More "Ethan-isms" to share

As difficult as 3-year-olds can be sometimes, I really do enjoy the little phrases they come up with!! They provide such great entertainment. Ethan has come up with a few good ones lately:

When I asked him to put his sweatshirt away (it has a zip around the hood):
"That's not a sweatshirt, it's a jacket! Cause it has prickles, see?" (pointing to the zip)

Sitting at the dinner table, obviously unimpressed by the offering on his plate:
"I'm so sick of this" (muttered under his breath, with his hand on his forehead)
I freely admit he got this one from me ... and I do the forehead thing because my kids give me such bad headaches!

After draping his new Toy Story yoyo around my neck, pretending it is a necklace:
"You look soooo beautiful, mummy. I love you."

Santa is da bomb!

Phew!! I was getting worred that Ethan would be eternally afraid of Santa Claus.
I thought back to his first Christmas (2002). He was 6 months old. I didn't expect him to like Santa at all, and I was right. So we just ignored the whole thing. Next year (2003), he was 18 months old. My dad dressed up as Santa for our coffee group picnic and Ethan cried buckets. He was totally freaked out!! I stayed away from Santa for the rest of that Christmas season! Last year (2004), he was 2 and 1/2. I thought he would be fine. He wasn't petrified beyond belief like the previous year, but he was still very cautious. At his preschool party he mustered up all his courage to walk up to Santa and get his present, but he would only shake his hand! No hug. I decided not to attempt the "Photo With Santa at the Mall". Waaay too hard.

This year (2005), we had a breakthrough!! Today we went to the preschool party and when Santa called out Ethan's name he walked up confidently and gave Santa the biggest, squeeziest cuddle in the world! He had a big cheesy smile on his face, though Rob and I could tell it was tinged with shyness. Most of the other children were too shy to give hugs, so I didn't expect Ethan to do it! Tyler was more than happy to receive his present from Santa. I knew he would be, he is such a social butterfly and never afraid of strangers. In fact, he would have been fine getting a Santa photo last year (at 3 months of age) but as Ethan was still very wary, I decided not to go there!

So .... the upshot of all this is that finally, after 3 and 1/2 years of being a mummy, I will allow myself to queue for hours at the mall just to get a photo of my kids sitting on Santa's knee! I feel like once I achieve this, I will advance to the next level of Real Motherhood.
Now I just hope both kids will smile nicely for the camera ... stay tuned, I will be sure to post an update when I have the photo in my hot little hand!

Take Home Teddy

Ethan was such a good boy at preschool on Thursday, he was allowed to have Take Home Teddy for the whole weekend! I was sooo proud of him when he walked in and showed me.
[Children at preschool who are very well behaved get to take Take Home Teddy home with them and they write in a special book about all the things they did with teddy while he stayed at their house].

Ethan took teddy to lots of places - Mainly Music, Kindy Gym, the park, beach, McDonald's for dinner, a bus ride with mummy (a big adventure for Ethan, his first time on a real bus), church, Nana's house. He slept in Ethan's bed with his other toys. After the first night, Ethan told us that teddy kept waking him up during the night because he was talking to Ethan's own blue teddy bear! Funny, we never heard any talking or waking up :)

Last night we wrote all about teddy's weekend in the special book, and stuck in a couple of photos. One of teddy in Ethan's bed, and the other of teddy at Kindy Gym (Ethan is helping him walk along the balance beam):















I was just so proud that Ethan had been chosen to have Take Home Teddy. We also had a brief parent-teacher interview with Sarah, Ethan's teacher. She reassured us that he is a lovely, well behaved boy who is a delight to have around. I had been a little concerned about the influence one of the older boys has been having on Ethan, and hoping that Ethan's behaviour hadn't deteriorated as a result. Sarah acknowledged our concerns regarding the other boy, but said that Ethan's behaviour hadn't really suffered. I am taking solace in the fact that the other boy is starting school in a couple of months and Ethan won't be seeing him anymore.

Ethan's language skills are really good (they always have been, even from a very early age) but his fine motor skills do need some work. He can't hold a pencil and doesn't like to draw. He prefers to watch mummy or daddy draw the things he wants to see on the paper! Sarah said that although Ethan needs extending in this area, he is not "slow" by any means. I was relieved to hear that, and pleased that Sarah is going to focus on his writing/drawing skills.
So proud of my little guy right now!! Hope you don't mind me bragging :)

New Mens Magazine

Oh how I like a good laugh.

My husband sometimes reads my blog so I must be careful what I say in this post! However, I do think there may be a couple of other articles in this magazine that haven't been mentioned on the cover. Perhaps the men reading this new magazine would benefit from other topics such as:

Channel Surfing why it is so annoying

Asking for Directions a real-life testimonial

Buying her flowers is not hazardous to your health

Power Tools overcoming your obsession

Farting in Bed you can stop!

How to live with being wrong most of the time

But seriously honey, if you are reading this, don't bother getting a subscription to this magazine. You're perfect just the way you are!

Toddler rules

If it is on, I must turn it off.
If it is off, I must turn it on.
If it is folded, I must unfold it.
If it is a liquid, it must be shaken, then spilled.
If it a solid, it must be crumbled, chewed or smeared.
If it is high, it must be reached.
If it is shelved, it must be unshelved.
If it is pointed, it must be run with at top speed.
If it has leaves, they must be picked.
If it is plugged, it must be unplugged.
If it is not trash, it must be thrown away.
If it is in the trash, it must be removed, inspected, and thrown on the floor.
If it is closed, it must be opened.
If it does not open, it must be screamed at.
If it has drawers, they must be rifled.
If it is a pencil, it must write on the refrigerator, monitor, or table.
If it is full, it will be more interesting emptied.
If it is empty, it will be more interesting full.
If it is a pile of dirt, it must be laid upon.
If it is stroller, it must under no circumstances be ridden in without protest. It must be pushed by me instead.
If it has a flat surface, it must be banged upon.
If Mommy's hands are full, I must be carried.
If Mommy is in a hurry and wants to carry me, I must walk alone.
If it is paper, it must be torn.
If it has buttons, they must be pressed.
If the volume is low, it must go high.
If it is toilet paper, it must be unrolled on the floor.
If it is a drawer, it must be pulled upon.
If it is a toothbrush, it must be inserted into my mouth.
If it has a faucet, it must be turned on at full force.
If it is a phone, I must talk to it.
If it is a bug, it must be swallowed.
If it doesn't stay on my spoon, it must be dropped on the floor.
If it is not food, it must be tasted.
If it IS food, it must not be tasted.
If it is dry, it must be made wet with drool, milk, or toilet water.
If it is a car seat, it must be protested with arched back.

I can't believe I am dealing with this stage again (*sigh*)
It seems like only yesterday that Ethan was a toddler, doing all these things! Time has gone by so quickly. Tyler is only 14 months old but he is a True Toddler. Redheads are supposed to have fiery tempers to match their hair, although anyone who knows Rob won't believe that. However, Tyler has already proven to have quite a nasty temper if he doesn't get his own way! He is usually a very happy boy, but he can quickly change his tune if things aren't going well.
This is just the beginning of a long & bumpy ride, I'm sure! Nevertheless, I'm more than happy to be on board.

My little gymnast!

Check out my little gymnast! I'm so proud of him!



Ethan has been going to Kindy Gym for 5 weeks now, and he absolutely loves it. He was so excited the first week, and when it was over he asked if we could come back tomorrow :)
He warmed up really quickly to the instructor (Lynn), who is really lovely but keeps calling him Nathan. He doesn't even correct her anymore :)
Today I managed to snap a few photos, which is quite difficult because we are supposed to assist our child on each piece of equipment. But now Ethan is a lot more confident, and if he needs help he prefers to get it from Lynn! Never mind, it means I'm able to take a step back and really see how much he is learning.
I think his favourite thing is the bar. Most kids seem to like the trampoline best, but Ethan really loves swinging on the bar and saying "I can do it by myself"... this statement quite obviously aimed at some of the other kids who need more assistance!
He's not terribly good at keeping his legs straight or still when he's asked to, which I think is a pretty important part of doing gynmastics!! LOL. But he usually thinks he is doing it perfectly and will call out "I'm doing it! I'm doing it!" .... and as long as he is happy and enjoying himself, I don't mind at all :)

Hi-5 Space Magic Tour!

Even though we can't really afford it, I decided to take Ethan to the Hi-5 Space Magic Tour in January next year! He's going to be so excited when I tell him (which I won't be able to do for a couple of months yet) .... actually I'm already really excited about it!
Tickets were $25 each (same price for adults and children) so I made an executive decision not to take Tyler, as he is too little to really appreciate it. Apparently those prices are pretty standard for kiddie concerts but I've never been to one so I was a bit shocked! I guess it is reasonable, after all they are coming over from Australia and they are quite famous :)

Hannah needs

Saw this on Crystal’s blog. I thought it was funny, so decided to try it. You go to google, type in your name and the word “needs” and see what comes up.

Hannah needs a hug (Actually, I could do with one right now)
Hannah needs your support!!! (It has been a tough week)
Hannah needs a home and a good daily walk (I’ve got a home, but I definitely need to walk more)
Hannah needs a job (I like the one I’ve got, thanks)
Hannah needs to go into the tunnel and face the prisoner (Hmm, is this a metaphor?)
Hannah needs a little sister (Already have the best little sister in the world)
Hannah needs her vaccinations (How rude! My vaccinations are all up-to-date!)
Hannah needs to develop her personal example some more (Not sure what this means, but it’s probably true)
Hannah needs to tell why the library is no longer there (I didn’t realise it had gone)
Hannah needs so much special attention (Really?)
Hannah needs one of her herbal cures (For what ailment?)
Hannah needs the money (You can say that again!!)
Hannah needs more than ten hours to paint a room (Totally true, just ask Rob)
Hannah needs to be as mobile as possible (Okaaaay, I’ll do my best)
Hannah needs to apply lots of make-up (That’s quite right)
Hannah needs to be distracted (It doesn’t take much these days)
Hannah needs to grow the hell up (A good place to finish, I think)

Toys that play together

I'm working on the computer in the playroom, and Ethan is playing with his toys. I overhear the following conversation and try not to laugh out loud.
By the way, Ethan actually does talk like this. He says "said Shrek" or "said Donkey" after each thing they say.

`Oh, I still love you, Donkey,' said Shrek, `but I'm just so fed up with you!'
[Donkey is subsequently smashed onto the floor]
`I'm fed up with this' said Donkey.
`It would be nice if you were not fed up' said Shrek.
`I know, but I AM fed up' said Donkey.
`But you're not fed up, because you are a boy' said Shrek.
`Where's my monsters?' said Randall [the purple guy from Monsters Inc]
`We're not monsters anymore' said Donkey and Shrek. `We're just Donkey and Shrek.'
`Oh, I thought you were dinosaurs!' said Randall.
`No!' said Shrek.
`Are you talking about my long neck?' said Donkey.
`Why are you growling?' said Shrek.
`I'm growling at YOU' said Randall.
`Oh, I thought you were my friend' said Shrek.
`No, I'm not your friend anymore' said Randall.

He's been playing like this ever since he was 2 years old. I love the way Ethan role plays with his toys, although I do wish they could be nicer to each other... He has no problem with mixing toys up, which is pretty cool. Believe me, Buzz Lightyear, Princess Fiona, Spiderman and Bob the Builder have more in common than you or I ever thought possible!

Reminiscing ...

My friend Katie is at University. She's been there for ages, but she's a genius and when she finishes she will be one of those mad scientists who make amazing discoveries and revolutionise the world. Since reading her blog this morning I've been reminiscing about my student days. Also a Science student, I have fond memories of my time there. I think of that Relient K song "College Kids" and say to myself "How could you be more wrong?"
Hmm, maybe I could change the lyrics slightly ....

And that's why I say Oh no! Not for me, not for me! Call it torture, call it university
No! Arts and crafts is all I need, I'll take calligraphy and then I'll make a fake degree
[And that's why I say Oh yes! Right for me, right for me! Call it pleasure, call it university
Yes! Pharmacology is all I need, I'll study night and day and then I'll earn my own degree]

80 grand later I found out that all that I had learned
Is that you should show up to take your finals and your midterms
[20 grand later I found out that all that I had learned
Would shape my future and make me a wiser person]

Do what will make you happy, do what you feel is right
Only but one thing matters, learn how to live your life
Do what will make God happy, do what you feel is right
Only but one thing matters, learn how to live your life
[I did what made me happy, what I felt was right
Only but one thing matters, I learned how to live my life
I did what made God happy, what I felt was right
Only but one thing matters, I learned how to live my life]