It will just take a few minutes. Most things that go wrong start with just such thinking just so you know... Last nights brain storm was to install a lever lock on the powder bath door. It's the one room that the boys just won't stay out of. Connor loves to unroll the toilet paper, and Ryan, well Ryan likes to shut the door - generally shutting both of them in the bathroom in the dark.
So, a few weeks ago while shopping for a shower gift for some friends I picked up a couple of locks. And last night I decided to install one. So I pulled it out of the box, read the directions and proceeded to install it. I peeled the tape backing off the sticky stuff carefully maneuvered the lock around the lever handle and positioned it just so then pressed it firmly in place.
After about a minute I decided to try it out. Pull the door shut, set the lock, and open it. Only, the door wouldn't actually shut with the lock installed. Apparently our handles are too close to the edge of the door and the lock hits the door frame and does not allow the door to close. Oops. Kevin and I then spent the next 30 minutes trying to get the thing off the door before it had time to really stick. Only once the sticky stuff makes contact, despite the advised 24hour curing period, it sticks. Really, really well.
After sawing at it with fishing line we did finally manage to get it off. The door still in once piece. Though while looking at the lock while Kevin tried in vain to get it off I realized that it was probably a good thing that the door wouldn't close. Turns out the lock is pretty much a one-way lock. You can get in, but you couldn't have gotten back out. Why would anyone design a lock like that?? That's just asking to be locked in somewhere.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Bye bye surfer boy
Ryan's hair has just been so stinking cute. Grown adults would pay a fortune to have those soft perfectly behaved blonde locks, gorgeous highlights, and cute little curls. I have been calling him my little surfer dude for a while now. Especially in his swim gear. He was adorable.
Alas, the locks were to a length where they were starting to get into his eyes, and the curls in the back were past his collar. It was time. Time for a haircut. Time to say goodbye to those cute little curls, again. But hopefully not for the last time. So Friday night, I finally did what I had been threatening for the last few weeks - I took him to get a haircut. Before she was even done cutting I already missed the curls. As usual he looked like a totally different kid. Oddly enough, unlike Connor who suddenly looked all grown up Ryan actually looked a little younger, a little more his age.
Alas, the locks were to a length where they were starting to get into his eyes, and the curls in the back were past his collar. It was time. Time for a haircut. Time to say goodbye to those cute little curls, again. But hopefully not for the last time. So Friday night, I finally did what I had been threatening for the last few weeks - I took him to get a haircut. Before she was even done cutting I already missed the curls. As usual he looked like a totally different kid. Oddly enough, unlike Connor who suddenly looked all grown up Ryan actually looked a little younger, a little more his age.
West of the Nile
Oh my poor babies... they are COVERED in mosquito bites. Ryan has 4 or 5 on his head alone. He has them on his fingers, his arms, and his legs, too. Poor kiddo. With all the rain we have been having lately they are really starting to come out. Thankfully the spraying trucks have been out in force in our neighborhood and we may all keel over from toxic mosquito spray, but at least the West Nile should be at bay. :)
I wish I could say the same for school. The kiddos play outside several times a day and the mosquitoes are just rampant out there. I feel so bad for them. They have giant red welts all over them from the bites. Ryan has been scratching up a storm the last day or two. Poor kiddos we will have to start spraying them before school or teach them to look out for the mosquitoes and swat them. Thought that could be dangerous, too.... I can just see it down - Thawk! Waaa.... But he had a mosquito! Sure he did... :)
I wish I could say the same for school. The kiddos play outside several times a day and the mosquitoes are just rampant out there. I feel so bad for them. They have giant red welts all over them from the bites. Ryan has been scratching up a storm the last day or two. Poor kiddos we will have to start spraying them before school or teach them to look out for the mosquitoes and swat them. Thought that could be dangerous, too.... I can just see it down - Thawk! Waaa.... But he had a mosquito! Sure he did... :)
Run, Ryan, run!
On labor day we decided we needed a little change of scenery so we ventured to Kingwood to visit with Kevin's parents. While we were there we hit the Kingwood trails just down the street from their house and walked (or in Ryan's case -RAN) to the park. The boys LOVED it. We pointed them in the right direction and just let them go. No having to hold hands, no being told they had gone too far and had to come back. Other than stopping to check on Connor once or twice I don't think Ryan's little legs ever stopped moving. They moved a mile a minute. And he was in heaven!
Both the boys giggled like crazy and just took off. Often times venturing down different forks of the trail (around a little patch of trees or open grass) and racing to see who could make it back to next fork first. Then chasing after one another. Laughing all the way. There were a few falls, and a few scrapes, but even those didn't dampen their spirits.
Kevin had to keep a close eye on Connor though. He had a great time checking out little paths off into the brush and woods instead of staying on the main trail. It's probably a miracle that he didn't come home itching from poison ivy or poison oak from his exploring.
When we got to the playground it seemed like the boys remembered it from our last visit. They both went to the play ground and right up the stairs and down their favorite slides. Ryan's was of course the "big kid" slide - the tallest one on the playground. Up the stairs, across, the bridge, and up some more stairs before going down the long winding slide. Connor on the other hand did the smaller of the slides - a straight double shoot off the main platform. They slid right down, hopped off and ran back over to the stairs to do it again, and again.
After a while we headed to the pool at the park and changed into our swimsuits. The kids pool was a large round about a foot and a half deep. The boys had a good time in it throwing and chasing balls. They are starting to learn how to use their lifejackets to keep them afloat and frequently layed down in the water with their floats keeping them up and using their hands and toes to propel themselves around.
As we made the walk back the mosquitoes had come out in force. I swatted poor Connor's head a time or two trying to keep them off of him. We were just walking along and all of a sudden I gently swatted the side of his head. He looked at me like "what did I do??" Poor kid. I carried him most of the way home madly swatting the mosquitoes that had decided I would make a tasty treat. Ryan on the other hand lead the pack and ran all the way back down the trail, again.
The boys definitely like the freedom to just run and explore on the trails. We will definitely have to go back and do it again someday soon. Though this time, in addition to the sunscreen I will have to remember to take some mosquito repellent as well! I wonder... is Off water proof?
Both the boys giggled like crazy and just took off. Often times venturing down different forks of the trail (around a little patch of trees or open grass) and racing to see who could make it back to next fork first. Then chasing after one another. Laughing all the way. There were a few falls, and a few scrapes, but even those didn't dampen their spirits.
Kevin had to keep a close eye on Connor though. He had a great time checking out little paths off into the brush and woods instead of staying on the main trail. It's probably a miracle that he didn't come home itching from poison ivy or poison oak from his exploring.
When we got to the playground it seemed like the boys remembered it from our last visit. They both went to the play ground and right up the stairs and down their favorite slides. Ryan's was of course the "big kid" slide - the tallest one on the playground. Up the stairs, across, the bridge, and up some more stairs before going down the long winding slide. Connor on the other hand did the smaller of the slides - a straight double shoot off the main platform. They slid right down, hopped off and ran back over to the stairs to do it again, and again.
After a while we headed to the pool at the park and changed into our swimsuits. The kids pool was a large round about a foot and a half deep. The boys had a good time in it throwing and chasing balls. They are starting to learn how to use their lifejackets to keep them afloat and frequently layed down in the water with their floats keeping them up and using their hands and toes to propel themselves around.
As we made the walk back the mosquitoes had come out in force. I swatted poor Connor's head a time or two trying to keep them off of him. We were just walking along and all of a sudden I gently swatted the side of his head. He looked at me like "what did I do??" Poor kid. I carried him most of the way home madly swatting the mosquitoes that had decided I would make a tasty treat. Ryan on the other hand lead the pack and ran all the way back down the trail, again.
The boys definitely like the freedom to just run and explore on the trails. We will definitely have to go back and do it again someday soon. Though this time, in addition to the sunscreen I will have to remember to take some mosquito repellent as well! I wonder... is Off water proof?
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Only ducks eat popcorn.
We fed the ducks today. In the rain. They were really hungry. We fed them popcorn. The boys even helped. Ryan loved to snatch fistfuls of popcorn and toss it to the ducks. Connor got in on the tossing action, too, though not with the same enthusiasm as Ryan.
But ducks apparently don't eat nilla wafers. Little boys do.
Some people feed ducks stale bread, or other things gone bad. Not us. We only feed the ducks fresh food. We even popped a bag of popcorn just for the ducks this afternoon. I would say it was because we don't want to feed the ducks penicillin. But the truth of the matter is that the boys tend to eat what we hand them for them to feed the ducks. No matter that they just ate themselves. It must be like dessert right?
So this afternoon we popped fresh popcorn for the ducks. When we got out of the car and headed toward the pond we didn't see a single duck in sight. As we turned the bend on the walking path we saw 3 or 4. As we headed down towards the ducks and the waters edge and pulled out the bag of popcorn ducks came out of the wood works. I started tossing the popcorn here and there. After a couple of tosses I offered a piece to Ryan fully expecting him to eat it, but much to my surprise he tossed it to the ducks. Connor did the same. So the boys and I emptied the whole bag in no time. The boys were thrilled watching all the ducks and being encouraged to toss food like it was a food fight.
I had naively planned to have a little snack at the picnic table after feeding the ducks, only the ducks were still hungry and eyeing my bag greedily. I pulled the only other thing out that I thought the ducks might eat - the last of our nilla wafers. I broke them in smaller pieces and tossed a few to the baby ducks. I even played catch with a couple of the bigger ducks. They catch snacks on the fly far better than my dog! Then I handed the boys pieces to toss. It had no sooner landed in their hands than it went straight into their mouths. They never even thought to try to the popcorn, but they scarfed the nilla wafers down.
But ducks apparently don't eat nilla wafers. Little boys do.
Some people feed ducks stale bread, or other things gone bad. Not us. We only feed the ducks fresh food. We even popped a bag of popcorn just for the ducks this afternoon. I would say it was because we don't want to feed the ducks penicillin. But the truth of the matter is that the boys tend to eat what we hand them for them to feed the ducks. No matter that they just ate themselves. It must be like dessert right?
So this afternoon we popped fresh popcorn for the ducks. When we got out of the car and headed toward the pond we didn't see a single duck in sight. As we turned the bend on the walking path we saw 3 or 4. As we headed down towards the ducks and the waters edge and pulled out the bag of popcorn ducks came out of the wood works. I started tossing the popcorn here and there. After a couple of tosses I offered a piece to Ryan fully expecting him to eat it, but much to my surprise he tossed it to the ducks. Connor did the same. So the boys and I emptied the whole bag in no time. The boys were thrilled watching all the ducks and being encouraged to toss food like it was a food fight.
I had naively planned to have a little snack at the picnic table after feeding the ducks, only the ducks were still hungry and eyeing my bag greedily. I pulled the only other thing out that I thought the ducks might eat - the last of our nilla wafers. I broke them in smaller pieces and tossed a few to the baby ducks. I even played catch with a couple of the bigger ducks. They catch snacks on the fly far better than my dog! Then I handed the boys pieces to toss. It had no sooner landed in their hands than it went straight into their mouths. They never even thought to try to the popcorn, but they scarfed the nilla wafers down.
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