Summer Journal Entry - Adventure Playground Huntington Beach

The entire time I was at this place I couldn't help but be transported back to my childhood. My backyard...the wood pile, the treehouses, the mud...ahhh...such sweet memories and now the mom in me is like, what were my parents thinking letting us run around in wood piles and rusty nails and black widows...

The boys loved it, but mainly just the building part - they had no interest in the mud slide or the mud/raft portion of the playground. We did manage to get them to go down the mudslide, which consisted of a tarp-like thing draped down a hill while someone squirted your child with a hose and then they land in a big muddy puddle. i think it sounds cooler than it was? perhaps...my second child almost cried after, but they were fine and went back to happily building. Every child received a hammer and 3 nails (your kids have to be 5+ to go - i left bobby at home BTW) and if you are over 8 years old you can use a saw. we had to get going and they were so upset to leave - they really could have stayed another few hours, but i promised them they could build in our backyard, so that worked. the rest of the afternoon was spent by bodie nailing nails into a piece of wood happily and bryson trying to build his own treehouse. I love places like this that inspire them on their own. if I suggested they do that, it wouldn't be as cool, surely. 

To see Bryson's Post on Adventure Playground, click HERE

My First Mother's Day Card

Bryson brought this home to me today...how sweet is this? I dont think you can tell, but its laminated, which is nice since it will keep for a long long time! that little scribble on the side is EYE HEART U..its what bryan's mom would write on napkins and put in his lunchbox and now bryan and i do it for bryson and he asks me every day he has school if i did it and every time i say...i dont know...you'll have to wait and see...and he will smile and say Mom!! i think you did it!

i especially love this too because recently i heard a Dr. Laura show where this man called in and said that he tries hard, but does not seem to be able to hold down a job - he loses interest and gets fired, or laid off and he keeps failing. Dr. Laura started probing a little into his childhood and he revealed that his mother was very demanding and she asked him "Tell me one sentence that you would hear your mother tell you over and over from your childhood. The thing she told you the most." I can't recall what his answer was...sorry...if you heard it and remember let me know...i think it was along the lines of "Why can't you do better"...ugh...dont know...but it struck me so hard.

I feel like I am really hard with Bryson...all day long. He is very "spirited" and has a hard time standing still or even not talking and so instruction is difficult with him. i have tried to have a little more grace with him. i tell him something twice (his daddy only allows telling him once) and tell him on the second time "this is my second time asking you" 90% of the time that works. its like the first time he doesnt hear me...which is kinda like his father now that i think about it! anyway...i have always felt since he was born this battle of wills -mine vs. his...probably because we are so similar. in fact, definitely because we are so similar. i fear breaking his spirit. i fear that when he grows up he will tell Dr. Laura (cause i tend to think she will still be very much alive) that his mother was so demanding. so i especially love this little drawing. i will carry it around and pull it out and show him, "see! i took you to the park and gave you hugs and kisses AND burritos...you totally loved me!"

The Super Hoodie

this idea was inspired in the fabric remnant section at Jo-anns...which, now that i recall, happens fairly often...maybe because i hate waiting in the cutting line...so that means my impatience spawns inspiration, right?hmmm...i'll have to flush that out some more...anyway...there were these two remnants of satin and i thought it would be fun to make bryson a cape out of it....then i thought i could just attach it to a sweatshirt...then i thought i could make a built in mask somehow...












this was for his birthday (there is a number "5" on the back under the cape). Last year i made him a little cardigan with a "4" on it. i think its a good little tradition and if he doesnt destroy all the things i make him, maybe he can save them...doubting that right now as i think about the state of his clothes...namely ALL his jeans with holes in them...i was the same way, so i can't be too surprised...

i didnt know what to put on the cape until for my birthday bryson made me a card and on the back was the letter "B" but with an extra bump...he said, "its a super B mama" - awesome! perfect!

anyway - he was pretty stoked on it and helped me to design the mask part even, but then he kept complaining that it was too big. and then he started asking for additional things on it... aaaah! i've created a little monster...

i purposefully didn't tell bryan what i was making...he saw it and loved it and at dinner that night he tells me, "i did a domain search and super hoodies.com isn't taken" no....no....no...no...lets not start this again! i told him that this could be his thing if he wanted to do it...so...you just might be seeing a line of super hoodies by bryan....you never know with that guy!                            

The Lady Dino

i told you i had some girly dinos in the works...here is my first pink dino made for a friend.

these pics are fu-hun-ney...we have already established that i have probably scarred my son with all the girl dresses i put on him...in fact just today when i exclaimed, "bryson i need you to try this on" he said, "what is it, a tutu? hahahahahahaha" he is such a good sport though and tried it on and asked me to make him one also.

and his poses are amazing...i like the hand in the air pose - yes - waiter - check please...and the shielding the eyes like my mom makes me wear girl stuff all the time and takes pictures of it...and the side kiss...and he was still wearing his ninja leggings on his skinny little legs...so cute! he is going to hate me when he goes through puberty isn't he?

my kids' sorry excuse for a costume...

i find it rather ironic...funny...sad...that here i am spending all this time making these "costumes"...(i dont look at them like costumes...but i realize a lot of people do...i just hope that the kiddos wear them more than 1 day a year!) anyway...here i am doing this...and my son has the lamest halloween costume ever. people are going to be like, "aren't you carlee's son? why didn't she make you something?" okay...here is why...in bullet points:

1. bryson changes his mind every day minute about his costume...this is what he wanted to be this week: batman, spiderman, stormtrooper, santa claus, easter bunny, mike wazowski, skeleton, pirate, a magician and a ninja. the ninja sword was really what he wanted. plus it was $5...bam...easy costume...
2. whenever i make something for bryson he ultimately HATES it. and pinches a fit if he has to wear it...like that tie...and the pirate costume i made for him and the ghost costume i made for him and several pairs of pants...so that makes it a little hard to want to spend a lot of effort making him something he might very much not prefer to wear thankyouverymuch.
3. i really dont like the idea of spending extra time and money on a costume he'll wear once. i think that is why i like the zoodies idea...you can get it on and off easy...you can take the hood off and its not so in your face...i dont know...i wish he could just wear his bat zoodie and his bat mask i made for him and be done...but since he has worn it like every day since i made it - its not that special i guess :)
4. most everything he wants to wear is some trademarked character that would look so hokey if i tried to create...

so....i spent $5 on the ninja set and i spent $2.50 (clearance) each on the leggings and $1.50 on each beanie...buying the leggings was a little rough...it went something like this..."mom why are you buying girl pants?" "i'm not...these are NINJA pants!" "oh...then why are they in the girl section?" "i dont know...isnt that wierd? we should tell them they have NINJA pants in the girls section." "yeah...we should tell them". i am thinking that its really safe to have an all black costume - they could be ninjas...karate kid...robbers...spiders if i attach some "legs" - that way if when bryson changes his mind...we will have a base to work with : )

PS - Also i have LOVED ninjas since i first saw this site...its amazing...have fun! totally sweet...

Paper Airplane Master

My house is now a paper airplane graveyard...there are at least 15 that i throw away (recycle) every night. bryson makes them with such fierceness...and they are all different styles too - he does like 5 different styles - i think he pretty much taught himself how to do it too...because i, for one, did not teach him that and i know for a second fact that his are better than his dad's silly "gliders". for about 3 weeks now Bryson has been perfecting his paper airplane making skills...i thought it was just a phase that would die down in a week or so...but no...still going strong...very strong...in fact...funny story...


jr. league started up last week and there was another mom at the table whose son was in Bryson's pre-school class over the summer...i told her that her son and mine were BFFs at school and she looked surprised and then said, "oh my gosh...bryson is YOUR son? he is a paper airplane GOD at our house! my son made me get a book at the library on how to make them because he wanted to make them as cool as bryson!" so apparently Bryson sends her son home with batches of airplanes too..even ones made from HUGE pieces of art paper...obsessed...i tell you...obsessed! 


he wanted to teach his friends how to do it...like they read blogs or something...but he posted his steps over at his (much neglected) blog...You can get the low down HERE.

buddies

buds...bryson and asher. bryson had his first sleepover this last weekend at asher's house. i still can't believe i have an *almost* 5 year old!










and here are the two buds BOTH without training wheels thanks to a certain like-a-bike...or balance bike...whatever...that thing is awesome - i should rent it out! it took asher only a week on it...







(also update: STILL pregnant...still feeling great, which i take as a sign that it could still be a while...if nothing is still happening by tomorrow, Bryan is going to take me to Studio City to eat at Caioti's and eat their labor salad....for lunch)

saying goodbye to the rat tail...

so sad...but i know this post is going to bring my mother and brother and sister such joy.

i dont know why a rat tail is so offensive to some.

but i do admit it was getting looooong. he wanted to cut it shorter, so i let him...then he wanted to cut it off completely.

he has rocked the look for awhile - since january - so perhaps it was time...but still...it was sad to see it go.

i am still trying to convince him to let B put lines in his hair...kinda like vanilla ice or kriss kross...whatcha think?

oh and this is why you dont let a 4 year old fidgety boy get his face painted...tragedy...

brothers

these two are cracking me up lately. we had some friends over for dinner and the boys were in the back just chasing each other and wrestling and provided us free entertainment for the evening. bodie just adores his big brother and bryson loves to crack him up. yesterday forward rolls were doing the trick. i never really got along with my siblings, so i was not expecting this. and although i know baby #3 and age will change things, right now i am so content watching these two interact and love each other (most of the time :) )

here we are walking bryson to preschool yesterday. bodie wanted to be on his scooter too...he pretty much scooted the entire way...the entire way being about 2 blocks over and 1 block down.

bryson enjoyed preschool very much by the way...he said his favorite part was seeing the tadpoles and his least favorite part was having to kick the soccer ball softly (he wanted to kick it hard)

when i picked him up the teacher said, "he did good" but the good had an inflection that expressed to me, "i see i am gunna have to work with this one". bryson exclaimed to me on the way out, "I had NO time outs mom! NONE!!" wuuuu! success! i am relieved...i know they will figure him out and provide him the very set boundaries that he needs :)

First Day of School...

well...pre-school...counts though, right? here is the big boy...sooooo excited...and can you believe that SCISSORS were waiting for him??? what??? this is his dream school! mama is feeling her heart strings pulled a bit, but not this boy...i told bryan on the way home that bryson is ready for college...he would be the kid to ask/plead/beg to go to boarding school...which i suppose is an easier situation than if he were NOT ready and did NOT want to go...but still...can't someone tell him he needs to at least pretend like he'll miss me?

Captain Napkinface

this was the result of an eye poke that younger brother gave to older brother sunday at approximately 5:00pm. we weren't sure if there was something stuck in the eye...if the eye was scratched...if it just hurt...but several wakings and bryson not being able to open his eye led us to an ophthalmologist yesterday afternoon. he found a scratched eye...put some sort of goo in there and this not so nifty eye patch. bryan took him to the doctor (because he had a golf lesson afterward that he refused to miss...he can still hit a ball with his good eye after all) and on the phone bryson told me, "i look like a pirate kinda, but not really". ooohhh...see what ya mean...so i fashioned him a felt eye patch...much better.

i realize this will not be the last incident of "brotherly love" in fact...we have suspected that Bodie, being the big puppy in a small room, will be at the giving end of many a trip to the doctor...but Bryson is having a hard time understanding that Bodie did not intend to do this. he kept asking me to poke Bodie in the eye back. i am kinda hard pressed to try to explain intent and when exactly one harbors ill intent...any suggestions? i tried to have my sister explain to Bryson that when she and my brother were little he broke her arm on accident and she wasn't mad at him...she forgave him because it was an accident...ummm....hardly less than successful of a discussion...i need kid terms and this is a big concept...

PS: we deemed him Captain Napkinface...but he prefers Captain No-Beard

Fishin'

this is gunna make some TMAFI alums quite anxious for june to come...this is fishing at Intake II. quite possibly the ugliest lake up in the Bishop Creek area. i usually hate going to this lake and i dont believe i have ever caught anything there...its not a natural lake, which is why i probably don't like it so much.
due to the unusually long winter up in the Sierras, a lot of the lakes that would normally be open were still frozen over. (dont despair TMAFI-ers....the ice is melting approximately 1 inch per day, it should be fine for our arrival....lower than normal, but fine). anyway - due to those long winters this was one of the only lakes up there available to fish. i did have some luck, and so did bryan....and being the super cool, nice, rad, amazing mommy that i am....i even let bryson reel one of my fish in...should i mention here that i didnt do that last year and that bryan gives me a hard time about it still....i have matured bryan...look...here is proof....our son holding one of MY fish...i am so mature sometimes its hard to stand...

this picture is when we met the runners and bryson kept himself busy "fishing" the stream....i say it like that because i had put some dinky lure on his line so i didnt have to keep re-baiting for him....why is he in his pajamas you ask? well....i was so obsessed with following bodie around and making sure he didnt fall in the creek, when i looked over and saw poor bryson up to his neck...he was trying to jump across and fell a little short...all i had in my car was p.j.s...

and here is the little fisherman in a rare moment sitting. i am excited that he is so into fishing. it will be neat to bring the boys up every year and have them become familiar with the place so dear to my heart. my favorite part about fishing with bryson and my brother is that when i caught the second fish he went and showed my brother (who was not so lucky) and shouted, "uncle jake, look my mom caught another fish! do you want her to show you how?" if you know my brother....or have a big brother yourself....you will know how utterly, completely awesome that was.

Madrona Marsh

I need to start this off with a little shout out. The author of Fun and Educational Places to go with Kids came and spoke at our MOPs and I happened to win the book as a door prize. I was super excited because i rarely win something i actually like or use. Because of various organizations i have belonged to i have been a constant raffle participant and won my fair share of things, i am not gunna lie, but crest tooth whitening strips are not nearly as exciting believe me. it is fun to win though...regardless. i digress...so anyway...i had to run to Torrance (secret secret, which deserves its own post entirely, believe me) and i HATE driving to Torrance...there is no easy way to get there, so i figured if i was going to drag my boys over there, i may as well take them somewhere fun also. so i just looked up the City of Torrance in her Index by City and found several things, but this place was just around the corner from where i was going and sounded right up my boys-who-like-to-run-and-explore-and-get-as-dirty-as-possible's alley...

we went to the Madrona Marsh in Torrance. a natural wetland. i have been to the Bolsa Chica Wetlands and also the one by Murrieta...i forget the name at the moment...but both of the other ones i have run at, and not taken the kidlets.

we stopped in first at the Nature Center. Very new, very clean - lots of hands-on things for the kiddos - bryson got to feel snake skin (very cool) and see the turtles and frogs and snakes and other critters. there was also a coloring table (boring, mom...okay whatever!) and there are also classes there i am told. i asked the lady if the terrain would be okay for my stroller and she said it would...which, yeah, okay i was able to kinda push my stroller, but a jogging stroller or none at all would have been better. i had thought my ergo was in the car, and it wasnt, so better for my back, but not so much fun pushing a stroller around there. i wouldnt recommend it. 

we then walked across the street to the actual marsh. we took the long route all the way around and i would say it took us about 45 minutes or so to do...we took our sweet time.

the most fun part was when we were away from the wet parts i let Bodie out....actually i should back up and say that i made the mistake of letting Bodie out around the wet part and he was off like a dart into the bog...which i got all over me and him and promptly strapped him back in the stroller and he was screaming for a good 5 minutes...so after i learned my lesson and we were away from the nasty swampy water...i let Bodie out. he did such a good job of staying on the trail i was so blown away! i think i expect him to act like his big brother a lot of the times (bryson would have NEVER...i repeat in case you didnt hear, NEVER have stayed on a trail at his age). Bodie did awesome and followed his big brother and i and discovered ants and thorns and plants and it brought so much joy to watch both of them discover this little piece of land in the middle of  a very busy city.

it was a pretty overcast chilly day, which i think made it all the more beautiful there. it was fun to explore this natural wetland, however, i would say that i wouldnt personally drive out of my way to Torrance to visit only the Madrona Marsh. sorry...the time it takes to drive there and back is longer than you would spend there, which is my rule of thumb for driving somewhere.

(PS - i just am in love with that first pic. bryson is becoming such a tender and sweet older brother - most of the time - it is so fun to watch him show Bodie how to explore)

hot rod shirt

we had another t-shirt making round this weekend...my sister and liz even got in on the fun. i love having a backyard to be able to craft - it makes clean-up all the more easier, which makes me want to do it, which makes bryson a happy boy - he loves to create as much as i do :)

so another car shirt for him...i really like how it turned out - the little red hot rod was a nice suggestion from B. i have already had 3 different guys ask for an adult version...maybe Sweet B should look into a men's line? funny...i used to work for a men's fashion magazine and always thought how boring men's fashion is...pants and shorts and shirts...snooze! now look at me...all knee-deep in little boys! and who knew it could be as fun as making dresses? well...quite nearly as fun anyway :)

crafting shirts

the boys and i took a nice long walk this morning and afternoon- stopping at the beach to play - along our local main street to shop and sight see and at the nearby park to run around and have a picnic - even big B joined us at the park for lunch. the weather was amazing and Bodie even waited till we got back to nap...which meant i could even rest - not nap, but rest...i rarely get to sit for longer than 10 minutes, so this is excitement. this was a pretty close to perfect morning for us.

i realize that bryson needs to be active early and focused on something, or else our day sees more chaos and fights and bad attitudes than is warranted. but if i get him out of the house and active and on a mission, we can have a seamless day. i think i have known this about him since he was 18 months and we started going to the park every day...every day...at 9:30...every day....or else. it hasnt changed.

anyway - i was also thinking to myself how easy it was with just one...how much we could do in one day and still enjoy the day...how i used to have a regular craft time with him every afternoon. now it is more like once a week. granted, i am working in the office more, but with 2 - there is rarely a day like today. and soon there will be 3...and schedules will be adjusted again...and less will get done in a day....and i am still trying to mentally prep myself for that. i switch between anxiety and excitement approximately 346 times each day. but given it all, my day is filled with more love and excitement with my 2 boys. i am so so blessed to have each of them and wouldnt change it for the world and i know this little soul will change our lives, but it will ultimately be for the better and i do look forward to that.

so today was a pretty amazing day - i got to clear my head and mind and also create with BOTH my boys. how fun! Bryson was experimenting with mixing colors and creating his own names for them and Bodie experimented with tasting paint and getting marker everywhere. fun times.

the bike shirt is Bodie's and the ant shirt is Bryson's. this is Bryson saying..."i think the ants are looking for dirt. they like to eat dirt." i told him they like sweet things, "no, i think they like dirt" whatever!

these are my favorite tees at the moment - American Apparel's tri-blend tee (polyester, cotton & rayon) - it is so super soft...like a thrifted tee...love them...

i guess he is saluting here? not sure...but at least you can see the little strawberry on the sleeve the ants are going for? i thought this shirt would be so BOY, but it kinda looks girly to me too? its transgender...

no girl babies...

bryson just told me..."no girl babies are allowed in here!"

"what girl babies?" i asked...

"the one in your tummy mom!" he replied

"how do you know its a girl, it could be a boy."

"well...only boys are allowed in this house. no girls are allowed. only boys. like bodie. girls poop a lot."

take that cute easter bonnets!

boys can have cute Easter projects too...even boys who protest the very idea of a tie. even boys who tell their mothers, "everyone's gunna laugh at me. little boys don't wear ties." even boys who will only put on this tie for a picture if the mother promises he can finish watching his movie.

even those boys. i was intent on making 3 ties for all the boys...which is no longer the plan for a couple reasons: 1) the plaid doesn't look as cool on the bias and B) the thing is a lot of cutting and a lot of hand sewing and a lot of ironing which are all things that must be done at evening time and i don't have a lot of those left before Easter! and III) the husband hates ties too...so i would have 2 that hate ties and the little one who would probably end up strangling himself with it to get it off...maybe a tie-shirt for him?



i am just hoping i can get him to actually wear this on Easter Sunday....for like a minute hopefully? long enough for a family picture...to say in the distant future - oh look - i remember spending all that time and love hand sewing that tie for you...and you hated it...oh wait...i am doing that now...

















P.S. - got it from the Purl Bee's Little Boy's Tie tutorial and pattern available here.

Bryson Golfing

you've heard me talk about my boys and golf quite a bit...i am so excited Bryan finally uploaded some videos...he took this one with his phone, so its not the best quality, but hopefully you can still see him take a shot. this is when Bryan took him golfing last week to a par 3 / 9 hole course. i think Bryan said his score was 72 :) i think its funny he kept score. anyway - this is him on the last hole.

Bryson Fighting Sleep...Again

okay - this is hilarious...you must watch it all the way through... thru? through looks weird now...sad...anyway - back in ol' 2008 i blogged about Bryson and his sleep and put a link to the first video...in case you wanted to see part 1...here is the follow up to that taken on Christmas Eve- i love this video because it captures his little spirit so well...i know we are a little mean...but you gotta know him to know he can handle it :)

i see you....

 

not sure what this all means, but sometimes you have to just go with it...