put on a pedestal

we often say that anth is a bit more like daddy and benny a bit more like me.
this is, by and large, probably true.
but sometimes, we see little idiosyncrasies that truly belong to the other parent.
benny's recent shopping adventure has brought this to light.

our kids are growing like weeds.
this means it was time for new shoes.
last weekend, we wandered off to the mall to get the kids measured and see what was in stock.
benny. was. ecstatic.
when we got to the store, we realized that none of the shoes in his size had the extra rubber on the toe that keeps him from damaging them on day one.
so, we told him we would order his online.
he. was. crushed.
this meant no shoes today.
bernie, understanding this penchant for new shoes, sat benny on his lap in front of the computer immediately when we got home.
he let benny help him pick out a pair.

the last three-four days have been excruciating for ben.
each day we drive home, and he runs over to the porch to see if they are here.
though we explained several times that it might take a while, he still got his hopes up each day.
then. last night. it was delivery day.
the kid literally ran over to the porch, squeaked, and did something resembling a touch down dance as he entered the house.
hilarious.

the boys immediately worked with dad to try on their new shoes.
i had some work to do, so bern helped funnel the kids through bath and bedtime last night.
when i went in this morning to help him get the kids out the door, i saw this:

apparently, last night at bedtime, benny insisted that the shoes go back in the box.
and be put, almost literally, on a pedestal.
hahaha.

if you know Bernie you know that,
a) he takes really good care of his things,  and
b) he loves a good pair of tennies. (while i somehow manage to scuff up each pair of shoes i own within a week of purchase.)

bless our sweet benny.
i gave him feisty.
bern gave him fashion sense.

a note from ben's teacher

recently, the kids in ben's class have developed a small obsession with the book Where The Wild Things Are.
apparently, they have found an old version of it on tape and the kids are listening to it on repeat whenever allowed.
bless their teachers.
i can't help thinking of my first year at UC Irvine, and my RA Jenn, when i see this book, as it was the theme for our hall that year.
wholesome.

anyway, this is the first of three "from the classroom stories" this week.
this one came over email straight from one of ben's two teachers.

Hi there,

I’m sure you have a million adorable moments with Ben, but this was a fun conversation that shows just how caring he is, even as a 3 year old…

Ben: Hey Devan, can you read this book?

Devan: What book is it?

Ben: Where the Wild Things Are.

Devan: The monsters in that book are kind of scary.

Ben: Will these guys give you nightmares if you read it?

Devan: Maybe.

Ben: You better not read it then, I don’t want  you to be scared and have nightmares.

(He was so sincere and cute during all of this)

A few minutes later he came to me and asked me to read it, but prior to opening the book it he asked if I would have nightmares too. I responded no and he was happy to have me read the book to him. It was just a wonderful Ben moment I thought I should share. Have a wonderful afternoon and weekend!!!

precious.
i love that his teacher takes the time to send these little moments along.
it makes for a nice giggle in the middle of the work day.
two more posts to come on the topic of monsters in the classroom.
sans the wholesome cuteness.

sitter stories - part 3

i don't know if this is really the third sitter story i have posted.
but, i feel like i post them here and there and should start keeping track.
really, i should call them Kelsey stories, because they usually happen while she is watching the boys.
ascots and lightsaber shows and all.


anyway.
bern and i went to watch the OSU v Michigan State men's hockey game on Friday night along with some of my colleagues on USAC.
anth and benny went to hang out with Kelsey and her boyfriend Zac at his place.
seeing as she is a Resident Advisor, her four walls are a bit limited for an evening with the boys.
they watched Thumbelina and The Secret of Nimh (one of my childhood favorites) on Netflix.
and, more importantly, they made brownies.
kelsey thought the brownie-making would be fun for the boys.
they usually enjoy baking.
but, that night, they were so riveted by the new movie that they suggested she go and make the brownies and bring the bowl into the living room for them to help stir.
they can be highly gracious guests when they want to be.


after an evening beginning with our usual we-have-to-get-the-kids-right-after-work-and-get-them-straight-to-a-sitter-stat Happy Meal, i received the following text from Kelsey:

at a certain point in the day in our house, we enforce the healthy snack rule.
however, i can't think of the last time that this involved vegetables.
usually it's a fruit or cheese kind of affair.
mainly, i was curious what a "little vegetables" snack would be.
so, i asked.

benny informed me that a "little vegetables" snack would be broccoli.
with pretzels.
clearly.

while i was out

ahem.
yes.
i am totally blogging during the Super Bowl.
i fully admit that i am only in it for the commercials.
and snacks.
and the fact that it means the new show Smash will be premiering soon.
this really should not suprise you from a girl who openly shares her love of musical theatre and women's gymnastics.
anyway...

each night at bedtime, i "trace" ben's face.
this was something i remember my parents doing to me at bedtime as well. 
essentially, it means that i use my pointer finger to lightly make a circle around his face, then gently make my way around his eyes, nose, cheeks, mouth, ears, etc. 
i do this a few times until he is relaxed.

for a rather high-energy little nugget, ben very much enjoys this part of our nightly routine. 
he typically sleeps on side, but while it's time for tracing, he rolls over on his back to make all parts of his cute little face available. 


as i've mentioned, i was recently out at a conference for 5 days. 
i flew in too late to be a part of bedtime my first day back, but i was able to put the boys to bed the next night home. 
as i crawled in to tuck benny in after we both listened to anth read, ben leaned over and whispered in my ear, "mommy, i had to trace my own face while you were gone."
this tiny little sentence, and the mental image of my sweet little wild man quietly tracing his own face in the dark, made my heart melt. 
then, another whisper, "i love you more than lightbulbs and the earth."


um. 
kind of specific. 
but than you, benny. 
i think. 

how to always win

most of us are familiar with the game Rock, Paper, Scissors. 
benjamin, however, is not. 


someone recently tried to teach it to him. 
instead, he seems to have learned a game, known only to him, as "Rock, Paper, Scissors, Shooter."
in this game, there are four options of hand gestures. 
the fourth one being a gun. 
which he always picks. 
and, since this game exists only in his mind, he always wins. 
because, according to him,  "shooter" can "blast up" rocks, paper and scissors.


it's a real fun game. 
you should play it some time. 

he's got the moves like Vader

last night, i shared a (larger) version of this picture.

anth drew this in class last fall.

and i buried it in a pile of things-to-do-someday.

i recently found it while looking for some other thing to do.

(mind you, i forgot what that was once when i found this, so go me.)

anyway.

this drawing reminded me of a story that Kelsey told me recently.

if you don't remember, Kelsey one of a handful of students who have that special spot that being both an RA/RM and Off The Lake member can earn them.

and, she happens to babysit my little men on occasion.

and has previously received a lesson in proper fasion terminology from anth.

so.

she and her sister were over babysitting.

and anth asked them to come down to the basement.

here, he picked up his lightsaber and turned it on.

kelsey instinctively grabbed the other light saber and turned it on.

she held it out at him, ready to engage in the typical Darth Vader/Luke scene.

anth, being anth, would have none of it.

he immediately looked at kelsey as thought she had three heads, and asked her and her sister to take a seat on the couch.

"i think it will be better, and safer, if we just took turns showing off our light saber moves. i'll go first."

he then made his way over to our light switch at the bottom of the basement stairs and slid down both sides, dimming the entire basement.

he then took his place in the middle of the floor, facing his babysitting team.

he put his saber up in the air.

and then, with anth's usual intensity, he gave them his most sincere combination of "cool light saber moves" he could muster.

this from the kid who tells me he will never be on stage. 

a little more homework to do

hello again.
i'm back.
and, while this is all usually about the antic's of the Savvy boys, today i'm feeling a bit more reflective.


i mentioned last week that i was at a conference in Tampa, Florida.
specifically, i was at ACPA's Donna M. Bourassa Mid-Level Management Institute.
i also mentioned that it was giving me a lot to "chew on."
and, oh, did it ever.
as in, my mental jaw is tired.

as in, i really knew my brain was done when i found myself standing in the tram between terminals at the Atlanta airport, pondering the content of the airport tram announcements.
the tram voice had announced, "you are about to arrive at terminal D as in David," and i wondered if all the Davids out there found this rather annoying.
or, perhaps, validating.
as in, that name was the very essence of "D."
as we pulled up at E, the tram man announced, "you are arriving at terminal E, as in Echo."
and i wondered, why not make it more fun?
as in, "you are arriving at terminal, E as in Egads!"or, "you are arriving at terminal E, as in Eek!"
or, even, "you are arriving at terminal E, as in E-I-E-I-O."
that one would really make people pay attention.
then i wondered who got to sit around a table and make the decision about which word would be used to announce each terminal.
and who, like me, might have offered some sassy suggestions to spice things up.
and then, i realized that i had had all of these thoughts between terminals D and E, and that they really weren't very far apart.
it was clearly time to let my brain turn off for a bit.

anyway.
i had expected the institute to be full of good content on our professional work.
and it was.
but, when they opened Day One with this TED Talk by Brene Brown, i knew i was there for a bigger reason.
ever since my friend and colleague, Sus, pointed me to explore the work of Brene Brown, i have been a diligent reader of her work and blog.
but i had never seen her speak.
i encourage you to take 20 minutes to watch it. if you like it, check out her site and blog at www.ordinarycourage.com

our five days were spent doing some meaningful, challenging, and ultimately, highly rewarding work centering on connecting the heart and the mind.
yes, we covered things like strategic initiatives, politics, and power.
but, we also used up most of my reserve of cutely packaged tissues.
and we laughed even more.


we were able to have a few of our days on the USF campus, in the Marshall Center, their absolutely gorgeous student union.
if you look really hard, you can see me over there on the left.
 
we were each placed in a mentor group with one of the MMI faculty.
these lovely people made up Mentor Group 4.
they learned quite a bit about me this week and asked me some very pointed and insightful questions, all shepherded by the lovely and loving woman on the left, Patty.
so, a giant thank you to all of these beautiful people.
who remind me that we all have a little more homework to do.
(shameless plug of my eternally loved Off The Lake students. best wishes with callbacks this week!)

so, i am back in columbus. 
with a lot of new ideas and a bit more clarity. 
and an even longer reading list than usual.
speaking of homework. . .
(and because i clearly can't do a whole post without at least referencing the boys)
. . .i'll come back and tell you a story about this little gem tomorrow: