A Vaseline Catastrophe

Vaseline: the single most sticky, greasy, gooey, slippery, waterproof, unwashoutable substance on earth.





Baby Hair: Soft, smooth, sweet-smelling, fingers runthroughable.



Preschooler: Trouble with a capital "T".

I was putting the boys' clothes away in their room. They were playing together in my room. I was separated from them for a maximum of 2 minutes, literally.



Then I heard Calem say, "You have soap in your hair, Isaac." Then laughter from both.


So, I quickly abandoned the clothes basket and dashed to the scene only to find Isaac's entire head and face slathered with vaseline. Yes, every strand of his delicate, silky-smooth hair was completely encapsulated in globs of vaseline. His tiny face shimmered with a thick coat of the gelatinous goo. And he seemed to think this was great fun.


Once Calem was none too happily secured in his bedroom, my attention turned to figuring out how to remove the vaseline from Isaac's head.


I stripped him, stuck him in the bathtub and called my friend to consult Google for solving such a problem. Seems my preschooler is one of millions who have pulled this stunt, because the Google search turned up pages and pages of advice for washing vaseline out of hair.


We opted to try using cornstarch--which apparently gives the vaseline something to bond to, so it is more likely to release itself from the hair shaft. It only sort of worked. I also tried dawn dish soap, but got worried about getting it in his eyes. The kid spent the better part of the afternoon in the bathtub getting starched, washed and rinsed. Over and over again. Good thing he likes baths!

In the end, Isaac sported a greasy looking hairdo for several days. But, boy did he have silky-soft cheeks!!

It's the most wonderful time---of the year...

Sure, some of you may think a post with such a title is a couple months too early. But, in my opinion, fall is the most wonderful time of the year. The super-blue skies. The trees that appear to be on fire. The warm sunshine on your back and a nip at your nose. The festivals, the pumpkins, the apples, the cider, the hayrides, the bonfires, the corn mazes, the costume parties, the candy, candy, candy!! The endless opportunities for more family fun than any decent family could reasonably handle. Well, folks, let me tell you--we have done our darnedest to handle it all!!

When the birthday festivities ended, the fall festivities began. Following is a list of the family fun we've dragged our weekend-napless children to since October 4th:

1. Peninsula and the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, followed by an afternoon running up and down the Virginia Kendall Hills in the National Park

2. The Wooly Bear Festival, held in Vermillion. Nary a wooly bear was seen, but the frequent-running freight trains and the nearby beach was a hit. And Calem really dug the marching bands in the parade.

3. Apple-picking at Miller's Apple Hill in Amherst. (There's a whole post for this one, but let me just say that apples, cider, pumpkins, hay AND live animals were included in this bundle of family fun.)

4. A trip to Gramma and Grampa Nagy's for a bonfire, tractor rides and the annual tradition of pumpkin carving with Grampa.

5. Hay ride with Grampa Bob, Aunt Cheryl and Heather.

6. Picking pumpkins, also with Grampa Bob, Aunt Cheryl and Heather

7. Corn Maze--whilst an easy one, a great first for the boys. Also with Grampa Bob, Aunt Cheryl and Heather

8. Boo At The Zoo. Calem as Tigger, Isaac as Pooh.

9. Trunk-or-Treat. A MOPS event and a chance for the kids to don their costumes and hoard more candy.

And it doesn't stop there. Oh no. We still have a playgroup halloween party. (If you're lucky you may get to see a photo of ten 3 year olds, three 1year olds and four baby siblings--all in costume.) We still have a road trip to visit the cousins in Michigan. We still have a preschool halloween party. We still have the neighborhood trick-or-treat night. We still have...

No... actually, I think that should do it.

That is, until all the Holiday Family Fun Festivities begin. :-) Wooo-hooo!! Bring it on, I say.

Pick a Peck of Apples...or a 1/4 Peck

Imagine a picture-perfect day. Bright, sunny blue skies, with puffy bits of clouds. It's a warm 75 degrees, feeling more like summer than fall. But then you hear the deisel engine of a tractor in the distance and you smell the hay on the wagon as it comes around the bend. Now you're remided that it's fall, and there is an entire orchard brimming with gleaming red, yellow and green apples just waiting to be picked and made into pie, bread, cake, cider, sauce and just about anything else you can think of!

Both boys absolutely LOVED apple-picking this year. A lot different for Isaac this year, not being confined to the Baby Bjorn!

They ate so many apples along the way we were a little worried about the digestive consequences, but fortunately there weren't any. Isaac loved playing hide-and-seek in the orchard. Calem was most proud that he climbed up a tree to pick apples he couldn't reach from the ground. They were both so cute with their little 1/4 Peck bags, and a lot of already-bitten apples found their way in. We lingered in the orchard for hours, picking, running, playing and sampling.

Thinking that a half peck of apples wouldn't be enough for us (mistakenly), we also purchased a larger bag. Once it was all filled, we realized the folly of our ways. Once home, Scott weighed the collective apples and found that we had 30 lbs. of apples, fresh from the tree! Whoa! 30 lbs!!! Now, the question is what to do with 30 lbs. of apples. I've already made apple cake and two batches of apple sauce. The kids, I think, are over the novelty of eating whole apples and are starting to snub the suggestion of apples for snacks. I have plans to freeze a couple pies, but I still have a bounty of apples to use.

After sufficient frollicking in the orchard, we boarded the hay ride once again and headed back to the market on the farm.

All that apple-picking really works up a thirst, so we rewarded our hard work with some delicious fresh cider. The boys enjoyed cute little apple-shaped sip-bottles while Scott and I simply guzzled from a jug. As you can see in the photo to the side, Calem was especially refreshed by his "cider juice."







Then it was on to explore the pumpkin patch and the cute area they had set up for kids called "Pumpkin Land." Pumpkins sure do provide a nice backdrop for fall photos. Below you can see Isaac taking a minute to smile for mommy while enjoying climbing all over and rolling through the pumkin patch.
Calem isn't at a very agreeable age when asked to smile for the camera. But I did trick him into using "all his muscles" to lift a pumpkin. He's pretty strong for the little squirt that he is.
After pumpkin fun, the boys giggled and squealed, pushed and pulled one another through a little hay maze with an open top, thinking it very clever that they could escape into a place where mommy and daddy couldn't find them.



Overall, it was a really glorious day in the history of Nagy family outings. The boys were happy, aggreeable, obedient--a good day in any parent's book. The weather was fabulous. The apples were delicious and the photos turned out great. It really makes us look forward to this family tradition for years to come...Even when our guys are 16 and we have to drag them to the apple farm, thrusting 1/4 peck bags into their hands and demanding they pick, and pick happily or they'll be grounded. A mom's gotta have her traditions!!!

Brotherly Love

Overheard while picnicking in the backyard today:

"I love you, Isaac. You are my best baby brother."

Followed by a hug...

(which turned into a tackle and ended in the two of them rolling down the hill with a shrill scream of protest from aforementioned "best baby brother.")

Ah well, it's a start.

Happy Birthday, Calem!

Dear Calem,

I can't believe you are 3 years old already! Today is a beautiful fall day, exactly like the one we brought you home on three years ago. The sun is shining bright, the sky is the perfect shade of blue with little puffy clouds and there is a nippy, crisp breeze in the air. I can vividly remember holding your tiny little body in my arms--all wrapped up in a tiny blanket that would barely cover you to your knees now.

You were a cute baby the moment you arrived, but at 3 the cuteness has reached a whole new level. Just shy of three feet tall, you are my pocket-sized bundle of energy, mirth and mischief. It is an amazing and wonderful thing to watch you grow and change and learn. I love so many things about you--you are very funny, you are creative and imaginative, you are curious and love to learn things. I love how you talk. ...And talk and talk and talk... that you converse with us like a miniature adult, and that you are able to capture the heart of every stranger we meet when they hear you talk. You say funny things. You say sweet things. You say smart things. You say things that make no sense at all. But your voice is endearing and I look forward to talking to you every single morning.

From three months to three years, the time has flown by. It wouldn't be truthful to say I've savored EVERY moment, because there have been more than a handful of trying ones. However, I'm enjoying who you are and who you are becoming. You are a joy. Happy birthday, my first-born son! Mommy loves you!

No More Babies...

It is done. My second born has left babyhood and is officially a bonified toddler. His lovely, unruly, most-of-the-time messy baby curls have vanished . Where I recently looked upon my sweet, cherub-faced baby, I now see a handsome clean-cut little boy.

I can't believe how much they change when that baby hair is snipped away. I wanted to cry as I watched the soft curls fall to the ground. I didn't feel at all sad when Calem got his first haircut, but then again, perhaps knowing I was soon to have a brand new head of baby hair to pet, snuggle and smell in a mere 2 months was enough to quell the emotion. But this time I don't yet have a replacement baby on deck, ready to fill the void. So, it's true--I have no more babies. Only little men.

Meatloaf for Dinner

Every now and then we experience a dinner everyone can enjoy. On this particular evening it happened to be meatloaf. Watch the video--you can see Isaac eating with gusto.




Next time I serve meatloaf probably won't be so peaceful or agreeable.

And it's quite possible no one will even eat the meatloaf.

So, I'll cherish the rare nights when everyone likes what's served to them.