I Love This Kid Part 2

I already wrote about the moment in which I first held Tobin. That kid made me smile so big in that moment and I can honestly say that he has made me smile every single day since.It is impossible for this kid to stay in a bad mood. He gets frustrated with his big sister and seems to be inconsolable with anger or sadness. But all I ever have to do to cheer him up is give him a big bear hug. He never, ever squirms away and he always gets a giant smile on his face.

The funny thing about Tobin at this age (4) is that he is just learning a more grown-up vernacular or vocabulary-- without really comprehending the rationale behind it.

Classic "Tobin" story:
Last week we discovered some kind of horrible odor in the car. I couldn't find the source of the unpleasant aroma and I was wondering aloud where it came from. Tobin, from the back seat, says in all seriousness, "Maybe its the Holy Ghost in my heart." I struggled to control my laughter and explained that while its true that we can' t see the Holy Ghost, he does not smell. Undeterred, Tobin offered, "Maybe he's changing his baby's diaper." He was not trying to be funny or irreverent in the least. (Side note: A sippy cup had over turned in the back of the car... causing the smell).

Other "Tobinisms"-

"When I grow up I am going to be Superman.... but in order to make money for my family, I'll also be a chef." (That's just good sense-- every superhero needs a day job)

When I asked him why babies seem to like him, he said- "um... probably because I look so good.... like my clothes and stuff."

"When I have kids I'll name them Max, Bob the Builder, and Stella. I'm going to marry Stella (the little girl I babysit) and this way I'll have two of them!"Like any 4 year-old, Tobin can be an exasperating troublemaker. But he has an intangible quality that makes it impossible to stay unhappy around him. He is definitely a bright spot in our family.

The Unbearable Lightness of kira

My brother Steven is weird. Hilarious and weird. I told him that I am going to Houston to visit Lance next week and I wanted to drop a few lbs. before then. He decided that we need to make it a competition and naturally, a blog would need to be created to facilitate in the competition.

Here is the blog we started:

http://theotherhungergame.tumblr.com/

Check it out and root us on. The 5 day weight loss sprint is mine-- no question. I excel at short term, crash diet weight loss. The 30 day marathon weight loss event will be more of a challenge. But I like to think I can rise to said challenge.

Wish me luck.

I Love This Kid (Part I)

When Lance and I found out we were expecting our first child, we were very open about the fact that we WANTED A BOY. Just for the first kid. After that, we didn't care whether we had boys or girls. The first HAD to be a boy. We had a bunch of reasons-- most of which I don't really remember because we had Zoie. Of course, like most parents, by the time she was born we were ecstatic about our daughter. And now, I am so grateful that our oldest is a girl. I honestly say that out loud on a weekly basis.

Let me share with you a classic "Zoie". Last week during Vomit Fest 2011 (see previous post), Tobin and I were down with a stomach bug and Zoie and Chase were healthy (so far). My sweet girl took matters into her own hands and took control of the house. She put Chase (who weighs almost as much as her) in his high chair and made dinner-- mini corn dogs. She then found me on my knees in the bathroom and quietly set down a throw-up bowl and a glass of water for me. She later had me lay down while she read a Dr Seuss book to me (moments later, she got sick). Lance and I joke that she will be running the house by the time she's eight.

Zoie is finishing kindergarten this week. Like many a "Slovacek" before her, she is an insatiable reader and also loves to write. I absolutely love to read her papers. Just today she made a book for her kindergarten teacher:

I KNOW YOU WORKT HARD. I CAN TELL. I LIRND ALOT FROM YOU. I WILL MISS YOU SO MUCH! YOU WERE GRAET!

Her teacher told us to let her write without spelling corrections-- in order to build confidence. And I love it. I love this phase where she expresses herself so well and will probably be sad when she has perfect spelling and grammar.

Zoie is super smart and funny and has (more than a little) attitude. I am so grateful to be Zoie's mom and I am looking forward to spending more time with this girl over the summer...