Category Archives: Thomas

Sweet Dreams

My latest photo challenge entry for the I ♥ Faces photo blog.

This week’s challenge is Sweet Dreams

Although I do have to mention that there were not many sweet dreams in this house last night. Samuel is sick and woke up almost every hour. I am sick and took some medication, which made getting up with Samuel difficult – although Kei definitely pulled his weight there. Thomas apparently had a bad dream and so ended up in our bed (ALWAYS my side) at 4am. He slept soundly for a little while and then began kicking and wriggling so I walked him back to his own bed after about an hour.

So I suppose this weeks photo challenge was chosen to torture me and remind me of a time when people actually did sleep around here… 🙂

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a quiet event in the Ishida house. Most years it has been only the two of us (and then three, and now four). Kei I used to go out for Thanksgiving dinner and then we had children and… well… let’s just say that it’s more relaxing to stay at home.

And I buy a takeout turkey dinner.

What? I’m not ashamed. It’s easier and it tastes just as good and I get the chance to spend the holiday with my family rather than in the kitchen. And besides, I’m Australian. Thanksgiving is my adopted holiday so I am free to create new traditions.

And I did make the brussel sprouts (the key is LOTS of bacon).

In the midst of a string of unusually sunny Portland days, Thanksgiving was still grey and miserable. We tried to keep the boys occupied with indoor football.

Excuse the blurry images – it was a dark Portland day and I am not a big fan of the flash.

And I’ll let you in on a secret… the photos are in black and white in the hope that it will hide the colours of our messy house.

Then it was time for lunch and the discovery that Samuel REALLY likes corn.

Hey, how did a photo of me get in there? That almost never happens.

After lunch I tried (unsuccessfully) to get a picture of the boys together. Here are the results.

So, yep, an uneventful Thanksgiving. Just the way I like it.

Happy

Yes, we had Thanksgiving and a day off today and many, many other activities between my last post (whenever that was) and now…

So, while Curious George is buying me a precious five minutes between loads of laundry, I thought I’d post a couple of fun photos taken the other day while Thomas was “helping” me strip the bed.

I’ll be back with more appropriate holiday-themed photos shortly. We’re pulling the Christmas books out of the basement tonight.

 

Halloween Part 2: The Child-Friendly Version

Halloween was on a Saturday this year which means we had time to catch up with a bunch of families from the neighborhood before the big candy trek.

I took the opportunity to wear the costume I had planned to wear the night before – complete with makeup.

But it was the tights that were the perfect finishing touch.

Oh, and these shoes that I don’t think I can ever wear again now that they are firmly planted as witch shoes in my brain.

But of course the evening is all about the kids. It wasn’t until we were walking down the street together that I realized how “dark” we were – a witch, a spider and Darth Vader. Talk about getting in the true spirit of Halloween.

I have to mention here that I did not grow up with Halloween. Dressing in a costume and walking down a very public street – even on Halloween – makes me feel very uncomfortable. It’s something I’m working on.

One of our neighbors had the inspired idea to fill the kids up on pizza and fruit before we hit the candy, so we had an hour or so to enjoy some time with friends before the candy walk began.

Samuel was completely unfazed by the creepy decor.

(that’s his finger pushing the button to make the skeletal hand come out).

But soon it was time to start knocking on some doors. This was the first year that the 4 year olds really understood the concept of free candy just for saying “trick-or-treat”. Let’s just say that there was no holding them back.

We made quite the colorful procession…. well except for my dark, disturbed children…

While walking around we were able to enjoy some of the neighborhood decor.

Fabulous pumpkins that left my cat-carving in the dust.

Plenty of temporary graveyards

And weird scary faces peering out from windows. It’s a wonder the kids didn’t have nightmares.

But at the end of the day it was all about knocking on doors and being cute. They give you more candy if you’re cute and we had PLENTY of cute to go around.

If you look closely, you can see my cat carved pumpkin on the porch.

The candy is now gone – thanks to some help from Mum and Dad. The costumes are in the dress up box. The pumpkins are just a mouldy, mushed up memory. Until next year…

P.S. Expect to see that witch again. I don’t think I got enough leverage from that costume.

Into The Darkness

OK, that title sounds so depressing but I actually mean it literally. Daylight Saving ended last weekend which means that, here in the Pacific Northwest, darkness arrives early. So early in fact that it is already almost dark when I pick Thomas up from school. I have lived here for about 6 winters now and I will never get used to it.

This first week after the end of daylight saving has been particularly difficult. 5:00 feels like 6:00 because…well…it is. And by the time we get home it feels like time for bed. Add to that a busy work schedule and it leaves little time to focus on anything else except the busyness and the darkness. And it’s only just November…

A couple of short weeks ago, though, we were enjoying the beautiful colours of autumn, including a trip to the pumpkin patch.

A fun day filled with Hot Chocolate, farm animals and, of course, pumpkins. It proved a little too much for some…

Now I am looking ahead to Christmas. I know it’s crazy, but my 2008 photo book recently arrived and the photos from December last year have me longing for coloured lights and hot chocolate and family adventures. This year I have big plans and of course they will include lots of photos.

In the meantime, any advice on gifts for an 18 month old who has everything and a four year old who WANTS everything, are welcome.

Embracing the Dark Side

My latest photo challenge entry for the I ♥ Faces photo blog.

We have crossed over to the dark side for Halloween this year. Here’s a sneak peek.

Look for more photos after Saturday – including some of Kei and me if we can get our act together (I have my costume worked out but Kei has grand plans for matching costumes). I am saving Samuel’s costume for the weekend so I have a better chance of keeping him in it for more than 5 minutes.

Just like his mother

My grandmother was a big believer in astrology. She spent hours drawing up charts and reports and I know a lot of people thought it was crazy – and I was one of them. But still, every now and then, I use astrology to explain away some of the character traits of those I love. For example, my parents were both Virgos and I blame that on the fact that my mother couldn’t deal with my messy adolescent bedroom. It was the stars.

Then I found out I was pregnant with my first child and that it was most likely that he was going to be a Virgo. I was a little frightened. Being the child of two Virgos can have a lasting effect. There are definitely traits about Thomas that are Virgo-esque. He’s a little obsessive (the colour yellow, Star Wars, certain clothes and underwear and, right now, the Beatles), but I am yet to see the obsession with cleanliness. How much of it is regular toddler behaviour and how much can be attributed to the phase of the moon?

When I first realized that Samuel was going to be a Taurus, I was proud. You see, I am a Taurus and I think there are many great aspects to the Taurean nature – loyalty, strength and reliability are just a few. I was even proud of my own stubborn nature because it meant that I stood up for my principles. What’s not to like?

But every positive trait has a corresponding negative. This weekend Samuel showed us his stubborn side.

Yes, my child that eats just about everything decided that he would limit his intake to a few select foods. And he learned the word “no”. At first it was cute – the way he said it in his little tiny sticcato voice – but it has become irritating. The worst part is that he doesn’t seem to know the word “yes” so he uses NO for everything – even things he actually wants. And Samuel KNOWS what he wants.

Enter the stubbornness that is destined to follow him into adolescence.

Don’t get me wrong, most children are stubborn at some point in their lives, in fact I think it’s a right of passage for all toddlers. It just feels like Samuel is starting early. I thought our honeymoon period of having him follow directions and do what we want was going to last more than a couple of months.

Who knows whether it’s the second child syndrome (this child wants to be heard) or the fact that he was brought into this world in the month of the Bull. One thing is certain, though, this is definitely MY child.

I guess you could call it payback. And, Mum, don’t think I can’t see you nodding your head on the other side of the world.

Blue

This is how Thomas came home from school a couple of days ago. And this was AFTER his teachers at after school care had cleaned him up.

Apparently Thomas was drawing with a blue marker a decided it would be fun to turn it around and start colouring his face. Ahhh, the impulsive actions of a four year old.

This week has had its ups and downs. The shine of a new adventure has started to wear off, friends are being made – as are a few foes. We had an “incident” early this week where Thomas was on the receiving end of another child’s impulse. I won’t go into details, but the school took it seriously and spoke to the kid’s parents about it. Thomas told me it made him really mad and then I guess the next day he decided it was payback and threw bark chips at the child. Then Thomas (and I) got a talking to (although secretly Kei and I could understand Thomas’ behaviour).

This is the toughest part of working full time. It’s difficult to discipline when you’re not there to see the event and act in the moment. And it’s often difficult to determine the truth from a well-told story. While I want to stand by my child and believe every word he says, he can tell me a story of complete fantasy with such conviction that I have no idea if the other things he tells me are truthful. Kids have great imaginations.

On the drive home the other day I heard all about how Samuel went to visit Thomas at school by crawling and walking there in the middle of the day (about 15 miles). The story even included things that Samuel said to Thomas when he arrived. And, if I didn’t know that my 16 month old is incapable of traveling that distance and…well…of talking… then I may have believed it, simply based on the way the story was told.

The definite up side is that Thomas is being challenged every day and he loves to learn. He can now count to 5 in Japanese and say a handful of basic phrases. He even taught Kei and I a few words.

It’s all a learning process and we’re still getting in the groove of a new schedule. And let’s face it, the things that happened this week were not terrible in the grand scheme of things – I have a friend at work who is having a much tougher time with her child. This is just a new parenting experience and Kei and I are learning as we go.

What a Glorious Feeling…

One of the best things about our new schedule is the extra time I get to travel in the car with him each day. Don’t get me wrong – it’s not always fun and games. “Are we nearly home” chanted over and over again does get tiring on a 30 minute drive, but every now and then I hear a comment or two from the back seat that provides me with some insight into a four-year old brain. A few examples:

“Mummy, I really want an invisible friend. I will name him George Harrison.”

After a period of listening to the radio and driving without talking: “Mummy, we have a long way to drive. We really should talk. Let’s talk about Star Wars.”

“About Vietnam. They have animals”

And one of my favourites so far on the first rainy day of autumn. “Mummy, it’s raining. When I get home I must get my hat and umbrella and do some singing in the rain.”

He certainly followed through.

Then daddy was asked to join in.

While Samuel watched from the audience.

Take a bow.