Totally Independent? Not Quite

When you're just 2 months shy of your 4th birthday, you think you're capable of conquering the universe, or at least conquering your own little world. After all, you're almost four years old! Do you need help opening the car door? Absolutely not! Do you need help buckling your car seat? Are you kidding? No way! Would you like a little help putting on your shoes or choosing an outfit to wear? Not on your life!

Yep - you're pretty self-sufficient in many ways. Even when you are in a difficult predicament, I can hear you say to yourself, "don't even think about helping me pull this tight-fitting shirt over my head. I would much rather scream in complete frustration and suffer near-suffocation than allow you to help me remove this shirt that is stuck around my Wallace head." Spreading a little butter on a serving of rice for you or helping you into the car is grounds for a complete "re-do" in which you need a new pile of rice so you can spread the butter yourself or you insist on getting out of the car so you can get back in on your own.

Yes, my dear, you are quite the independent soul, but when your blanket takes a trip to the washing machine . . .

You pretty much fall apart!

Don't worry, it will be our little secret!

Ahh the joys of a Friday Afternoon

What could be better than a day when -

• after-school activities are on hiatus
• homework has no meaning for 2 whole days
  
• your only short-term obligations are deciding what TV show to watch and which snack you are going to devour next
• play of the relished and revered game "who can demolish the house first" commences
  
• and the whole glorious weekend is ahead of you

What could be better? - Ahh - the joys of a Friday afternoon!

On this particular Friday, the late afternoon hours were welcomed with a bit of creativity - bordering on educational (gasp)! Katie and Lacey decided to draw pictures of animals - using copies photos of real animals they had collected in a file folder as their pattern.

Katie's orca whale
(Incidentally, don't do a search on "whale tail" in yahoo images with your 10-year-old daughter looking over your shoulder. Sadly, what you're looking for is NOT what is displayed - I found that out the hard way.)

Ben said - "take a picture of me and my gun." great.

Ben's creation that he made with his "gun"

Don't be too worried about our seemingly educational activities around here on a Friday afternoon when all that is productive should be put on hold because always, always, always - in the background - there is . . .

Spongebob - our constant weekend companion

. . . and then Madi enters the room, declaring, "I'm bored!". So she starts torturing Lacey, who then screams so obnoxiously that she ends up in time out, all the while screeching, "I hate you" - and I am the target of those lovely words!

Ahhh the joys of a Friday afternoon!

"Upon a Time" - by Benjamin Wallace

[Note: please read with scariest, meanest, gruffest voice to get the author's intended effect of the story!]

Upon a time there was a helmet.

Upon a time there was a helmet and a sword.

Upon a time there was a scary monster.

Upon a time there was a scary guy.

Upon a time the monster was going to get mommy with his sword.

The mommy, while protecting herself from the sword, thought . . .

. . . if only an empty container and a ruler could bring out the imagination in all of us!

A Milestone Accomplishment for Ben - my little man in embryo

Considering that Ben has now been potty-trained for almost 2 weeks, it only seems fitting that he get a blog post in honor of his great accomplishment! I was dreading the potty-training process, because I have not had experience doing this with a little boy. But, as is usually the case with me, things end up being much harder in my mind then they are in reality. Ben has been an amazing student, and he is even waking up in the night if he has to go potty. I would say he is just about a potty pro. All it took was a day of running naked (Ben, not me), drinking lots of Sprite and a handful of Poppy's cinnamon bears and gummy raspberry candies.

Whether I like it or not, Ben's 3rd birthday is looming, and my baby boy is emerging from the toddler phase and entering the preschool phase of life. As much as I am sad to see the baby boy leave, I love every minute of watching the "big boy" personality emerge. He is developing a manly, take-charge attitude, and wants to help take care of "things". He is very sure of himself and thinks he can do more than his little body is capable of doing. Today I went to get a new jug of milk out of the overflow refrigerator in the garage. Ben quickly told me that he could do it, and was rather insulted when I wouldn't allow him to carry a full jug of milk from the garage to the kitchen. As this little experience illustrates, Ben tries to help carry things that are way too big for him, a behavior that was also manifested as he attempted to help stack chairs after a school event in December. Surprisingly enough, he did a pretty good job of taking down chairs that were twice his size. Ben's self-confidence astoundss me, and yes, at nearly three, he is well on his way to manhood.

Ben keeps me entertained all day with his manly sayings, and I can't help but shake my head in wonder. For example, here a few things he had to say over the past few days -

"Mom - I need to go in the back yard and cut down some trees."
(wanting to get some use out of his chain saw that Katie gave him for Christmas)

"When I get bigger I am going to go in a garbage truck, and Lacey is going to go with me."
(said after watching the garbage truck pick up our trash)

"Mom, you need to go to the store and buy me a sword and a gun and a monster helmet."
(I am not sure what prompted this thought, and I am definitely not sure of what a monster helmet may be, but I do know Ben loves helmets! In this picture he is wearing a little helmet my mom bought to keep at the cabin. When we left the cabin after New Year's, Ben threw a tantrum because he wanted to take the helmet home and didn't want to leave it at the cabin.)

"My daddy needs to go out there and fix that bunny
(in reference to the flat-as-a-pancake, dead rabbit in the middle of the road in front of our house. Ben obviously thinks his dad is one powerful dude!)

"I can fix it mom"
(Ben loves his tools, and is eager to fix whatever needs fixing around the house.)

And finally - just to add to his manly attitudes, my mom bought Ben this pint-sized lazyboy chair for Christmas.
(I wanted Ben to pose for a picture, but he wasn't interested in the least!)

I love my little man, but I am really glad that when he's feeling a little tired he still sucks his fingers and holds his blankie up to his face and rubs against me until I pick him up and give him a little snuggle. Thankfully, we still have a few years before that man in embryo actually emerges!

Madi's at work again . . .

Once again, Madi was trying to find something to do last week & decided to turn Ben into a little model and have a photo shoot. She decided that Ben needed a little mascara so his eyelashes were more visible, so here is with "made up" eyelashes. It amazes me that Ben cooperates, for the most part, and lets his sisters dress him up & then even poses for their pictures! Enjoy the work of our aspiring photographer -

Madi & I really like this one - although I think the first one is a great photo as well!

America's Next Top Model

. . . well not exactly - but at least the "Wallace Family's Next Top Model". Remember this suit? I posted a picture of Ben in his suit this past fall. As spring break began yesterday, bored sisters broke out this little suit so they could put the little tie on Ben and dress him up for a photo shoot. Oh the things that little brothers have to put up with when they have 3 older sisters! When the girls came across the suit, Lacey snatched up the vest and decided it made a great fashion statement and put the size 12 months baby boy vest on and then wore it for the entire day.

A sampling from the photo shoot is to follow, but first I want to share a couple of pictures I took of Lacey & Ben. Lacey was reading "Good Night Moon" to Ben (while wearing his vest) in such a sweet and gentle manner, and it was one of those moments where a mom can't help but say "where's my camera? hurry - I need my camera!" Luckily I was able to get a couple of shots before the moment hastily subsided.




And here is Mr. Model - photographs taken by the up & coming photographer, Ms. Madilyn Wallace. Seriously - I cannot believe that he actually posed, but he did.

"Ben-ifying" the Backyard

My girls have never been big fans of playing outside. Through the years I have suggested they play outside each time the typical "I'm bored" comment escaped their lips. One of the reasons we bought this house was because it had a more kid friendly backyard than our last house. Sadly, I am quite certain my girls are convinced that wild and ferocious beasts roam the backyard, just waiting for the girls to come and play so that they can attack! So the backyard is pretty much unused. But - I finally have a kid who wants to play in the backyard!

A few weeks ago it seemed that Ben was emerging into a world of constant crankiness & frustration. Still a novice at raising a boy, it did eventually occur to me that maybe Ben needed something more in his world of play. He was bored with his toys, preferring to fight me for the broom every time I swept the kitchen floor. He seemed the happiest when he got to occasionally go outside with dad and help rake the leaves or just run around. And so began out project of "BENifying" the backyard.

I wanted Ben to be able to go outside in the backyard by himself, but he couldn't be trusted. Each time I opened the back door, he would immediately gravitate to the furthermost crevice of the yard where he was completely hidden from the mama's view. This, or course, would not do. I had images of my baby Ben hanging out with dead bunnies & creepy spiders (which did happen last fall - at least the dead bunny part). I wanted to keep Ben within the area of the backyard right outside the back door so that I could know if trouble was brewing. So Brad came up with a toddler-size, temporary fence, which he put up in just one afternoon. The next step was a little sand so Ben could use his shovel and pail to haul sand from one side of his now smaller yard to the other. We have little piles of sand everywhere!

I am happy to say that the once cranky & frustrated Ben is thankfully gone. Between the new Thomas magnetic train set daddy got him, and the "BENified" backyard, little Ben has just what he needs to stay entertained, busy, and challenged for hours. This is going to be a great spring!

Yes - he did figure out how to unlatch the little gate in about a day, so Brad got a small padlock to take care of that problem.

Yuck!

If you don't feel like throwing up at the moment, read on & you just might. One evening last week, as I was occupied in the kitchen, Ben walked into the room while licking the bottom of one of Lacey's shoes! What would possess him to do such a thing? I have no idea! The bottom of the shoe did have a fairly interesting texture, but really, why lick it? He's never licked the bottom of a shoe before & I hope he never licks one again. I tried to put the image out of mind and then this morning, he grossed me out again! The silence from the other room told me that all was probably not well, for when there is silence and you're almost two, you are definitely up to NO good!! Sure enough, Ben had one of the toy dishes in the bathroom, standing in front of the toilet, and scooping out water, and drinking it! Thankfully the toilet had been flushed - things could always be worse! Just thought I'd share!

Wallace Words of Wisdom turns ONE!

It all began here one year ago today - my little blogworld was born with my very first blog post. Now it is a whole year and 158 blog posts later! I am thrilled to have kept a record of my family for an entire year. I wish I would have done this a long time ago, or at least been a better journal writer. I am just happy that we have a record from 2007 going forward, and that I have found something that gives me a desire to keep a fairly up-to-date record.

Not long ago, Katie told me that she thought I was not nearly as excited when she lost her first tooth as I was when Lacey lost her first tooth. I tried to remind her of my delight and interest as I picked her up from school and she told me the story of how her teacher pulled out her tooth at lunch time. I was thrilled, to say the least, that someone - anyone - finally pulled out that tooth, which was hanging by thread for days, and which Katie guarded very closely, making sure no one at home came near it! Anyway, Katie said I wasn't that excited because I didn't even put anything on my blog about her first lost tooth. I tried to explain that I didn't have a blog when she lost her first tooth, but this still didn't satisfy Katie. Obviously my kids are equating my elation about an event or occurrence with whether or not I write about it on my blog. To a certain extent, this is a fair assessment, and I am sure that had I had a blog when Katie lost her first tooth, I certainly would have created a post for it.

In celebration of this blog's b'day, I thought I would reminisce by sharing links to some of the posts of the past that are the most important to me. If you have been with me since the beginning, you might remember these . . .

my thoughts on motherhood

more thoughts about mothering

thoughts on stillness

appreciating the little things

I love the video in this post

And - do you remember my encounter with Fran last summer? I told you about how she asked me for $40, which I gave her, and then found out she was basically a crook After that experience, I decided to send an email to everyone in my area who I had an email address for to share the story & warn them of this fraud. I thought that if I saved just one person from being scammed, then what happened to me would be worth it. Well - I never told you that this past fall, a mom I know at the school came up to me to tell me that she was approached, at an ATM, by a woman that she & I believe was Fran. Because of my email, this mom knew right away that Fran was a fraud. She told her to go away or she would call the police & that she knew that Fran had taken money from her friend & wasn't going to take money from her. Then, this mom rolled down her car window & warned those behind her at the ATM, where dear Fran was approaching, that Fran was a crook! I've hoped to run into Fran again some day, we'll see if that ever happens.

When I told Brad it was my blog's birthday, he said he thought I'd been blogging a lot longer than a year. I'm not sure why it seems longer to him, but to me, it doesn't seem all that long ago! I've enjoyed having a place to record my thoughts & the events in my household & to share them with my readers. I have truly appreciated the opportunity this blog has brought to allow family & friends (near & far) to stay in closer in touch with our family. I know who a lot of my readers are, but I suspect there are some I do not know. I hope that you have all been uplifted at times, found something you could relate with, or just had a little fun by reading my blog. As crazy as it seems, having an audience is what keeps me motivated to keep writing. So thanks for being my audience & thanks especially to my family and friends for commenting when you relate to something I say! I love hearing from you. Happy blog birthday to Wallace Words of Wisdom!

Hall-e-luiah, hall-e-luiah, halleluia, halleluia, hall-e-lu-ia

Today I have reason to celebrate! May I share why?

1. Katie's chapter book (a school assignment) that she has been writing since October is FINALLY finished! This project was challenging, to say the least. Creative writing does not come naturally to Katie at this time in her life, and each moment that we sat down to work on the book was a painful event. Katie would much rather memorize spelling words or figure out the answer to a difficult math problem than try to come up with ideas for a creative writing experience. Her book is entitled "The Spelling Bee" and is about 5 girls who all participate in a school spelling bee. 3 of the girls are friends & frequently rude to the other 2 girls, Savannah & Shelbie, who are also friends. So - the pain is over! The "Spelling Bee" is over! Hurrah!

[You might find it interesting to know that this chapter book experience is a service project as well as a lesson in creative writing. In January, the students will illustrate their books & then they will be bound & mailed to children in Africa who do not have books of their own. There is an organization that facilitates this type of project, though I do not know the name of the organization.]

Incidentally, as I worked with Katie on this assignment, she taught me that I shouldn't use "vomit" words in my writing - words like good, fun, excited, bad, and a lot. Who knows, maybe my writing will improve after this experience.

2. My Christmas cards are finally in the mail. I ordered them from Shutterfly in November & they have sat, quite patiently, just waiting for a little bit of attention. They have been neglected, but now they are on their way to all of you! Oh the joy!

3. And for my last reason to celebrate - drum roll please . . . yes, this does deserve a drum roll. Now, do you really want to know?


OK, OK - Ben's nasal passage is now clear!!!! He can actually breathe out of both nostrils. Isn't that exciting? (oops - Katie is watching me type this post & reminded me that "exciting" is a vomit word. Yes, I do believe I use that word way too much, so let's change that . . .) How's that for some spine-tingling news? It did not happen without pain & suffering and a whole lot of screaming (Katie says I should say, "a plethora of screaming", rather than a lot of screaming). I took him back to the doctor's office this morning, with a specific appointment to meet with our pediatrician & not the nurse-practitioner. Ben would not even allow her to look in his nose. She referred us to an E-N-T, who she said would have the right instruments to do this job and who had an office just up the street from hers. She even called & set up an appointment for Ben to go there right before lunch. Strategically, Ben was the last patient before the office closed for lunch, because they knew he would be a rowdy patient, indeed. They were able to successfully remove the foreign object from Ben's nose within a matter of minutes. I held him in my lap and was the chief restrainer. I swore I wouldn't take Ben back to the doc & would let dad do it the next time, but there I was, using every ounce of strength & energy I possessed to hold Ben still so that the doc could stick some medical instrument up his nose to get out whatever it was deposited there on Sunday. (a bit of a run-on sentence, but Katie isn't watching, so we'll just let it be our little secret!) You may be wondering what came out of this almost-2-year-old's nose. I am not 100% sure, but I am 90% sure it was a wet wipe, as I suspected. After almost a week in Ben's nose, the object was no longer its usual self. It was bigger than I expected, the little bugger!

So - join me in my celebration! No more chapter book to write. No more Christmas cards to mail, and no more unknown object in Ben's nose causing grief & discomfort! Halleluiah!

The picture tells the story - almost

Summer adventures from this past week . . .

Once upon a time, in a far away land of the scorching desert sun, Princess Lacey and her royal cousins from the north spent their hot summer days pretending to be dancers, cowgirls, and Disney princesses. They were lost for hours in their pretend kingdom, sifting through dress up clothes to find just the perfect princess attire. Sometimes, the royal beauties would take a break from being Disney princesses, cowgirls, and dancers to prepare delicious playdough creations to serve to each other in their pretend restaurant.

And so I ask you, could such beauties really be capable of messes like this . . .

or this . . .

or this . . . YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT!

Elsewhere in the land of the scorching desert sun, away from the messes of beautiful royal princesses, young master Benjamin found a little quiet time to begin his studies for the ministry at an early age.

So you be the judge - spiritual giant of curious toddler?

Though studious by nature, Master Benjamin is still required to attain the skills needed on the battle front. These skills must be attained in as little armor as possible. Master Benjamin attempted to conquer this miniature tricycle in quite an exciting battle. Unfortunately, the tricycle won. Maybe next time Master B.

And while princesses pretend & toddlers conquer, the leaves on the African sumac tree fall when temperatures heat up to more than 100 degrees in the land of the scorching desert sun. Finally the children in the land can play in some leaves - too bad they can't do it in sweatshirts!

Though all was well in the land, some of the King's strongest, smartest, & most loyal subjects were sent to Apple Camp - not to pick apples - but to sharpen their technological skills. Should the King need his computer to create a movie, web page, or quirky, fun photo, his royal subjects are prepared! They might even be able to take a picture of any enemies trying to destroy the kingdom with their mom's iPhone (that would be the mom of noble subjects Brinley, Tristan, & Addision).

Royal subjects Madi & Katie are joined by their noble friends Brinley, Tristan, & Addison

Yes, the land of the scorching desert sun was in good hands while His Highness, King Bradley, was out conquering the highest peak in the land. Through the trusted skills gained by his royal subjects at Apple Camp, and the battle skills attained by Sir Benjamin, all was well, and the princesses were safe to pretend in the land of the scorching desert sun.

And at the end of a hot summer day in this land, Royal Princess Lacey drifted off to sleep to dream of cowgirls & cousins & playdough & messes, with her faithful Princess Poodlekinz by her side.

Translation: 1-It is really hot around here! 2-My sister, Janae, has been visiting, and our girls have been spending lots of time together, making messes and having fun. 3-Ben has quite a fascination with any kind of reading material. 4-Our African sumac trees are sick of the heat, just like the rest of us! I do have to say, these trees do extremely well, with the exception of the extreme heat. They do not lose their leaves all winter long, but stay green & beautiful! 5-Madi & Katie went to Apple Camp at the mall this week & had fun playing on the computers & the iPhones. 6-Brad hiked to the peak of Mt. Charleston with the Young Men in the ward. It was a tough hike, but I know he enjoyed doing it. He even got to sleep under the stars & the temperature was nice! 7- Lacey loved the Webkins poodle that was a gift from Katie from her Woodland trip. 8-Me - I'm just the resident photographer & storyteller, trying to keep everyone cool. (By the way, Madi wanted to know why she wasn't in this post more. She has had a busy week, so I told her the next post was for her. She has been organizing a "creativity camp" for girls about 9 & younger that will be at our house tomorrow & Friday morning. I told her I would tell all about it in my blog. She & Katie have also been hanging out with their cousins & swimming & planning & thankfully, not creating too many messes. However, something tells me creativity camp will bring many more messes to this household! So until then . . . )