Ahhh Spring.

Spring has finally sprung here in the Bear Lake Valley (I do mean finally- and even though it's supposed to snow on Thursday- I've chosen to ignore the weather reports). The last couple of days have been absolutely beautiful. It's given me hope that all isn't lost here in this forsaken town out in the middle of nowhere. Yesterday Ty got to pull out his bike and ride it up and down the sidewalk- something that he has been harping on since about mid-January. He just couldn't figure out why he couldn't go and ride it in the snow. It's just been nice that it's finally warm enough to go outside for extended amounts of time without the fear of frostbite.

Today, I literally threw him outside just because he wouldn't stop trying to "help" me put a few things away. He didn't understand why anyone would want their clothes put in the dresser (since he doesn't)- so immediately after I put Shaun's pants away- Ty was in the drawer pulling them back out again. To be fair- he kept putting them in the laundry basket- so the good intentions were there. Good intentions or not though- he ended up outside. Because the weather was so nice- we both got to wear shorts and flip-flops (aren't his little legs and toes cute?! Mine are not- so I won't subject you to having to look at mine).

While we were outside today- he discovered worms. And apparently they are okay. You can't go near him with a bug or a little water snake- but these are alright. Maybe its because you can't tell which is the head and which is the butt that makes them a little less intimidating. Anyway- I told Ty to put the worm back in the garden and cover it with dirt so that we could go inside and make lunch.

At this point though- I beg to ask the question... Is it brain damage that so affects my child? Or is it rampant congenial idiocy that stems from either the Kidd line or the Henriksen line (I know which I would say-- though it would probably be the complete opposite of what Shaun would so it makes it difficult to tell. I post my question to my readers out there)? At what point do you look at a pile of dirt (that you have just buried a worm in no less) and decide that it is a good idea to pick up a handful and place it in your mouth? I watched Ty do this very thing and promptly spit it out. He turns to me and says "Eeewww!" I felt like saying "No kidding Sherlock," but I held my tongue (apparently the mothering instinct that we heard so much about in biology is innate in all of us- though probably buried deeper in others) and asked him instead if he wanted to go inside to wash out his mouth.

That ended our adventures this morning- though if the weather holds- I'm a little bit curious to see what he eats when we go out after his nap. A rock? A tree stump? Maybe we'll be lucky and he'll stick to something a little more mellow... like grass.

New Favorite Site

Okay- I don't know if you guys have heard of this- but I found this site and it is hilarious. It's called "In The Motherhood" and it is this collection of little web movies (they are only about 7 minutes long) that are written by moms for moms. Anyway- I watched one this afternoon and I almost peed my pants (granted that isn't all that hard to imagine right now since my baby thinks my bladder is a squeeze toy- but the movie was funny anyway).

http://inthemotherhood.msn.com/Default.aspx?source=email&videoId=16

Anyway- the humor is right up my alley and makes me feel a little bit more connected to something bigger than Montpelier has to offer. Hope you guys like it too!

Ears

What is it about little kids that they refuse to listen to what you want them to hear, and the things that you would rather them ignore- are the things that they glom onto? Case in point: I am starting to sound like a broken record; "Ty- come here! Come here please. Come here. Come here. Comeherecomeherecomeherecomehere. Here. Here." "Stop it. Stop! Stop it now. Stopstopstopstopstopstopstop!" "Not that! No! Nonononononononononono!" I think you get my point. I could go completely mute and I think that the results would be the same. Sometimes- I think Ty just gets tired of listening to me.

On the other hand- there are times that I wish he wasn't paying so close attention. The other day- I smelled a smell. Ty refuses to use the toilet lately- and I was pretty sure that I knew what the problem was. So I pulled out a new diaper and some wipes and told Ty that we needed to take the poop off. He stomped his foot and told me "No way." I told him he didn't have a choice and to come get on his bed so that I could change him. He took one look at me, crossed his arms and said "Oh hell." Whoops.

I think this proves an important point though. It just solidifies in my mind the fact that my two year old hears everything I say- it's just whether or not he chooses to give me the time of day.

PS- the picture has absolutely nothing to do with the post other than it was cute.

Ahhh. Grass.

Do any of you know what this is? Take a good hard look at it... I almost didn't recognise it myself since it has been so long since I have seen it. For those of you experiencing a little bit of "I-don't-know-what-the-heck-I'm-supposed-to-be-looking-at-itis" it is called GRASS. Real grass. A little dead- but grass nonetheless. And the best part is (drum roll please): It's in my very own backyard. Yes people we are starting to see a little bit of snow starting to melt. I can see grass. The world's longest winter is finally coming to and end. Whew.

One Little Monkey Sitting in a Tree

Ty had a dentist appointment last Friday up in Pocatello- so rather than drive two hours and turn around- we drove two hours and then another 45 minutes to go to Grandma Jacki's house instead. While at the dentist- we learned that Ty did not have any cavities and that he has twenty teeth. Way to go kiddo. It was kind of funny though- the only way that Ty was going to open his mouth up for a complete stranger in a surgical mask was that the dentist had to shoot water into Ty's mouth so that he could have a drink. I guess you go with what works. Anyway- after the dentist- we hung out with the family and Ty learned how to climb a tree (with only a little help). I half expect him to put the car into drive tomorrow and drive to the store to get a gallon of milk- he just figures things out too quickly for my liking.

We're Going to the Zoo Zoo Zoo, How About You You You?

Did any of you ever sing Rafi when you were growing up? I know Jeni's family subjected her to this- but I've never heard of anyone else's doing the same. Anyway- he sings this funny song about going to the zoo that Ty just loves and it's fitting for this post. Hogle Zoo was just calling to Ty and I a few weeks ago so we went down to Salt Lake for a few days and we went to the zoo with Grandpa. We went right before they closed the gates- so the place was pretty empty which was nice because I just let Ty run amuck. He was pretty stoked that he didn't have to be in a stroller or that he wasn't stuck holding mama's hand the whole time. Ty is kind of an animal nut and he had a lot of fun running from exhibit to exhibit (okay- again- I'm not sure if it was the animals that encited all this running or if it was the fact that he could do it). He wansn't so keen on the big spiders (of course neither was I), but he thought the bears were pretty cool. And when was the last time any of you got a good look at a giraffe? I forget how freakin' huge they are!!

Ty Kidd gets a haircut

Since my haircutting abilities only extend as far as shaving my kids head- I decided that I was going to take Ty to a real barber so that he could actually have hair instead of just running around bald all the time. Trauma? Not really. I was suprised at how well he handled this big scary Navajo coming at him with scisscors and a comb. My dad has been gong to Steve Featherbutt (no I'm not making the name up) for 100 years to get his hair cut. And my brother has been going almost as long. So- the last time we were in Salt Lake, my mom and I loaded Shaun and Ty up in the car and took them both to have a shearing down at the 20/20 barbershop. Shaun was very brave and handled his haircut without any tears at all. For his effort I promised to buy him a sucker. Ty on the other hand had to be bribed with M&M's and a promise that he could sit on his dad's lap for the entire thing. And you know what? Ty came out with both ears still intact and not a divot anywhere on his head (and a handful of M&M's). He didn't shed one tear and as he went out the door he told Steve that he liked his haircut and left with a resounding "Go Utes." Steve is a big U of U fan- so he got a chuckle out of Ty's gameday warcry.

Let's Paint!

Ty loves messes. And the messier he can get things- makes things even better. Last week we pulled out the fingerpaints and I sacrificed a few kitchen sponges to the cause- and Ty just went nuts. Apparently there are few things greater in life than having wet, slimy paint squished between your fingers. Ty had a good time pointing out the different shapes that I had made him from my cut up sponges and painted us several very pretty pictures. We hung the one of "Mama, Dad, Ty Kidd and Baby" on Ty's bedroom door and everytime he passes it- he has to point it out. I love projects like this because they keep Ty busy for an hour at a time. Most of the time, he has the attention span of a moth- and won't stay put for more than a few minutes. But for whatever reason whenever I pull out paints or something along those lines- we're set for the better part of an hour. It's really nice. If anyone else has some activities like this- let me know because the snow still hasn't melted and I'm running out of ideas!!