Monopoly-Mania

• Classic Monopoly game ongoing for over a week in the living room played by Mom, Dad, Alex and Tanner.
• Mario Monopoloy game ongoing for 2 days in the office played by Brett, Alex and Tanner.
• Two boys downstairs playing Wii Monopoly (borrowed from library) now.

 Love it.

My Favorite Guys at My Favorite Place

 

Muskegon State Park - Lake Michigan Campground. Top of the dunes at sunset.
 Annual first weekend of summer vacation camping trip. June 2012. 

Tanner - 9 years old - 3rd Grade Graduate

Alex - 9 years old - 3rd Grade Graduate

"The Wheel of Life"

So this was a fun little game they made up together tonight.  They decided to take key portions of life and assign them a preferred percentage in a 'wheel of life'.  The whole wheel was 110%...I think just to annoy Jim :)  Being lazy - .01%.  Playing with toys - .09%.  Sleeping - 20%.  Eating - 30%.  Exercising - 5%.  You get the idea. 

Eating at 30% was no surprise - I can't keep enough food in this house for them!  Alex - YES I SAID ALEX - polished off a foot long sub from Subway last night! 

I asked them where homework fit in and they said it wasn't on the wheel...just an extra.  Same with reading - which makes no sense because they read incessantly.  Guess what else was thrown into the extra pile / not on the wheel of life - snuggle time with Mom  : (   So unfair!

Lost Without The Other

Alex has been under the weather today.  Fortuante for Alex, he's been sleeping it off most of the day.  Poor Tanner has been without his playmate however and keeps whining, "When is he going to stop sleeping?".  I tried to explain that he doesn't feel well and he should be thankful that he feels well enough to play and have fun.  Tanner's oh-so-compassionate/empathetic response, "WELL, I can hear him SNORING!  He can't be that sick.  He's going to live afterall."

I'll give Tanner a pass for being such a downer today.  At the root of his disappointment is the obvious truth that he is lost without his constant playmate and best friend.  I'm trying to stand in while Alex rests, but clearly I'm no match for the companionship of a twin brother ;)

Banter

Of course while driving (in the snow)...where all the best conversations occur:

Alex:  (big sigh...big smile) I'm just so proud of this snow.  It's being so responsible and turning it into winter.

Tanner:  (curtly and wide eyed)  Not me, I'm very disappointed in it.  I find it frustrating when it doesn't consider how others feel.

Ok guys...it's not a person for heavens sake!  The phrasing is oddly familiar though...my little parrots :)

A Match for Aunt Christy

Tanner announced during dinner at Chili's tonight (breaking a pensive silence at our table of four):

"You know, if John Arbuckle was real, Aunt Christy could marry him.  That would be a good match."

For those who don't immediately recall - John Arbuckle is from the Garfield comics.  :)

Last week, he suggested that she should marry Matthew Stafford.  (Stafford is his favorite pick as of late for match-making, as he's been floating the same balloon to Ashley too)  :)

I asked him why he is always thinking of people for Ashley and Christy to marry but never at match for Uncle Brian?  He quickly responded, "Ok - so Uncle Brian should marry Aunt Christy then!".

Ummm...not such a good idea.  :)  Keep trying buddy...

Winter Break!!!

First of all - it's winter break which means the boys have a 4 day weekend and play dates with 3 of their favorite sitters - Aunt Christy, Ashley and Sara.  I'm getting a little bit of flack that not ALL their favorite sitters have been included in the fun - but there just wasn't any remaining hours to squeeze in a visit from Stacy and Baby Baya  :)

Friday right after work, Jim and Tanner head out to the lakeshore to spend the night on the USS Silversides (submarine) for a Cub Scout overnight. 

That leaves Alex and I for our much anticipated 'Late Night Date Night'  :)  Last time there was a scout trip, our late night date night included browsing at Barnes & Nobles and then a late movie.  This time, we're hitting the bowling alley!

No idea what will be in store for Sat and Sun...while we will have a few intense days of fun behind us...there will be more still to go!  Somehow, I'm sure the hours will be filled up before we know it  :)

Sleepover Does Not Equal Slumber Party

I came home from work last night and the boys friend Stephen was over.  I could here them talking downstairs excitedly trying to plan a sleepover.  No plans - so that works.  At dinner, they started calling it a slumber party - which I corrected stating that for a party they would need more than three kids.  So, they called Aidan to spend the night also - so I will now agree that we are having a slumber party.  :)

Four 8 year old boys...and it's quiet around here.  I think we might be entering those years where parenting boys is much easier than girls :)  No shrieking...no tears...just some low key hanging out.  Dig it.

Harry Potter Progress

The boys and I are reading the Harry Potter books out loud together.  We read the book, then watch the movie.  We are on the 4th book - The Goblet of Fire.  Off to a slow start and it's a LONG book (734 pages).  I want to cheat and read ahead so I can get to better parts...and then feel guilty if I do that.  ARRGHH!

Winter - where are you???

I have two little men that have not been able to sled, build snowmen nor eat their weekly quota of snow.  Alex is not at all happy about this warm weather for sure as winter is his favorite season. 

Only the selfless love of a mother can prompt the following plea...

"Winter, where are you?  Can you please pound us with snow to make my little guys happy?"

Alex's Spiritual Interests

My very black-and-white little guy has been spouting off some very interesting comments as of late. 

One day last week on the way to school:

Alex:  So Max (false name being used for confidentiality purposes) is coaching me about God.  I'm a great learner about God.
Mom:  Oh really?  Well that's nice. 
Alex:  Yup.  I'm going to be an expert about God.
Mom: Well I don't know about that.  There is a lot to learn.
Alex:  (hyperjumps to talking about his teacher)

The drives to school result in the most interesting conversation with Mr AJ.  He takes Adderall every morning and about 45 minutes after he takes it he gets really, really chatty.  It's so amusing.  We call it 'the chatty hour'.  Anyhow, I chalked up the rambling to 'the chatty hour'.  Until a few days later, again on the way to school:

Alex:  When I die, I will be reborn.  I will be an animal.  I love animals.
Mom:  Reborn?  Where did you learn that word?
Alex:  Max told me about that.  When you die, you are reborn.  I guess that must happen in heaven.
Mom:  Well, heaven I understand.  I think great grandpa is in heaven and I want to go to heaven.  But I don't think I will be reborn as an animal in heaven.
Alex:  Well, ok but that's not what Max said.  But there is a lot of golf there, right?
Mom:  In Mom's heaven - not so much golf.  In Dads heaven - there will be plenty.
Alex:  Then I will play golf.  I will just be a person.  But there will be animals there.
Mom:  Ok - sounds like a plan.

Again, funny little conversation - but par for the course during chatty hour  :)  Although I'm starting to wonder what Max's religious affiliation might be with the re-birth references.

Tonight at dinner, Alex is looking out the window at the night sky:

Alex:  There is George Washington, but I'm not sure where great grandpa is.
Tanner:  Yeah, there is George Washington.
Mom:  What are you talking about?  Are you looking at stars?
Alex:  Yeah.  When people die they become stars.
Mom:  Who told you that?  (knowing full well now what the answer will be)
Alex:  Max of course.
Mom:  Of course.  Well, I don't think that people become stars.  I think they go to heaven.
Tanner:  Well, once again, Max lied to you Alex.
Mom:  Not true.  Max believes one thing.  I believe another.  Neither of us are wrong.

Yikes.  These are deep conversations for the little guy.  I'm sure there is so much more going through his head, but I get only bits and pieces.  I need a download feature for his little braincase.  :)   (maybe a programming feature too or deprogramming in this situation)  :)