Bible School, Blast-off, and Buzz Lightyear

We signed up for Vacation Bible School this year. They were too young to go at our church, but Robert's church, Irvington United Methodist Church, had a morning program AND we were able to be in the same class as Kasey and Robert. (I think the four of them made up the class with one other boy.)

Veronica was THRILLED to be going to school. She has been telling me about her school for months. She even said she has a teacher named Ellie. So, when she came home and I asked about school, she told me she had TWO teachers named Ellie. I thought about it and realized that her two youth helpers were Alisa and Ashley... Ellie and Ellie - a dream come true!

Thomas was not so sure about school, but was excited that they spent part of the first (rainy) day riding bikes in the basement. He enjoyed the sunny days on the playground, but was disappointed that they never went back to the bikes. He said he didn't want to go each day, but he never cried and he walked into the classroom before Veronica each day.

The theme was Galactic Blast. They used a lot of solar system and space craft projects. Thomas really enjoyed making his own spaceship. I mentioned one day to Veronica that there were some stars, like she was learning about in school. "No, Mommy," I was quickly corrected. "We are learning about Jesus."

I know they had a good time and were worn out, but I couldn't get them to nap. Except the first day, when Thomas fell asleep about 5pm while coloring. I was making dinner and Veronica alerted me to it, "Mommy, he's not coloring with me anymore!"

They seemed to be picking up on the songs as I heard them singing various, yet consistent, melodies about blasting off and A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. So, we decided to attend the Sunday Service so they could sing the songs with the other kids. When it was time for the program, they both wanted to go up but were too shy. Judson walked them up and they insisted on him staying. What a trooper! He was the only adult up there (besides the teacher).

And a close-up.

Veronica went between hanging on Daddy and turning around to watch the other kids. Thomas had his ears plugged and eyes closed most of the time. They didn't want to leave though. They even stayed through the children's liturgy.

That Friday, Judson took a day off work so he could drop them off at school and pick them up. We had a surprise waiting for them in the car that last day for doing such a good job at school. Jessie, Woody's friend from Toy Story, was sitting in Veronica's seat. Wolverine was in Thomas's and they each had a Bullseye doll. We were hoping that Jessie would give Veronica an in to play Toy Story with Thomas and his Woody and Buzz dolls.

They both fell in love with Jessie. She had a pull-string, just like Woody. She yodels and says Yee-haw! Veronica sang and sang, "I'm a cowboy girl, I'm a cowboy girl." It was so sweet we didn't want to tell her there was an actual word, cowgirl. Thomas played with Jessie too for awhile as we drove to Franklin for a special day off with Daddy to celebrate their "graduation." Veronica continued her song until she heard Thomas make Jessie talk, "I'm a cowgirl!" Veronica then adopted the word for herself.

In Franklin, we ate at Pizza King Station where the model train brought our drinks. We topped it off with some Ritter's Custard and went home to play Toy Story. Veronica and Thomas ran through the yard with Woody and Jessie on their backs.

(picture to come - it was destroyed)

On Sunday, after the VBS program, we took Woody and Jessie along for the twins' first official movie theater experience.... Toy Story 3! Veronica was excited, and a little fidgety, but truly enjoyed it. Thomas was enthralled. He barely moved. When Veronica tried to offer him a fruit snack or sucker, he pushed it away, never taking his eyes off the screen. Judson and I, we laughed... and cried. There were scary parts that didn't seem to bother the kids. The only scared reaction we got was after the movie ended - when the reel made a popping noise at the end of the filmstrip. Thomas cried. Who knew a movie could wear you out so? They both fell asleep on the way home.

Wordful Wednesday

Veronica

• Overheard while coloring: "Thomas, you're the littlest, so you don't know how to scribble. Like this. LIKE THIS!"
• "Mommy, I'm not growing anymore." Yes you are, Veronica. "But my tummy's not getting bigger like yours."
• "Camote Control" = remote control
• "Mommy, you're my best."

Thomas

• Judson showed Thomas a picture of the Pope at church. When I met up with them, Thomas had to show me this amazing person: "Look, Mommy. It's the Poker. He's a good guy. He pokes the bad guys... like the Joker, he's a bad guy; and Cat Woman; and the Penguin..."
• Thomas was hovering over Veronica and then gently poked her on the nose, saying, "Mommy, she's beautiful."
  


• Judson showed Thomas a picture of the Pope one day in church. Thomas had to point out this amazing person to me: "Look, Mommy. That's the Poker. He's a good guy. He pokes the bad guys like the Penguin; the Joker, he's a bad guy; and Cat Woman...."

Fabulous Fathers, Fabulous Day

I am so thankful we have so many fathers in our lives who have shown us, given us, and taught us about love.

We started the morning by making cards for the grandfathers. Veronica specifically wanted Calliou cards for her grandfathers. She colored them beautifully. I folded them up and asked her to sign them. "I already did," she answered, and turned the card over to show me this...

Now, we've worked on 'V' and a few other capital letters, but never her whole name. Is it just me, or do you see this too?

We traveled south and started the day visiting Pa and Veronica's Godfather, Uncle Danny, showed up too. This was wonderful! Thomas was so thrilled to show Danny his Spiderman and Superman figures - he even found an old Batman figure of Danny's to borrow. Veronica had to fill everyone in on her big girl bed.

All this diversion for the kids was wonderful because I got to go to Mass with the father of my children. I got to sit close to him and hold his hand and just feel his presence while we participated in the service. He's such a good, loving, hands-on dad, that we don't get to sit that close that often. It was lovely.

Next we headed to Mama and Daddy Gayle's, where we had, in Thomas's words, "So much fun!"

On the way home, this wonderful Daddy did something that reminded me of my Daddy. He made up an amazing, detailed, fun story to entertain the kids. Just because they asked. It started with Thomas requesting all sorts of crazy stories and I was doing my best, but I was tiring, as was my voice. Judson took over and told an elaborate library caper involving Peter Parker, Bruce Wayne, Spiderman, Batman, Thomas the Train, and Doctor Doom. Thomas did not want it to end. His expressions during the story were priceless. Veronica was very interested in it... for the first 20 minutes, but then was ready for it to be over. At that point, she talked Daddy in to reaching back to hold her hand.

Bittersweet

I don't think I ever fully understood the word "bittersweet" until tonight.

I woke up thinking about the neighborhood rummage sale and decided I may as well throw a bunch of kids' stuff out there. So, I asked Judson to take down Veronica's crib to set out for the shoppers. (I had the idea in my brain for days before and think that's why I was suddenly tearful the day leading up to this.) The grown-ups cried off and on during the process, but the little girl who always says, "I'm bigger," well she was excited.

I know, I know. They are three and a half. Most of their peers have been out of cribs for a long time. I thought I was postponing it for the convenience. They can climb out, of course, and they are quite skilled at climbing out. However, they don't do it (usually) unless I tell them it's time to get out of bed. Why would I give that up???? I decided that we needed to accept the next step. I mean, Veronica's pretty much potty trained (except for nighttime) and she is so proud of all the things she can do as a big girl. She has been asking when she'll get this "big girl bed."

Veronica could not wait through the day. She questioned us at least every 10 minutes as to when we would set up her big girl bed. Well, with the yard sale, it wasn't going to happen that fast. She was patient, but she wanted to know.

Finally, we got the yard sale cleaned up. The first task was to convert Thomas's crib to a toddler bed. (We wanted to utilize the extra space of the missing crib to do our handiwork.) Thomas came in while Judson was working on it and I was out of the room grabbing a tool. I heard an indignant Thomas across the house, "WHAT are you DOING TO MY BED?!!!" Judson explained and I heard a pleasant, "Oh, OK."

Then we were finally ready to bring Veronica's bed in. Thanks to Amy and Brad we had a toddler bed ready to go for her. It was so nice to have it because we likely would not have invested in a toddler bed, but two twin beds would not fit in their little room. We weren't ready to move rooms or decide to split them up!

As soon as the sheets were on the bed, Veronica was ready for bed for the night (at 5 pm or earlier). Thomas admitted he wanted a rest. He had dived onto his bed before we put the guard rail up, so we had to show him how to get in it around the rail. Veronica was more than happy to oblige. "Look Thomas, watch how I do it." They practiced over and over going from sitting on the edge of the bed to laying down.

We told them the "rules" of the big beds: no jumping, books go in the basket beside the bed when done reading (as opposed to the 20-30 (seriously) books we would find in each of their beds when we changed the sheets), and that they have to stay in their beds during rest time and bed time. We let them "take a rest" while we listened in on the monitor.

They took turns asking each other to "Watch my kids, please." The other was happy to assist each time.

We heard a lot of giggles, and then "Want me to tuck you in, Thomas?"

T: "I want Daddy."

This interaction repeated several times, until {pitter patter back to her bed}... "DADDEEEEEE, Thomas NEEEEEEEEEEEEDS YOU!!!"

We've come a long way from the kids who could share a bassinet to the "big kid beds." I want to freeze time and savor these moments forever, but I love every new step as well. Now, I think I fully understand the word bittersweet.

Thomas at 3-1/2 Years Old

Thomas lives in a world of imagination. Sometimes it's hard to draw him out of it. You can hear him mumbling and catch a few words to discover what world he's in. He often doesn't know we are even here. It's amazing what he catches onto and then runs with. He repeats books, movies, funny things he sees others do – and then embellishes it for his own entertainment. Don't get me wrong, he's not always in his own world, he's good at involving others to play in that world too.

He is intrigued by superheroes: who turns into what superhero, who are the bad guys and the good guys, are they friends? He likes to play superheroes – and he even likes to fight the bad guys.

He's very interested in reading. He likes to figure out what a word starts with when he hears it. He's also been successful in sounding out a few words like banana and dad. When he reads to himself, you can hear him "sounding out words" and adding a lot of sound effects. Of course, any word that starts with T automatically spells Thomas. And speaking of the name Thomas, he believes that he and Thomas the Tank Engine are one in the same. If he sees Thomas the Train, he'll say, "That's me!" The other day I heard him tell Grandma, "When I was a little train, I used to carry passenger cars."

He is loving and overly affectionate. I hear, "I love you, mamma" often as I receive kiss after kiss after kiss after kiss…

Here are some of Thomas's favorites in his own words…

Thomas, what's your favorite color? blue

What's your favorite song? Spiderman

Who's your favorite super hero? Batman. Can you write Batman's name? B-b-b- batman. He starts with b!

What's your favorite book? Batman and Superman

What's your favorite food? Hard boiled eggs (that's what he ate last)

What's your favorite thing to do outside? Play

What's your favorite thing to do inside? I don't know… play

Who's your best friend? Buzz

What's your favorite thing to have for breakfast? Cereal

What's your favorite game? I Spy (I don't know if we've ever played this.)

What's your favorite car? Lightning (McQueen)

What's your favorite movie? Lightning

What's your favorite animal? Monkeys

How do you spell your name? tsms

What's your favorite store? Target

What's your favorite restaurant? Old MacDonald's

What do you like to eat there? Chicken

Veronica at 3-1/2 Years Old

Veronica's imagination is all about being a big person. She helps me in the kitchen, pours milk into her cup, and sets the table. She tells me all the time what she has at "her house." Apparently, it's around the block, has five beds, a mom, dad, and a grandson. Her neighbor is Jason. Oh, and she also "goes to school." Her teacher's name is Ellie.

She is enthralled with shoes. She sees a picture in a book and asks me if she "can have shoes like that when I'm bigger?"

She LOVES babies. She has their walk, talk and actions down – she likes to pretend she's a baby. Other times, she's the Mommy – and she has that down too. She packs a bag when we go places with her dolls. She has a baby carrier that she even makes rear-facing when we ride in the car. If we are near friends who have babies, she is very interested in giving them their pacifiers.

She likes to go out and about. Shopping, visiting friends, whatever… she likes to be on the move. She is very sweet-natured. She talks sweetly to her friends when she wants to encourage them or ask them if they'd like to do something.

She thinks of others, always maing sure there is enough for everyone. She gives HUGE hugs and gorgeous smiles. Oh, and she can wink now.

She loves to "read." She holds her babies and reads to them, often adding things like, "she said." She also makes up words for her stories.

She likes to send people letters snail mail or email!

Below are some of Veronica's favorite things, in her own words…

Veronica, what's your favorite color? pink

What's your favorite song? Um, alligators. No! Butterflies. No! I want Mamak to sing. She's a little distracted. We did this with Grandma visiting.

What's your favorite book? Mmm… George. George. George! (She's been reading a Curious George Alphabet book a lot lately)

What's your favorite food? Cake

What's your favorite thing to do inside? In my school? Um, work. I work there.

What's your favorite thing to do outside? Play

Who's your best friend? Mamak and Thomas, and you

What's your favorite thing to have for breakfast? Betchables. I like green food. (Green food - totally from the book Pinkerella)

What's your favorite game? Letters. You know how to spell, play in the backyard at my school. I'll show you how to do it.

What's your favorite car? Whoosh doors. It's pink, Mom.

What's your favorite movie? Cars

What's your favorite store? Park store

What do you buy there? Toys

What's your favorite thing to wear? Cinderella

What's favorite toy? Holds up the toy she is currently holding, that she NEVER plays with. Woody

What's your favorite restaurant? The wholebit. It has pizza and it starts with a F

What's your favorite animal? Elephants and giraffeses

How do you spell your name? V…o… I don't spell it. Can I write your name, Mommy?

The following is typed by Veronica…
Mommy

Wordful Wednesday

Veronica:

• Sitting in a chair, reading a book: "Omenation... Do you know what that means? A bunch of planes." what a great little teacher!
  
• V: "What's wrong with Thomas, Mommy?"; Me: "Oh, he's just grumpy." V: "HEY, OLD MAN!!!"
  
• V: "Mom, when I get bigger, can I drive?" Me: "Do you know how old you have to be to drive? Sixte-" V: "No, Mom. When I eat all the stuff, I will get bigger and bigger. Then I can drive."
  
• For months, V's been asking why I'm her Mommy. I just tell her that God made her for me. Today she corrected me, "No, Mommy. I painted you and God made you." She may very well be right.
  
• V: "I'm not getting bigger anymore." Me: " Yes, you are." V: "No, my tummy's not bigger yet, so I'm not grown up." Guess I need to work on that diet.
  
• V talking on the *phone*: "No, not at all. She said it. I don't know why."
  
• V: "Will it snow soon so we can build a snowman?"; Me: "Not for a long time. It's spring now, and..." T: " It will be in 5 minutes!"
  

Thomas:

• T's sticking cereal in his belly button to prove that his food goes to his belly.
• That's "durrfent." (different)
  
• To almost anyone who will listen… "Does anyone know who turns into Superman? Clark Kent." Or "Does anyone know who turns into Spiderman? Peter Parker."
  
• He likes learning thing and sharing the fact that he learned it. This is a common phrase: "I didn't know that yesterday, but I know it today."
  
• You'll hear him, throughout the day, quoting just about any video or book he's seen/read. Even if he's only seen it once.
  
• "Mommy, I want you to be a boy."
  

Both:
"I'm big."