Sunscreen Failure

Yesterday, the weather was beautiful.  We were outside as a family in the morning and afternoon and it was wonderful all around.  At naptime, I got in a 4 mile run and was proud of myself for getting back into some exercise.  But let's think about that, I went for a run.  At noon.  In the full sun.  With no sunscreen.
So that was a bit of a failure on my part, one that I didn't even think about until we were brushing the boys teeth before bed.  Adam noticed that I was quite red on my shoulders and back and James heard him telling me how sunburned I was.
After brushing his teeth, I helped James into his night clothes and as he did this, James asked, "Mom, does it hurt?"
I said, "Does what hurt?"
"Your sunburn."
"No, it isn't too bad, I forgot to wear sunscreen."
"We always wear sunscreen at the beach!"
"Well yes, James, momma doesn't ever forget to put it on you guys."
"Oh."
I showered and Adam put some aloe on for me.  The burn isn't too bad this morning, but I do have a perfect outline of a racer back tank top.

The boys enjoying the sun

All the Bears

My Grandma Smith had a huge teddy bear collection. One thing I remember from growing up was picking a different bear to sleep with every time we stayed with her. They all had elaborate names and back stories of where she had gotten them. They littered her couch and living room. There were old bears, like the original Smokey the Bear (always a favorite in the very fire prone Northern California) and there new new bears with tutus or cowboy hats. The fact that my dad's nickname is Bear wasn't something I thought of as a kid, but now the boys call him Grandbear and its so very fitting.  

When I was around 16, after her husband passed away, she made an effort to move the bears to one of the back bedrooms, but there were still a few favorites on the couch. 

After Grandma died and items were given out to my cousins, aunt and mom, I ended up with three of the newer bears, a momma and two cubs. Being pregnant with my second son, my mom thought I would enjoy the three bears. 

They have been well loved since they came to Maryland. The momma bear is now a daddy bear (don't worry, there's a smaller momma bear somewhere, I haven't been totally forgotten.)

James calls him Big Bear and he's been hanging out in our living room this week. My boys never met their Great Grandma, but I'm glad they have one last gift from her. 

He's a puker

Logan is a puker. Since the day (almost) he was born, Logan has vomited. A lot. When he was a baby, he ate a lot, and if he didn't stop to burp often, he would puke. Sometimes an entire feeding. Looking back, he could have used some reflux medication, but hindsight is 20/20.

He pukes when food texture isn't what he anticipated. He pukes when he's extra snotty, and he usually is or has been due to his ear issues. Even with the tubes in his ears, he still has a strong gag reflex. Sometimes when he's crying or tantrumming puke is the result of his dramatics. This week he managed to puke on himself and Rhonda at daycare. (I have mentioned that she's a saint before, right?) 

And my real favorite - Logan often forgets to chew his food, a skill you can't quite teach. And the result?

You guessed it. More puke. 

Just this morning, we woke up to find a bed that had been puked in and then slept in. I'm not sure how he managed to sleep like that, but he was out for 12 hours. Adam striped the bed and cleaned the wall while I bathed a very stinky toddler. Divide and conquer!

As time goes on, we've gotten used to the vomit and Logan gets sick less often. 

We joke that it's a good thing he's a second child, because if your first kid was a puker, you might not have a second. 

Two months old, original photo caption: I'm a puker

Choosing words carefully

Today James grabbed a toy snake and as he held it to the back of his head he asked me, "Mom, do I look like a girl?"

I told him that he looked like someone with long hair.

He pushed further, "But do I look more like a girl."

I said yes, if the girl has long hair. 

He gave up on the conversation and ran off, not giving it a second thought. 

We frequently have a similar conversation about "girl toys" and "boy toys". And we are quick to reinforce that anyone can play with any toy. 

All of these questions from James lead me to wonder about many things, but mainly they remind me that it's important to choose my words well. I want to teach him tolerance and equality and love, but sometimes my admittedly more "liberal" thoughts aren't shared by everyone. This is one of the things that scares me the most about raising my boys. It especially scares me when I think about James staring school in the fall. 

I once had a coworker ask me what I thought of gay marriage and what I would think if James brought home a boyfriend. When I told her I would be happy that he'd found someone to love, she seemed shocked. That was one conversation that ended quickly! 

I know as the boys get older, we will have more conversations and lessons to be taught (and even more for us to learn as parents.) For now we will keep our message simple and accepting. 

Logan and the movies

Yesterday, I started to put a movie on for the boys and noticed that Disney's Bears was on cable. I put it on, much to James' disdain. He wanted to watch The Lego Movie for the third time this weekend and quickly went upstairs to entertain himself.

When the movie started, I realized that the narrator was a familiar voice, John C. Reilly aka Wreck-It Ralph. Apparently, Logan realized it too, because he ran to the DVD cabinet and came back holding our copy of Wreck-It Ralph. 

He wouldn't leave me alone until I switched off Bears and put Ralph on. Then he happily watched the movie, dancing and cheering along. So much for watching a nice nature film. 

I will be very happy when winter is over and we can play outside rather than watching so much television!

The four year old vocabulary

James has always been a talker. He spoke early and often and that trend continues today. 

Once he figures out a new word, he runs with it. 

Last night he mentioned that he thought Penny was looking luscious. 

Then this morning he grabbed his little brother for a hug and said, "Look at this luscious baby!"

I'm not sure exactly what he thinks luscious means, but apparently it's a good thing. 

James and Penny

James loves his new puppy. He tells us daily. 

This morning he walked up the penny, who was lying on the couch. He picked up her paw for a high five. He looked at me and says, "Look! She high fives me!" Then he turned to Penny and said, "Good girl Penny, you deserve a hug." 

Kids and dogs, too cute.