Race Track and Snowman 8

Let me start with the "after" pic of the cleaned patio which I promised. May it remain like this forever. Actually it will look better when I start the potted plants.

Now with the weather at its best there is very less time spent indoors. That means two things 1. I get tired sooner 2. There is less stolen moments to write this blog. Now what I need is a digital notepad to type and transfer even when I am outdoors. Does that sound like one of the "i" stuff....I mean iPad, IPhone or whatever. I have been meaning to look them up but can never catch up and the thought of learning yet another device is not at all inviting.

Friday afternoon we went to a friend's place where the boys indulged in everything ranging from Wii to Soccer. But as I am biased towards outdoor activity I will highlight the soccer. Manav soon realised that it was futile trying to run in the wet grass with crocs without getting his feet exposed to nature and grabbed the role of a referee. That left Arnav with a splendid opportunity to play with the other boy who at 7 years is way older than him. Arnav unlike his big brother readily kicked off his crocs and ran merrily on the wet grass and mud and played like a madman. He kicked, dribbled and got the ball from his opponent with his little mud stained feet with Manav's whistle ( finger in his mouth and making the arrrnh arrrnhh sound) ringing in the background.

Back from there we went to our neighbor's house where more action awaited us. She got a bucket of water and rags for the kids and asked them to wash/clean her car and they had a blast.

They each received a quarter for their hard work which was evident in the now shining red mini cooper.

Over the weekend we drove to Austin and visited friends and family. It was a good outing and the kids had lots of fun. On our drive I looked back and said

"I love you Arnav"

"You love me? Then will you give me a jelly bean?" Arnav smiled back

Arnav now has a market for jelly beans, offering one for each job well done whether it is stopping at red light or writing a flawless 'A'. He also makes sure you are denied the pleasure of one (jelly bean) if you are not doing what he wants you to and then you become a "bad boy" as you are "not listening".

Boys enjoying the Austin outdoors

Today while doing his homework Manav gave me a mini tutorial on "how to write the number 8".

"You can write a race-track 8 or a snowman 8. For a race track 8 you write a 'S' and pullback." And he would show this with a rapid stroke of the pullback.

"For a snowman 8 you draw two circles, one on the top of other. The lower one is fatter as in a snowman."

"Today we will write a race track 8" and he writes that on his homework sheet and fills up all the white spaces with V+ ( that is what his teacher does to grade) saying he knows he did a good job. Also, embellishes another area with a sun, mountains and thunder, now I think I did a mistake missing out on asking him what that meant.

The race track 8

Arnav, meanwhile was coloring his dinosaur. He came to me and was asking me something while I was trying to work on the computer (read hooked onto facebook) and said

"Mommy, look at me. When somebody is talking to you, you listen and look at me"

Of course that got him my complete attention and he said

"Are you happy or sad?" he keeps asking this question at odd intervals

"Happy Arnav" I said

"Then you like my colors" showing the dinosaur in weird blue.

When Arnav was coloring I tried moving his chair forward and his foot got scraped. He as usual dismissed me as a 'bad boy'. I was applying some Aveeno on the wound when he said

"Mommy it is like joining the dots." he was right as little beads of blood was showing now and it did look like dots. Pardon my gory details but I had to underscore his imagination. And then he kept going everywhere saying

"My boo boo is like joining the dots"

In the evening we went out and played in a nearby community park. They played tag or that is what I told them and soon found Manav pushing Arnav to the ground and shouting

"Attack"

"No Manav, it is tag, you don't push, you just touch" I said showing him

"Oh, you mean tag(with the accented T), but you said tag. You have to say tag" and went on to teach me how to say tag. Wish I could put some sounds here.

Back home and after a bath Manav was looking at the Kohl's catalogue and trying to find a nice handbag for me. He showed me some claiming each one to be better than the other and then found the perfect one. He said

"Mommy I have found one which is just for you ( emphasizing just). No one else can have it. The page has a nice butterfly too. You have to come see it. You need one money for it ( as I said these cost money) It is not at all girly (as I has said I am an old woman and don't like girly stuff)."

"See I told you, you will like it. " when I ooh'ed and aah'ed over it.

Manav went to bed with his flashlight making "Jupiter" on the ceiling and Arnav clinging onto me and claiming "I love you Mommy" with gritted teeth. Arnav has so much emotions he has to clench his fist and grit his teeth to let them all out, not to mention he sometimes bites and hits to show how much he loves you. Yet to decide which is worse, this or Manav's pinching the upper arm for the same purpose - to show his love. But I am sure years later the decision point will fulcrum only around the love and there will be no memories whatsoever with the pain associated with it.