Evil Eye

Luke might be saying "no" all the time, but when you tell him "no," sometimes he shoots you this look, which we've dubbed the "Evil Eye." It's kind of a cross between, "What the hell did you just tell me?" to "Oh no, you didn't" to "Woman, you've just lost your mind."

I caught it this morning when I told him to stop putting his breakfast muffin in his bus windows (we're working on not having toys at mealtime, but sometimes, it's just easier ... ). And, his face usually isn't so shiny, but it's slathered in Vaseline since his snotty nose is chapping not only his nose, but his cheeks, too.

Big Frank's Fire Truck

Just about every day, we read the book "Big Frank's Fire Truck." Sometimes we read it a couple of times, like this morning, which was a perfect set-up for our visit to the fire station! The mom (Heidi) of one of Luke's classmates (Ainsley) is a pastor, and she serves as a chaplain to our local station. She was nice enough to organize a visit for the four of us, and Luke was in awe of the big truck! They even let us sit in in it, and he got to turn the steering wheel. And, when they turned on the siren and the lights -- watch out. He loved it.

Afterwards, we ate lunch and stopped for ice cream. I learned a lesson today. As fun as it was to watch Luke feed himself a cupful of sherbet, he was wired! He didn't fall asleep for his nap until 3p (usually takes it right after lunch).

The Man Mystery

Now that I'm living with two of the opposite sex (three if you count Max), I must say that there are a lot of differences between men and women. I don't think I really noticed it so much growing up since Dad was outnumbered 5:1 (or 7:1 if you counted the dog and my cat).

Here's what I've come to realize about boys/men:

1. They're messy. I've either created a house where I'm the picker-upper or boys/men are naturally hardwired to leave a wake of destruction everywhere. It doesn't matter if they're 17 months old or 33 years old -- the male species is a mess. I spend a good chunk of my night cleaning up after Luke and Adam. Luke for obvious reasons, but Adam must have some serious aversion to using the dishwasher. He has no problem taking his dishes to the sink, but that's about as far as they go. Rinsing and putting them in the dishwasher isn't happening. Oh -- and why, oh why, is it necessary to use 100 dishes when you cook? Or, three drinking glasses in one afternoon? Good grief.

2. They like to fiddle with stuff. Luke will spend a good amount of time taking things apart, putting them back together, pushing them back and forth. And, it seems Adam does the same thing. I came home from work today to find some "work" he'd done to the walls which we just had painted yesterday. They looked just fine to me, but he found some spots that just weren't right and needed fixin'.

3. They like to fiddle with their own stuff. At one pediatrican visit, I told the doctor, "Luke sure does play with his little penis alot." She didn't seem phased at all. "Yeah. He'll do that for the rest of his life."

4. They like machines. Trucks, cars, gadgets, remotes. The male species definitely zeroes in on machinery. When Luke started showing interest (er ... obsession) in trucks, Mom said we (my sisters and I) never did that -- we loved dolls. I swear it's instinctual for them. Luke will even use a truck to plow over an innocent stuffed animal.

I guess the rough-around-the-edges trait about men is what makes us love them so much. I know I spend a lot of my time being thankful for these two messy boys in my life. And, if we have another little boy ... whoowhee ... at least I have some practice already.

No!

There's a new word in our house -- "NO!"

"Luke, brush your teeth."
"No!"
"Luke, eat your eggs."
"No!"
"Luke, let's get ready for bed."
"No!"
"Luke, do you want to help momma pick up your toys?"
"No!"
"Luke, do you want a pretty girlfriend someday?"
"No!"

He says "No!" to things he doesn't want to do (and some things he does) and to Max. But Luke gets it a little backwards. I tell Luke not to play in Max's food and water bowl (it's like kryptonite to him ... he ... must ... touch ... it!), and now when Max is eating, Luke stands over him wagging his little finger, "No, no!"