Tuesday, November 22, 2016

"Odie no like that!"


  It has become clear that we are raising two very different little boys. Completely different beasts, actually. Caleb has always been a very agreeable, easy-going guy. Odin, on the other hand, is proving to be very stubborn, strong-willed and often unwilling to budge on even the smallest things. I'm sure much of this is typical for a two year old who is just learning to assert himself and have some control over the world around him, but wow...we are quickly learning to adjust our parenting styles to handle our second little fella.

  It started a few months ago when his sweet litte 'No thank yous' turned into 'No, Odie no like that'. At first, those words seemed quite innocent and kind of adorable, but now when I hear those words, I begin to brace myself for some serious negotiations - and the stakes are high! He usually states these dreaded words at meal time. Often before he even gets a peek of what is being served on coming on his plate - it could be a plate full of cake and candy for all he knows - he will let us know he does not like the supper option and will refuse to eat. To deal with this, we either have to send him to time out for a few minutes until he agrees to return and eat without any problems, or we somehow find ourselves playing an ever-evolving game of  'open your mouth for the airplane'. It turns out that he loves this game. So much so that it has expanded to Odin saying which vehicle it should be (no, not a plane - a backhoe!...a helicopter.... an excavator!) and the exact sound the vehicle needs to make (no, a race car says 'Zoooooom' not 'Brooooom').  

 His strong opinions have recently extended into clothing choices. Not once has Caleb ever given a second thought about what I've asked him to wear. Odin, on the other hand, has a lot to say about his wardrobe. He has a particular affection for his robot shirt, and often asks (or demands) to wear it. His fashion choices became a real  issue when I presented him his new winter coat one morning. We were rushing to get out the door to meet Caleb's bus when I tried to get him into his new red coat . Well, he absolutely refused. "No! Odie no like red coat. Odie like blue coat' (his now too small spring coat). I tried and tried, until I realized we were going to miss the bus. So I threw on the old blue coat and off we went. I began to understand how serious he was about this battle when he went up to the first adult he saw at the bus stop and proudly said 'Odie no like red coat. Odie like blue coat.'. The mom looked at me empathetically, and gave me a knowing nod. She knew the kind of morning we'd been having. We went back home and I once again was unsuccessful in getting him to wear his new  coat to day care. 

 That night I was telling my parents this story over Skype, and I showed them the red checkered 'mackinaw' print jacket. My dad immediately left for a minute, only to return wearing his fleece mackinaw jacket. Well, that changed everything. Suddenly, Odin's red jacket was not only acceptable, but completely cool. He now wears only that jacket, which I can totally deal with - at least until Spring time comes.

Although Odie keeps us on his toes, he also continually makes us laugh, makes us smile and certainly makes our world a much more interesting place!



Fierce wildcat cousins!


 'Excavator - hey dirt, see ya later!'

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Fall update


November is here already, and so much has happened to catch you up on. Here it goes!



1. Pre-Halloween Prep:
 Yes, we did a lot of prep to get ready for the big day. Including, but not limited to, several practice 'trick or treating' sessions and a decorating factory (Caleb's words) where we worked tirelessly pumping out ghosts, pumpkins and spooky signs! We also carved up some pumpkins which was extra special because we invited some of the kids from our Sudanese refugee family over to join in on the fun. It was interesting trying to explain what we were up to, but thankfully google provided me with some photos to show the kids, and then we got down to business. I had the kids draw faces on the pumpkins and I carved them out exactly as they were drawn. We placed candles inside and turned off the lights so the kids could appreciate the full effect of their creations. The results? Hilarious.
Hugging a baby pumpkin
2. The big night:
Following our practice sessions, Odin knew that he had to knock on a door and say 'trick or treat' but he was absolutely not prepared for the number of times he would actually get to do this and the crazy amount of candy that he would be awarded with. He could not believe it. The first two or three houses he said his 'trick or treats', then he began running up to front doors basically yelling 'Candy!! Candy please!'. He also turned out one of his first complete sentences 'Mom! Odin has candy!'. He was dressed as an adorable lion and grew quite concerned when someone asked him if he was a real lion - "Oh, no! Costume.' He replied very seriously. He then proceeded to tell each homeowner we visited that he was not a real lion, it was, in fact, only a costume. Too cute.

Caleb was a perfect little vampire. He waited patiently for his little brother, helped him up stairs, introduced himself to new neighbours he hadn't met yet, and then rushed home to take part in handing out candy. He was literally yelling with excitement every time someone knocked on our door, which *may* have had something to do with the amount of sugar he had just consumed! He also immediately set up a Candy Store on our couch and very generously offered to sell me things for only $1 each! Little did he know I was instead  planning to just steal things after he went to bed.

A beachcombing photo op for my Instagram page! Odin wore this yoda hat to daycare and insisted on keeping it on all day, even at nap time! 
He switched into his lion outfit at night.

Being 'fierce'!

Vampire

3. Parties!
Our friends hosted a big Harvest party and potluck dinner on their farm and it was a blast. Lots of old games like bobbing for apples, tug-of-war and three-legged races. The games, great food, great company and a farm full of animals made for a great Autumn day.
We also had a couple of fun birthday parties to attend including one with a tractor ride through an apple orchard! A true Annapolis Valley experience!

This is very difficult if you have no front teeth!

Little brother had to give it a try!

Farmer for a day!
Tractor ride!



4. Beautiful weather!
 We've had an absolutely beautiful October with mild weather and evenings that are still light enough to enjoy some outdoor time before bed. We tried to make the most of it with a few post-dinner hikes.

Playing Hide and Seek!