Chicken Dance confession

I have a to confession to make, and it's so embarrassing. I don't know if I should even post this, as I will surely be hassled and harassed about it later, but...I love the Chicken Dance!

I downloaded the song to my ipod the other day...ahem, so the kids could listen to it, of course...but I can't help but notice how the kids seem to be laughing at me as I all-out flail away to the music. I think they like the song because it makes their mom look like she's going into some strange sort of convulsion.

Ah, but dance away I will because I find it completely infectious. :)

Innocence

The other night the kids and I were riding home from my parents' house, after dinner. We had my ipod plugged in and were jamming to various songs along the way. The song "Hot Dog" by They Might Be Giants came on (some of you may recognize it as the closing credits song for Mickey Mouse Clubhouse), and it is a favorite of both kids. Usually they sing along, but this time the reaction was a bit different. As soon as the song came on, Deacon burst out into a big smile and said something along the lines of "Dog!" (He's not much of a talker...yet.) Then he started clapping. It was so cute. And it seemed like such pure, innocent happiness that you couldn't help but smile while watching him. (Why watch the road when you can watch your baby jammin' in the backseat?)

Wyatt's reaction was different, though. He was full-on pouting and sometimes crying. He had gotten in trouble at Granns' house for calling his mama a not-nice name, and hence he lost the lollipop that had been promised him. He was angry at me. When Hot Dog came on, I noticed him stifle a smile. You could tell he wanted to clap along with Deacon but he didn't want to give up the crying/pouting routine, in case it somehow worked out that he might just yet get that lollipop.

Somewhere between Wyatt's almost four years of life and Deacon's almost two years, some innocence has been lost. Wyatt's learned to manipulate and to project an outward image that may be different than what he's feeling on the inside. The "twos" are hard, surely, but there's still an innocence that is heartwarming and refreshing. There's innocence at four, too, but it's different and maybe a little muted. I can only imagine how things will change as they grow older.

Holy?

It is my theory that men would prefer to wear their underwear until it disintegrates.

When my husband recently questioned why I was throwing away some of his underwear, I told him it was because there were holes in the underwear. He said he preferred it that way. I personally think holy underwear belongs in the trash, and so I will continue to toss them as I find them.

More Glacier pictures

Here are some more pictures from our Montana trip.

And, in case anyone is wondering, as I was, what exactly a glacier is, here's some info. Glaciers are made up of fallen snow that, over many years, compresses into large, thickened ice masses. Glaciers form when snow remains in one location long enough to transform into ice. What makes glaciers unique is their ability to move. Due to sheer mass, glaciers flow like very slow rivers. They can advance and retreat. The picture at the top is Jackson Glacier, which is the only glacier that can be seen from the Going To The Sun road in the National Park. It is estimated that all of the 20 or so remaining glaciers in the park will be gone by 2030.

Glacier National Park trip

We took a trip last week to Glacier National Park in Montana. The weather was refreshing...no humidity and cool temperatures! And the views were spectacular. I can't imagine what Montana would be like in the winter, but we loved visiting in the summer time. Here's some pictures.

What does public mean?

Let me pose a scenario...

First, there is a public beach. Beautiful, clean, lots of sand and waves.

Second, there is a company which is in the business of renting beach chairs and umbrellas along said beach. And they have a city-issued permit to do so, so they are legitimate. Every morning, an employee of the business sets up a row of about 10 umbrellas/chairs along the beach, hoping to attract patrons who will pay to sit in the chairs, under the shade.

Now, let's say this business routinely sets up its umbrellas/chairs directly right in front of a prominent hotel on the beach. They are not affiliated with the hotel, but this business is obviously hoping to make a little profit off of the guests of the hotel.

Third, there is a family. A family of four, with two small children. And this family happens to be a paying customer at the prominent hotel on the beach. And, as anyone with young children knows, a trip to the beach with kids involves a wagon-load of towels, chairs, buckets, shovels, rafts, umbrella, etc.

QUESTION: Is it wrong for said family to position themselves in between two of the previously mentioned umbrella/beach chair rentals lined up along the beach? Be honest.

The finger grab

We took a trip to the beach this weekend. It was a fun vacation, but we discovered that my youngest son is scared of the ocean. On a previous trip to the beach, he was surprised by a wave, and he now wants nothing to do with the ocean. So...our vacation was spent taking turns with one son in the water and the other under the umbrella playing in the sand.

But...the trip to and from the beach, along the boardwalk, was one of my favorite parts. Little D would reach up to grab my hand, but because his hand is small...too small to wrap around mine...he would wrap his hand around my finger. And we would walk...finger in hand...to and from the beach. The oldest son waits for no one and runs off ahead, not a care in the world. But the youngest one hangs by my side and holds on to my finger, content. It warms my heart.

Weak

I am not an exerciser. I know I need to, but I admit, I am lazy. And that laziness seems to overrule the common sense that tells me to get my butt moving. And, I always justify my lack of formal exercise by saying that I chase two small children around all day...that should count for something, right?

Well, we were up at the YMCA tonight, and L talked me into taking a class called "Flex It." It was a good class, lots of weight training, but let me say that it is actually hurting my arms to type right now.

I originally titled this post "Sore," but I am not sore yet. That will undoubtedly come tomorrow. Right now, I am just weak. I can barely move. It feels as if I have weights tied to my arms and legs. Not good. I just put D to bed, and I could barely lift him up over his crib rails.

Something tells me I might not be able to get out of bed tomorrow...