3 Babies, 4 hours, 1 Plane

Yeah–we’ve never done this before. Sounds scary, right?

So, when planning a trip to New York with all the sweet babies, we figured a bit of calm preparation was in order.  This is our attempt to keep things from getting…you know, dicey. Well, and to keep the other passengers from beating us up.

You can’t be too careful these days.

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First, we took normally messy, colorful flashcards…

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and taped them together–turning them into an easy clean-up distraction.

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Next, we found some inexpensive wood characters…

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Then I drilled a tiny hole in each corner. Yes, that’s me…with a drill. Yes, that’s me with a drill and a board…on my bed. It was really hot in the garage. It couldn’t be helped.

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Once there was a cute little hole in the corner of them all–we made two piles (twins, remember?) and strung them on elastic cord, to keep them together. Can you tell, I’m trying really hard to avoid having to crawl around on the airplane floor looking for a soccer ball and a wooden boat?

Wouldn’t THAT a pretty picture?

Yeah, I didn’t think so either.

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From my Grammy stash, we found two babies and tied a bottle and binky to each dolly’s wrist.

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Then we bagged some small toys, cars and wind-ups–I was careful to take the bigger-not-so-chokey Fisher-Price people…fear not.

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Lastly, we found a very potentially entertaining snap-close box with…more stuff.

In case you are tempted to cry, “Toy overkill!” let me tell you–I’ve researched this, and the experts say, “More beats less, when you’re trying to keep a pack of babies happy and relativly quiet on a plane.”

That’s a noble goal, but personally—I just don’t want to get beat up.

I’ll let you know how it goes.

Three babies, four hours, one plane.

Pray for us.

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Week 19 Food Storage Prompt: 100 lbs. of wheat

A Boy With A Stick

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Knight’s Tale

Remember in the movie, “Knight’s Tale” with Heath Ledger…oh, Heath…

Sorry, anyway, remember where the pretty girl says to the brave, impostor knight, “Better to be a silly girl with a flower, than a silly boy with a horse and a stick.” Remember?

Well, our Beckham would disagree. Wholeheartedly.  He may not have a horse–yet–but he does have a whole, unattended pantry to mess with…

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and the baby boy chooses…

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a stick.

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And now–apparently, life has new meaning.

Boys…boys…

Someone Please…

tell me…

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What is it with boys and guns anyway?

Have you ever noticed that you don’t have to actually hand them a play gun, because everything–EVERYTHING magically has the ability to become one? Rakes…tripods…cd cases…balloons…bread.

Whatever.

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In their mind, every inanimate object within their reach, has the innate ability to maim. This is a skill that only boys have–or, I might add, want.

From birth.

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Of course, this skill puts everyone in their rifle scope every waking moment. We wouldn’t want to waste precious practice time, would we? Consequently, no one is safe.

In fact, I remember helping 3 year old Daney boy get dressed one day and his little thumb-and-finger-gun kept being loaded and fired too dang close to my head for me to like it.

Finally, after having my ears and chin and both eyes taken out by Hop-along’s imaginary bullets and a bit weary of his gun hand waving in my face, I held on to his arm and said, “Hey! You know, it isn’t very nice for boys to shoot at their mommas.”

His eyes immediately filled up with tears and he collapsed in a heap in front of me.

“I wasn’t shooting my momma.” Oh, he was wailing now.

“Reeeeally?” I said.

And I’m Mother Goose.

He pulled himself up and wiped at his nose with his sweatshirt sleeve. To the washer with that one.

“I was killing the bad guys….

so…

they don’t…

get….

…you.”

dun..dun..dun.

sigh.

The “Mother of the Year” title  just flew past me…

…again.

Rats.

First Grade Wise-Guy

From my boy…long ago…age 6

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“A bird in the hand is soft.”

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“Let a umbrella be your umbrella.”

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“A rolling stone gathers no love.”

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“All that glitters is not rock.”

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“Silence is sleeping.”

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“When the cat’s away it is funr.”

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“Every cloud has a rain drop in it.”

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“Don’t cry over a crayon.”

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“If you can’t stand the heat get a popsicle.”

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“People who live in glass houses get light.”

It’s as simple as that.