Paper or Plastic?

When shopping, Bentley likes to pay. In fact he insists on paying. He takes my card and swipes it through the card reader like a pro.

I rarely carry cash. Chod's check is automatically deposited, our bills are paid online, and everything else is paid for with a card. I've been thinking about this a lot lately. How am I going to teach him what money is, when he never actually sees us use cash to pay?

He picked a penny up and handed it to me. I excitedly told him how he had found a penny. He looked at me with confusion--why is she so excited about this and everything else I pick up she makes me throw away?

Any ideas of how to teach a child in a plastic world the value of money?

Weekend Recap

We had a great weekend.

We got part of our garden planted. Onions, beets, carrots, lettuce and peas are in the ground. Potatoes are going in tonight.

Chod took his first trip to the zoo. Since it was Bentley's 3rd trip already this year he played tour guide. Bird, bird, duck, turtle, bird....I think Chod was pretty impressed.

Bentley got in his first playground fight. There was a steering wheel on the toy and Bentley and another 2 year old both wanted to play with it. At first they sort of took turns. And then it turned into an all out brawl with hitting and pushing. It took the grandpa and me to break them up. And in the end they both lost.

Space Rangers

I've been gone the last couple of nights, leaving Bentley and Chod home to entertain themselves.

Yesterday morning when Bentley woke up he kept asking for Dad and Buzz.

I called Chod.

"Bentley wants you and Buzz."

"Oh, that's cause we played Buzz Lightyear last night."

"How do you play Buzz Lightyear?"

"We are Space Rangers and we have to save the galaxy."

"How do you do that?"

"Buzz calls us--well Bentley can teach you."

"He calls you?"

"Yeah, on the Buzz Lightyear phone. Bentley will show you."

"Okay. Bye."

Bentley didn't exactly show me, all I know is that it involves running around with your arms out--so that you are flying.

This morning while we were eating breakfast Bentley stuck the spoon up to his ear.

"Hi Buzz."

It was most likely a call about the future of our galaxy--but I made him finish his breakfast first.

Rings and bread don't mix

Some girls baby their wedding ring. They take it off when they wash their hands, shower, and sleep. I'm not like that. I picked my ring out so that it is low profile and doesn't leave my hand for anything, except the final months of pregnancy.

A month ago I was at a friend's bridal shower. She was trying to describe to me the wedding band. I took my ring off, handed it to her, and asked if it was similar.

She looked, wrinkled her nose and handed it back with a "please tell me you have been making bread?"

I had in fact, made both bread and pretzels recently--but didn't realize what that had to do with my ring until I turned it over.

Stuck in the back of my ring was bread dough. Which may or may not have been moldy it was hard to tell.

Gross. I know.

Today I finally made it to the jewelers and my ring looks brand new. It almost makes me feel like a newly wed again.

I can't promise it will stay this way for long though, but at least I've learned my lesson and won't be showing it to anyone ever again.

Grumpbutt

Sunday morning when Chod woke up on the wrong side of the bed I called him a grumpbutt.

"A grumpbutt?"

"Yes, a grumpbutt."

"But that's not even a real word. It sounds like something your dad made up."

Today when Chris was over I asked if he had ever been called a grumpbutt. He said he hadn't. I then asked what he thought the origin of the word grumpbutt was.

"Sounds like a Warren-ism to me."

Dad, I think they are on to you.

Gestating walls

We've been trying to convince Bentley that having a baby in our house will be fun.

He is perfectly fine with the idea of a baby, until we mention that the baby will be ours and live in our house, and then the tune changes.

We've told him that there is a baby growing in Mom's tummy. He also thinks we have one growing in the wall and another under the carpet. And really, why not?

To help the baby become more real to him, we showed him the most recent ultra sound picture and told him it is our baby. Chod can't decipher an ultra sound to save himself, and thinks they are kind of creepy. But Bentley loves it.

He hugs it and carries it around the house with him. He has even proudly placed it on his bookshelf in his room. When you ask what it is, he proudly points and says "baby".

So while the baby isn't yet welcome to come our house, the picture is. And that's okay because I think Bentley will come around eventually and be a great big brother.

Garden time

It's garden time.

Which means the Stephens' household is full of arguments.

One would think that when a horticulture grad marries an agronomy/soil science grad planting a garden would be a simple thing.

That one would be very wrong.

Chod and I both have different ideas of how the garden should be planted and cared for. While I prefer a normal working garden, Chod prefers to run his like an experiment.

This year may go better than our last garden, partly because we've come to some understanding, and partly because this garden is 6.5 times as big as the last--so there is plenty of room for both of us.

I drew up the plot layout and Chod got to pick the varieties of potatoes.

See, we're compromising!

Backseat Driver

There's only 1 person in this family that rides in the backseat of our car.

Bentley.

He is two, and apparently already knows how to drive better than his mom and dad.

When stopped at a red light and it turns green he immediately yells "GO!"

While waiting to make a left hand turn, as soon as he sees a break in traffic he yells "GO!"

It is quite unnerving to have a two year old telling you how to drive.

And to think, we still have 14 years before he can drive on his own.

Family Movie Night: Take 2

We watched the Bee Movie last night.I made (with some help from Deidra) a swarm of bee cupcakes.

Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck

At the beginning of the year it was decided we were going on a family vacation. I asked where and Chod replied "Disneyland?" I got really excited because I really, really, really like Disneyland and it has been way too long since I've been.

The more excited I got about visiting the Magic Kingdom, the more I started thinking that maybe Bentley wasn't ready for a trip the happiest place on earth. As much as he loves the new Disney movies, he has no appreciation for the older ones--and didn't even know who Mickey Mouse was.

It was agreed that before we went, Bentley needed to 1) be potty trained and 2) recognize Mickey.

Realizing that neither of these were close to happening, we booked hotel rooms in state, and agreed that Disneyland could wait another year.

Last night as I was reading Bentley his Disney nursery rhymes I asked where Mickey was.

He pointed to Donald Duck.

I think we made the right decision.

Graffiti and Spring Cleaning

I met Bentley at the top of the stairs and he handed me an un-lid green marker.

"Where have you been drawing?"

He ran around the corner and proudly showed me his masterpiece on the wall.

"Bentley, we draw on paper."

Realizing I wasn't as proud of his artwork as he was, he grabbed a cotton ball and began vigorously scrubbing the wall.

Having a graffiti artist is a good motivator to get started on spring cleaning. I now have 2 walls scrubbed...

Baby Animal Days

The weather was so nice today, so we joined the other few thousand people in the valley at baby animal days.

Growing up I never would have guessed that I would be paying money to take Bentley to see a bunch of baby farm animals--but we did it.

The line was drawn at the $2 pony rides. He can go to Grandpa's and ride a pony.
We saw baby lambs, pigs, calves, colts, ducklings, turtles and even toads. The only animal Bentley was excited for was this bunny. He wouldn't even touch any of the others. But the bunny he loved.

We also went on a wagon ride and got to throw hatchets and learned how they shear sheep. We were all around regular city kids on the farm.

Turkey Lurkey

Keeping our 6 year old house guest from the depths of boredom is proving to be a quite a challenge. In order to get a change of scenery in we visited the local zoo. It isn't a huge zoo, but it is a nice place. After learning that we were going to the zoo, Cameron got really excited.

"Are we going to see an elephant?"

"Um, no."

"A lion?"

"Nope."

"How about a tiger?"

"No tigers."

"Uhhhhh."

After seeing the pelicans and peacocks he forgot all about giraffes and hippos. On the way home I asked what his favorite animal was.

"The turkey!"

Seriously. A turkey.

Holding Grudges

Last night Chod took Bentley's cars away from him before he went to bed.

Bentley was mad.

He cried himself to sleep.

This morning he woke up mad and crying.

In between sobs he would call "Dad, Car!"

"Car, Dad!"

I think he had all night to let his anger build up, which can't be healthy.

50 lbs of what?

Last night I had a Scentsy party. While we were waiting for guests to arrive, Tameka was describing herself as she delivered 50 lbs of wheat to my house last week. Apparently it was quite the site and I missed it.

The look of relief on the Scentsy girl's face when she realized that Tameka had delivered 50 lbs of wheat and not weed was priceless! She misheard when Tameka first said wheat and was trying to find a way to politely excuse herself out of the house harboring 50 lbs of weed.

And I don't think Deidra asking in the middle of it all to smell the patchouli helped the situation.

How does she know?

As I was writing my last post I started thinking about how, as a child, I thought I was sneaky enough to get away with things.

Like at Grandma's house, we were forbidden to turn the hose on in the sandbox. But really what fun is building castles and moats if there is no water in the moats?

So with a little prodding from one of the uncles, one of us would sneak over to the faucet on the side of the house and quietly turn the hose on. We would then try to fill up our moats or rivers before Grandma opened the back door and yelled at us to shut the water off.

We never could figure out how Grandma knew the second we turned the water on, and even with water in the sandbox we would try to deny ever having it on.

It wasn't until years later that I realized you can actually hear the faucet turn on while you are inside the house-and that's how Grandma knew!

Not so innocent

Bentley likes to sneak over to the paper shredder and play in the bin of itty bitty pieces of paper.

He knows he shouldn't be doing it and with a simple "Bentley" the bin is slammed shut and he gives me the look that says "I don't know what you think I've been doing--but it wasn't me." All the while both of his little hands are holding onto the handle just waiting for me to turn my back so he can get back to playing in the paper.

Which he does the second he thinks I won't notice.

Thanks PIXAR

Is your life influenced by a certain company? Ours is. Thanks to PIXAR...

...every red car is Lightning McQueen

...Bentley speaks whale fluently

...phone conversations with Buzz happen daily

...Chod often asks if I've seen his Super Suit

I've got a confident fish

Bentley's swim lessons began last night, well-our swim lessons began last night since it is a mom and tot class.

While the other kids were crying and trying to get used to the water Bentley jumped right in and didn't look back. He thinks he is so advanced that he doesn't need me to hold onto him. The only problem is that we are in 4 1/2 ft deep water and he is not 4 1/2 ft tall, nor does he know how to swim.

It was 45 minutes of him trying to wiggle free and me trying to keep him from drowning. He has no fear. One would think that after his head came up from under the water and he was choking and gasping for air he would start to learn--but he didn't.