Everything Is So Glorious.

Took the kiddos to see Curious George Live at the Fox Theater in downtown Detroit this past weekend. We sang, we danced, we bought out the concession stands. Daddy, as well as many other mommies and daddies, was happy that along with Capri Sun juice boxes, the concessions served alcoholic beverages. You can gather from the pictures that Nate was initially a little reserved with the noise or volume of the event. But, both Nate and Tessa got fantastic views of one of their favorite animated characters, Curious George. It has been pointed out to Troy and I that Nate somewhat resembles this adorable little monkey. Curious, huh? We have to agree with this to some extent. It is the Baughman genes, I tell you. His uncle was nicknamed Cro Magnon Man in high school, after all.



We also privileged the kids with a ride on Detroit's finest People Mover train. This almost took the cake for the evening. Troy and I fielded a number of interesting questions from Nate and his observations along this cultural adventure. Nate and Tessa were both very thrilled with putting the coins in the turnstiles. It's too bad we didn't have a picture of mommy covering her ears (and eyes) while riding the train that sounded like it needed a good dowsing of WD40 and felt like it was going to flip right on off that skinny, little rail they called a track! Then, of course, every time the doors opened my chest fluttered with the paranoia of one of my precious munchkins prematurely exiting the doors that flung open at every stop along our route. While at the show, Mommy should have sipped on Daddy's drinks rather than those Capri Suns.

DK Update.

We're still adjusting to this school thing. And, it appears that Nate's adjustments have gone a little bit more smoothly than his parents! While we didn't kick and scream and cry, Troy and I have been struggling a bit. Not in the way that most people would think though. You're thinking that we're all torn up about our baby growing up and all. Nope. I think we might be getting a C- in parenting and I'll prove it to you. Of course we're of the opinion that our kid is handsome and smart and blah blah blah. The typical biased perspective of a parent. However, we embrace reality as well. He's handsome, yes. Smart, yes, sometimes too much for his own good. Well-behaved. No. Not always. And sometimes we think never. We love him nonetheless, but sometimes we're very convinced that he might be the worst behaved 4-year-old on the planet and it's all our fault. And, sometimes we wonder if all he'll remember from his childhood is being in timeout.

First, I must mention that Troy and I are struggling with the communication from the teachers. We just don't 'feel the love,' if you know what I mean. We're not sure if this is because for the last four years we been spoiled by an awesome private home daycare provider that has given us daily feedback with dirty details including numbers of bowel movements, pictures of developmental milestones, reasons for time outs, etc. Another argument is that the teachers are just kind of quiet and cold or simply don't like Troy or myself. Or, maybe this is just the way it is when your kid is one of many in a classroom. You can guess which one we think it is.

Nate came home the other day and was explaining that he and two other kids got to go into the Kindergarten room. He explained that the other kids were misbehaving but was quick to defend himself and say that he was not 'in trouble.' Well, naturally, Troy and I raise an eyebrow to this scenario. Nate has quite the imagination and vocabulary. So, we start prodding and asking questions about this privileged adventure, but simply did not believe our kid. We were confused and concerned that he had been disciplined and it was never mentioned to Troy at pick-up. We then wondered how many other times he had misbehaved and we were unaware. This made the both of us uncomfortable.

There is class field trip to a local pumpkin patch today. Nate had mentioned it to us last week but we never got any notes from the teacher or a permission slip. Troy had checked Nate's mailbox at school as well as his backpack several times. Of course, Troy and I, being the awesome parents that we are, interpret this as a subtle hint that they simply do not want Nate to go on the field trip.

Troy and I had a serious conversation about all of this and decided that we owed it to Nate and to ourselves and would directly address the situation. So, Troy finally, directly, asked one of his teachers about Nate and his behavior during a pick-up this week. Much to our surprise, our kid is good. Apparently the trip to the kindergarten room did involve a bit of discipline but Nate was taken as the MODEL STUDENT for the other kids. The teacher went on to say that Nate is very well-behaved, he listens, he's polite, he doesn't whine (which the teachers explains is common for boys and girls this age), and he has lots of friends. Whoa. Troy first wondered if they were talking about the same kid and then had to pick up his jaw off the floor. And, he stuffed his AWESOME kid with suckers the whole way home in the van and immediately called me with the report. The permission slip for the field trip was oversight or just a mistake that they missed his mailbox.

So, now Troy and I are feeling guilty because we were thinking the worst of our child. And, in our true pessimistic parenting ways, we're going to embrace the goodness now, 'cause we're not sure how long it will last. We're hoping forever. We're also hoping that we get better at this parenting thing.
Nate as a mummy. Fine use of paper towels and toilet paper. Sorry mother earth.

Fall Fun.

Took our punkin's to one of the many local pumpkin patches around here yesterday. The kids had a great time and the weather was very nice. We managed to drop $50 somehow. What the heck? I could throw a couple dozen pumpkins in my front lawn, say they were organic and homegrown, tote some kids around in a wagon behind the mower, let everyone pet the deer, mound up some straw for the kiddos to climb all over, sell some home-baked cookies or bread and make a killing. We did get 7 or so pumpkins, pony rides, hot cider, a dozen donuts, some cute pictures, muddy shoes, straggling pieces of straw and a bunch of smiles out of it all though. So, I guess I'm not gonna be grinchy about annual autumn family outings.

Here are some of those cute pictures that I cannot bear not to share...

Nate diligently searching for the perfect pumpkin.
Tessa's pumpkin test involved sitting on the pumpkins.

Tessa chose to ride the largest pony available.

Quite the cowboy.
This was a pre-donut bribery picture. The only one where they are both almost looking at me.


Who needs a donut when you have this sweetness?


King and Queen of the Hill.

Nate, the pirate, enjoying one of many donuts.

Happy Hallo-wean.

From the picture, you can see that we've done some holiday decorating in the Baughman household. Happy Halloween! Good thing mommy has a job now (that is going well, by the way) from which mommy can kindly borrow-for-keeps rubber gloves to stuff with candy. Very ghoulish, isn't it? Nate enjoyed sorting all of the colors, categorizing the different sizes and shapes and stuffing them into the gloves in an organized fashion. Tessa mostly enjoyed stuffing her face with as many pieces as she could sneak in to her grubby little paws. This, naturally, involved some arguments between the two of them. The finale involved hanging the hands from the fireplace mantel.


So, Tessa has recently adopted this place as one of her favorite places to play with her babies and take a rest. Cute and creepy, huh?

And, to all of you, asking yourselves, "how old is she and what is that in her mouth?" Yes, it is a pacifier and, yes, she is a talking and walking two-year-old. She only hits it at bedtime and in the car. Don't get me wrong, the girl would walk around with it in her mouth all the live-long day, if anyone let her. BUT, the dentist has reassured her mommy that it is OK and no one will get concerned orthodontically until age 5. FIVE. No, this does not mean that Tessa will be toting a foofy, as we endearingly call it, with her to kindergarten. It just means that mommy is not ready to give up naps. And, when the three blind mice stole Nate's foofy when he was a fresh two and had a brand-spanking-new baby sister, he stopped napping. So, mommy is way over the social stigma and happy that she sleeps like a little diva. Troy is pressured by this social stigma and will probably be irritated that I even took a picture, let alone posted it to the world, while she was gloriously sucking away! There will be no weaning anytime soon, if Tessa and I have anything to say about it.

Also, please note how dirty and barren our fireplace appears in the picture. We are in search of some white birch logs to decoratively place in there on the off-season. Of course, our three and a half acres of mostly trees has none. We haven't gotten brave enough to pull over on the side of the road on a drive up north to chop some down, but it may be coming to that. If anyone has a forest of white paper birch trees, let us know! We'll come with axe or chainsaw in tow. And, of course, plant a new tree to replace what we've taken from you and the earth.

Jungle Gym in Wild Kingdom.

Happy Birthday, kids! Belated, that is, since their birthdays are in May and June. Nevertheless, all hail, Troy's glorious summer project is complete...just as it has turned fall. And, it looks fantastic. The kids have reassured us that it is just as fun as it is fantastic-looking. The final staining was completed this past weekend. To give Troy more due credit, the structure has been complete for quite some time and it all came from his own spit and grit, sweat and tears and whatever else serious carpenters use to build things. The detail work and finishing touches were what seemed to linger on the to-do list. We will be alternating seasonally between the Michigan and the skull and crossbones pirate flags. So, come on over and have a crawl up the rock climbing wall, or take a peek out of the awesome telescope, or zip down the super-slick slide or do some underdogging on the swings. We've got it all on our jungle gym. Just bring your deet-free bug spray, 'cause we do live in the jungle!

And, speaking of the jungle, the pickin's must be getting slim in the woods as the leaves begin to turn and fruit trees around our house are dropping mushy what-nots all over the place. Santa's sleigh-pullers have been creeping up towards the house again and they're out in herds! Here's a couple pictures I snapped yesterday afternoon. That's Bambi prancing across the backyard about 20 feet from me. I know, they don't run! It's crazy.
And, you'll see Prancer, Dancer and others grazing by the salt lick right off of our deck. They're sweet. But, I tell you, they can be creepy. While I love them and I keep telling the kids that they are our friends, when I pull into our driveway I still find myself waiting patiently in the van until they take off running. Sometimes this involves me making ridiculous noises so not as to completely freak them out but get them to saunter back in to the woods. Because I'm pretty sure I'd be that woman that got attacked by a deer in her van.