COMING CLEAN

Ethan,

I have to be honest with you about something...bandaids are not recycled and put back into new boxes. Neither are balloons, boxes, or any other form of packaging etc. I told you that after we saw the movie Toy Story 3 because it made you worry that every toy, and apparently everything else, had feelings. I had to tell you that so that you wouldn't make me keep all of our garbage. Today when you asked me if you could recycle your plain, skin colored bandaid - I told you no, the manufacturer didn't need that one in the recycling, you insisted that they did so it could go back into a box that we could buy again. I had some feelings of guilt, and I felt it best that I get all that cleared up. I love that you're so tender hearted and worried about the feelings of every living and non-living thing. You are precious. Please forgive me for misleading you - it was for MY own good. ( :

I love you.

Mom

P.S. You and Brynn are such good friends - I love this shot from lunch at Wahoos... you were sharing your favorite drink with each other, Rootbeer. ( : (Note those bracelets on your arm. They're called silly bands, and they're all the rage right now. They come in all sorts of different shapes, and you love to collect them - but typically you wear them for all of about 10-15 minute increments before you have to take them off and play with them. Today was one exception).

CALLING ALL USED SPIDERMAN BANDAIDS

This morning was unlike any morning we've had in our house...EVER. Thankfully! It's Monday, which in our neighborhood is also trash day. While doing my usual garbage collecting throughout the house, Ethan noticed a used spiderman bandaid through one the trash bags. He asked me if I would get it out for him, to which I laughed off and replied "No, but I can get you a new one that looks just like that one." Well, that apparently was the wrong answer. Ethan started crying, telling me how I couldn't throw that spiderman bandaid away. We went the rounds about this used bandaid over and over again. He would stop crying while we rationally spoke about how we couldn't save used bandaids, and then he would again ask for me to get the bandaid out of the trash. He said we couldn't throw things like that away. Thinking that I would easily put this argument to rest, I told him that we would just store all the garbage in his room - used bandaids, diapers etc. He laughed at the used diapers and said we could throw those out, just not the bandaids. It was worth a shot - but I still lost.

We had been talking in circles for such a long time that I was finally able to get Ethan side tracked doing something else while I took the trash out, put it in the bin and rolled it out to the curb. Just as I returned to the house, Ethan asked me where his bandaid was - I explained that I had taken the garbage out. Tears started flowing, his voice reached octaves I haven't heard recently, and quite simply stated - he lost it. He ran out the door to the curb and was frantically pulling at the trash can screaming for me to help him before the garbage man came. (It was heartbreaking). To say that I was frustrated at that point would be an understatement. I should've gotten that bandaid out of the bag the first time and just let it go, but I didn't - because it was garbage. Now, things had gone too far. With the frantic cries for help, I was worried that the entire neighborhood would think I was disposing of his favorite toy or something, so after chipping the ice from my cold cold heart, I walked (and not happily I might add) to the trash can, pulled out the bag, ripped it open, rescued the bandaid and in a not so patient voice told Ethan that if I saw that bandaid on the floor or anywhere else, it would be returned to the trash can immediately. It was not one of my prouder moments as a mom, but Ethan was very relieved to have rescued his bandaid. After returning to the house, it dawned on me that his reaction was a result of our recent viewing of Toy Story 3... everything has feelings. Everything is alive, and therefore - everything must be rescued. Way to be the hero Ethan. I'm so sorry we've scarred you for life with that movie.

Note to self: all garbage bags must be removed from the house during bedtime hours.

BURN BABY

First, I would not typically post such a horrible photo of myself after spending the morning in the sun with no makeup etc. but I had to document my mistake...so that someday my kids will know that I made at least one (or two...).

Today was a beautiful day - 74 degrees, sunny and perfect. This morning we went on a walk - kind of a pied piper adventure of our neighborhood ward friends. Liz and I started out with Ethan, Brynn and Dylan (our dog), and ran into a guy from our ward, Jeff Ogle, who lives just up the street. He said we should take Mary Jane with us, so we waited for her to get her shoes and we got on the cell phone to call our friend Merideth to see if she wanted to join us. We stopped off at her house to pick her and her 3 boys up and by the time she was ready, Cathy Maready had also joined the group. It was so much fun. ( : At the end of our walk, Merideth and I decided to take the kids to the park and walked off in that direction. Let me just say, I the thought of sunscreen never crossed my mind, which is why Brynn ended up with a head band tan/burn line and I looked like I had been working out in the yard for ages. Wow. Ethan came out the best cause he was in the jogging stroller under the umbrella throughout our walk...Brynn didn't fare so well cause she was in the Baby Bjorn. Bummer. Mom mistake #3,458,897.

Ethan cut his lip at the park on the teeter totter thing - it's not really a teeter totter, it's just the only way I know to describe it. My brave little boy was bleeding and quickly recovered and got back out there to play. It just so happened that our neighbor, Janine, and her boys Evan (Ethan's age), and Cameron (Brynn's age) were over there too.

I've felt guilty about Brynn's excess sun today, so I'm off to buy a sunhat for her...until then, I've found a little something in her wardrobe that will work for tomorrow's walk.

* Just for the record - I've discovered that Brynn has Grandma Judie's beautiful olive toned skin. My skin = not olive. Bummer.