Meeting Playmates

I can't remember too much about being a 4 year old. My earliest real memory took place when I was 3 years old so I'm sure I have some 4 year old memories in there somewhere, I just don't know where or what they are. I can remember bits and pieces of being in nursery school...now called preschool...but not a lot. I definitely don't remember how I made friends at this age.

This evening, Joshua and I went to Jump Zone. For those of you who don't know, we had Joshua's 4th birthday party at Jump Zone and this is first time we have been since then. Most of the jumpy places in the area are only open during daytime hours during the week and are reserved for private parties on the weekends. I'm not sure why they think that children of working parents aren't interested in jumping...Luckily, Jump Zone has recently started having Family Fun Nights on Mondays and Thursdays so they are open from 5-8.

Anyway, we arrived at 5:03 and were the first ones there. Slowly others trickled in. The first to arrive was an older group of kids, maybe 6 years old. Someone was having a birthday party so all the kids were around the same age and knew each other. Joshua sees the group of 4 running around from slide to slide so Joshua starts running around right after them just like he was a part of their group. He had no idea he wasn't a member and they had no clue he was following them around. But, he felt like he belonged and he was having fun. I've seen him do this in other public settings too...he sees a group of kids running around together having fun and he just starts running around with them. Sometimes they interact with him and he really does join their group and sometimes they don't. Do all kids find playmates like this? Did I find playmates this way?

Joshua played several games of air hockey with some kids. He did pretty good considering it's only the second time he has ever played. One of the older boys played against him and did really well at hitting easy and letting Joshua score some. I later noticed that the boy's father is the owner of Jump Zone so I'm sure he gets plenty of practice playing against younger kids. Another older kid didn't take it easy on Joshua and kept slamming the puck. But then, Joshua played against a younger kid and that quickly built his ego back up. After playing against this one girl, they decided to hook up and jump some together. She initiated it by asking Joshua if he wanted to slide with her and he said ok. They were really cute...she gave him a big hug and told him bye when it was time for her to leave.

I really enjoy seeing Joshua making friends out of strangers, talking to kids, interacting with people. I'm glad he is growing out of his clingy stage.

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

Last week Joshua took swim lessons through the City of Raleigh. Last year, he had a parent/child class where I had to get in the water with him. This year, he had the Preschool Level I class and I was able to stay dry the entire time.

My mommy brain forgot that the class was last week until some friends reminded us. So, Joshua missed class on Monday and started on Tuesday. Even though he started a day late, he caught up with the rest of the class just like he had been there. Joshua did terrific. He went in the water without me without a single complaint. He listed to Ed, the instructor, and did everything he asked without hesitation. He stroked, he kicked, he blew bubbles, he stuck is face in the water....and, he jumped off the side, wearing a life vest, going all the way under the water...w00t w00t!

Joshua passed his class and is ready for Level II, "the harder class" as he calls it. Luckily, Ed also teaches Level II so we plan on signing up for it soon.

Conversations with Joshua

I love having conversations with Joshua. I learn a lot about the funny mind of a 4 year old talking with him. Here are some conversations we had just today...well, yesterday now...

On What I want to be when I grow up:
Several months ago, Joshua announced he wanted to be a cowboy named Golden Pudding when he grew up. A few weeks ago, he decided he wanted to be a squid shooter...he told me that I could go in the submarine with him if I wanted to. Today, he decided he wanted to be an astronaut...the conversation went something like this
Mommy, can me and you ride on a spaceship sometime?
That would be fun wouldn't it. But you know what? Right now, not everyone can ride on a spaceship, only astronauts can.
Mommy, I changed my mind about being a squid shooter when I grow up
You did? What do you want to be when you grow up?
An astronaut silly. And you can be one too when you grow up if you want to.

On Babies:
Today after school, we went to Pelican's, along with Jessica-mom, Caitlin-4 yo, Camryn-soon to be 3 yo and Cassidy-soon to be 1 yo, for snoballs. I've driven by Pelican's thousands of times but never stopped. One day last week, Scott was going to pick Joshua up from school and I suggested they go to Pelican's and try it out...it was 100 degrees and thought they needed a treat...Well, Joshua is a big fan of snocones, Icees (is that how you spell the plural of Icee?) and such anyway, but now, I have created a snoball monster. It wasn't so bad when it was just snocones because those were only available at street fairs, arts and crafts fairs, State fairs, etc., snoballs are available 7 days a week! Sorry, I got sidetracked, back to my story about babies...this is our conversation in the car after leaving Pelican's.
Mommy, why she (meaning Jessica)have 3 babies?
Because she wants 3 babies.
Are you going to have 3 babies?
No, I'm not going to have 3 babies. Would you want a baby brother or sister?
Yea, I would like to have a baby brother, I don't want a baby sister?
What would you want to name a baby brother?
You could call him Joshua like me!
No, that would be confusing. I would say "Joshua, come here" and who would come?
You could name him Indiana Jones.
Indiana Jones Johnson. I don't think that is a very good name.
He doesn't have Johnson in his name. Just Indiana Jones.
Well, if he was our baby in our family, he would have to have Johnson in his name because we have Johnson in our name.
Oh. How about Simon like Simon Says?

On Moving:
Jessica and her family are buying a new house and will soon be moving. Luckily, they are staying in the same area and not moving away.
I want to go to Caitlin's house again.
You want to see her new house?
No, her old house. I'm going to miss it. Is Caitlin going to miss it?
She might. But do you know what? Her new house is just down the street from her old house so she can walk there and see it.
And play with her toys too?
Oh, don't worry. All her toys and all her things are going to move into her new house with her.
Oh, ok. Good!!!

On Naps:
Are Sydney and Caitlin taking a nap right now?
I'm sure they are. Are you going to take a nap too?
No, I'm just going to take a little rest. Are they sleeping in their beds?
Yes, I'm sure they are. Do you want to take a rest in your bed?
No, I'm going to take a rest in my chair. That's what big boys do. Isn't it Mommy? Is that what big boys do?
I suppose so.
Are Sydney and Caitlin still asleep?
Probably.
Will you tell me when it is they wake up?
Sure.
I don't want to sleep if they are not asleep.
OK....(about 30 seconds later)...
Are they up yet?

All this and more in just one day. Parenting can be tiring...

Happy Father's Day

What a nice Father's Day we had. The morning started with a big breakfast of country ham, eggs and biscuits...YUM! Scott and Joshua then went to see Indiana Jones.

Joshua has become an Indiana Jones fanatic...although, I'm not really sure if Joshua really really likes Indy or if Joshua likes Indy because Daddy really really likes Indy. Regardless of why Joshua likes it, he watches Indy 1, Indy 3, Scott won't let him watch Indy 2 because of the violence, on tv almost every day. He has an Indy bullwhip, an Indy "action figure" and we now have to buy food with Indy pictures on it, Frosted Flakes, Pop Tarts, he insisted we get Scott some Dr. Pepper because of Indy. I never realized how well all this marketing stuff works!

Anyway, while the boys were at the movies, I bought a trailer bike for Joshua that I found on Craigslist and went to 4 different grocery stores looking for beef ribs...plenty of pork ribs but beef ribs are evidently not too popular.

For dinner, we grilled pork and beef ribs, had corn on the cob from the Farmer's Market, mashed potatoes, cucumbers in vinegar and tea. Scott's parents came for dinner and then fixed homemade banana ice cream for dessert...I ate mashed potatoes for dessert :) We all ate waaaay too much but it was a good day.

Scott helped me remove the baby seat from my bike and attach the trailer bike. Joshua was so excited; however, once he got on it, he was scared and decided to wait until he is 5 years old to ride it. I'm hoping I'll be able to talk him into riding BEFORE he turns 5...I'm sure I will.

I hope everyone else had a wonderful Father's Day!

sticker chart - day 2

Friday, I finally got around to making Joshua's sticker chart, mainly because he has one at school and he has been bugging me to make him one at home. It is a week long, has brushing teeth in the morning, getting dressed, picking up toys, feeding Buddy dinner, having one treat...this one is great, Joshua thinks it's cool to get a sticker for eating one treat a day, I think it's cool because after he eats his treat and puts on a sticker, no more treats for the day!...no whining...I have had to remind him of this one twice today...taking a bath, brushing teeth and night, going to bed and a bonus block...we used this one today...Joshua left this morning without brushing his teeth (he brushes his own teeth in the morning and I help him brush at night) so he didn't get a sticker for that one, but he ate really really well today, all his breakfast and a great dinner, so I let him put a sticker in the bonus column...that way, he can miss one of this other "chores" and do something else to make up for it. He is really excited about it and likes putting the stickers on, but it is only day number 2. I'm sure the excitement will wear off quickly.

Food, Clothing and Shelter

Food:
Thursday morning, I asked Joshua what he wanted for breakfast. We usually have to list the various kinds of cereal we have, go through the waffles, pancakes, french toast, toast and jelly, bacon and eggs options before he says he wants so and so cereal. But that morning, he emphatically said he wanted a jelly biscuit and can we make some. I turned on the oven, got out the flour, the bowl and the measuring cup and instructed Joshua to put in one scoop of flour. He scooped some, stuck in his hand and picked up a little more, smoothed it off nicely, got flour all over the place, but put his scoop in the bowl. I measured out the oil and milk which he poured in the bowl. He turned the mixer on himself. I scraped the dough out and he rolled it around in flour, patted it out, cut it with our biscuit cutter and put the biscuit dough in the pan....all while singing "Patty Cake"...I put them in the oven until they were done. He will really impress the ladies one day with this biscuit baking ability.

Clothing:
Sometimes, getting clothes on Joshua can be a chore...he likes to try to jump into his underwear and shorts, he likes to run around in circles while you try to get the shirt over his head, he likes to kick his feet and see if you can catch them to put his socks on, you know, 4 year old stuff...One morning, Joshua went into his room, closed his door and came out dressed. He even put on his belt, which he buckled himself, tucked his shirt in, put on a cap...I think he is trying to be like Daddy.

Shelter:
Well, this isn't really about shelter, but food, clothing and going to the potty doesn't make for a good title. We were eating dinner at a small restaurant with single stall restrooms. Joshua gets up from the table, goes to the bathroom, shuts the door...I can see the bathroom from our table...I wait, and wait, and wait, I go to the door and ask if he needs help and he assures me no, he can do it himself. He comes out and says I had to go poo poo. When you gotta go, you gotta go!

A weekend get away

This weekend, Joshua and I went to the beach with our friends Elizabeth, Ashley (4 yo) and Sarah (2 yo). I must say I had a wonderful time and I think the kids did too. Joshua was very excited to go but we couldn't leave until after work. We ran some errands at lunch time and, upon returning home, Joshua refused to get out of the car, he wanted to go then! I unbuckled his carseat and left the doors open so that he could come back inside the house once he realized I was telling the truth that we weren't leaving yet.

The weather has been really really HOT at 100 degrees, not including the heat index, so Saturday, we decided to go to the beach early before it heated up too much. Wow, does it take a lot of stuff for 2 adults and 3 kids on the beach. I can remember the good ole days when all I needed was a towel, a radio and Hawaiian Tripic Dark Tanning Oil with SPF 0. Now, it takes chairs, towels, toys, a cooler, snacks and a wide spectrum of of sunscreen ranging from SPF 15 to SPF 50, kid friendly sunscreen, face sunscreen, SPF lip balm, lotion, spray-on...We looked like we were exoding Oklahoma during the 1930s dust bowl. Luckily, we found a spot directly across from the beach access ramp.

Finally, we staked our claim to our little spot on the beach, lotioned up, and headed in. The kids had a terrific time playing in the waves. Joshua and Ashley would run in and out of the waves, they would jump the waves, the waves would knock them down, they would sit and let the waves crash into them. Sarah wanted to be right there with them, but she is a bit smaller...of course, she doesn't realize that though...She finally settled in to sitting and letting the waves crash into her. A few times, the waves crashed right over her and she would be floating away, we would catch her and she would sit up and smile ready to do it over again. We collected some seashells, ate some snacks, played in the water some more, until we were ready for lunch. A few minor observations from our morning at the beach: 1) When a wave knocks you down, don't smile or laugh, close your mouth; 2) For parents of kids this age, it's not hard work, but it isn't relaxing either.

By the time we left the beach, the sand was sooo hot. Even though we all had on sandals, the sand would get in our sandals and we kept having to stop and dump them out so our feet wouldn't burn. We headed to The North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shoresfor lunch and for an air conditioning break. Ashley enjoyed showing Joshua the aquarium, Joshua enjoyed seeing all the sea life...he is really into sea life and love sharks best of all. He has about 5 different shark shirts and probably 5 different shark books and even more shark puzzles. He can look at a picture of a shark and more likely than not be able to tell you what kind of shark it is and some sort of fact about it. Unfortunately for me, yet fortunately for Joshua, a kid was exiting the aquarium with a stuffed shark at the same time we were entering the aquarium....now, Joshua has a stuffed shark to add to his shark collection as well as a smushed penny with a shark on it.

As a side note, Joshua collects the smushed pennies. He gets one every time we go somewhere that has a machine to smush a penny. The aquarium had a great souvenir penny album that we purchased so that he can keep his smushed penny collection all in one place.

Anyway, after the aquarium, Elizabeth and the girls went back to clean up while Joshua and I rode into Morehead to buy Scott some Sanitary t-shirts. For those of you that don't know, Sanitary Fish Market and Restaurant is a very popular spot...not sure if it is more popular for eating or for buying their t-shirts though...Then, Joshua and I cleaned up and we went to dinner and then back to let the kids run and run and run.

Sunday, Joshua and I went to the beach for about an hour and then he was ready to leave. I stopped at the first convenience store on my side of the road for gas and ice and Joshua was already asleep. He slept all the way, waking up when we were 1 1/2 miles away from home.

I think Joshua and Ashley played together really well. They have similar silly personalities and told each other a lot of jokes. I'm sure Joshua enjoyed having someone to laugh at his jokes other than me! He wasn't really sure what to do with Sarah. Sarah, like I previously mentioned, has no clue that she isn't 4 years old, and was right in the middle of everything Joshua and Ashley were doing. Anyway, it was a bit of a struggle for Joshua because, as he said, Sarah doesn't know how to play by the rules. He doesn't have a younger sibling at home to know how to handle the situation. He did pretty good for the most part. By Sunday, he had had about enough of being well behaved, had a minor meltdown, pushed Sarah a couple of times, but Sarah is tough, she can handle herself.

Elizabeth, Ashley, Sarah, thanks for sharing your beach house with us. We enjoyed it! Only now, Joshua wants his own beach house!