Memorial Day

We went to visit my parents in Oregon over Memorial Day weekend. Here are some random thoughts and facts:

Ella made the 13-hour drive to Oregon without accidents. Or diapers. I tried to buy Pull-Ups "just in case" but Ella threw such a fit at Target about it that I threw caution to the wind, and just took all the panties we own. On the way home, we had a bomb. On the whole, though, she did a good job.

We got to spend the whole weekend with my parents and my brother Barton. Usually he's working, but the one upside to being out of a job in these tough times is that he has lots of time to spend with us - and we loved it.

We love going to the Oregon coast. We love sand, waves, sea lions, and the aquarium.

We saw an eight foot long sturgeon - underwater. If you're ever in the Columbia River Gorge, remember: the Bonneville Dam and fish hatchery are free, and very cool.

Lear threw a fit because he only got one new Transformer a day while at grandma and grandpa's house. When I tried to tell my mom to tone it down, she said, "Tia, it's my job to spoil them, and yours to mediate the effects." Thanks, Mom. 

One of the reasons I left Oregon were springtime allergies. Now, whenever I go back, they gleefully take their revenge. Curse you, pollen!

I have a very cute new nephew. The other two are pretty darned cute, too. I loved watching my kids playing with their cousins. There wasn't even much fighting.

My brother Bronson came with us. He slept for about 97% of the drive - that's about 25 hours total. It's like he has a mutant power or something. Thank God you're here, Narcoleptic Boy!

Lear quote: "I missed Cosy so much it put a tear in my eye." (Cosy is our annoying cat.)

Ella quote, said after a compliment on her cute curls: "Yeah, I look good."

Life Lessons

As almost everyone knows, Lear is obsessed with Transformers. In fact, he is going to see the new Transformers movie with his dad and uncle when it comes out - and this boy is afraid of a long list of other movies half as scary. A few months ago, he declared that he was bored with the toys he already had, and I explained to him that I'm only going to buy him toys for his birthday and Christmas. He added up the months until his birthday (in October) and was very disappointed that he would have to wait that long. So, as parents who are trying really hard to be good parents, we saw an opportunity. 

Cory made a job chart, and Lear had to complete every job every day, and if he did this, at the end of the week, we'd pay him for his work. We priced the Transformers that he wanted, and we worked it out so that he'd have to save for ten weeks to earn enough money. So, for ten weeks, Lear has been cleaning his room and clearing away his dinner dishes (among other things) and faithfully saving his money for his Transformer. Some days he did this more cheerfully than others, but he did it.

Well, today was the day. He's been counting down the days for about five days. This morning, it was the first thing he thought about. He told everyone at preschool about it. Several times. After lunch, I paid him for his last week, and we went to the Red Store (that's what he calls Target). I purposely had him save a little less than what he needed for the toy he's been talking about, so he'd learn about budgeting and saving and stuff. He went straight for Grimlock, a Dinobot for those of you not in the know, but it was $23.00, and Lear only had $19. I thought he'd be all upset, but he simply chose one he could afford, and decided to use his leftover money to save for next time. He got a Cybertron Mode Optimus Prime - the sixth Optimus Prime in his collection.  And he is already planning his next purchase in about ten weeks.

Lear quote, chanted over and over at Target:"I'm getting a Transformer! I'm getting a Transformer!"

Ella quote: "Mommy, I swallowed Sleeping Beauty's pink shoe." She opened her mouth and pointed at her throat. "Get it out!" (This is where I roll my eyes and sigh bitterly.) 

Here's a whopper for you.

Lear has a little problem with Ring Around the Mouth - a little red, irritated ring from licking his lips too much. Somehow, he has inherited this habit from his uncle Bronson, who had a problem with it when he was Lear's age. I've been putting Vaseline on it at night, which helps a lot, but recently I've noticed that it's getting worse. I asked Lear about it, and the conversation went something like this:

Me: "Lear, why are your lips getting worse?"

Lear: "Oh, the stuff you put on it got accidently wiped off."

Me: "Accidently? How did that happen?"

Lear: "Well actually, my finger accidently fell in my cup of water on my night stand, and then I touched it to my nose, but it slipped off and it rubbed around my mouth like this." He rubbed his finger around his mouth, slowly and deliberately, all the way around. "It happened before I could stop it. It was out of my control."

I've started putting the Vaseline on when I go to sleep at night, after Lear's been asleep for a couple hours. It's been getting much better.

Lear quote: "Get away from me, you nasty predator!" Said while playing a game with Papa. Does he even know what a predator is?

Ella quote: "Go away! You NOT my friend anymore!" Let the drama begin!