventures in Blueberries

Last Saturday we went the The Berry Patch to spend some time with friends, Sara, Sam, Annie and their Nana picking blueberries. Needless to say, blueberries are blue - hence a food with pigment and therefore not on the list of acceptable foods in the Kiefer diet. Ah, well - this was going to be an adventure and he was really excited about it. We looked online at the map together the night before so I'd be aware of our commute and he could see what we'd be doing.

That morning we got around and on the way out to the car, Kiefer said "we need the map, Mom!"

"It's ok, we don't need a map buddy. It's just a few turns, should be really easy for us!"

His octopus kickboard was sitting in the laundry room on the way out to the garage, so he picked it up and said "here's the map".
So, as we drove he read the "map" to me.

"K, Mama. 'Cording to the map.......you need to go left. It says.... at the row of greens, you need to stop."

And so on with the "cording to the map" instructions, all the way to the berry patch. After a quick commute, we arrived and hit the ground running to pick berries.
Kiefer was meticulous to only pick the "really dark blue ones".Here's his first berry harvest.It was an enjoyable new experience for all. The kids enjoyed some snacks afterward but Kiefer was adamant to not try the blueberries, despite Sam and Annie's blueberry eating example.
Maybe next year!
Heading home...

"That sure was fun buddy! Let's hit the road...hey, what does your map say?"

"Mama, it says 'Go Fish'."

Super Frog

I love summer mornings after a thunderstorm! You never know what will be waiting when the garage door goes up. Usually it's an army of earthworms who fled the swampland of the yard for the dry highground known as our concrete driveway. This morning, when the garage door went up, Kiefer walked out and doubled back to me quickly.

"Mommy, look what is in our gawadge! Hurry come see!"

"Aw, Kiefer! A cute little tree frog. Look how small he is."

Behind the car was a frog that had hopped in as the door came up. I stepped near him to scare him back out of the garage. Instead, he just hopped further under the car so there wasn't much I could do. After getting things loaded into the car, I looked again and he was gone...

"Mom, I saw a twee dwog one time at Grandma Theresa's house! Maybe it's the same one!"

"Wow, buddy - do you know how much hopping that little frog would have had to do to get all the way to our house?"

I backed out of the drive looking back in for the frog, praying I hadn't or wouldn't run over him. Kiefer said, "Hmmm, I think maybe he drived here from Grandma's."

"Wow, really? Well, how would that little tiny frog drive a car?"

"He just puts his fins up on the steering wheel and drives, mom!"

"Oh! Well what kind of car did he drive down here?"

"Um, I think he drived Grandma's car. He put his little hoppy things right up on the steering wheel and drived mommy."

"Ok. Because that sure would have taken him a long time to hop here..."

"Um, I think it would just take one hop. One great big hop! He would go waaaaaayyy up in the sky and turn into a bird. Then he would land here and be a dwog again."

So, Grandma... the tree frog you and Kiefer saw the last time he was there may have stolen your car last night and "drived" to Olathe. I didn't notice your car anywhere near our house, so if you still have it then that means we're going with the "hop - turn into a bird - land and be a frog again" theory. It really was a toss up.

Treasure, Treasure, Find the Treasure!

So, K-man's favorite thing right now is pirates. Lots and lots of pirates and anything related to pirates! (Thank you very much, Walt Disney and Peter Pan.)
Last night, digging in his sand table, Kiefer decided to "bury treasure" as all of his pirates were hanging out in the sand with him. He sang most of the time, which was quite enjoyable!

"Mama! LOOK at this tweasure!"
"Cool, buddy - what is in there?!?!"
"Ummmm... some necklaces and rubber duckies. Hey! Let's bury this tweasure so no one else dinds it!"
"Good idea, so what else is in there...."
"Well... there is some deweal (cereal), some pancakes, some BE-UT-DE-TUL toys, and shoes. Oh! And kni-fes (a two-syllable word) and dinodaurs..."
"Wow! That's a lot of stuff! What's your favorite thing in there?"
"I really like the rubber ducky, Mom."

So just as I'm in half panic that my 3 year old is learning words like "knife" and "sword" - not to mention the pirate skeleton that "got dead" (GREAT) - I also realize that he is a little person growing up in a world of beauty, wonder and blessings that overshadow the knives and swords if you let them pour in. Stepping back, I realize that my almost-panic is unwarranted... he's a little boy, which means mean distructive dinosuars and fighting pirates are cool. I love that the favorite thing Kiefer "found" in his treasure chest was an imaginary rubber duck. And the toys were BEAUTIFUL. He lets the light pour in and I love that.

In our world, darkness is all around us. Just a fact. So, what's in your treasure chest?

Treasure, Treasure, Find the Treasure! Happy hunting.

When I Grow Up

Driving home the other night, Kiefer said, "Mama, ask me what am I gonna be when I grow up."
"Ok. Kiefer, what are you going to be when you grow up?"
"I don't know, you tell me Mama..."
"Let's see. Are you going to be a doctor?"
"Noooooo"
"Are you going to be a firefighter?"
"Noooooo"
"A teacher?"
"No"
"An architect?"
"Noooo"
"A scientist?"
"Nooo, silly!"
"Well, what are you going to be?"
"I'm gonna be a daddy, Mom."
"Oh, really?!? So, how many kids are you going to have?"
"Three. Or maybe 65. And I'm gonna live by you. Nooo, I'm gonna live next to Grandma Theresa!"
"What?! You aren't going to live by me?"
"Noooo (big grin)...(turned serious voice) hey, Mama... How I going to find they Mommy?"

Luckily we have a looooong time before we have to worry about that!

Better late than never...here goes!

Ok. It's about time I started jotting down a few fun snippets from the life and times of little man Kiefer. Living with a three year old who has been talking - well I can't even remember when he didn't - so let's say for "years" (heehee) provides countless stories to pass along to family and friends. Thinking I'll remember any of these moments three hours after I've giggled about them or crossed my hands over my heart in an "awww" breathtaking moment is just downright silly. I can't remember anything. I'm a busy mom with a few things going on... When my mom asked me, "are you writing this down?" for the 4,863rd time the other night, I decided it was high time to get busy writing.

Not only am I intrigued by Kiefer's sometimes adorable adaptation of the English language, I am constantly mesmerized by his vision of the world, his curiosity, his memory, his attention to details and his imagination. "Mom, do you think God painted the clouds with a paint brush?" ... "Mom, that looks like a hoctopoctor!" (helicopter) ...whether it makes you think outside the lines for a moment or just smile, I hope you enjoy!