Peas In A Pod.... Not So Much

While Andrew and Elizabeth may be twins, they are as different as different can be... They are both eight, but that is about where the similarities end... from differences in height (about 4 inches) and weight (about 25 pounds), interests, learning styles, personality. Most people are shocked to learn that they are twins. They assume that Andrew and his 6 1/2 year old brother, Alex, are the twins in the family. Not that Andrew and Alex are anything alike personality or interest wise (just look like identical twins)

Anyhoo.... yesterday was further proof that they are two entirely different individuals.

Elizabeth - "Mommy, when are we going to start school? .... two more weeks! Can we start early? Please! (We are home schooling this year)"

Andrew - "Mommy, how many more weeks of summer vacation do we have? Only two more weeks? I wish summer could last forever."

Creative Cooling

I grew up in the "West".... where hot = hot, NOT hot = hot and humid. I really dislike the HUMID weather here on the East Coast. I love summer and I try hard to get outside with the kids. We swim, play ball in the yard, garden... And I am very, very grateful for AIRCONDITIONING!!!!! We managed to make it through July without turning it on, but it has been on most days the past two weeks.

I have now discovered, though, something that I dislike more than being outside in hot and humid weather - being in a car with no airconditioning in hot and humid weather. That. Is. Miserable. With. A. Capital. M!!!!

Our minivan has been giving us trouble for the past several months. A few times this winter it had no heat, and in May of this year the airconditioning stopped working. We paid big bucks to get it fixed in June, but it stopped working again at the beginning of July. Not only does the airconditioning not work, but HOT air blows through the vents at all times. Did I say MISERABLE? I've tried thinking "positive thoughts", focusing on being grateful that I even have a car..... but... reallly...... it is miserable!

Apparently our children have inherited my dislike for being overheated. They ride in the back of the van, where there are no windows and no vents... You couldn't pay me to sit there. LOL.

Today temperatures are supposed to be near 100 and it is very very humid. We drove my mom to the airport (an hour away) this morning and on the way home my hot and tired kids began to complain. I suggested that we use our creativity to design a way to cool off the van. This is what the kids suggested:

"Mommy. I know. We could buy a HUGE airconditioner that you can plug into the car, just like you plug in your cell phone... and we could keep it back here in the back seat and I could blow the air toward you".

"How about we turn our car into a HUGE cooler. We could buy gigantic ice packs and put them on the side, and then we could fill the back of the van/trunk with icecubes.... Then we would stay toasty cool all day."

"Maybe we could buy a big bathtub liner and put it in the van and fill it with water. Our seats could be in the water and we could wear swimming suits. That way we could get clean and cool off at the same time!"

Anyone have any other ideas???

Stand Down

Hutch and I are continually amazed by how much Nathan has been talking. He spent the first two plus years of his life basically "silent" - no babbling, no talking... nothing. Since getting ear tubes, he's been making all kinds of noises - and we see just how much he knows. He laughs, makes car noises, imitates words we say, labels things. He's also developing some functional language.... Only a few short months ago we were wondering if he was ever going to speak.

A couple of days ago he said something really cute. I was trying to get him to stand up after I changed his diaper so that i could put on his shorts. I asked him to "stand up". He shook his head at me and said, "Stand DOWN" and laid back down on the floor. :) I love, love, love it when he talks!

Eating Humble Pie

A couple of weeks ago the kids and I piled into the van at 5 AM to make one of our many summer trips to Boston for appointments at Children's. Since I'm known for being a morning person (NOT!) it should come as no surprise that I was in a less than wonderful mood at that hour of the morning. The kids were following suit.

I hopped into the driver's seat to a symphony of complaining, arguing, pushing: "Andrew touched me". "Alex has his stuff on my chair". "I don't like sitting next to Nathan". "Elizabeth just glared at me". I was so not in the mood to deal with it and responded with my "not so calm" voice. Then one of the kids knocked something over and it turned off the portable DVD player that we put in the car for long car trips.

I jumped out of the van, opened the back door and proceeded, unfortunetely, to rather loudly talk to them about minding their own business and watching what they were doing. I then got back in the driver's seat and promptly backed into my husbands truck!!

At least we all had a good laugh about it. And, I had to agree with them that Mommy needed to watch what she was doing, too!