Animals are...

Tonight we had chicken and corn on the cob.  It was really good (if I do say so myself, even though I didn't make it... thanks grocery store for your half price Monday chicken!).


While we were eating and John and I were talking, I was listening to the kids (because it's always important to listen to the kids... you never know when they'll plan something you will need to nip in the bud).  I overheard something... interesting.

Katie was trying to share some facts of life with Jake.

Jakey, do you know what animals are for?  Do you know Jakey?

Do you know?

(My ears perked up and I wondered what she would say.  I'm glad I listened.)

Animals are for eating. Animals are meat.  (Not too bad, right?)

Yes Jakey,  Jesus made animals for us to eat.  (Still... um, oooookay.)

We kill them and eat them... chickens, cows, lambs, sheep, bunnies...  (Whoa... where did that come from!?)

Did you know that?

(Then I remembered a little conversation we had one evening while we watched that Jamie Oliver show.  The episode where they showed a cow with all of the cuts of meat outlined with paint on his fuzzy cow body.  We might* have talked about the fact that the steak we love to eat... used to walk around.)

I'm a little glad Jake wasn't paying too much attention to his big sis.  He wasn't eating his chicken before her speech anyway so no harm done.

Now they're in Katie's room. I've heard "Jake, sit on the rug! Good dog." and "Jake, it's time for independent reading."

Makes me happy to see them play so nicely.

Oh, on an unrelated note... I just realized how odd it is that we call Jacob "Mr. Pants"... he doesn't ever want to wear pants and yet this seems to have become one of his nicknames.


*Yes. There was a cow with spray paint.  But Jamie Oliver himself pulled out a water hose and washed the cow down at the end of the show.

Just call me Barbie!

Jake watched Toy Story 3 last night on Netflix.  He loves the entire Toy Story empire and I think he loves Buzz, Woody, and Jessie more than any of his other toys (but not more than he loves wearing boots.  He really loves wearing boots. Especially Katie's pink princess ones).

The other night we were cuddling on the couch and it was just us.

Katie was asleep which is good because if Katie and Jake both wanted to cuddle we would have had a fight over which side each kid got to sit on, then Jake would have tried to push Katie over more so he could claim more lap space, then Katie would push back, then there would be crying.  Yes, speaking from experience here.  I shudder to think about a year or two from now when three kids are pushing and shoving to get a spot on my lap.

To hopefully strengthen the brother/sister bond, I tell the kids often that they will always be brothers and sister and that they will be best friends forever and ever.  It doesn't hurt to start that talk early.

So the other night I told Jacob that Katie and Jack would be his best friends forever.  I tried to put it in terms he would understand so I said they would be his best friends like SpongeBob and Patrick.  He gasped in awe with wide eyes.  And like Buzz, Woody, and Jessie.  He said WOOOOWWWWW, again with the wide eyes. 

Then I asked him who he would be... Buzz or Woody. 

He picked Buzz. 

Buzz is totally his favorite which means Buzz goes EVERYWHERE with him... even though he's hard plastic, weighs a couple of pounds, and makes loud noises if you accidentally hit one of his buttons as you're trying to sneak into the bedroom to cover a kid up with his (also Toy Story themed) blanket.

Then... he said,
"Jakey Buzz, Jack Woody, Katie Jessie, Mama Barbie, Dada Ken."

And I melted.  Mama Barbie.

I don't think he sees gray hair, flabby arms, fluffy tummy... he just sees mommy.  And I guess that to him, mommy means fruit snacks and pudding cups, jokes and laughing, hugs and tickles... oh, and time outs.

She's a maniac, maniac on the floooorrrrr...

Okay, so I'm not really dancing like I've never danced before... but I am back to the 30 Day Shred.  In all it's sweaty, scary glory.

Yep. I started the Dancing with the Stars workout the day I got the okay from my doc to resume normal activities and did that for about a week (with the hope that it would get my body used to... well... moving...) and then I switched to the shred.  I found my abs again. (Sure, they're buried under a thick layer of fat, but they are there.) Plus, the kids think it's the funnest thing EVER.  Jake finally stopped trying to climb onto my back during the push-ups and has started stealing my weights for his own workout.  Katie grabs the soup cans to use as her weights (and she gets a couple for me when Jake has mine). And we're all tired when it's over.

In unrelated news, Jake got stung by a bee on Thursday night. On his elbow and his pinky finger. John said he ran up the steps to the deck crying "bee! bee!"  Poor kid.  He's fine now but he really wanted mama so I got to hold him and cuddle.

John mowed the lawn today and found a wasp nest right by where Jake was playing.  So maybe a wasp.  It's gone now so that's a relief.

He also went to Grammy and Grampy's to help with their new deck and Grammy stopped by to see the kiddos while the men went to get some more wood boards, thinking they would be gone for at least an hour (because that's what happened on Friday). They were done about 15 minutes after she got here so it was a very short visit.  So we got together this evening for dinner.  I had pizzas (Digiourno, YUM) and Grammy brought jello salad, watermelon, and cookies!

Grammy and Grampy asked Katie if she wanted to go to Sunday school tomorrow and she answered yes right away.  She chose a dress for Sunday and got her jammies, then brought her dress back to her room to switch it for another.  Jake rushed to put on the shoes he had been wearing all day (Katie's size 10 purple jelly sandals) and he was ready to go too.  Except he wasn't going.  It was the fastest good-bye we have EVER had with Grammy and Grampy.  Usually there are a lot of good-bye's and waves but tonight there was a big hustle!

So, after some cuddling with Jake and a workout, here I am.  I'm about to fed Jack and go to bed.

Sunday will be very quiet (I think... unless I just jinxed it) and I plan to make a chicken back or something chicken-y for dinner.  I'm hungry now just thinking about it!