Spring has Sprung

The weather has been so beautiful lately we have been living outside.  The best part of the day was "The Race" and Grayson's outfit, of course. He insisted on dressing himself on this particular day. Grayson wanted to race Gavyn in his walker; so I lined them up, counted to three and let em' go. It was hysterical watching Gavyn trying to keep up with his short little legs. If he could run, he would have. In the end, Grayson said he won but Bubba won too after he crossed the finish line. He might just be a good sport after all.

Floss & Brush

Grayson's Top 5 "Likes"
1. Target
2. Chocolate Milk
3. Transformers
4. Astro Boy
5. Max and Ruby

Grayson's Top 5 "Dislikes"
1. Being Told "NO"
2. Vegetables
3. Sharing toys with Bubba
4. Going to Bed
5. Brushing His Teeth

I thought we would tackle the easiest item on the dislike list, so I saw this clever way to teach kids about their mouth on OHDEEDOH.  We made a mouth on paper with colors and marshmallows. I was hoping he would see what his mouth looked like and why he needed to brush and floss. He brushed and flossed the marshmallows.

 Will work on other dislikes later, might take awhile...

Yesterday, I received a call from Grayson's school informing me Grayson had been very weepy and not himself.  He told his teacher his ear hurt, so I picked him up early. As soon as I got there, he does what every sick child does when he sees his mom. He cried louder and harder than he ever has, it was very dramatic to say the least. He told me he needed to go to the doctor right now and that a bee hopped in his ear. That's right, he said a "BEE HOPPED in HIS EAR." I felt so sorry for him because he was in so much pain, but I couldn't help but laugh. So off to the Doctor we went. He had another ear infection and his ear was full of puss. The doctor couldn't see past the puss, but was pretty sure his eardrum busted (hence the bee hopping in his ear.)

With all that said, I asked about the dreaded tubes because of past ear infection history and delayed speech. He said it was probably a good idea at this point.  So right now, I am taking care of a child with terrible ear infection, looking for a good ENT around here and trying to ease Gavyn's pain from his first tooth. Ahhh, life is good! Finally, some good news. This morning Grayson told me the BEES went home. Guess he's feeling a little better after all.

The Good Boy Jar

Last weekend when Uncle Garrett and Jody were here, Jody told me about her sister using poker chips in a jar to reward her twins. Most of the discipline attempts we have used with Grayson haven't worked that well. He is very visual and needs to see his progress. Once he was finally ready to potty train, the sticker chart helped him along in that process. He loved getting stickers and seeing them on a chart after he used the potty. So we have invented the Good Boy Jar.  It's a jar just for Grayson and all his praises. He loves bouncing balls, so that's what we put in the jar. When he gets in trouble he has to take a ball out of the jar. He totally flips out if I take one of his bouncy balls away. He knows that once the jar is full, he gets to go pick out a really special prize. So far the jar is a success and he loves the idea.

Grayson's First Family Drawing

Oh Happy Day!

Under the Weather

Poor Grayson has been a little under the weather lately. A few weekends ago he woke up with a temperature of 102 and ended up with a double ear infection. I really thought we were past the ear infections. I can't even remember the last one he had. It was no fun staying up with Grayson and taking care of a baby through the night. These are the times I wish there was a magic fairy to help mom's out at night. He managed to take a couple naps, so that was nice. I can't remember the last time he napped either. He took medicine for ten days and felt better pretty soon after starting the medicine... Then came the fever again this last weekend. I took him to the doctor yesterday and he didn't have the flu or strep. Fortunately, he didn't have any ear infections either. The doctor did say he had some fluid in his ear but it wasn't infected. All this to say, we are going to get his hearing tested again just to make sure fluid isn't affecting his hearing. So Grayson might be getting tubes after all. I really thought he was feeling better, until he started coughing so hard he threw up all over my bedroom floor tonight. He just ate strawberry yogurt and chicken nuggets with tons of ketchup. I won't go into details, but lets just say the brand new carpet has a lingering odor and a reddish tint.  Oh well, stuff happens right! I just hope Grayson gets back to his normal self soon, I miss him!

OUTSIDE

We had such beautiful weather last week and so far it is staying with us. I hope it lasts! It is so much more fun when we can play outside.

DIY

Just in case  you were amazed by the dinosaur egg, you can make them yourself at home. Here are the instructions:

DINOSAUR EGGS

Subject: Arts and Crafts
Grade: 4-6
Age: 8-12
Submitted by: Craftbits

Objectives:

Create your own game while you dabble in discovery and history.

What You Need:

• 2 and 1/2 cups flour
• 2 and 1/2 cups of dirt
• 1 cup sand
• 1 and 1/2 cups of salt
• water
• small plastic toy dinosaurs (available from toys stores)
• hammer

What You Do:

1. To make the dough, mix all the dry ingredients together (flour, dirt, salt and sand).
2. Gradually stir in enough water so that the mix holds together .
3. Shape handfuls of dough around the small plastic dinosaurs in the form of egg shapes.
4. Give these "eggs" up to 4 days to dry then you can let the kids discover them in the garden.
5. They can open them with a hammer or rock.
6. They are great for parties and hide and seek games.

Addtional Suggestions:

Robin, a parent, has these helpful tips to add to the project:

1. Make sure that you turn the eggs a lot while they dry. I found out that in the early summer you still have dew (at least in New England) and the bottoms of the eggs stay moist. I had to take them in at night so they would keep dry.
2. Instead of children digging for eggs in a sand box, why not make it look like corral, using more sand than mud and giving it texture by making little holes in it with a fork or a pencil. Then instead of dinosaurs use plastic coin. Bury them in a sand box and the children can be treasure hunters looking for lost pirates treasure.

Look Mom

I can do the tent too... 

and I am so proud!

Soccer Tots

Last week was Grayson's first "SOCCER TOTS" class.  It was as much fun to watch as it was for him to participate.  It really was just a bunch of 3 year old's running around with entirely too much energy, but they listened (some) and did the activities the coach instructed.  Soccer Tots is a physical development program that encourages kids through fun games and activites in a noncompetitive format. It teaches kids the fundamentals while helping them develop motor skills and create self confidence. I wasn't really sure what we were getting into when I signed him up, but it is defintely worth it. Anything to burn a little energy is GREAT for us!

around here...

We have a little place called, "The Little Gym." It's a gymnastic place, but they also offer an introductory class to all sports and karate. I signed Grayson up for the "sports" class and I'm pretty sure he loved it! This weeks theme was "a hole in one." The boys played with golf clubs and threw bean bags into a hula hoop trying to make A HOLE IN ONE!