Ean Ean Ean Ean Ean Ean Ean

*followed by much shaking of heads, both mine and Kent*

Last Friday was really a tough day as a parent. It's so hard to teach and teach our children, yet they're still their own persons and have to make their own decisions. The result? Sometimes wrong decisions are made. My roll as a mother, help them understand and correct that wrong decision, help them see the consequence of a wrong decision and reassure them through the process that they are still loved.

Such was my day a week ago.

I'm sure you can see where this is going.

My mom and Ean had one last play date planned together before the ending of school. Ean has enjoyed his time with my mother immensely. My mom loves Ean dearly and understands his impulsiveness and challenges because of it. It should have been a special day but while grocery shopping, Ean took some candy. My mom didn't realize it until they were back at her house and he hid in a closet from her. Obviously he knew he was wrong.

Mom hauled him over here, got money from his piggy bank and we talked. We talked about how it was wrong, how it takes a lot of courage to make things right but how he'd feel so much better after paying for the candy. He was able to walk out on his own two feet and he leaned against my mom going into the store, but went and paid for the goods, which promptly got thrown out.

To quote my mom "You don't get rewards for stealing"

Of course his special day with my mom was cut short. Top that off with a wad of goods found in his closet from all over the house (Me, Taking from Jane, Kate or me and dad is just as bad as stealing from the store!)

It was a long and emotional day. I'm not sure how to instill those boundaries he seems so oblivious too. Or maybe, deliberately obtuse would be a better way to say it.

He's a challenge, in so many ways. I do know what a good kid he is. We just have to help him want to make better choices.

Codependent much?

Oh my goodness, am I REALLY prepared for summer? Yesterday the guys hung on me. all. day. long. It was as if they decided to make up for an entire school year apart from me!

They really do a good job separating without undo anxiety but I think me hauling myself off to work before bedtime while they were still two trained them. Greg has a harder time then David.

Actually there were times on the bus when I was really afraid Greg wouldn't get to ride because he wouldn't let himself be buckled in. He'd have to come back to hug me no less then fifteen times! The bus driver only got terse once. We did practice separating at school too, at times I would go in with David after playing outside while Greg would yell, just to practice being away.

As much as I hate hearing him cry, he has to realize that I WILL come back, each and every time. Practice is the only way to ensure that.

I also believe that something else is going on, a bit of trying to out do his twin. They do this at the house too. I know, I know, consistency. :) It does get hard when one gives me a kiss, then the OTHER has to give me a kiss, so then the first needs to hug me and then the OTHER needs to hug me and I spend the next two hours with the two attached to my hip as if I'd velcro'd them there.

That pretty much describes all day yesterday. However I did get rid of David briefly by telling him to go play in the dirt to get ready for daddy coming home. He was very enthusiastic about that! *laugh*

I guess we'll see how the summer proceeds. I suspect the farther along we go, the better we'll be. At least I have hope that's how it'll be, because I won't be sane if I repeat yesterday's clinging all summer long!

Bitter Sweet

Today was the last day of Head Start for the twins. While I love watching them grow, saying goodbye to the wonderful people that nurture, influence, LOVE my children is always hard. Of course the boys don't understand. They're still so young, memories of head start will fade except for little bursts here and there.

At least that's how it is for me. I was a head start kid. I remember making candles in the sandbox. Picking dandelions for the Guinea pig that was in the classroom. I remember the purple dinosaur slide. I adored the purple dinosaur slide.

I asked mom if she remembers my teachers and she said she sure does. We as parents do the remembering of those that give their all to the children.

I love both of the boys teachers and the aids. Pam and Karen, oh my, I was so excited to find out they would have Greg! Of course, four for Ean was very difficult. He's such a good kid but he's easily frustrated, not always able to express himself and STUBBORN. *laugh* He was even more so at four. Really his communication had just taken off the year before, so the beginning of the year was a little hairy. There were some wonderful children in his class that really struggled even more then he did.

However Pam and Karen took them all on, and boy it was fun to watch them grow and mature. So to have them switch ages to the three year olds and then get Greg, who is very much like Ean personality wise, was a blessing. Actually there were a few times when Greg and David were with me and Pam would gaze at them and talk to them while telling me "I want one". Meaning of course, I want one in my class.

Dawn only had this year at head start but I feel awful lucky David got her. Dawn and JoAnn were a wonderful team and the joy they received from working with the kids was so darn obvious. I love that about them!!!

Ean's last day is tomorrow. Ms. Bangs has had all of my children so far in Kindergarten. She has the patience of a saint but is also extremely firm with boundaries and expectations. I'd love both the twins to have her as well when we reach that point but I don't think that's possible.

I really need to do some more planning over the weekend so while the girls are summer schooling, I have appropriate stuff the guys as well. I think if we work hard Ean could well be into reading before first grade. If I can get him to slow down that is.....

So the bitter sweet.

It's been a wonderful year.

I LOVE Dirty Jobs!

The television show that is.

Although it IS an entertaining show, the host Mike Rowe is extremely personable, not afraid to do something he may do wrong or worse ruin and on top of that, has an extremely strong stomach able to handle stuff that would send me hurling in the woods after mere seconds. That is not however why I love the show.

I love the show because of the phone call I received tonight while at work.

You see, Ean is a Dirty Jobs fanatic. He loves ALL that IS dirty jobs. We hadn't realized the true benefit of the show yet.

Kent let me know one of the twins had smeared poop all over the bathroom. It was probably David, he's having a terrible time learning the art of "wiping". (He'll love reading THAT when he's older). Of course Kent was thrilled at the prospect of cleaning the mess.

Apparently Ean readily volunteered. He said he'd clean up the mess. Ean, although sometimes extremely helpful, was really stepping out of his comfort zone, the bathroom isn't usually assigned to him. So Kent sent him in armed with bathroom cleaner and paper towels (I assume, Kent didn't actually say). After a wee bit, Kent went to check on him.

Kent says Ean was busy just scrubbing away. He paused just long enough to tell his daddy, This is a DIRTY JOB, JUST LIKE the TV show and some one's gotta do THE DIRTY JOBS!!!!

Oh my holy heck, how HYSTERICAL is THAT????!!!!!!!!

So we'll keep letting Ean watch Dirty jobs, it seems to inspire him!

Lest I Forget.

A few twin stories.

Last week David and Greg were sitting on the couch. David had a book, opened and was quizzing Greg on his colors. Conversation proceeds as follows.

"Geg, what color this?"

"Dat bwue"

"No Geg, dat is yelwow"

"No Dat is BWUE!"

"No no, Geg, dat yelwow!"

And onto the next color David would go continuing to quiz his twin.

Please note, David was right, the color was yellow. David knows all his colors, and can rote count to 14. Oh my, he's making progress. His head start teacher is now working on getting him up to 25. I say go right ahead. *smile*

Greg's made progress too, it's just slower. He just cannot get his colors right. At four and a half, this shouldn't be the issue it is. If we could get his communication better, I'd like to try to figure out if he's color blind. Blue and black are the only consistent colors he ever gets. Green, red, yellow and purple are hit and miss. Oddly, he doesn't even look really when it's those colors, which adds to my suspicions of not seeing them.

However, his communication is still a good year or more behind his actual age. So I won't be able to figure that out anytime soon.

My other story. A little more then a week ago, I had a horrendous day at church. Kent stayed home sick and I took all five kids. My Sunday was actually ruined when the stress of the Stake Relief Society President dumping a stack of music to some song the Stake presidency decided everyone should learn for a conference next month, in my lap.

I conduct the hymns in Relief Society however, I don't read music. I don't understand anything about sheet music accept that the bars mean my arm should gooooooo DOWN. *eye roll* This was a complicated piece also. Not for the faint of heart. I had an anxiety attack, had to leave Sunday School (and I LOVE Sunday school) because I was starting to hyperventilate and was crying.

It was sorted out but I was feeling rather rough when Sacrament meeting started.

Then the fun really began.

Why, why, WHY do all five children feel they need to sit either on me or next to me. I simply do not have five sides. The moody nine year old who is darn well old enough to understand moves away from (like six feet away), pouting at me when I tell her I can't have her next to me.

The highlight? I thought I'd be clever and hide some smarties in my purse to pull out and help the meeting go smoother. Greg gets big plans to save his, to put in his dump truck after church. That's all fine and dandy except for the other boys that wolfed theirs down. Ean at least had some sense but David. Oh my.

While the Sacrament water was being passed down our row, keeping in mind the only people in our row are me and the kids, David runs and tackles Greg to steal his candy. I'm holding the tray of water and I have to stand up, trying to not spill, to drag David off of his twin. I manage to break up the fight and the young man waiting to take the tray, managed to not break into guffaws watching me.

Kent felt horrible when I told him about the whole thing, but what can you do?