SMOOTH talker

Daddy live on the other side of base from us. And he has a new neighbor with twin 2 year old boys. Yikes! You want to talk energy to spare? Jessa loves playing with these boys. Spencer likes it OK, too, but he is not quite as up to speed. And at times, the boys lose patience with him. So far, Jessa is still in tune with her brother, and frankly, Spencer stands up for himself pretty well.

One of these boys is a SMOOTH talker, oh my!
The first day we met them, we were all at a concert on the parade field: lots of food and fun and awesome music. Jessa was busy running here and there with her new friends.

At one point, they were sitting on our quilt taking a break from all the running. Jessa went over to the food table and got a couple of bags of mini Oreos. When she got back to our spot, she noticed that Spencer already had a bag, so she gave the extra bag to one of the twins. This is when I realized that you can use pick up lines when you are 6.

J: here you go.
Boy: are these for me?
J: Yeah.
Boy: You are the sweetest girl I have EVER met.
J: (nothing)
Boy: We used to live in North America before we moved here. And when we were in North America, I knew this girl. I really loved her A LOT. And when we played, I was the Prince and she was the Princess. Then we had to move, so now I do not have anyone to be the Princess. Would you like to play with me and be the Princess?
J: OK.
I am thinking: OH MY GOOD LORD! This 6 year old is putting the moves on my 5 year old!

He also likes to touch her hair when they are talking. Luckily, this far, Jessa is not really impressed with his "moves." And more often than not, he is chasing her not the other way around. And I am proud to say, many times, she outruns him. I think I speak for her Daddy and her Bay, too when I say: keep running Jessa!

Spencer: Jessa's biggest fan

Many times, Spencer can just fade right into the background. He is SO intent on doing whatever Jessa wants him to do. And I always know when they argue or fight, the root of the problem is usually Spencer wanting to do something that Jessa did not have in mind. He loves her to a fault. When she is ugly, I always remind her how lucky she is to have him. And she occasionally realizes it.

Last weekend, we had a great surprise. An army friend and her two boys were driving through our area. When I realized it, I immediately invited them to come and stay with us. That is one of the awesome things about the army: you do not have to see or talk to each other every day (or even every year) but we are there for each other and we can pick right up where we left off. When I told the kids, they were happy to make 2 new friends. UNTIL they arrived. Oh my!

For the most part things were OK. No major mishaps. Spencer was a little possesive of his things because after all, the 2 boys wanted to play with only his things. They were not too keen on Barbies. Go figure! But the most embarassing, and somewhat odd part was the way my two sort of bonded and became an obnoxious team.

The funniest example (it is funny now, it was mortifying at the time) is Jessa's Hello Kitty spoon. Is it her favorite spoon? Yes. Does she use it every night when she eats her ice cream? Yes. BUT we did have company and the guest is always right. So when the older of the two boys innocently reached into the spoon drawer and selected the Hello Kitty spoon, Jessa MELTED DOWN. And the more she wanted the spoon, the more our sweet guest wanted it. I told her she had to leave the room until she could collect herself. She went into the den and sat on a chair and sobbed for the entire time the 3 boys were eating a little ice cream.

The boys were in the kitchen. Here is what Spencer was saying, well grumbling, while he was eating his treat:
I don't know why you even want that spoon. It is for girls. That is not yours, it is Jessa's. Jessa's spoon. Hello Kitty is a girl. Why do you want that spoon? It is pink. Just give it to Jessa.
Spencer was fighting Jessa's fight when she could not. Sibling solidarity. Not the most heartwarming example, I suppose. . .

I also noticed the way he hops to when she speaks around the other two boys. She would ask, I mean order them to all sit somewhere. Spencer did not hesitiate or question, he sat. The other 2 sort of looked at her a minute before they continued to do what they were doing!

After the ice cream incident, they were all brushing teeth and pottying before bed. I went into Jess and Spence's bedroom and found them both all snuggled into Jessa's bed. This evil duo continued to bond as they were going to sleep.

I am glad that they are bonded and love each other, but I also would like them to give another kid a chance! Maybe their being in 2 different schools will be a good thing. . .

How does your garden grow?

Jessa is always a little crazy, right??

We got a sandbox for our wee backyard. David was making fun of me because he said I was trying to put too much out there. Hello?! I mean, there are some things we just need to have. And to keep me from having to walk to a playground several times a day to allow them to have some sand time, I am all for the cute turtle sandbox.

We got shortly after we got here and got settled. It has worked out nicely for them to have a place to play that does not require my constant supervision. It even has a cover to keep out bugs - which is the worst thing J or S can find in a sand box. They saw one ant in their sand box at Ft. Stewart, and it was weeks before I could coax them back into it. They remember things.

I must pause to brag. I carried all the sand myself. It was really heavy! But I, wait, I mean they needed the sand box, and David was not home.

So the other night Daddy, David, and I were finishing up supper, cleaning up the kitchen, and just sort of talking. Jessa and Spencer were out back playing. Then Jessa walks into the kitchen with a big grin on her face. She invited us to come and see the garden she just planted in the sand box. So we complied, and this is the garden we saw:

I swear, I am always fascinated by her crazy ideas and creative imagination! Not sure what this is all about, but she was quite proud of herself. And I think it is a rather low maintenance crop, don't you?

Happy Blogiversary!

One year ago today, I started my blog with this post
I cannot believe that I have enjoyed it as much as I have. Seriously, this has been such a joy.

I was afraid that if I started a blog that it would be hard to keep it up. But it has been so easy and so much FUN! It is wonderful therapy and a wonderful way to remember things.

Even if no one ever reads it, I still LOVE typing my heart out.
Of course, it is even more exciting when I see comments and know that someone is actually reading my ramblings. I am just so proud of my family, and I love sharing the craziness that surrounds us. Not that I think that we are particularly unique - I know that we are just one of many families who are making their way in the world. And I guess I like to share our experiences with anyone else who may be interested.

I have also gotten to read more blogs and sort of enter into this new world. I have learned about so many people who have had similar experiences, and I have also read about so many people who are nothing like me. It is such an amazing opportunity to broaden my world and my views. I love blogging!

So here I am. One year of my blog down. I am pretty proud of myself, and I hope that the handful of you that visit my blog from time to time enjoy reading about our adventures. And I hope that you will keep coming back for more from The Crazy Key Family because I plan to be here, still typing my heart out.

All of us crazy Keys thank you for stopping by, and y'all come back now, ya' hear!

I smell fingernail polish. . .

So we are getting ready for bed the other night. David was out of town (yes, I know, it is so rare these days - hee-hee), so it was just me and the munchkins. I will admit that I was somewhat stressed out. You know, it was just one of those days. Fighting, everything was a mess, and I was not sure how much more I could take. I was at the end of my rope by bedtime. I was huffing around (trying to make a point to them) and I said, "OK! Just go upstairs and get ready for bed."

Well, that worked for a couple of minutes, but then they kept coming back downstairs for this or that. "Do these pajamas match?" "Doesn't my breath smell fresh?" "Can I pick 4 books to read?" "Can I just tell you one thing?" I was so ill! I said to Jessa (in a not very sweet voice), "Go upstairs! I will be right there, and then we can talk, pick books, and I will smell your breath!"

I mean, sheesh, all I had to do was start the dishwasher, turn off the lights, and make sure the dogs went out one more time. I was not going to be downstairs for hours! And we always snuggle and read books and chat before bed. But at this point, I just needed to be alone for a few minutes.

I was happy that I saw hide nor hair of them during the remainder of my last chores of the day. I headed upstairs with their bedtime ice water cups, feeling better and ready to snuggle and read with my sweet children. As I got about half way up the stairs, I was struck by a strong smell. It was an unmistakable smell. It could give you a headache. even if you were nto finishing up the day we had. With each step, the smell got stronger. With each step, the knot in my stomach grew. Flashes of what I was about to see were popping into my head. The carpet! The light gray carpet that does not belong to us. The furniture! The walls!

I asked out loud to no one in particular, "Why do I smell fingernail polish?" Silence. I headed into their room. Jessa was sitting up in her bed. Spencer looked like this (just with a scared guilty look- the picture is only a dramatic re-enactment for blog purposes):

Yep, he was all tucked into bed up to his neck. As I my eyes darted back from Spencer to Jessa, I noticed a bottle of fingernail polish on Jessa's headboard. I repeated my question, almost scared of the response, "Why do I smell fingernail polish?" Jessa immediately spoke up - I can always count on her to toss Spencer right under the bus. All she said was "It was Spencer," and then pointed in his direction. He did not deny it. He started to get upset. "But I am sorry, Mommy."

I walked around to his bed and pulled back the covers. There were my sweet boys hands and feet with lovely purple nail polish in each nail. Of course, the hiding under the covers had messed it up a little bit. And I would never tell him, but he did a pretty good job.

These pictures were taken the next day.

There was smudging, from his hiding it from me.

He underestimated the power of scent!

I sit down on the edge of his bed and start the typical mommy scolding. I cannot be too hard with my voice or he will come unglued. He is SO sensitive. I was telling him that "fingernail polish can stain and we should only use it with Mommy." And that I was "disappointed because he knew better than to play with fingernail polish." I was on a roll! After I had pretty much said what I needed to say, I asked him "why did you do this?" And he slowly explained, "Well, I wanted to go downstairs and ask you, but Jessa told me that you said that we could not come down there anymore and to stay in our beds." Ouch! OK, yes, I did pretty much yell at Jessa for them to stay put, but I quickly reminded him that he could have simply waited a couple minutes to ask me when I would have been upstairs.

I was relieved that David was not home since he is not a huge fan of Spencer and girly things. Bless Spencer's heart, it is all his adoration of his big sister that draws him to such things. The next day, we had a ton of errands to run. We got up and out before I thought about his nails. I noticed them when we were meeting the director of his new preschool for the first time. Yes, my SON had purple fingernails and purple toenails. Yes, he put flip-flops on so there was no hiding it. Oh and he was also carrying a Sleeping Beauty doll. I just pray that the teacher admires me for not being too embarrassed to let Spencer do his thing. I am pretty sure that she saw him worshiping his sister while they played, so maybe she understands?

When we got home, the first thing I did was get out the Cutex and his nails were all clear again - whew! And the fingernail polish is even more out of reach than it was before.

Priceless

In the midst of our mad dash to get the forms all filled out to register Jessa for school, we found ourselves at the mall. We were headed to Sears for an eye exam. And I am SO glad we went there, the Optometrist was awesome!

Anyway, we went to the mall early so we could have lunch. We were beyond happy to eat lunch at a real Chick-Fil-A! Woo-hoo! They are few and far between around here. . .

We had a nice lunch and headed to Sears. The kids were being so precious.

We got to the appointment early and waited patiently. Once we were in the room, Jessa was intimidated by all the equipment and the big chair. The doctor was nice and patient and gave her time to warm up. Spencer and I were seated in the corner of the room, quietly observing. And boy was Spencer awesome! He sat still and watched every move that the doctor made - he was very concerned about Miss Jessa. As we sat there, there would be small lulls in the testing while the doctor recorded her findings. Spencer said to me one time, "Mommy, Jessa is being so good." And I agreed! Jessa beamed. Then one time, Spencer said to Jessa, "We are so proud because you are being such a good girl." Such a supportive brother.

Well, of course, I am a mom who believes in bribery. So the deal was IF she was cooperative and did not act ugly, we would ride the carousel AND get a Chick-Fil-A milkshake on the way out. Wait, did I mention we found a Chick-Fil-A?? Well, she made the case that she was SO good that we should ride the carousel AND the train AND still get the milkshake. I was so ecstatic to have the last of the important pre-registration forms completed, that I agreed.

First, they rode the train. They waited until it was empty so that Jessa could ride in the engine and Spencer in the caboose. Such a good team!

Next we went to the carousel. They were also the only kids on that ride, too. They walked around several times until the selected the perfect two horses that were right next to each other. They rode the whole way holding hands. . .

Then we made our way to the third and final bribe, Chick-Fil-A. Yes, we went to Chick-Fil-A twice in one day. Yes, the manager at the Chick-Fil-A noticed that we were frequent customers. AND we bonded because he used to live in Georgia, too - a land rich in Chick-Fil-A, Dwarf Houses, and Truett's Grills. And we headed out of the mall with 2 happy babies, one happy mom, and 3 delicious Chick-Fil-A milkshakes. And Idid tell you that we got to go to Chick-Fil-A, didn't I??

They held hands the whole way to the car.

When we were almost out of the mall, Spencer said, "Hey, Jess. My hand is a little tired. How bout we switch hands." So they stopped walking, let go of the middle hand, switched their milkshakes to the other hand, and resumed hand holding.

I live for moments like this. My goodness, how I love those 2!

Oh, waitress!!!!!!!

So we got back to Illinois after 2 + weeks in GA. We unloaded, ate, and crashed. It was a long day in the car for all of us. The next day we slept in and just had a leisurely morning. I slowly unpacked and started to get organized. The kids were playing on their own downstairs, and I was doing some things upstairs. All of a sudden, I hear loudly from 2 sweet voices down the stairs holler, " Oh Waitress!!!!!!!"

What?! Has it really come to this?? I laughed and headed down there to see what they wanted. They both wanted to "order" some macaroni noodles with just butter. I asked them if they thought I was running a restaurant, and they giggled and said, "Yes!"

So as I am in the kitchen, they both holler from the den, "Oh, Waitress!" And I walked in to see what now. They wanted to watch a movie while they were eating. So I put in Ice Age and finished fixing their macaroni.

So here are the "customers" who ordered lunch and a movie from their mommy, oh wait, I mean their waitress.

Jessa could not pay attention to her noodles for watching Ice Age.

They are so spoiled!

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I guess I know my place around here! But I will say they did not even leave a TIP!