Bear Sanctuary

Q: Saturday morning started off with the question "what are we going to do today as a family?"

A: I came up with...the Bear Sanctuary in Orr.

Plan of Action:

1. Put Emmitt down for his nap after lunch
2. Keep Parker awake so he sleeps a little in the car
3. Pack a picnic/snack to eat in the car or down in Orr
4. Bring jammies along to change the kids into so they can fall asleep on the way home
5. Get home after bedtime, transfer sleeping children to their beds.
6. You're just busting with curiosity to see if it all worked out aren't you?

Well, I packed up the car, snacks, jammies, diapers, sippy cups, bug spray, camera, DVD player with movies for the ride. I made a "bed" in the back of my Explorer to have the kids hangout in, change diapers, get ready for bed, etc...the whole time I had the thought in my head that we would be viewing the bears from within our vehicle. I have never been to the sanctuary, that I can remember, and thought (apparently) that we were going to the dump grounds where I do remember watching bears extremely close up. Bear had a good laugh at the back of my makeshift bed when he realized what I had done. I had to write about it and own up to it or I am certain he would have busted into the blog and told you all about it. Emmitt wakes up about 4ish we buckle the kids up. We need gas and cash. Get that done and hit the road listening to the Tarzan movie blaring in our ears and tune the kids out and have a nice hour long adult conversation. Just barely out of town and Parker is out cold. He wakes up just before the sanctuary and freaks out that he has to pee and that he wants me to hold him. So Bear pulls over and I get Parker out to pee in the grass, full of mosquito's, and then back in the car. We know now that his mood maybe isn't the best since he only had an hour nap. But we pump him up with talk of big bears. We get to the park, pay our fee, miss the bus by minutes so we take that time to let the boys hang out in the car, put bug spray on and have a snack.

This is the kids sitting in the make shift bed I made for them. After all that work, I figured they better enjoy it, even if it isn't serving the purpose I had planned.

For as much as Parker enjoys playing bear family (mommy bear, daddy bear, brother bear and baby bear) he didn't really dig the whole bear watching scene. I am not sure if it was his mood or that he had something else in mind. He kept wanting me to hold him, but Emmitt wanted that too, so I took Parker, Bear had Emmitt and we watched the bears.

This little cinnamon bear was so cute. Different than any of the other bears around. Almost all the bears we saw were fairly small. Two big ones came out at one point and the rest scattered.

The history of the Bear Sanctuary was interesting. We were one of the few families that raised our hands on the bus as being first timers to the sanctuary. The told us how they feed the bears some of their diet and not by hand any more but by buckets. So there are piles of food around and just about every pile is occupied by the bears.

Parker kept wanting to sit down and hang his legs over the edge. No way! Then he would get mad at us for telling him that he couldn't do that. Then he wanted a snack, which obviously there is no food or drink allowed. Then he said he had to pee and proceeded to have his pants half way down before Bear could get my attention to get Parker to the porta-potty.

The baby bears were so tiny. This picture is way far away, but those little legs hanging out of the tree were absolutely adorable. Emmitt just kept pointing and grunting at the bears. The instructors specifically asked the kids to not run or yell, even though they may want to. But that the bears don't like it. I am not sure if they really meant that babies had to be quiet, but that didn't happen. Bear refused to let Emmitt down because he would run and yell when you did. He liked the sound of his little shoes on the walkway. So by the time we heard the next bus coming up the road we got in line to go back to the landing. This bear was just chilling on one of the cabin's front porches. It was like, "hey, I'm in charge here and this is my property".This is another baby just hanging in the tree. No mom's were around with any of the babies so I am not sure if they are already on their own or if the mom's put them in the tree for safety. Over all the trip was worth it. The kids are still too little to do this kind of stuff but in a few years we'll go back. Bear and I definitely enjoyed it. Lots of driving for a short venture but nice to relax in the car and just sight see. Bear took the scenic route home on Highway 65 through the pine trees. It was absolutely gorgeous. Emmitt fell asleep right away in the car. Parker was fine with his snack and milk and just watched a movie. I read a whole magazine cover to cover, which never happens. Bear showed me the crash site from his awful accident back in August of 97. It was a nice way to spend a Saturday evening. All of our plan worked out for the most part. Both kids were sound asleep when we got home and transferred into their beds.

Still growing...16 Months

Maybe we'll call this Emmitt's face-maker button. Yeah, that sounds about right. Just press (gently) in the middle of his forehead and you'll get a different facial expression every.single.time.

Happy Emmitt

Scowling Emmitt Love the Sound of My Voice Emmitt

Oh those eyes Emmitt

At Sixteen months this kid knows which look to pull on and how to use it well. He can literally give you one look and you know what he is thinking. Those eyes are the path to his train of thought. He gets such excitement in those eyes when he sees you when you first walk in the room, like you've been away on a long vacation.

He just has to glance at a light switch and then give you the questioning look, like; come on walk me over to it so I can turn it on and off. And when you do, his eyes light up and he thanks you with them.

He can scowl and scream when he wants something that he can't get by brute force. He still squeals to make himself heard and glares at, mainly his brother, us when he knows he is being told no.

He can ask the simplest question with a look of his eyes and a grunt or point. Daily he "asks" us for a granola bar. In the morning he walks over to the snack drawer, pulls out a granola bar, speed walks over to somebody who can open it, gives you the look, shakes his head yes and hands you the bar. All without saying a word. His little mind is just racing and his eyes are full of excitement wanting that granola bar.

At Sixteen months, he still loves to cuddle. This kid gives the best hugs I have ever known. He snuggles onto a shoulder and just can't get enough of the crook of your neck. And those little hands squeeze tight and hang on to your clothing. He snuggles all throughout the day, more when he is just going down to sleep or just waking up. At bedtime he does not want to be rocked or held still. He points to his crib and says his "yes". You ask, "do you wanna go in your bed?" and he is already shaking his head yes. We lay him down, cover him up, give him a stuffed animal of his choice and a full sippy cup of water. If you don't do it in that order, he is looking for the cup of water...if it's empty, you better be running to the bathroom to fill it up. He proceeds to chug more than half and then quietly puts himself to sleep for a good 10-12 hours. Not a peep out of that kid at bedtime. He is still taking a good afternoon nap each day. At least 2-2 1/2 hours after lunch. Some days we stretch it a little later and he doesn't seem to mind. But by 7:30 or so he is ready for bed.

He loves bath time. He has started laying on his belly and "swimming" in the tub. If you give him anything that he can turn into a cup, he will and then drink the bath water repeatedly, until you have tossed out all the toys that can be used that way. Then he resorts to sucking on the rag and re-dipping it in the water.

He is easy to please, goes with the flow and predictable. He operates on his own schedule, other than sleeping. He rarely eats a "meal" when we all sit down to eat. He sits in his chair with us to get used to the routine, but doesn't ever eat a meal. He grazes all day like I do. If we decide to go outside, he'll go to and play nicely until it's time to come in. If I pick out a couple of books and sit on the couch, he sits with me until we are done reading them. But if he decides he wants to be held and I am making supper he screams, clings to my legs, bangs his head on the floor, and cries until something with that scenario changes. I usually buckle him in the chair and give him a snack and that is why he never eats when supper is actually finished. He is currently incapable of sharing. Whatever his brother has, he wants. He will attempt to take it away by force and scream until Parker comes running to say he had it first. We are really trying on making Emmitt not get his way and to share or find something else to play with until the coveted object is available. For awhile we were catching ourselves just telling Parker to give it up so that awful squealing noise would stop! Which we realize isn't fair and isn't teaching Emmitt anything.

That's how you get the babies of the family (like me and my husband)...I'll let you in on a little secret, even though we both are the babies of the family, I still get my way most of the time :)

I can't believe how different this summer is going to be from last summer. It's only going to get easier and better. We have some fun activities planned for the summer and I look forward to them each day.

maybe I should've had my tonsils out

Friday night after work brought me to my knees literally. I got home from working at the Spot at 11 ish and could barely make it in the house. I had spiked a temp and crawled into bed with the chills and sweats. I even managed to get up at my 2:30 am alarm to wake Parker up to pee. I made it until 6 am when I sweated Bear out of bed to get me Ibuprofen and orange juice. Parker came in at 7 am and we headed downstairs. By 7:30 I set him on the couch with cereal and milk and a movie and told him to let daddy know that I went to the doctor. (Daddy and Emmitt were still sleeping). I walked into the actual Emergency Room with a sore throat. I sort of felt stupid for doing it but I had to find out if I was really positive for Strep. If I was I didn't want to infect my family or daycare. And of course by the time my culture comes back and I have taken a good 15 minute nap the doctor comes in and looks at me. She says "you still have your tonsils?". She has remembered me back when I had all my strep episodes when Parker was a year old, she remembered treating Parker the time he has tonsillitis last summer. I stammered and said, well he had his taken out! Then followed that by, I really don't have time to have mine taken out. I mean, does anybody have an extra 2 weeks out there? 2 weeks to recover (at my age), be off of work, not cook, not do other mommy things....I just can't swing it! But having my tonsils out is definitely in my future, I am just not sure when. I have tried making Emmitt an appointment with the same ENT (that Parker had) for his ears and tentative tube placement and can't hardly swing that one! So when we do make it to Duluth, I'll be sure to schedule an appointment with the doctor to at least discuss my case.
I took the shot of Penicillin in the "hip", ahem butt, and I am finally starting to feel a little more human today. Saturday I took a 2 and a half hour nap, Sunday a 2 hour one and last night I was in bed at 8 pm! God help me...

almost four year olds should listen, right?

Oh my 3 and a half year old is so trying these days. One minute he is the sweetest, most caring, well mannered little boy and the next he is defying each and every word we say. He is currently watching a movie, in my bed, wearing underwear and jammies. The whole thing is not normal. I never let him stay up "late" (it's 8:25 pm), never let him go to bed watching anything, don't prefer him in my bed, especially wearing underwear! But I just needed some peace and quiet (yes, to blog) and to have a moment alone.

I took him and two of his cousins to a movie tonight. We went to UP! Three boys under 5 and me carrying popcorn up the wahzoo barking at them to sit in their seats (that 2 of the 3 are too light to hold down on there own) was a sight to see. I am starting to wonder if people really think I am that crazy/obnoxious all the time. I think part of me wants Parker to behave a certain way, the way people expect, and it just isn't possible. My mom, sisters, mother in law have said at times "he's fine" when I am thinking that whatever he is doing to make me crazy isn't fine...maybe they are right. I try not to say, "he's a boy", "he's only 3", but really he is a boy and is only 3! So tonight I pick the boys up for the movie, they are all giddy about seeing each other and heading to the movie theater. We get inside and Parker starts running around like a wild child. Why? is he acting like that in public? I swear, it isn't him! I honestly think he can't control all this pent up energy. We get tickets, I am constantly looking around and counting the 3 heads that I feel should be glued to my leg, standing nicely in line...I am after all the lady with the money for snacks. We get to our turn in line and nobody but the 5 year old (Jake) can make a decision about what color slushy to have. Once that is decided, Parker changes his mind about Nerds and wants Mike and Ikes...so way too much money later I start handing off the snack boxes, look to the heavens and say an extra prayer about not spilling it all on the way down the dark slanted walk way to our seats. We find a row with the least amount of surrounding innocent bystanders and plop down. I start crawling on the dirty floor to get them all situated in their chairs and incorrectly open the Nerd boxes (those things are worthless!) and realize that neither of the 3 year olds are heavy enough to hold down their seats without watching the whole movie with their knees in their faces. So I sit between the two of them and basically sit spread eagle and get one of the best ab workouts I've had in a long time.
Two-thirds of the way through the movie, Parker shouts that he has to pee (he has this thing with public places-and it usually is poop!). So I leave my cousins kids, ages 3 and 5 in a theater, alone! I think I figured they wouldn't go anywhere (which they didn't...thanking the heavens above again!). Race out of the bathroom in one of the fastest pee breaks ever and get back into the theater to only walk 5 rows too far and past the 2 little heads I couldn't see over the seat backs...thank God (again) for the lady behind me who flagged me down.
A scary dog part comes on and Parker says he wants to leave. I quietly whisper in his ear that it is almost over (as I am digging in my purse for the cell phone, really wondering if it is time to go yet). Then he starts in. Blowing fart noises with his mouth, rocking his seat up and down, slurping his drink, and all and all annoying me to the fullest. I ask him to stop. He doesn't. I warn him sternly that if he continues, we are leaving. He pauses. Then starts in again. I think he really knows that I wasn't going to pull Garret and Jake out of the movie, as they were being little angels, but that I was (to a point) dangerously threatening. Now I don't know if I just didn't want that behavior out of him while we were supposed to be out having fun at a movie or if it really wasn't that bad at all. He wasn't really being loud, just "busy". And he is 3 (and a half). Right?
But I started the "you are almost four, you know, so you should really (bend at my will)...."
Like right now brings me back to wearing underwear in my bed. He will be four (in November) and is still wearing pull ups at night. I really don't think he needs them, but when he wears them, he pees in them. I honestly think he does it on purpose! It's making mommy crazy. We'll ask him, "where did you pee in your pullup?" A: "ummmm, in the kitchen, I was just walking and a peed". Or (I love this one) "I just peed a little, that's okay, it was an accident, I didn't do it on purpose, not a lot, just a little". CRAZY!!!
So a few days ago I trucked over to Kmart and bought some of those washable pads you stick under old people when they wet the bed (I know they can't help it) and put Parker in underwear. The first night I put him in his favorite jammies. Whichever of us goes to bed last, drags our soundly sleeping 3 year old out of bed to stand in front of the pot and pee. He goes right back to sleep and then around 1 am, pees the bed. I wake up at some point each night, just to find out that I have missed the opportunity to get him to go on the toilet and have to change him and his bed pad and then he wakes up dry. This has happened for the last 3 nights. Last night he wore his favorite boxer shorts to bed and peed at 1:30 am. So do I really set an alarm and drag him out of bed more than once? I think I might? I am getting sick of washing all that laundry. The pads work on the mattress but not the covers. We don't let him drink after 7 pm, but forcing dehydration on my child to save an extra $20 bucks a month doesn't really seem that nice. But I really like sleeping through the night...so any ideas out there??

So as I type, I think...he isn't really all that bad. He can be wonderful. Most of the time he is. He plays with Emmitt well, but bosses him around a lot, takes his toys away just to hear him yell (which sets Bear off immediately). But when he starts tuning me out and not listening I lose it! I can't stand it. And he knows it...he likes seeing mommy and daddy throw temper tantrums. That's what they are to him. So I started all over again with the Love and Logic theory. The (stupid) sing-song one actually works. When Parker is dinking around, let's say, not eating...we just sing-song "uh-oh, looks like someone needs a little alone time in his bedroom" and he starts eating. Albeit temporarily. But really, if he was hungry wouldn't he just eat the food before him? It makes me nuts! But when he flat out ignores one of our "requests"...oh boy, look out. We both are "yellers" and we both hate it. Our moms both but the fear of God in us with one death glare. It was all over for us if she started yelling...we were scared for our lives. So how come we can yell until we are blue in the face and it doesn't work worth a damn? Or ask nicely...that doesn't work either. Or an arm grab...nope. I do not want to raise these boys to maniacs in public places or anywhere for that matter, I feel they need to learn their place and behave...but at what point do they really know better? I would rather just stay home and not take them anywhere...because it really isn't all that much fun when we go...but then again, he doesn't listen at home and can run around like a wild child...so, what to do?