Gone Biking…

On Monday we took Alec for a bike ride along the Eastern Trail.  Portland Trails just upgraded the Saco portion and built a bridge over Rte 1 to make it easily accessible.  We did the portion from Hannaford to Thornton and then back –Alec decided that was not enough and we kept going on the other portion that goes north into Old Orchard Beach. We went a few miles on that side. Alec was a trooper and managed to ride pretty far for such small little legs.

 

 

 

  

 

 

   

 

    

  

 

  

  

Alec thought it was super cool to ride over the bridge and look down on all the cars. I have to admit that I thought it was pretty cool too. The weather was beautiful – the ride was excellent and spending time with my boys outside was the best. All that biking gave Alec lots of experience and I think we are ready to pull off those training wheels soon. Oh boy. My boy is growing up!

2 thumbs up!

Baking Fever

Alec and I checked out a new local bakery -Coastal Cakes -the other day. We picked out a few items and brought them home so we could all sample them. I was checking the bakery out for Alec and Erik’s birthday parties. Alec, well, he is always up for sugar.

The sweets were not up to snuff in Alec’s mind. He decided he could do better and pulled out the trusty ‘ol Easy Bake Oven to work his magic. He searched the pantry high and low looking for all the pre-made mixes. There was great distress when he couldn’t find them. Oh so sad. Since Erik and I were on our way out for the evening we told him we would pick up one for him.

Guess what?

The Easy Bake mixes are seasonal.

Yep. They really only sell them around the holidays. We bought the last package that Toys R Us had after checking around Wal Mart and Target (who had nothing).

He was so excited the next morning. He couldn’t wait to make his Red Velvet Cupcakes.

 

Melts my little heart…Spiderman dreammies and Easy Bake Oven. A bowl full of contradictions. That’s my boy!

Fish Eye View

A few weeks ago we went up to Beans to return a few things. While visiting Alec got an up close look at some fish.

Pretty cool stuff.

Easter Preparations

Last week Noelle, Aaron and I took the boys to an egg hunt at Saco Rec Department. They put out 3900 eggs for the kids to get. That’s a lot of eggs!

Noelle asked Alec to put the bunny ears on. He would have nothing to do with it! Good thing Ben is a good sport!

Then this past week Noelle and I took the boys to visit the Easter bunny.

  

And then it was egg coloring time with Leo.

We decorated some Easter cookies too.

After all that..I think we were ready for Easter! :)

It’s that time of year again….

This is the first year that while visiting the cemetery that Alec really asked questions about the cemetery. Like…what is a cemetery?  He asked this because he was standing on a mound of dirt (freshly dug grave)and I told him to get off of it and he wanted to know why. So I explained what a cemetery is. He proceeded to ask me 1.2 million questions about the names, dates, coffin placement etc (in front or behind the headstone?). About an hour’s worth. Ever spent an hour with Alec when he is trying to ‘place something in a box’ so he understands. Exhausting. He asks the same question 5 different ways. And will. And will. And will. Over and over. 

The best question?  Did people burry the dead here because the daffodils are so beautiful? What a sweet question. The softer side of Alec.

We had to read every headstone on our back to the car. Every single one.

His biggest complaint? They don’t put the cause of death on the headstone.  I tried to explain that the headstone was to commemorate the life of a person and not their death. It took a while to get that one through to him. He’s still doesn’t like the answer.

These flowers bring a smile to me every spring. It’s like a small token from nature to assure us that winter is over and the happiness of shorts and tank tops is right around the corner. Oh sweet joy.

Happy Easter

 He has grown a bit since last year (click here) and use the door knob as a reference.

Same door as last year. :)

God, the Easter bunny, and other musings

You would think that with the amount of questions Alec asks about God that we would be a religious family.  In the scheme of religion I would say we are not. Middle of the road I guess.  We are just religious enough to confuse him.

Yesterday morning on the way to school he wanted to know (again) how high in the sky God lives and the conversation went like this:

A: I think he lives in outer space.

Me: Really?

A: Yeah...really high and out there. What's he doing out there?

Me: I don't know -what do you think?

A: Waiting for people to come visit him. I bet he is bored. 

Me: blank stare...and then HUH?

A: I think he waits for people to come visit him and then they do things.

Me: What kind of things?

A: Play with toys. Grown up toys.  And then he is not bored anymore.  Or the spirits come visit him like ghosts. Why are there wars? Why do people get to shoot guns in wars?  Why is it o.k.? (Spirits and ghost and war talk all compliments of Alec conning my MIL into letting him watch Ghostbusters on TV when she babysitting).

A whole discussion then started about shooting people in wars and the object of the war is not shoot people but to protect whatever you are fighting over. This is a hard concept for him to understand.  He can’t comprehend that the “enemy” is a real person with a family who loves them.

The conversation went back around to God again.

After that he wanted to know if Jesus was God's son then when was God born and who were his parents?? And how long ago did God live? Was it in the 1800's? (Seriously he said 1800's).

I said...hey...look at those flowers blooming over there.  :)

And on to other things….

Yesterday he asked the lady at Snip-It's (hair cut place) how the hydraulics worked on the chair as she pumped it up.  She said in the 5 years she has been working there - he is the first child to ever ask her that.  Go figure.

And back to God again.

A: If Easter is celebrating Jesus (who told him that?) then what does the Easter bunny have to do with it? Was he Jesus’ pet? 

Me: blank stare.

A: Where does the Easter bunny live? Is he just a man a in a suit? Does he talk?

Me: Hey…look at those flowers blooming over there!

Sometimes these questions make me laugh..sometimes they worry me. I think Alec spends an inordinate amount of time trying to place things in their right place/spot/box.  Religious Easter and the Easter bunny can not simultaneously exist or Santa/birth of Jesus or heaven/planets and outer space.

I just want to embrace him and say ‘there are shades of gray’ over and over until he comprehends that the world is not black and white. But somehow I think that is a life lessons he will just have to figure out on his own. He wouldn’t believe me anyway.

And on a final note- the other day I told him he could watch some tv while I was on the treadmill and afterwards he could help me make dinner. His response: “Great- I need you to teach me cook things. And after that mom, I will teach you how to clean”

Oh really?