Spoiled?!

Reunited with the table and toys.

I suppose it really sinks in that your child is being spoiled when it's not just you spoiling him, but the people at the local toy store, too! I took Marek to our favorite toy store last week. Not only do they have the best selection of toys, but they let kids play there too! It always bothers me when a toy store isn't kid-friendly. It doesn't make sense! If you're in the business of toys, it should be a given that you like and understand children...which means you know that they'll occassionally want to pick up and test out some of the great toys you are selling. I've been to too many toy stores where the staff follow you around like you're about to break everything if you even look too closely at something! But anyway, back to my favorite store that we love...We've been there so often - and he's so sensitive to change - that he immediately noticed that a large play table with his favorite Noah's Ark boat on it was mysteriously missing. I tried distracting him with other things to look at, but Grandma, who was with us, mentioned to one of the owners that Marek had noticed the table moved. The owner immediately had her staff move the table back for him! She said, "Marek - what would we do without you? You keep us on our toes!" It was really sweet of them. I guess the "you can't always get everything you want" lesson will have to wait until another time...:)

Happy Home

Every Fall I start feeling super domestic. It's probably the holidays or the weather. I really enjoy the cozy time of Fall and focusing on what truly motivates us and connects us together - family. There are numerous blogs that I stop by somewhat regularly and others once in a blue moon. Many of these blogs are written by friends or past friends, but others are written by people I've never met and never will. I am always inspired by the beautiful photography, stories and creative work that many of these people share. It inspires me!

Marek's recent collage from preschool. He was so proud of this and it was so meaningful to him.

I feel very lucky to have been blessed with a little boy that in addition to his love for trains, trucks, fire engines, building with blocks, playing with balls, and his all-around boyness, also enjoys helping me cook and bake and do art and crafts. I love my little boy!!!

Majegoria

Recently I was informed by my brother that my sister-in-law was in Croatia. He said this as if it was as normal as heading to the grocery store for them. If you know my brother, you'd understand why I quickly regarded his comment as nonsense. Of course, I thought, she wasn't in Croatia. She was probably at work, or shopping, cooking, or doing just about anything but heading to Croatia. My brother has always been the kind to pull your leg or exaggerate. He is so good at this - no matter what he says you'll believe it. I think his real calling was in sales. Of course, as a sibling, I've also been the victim of this - believing incredible stories, sharing them with others, then realizing I'd been played the fool! But it's always in good fun. When he was first dating my sister-in-law, she used to call my mom and ask, "Kevin says , is that true?" We share the same sense of humor for the most part, so it's always been kind of fun to hear his stories. But, back to Croatia...it was actually true! Who would have ever guessed? She went with her church on a trip to Majegoria. She shared some photos of her trip here. I haven't heard the details of her trip yet, but at least now we have photographic proof that my brother wasn't pulling our legs this time.

baby toes

My son's birthday is about a month away and he seems determined to not turn four! He tells me that he wants to stay three - or sometimes he even wants to be 1 or 2 again. He looked up at a photo in my home the other day and asked his grandma how old he was in it. When she replied, "1 year old," he said, "I want to be that old!" He did this last year, too, as he was about to turn 3. I have to admit that there are times I miss little baby toes and little baby fingers to kiss and cuddle. My sister recently mentioned how she wants to pick up every baby she sees. I know the feeling! I really love Marek at this age, but there's something to be said for that precious time when children are so tiny.

I still remember vividly being pushed along in the hospital wheelchair, in the middle of the night after giving birth to Marek. I'm holding my tightly swaddled newborn gently and protectively on my lap as a nurse pushes me along. We were on our way from the birthing room to my new room post-delivery. The nurse said, "Oh I just love that smell of a newborn. They only smell that way just after they're born - it's such a sweet baby smell!" And she was right. You never forget that smell or that moment, ever. There are only a few moments in life that I'd like to wrap myself around and bottle them up forever to experience over and over again. That is one of them.

Halloween '08

Marek had a few days off from preschool last week, so we were able to attend storytime again at the library. Luckily, we also ran into one of Marek's friends there and they had a great time climbing trees outside the library.

Halloween was a great deal of fun this year! Actually, several things occurred that I never thought would happen:

1. Marek wore a costume! This may not seem like a big deal, but my boy has never wanted to dress up as anything. This year he started talking about being a pumpkin...then a fireman...then a witch! I had the fireman costume all ready for him on Halloween. But he insisted on doing something different. We stopped by the store early in the day on Halloween and he found this inexpensive knight costume and was very excited about it. He wore it all evening, too!

2. He participated in trick-or-treating! Again, this may not seem monumental...but Marek is kind of a shy boy and last year the other costumes and noise turned him off of the idea. Our town does this wonderful trick-or-treat event every year. All of the businesses downtown participate in a trick-or-treat event during the afternoon on Halloween. It's such a cute sight to see all of the children decked out in costume parading through the town. We also attended a children's Halloween party where he got to play a few games. We ended the evening with a short trick-or-treat visit to a few of our close neighbors. It's so different from when I was growing up. There used to be groups after groups of children parading down the sidewalk and up to each front door. Parents driving by slowly in the minivans to make sure everyone was safe. Now, it's few and far between that you see children out in the neighborhood. I like the other options that there are for children now, but I also miss the old days of trick-or-treating.