Patting versus Rubbing

I am not sure what we did differently between Mackenzie and Isaac, but Mackenzie prefers to have her back rubbed while Isaac prefers to have his back patted.  In fact Isaac hates to have his back rubbed and he whines if I rub his back accidently.  Mackenzie doesn't whine if I pat her back accidentally instead of rubbing, but she informs me that she wants me to pat her back, not rub.

Isaac got his first close encounter with a tractor last weekend, thanks to the Cadwell/Keller family.  We were getting ready to go in the water at Grandma Kathy's cabin when he saw Kevin on the big John Deere pulling his boat down the road to put in the lake.  He quickly forgot about going in the water and wanted to go see the tractor.  We walked down to the Cadwell cabin and Bob was on the lawn tractor.  By this time Mackenzie was running down the road with Brian.  Isaac was too shy to get on the lawn mower with Bob, but after Kevin got off the John Deere he climbed up on the seat to check in out.  In the meantime Mackenzie road on Bob's lap on the lawn tractor.  By the time Mackenzie was done Isaac decided he was brave enough for a ride as well.  Bob instantly becomes Isaac's new best friend.  From then on Isaac wanted to know where Bob was.  The next day we walked down and Kevin took both of the kids for a ride on the big John Deere.  When he dropped off Isaac he said that if he had ridden a few more minutes he was sure Isaac would have fallen asleep (with no patting needed).  We left the lake from there to head back to look at a house in Perrysburg, so we will find out during the next trip to the cabin if Kevin has usurped Bob as Isaac's best friend.

In other news, this evening we made an offer on the house we headed back from the lake to look at.  A few prayers may be in order, so if you read this, please say a quick prayer for us that this works out the way it is meant to be.  Thanks in advance for the help.

The Things They Say

So the other night I was reading Mackenzie a book called "Love You Forever".  Grandma Linda gave this book to either Brian or Mackenzie for Mackenzie's first Christmas.  It is a book about a Mom raising her son and then in the end the Mom dies and the son has his own daughter.  I am not describing it well, it is a very touching book.  Anyway, as I am reading the book to Mackenzie she was asking me about her birth.  One question that I really had a hard time not laughing about was "How did the doctor get me out of your belly?  Did he give me a rope?"  Another was "When I was in my tummy and you ate food, did it hit me?"  I was trying really hard not to crack up at her questions because she was really serious and I could tell that she was thinking really hard and trying to process all of this information.  What a wonderful gift for me to get to observe as she grows and figures all of this stuff out.

Isaac has definitely entered his "Why" phase as well and the questions are never ending on his part either.  Right now I am busy answering the same question over and over and over again.  I try not to crack up at Isaac either with some of his questions and mannerisms.  He has an incredibly cute way of wrinkling up his nose when he doesn't like an answer.  He also has started throwing himself on the ground and kicking the floor, true 2 year old tantrum style, when he is told "No".  Right now it is still kind of cute, but I am sure that will get old fast.

We Love Orlando

It has been a long time!  I have been busy planning for and taking a trip to Orlando.  I went to an Oracle HR User Group conference there last week, which was great for any Oracle HR users.  I flew out Sunday morning and Brian, the kids, and my parents flew out on Tuesday and met up with me. 

It was a great trip.  The kids loved the huge pool area at the hotel where my conference was being held.  They spent most of Tuesday afternoon, and evening and pretty much all of Wednesday in the pool.  That night we headed over closer to Disney and had dinner at the Rainforest Cafe by Animal Kingdom.  We ate dinner there when we took Mackenzie to Disney 3 years ago and Mackenzie spent most of the time crying.  I don't know why I thought Isaac would be different, but I did.  This time Mackenzie had a ball and was clapping everytime the animals came to life.  Isaac on the other hand was very disturbed by it and at one point actually crossed his arms on the table and laid his head on them.  He was a trooper though and made it through dinner. 

We spent the next two days at Magic Kingdom.  Mackenzie is big enough to go on most of the rides there (except Space Mountain, which we learned about after waiting around for our Fast Passes to be good).  She loved Splash Mountain.  It rained both evenings we were there.  These were not little showers, they were big storms with lightening (all outside rides get shut down when there is lightning within 6 miles).  Fortunately for us they came at dinner time each evening and the rest of the day was nice (hot, but nice).  So it compelled us to leave and eat dinner out of the park each night and stick pretty close to our bedtime schedule.  We didn't get to check out the pool at our hotel there though, or Downtown Disney.

Mackenzie and Isaac came home with a Jessie and a Woody doll.  Isaac fell asleep while we were waiting to meet Woody and Jessie and woke up when Woody looked in at him sleeping in his stroller.  I am sure when he woke up to see that giant head looking at him he thought it was part of some really crazy dream.  But it was nice that he got to meet Woody, and Mackenzie loved meeting Jessie.

There were lots of other highlights, like eating lunch with all of the Winnie the Pooh characters, riding Dumbo and the Magic Carpets, and meeting some of the princesses and Mickey and Minnie, but I think Woodie and Jessie were really the tops for both of them.  So even though it was pushing 100 degrees every day, I think we can declare that the Phillips family loved Orlando.

For anyone planning a trip to Disney, particularly with a little girl, there is a barber shop on Main Street, just as you enter the park.  If you call beforehand you can make an appointment.  The women there are licenced and can cut the kids hair, and they will also put the girls hair up and put paint and pixie dust (confetti with Mickey Mouse shapes included) in their hair.  We walked in on Friday morning and they cut Mackenzie's bangs, put her hair in pigtails and put pixie dust in her hair, and they gave Isaac a full hair cut.  Both kids also got a ton of stickers from them.  Another little boy was getting his first haircut and he got a pair of Mickey ears when he was done.  It was really very cute and I hadn't read anything about this on-line or in the book I bought.

We got back to Ohio yesterday.  Someone signed a lease to rent our house in Chicago (big yay) starting July 1, so Brian is back in Chicago with the movers today emptying it out.  His dad is there with him as well.  Linda, the kids and I went to the 577 Foundation for a picnic today, which was lovely.  We even ran into one of Mackenzie's classmates, Lexie, there.  On the way home Isaac was complaining about something, I honestly don't remember what, and Mackenzie says to him, "Life is hard, Isaac.  It is really hard."  I was cracking up and also wondering if perhaps we say that too Mackenzie a bit too much.  But at least they got a couple a vacation from their tough lives.

Sibling Love

I know that Mackenzie and Isaac love each other very much, maybe too much.  Yes they sometimes hit each other, pull each other's hair, take toys from one another.  Mackenzie will ask Isaac, "Do you want this toy?" and then follow that up with "because I am never going to give it to you."  Yet at the same time, they give each other hugs and kisses, if Mackenzie goes somewhere without Isaac he constantly asks where she is and when she gets back they are both so excited to see each other, they do share, and help each other (to the best of their abilities).

The other day we were all in the basement having "TV time" and Mackenzie was laying on a pillow.  Isaac walked over and laid down right next to his big sister.  Mackenzie rolled over, gave him a huge hug and pulled him up into a sitting position with her and said "I am going to love you right off this pillow" with gritted teeth.  She then proceeded to grab the back hemline of his shirt hockey style and tried to pull it over his head.  Awwww, sisterly love.

Last night they wanted to take a bath together.  Since it was a "play" night, which means I don't wash them and their hair, I consented.  I folded some towels in my bedroom next to the bathroom while they were in the bath and when I walked back into the bathroom Mackenzie was laying against the back of the tub with her knees out of the water and Isaac was washing her knees and then rinsing them off with a fish pot they play with in the bath.  A few minutes later Isaac decides to wash Mackenzie's hair with the bar soap, which caused Mackenzie to become upset (not really about the soap but about having to have the soap rinsed out).

Isaac tends to be the first one up in the morning and the other morning he was in my room with me when Mackenzie woke up.  Isaac likes to go in the room with me when Mackenzie wakes up and he goes in at full speed.  He got to her bed much quicker then me and I heard Mackenzie ask "Isaac, do you want to get in bed with me and cuddle?"  Which got a resonding "Yes".  Mackenzie helped pull him into bed and they laid down together nicely for about 20 seconds.  Then they started fighting over a doll.  It was cute while it lasted.

Fun in the Sun

Last weekend we took the kids to the 577 Foundation in Perrysburg.  It is a historic (very large) home that was donated by a (very weathly) woman.  The kids absolutely loved it.  Mom and Dad liked it too.  We went Saturday morning and figured we would spend an hour or so there.  They have organic gardens, a little house for the kids with a table and chairs, a climbing area, a musical area, a slab that the kids painted on with water, an outdoor pond with fish and tadpoles and lily pads, a geodesic dome with an indoor pond and huge fish that the kids could feed and lots of plants, bee hives and a little building that explains bees, a pottery building, and a library.  The kids did not want to leave, so we told them we would come back another time.  The next morning Mackenzie was asking to go back, so we did, with Grandma and Grandpa this time.  Most of the activities are outside and it was a beautiful weekend to spend outside.  Mackenzie's favorite part was the Fairyland.  They have a small space where they have fairy houses and fairy statues, etc.  So on Sunday we went to Lowe's for some fencing to keep the rabbits out of our garden and we got some stuff so that Mackenzie could build her own Fairyland.  So Grandma and Grandpa now have a fairy yard in their backyard.  Also, the rabbits will have to find another buffet because our garden is now heavily fortified. 

For Memorial Day weekend we are headed to "Gradma Kaffy" and "Papa Mike's" (as Isaac says) house and cabin to hopefully enjoy some more sunshine and play in the water.

Too Affectionate

So at home we are having some trouble with Mackenzie hitting and having a potty mouth.  Both have pushed me over the edge the last few weeks.  So when the teacher approached me after school today the alarms in my head were going off that it was becoming an issue at school as well. So when the teacher informed me, "We are having a problem with Mackenzie . . ." I was trying to determine which would be worse that she was hitting or that she was calling people "Poopy" and then whatever word came into her head, or telling the other kids that she hates them.  I was not expecting "she is hugging and kissing the other kids too much."  The teacher then went on to tell me that it was okay for her to hug and kiss her teachers but that I needed to work with her to get her to stop hugging and kissing the other kids.  So, in my head, I gave a great sigh and to the teacher I told her I would talk to Mackenzie.  Personally, I felt like this is something the teachers should be able to work with Mackenzie with on their own, but oh well.  Mackenzie heard the whole conversation between the teacher and I.  So when we got in the car and I mentioned to her that the other kids may not like hugs and kisses and maybe she should save them for her family she said, "I know Mom.  I will just hug and kiss my teachers at school."  Problem solved. 

Now if only I could find such a simple solution to the language problem at home.  She actually voluntarily put soap on her toothbrush tonight and washed her mouth out with soap.  Later she said a naughty word and informed me that she must not have washed all of the bad words out of her mouth.  Evidently washing her mouth out with soap is not the answer.

On a happier side of the fence, this morning was the first morning when Isaac said "Good bye, Mom" and let me walk out of this daycare not feeling like the worse mom in the world.  He actually opened the door for me, gave me a hug and kiss, said "Good bye, Mom" and closed the door.  Yippee!  Now I can concentrate on feeling like the worse mom in the world when Mackenzie hits me.

Ladies Man

For those of you that know Isaac, you know that this is not a typical expression for him.  He is usually a pretty smiley kid.  We went to get photos taken at Portrait Innovations, which we usually love.  However, it seems they were a bit overbooked Saturday morning when we went.  In the past when we have gotten photos taken there we had a photographer and a helper.  This time we had only a photographer and unfortunately the photographer was a man.  I think he was also fairly new, but I don't know that for certain.  Anyway, we have always had female photographers before and Isaac has always been full of charm.  This time Isaac looked at the man very suspiciously the entire time and we had a terrible time trying to get him to crack a smile.  Mackenzie on the other hand had a ball posing for pictures.

Isaac has been trying to use the potty for a while now.  He actually started before we left Chicago then stopped for a while and now has gained some interest again.  He seems to be most interested in it when we are in public places though.  Tonight we met Grandma for dinner at Frickers (the kids like getting hot dogs there) and the first thing Isaac did was run into the bathroom (he remembered where it was from the last visit) to sit on the toilet.  Oh the joys and the germs of motherhood.