Halloween

For Halloween this year Conan wanted to be a ninja.  Not just ANY ninja, but specifically the character Zane from the Ninjago cartoon (Yes, the Lego ninja toy line has an animated show.  It's really pretty good.) 

 Zane is the white-and-gold-costumed ninja with Ice Power and the ability to talk to birds.  Actually, later in the show it turns out he's actually a robot, programmed to think he's a human, but I digress...  On to the costume!  

I modified a basic kid's halloween ninja costume pattern to incorporate the key elements of Zane's attire: gold trim "kimono" style wrap front, triple golden shoulder armor wings, golden hood ornament, and of course, a golden three-pronged circular shuriken.  (You have to add the accompanying ice blast with your imagination.) It turned out great.  Conan has been loving wearing it since I finished it, including on Halloween.

Cousin Chloe was a purple fairy princess this year.  We met up over at Grandma & Grandpa's house for early trick-or-treating and pictures.  Then we headed over to the Ericson's for dinner and trick-or-treating in their neighborhood.  Kiah was a princess and Moira was a witch.  The three of them made a pretty classic trio as they roamed the streets looking for candy.

The loot was plentiful and everyone had a great time.  Conan was completely exhausted, the girls are enough older than he is that the endurance gap was noticeable.   There was no way he was going to get left behind and miss out on candy though!

I just called to tell you...

Last night while I was making dinner, Conan asked me if he could call his Grandma Anita and Grandpa Dave. I readily agreed (it was definitely preferable to his continuing to be underfoot in the kitchen, begging for snacks and/or whining that he wanted to watch a show), so I told him their number and he dialed the phone.

I'm not sure which of them picked up the phone, but listening to Conan's side of the conversation had me alternating between suppressed laughter and blushing in embarrassment.    It went like this...

Hi, it's Conan!
Good.
Well, I just called to tell you about this morning, when we were driving to preschool, and we got pulled over by a police car!  With flashing lights and everything!
Mama was driving too fast.
Yeah.  We were only s'posed to be going 50, but we were actually going 66!
We got a ticket.  It's like a consequence.
It was 144! That's a lot.
Mama didn't like it but I did.  The police car was cool.
Yeah, Mama's making dinner now.  It's going to be macaroni and cheese.
Yeah, it's my favorite.  I'm going to eat it all up.
Ok, Goodbye.

He hung up the phone and asked me for GG's phone number.  I stifled my laughter and embarrassment long enough to give it to him.  He called her up and after a little small talk about the pumpkin she gave him to carve into a jack-o-lantern, reported the whole incident to her as well.  I have to admit, I'm impressed that he remembered the specifics of the speeds and the amount of the ticket.

Luckily, by the time he had finished reporting the exciting news of my speeding ticket to his great grandma, I had finished cooking dinner.  Otherwise, I think he would have kept calling until the whole family knew!  (I suppose I've just finished the job with this post, haven't I?  Oh well.)

Nature Facts I Was Wrong About

C: Mama! Did you know, Rhino horns are made out of fingernails?
M: Um, well, no, that's not quite right. Rhino horns are just made from the same thing AS fingernails.  They grow on the Rhino's head like your fingernails grow on your fingers.
C: No! Their horns are Made. From. Fingernails!   It's true.
M: Nooo... They just grow, their horns grow like really, really thick fingernails.
C: You're wrong!  I learned it on a SHOW!
M: But, I mean, how would Rhinos even get fingernails to make horns with?
C: They take them from dead people.  That's why nobody is afraid of having Rhinos steal their fingernails, because they only get them from dead people who don't need them anymore.  Rhinos are sneaky.  They know when people die.  They take all the dead people's fingernails off and [hand gestures] boop! boop! boop! they make their horns.
M: ....
C: It's TRUE.
M: Well, I'm glad you've got it all figured out.

Sticker Chart

 Guess who has earned himself a trip to the toy store!

This was our first time using a sticker chart to reward good behavior.  We decided together on five different things that Conan could improve at, and we put them on the chart.  He earns a star for completing them. I drew pictures of each activity so he knows which spot to put the stickers he earns.  The plan is that we'll make a new chart and carry over the things that he didn't get as many stars in plus add a few new ones to replace those items that he's mastered and are now "too easy".

The 5 items from this time were:

• Getting dressed in the morning (all by himself)
• Eating dinner without complaining
• Getting ready for bed without dawdling (putting on pjs, brushing teeth, going potty)
• Helping pick up toys and games
• Putting on shoes & getting ready to go when asked (by himself, with no stalling)

 On the next chart, I think we'll be replacing Getting Dressed and Putting On Shoes - he's really gotten good at both of those.  Possible additions are Washing Hands When Asked (no arguing about how long it's been since the last time he did it) and Following Instructions The First Time They're Given.

Lake Sylvia Camping Trip

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monkey Bar Master

Look at him go! Such a big kid.

Climbing Fun

We went to the Highland Games on Saturday and had a lot of fun. The highlight was a climbing wall "ride" that Conan just loved. The guy running the ride was really nice and let Conan play on the wall for far longer than I expected each time. He's a great little climber, no doubt about it!

It was fun for grown-ups too.

Pew Pew Pew

Badguys Beware!

Games

Conan loves to play games.  He frequently beats adults at Uno, Connect 4, and Memory.  He loves Sorry, War and Chutes & Ladders.  He learns rules quickly, understands taking turns and scoring points, and he can plan and pull off simple two turn strategies to set himself up for a win.

Recently we got a game called Blood Bowl, which, simply put, is a card game where monsters* play football.  According to the box, it's for ages 14+.  It's quite complicated, with several decks and a gazillion little chits and tokens.  Naturally, Conan really really wanted to play it.  So they set it up and played.



Conan loved it.  It took nearly an hour to play, which is an eternity in 4 year old time.  He keeps asking when we can play again.

*Yes, I know that Warhammer is a lot more than monsters, but I had to sum it up in one word from a 4-year-olds vocabulary, Ok?

Tree Climbing

I got Conan a couple of pairs of "real" gardening gloves, the kind with a rubber grip coating on the fingers and palms.  He immediately declared them super duper tree climbing gloves and has been monkeying around in our big fir tree like an expert tree climber.  Which he clearly is.

Easter Eggs

Masterpeices, every one.

Farmer's Market Duel

So this was a lot of fun...

Assorted Pictures

New Spidey shirt!

Watering. (Because it's real dry here this time of year.)

A boy and his kitties.

Helping the gnomes.

Chloe takes her color-by-number turtle very seriously.

Two Mapes brothers

Three Mapes brothers

Qualified Expert

C: Are plants animals?
M: No, plants are plants.
C: Well, Carter [preschool buddy] says they ARE animals.
M: Well, Carter is not right.
C: YES. HE. IS!  He is FIVE!

Whew.

It's been a while since I got around to updating the blog, and of course now it's harder than ever because I feel like I have to "catch up" all the things that have passed before I can post the current stuff.  I'm not going to do it though.  I'm going to summarize the last few weeks and then move on; I'll go back and expand on some of these later if I find the time.  I just have to break the log-jam and move ahead now, or I never will!

So, since the last time I posted, the following exciting and important things have happened:

• Cary turned 40, and we celebrated with a grand party on January 19th.  Friends came from far and wide and we had a terrific weekend - not just the big party Saturday night, but also great visits and huge breakfasts and dinner feasts on Friday and Sunday as well.  'twas truly an EVENT.
• On January 23rd, my Dad suffered a hemhorragic stroke and was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.  I joined him, my mom, and my aunt Pam there for the next three days while they tested him to ensure that there was no further danger (luckily, it seems to have been a one-off event) and then further tests to determine the extent of the damage.  Again, we were very fortunate: he suffered no damage to his physical abilities, no loss of memory regarding his life or relationships, no change of personality.  What he did lose was his ability to read, do math, and some aphasia that effects his ability to remember the correct words for things.  He's home now and making great improvements in all these areas through cognitive therapy.
• February 1st we went to Olympia for a visit with the Taylors and Eric and Miriam.  We spent a fun few days with them and especially enjoyed visiting the health club pool and the new Olympia Children's Museum.  Except for the part where we brought the flu with us (and then left it behind for them to enjoy - sorry guys!) it was a great visit.
• Feb 5th we drove from Olympia to Portland where I attended the Organicology conference while Conan and Cary explored the city for 5 days.  The conference was good, but the boys had a lot more fun than I did; they went to the zoo, the children's museum, Powells, several parks, the farmer's market, and generally had a great time riding the streetcars and the train, not to mention the gondola!
• Back home again lastSunday night, we settled back into our regular weekday routine and Conan resumed his swimming lessons, which are going very well.  He's really turning into a water baby, and loves jumping in and paddling around with his water wings on.  He even puts his face in the water sometimes!
• Last night we hosted a party for Charlotte's 35th birthday, which was great fun.  We even had Karaoke!  Everyone took a turn, including the children: highlights included Cohen's rendition of the ABC song, Conan belting out Twinkle Twinkle, and a group effort on Down by the Bay.  

So, there you have it.  Eventually I'll get the pictures off the camera from our time in Portland and Olympia, and there may even be some pictures from the birthday parties.  I have a lot of thoughts about Dad's stroke and the wake-up call that has been for me; it feels like I've entered a new phase of life, similar to leaving home or becoming a parent myself.  It's the Age of Knowing That Your Parents Could Die, with a side order of Recognizing Your Own Mortality.  I'm not ready to write that yet though, it's still percolating in my brain.  

And now, as a reward to anyone who actually read all the above, here's a video of another milestone: Conan has mastered the juicer.

Correction

Conan is a very precise guy.  He spends a lot of time correcting me on various things, both important and completely unimportant.  If, for instance, I say "Time to get in the car" I'm very likely to get told  "Its a van, not a car!"

"Did you have a snack?" "No, it was an apple!"
"Where did you leave your shoes?"  "They are boots, not shoes!"
"Did you eat your toast?" "It was a bagel, not toast!"
"Put on your coat." "Its not a coat, its a raincoat!"
"You're wearing your shirt backwards." "No, I'm wearing three shirts backwards!"
"Do you want your blanket?" "Its not a blanket, its a quilt!"
"Did you color that picture?" "No, I drawed it!"
"All the kids will be there." "No, not all the kids in the whole world! Just the ones we know!"

Sometimes it gets to be too much.  The other night I had really had it, so I said "OK, look, I need for you to stop always correcting me. Please."

His response?

"I don't ALWAYS correct you. I only SOMETIMES correct you!"

... whimper ...

Finished!

2012 book of Conan is all done and ordered! Grandparents and great grandparents can expect to receive their copy around the 15th. In the meantime, I believe the link below will take you to an online version if you'd like a preview.

Click here to view this photo book larger

A boy and his Kitty

Tiberius and Conan have forged a strong bond. Conan caries Tiberius around constantly and frequently sings to him. I finally caught the cuteness on video! Surprisingly, Tiberius seems to really enjoy the attention and even purrs while being manhandled and forcibly snuggled. It's very sweet.

Conan is 4!

We had a party on Saturday with lots of friends and family.  I can hardly believe it's been four years already!




 The party featured balloons, party hats & favors, a cake decorated with toy cars and a monster truck (Conan picked the design himself), a game of pin the tail on the donkey, temporary tattoos for everyone, face painting (which turned into finger painting because we forgot the paintbrushes - not that the kids seemed to care), photos with a fun circus-themed cutout (painted by my talented cousin Heather), punch with dinosaur ice cubes, and of course, presents!

 We held the party at the Fairhaven Park Pavillion, which is a multi-use public building right by the playground. Unfortunately, it was a very cold, stormy day with too much wind and rain for playing outside. The kids had lots of fun running around inside, bopping each other in the heads with balloons and generally having a grand time playing together.

 All in all, it was a fun smorgasboard of awesome stuff. Theme parties are for babies, right?  No-one can deny that Conan is a big boy now!

Two Good Stories

Driving in the car with Conan, I motioned another driver to go ahead and pull out in front of me. "Go ahead, you're clear" I said aloud.
"What?" asked Conan. "Who are you talking to, Mama?"
"Oh, that car wanted to pull out in front of us. I was telling him it was OK to go."
"He can hear you?"
"No, he can't, but sometimes I talk out loud to the other cars anyway."
"Oh."
He thought about this for a few moments, then piped up again.
"Well, Papa usually says 'DAMMIT' when people pull out in front of him."

******

We were discussing bears one evening at dinner.  I told Conan the story of how a bear had once broken into our car when his Papa and I were camping at Yosemite, before he was born.  He wanted to know what happened to the bear.
"Well, the park rangers scared it away," I said.
"Oh.  Couldn't warriors have scared the bear away?" he asked.
"Yeah, I suppose warriors could have.  But the rangers were there, so they took care of it."
"Warriors could do it. Uncle Eric could have done it!"
"Uh, yeah, well, I suppose he could have..."
"You should have called Uncle Eric!" he insisted.
"I'm not sure..." I started.
"Because! Uncle Eric is a warrior!" He was getting really excited now.  I was baffled.
Papa stepped in. "Lawyer.  You mean lawyer.  Uncle Eric is a lawyer."
But Conan wasn't convinced. Arms folded across his chest and a stubborn look on his face, he stood firm.
"No! That is not a word! Uncle Eric is a warrior!"