Avoiding politics at home

This weekend, after the boys were "asleep," I sat down to work on some homework (which is what I'm supposed to be doing right now). I grabbed a glass of wine and snuggled up with my Kindle to read all about Community Colleges. Exciting, right?

I didn't hear him come downstairs, but Nickolas tip-toed to the edge of the family room and just stared at me. I asked him, "what's up, buddy?" He said, "I can't sleep, momma. I just keep thinking." I think he knows I'm a sucker for that line. So I made room on my lap for him and we had a long talk. Here's how it went (for the most part):

• Me: So what are you thinking about?
• Nick: Sometimes I have bad dreams about people I don't know. You and daddy aren't there...in my dreams. Why aren't you there?
• Me: Nick, we're always here.
• Nick: But not in my dreams you're not. There are scary people.
• Me: Who are the scary people, bud?
• Nick: I don't know them. They take my things away and they chase me.
• Me: (Thinking, "crap, we haven't talked about socialists since the election...crap...what's coming up...). Well, are they kids in your school?
• Nick: No, they are adults. Not kids. The kids at my school are my friends.
• Me: That's true. So what do the adults look like?
• Nick: Well, I don't know. They just keep trying to take my money. But I want to buy Hot Wheels with my money and I want a new Hot Wheels sets (sic).
• Me: Okay, so keep saving up your money and we'll get you one, okay?
• Nick: But momma, I don't want Barack Obama to be our president because he'll come to Target and take my money. I'm gonna leave my money at home so he can't get it from me. And then I won't be able to get any Hot Wheels or Thomas trains because I won't have any money because I don't want Barack Obama to take it from me when I go to Target (yes, it was a run-on sentence like that).
• Me: (Thinkin, "how in the world did he remember that? I haven't even been listening to much talk radio around him since he cried at ROMNEY losing the primaries!"). Nickolas, you will NEVER, EVER see Barack Obama, so you don't have to worry about him taking your money away.
• Nick: But he is a socialisp and he's gonna come to take my money away.
• Me: That's not quite how it works, Nick. Socialists don't take it from you. They tax us on the money we earn.

Long pause. LONG sip of wine.

• Nick: Mom, maybe when your work gives you money you should just bring it home and put it in a train bank like I do. That way they can't go to the bank and take it from you. You just put it in a train bank.
• Me: (Thinking, "seriously? You're four and you're planning my finances."). That's a good idea, Nick, but there aren't any socialists at the bank, either, buddy. We will never see them. They make laws that tell my boss to take away some of my money and give it back to them. So, if I earned $10, the socialists would tell Miss JE to give me only $5 and send the rest to them. They don't actually come to my work and take it, and they aren't going to be at Target to take our money, either.
• Nick: Yeah, but, well, you don't take your money to the bank, mommy.

I don't remember how the conversation ended, but I did try to get out of it. It was so sad to hear him worry about money. At one point, he told me that he was afraid the "socialisps" would take our money and that we wouldn't be able to pay for our house or Huck (that's what the boys call my car).

We sat there for about 40 minutes. Finally, he was ready to talk about trains and then I took him up to bed.

Blah blah blah

Well, I've officially started school. Fortunately, it looks like I'll be able to manage my schedule pretty well this semester, but I'm not so sure about May. Oh, May, May, my favorite month. It will be a rough May this year as I travel to Nebraska and draft my dissertation proposal. I'm VERY, Very nervous about that. I'm just starting my first classes in the program and I'll start working on my book in just a few months. Holy cow! Okay, enough rambling about me. I just wanted to get that off my chest.

Quick updates: Nickolas is sick (the tummy kind...gross). Nathan is well (for a monkey, that is). Basement is progressing (slowly). Traci's curtains are in the same state they were in last week, and I still haven't started our bedroom curtains.

Here is a quick one to make you smile:

More prayers, please, of varying types

Don't they just look like trouble? Holy mackerel! I must have been a real stinker. Yikes! I'm imagining them in six or seven years. Oh,my! Nick is fearless on the four wheeler. Nathan, well, he just looks tough. REAL tough.


Okay, and I'm making a leap of faith, too. I'm going back to school. Don't fret, pals and friends. I'm not moving. I'm working on my Ed D from home :) I'm enrolled in a distance program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. I'll need to go out there once in a while to actually meet people and make presentations, and then to defend my dissertation, but the bulk of my work will be done right here at the kitchen table. Woo hoo. Guess I'm a Spartan and a Husker now.

On a serious note...
It was just over six months ago that I thanked you all for your prayers for Coleen's health when her brain surgery for BC Mets was successful. Well, if you would please add her to your prayers again, we would be grateful. I'll keep you posted, but we need her doctors to act swiftly and have intelligent foresight, and Coleen needs strength, for both mind and body, and comfort. It looks like her BC Mets is back again. Further testing is being done in the coming weeks. 'Nuff said for now.

Getting big

Well, in the past month, the boys have outgrown most of their clothes and shoes, not to mention their mom/monny. Nathan is the poster child for two-year-old independence-seeking, while Nickolas is just really, really smart. I'm partial, I do realize that, but what three-year-old appropriately uses the word "actually" in a sentence. Example:

Me: Nick, what is in your shoe?
Nick: Actually, mom, it's a frog.
Me: Really? A toad or a frog?
Nick: It's actually a frog, mom. It came from the pond.

Creepy. Weird. Whoa.

Nathan is really working on his sentences and words. He is much easier to understand, but that isn't always fun. Example:

Me: Nathan, please put your head on your pillow. It's time for bed, buddy.
Nathan: I no wanna take a nap.
Me: Well that's good, 'cause it's bedtime, not naptime.
Nathan: Get out of here, Monny!

It's been a fun summer.

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you about Nick's new habit. "I'm sorry." Wonder where that comes from...

Please come, Spring

I know you can't tell by the pictures, but there is five inches of snow on the ground. It is getting old. We've been playing pirates for hours every day. And that picture of Nathan on the inchworm? Let's just say that it has been spending quality time in the garage - by itself - because it is so. flipping. obnoxious. Please, please, pray for Spring.

Don't let it fool you

Awwwwwe! Aren't they so sweet? [See title of post now].

Okay, it is pretty cute. For the past week, Nathan has been jumping into Nick's bed at naptime. He covers himself up so quickly; it's like he thinks I won't notice. Today, I let them try it out.

The fellas shared a bed for almost 20 minutes. I went in at that point because Nick was coughing a lot. When I walked in, I saw that Nathan was almost asleep. OMG! I took him into his own bed (he is in a big boy bed now...see picture below) and he sobbed. He wouldn't calm down until Nick came in and gave him a good night kiss. That is pretty sweet.

Wii love to play games

I swore that our boys would never play video games. We made it almost three and a half years. Nick was sick this weekend, complete with a fever of 103. After a couple of days of constant whining, we decided to bust out the Wii and let him try his hand at bowling.

Nathan did not want to miss anything, so he pulled out his own controller and "played" along, too.

Speaking of Nathan, I have to tell you something HILARIOUS. It requires a little bit of background. Gram and Umpa (my mom and dad) bought a place mat with all of the presidents of the United States on it for Nickolas. Nick knows a LOT of them now, even if we show him different pictures than the ones on the mat. Pretty sweet. Anyhow, Nathan has not been ignoring this mat. Nathan keeps pointing at a picture of Martin Van Buren and saying, "Bumpa!" Bumpa, of course, is what Nater calls Umpa. Ha!
(Dad, we tried to call you and tell you, but you didn't answer. Sorry!)

She's crafty

Check out the "craft center" (no, I do not actually call it that) in the den. You should also notice that I attached a curtain rod to the kids' table so I could attach their roll of paper. 

I do realize that A.) the boys will climb on the table to reach the top bulletin board and chalkboard, and B.) they will color on the walls with the chalk and crayons. I'm prepared with Mr. Clean's Magic Eraser for the latter. As for the climbing, I think we're out of luck. Our kiddos would climb on anything.

Christmas prayer

Dear Jesus,

Thank you for presents, Polar Express, my family, listening, for not being sassy.

I love you.

Come, Lord Jesus, come!

I love you.

We decorated a Christmas tree for you.

Thank you for being happy.

Be proud.

Amen

(from Nickolas)

Budding Republican

I'm going to capture this on video for you, but until then here is a sample conversation we've been having with Nick:

Us: Hey Nick, what's your political preference?
Nick: I'm a weepubwican
Us: What kind of republican are you?
Nick: Um, a wite wing conserbatib.
Us: What do you think of Hillary Clinton, Nick?
Nick: She's a soshalisp
Us: That's right, Nick. And socialists are bad because they take away our things to give to people who don't earn them on their own.
Nick: She's not going to take my toys!
Us: That's why we vote republican, Nick.