Oh, boy

So here's an interesting problem that came up in our house the other day. We were at an event and ran into one of Andy's buddies and they decided to have a play date. Great! We love play dates.

The kids played outside in the creek while I worked in the yard next to them and then they played upstairs and downstairs for about an hour. I was around in the house folding laundry and putting things away. I'm downstairs when I hear from upstairs, "Mom! He's trying to kiss me!"

...

That's about what I thought, too. So I casually said to stop that, as if I was telling them to stop fighting, and gave the five minute warning. Convenient since I had just texted with the boy's mom and it was time to go home.

I am sure this isn't a gay thing (not that there's anything wrong with that), but kids being curious. But it's a good lesson on boundaries and leading into private parts and who can('t) see them. And damn, it's a lesson for me, too. Just when I thought it was safe to let kids play alone, they smack me in the face with a reminder why I have to keep watch. Gah. Don't these kids know Downton Abbey isn't going to watch itself?

And we're off

The training wheels came off yesterday. And it's pretty awesome.

He learned how to ride without training wheels at the end of the summer on his older, much smaller bike. But he couldn't get comfortable on this bigger bike. So we put the training wheels on and have been riding a lot lately. I have been asking for weeks (months) if he was ready, but he always said no. So Saturday we met friends who were also ready to take their training wheels off. Something about the peer pressure or the barometric pressure that day because he was ready.

Several people have likened this to potty training, "When they're ready, they're ready." Fortunately, this didn't involve any missteps that included bowel movements in sweaty boys underwear.

Classic

Andy was playing with one of his old toys, a dog that when you touch it, talks back and sings song.

"Ding-a-ling. I see you," says the bear."
"No you don't," says Andy.

Where did this kid get his sarcasm?

Both kids are (fingers crossed) doing better on the new antibiotic. Meg's sinus infection (i.e. goopy eyes) appears better as does her super thick and chunky runny nose. What's left now is a dry cough. It's unclear if that's part of the sinus infection working its way through or something else new and fun.

Andy was a total pill yesterday morning. We met the famous Lizzie G. at the Gap Outlet in Old Town where he proceeded to whine and complain for the entire 1 1/2 hours we were together, even with mint chocolate chip ice cream. He then came home and took a four hour nap so I suppose the kid wasn't quite right after all.

We had a dinner to celebrate Mark being in town where Bjorn made his local favorite sausage risotto for everyone. It was nice to all be together. What's funny is Jennifer is now hinting that her month stay with us may turn into a longer stay and Mark is saying he might be home for the summer. It would be sort of fun having everyone all together although I might have to invest in bunk beds or something for the big kids to share a room. I don't think I could stand one of them sleeping on the couch in the basement as it would make that room off limits until noon most mornings and a mess if we had guests over. The logistics are easy enough though.

I'm in the middle of the fourth Twilight book. Sure, it's crap, but at this point, it's familiar crap. I just wish Bella wasn't such a victim. I haven't quite figured out why everyone in the book loves her so much as it's not like she's out sewing scarves for the homeless or anything. And Jacob -- dang, he seems a whole lot more fun than Edward. Am I alone here?