The Olson Boys: The Sprinkler & Sandbox

One of the things I've learned this year is that I am not a stay-at-home mom because my kids need me here. I am a stay-at-home mom because I need to be here. When I look at these pictures I can hardly believe it all happened in a couple weeks. The days feel long and are getting longer, but they are so full and over so fast. I enjoy them. On the other hand, they can also be full of tears and tantrums and they can't be over soon enough. I live in a tango of "living the dream" and "my hand is in the toilet mopping up the third poopy diaper of the afternoon and both the kids are crying." Wesley seems to be a bigger-than-life personality just waiting for a microphone and a good back-up band. William is a sensitive, careful child but, given the thrill of a water sprinkler or a live blues bland, he can rip up the rug (or grass) like anyone's wild child. He sometimes has a hard time with his sudden mood swings and so do I. But I am amazed at how much he hears and understands. We pretend to be paleontologists digging up dinosaurs in his new sandbox. He tells me he is going to "work" and practices flashcards of shapes, numbers and colors. He plays out two-hour-long dramas with a few Sesame Street dolls, cars and a baseball bat. He doesn't need me here but he sure misses me when I step out to go to a meeting. I like stepping out for these meetings, and I like grabbing my guitar to step out for a night on the stage. But I like stepping back into this world of make-believe and giggles and stubborn independence. I love these two boys.

I am blown away by what William thinks about. The other night, while driving home from my band's first "real" gig, I told him he would need to go to bed right away when we got him because it was already past bedtime. He said, "Cash. I want cash." Zac asked, "You will go to bed if we give you cash?" "Yes. And I'll go into the bathroom and go tee tee on the toilet."

"You'll go tee tee on the toilet if we give you cash?"

"Yes."

"How much cash do you want?"

"Ummmm...I want a dump truck full. Then I will go tee tee on the toilet."

"Done!"

William just learned to say hard "g" and "k" sounds. He was using "d" and "t" sounds in place of these sounds before, and is still unclear when to use what. Here are some cute phrases that have come out of this transition:

"I wanna go run in the streak."
"Kickle me!"
"I lite yokurk!"
"I wanna go up in the ackick"

Mostly we are occupied with the people who constantly flow through our house. Tomas left this past weekend to begin his new life in Peru. We already miss him! But we are still hosting Diane Cullumber while she wraps up her time in Minnesota before moving to Peru. She reads to William in Spanish and is like a second mother to both of them. Last week Zac's mom Susan also stayed with us, which put the tally at 7 people staying under our roof. It was great fun for all of us!

Auntie Diane

Susan took a day off just to hang out with the boys and me. We went to Como Zoo and saw our favorite animals--the Polar Bears and Giraffes. The Polar Bears are especially awesome in the true meaning of the word. To imagine they might be extinct by the time William and Wesley are grandparents is truly heartbreaking. Glad the Como Zoo has a new breeding facility!