i am thankful for...

i know, i know...thanksgiving was last week. but, that doesn't mean you are only supposed to be thankful one day of the year.

today, i am sharing with you all the essay my son wrote in class last week. {i'm typing it "as is" including aidan's flagrant use of commas and misspelled words.}

I'm thankful for...

I'm thankful for my family, because my dad always helps me fix my bike when the chain brakes.  My sister helps me when I get hert she also plays with me.  I'm thankful for my mom, because she helps me when I'm hert also my mom also helps me with my homework.  I'm thankful for my two crazy dogs Frisco and Buxton, because they help me stay active.  Mom and dad thank you for my close and sheleter because without it I would not have a place to live and something to keep me warm.  Thank you sis because I would be lonly and not have someone to play with.

surely your heart melted. maybe not nearly as much as my heart did, but come on. there is something magical about children's writing, especially when it comes from the heart.

{his sister totally slicked his hair down for our family photo shoot...ha ha ha!}

birthday boy.

this crazy guy turns eight today...

e i g h t

i want him to be two again.

i miss his blonde hair.

i miss his curls.

i miss that cheesy grin.

now he's halfway through elementary school.

he's dancing to justin bieber & singing zac brown band.

he eats just about anything.

his hair is no longer blonde.

but, he still has that cheesy grin {trust me}.

happy birthday, aidan!

i can't believe he turned this in.

this afternoon i was going through a small stack of papers that aidan brought home from school.  most of it was stuff done in class and old homework.  nothing too exciting.  but, then i saw it.  aidan had to conduct a travel interview & write a paragraph.  apparently, he interviewed himself.   

{written as aidan wrote it: grammar, punctuation & spelling errors included}

The longest trip I took is to Northern Virginia.  It was 4 hours my family saw a fawn and I farted.  We travled 240 mi.  We took this trip to get are 3 month old bosten tarier Buxton.  Buxton jumped on me and farted.

i am mortified. 

not only did he write about farting, but he also lied about how far he's traveled! apparently, his trip to mississippi wasn't memorable and i guess he already forgot about the time we spent in new hampshire last december.

i really hope he didn't have to share this with the class.

the weekend schedule.

aidan came up with his very own weekend schedule.  i'm not sure why he 'penciled in' a nap because he hasn't taken a nap in years.  oh, and, don't let the 7:30 time slot fool you...that happens at all hours of the day.

{this is my picture. steal it & i will cut you.}

cocoa.

according to aidan, my 7 year old son.

11:52 a.m.

seven years ago we welcomed another beautiful soul into our lives.

malia, who was only 27 months old, was no longer an only child.  she became a big sister.

seven years have come & gone.  quickly.  

our happy-go-lucky baby is now a happy-go-lucky little boy.

happy 7th birthday to aidan.

geographer?

"mom, i know where boston is."

"really?  where?"

and, with a very 'matter of fact' look on his face, aidan replies, "pennsylvania."

i remember growing up that my parents kept an atlas in the living room.  we had a globe, too.  i looked at both the atlas & the globe all. the. time.  {interestingly enough, i graduated from college with a bachelor of arts degree in geography.}   

i think it's time that i keep an atlas on our coffee table.

but he's not a girl dog...

frisco was neutered on wednesday. thank goodness because the 'red rocket' has been causing quite the commotion in our home lately.

as the kids & i drove home from school on wednesday afternoon, i explained to them that frisco did fine with his surgery, that he needed plenty of rest & that he could not play, run or jump. i told them that they needed to help me out with taking care of him & making sure that he was warm and comfortable. they agreed.

easy enough, i thought.

wrong.

always the inquisitive one, aidan had questions. questions that required very specific answers.

aidan: mom, did frisco have to get stitches?

me: yes.

aidan: does he have stitches on his stomach?

me: no. not on his stomach.

aidan: well, where?

me: he has stitches on his goo-goo*.

awkward pause. then aidan turns towards me with the most horrifying grin on his face.

aidan: ugh. on his goo-goo?

me: yes. but he'll be okay.

aidan seems satisfied with the answers he's been given, but he wasn't quite done asking questions.

aidan: but he's not a girl dog.

me: what?

aidan: frisco. he's not a girl dog.

me: no, he's not. he's a boy.

aidan: well, if he is a boy dog how could he have babies? you said he had surgery to make sure he didn't have any babies.

oh, geez. what have i gotten myself into??

fortunately, the conversation ended there. but, who knows when aidan will decide to pick right back up where we left off.


*'goo-goo' is yet another silly term we use in our home when referring to a penis. sad, but true.

gone missing.

sometime between thanksgiving & christmas something happened.

my usually perky, happy-go-lucky six year old son {pictured below} went missing.

i don't know where he went, why he left or what even happened, but the little boy who came back to take his place is NOT the same child.

sweet aidan has been replaced by his alter ego. and, i don't like him {i'm allowed to say that, i'm his momma after all}. i want the aidan pictured above to come back home.

---

this whiney, naughty and, overall, emotionally & psychologically grating little boy {pictured below} has become my son.

{granted, this picture is about a year old, but this is, indeed, the aidan i'm dealing
with...sad face, tears & all...just minus the chocolate milk mustache}

my nerves are shot, y'all. thank goodness school is back in session because aidan's been quite the character lately. perhaps he's regressing back to his toddlerhood, but DAMN, i don't remember him being this irritating even during the terrible two's & torturous three's!

don't get me wrong, he's still polite, uses his manners and is relatively pleasant to be around. but, watch out, in the blink of an eye he's a crying, blubbering mess. he's a whiner. he's a poor sport. he's not satisfied with anything. his temper tantrums are exhausting. thank goodness they aren't physical...it's not like he's flailing himself on the floor. oh, wait. he is.

there's not enough room in this house for such ridiculousness. besides, doesn't he know that mommy is the only one allowed to have these kind of meltdowns? y'all , he's turning my gray hairs white.

seriously.

i miss my joyful aidan. my goofy aidan. my silly aidan.

caught in the crossfire backfire.

brittany blogged about her stinky boy...let me tell you about mine.

i have three. three stinky boys living under my roof. sometimes there is a stinky girl thrown into the mix {uh, that would be my mini-me...i'm a lady & ladies poot behind closed bathroom doors thankyouverymuch}. but, usually, the source of the stank can be pinpointed to one of three boys in our home: aidan, adam or frisco, le pup.

the flatulence fest ebbs & flows in our home. some nights are calm & the air smells so fresh and clean. other nights you need a gas mask & you often wonder why the rumbles and shakes haven't measured on the richter scale.

it's bad.

and the stink isn't always from the booty area. nor is it always audible {you know, silent, but deadly}. and, fortunately, the stink isn't always stinky {if that makes sense}.

boys are loud to begin with. even the dog is loud, but that's usually 'cause he's snoring. anyways, they talk loud, they laugh loud, they eat loud, they burp loud, they fart loud...loud, loud, loud.

where am i going with this {besides the fact that it's usually quite loud in our home and, more often than not, kinda stinky in here}?

i have three loud, stinky boys. loud because they can be & stinky because they think it's perfectly okay to 'let 'er rip!' thankfully, there is an occasional 'excuse me' following certain gas passing episodes. well, sometimes.

bottom line is, my boys honestly believe it is perfectly normal to sound like a machine gun firing off round after round sometimes. boys wouldn't be boys if they couldn't be stinky {and loud}. and, besides, aidan has a perfectly good explanation for why he is so loud & stinky sometimes:

"when i get a little nervous or excited, i backfire."

yes, son, you, your dad & the pup certainly do.

better out than in, i suppose.

my little man.

i'm talking about my little boy. he is six and, holy cow, he is such a little man. he can be a sweet, polite, chivalrous gentleman...but usually he's a goofy, stinky, aggravating kind of man. {aggravating in only the way a mother could understand & love.}

don't get me wrong. he's a sweet boy. he always has been. but, the bottom line is, my son is a man. seriously. i swear {and, other mothers out there who have boys, please correct me if i'm wrong} that from day one they really do act & behave like men by doing man-like things. for example:

hand...meet the penis. changing a diaper...his hand was there. potty training...his hand was there. watching t.v....his hand was there. sleeping...yes, sleeping...his hand was there. it even has a name. and, sadly, this trait seems to last into adulthood.

burping & farting at the dinner table is perfectly acceptable behavior. it is also behavior that he believes should be followed with ridiculous laughter rather than an 'excuse me.' {in my defense, my son does have manners...good ones at that...and he does say 'excuse me' immediately...or else.}

burping & farting anywhere is okay. the stinkier, the better.

it's okay to sit - whoa, i originally typed shit...whoops...well, that, too - on the toilet for long periods of time. when he gets older, he'll probably read the sports section of the newspaper like his dad, but for now he is happy playing his nintendo ds. in the bathroom. while on the toilet. gross. {thank goodness for lysol wipes.}

'boys rule, girls drool' is his motto...much to the dismay of his {older} sister. she may wear the pants in their relationship, but it's aidan's job to irritate to hell out of malia. but, if you ask her, she'll just tell you that 'boys go to jupiter to get more stupider.'

mess? what mess? honestly, boys {men, too} are oblivious to any & all trails of destruction that they leave behind. pile of laundry...next to the hamper. dirty cups & bowls...next to the sink. pee...on the toilet rather than in it. toothpaste chunks...in the sink. wet towels...on the floor or bed. toys...found everywhere but in the toy box.

what's wrong with jeans that are too short, no socks, the same shirt i wore yesterday & stinky shoes? this seems to be my son's favorite ensemble. i understand that it's quite possibly my fault that there is a pair of jeans in his drawer that can moonlight as capris, but i'm ok with him wearing them to play in...not to go to school in. fashion sense...a keen one at that...does not run on the male side of this family. clearly, the girls were the only ones blessed with that gift.

there's more, but i think you get the gist of it. he's a little man. a little, goofy, stinky, silly man. it is my hope that he will continue to be his happy-go-lucky self. and, even better, perhaps he will grow up to be a charming, marvelous & respectful man {he had better!}. and, maybe, just maybe some of his sister's fashion sense will rub off onto him.

south america.

my son came bursting into our bedroom this morning.

"mom, i just went pee and you know what?"

with one eye open & the rest of me snuggled nice and warm in our new 700 thread count sheets & fuzzy blanket {i love you, target}, i replied, "um...what son?"

"you know the bubbles?"

"what bubbles?"

"the bubbles you make when you pee."

"um, okay..."

"mine just made the shape of south america."

such is life with a very imaginative six year old boy in the house...i just hope he flushed & washed his hands.

coffee. it's what adults drink.

we went to target today {it was my 3rd trip since friday morning} and on our way out i stopped at starbucks to replace one of our "to go" mugs that was broken yesterday AND to get me a little pick-me-up. i settled for a venti peppermint white mocha frappucino - no whip. as we were leaving target, i asked aidan if he wanted a sip of my drink.

"um, no thank, mom. it's coffee."

"yeah, you're right son. it's coffee. and you probably don't need any."

"no, adults drink coffee, mom. it's what keeps them awake. if they don't drink coffee, then they have to sleep for a few more hours."

so true, son, so true.

half a dozen.

adam outdid himself {again} this morning. he fixed us a wonderful breakfast of chilaquiles served with chorizo & eggs. he made pancakes for the kids.

as he was cooking the eggs, he asked the kids {who were already eating their pancakes} if they wanted an egg. both said yes. malia told us she only wanted one egg. aidan, on the other hand, wasn't so easy to please.

adam - "aidan, how many eggs do you want?"

aidan - "fried, not scrambled."

adam - "no, i asked how many eggs do you want..."

aidan - "oh, um, six, please."

adam looks at me & we both start to chuckle.

adam - "that's too many, bud."

malia - "yeah, aidan, you can't have six eggs. that's too much!"

aidan - "well, it's an even number!"

obviously, my little first grader has been working very diligently in school & is paying attention during the math lessons. conversations like the one above don't even surprise us anymore. i mean, the boy really does ask for ridiculous amounts of eggs whenever we are having breakfast - whether we're at home or enjoying a meal out. what can i say...the boy likes his protein in the form of, well, an egg...preferably, half a dozen eggs.

africa & electricity.

you know that nor'easter we're currently at the mercy of? well, it's kicked up some pretty fierce winds. we've been experiencing some pretty strong & steady gusts of wind...so much so that my six year old son says this to me:

"mom, those are some pretty powerful winds outside, aren't they? they're so strong they could blow you to africa. well, maybe not to africa. that can't happen. that only happens in the movies."

our electricity is currently flickering off & on, too. well, not completely off, but just enough to make me want to make about six more cups of coffee & completely charge my cell phone {for internet access, people, not for emergency purposes...although, lack of internet access would be an emergency, right?}. well, the flickering lights triggered another anecdote from my son:

"mom, remember when i was three {it must have been a good year} and the electricity went out? it got dark and i screamed like a girl because i thought monsters were in the house?"

oh, the imagination of that boy.

i had better go brew some more coffee & charge my phone -- just in case the electricity does go out & the monsters come and the wind takes me away to africa.

a thousand arms.

Aidan informed me yesterday during dinner that he sometimes wishes he had a thousand arms {don't we all?}. He said that if he had a thousand arms then he could help with things like:

• doing laundry
• washing the dishes
• cleaning the house
• picking up toys
• making his bed
• pick up after the dog
• dust the shelves
• take out the garbage

Blah, blah, blah...

I don't know whether I should feel flattered {because he knows that I do so much} or insulted {because sometimes I just don't do enough}.

two wheels & a tooth.

The weekend was pretty eventful for Mr. Aidan.

He lost his first tooth {he's 6}. It was one of his bottom front teeth & it was loose for what seemed like forever. On Saturday morning while playing at the kitchen table it just 'popped out.' At least that is what he told me. He wanted to put it under his bed straight away -- I corrected him and told him that the tooth fairy looks under little children's pillows and not their beds for teeth.

On Sunday morning, he woke up to find two crispy $1 bills under his head. He felt like the richest man in the world {oh, to be that young & carefree again!}. My parents happened to be in town {love them!} and the conversation he had with my mother - about the tooth fairy - went something like this:

A: "Yeah, the tooth fairy is pretty cool."

My mom: "Why? What does the tooth fairy do?"

A: "She goes around collecting teeths. She brings you monies, too."

My mom: "What did she bring you?"

A: "Two whole dollars. Yeah, she's pretty cool."

{I am embarrassed to report that Aidan has since lost one dollar - that's what he gets for showing off to his friends - and we found the pup with the other dollar - fortunately, it was salvaged and still in one piece.}

Later in the day on Sunday, Aidan finally learned how to ride his bicycle without the training wheels. According to the hubs, the trick was putting Aidan on his sister, Malia's, bicycle - which has a wider seat & different handlebars (she's got a mini beach cruiser) - and he immediately got the hang of riding on just two wheels. Now, all he wants to do is ride is bike. It doesn't matter what the weather is like {it's cool & drizzly today}...he just wants to ride his bike!

What a weekend -- he lost two {teeny} wheels & a tooth!

A picture of Aidan's goofy grin will be added later on tonight. Promise.

it was a good year.

My son is six years old. He likes to talk {hmm...I wonder which parent he inherited that from?!}.

Here lately, he's been chattering non-stop about all of the things he's done so far. You know, "in his whole life."

Apparently, the age of three was good to him because all of his stories start off, "When I was three..." or "I did that when I was three..." or "I remember being three..." -- and, trust me, he's done a lot of reminiscing lately.

Indeed, three was a magical year in my son's eyes. Here's hoping that as he continues to grow & mature that he has many more wonderful memories of other years besides being just three.

weak.

Sunday afternoons are always lazy afternoons in our household. Needless to say, there is a lot of television watching, couch napping and pantry raiding that happens, too.

Yesterday afternoon the boy & I were watching Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone {again!} on the Disney Channel and - out of nowhere - this conversation came about:

Aidan: "Mom, you should get one of those exercise things that Po Po has."

{sidenote: Po Po is Cantonese for maternal grandmother}

Me: "What exercise thing?"

Aidan: "You know, the one she has in her living room!"

{my parents have that Gazelle thing}

Me: "Oh. Well, why do I need something like that?"

Aidan: "So I can do my exercises...I don't want to get weak."

What road are we on?

The other day while driving home with the kids the traffic report came on the radio. After it was finished, Aidan asked me where Virginia Beach Boulevard was & if we were driving on it. I told him no, we weren't, and explained to him where it was. This is the conversation that followed:

Aidan: "Mom, are we on the Dam Neck?"

Me: "Yes, we're on Dam Neck Road."

Aidan: "Oh, this road is funny because it has two words in it - one that's a body part & one that's a bad word that kids shouldn't say."

Me: "Oh, really?"

Aidan: "Yeah, they shouldn't put bad words in names. It's not appropriate."

Ah, the mind of a six year old. 'Dam' isn't the bad word he thinks it is, but his point was well taken, though.