Sunday, May 29, 2011

I like it when...

I like it when he answers me with a "Yes, mom?" when I call out to him; sometimes he can be so engrossed in playing with Legos, he doesn't hear me. Often, he is at his table piecing together those teeny tiny blocks first thing in the morning -- when he is up earlier than the alarm clock. And when he IS our alarm clock on a lazy Sunday.


By the time I get round to making us Sunday breakfast, he's already swooped his 10-man rescue party into a battlezone of clones vs. droids -- on the kitchen floor! I can barely hear the narratives he comes up with to go along with these Lego creations, that he deconstructs from sets to build his own. But I imagine they are like the details he adds to his drawings, for his picture-caption stories that is another outlet he lets his creative juices flow. And which lets us the glimpse into his world of imagination! Of course there are some other details, like food crumbs, that this tyke still needs me to remind him about ;p.


Putting together goodie bags for his friends who celebrated his birthday with us this month, I liked the attention Ben paid to who he thought would like what. He loves his friends, and can tell you their fave colours and ballgames, etc. He was also happy to add his cute drawings of animals on the small spiral notepads we included, with a simple message: Chillax... (signed) Your friend, Ben. I like that :).


For the high-energy child he is, such quieter moments are precious. Being creative was what Ben shared he liked most about himself, when he was the class VIP.


Ben is seven... With his older brother's tests just ended and no afterschool activity for me to run out the door with the three kids that particular day, I managed a pseudo strawberry shortcake for him. Not with whipped cream but the frosting he readily licked up the excess from the spatula! And it was a brownie cake -- out of a boxed mix (shortcuts!) Meimei had helped me bake up earlier that day. And bright red strawberries (they're in season) made for the finishing touch. Glad it passed the taste test, too... Ben ate his slice all up :). Wasn't sure about the cake at the supermarket though, with PINK flowers the birthday boy would complain he's "allergic" to, haha!


Outdoors, Ben loves to ride his bike. There are also the adventures he enjoys from that Trailblazer's Day earlier and this weekend's first time camping out in the cold with other cubscouts, that also meant spending 1-on-1 time with his dad. What a treat! 


Ben is also thankful for the wonderful blessings from our extended families, his godfamily included! May he also be a beautiful blessing to those who know him, amen!


("I like it when..." is my play on the "I don't like it when" message Ben learned in school that his classmates and him use with each other in their conflict resolution. I'm encouraging him to use it with his two sibs also, and I need to practise it myself, when he is hardpressed or misunderstood. I also really appreciate the positive feedback from his teacher, that motivates him to keep going).

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Rollin' with it

Spring is on a roll here, finally!


Trying to stick her head out the window, Meimei asked the birds, the birds chirping away, "What are you saying? You hear me? Want a cookie?"! ;)


Actually we're off to a late start compared to other warmer places. But the sun this week was so welcome -- after Spokane's second coldest April, and the showers that have brought the flowers.


The daffodils at first, followed by the tulips, gave the bees something to buzz about. And us, too, the excuse to stop and smell them; May is another busy month!  


Indoors, the buds in the pot that my younger son painted on in school with stick-figures of him and me, have blossomed also! He had hung on to it, as if for dear life -- so it would not break going over the bumps on the way home, before he could sit it on our windowsill. There was the card he drew and wrote in, too, that the dear boy asked this mom, "Did it break your heart?"... Aww!!! 


Of course our mother's day had the other "aww (not again)" moments as well, like any other day, to keep me down to earth: the children had to be reminded to behave and play nicely. Press on, fellow moms, and dads, too! And bless teachers for supporting us in this awesome and overwhelming responsibility of raising children!


Meanwhile, the heat is on with tests being held in school. The cool kid my eldest is does also mean he will rather not have me hound him to take these tests like exams seriously. We basically left him to chillax over his scouts activities. This weekend alone, these included a community service project, and also a practice ride for the 35-mile bike trip for the month's campout. 


Giving the kids some downtime outdoors, I got my share of exercise from running after them. The boys on their bikes, and the youngest on her trike emulating their stunts. That's how we rolled, before the rain is back, and hopefully the cold isn't creeping up on us already!  

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Smile, cow!


Leaning over, the youngest told the steer, "Smile, cow!", and even added a "Don't move!" -- so I could snap a quick picture of it (and her) with my phone!


I seized that lovely moment bathed in the evening light, to stop and gaze, too, during the afterschool busyness. The visit to the feedlot with other scouts was for the animal science badge, that my eldest had also to do his part with the written assignment to earn. It was nice and helped also that the younger two children could just hang out there with me -- to wait to drive him to the usual troop meeting after that.


It wasn't the Pioneer Woman's type of cattle ranch.


Besides the two steers to be fattened up, there were two sheep also. 


The closest my brood got to one.  Not counting Shaun the Sheep -- when I'd be asking them to "Stand back! You are too close to the TV!", back in fall. 

***

Smile, smile... my li'l girl was also urging me to grin and BARE it after the dental implant was done for that unsaveable tooth in the back of my mouth. My least fave part of the procedure was the jackhammering in my gum. The easygoing part was watching the victory over Osama bin Laden interspersed with fairytale moments of the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton -- while waiting for the LA to kick in. I guess I should also write down my fave bits: the "you look beautiful!" (isn't she? and I don't mean just the dress) and the supposed-to-be-a-small-family-affair joke ;p.