Saturday: Jesusland

It's been 14 years since Mom died.  And while it was a sad day, it was also not too sad.  She's been on my mind lately for an assortment of reasons, and I don't feel as though not being very sad is forgetting.

But she's in heaven and what a great place that is.  Isaac is trying to wrap his head around it.  He calls it Jesusland - at one point he thought we were going there after after Disneyland and I'm pretty sure he thinks it'll be fun like Disney.  Since I don't know what it is like, I see no reason to interfere with this idea.

We tend to talk about it in the car.  One day he realized that he might go there by himself and without me.  He was almost in tears.  But I was able to tell him that Jesus and Grandma Julie would be there and that I'd come after him.  He calmed down.

And he asked why we got some flowers at the store.
A: To remember Grandma Julie
I: Did she die?
A: Yes.  She's in Jesusland.
I: Do you miss her?
A: Yes.
I: Are you sad?

The last question was hard to answer.  I think I said something like yes, but it usually isn't too bad.  It's hard to explain emotions associated with death to a four year old, let alone to explain how those emotions change over time.

But I do miss her a lot; that question was an easy one.

Thursday: an often held conversation

Isaac: if I finish my food do I get a treat?
Amanda: no, we don't have treats after breakfast.
Isaac: what can I have?
Amanda: Froot Loops.

I know...Froot loops are a treat! Aunt C got them for our trip to see Nathan; they aren't something I would normally get. But I have a long standing rule of no treats after breakfast, and I'm sticking to it.

Wednesday: big news

Last week we brought in a racket to get it restrung, and I let Isaac pick out the color for the strings - black, gold, or something else.  I thought black would be best, so letting him choose was a no-brainer.  However, he surprisingly chose gold.  Interesting.

We picked up the racket today and had the following conversation:
Amanda: How much do you love black?
Isaac: 100 much.
Amanda: How much do you love red?
Isaac: 0
Amanda: blue?
Isaac: 0
Amanda: green?
Isaac: 0
Amanda: gold?
Isaac: Infinity!
Amanda: silver?
Isaac: Infinity!

This was repeated at the fabric store when he wanted the gold fabric.  I vetoed it since it was for my project and I wanted blue, but he does seem to be gravitating towards gold.

Tuesday: happy white temperatures

Joshua was very happy tonight.  He probably spent about twenty minutes saying it.


Then I finally got the kitchen floor cleared and ran the rumba.  (Ants!  Yuck.)  So we spent ten minutes watching it.

Yesterday Isaac needed a wipe and asked me to get it.  I asked him where it was, and he said by the couch.  I asked him what color it was (black or white) and he replied with, "White.  The color you like the most."  Because he decided a while ago that it was my favorite color to oppose his favorite black.  I think he knows that blue is my favorite color, but it just doesn't sink in.

This morning he said, "Don't touch the ice!  It's very very cold."

Amanda: Oh, 28.35 degrees Kelvin.  That is very cold.
Isaac: The sun is warming it up now and it's melting.
Amanda: Oh, 28.35 degrees F.  Ok.
Isaac: it's zero degrees now and all melted.
Amanda thinks "and we hit the trifecta."

Tuesday: pictures on quilts

I was taking pictures today for my quilting blog.  I was doing it while Joshua was around.  Therefore, every quilt that I put on the floor also had a Joshua in it rather quickly.  Apparently he really takes to heart the "when your quilt goes on the floor it's time to get your picture taken" idea for his monthly pictures.

The orange vest is his favorite item of clothing.  Whenever it's out because I'm putting laundry away he wants to put it on.  (Yesterday he even tricked Ben into putting it on him for a few hours.)

Sunday: nursery

I was in nursery today.  I helped with check-in, realized that there weren't a ton of kids on the baby side, where I was officially supposed to be, and a ton of kids on the toddler side.  So I went over there and Joshua immediately starts crying.  He was being comforted by a helper from when I first put him over there and I think he would have been fine and playing in a few more minutes, but seeing me was just more than he could handle.

So I took him and we rocked.  And he was so nice and cuddly.  So we rocked some more.  The toddlers were behaving themselves very well and I wasn't needed...it even felt like there was an extra helper besides me...so we rocked some more.  Then Joshua fell asleep.  We had a weird schedule today with Bible Study, so I let him keep sleeping and rocked some more.

Church ended, I moved him to my shoulder, and we went upstairs to pick up Isaac.  He didn't really move much until I called, "Isaac," at which point it was exciting to see his brother.

I don't stop and cuddle with him like that very much.  Just sitting and enjoying, without one of us feeling like we should be doing something else.  It was wonderful.

Friday: April Fool's Day

Happy April Fool's!

It started out early this morning.  Joshua decided to sleep through the night (although he did need one monitor communication telling him to go back to sleep...I didn't have to get up).  But Isaac woke up.  I found him opening the gate to the downstairs.  When I asked him what was going on he said that his alarm clock told him his bed was dangerous and that he needed to get out of bed.  I'm glad I heard him, but I'd be interested in knowing what he would have done if I hadn't.

This morning I gave Isaac a glass of jello and said it was OJ.  He rarely gets orange juice, but loves it.  

I also made a pan of brown Es and told him he could have one after lunch.  That ended up going like this...
Isaac: can I have a brownie for my treat?
Amanda: sure
Amanda opens the pan with Isaac watching.

Isaac looks at the brown Es blankly.

Amanda: what are they?
Isaac: Es
Amanda: what color are they?
Isaac: brown
Amanda: so what are they?
Isaac: paper?
Amanda: brown Es!

Isaac puts it in his mouth to try it.

Amanda:  no,no. It's a trick!  April fools!

I asked him a few other times if he wanted brown Es.  He usually figured out what was going on right away.

Ben knocked on the slider door after getting home from work.  It took Isaac and I both a while to find him and figure out what was going on.  Isaac proceeded to give him some brown Es.