Riding in a Car with an Obstinate Preschooler, Ad Nauseum

A few days ago, Joel and I had an errand we needed to run which involved a thirty-minute drive to the nearest city. The kids were happy to tag along and were pretty good. On the ride home, though, Mr. Tired-and-cranky Everett decided that the world was his enemy. Want to know how we figured that one out? Read on.

Everett, after finding out that he was not going to get out of the car as soon as he pleased, looked down at his navy blue athletic shorts (the ones he had painstakingly selected to match his navy blue shirt) and scowled.

"I not like this stripe, Mommy. I not like the red and white stripe. I not want these shorts. I want my other shorts, my shorts like Jack's."

"Everett," I said with a laugh, "Are we home?"

"No."

"Well, then we can't get your other shorts, can we?"

Everett's scowl quickly ballooned into outright frustration.

"I want to go to our new home NOW!"

"Everett, we're going as fast as we can. You just have to wait."

"I WANT TO GO NOOOWWWW!" Everett's yells pierced our ears and tested our patience.

"Well, we can't."

Everett stuck his chin out and looked out the window, his bright red ears clearly displaying his growing anger.

"Well, I want to go to that white house right there!" Everett pointed to a warehouse of some sort that was situated far out in a field.

"Everett, that's not a house."

"Ye-es, it is."

"Everett, I promise it isn't."

"YES, it IS!!!"

I rolled my eyes.

"Why is it not a house?" Everett asked willfully.

"Because. It is for things, not people." My answer wasn't very specific but Everett was temporarily mollified.

As Everett took in more of his surroundings, we passed a bunch of fields filled with tall, waving grass.

"I want to bring some grass in the car so I can throw it up and make it be snowing." Everett gets the funniest ideas sometimes.

"Sorry, Everett,"I said, knowing I was only feeding into the next explosion, "we can't get any grass right now."

"I want it to be snowing NOW!!!!"

"Well, sorry. It can't be snowing now."

"Whyyyyyyy?"

"It's summer. It doesn't snow in the summer."

"I NOT WANT IT TO BE SUMMER!" Everett just couldn't get any satisfactory answers out of us, no matter how hard he tried.

Joel and I sighed and ignored him.

Everett glared at us and said spitefully, "I want to play in the snow NOW, ALL BY MYSELF!"

Joel and I snickered to each other.

"Everett, that is impossible." Joel's voice glinted with amusement.

"No, Papa, it not impossible," Everett argued back stubbornly.

"Yes it is." Sometimes Joel just doesn't know when to quit.

"No, it isn't! It not IMPOSSIBLE. PAPA! It NOT IMPOSSIBLE!" Everett's yells reverberated and magnified around our car's interior, and made our ears ring in protestation.

Everett's clumsy anger was pretty funny, so of course we did the rational thing: we laughed. We laughed pretty hard. And with each laugh, Everett turned a deeper shade of red and his face scrunched up more intensely.

Poor Everett. He was fighting hard, but it was too late now that Joel had found a good way to keep him riled.

"NO! Stop that, PAPA! STOP THAT!"

"Hah, hah, hah." Joel's laughs were fake but no less infuriating to this particular three-year-old. "Hah Hah Hah!"

"PAPAAAAAA!" STOOOOOP THAAAAAAT NOOOOW!" Everett was about to burst, I think. At least I was pretty sure there was no possible way he could be yelling any louder.

"Stop that!" Ashley yelled happily from her car seat, wanting to join in on the fun but missing the punchline.

Everett must have given up, because the next few minutes passed with a stony silence flowing from Everett's direction and a pleasant silence issuing from ours. Yes, we eventually got home and yes, he got to wear his favored "shorts like Jack's." But no matter how hard he tried and how much he wished it, Everett still could not get it to snow.

Our New Home--Pictures

I've had quite a few requests to see pictures of our fancy new digs.

Well, okay. Our house really isn't that fancy. It isn't that big. And, it isn't that well-decorated.

But we're happy here and I think it will be a really good place for us until we find our home to actually buy.

This is the master bedroom:

It's not that big, considering that we have a king-sized bed, but it fits everything we need. The closet is actually pretty roomy because it goes all the way along the inside of that wall you see next to it. We have wall-unit air conditioners, which I am fine with because the upstairs one is in our room.

Everett's room:

Everett is very proud of his new bed. Every morning, completely of his own volition, he asks for help in making it. I know this will wear off soon, but it makes me happy that he takes such care with it. (Sometime soon we'll get him a bed frame, but it works just fine until then.)

Across from his bed and below the window is a book shelf. All of Everett's clothes and the kids' toys (except the ones in the blue bucket) are in his closet.

Those bags you see hanging there used to be hanging from pegs on a shelf we have. We are not allowed to use anything larger than "small nails" to hang things with here, and that shelf needs more than that, so I had to think of an alternative. I have to help Everett and Ashley get the toys down from their hangers, but it keeps his room more organized this way.

Also, I'm refinishing that dresser, which is why the top is missing.

Ashley/William's room:

It's pretty simple. Just their beds and dresser. However, I'm going to switch the beds around because when William starts pulling up I don't want him to be so close to the window blinds.

Closet:

We've done some fancy things to this closet, including a disorganized pile of stuffed animals and some empty boxes.

Nice, huh?

Bathroom:

Not much to explain here. I'm losing what feels like all my hair again (happens after every baby) so usually all the surfaces in there are covered with hair. Luckily for you, I gave the bathroom a good cleaning yesterday. Also, the only bathroom is upstairs, which can be annoying when Everett insists that he needs help going to the bathroom (he really can do it by himself) or when someone needs their nose wiped (always).

Plenty of storage. That's the best thing. Plenty of storage. (Our last bathroom had zero storage.)

Downstairs: the Kitchen

Not quite as much storage as my last two kitchens, but it is made up for with the pantry. I've never had a pantry before! The washer and dryer are in a closet right there by the refrigerator. It isn't so bad to have them in the kitchen, although it doesn't help with my general reluctance to get those clothes folded and put away.

Other side:

Had I zoomed in closer, you would have seen the hand prints and smudges on the table I can never catch up with. All of our pictures are still wrapped in towels on the other side of the table. Maybe we'll just keep them that way until we move again.

Living Room

I saved the best for last!

Just kidding. This room hasn't been put together yet. Nothing, except the couch, is where it will probably end up. We have to get another cheap-o bookshelf at Walmart, and then we'll empty out our last boxes of books and fill them up. The bookshelf that is up right now is filled with random junk that just needs to go away.

Other view. Fancy, no? Everett can open the deadbolt to this door. He knows that he gets put into a very long time out if he goes outside without asking, but he still does so at least once a day. I need to come up with a better punishment/incentive.

Well, that's about it. It's not very big but we don't have very much stuff so it suits us fine. It is quiet around here and we can walk to just about anything we need to. Fun!

Everett-isms

On Sunday I was talking to a friend of mine after Relief Society when we were interrupted by the fire alarm. We chatted for a few more seconds until she mentioned that she'd better go check on her boys. Her son, she said with a loving sigh, was probably the one who did it. I asked if he had pulled the alarm before, and she said that he hadn't--but it sounded like something he was likely to do. I smiled and went to find my own family members, who were already outside. As soon as Joel saw me, he said "Guess what Everett just did?"

Given the context of the situation I didn't really need to guess. Yes, that's right. Everett was the one who pulled the fire alarm at church. (That's about how my entire weekend went. How was yours?) The bad thing is that he didn't have better timing. I could have gotten out of Sunday School!

Today we bought Everett a new bed off craigslist (I know what you're thinking--don't worry. It had only been used by one little girl with a waterproof pad, and was an absolute steal.) I didn't feel like telling the aging man and his daughter who dropped it off--and who mentioned some back problems--to carry it up our stairs, especially since they delivered it for free, so he set it down in the living room. I figured I would just wait until Joel got home and ask him to carry it up then.

But later I walked by that bed and decided that I didn't need to wait for anyone to help me. It isn't that heavy; it's just a twin mattress!

I looked at Everett and said, "I think I'm going to carry your bed upstairs. Do you think I can do it?"

"No mommy," he replied soberly, "I think you need somebody to help you."

I laughed and told him I was going to do it anyway. Everett's eyes lit up suddenly and eagerly.

"Mommy!" he said, "I can help you! I can do it because I'm very strong!" His clenched fists shook as he enunciated this statement with a guttural growl. I told him that he certainly was very strong and that yes, he could help me. Satisfied, he went over and grabbed the other side of the mattress.

"You know what, Everett? I'm strong, too. We can do it." I want Everett to think I'm strong and capable for as long as possible before he wisens up.

We carried that bed up the stairs together, and it was pretty easy. I brought it up quickly so Everett had to let go and follow a few paces behind me rather than hold the mattress. I didn't want to risk it falling on him.

"Are you helping me, Everett?" I asked with a laugh.

"No, Mommy!" he answered honestly. "I'm trying to but you're going too fast!"

Once we got the bed set up, he was so excited about it he wouldn't let anyone touch it. I resorted to turning a TV show on for him while I got his room organized. When Everett came back in a few minutes later, he was very displeased to see the items I had thrown on his bed in my organizational jumble.

"Moooooommmmmyyyyyy! You're making a mess!" He exclaimed woundedly. He began to throw everything off the bed. "You can't put all this stuff on my bed, Mommy. That's my bed! It's not your bed." He shook his head and glowered at me.

When Ashley came in later to play, she was very excited to see Everett's new bed. Unfortunately Everett was not excited to share it with her--at least not if it meant she looked at, touched, breathed on, or had too much enthusiasm about this very special bed that was decidedly not hers to admire. Once I cleared up the confusion that was Everett's stubbornness, organizing went underway and I was able to start getting things done.

Apparently Everett decided that it would be more fun to have Ashley as a playmate than to be alone with a non-interactive bed, because he adopted his commanding older-brother tone as he asked her to help him pile all the stuffed animals on the floor so they could jump on them from the bed.

"Okay," Ashley replied compliantly. She always replies compliantly when he is bossing her around, unless this means he is taking something that is hers. Then she erupts in an eardrum-bursting squeal.

Fortunately for my nerves (and my vocal cords), they played peacefully for the next while so I had an organized room and a pile of empty boxes to show for my time.

Seeing that it was getting time to throw dinner in the oven, I brought the kids down to the kitchen with me. I had to douse colossal melt-down after colossal melt-down from Everett for a while until he finally was inconsolable and buried his tear-flooded face in his arms. I offered to hold him, but he just ran away and threw himself on the floor in an emotional heap. I walked over, picked him up, and held him tightly as he thrashed for a few seconds, then waited until he relaxed and rested his soggy face on my shoulder.

"Everett," I asked, "Why are you so sad today?"

He looked up at me, his eyes so wet he had to blink several times before he could even see, and said tremblingly, "I sad because I want a friend to play with."

I felt sad for him, too. Change is not easy for Everett, so I have to prepare him in advance for whatever is going to happen in order to eliminate the surprise factor. Fortunately there is a little boy at church Everett has hit it off with, so I think we'll have him over to play tomorrow.

I am glad in many ways that Everett is still a little boy and needs my help with almost everything. He has a really tender side and I am interested in seeing how this will develop as he gets older, but I think I will always miss the days when a cuddle can fix everything.

Proud Parenting Moment #437

The other day when we were all playing on the patio, Everett announced that he had a little problem.

Our solution? Well, let's just say it wasn't one of our shining moments as parents. The bright side is, at least we got it all on video! (As long as our kids don't use it as incriminating evidence, that is.)

(password: potty)

(sorry that the camera work is a little crazy.)

New House Part One: The Patio

Well, we're not really in a house. We're renting a little town home for a while until we find a house we want to buy. But for some reason we use house synonymously with home. Either way, the kids love it, which is good because it's not as though they get a say in where we live.

I think one of their favorite parts of the house is our private patio. There is no fence, so I have to watch them pretty carefully, but they can do all sorts of fun things out back. We're not allowed to have a swimming pool, but we have gotten around that by filling buckets up with water and giving the kids sponges to play with.

I didn't realize when I bought this swimsuit for Ashley that the back hole was so big. It's too bad, too, although seeing two inches of diaper is definitely a nice look. The only nice thing is that the straps can't fall off her shoulder like in her old suit.

Chalk and sponges + water = hours of entertainment.

Everett enjoyed making colorful "rivers" of water by rubbing chalk in the cement crack water.

(I have to tighten up the shoulder straps, too.)

This is Joel after I threatened to get him wet. I'm putting this up because this is such a classic Joel-won't-go-down-without-a-fight look.

This is a video explaining why I'm still the kids' favorite. It's only a few seconds long, but it shows what most people already have seen from Joel any time there is water involved.

(password: mean)

I think he gets some sort of strange satisfaction from making them cry, but he does make me look like the benevolent one, and the best thing is, the kids never notice that I'm laughing at them along the way.

A Little Bit About William

I was recently asked for some updated pictures of William. He was in a good mood this afternoon so I took a few snapshots.

What a wonderful baby! William's fussiness disappeared around his six-week mark. I think he had trouble with gas because his intestines were a little immature, because I can't think of anything I'm doing differently now. He is pleasant and coos all day long to whoever wants to talk to him.

Although I think he mostly just resembles himself, he does look quite a bit like Ashley did.

Here are some comparison shots just for fun:

(Ashley at 6 weeks; Everett at 2.5 months)

William smiles very easily. Whenever he is not sleeping, he is smiling and cooing.

Whenever he is not sleeping deeply or smiling or cooing, he is sucking his thumb!

. . .and then he goes right back to smiling.

Everett loves William. He tells me so at least ten times a day (If I'm being nice to Everett, he will tell me he loves me, too). Everett also likes to have William snuggle with him for a minute before Everett goes to sleep. And you know what? I think William really loves Everett, too. He is always happy to see Everett near him.

When it is time for William to go to sleep, all I have to do is swaddle him with his favored arm up, and he'll settle down and sleep for the entire night.

I don't know how I got so lucky. I take no credit for this. I certainly didn't do anything in particular to get it to happen except for always laying him down while he was still awake. William started sleeping a good 10-11 hours a night about the same time he learned how to suck his thumb on purpose. Everett and Ashley didn't sleep through the night this early, that is for sure. But, I am definitely not complaining because all this sleeping started happening right around the time we had to start scrambling to pack up and move!

And, because I am a mother who loves her baby, I'm posting a video. Nothing really happens, but if you're a Grandma, Grandpa, or someone who wants to see William in action, here he is:

(password: cooing)

We're Here, and Yes, We're Alive!

We currently do not have internet at our house (hopefully this will be remedied by tomorrow morning), so I left the kids with Joel so I can steal away for a few minutes at the library. Obviously I can't post pictures since I'm not using our computer. . .but hopefully I can post some tomorrow.

Here's a summary of our week:

Thursday:
Loaded up the truck thanks to some friends from our South Bend ward.
Last-minute cleaning.
Last night in sleeping bags on the floor (wahoo!).


Friday:
Drove the five hours to Muscatine: ate too much candy.
Disabled the front passenger airbag in the truck so Everett could ride with Joel and so I wouldn't turn into a madwoman.
Everett was thrilled; every time we asked him to get back in the car, he reminded us that it was a truck, not a car.
My car was the quiet one; William slept and Ashley slept or sucked on her pacifier (I made an exception for the car trip because I couldn't reach her very well).
Arrived in beautiful, green, well-kept Muscatine.
Approved of our new house.
Went to Wal-mart with the kids.
Joel unloaded by himself, even though he told me he wouldn't/wasn't every time I called him.
Many, many Muscatine ward members showed up to help us move in, some from quite a ways out of town.
Too bad there were only a few things left! However, we all enjoyed popsicles together.

Saturday:
Went to a barbeque at a ward member's house.
Everett and Ashley liked: the chickens, the four wheelers and dirtbikes, the outdoor toys, the food, and the "grandpas" who gave them plenty of attention.
I liked: the friends we made and the people who wanted to hold William all night.
Joel liked: showing his mad skillz while playing volleyball.

Church on Sunday was wonderful. Everyone was friendly and we got to know a few more faces.

Monday:
We enjoyed Memorial Day with the annual ward barbeque at a local park.
The kids enjoyed burying themselves in dirt in between eating sno-cones.
Joel enjoyed playing football and earned the nickname "sticky fingers."
Memorial breakfast for dinner: whole wheat blueberry pancakes, homemade syrup, and plenty of bacon to keep Joel happy and to counteract the healthy pancakes.

Tuesday:
Walked to a huge playground and hit the grocery store on the way home for some fresh fruit.
Finished setting up house, minus a few things we still need to purchase.
Went to the ward softball game against the New Era church's team. We lost. Terribly. However, Joel grew his good athletic reputation.
The softball complex here has sixteen immaculate fields, all of which were in use. There is another game on Thursday. Hopefully we won't lose this time!

Wednesday:
Joined the library.
Kids enjoyed the train tables, giant stackable floor pillows for climbing, castle and barn house house, rocking horse, giant teddy bear, etc.
I enjoyed getting some books.
And the internet.


That's that. We'll get some pictures up here tomorrow. Just wanted to let you all know that we're moved in, alive, and loving it here. Thanks for all your support!