Chuckie

I was sleeping soundly last night, as soundly as you can with a small child lying on your chest. I was awakened suddenly by a small fist pounding my arm. I held onto his arms and tried to calm him down. He then opened his mouth wide and started to moving to my arm to bite me. In a panic, I sat up and asked Greg to help me.. actually it went like this, "Greg, wake up, I need your help, Owen is attacking me!". Owen started crying and said that he was awake and then started sobbing, all the while still sleeping. I hugged him tight and he finally settled down. I set him quietly back in the middle of our bed and watched him sleep, wondering and worrying that he would suddenly attack again, wondering and worrying that I was the star of the Return of Chuckie. Perhaps tonight I will let him sleep a little closer to Greg.

Mother's Day

Owen was so happy to give me my Mother's Day gift that he painted. I was so excited to see the painted snake. He came upstairs and told me Happy Mommie's Day!! He opened the bag and pulled out the snake. A perfectly painted, green snake. "Um, Greg, wow, I didn't know Owen was a professional painter at the age of 2". Greg says, "well, he painted it at first, but he only put on a few strokes and then he was done". Jen says, "that would have been ok". I love you dearly Greg. I love that you tried to give me a great Mother's Day present from Owen. I love that you painted me a snake for Mother's Day.



Owen added his own touch to my snake later that morning. He wouldn't stop carrying it around. I had just got out of the shower and he asked me where his snake was. I told him it was in the bathroom downstairs. He left. I ran downstairs after him to find him at the bottom of the stairs carrying it up to me in pieces. We glued it together. My dear perfectly painted snake is missing a small piece but now I love it even more!

The Start of Summer

We ended music class and school this week. Owen's music teacher took a picture of the class and gave it to the kids. Owen has spent countless amounts of time studying the picture. He informed me that he really likes a little girl in the class, Mattea. In fact, he pointed to her and let me know that he really loves her. Oh, my future holds so many long nights, I can see it now.

We had a nice time with Greg's mom this past week. She was able to come up for a visit. I am sure she misses her little sidekick following her around saying over and over again, "watch mamma Jayne, watch mamma Jayne, mamma Jayne look". He wanted to show her anything and everything. He showed her how he jumps, how he walks, how he plays with his toys, how he jumps on the bed, how he plays with daddy, how he holds the cat, how he drinks, how he eats. Absolutely EVERYTHING. She is a wonderful grandma to him and proved this when she rode with him on the lawnmower only hours after arriving at our house. She also watched Owen one night while Greg and I went to a meeting for Owen's preschool. I don't think I have seen her look quite so exhausted in such a short amount of time. ... Jayne, thanks so much for taking the time to come up and visit, Owen adores you and we miss you!! It was nice to have some time together and we are already looking forward to your next visit!

My dad was teasing Owen the other day and telling him he wasn't his grandpa, but that he was his Grandma Jayne. Owen calmly started to call him Grandpa Jayne.

I did not put Owen in these pants, they were Robee's (my little brother) and Kristi gave them to me (yes, Kristi, it is true). Owen picked out the pants himself.

We realized today that fair season is kicking off this weekend. My family loves fairs and festivals. We have the University Festival this weekend, Folk Life next weekend and the Pike Place Fair the weekend after. This is just the beginning. Hooray for fairs!! Angie and I are going to make a schedule and distribute it to everyone so we can be well prepared for the upcoming events!!

Hooray for summer!

Still Alive

I made it, the week is over and somehow I am still alive. I am still alive after teaching the yoga class by myself. I am still alive after the day I had with Owen. I am still alive after my first board meeting for Owen's preschool. I am still alive after worrying about Owen's lost boots. I am still alive after highlighting my hair. I made it and the week is over.

Each week I try harder and harder to practice what I preach and be present in my life, attempting to live each day with a profound awareness of my thoughts and action. I do my best, yet each week I find the all too common question falling off my tongue, "how did it get to be Friday!". Where was I as the sun came up and passed effortlessly through the sky. Then I realize, I was here...... cleaning up after Owen.
The story that the pictures fail to tell is that this mess occurred after he dumped out thousands of paper clips in my office and showered himself and the floor with them, that this mess occurred after he took a key and threw it in the computer server and destroyed the fan causing the fan to make a horrible sound and leaving me no choice but to tell my dad what happened, that this mess occurred with an extremely stinky diaper, that this mess and all of the previously listed events occurred in about 7 minutes.

The pictures also fail to tell the story of Ben and Owen's altercation. Owen runs in my office which is still covered in paper clips, and says "excuse me mommy, excuse me mommy" (I am on the phone and so he uses his softest loud voice he knows how to use), "ben be reawy mean to owen". And then he runs away (back to ben of course). Then I hear Ben yelling, "Owen, what are you doing, stop that right now, why would you do that. Owen!!!". I cannot contain myself, the shear chaos has me laughing so hard - clearly not helping anyone. Ben is doing what he can to sweep up the mess before we vacuum, as he sweeps the little shred pieces into a pile, Owen picks up the pile and showers himself with shredded paper. Ben was not be beat. He is now pushing Owen away with the broom. Owen is wildly picking up the pieces and throwing them with all his might. Owen picks up handfuls of the pieces and starts to run around the office making little piles. Ben is yelling for him to get back in the office with the paper and to stop that right now. I am laughing. Owen sits on the floor and Ben pins him to the floor with the broom. Owen's face is on the floor and he is being held down by the broom. I am still laughing so hard. I finally stop laughing and distract Owen enough to allow the room to be cleaned. Then in his most stern voice he has, Ben comes out and closes the door and instructs Owen to stay out of the room. Oh how I love Ben and Owen.

Perhaps we will wait awhile before we go back to the office.

Yoga Alone

Angie and I have been teaching our yoga class together since we started in September, tonight I am all alone. She has wedding activities planned (don't worry, not for her, for her friend) and she is leaving me to my own devices. I must admit that I am a bit nervous. I feel the anxiety rising as the time creeps closer. Of course, I create worry and anxiety all the time so this is nothing new. Today I was stressed out because it was my snack day at preschool. Would the kids like the snack I chose? Would the moms? Would it be healthy enough? Would the kids eat it? Yes, I was worried about snack day at a preschool for 18 month to 3 year olds. Can you imagine how worried I am about tonight?

No Secrets Around Here

I taught yoga tonight and on Thursdays Greg and Owen always play at the park outside my yoga class. After I got home I asked Owen if he had fun at the park with daddy. He told me that he had really fun with daddy at the park and went down the slide, then he said, "Owen can't tell mommy that Owen paint with daddy". Greg looked a little nervous. I was a little confused and asked him what he painted. He said, "Owen can't tell mommy that Owen paint eeky (little) tiny snake for mommy, nope can't tell mommy uh uh, nope." Ha ha ha. Greg, you have nothing to worry about, this did not ruin my mother's day surprise, it only made it better. Owen looked so confident and sure of himself that he was not going to tell mommy the things he is not allowed to tell me. I love honest small children.

Owen and Greg singing "take me out to the ballgame"

The other day after leaving music class Owen said he wanted to go to the mall to look at some toys. I told him that we needed to go home and get some things done. He started pleading with me asking me if we could please go to the mall. He used his favorite saying... "Pease mommy, Owen really want to go to mall, pease mommy, just think about it, that is all, like this.. uhhh, ok, I don't care, yes". He says this to me all the time. Just think about it, that is all. I finally caved in and explained that we would not be buying any toys. He said he wouldn't, he would just eat a cookie, play on the toys and have a drink. He has a thing about the mall, yesterday he said, "Owen really want to go to mall so bad, I can't stand it". Greg and I screamed with laughter.

He amuses me.

The other day at the office Owen lined up his toys on Angie's desk, we looked down and everyone had a pile of bunnies to eat. The two on the end are mine.

He didn't leave out Noni

Here is a little tree frog Ben found for Owen outside this weekend. Owen loved it!