The Curious Georges

Not Quite Baby Beckhams (my 100th post!)

Dane & Logan just started playing soccer.  Their first official game was a week after they celebrated their fourth birthday.  When Nicole first started playing, I had no idea what to expect.  She was definitely a "flower-picker," but enjoyed being on the team nonetheless.  There seemed to be some confusion in her mind as to when a game was actually being played.  Not having experience in this arena, I thought maybe she just didn't have an aptitude for the game.

Now that I am a "seasoned soccer mom," I'm realizing that when four-year-olds play soccer, the whole affair is very haphazard and fraught with either oblivion or full-on terror.  We saw both of these in the boys on Saturday.  Dane was cold and scared; Logan alternated between being timid and oblivious.  During a practice drill in which a little girl "stole" the ball from Logan, he threw himself on the ground and wailed inconsolably.  Such is the nature of the beast when kids play this young.  They don't quite get the meaning of sportsmanship yet.

Now that Nicole is on the 5-year-old team, we can see what a difference a year makes.  While she's not quite getting goals yet, Nicole is much more engaged in the game.  All of the 5-year-olds are out there giving it their all and not fearfully clutching their parents or joyfully spinning in circles while the game proceeds around them.  So we're glad that Nicole had the tenacity to continue playing.  It will be interesting to see the difference in the boys' games come this time next year.

 

Dane clings to Daddy.

Skeptical about soccer

 

Brrrr ... It was so cold that Dane had to borrow Sissy's jacket.

You're Not Coming To My Party

We've reached the age with the boys where birthday parties are a big deal.  All three of the Little Georges talk about their birthday parties incessantly, even Nicole, whose birthday is still five months away.  So now when they're upset with someone, they issue the threat "You're not coming to my party."  Dane is the biggest offender.  I can't tell you how many times we've all been dis-invited to his party.  He doesn't seem to grasp that 1) as the party planner, if mommy doesn't come to the party, the party ain't happenin' and 2)  as twins, he and Logan have a joint party so he really can't dis-invite his brother.  None of this matters.  Dane has found what he considers a very valid threat, and darn it, he's going to use it!  

Dane often has good reason for dis-inviting Logan to his birthday party.  Logan is not content unless he is bothering his siblings mercilessly.  He is the ultimate imp.  Just imagine if you combined the manic energy and showmanship of Jim Carrey and Robin Williams and you've got Logan ... funny, but often over-the-top, sometimes way over-the-top.  So he mugs, pokes and dances around in an effort to entertain and irritate his audience and the result is one or the other or sometimes a combination of the both.

Nicole is still a sweet, easy-going child unless you try and get in the way of what she wants to wear.  I don't know if it's because Daddy is from Hawaii, but she always wants to wear shorts and short-sleeve (but not tank top) shirts.  She is very specific about this desire.  In fact, she repeats "shorts and short-sleeves-but-not-tank-top" so often that it's become her clothing mantra.  I try and be as easy-going about this as possible, mostly out of sheer exhaustion ... I'm just not up for the battle.  However, when I got subtly reprimanded by her kindergarten teacher for not dressing her warm enough, I knew that it was time to buck up and be the mean mommy.  So now every other day or so we have clothing battles in the morning.  This morning, Nicole was so outraged when I wouldn't let her wear shorts that she was literally screaming at the top of her lungs and kicking rugs off the hardware floors.  It's really rough to have World War III at 7am.  But mostly, Nicole is a sweetheart.  I only have myself to blame for my little fashionista because as we all know, I'm a clothes horse, and I wouldn't like it if someone was trying to tell me what to wear either.

They all have their distinct personalities and they often play together nicely now.  It's nice to see their imaginations at work.  The flip side, is the fighting.  Oh Lord, I feel like 80% of my job is referee these days.  Now I know why my parents would say, "I don't care who started it ..."  I hated that line, but if you try and solve who was the instigator in every fight, you're going to drive yourself crazy.

So that's a brief update on the Curious Georges.  Because I've now been writing for Deep South Moms, this blog is not getting the attention it deserves so I'll try and be more faithful, even if it's just to post small anecdotes of the kids.

Dane Happens

I''ve mentioned before that Dane is quite the intense little fellow.  He also has such a sweet, caring side.  This is the personality he reveals at preschool where his teacher calls him "a gentle soul."  When she described Dane this way to Barton, I think he must have had a quizzical look on his face, as in "are we talking about the same kid here?"  But, even as his parents, we get do get rare glimpses of this "alter ego" and rest assured that he is going to be a wonderful, compassionate adult.

Today, Logan was throwing a fit because he wanted to wear "The Big Shoes" to school.  The Big Shoes are a pair of Airwalks that really do have quite a bit of bulk to them, hence the moniker.  Anyway, Dane had already put on The Big Shoes so I kept trying to persuade Logie to wear different tennis shoes.  Logie was not buying any of my selling points of the lesser, littler shoes and he was really starting to pitch of fit.  Unprompted, Dane just took off The Big Shoes and handed them to Logie.  Because that's the kind of sweet guy that Dane can be.  Awww, makes me proud!

Pee Eeeee!

So now I know why I've been putting off potty training the boys.  Let's just say that my stomach is still in knots from dealing with it all week.  We've been dipping our toes in the water of potty training for a while now, but always get put off by utter failure.  One morning, we went through eight pairs of underwear and shorts by 10am.  Obviously, that didn't go well.  So back to the diaper/pull-up half-assed attempts we went.

The true motivation for getting potty trained came when the boys and I went to pick Nicole up from school one day and she was doing a hammering exercise, where they use a plastic hammer to drive golf tees into a firm, yet spongy board.  Once I told them that they would indeed get to do hammering if they move up to "the big kids" class, they were sold (because to move up to the "big kids class," you have to be potty trained). On to potty training.  Dane, in his usual single-minded manner, began to potty train up a storm.  All mental blocks were tossed aside and he was going poo-poo and pee-pee on the potty like a pint-sized madman.  

Now, while I appreciate that Dane is so enthusiastic about using the potty, he has, in typical Dane fashion, now taken it to the extreme.  The kid has to go pee every five minutes now.  I am not exaggerating!  It is absolutely exhausting. Not only that, but we are often forced to go potty in not-so-ideal places.  Yesterday, he was peeing on a patch of grass in the back of an outdoor strip mall.  When the workers at the tire place spotted us, they yelled, "Hey, we don't live in Arkansas!"  I was so angry, but also felt like crying.  I would love to see those buffoons try and get two not-so-compliant 3-year-olds to an available restroom in time to avoid an accident.

Logie's bladder is thankfully a bit larger than a teaspoon so we're not having the same problem with him.  His issue is that he refuses to go poop in the potty.  Sorry if that sounds blunt, but there it is.  Needless to say, I've been throwing away a lot of underwear.

Fun stuff eh?  Let's just say Pee Eeeee is not my favorite class!

The boys are blissfully unaware that mommy is about to have  a nervous breakdown over potty training

"California" and other oddities

The boys have a new game where they take the mattress off of Dane's bed, prop it on the edge of the bed frame and then slide down.  They call this "doing California," which we figure comes from their image of California as the land of "sliding" sports such as skateboarding and surfing.  When Nicole and I went to Disneyland, I sent the boys a postcard of Mickey Mouse surfing and "California" was emblazoned in big old letters so maybe that's where they got the reference.  Whatever the source, California must be a raucous affair because every time we come up to check on the mayhem, both boys are red-faced and sweaty.

The boys have said some really funny "kid-isms" recently too.  Here are a few of the good ones:

- Tonight I was so tired that my eyes were watering and Dane asked me if I had "a little bit of crying on my face."

- Last night, Dane asked me if he "could put on nail polish when" he "becomes a girl."

- The other day, Logie pronounced, "mommy, you have a big bottom."  There was a bit of a lilting at the end so I could kid myself that this was really a question, but I'm not so sure.  I really hope he outgrows these kind of comments before he starts dating.

Today was a particularly trying day since we were stuck inside due to the huge rain storm.  The boys were very bored and causing all sorts of trouble that I'm trying my best to forget.  We finally got to the gym later in the afternoon.  As we were walking in, Logie picked up a discarded coke can from the parking lot and before I saw what he was doing, took a few huge sips.  On entering the gym, he proceeded to throw up all over the floor.  I'm sure the vomiting was from the sips of whatever was in that coke can, but after cleaning up the mess, I had no choice but to leave.  Sure enough, Logie was as peppy as ever after the incident so I know it wasn't the stomach flu.  Never a dull moment with these kidlets (or "kiddos" as people in Texas are so fond of saying).  

The Wonder Boys

"Sister" or as she is now called, "Sisa-bon" (pronounced like Cinnabon)

Three!

Logie Rocks Out to The Police

Is it a twin thing?

As evidenced by the posts in the past six months or so, Dane and Logan have taken the "monkey factor" to new, unheard of levels of monkeyness.  Are they purposely trying to provide fodder for my blog? Are they simply uber-mischievous?  Is it just "the terrible two's?" Or is it that other wonderful excuse, "it's a twin thing?"  I've been trying this excuse on for size recently and I think I like it.  The boys don't have some genetic disposition for trouble!  Blame their crazy behavior solely on their twin-ness!

The latest vexing behavior is Dane's unlatching his car seat and getting out while I'm driving.  I've talked before about how Dane is STRONG!  This is not bragging.  It is a fact.  We can blame his paternal grandfather, Peter, the triple medal Olympic champion in weightlifting.  Most kids his age cannot undo the car seat latches because they are purposely made to foil children!  But, Dane is all about foiling.  Give him a situation that is seemingly impossible to mess with and he will mess with it.  This is why Barton has to "fix the boys wagons" almost every weekend.  "Fixing their wagons" is Barton's catch-phrase for trying to foil the boys' antics.  Examples of "fixing their wagons:"  Putting latches on each and every door in the house and also the shutters and drawers.  Removing any object in their room on which they could climb to undo said latches.  Taking their drawers out of their armoire when they figured out the latches.  Bolting their beds to the walls, etc.  You get the idea.  If you've been following this blog, you've seen numerous examples of mommy and daddy trying to stay one step ahead of the monkeys.  Or maybe we're just trailing in their dust ... who knows.

Anyway, this car seat problem has got me seeing red.  Not only does Dane remove himself from his seat, he then goes on to undo Logan's seat belt.  Thankfully, this has not happened while driving yet.  I've only had to contend with one monkey loose in the car while driving, but one is enough ... especially on the freeway!  I flew into a rage yesterday because it is just so frustrating to feel like their is no "safety net" when it comes to the boys being in the car.  By safety net, I'm not just talking about the literal sense of Dane being safe while driving.  I'm talking about the peace of mind that comes from knowing that your little one is ensconced in their seat so you can then go about loading the car, go back into the house countless times for the items that you either forgot or are in demand by the little people, change one of the boys' diapers, etc.  It was the same feeling I got when we took down the gates.  If their slogan then was "Don't Fence Me It," it's now "Don't Latch Me In."  Just when I think things can't get worse, there they go to prove me wrong.

So can I blame this all on the twin thing?  I don't know.  I do know that siblings will egg each other on regardless of whether they're twins.  But the difference is that non-twin siblings are different ages so they will be in different phases of development.  Also, with twins, it's somehow a given that they spend the majority of their early years attached at the hip, whereas different-age siblings are more often split up.  Another factor could be the spacing of our children and when I talk about spacing, we have virtually none.  So when one adult is trying to contend with three little monkeys, discipline such as "time-out" gets fairly hard to enforce.  This just sets the stage for mischief, mischief, mischief. 

Regardless of the cause of this new development, I'm going to have to solve the problem soon.  Legend has it that one mom purposely slammed on the brakes when her daughter had removed herself from her car seat, sending the little one careening forward just enough to send the message:  Stay put or you could get seriously hurt!  I'm not sure that's the solution for me, but hey, if things get really desperate ...

 

Double Trouble:  Cliche, but true

... Candygram ...

 

Dane practices his post-reprimand pout

Ooops, we did it again!

We had two more apocalyptic naps over the past week.  The coup de grace was when they took pictures out of their frames and tore them up and also when Dane dropped trow and peed on the clothes.  Hopefully, Barton "fixed their wagons" by bolting the beds to the wall!  Mommy is getting tired of re-washing and folding over a hundred items of clothing.

Apocalypse Nap

See the photos below for more mischief and mayhem from the George Boys.  The room was pristine before "nap" time.  They're getting more creative with the moving of their bed to reach objects with which to make mischief.  Notice the torn up note pad (don't know where they got that) and the framed picture (which they obviously took off the wall).  Then they moved on to Sister's room since it was far too tidy for their taste.