Today

These are the messes that were left behind --

-- so we could go ride bikes and play at Cannon's soon-to-be-school --
-- because the day suddenly went from gray to gorgeous! The wind was warm and the sun was out. I'm so glad we played because by the end of the hour that we were there the clouds all came back in and then the wind went cold.
I know, I sound like this wonderful mom, taking her kids out to the park on the sunny day, but wait, read on...

The Lego mess was in our bedroom because a few days ago I had to confiscate the Legos because Ridge wouldn't share just one droid Lego-guy and Cannon would not give up trying to steal one from him so they lost their Legos. Ridge was resigned but Cannon screamed and yelled and I'm surprised that I didn't find cps at my doorstep because he was so loud. It was pretty awful though this time I kept my cool. Cannon would not stay put for a time out and would not let me take the Legos, he kept grabbing the bin and fighting me for it while I was taking it away to hide it. Anyway, I had to call Eric for help, I'm not sure I've ever done that, and Cannon finally settled down but it was crazy. So I brought the Legos back out the next day but they didn't exit our room because there was actually space to play, upstairs was a mess, still is in places.

Speaking of sleeping...

Tonight I was tucking Ridge into bed and I thought that Cannon's breathing sounded really loud in Ridge's room. It was his normal breathing but for some reason it was louder than usual, and then I realized that I was hearing it more from the wrong direction than where it should be coming from. So I peeked around the corner of the eaves that are connected to Ridge's room and there he was...

...peacefully sleeping on the floor in the corner. The funny thing is that when Eric put him in bed he was already asleep, he was so tired from his day of playing with friends (and from his HUGE tantrum at the grocery store that lasted all the way home and then continued at home so that it was probably a total of 30 minutes of crying/ranting/yelling). He hasn't been a sleep walker yet. I hope this isn't the start!
This is a picture of the obstacle course that he had to pass by to get to that spot. He roused a little when we put him back in bed but I don't think he'll remember why or how he got there come morning.
Next morning: I was the last one to ask him how he got to the eaves last night and he said, "How does everyone know that I was sleeping in the eaves but me?" He didn't remember a thing.

Cannon's Present

Cannon's preschool class hosted a Mother's Day party today. It was such a special occasion. When I arrived, Cannon greeted me at the door, presented me with a lei that he had made, and then led me to my seat.
The children sang some songs (that's Cannon in the back row), some funny ones: baby bumblebee and 5 little ducks; some pretty ones: I know a name... and Pretty Seashells accompanied by teacher LeAnn on the ukulele. I cried some mom tears at the wonder of childhood and how grateful I am for Cannon. He is such a sweet boy. He was trying his best to sing and do the actions. Here is teacher LeAnn doing a Hawaiian dance about a mother and her child. It is set to beautiful music, a peaceful voice singing in words of another language. It was so beautiful, I cried again, but I mostly cried because of the look on Cannon's face. He sat for most of the dance like this, looking so in awe, so peaceful. It was very special to see.

We then went back to class and had ice cream. The children took our orders and then fetched the ice cream for us, such little ladies and gentlemen. Cannon's teachers are really wonderful.

And my other favorite part of the event came at the end when Cannon gave me the card that he had made. Inside were a list of questions that he answered about me. As I read them and his answers aloud, he looked up at me with such a hopeful expression, I could see his eyes saying, "did I get it right?" I felt so honored to be loved so freely and hope to be worthy of all his esteem for me. I'm so thankful he is so forgiving of me because I feel like I mess up this motherhood thing so often.

Here are the questions and his answers:
Her favorite drink: Water
Her favorite food: Rice
What does she like to do with your dad? Go out for dinner.
What makes your mom laugh: Jokes
What is her favorite music: Princess
What does she do for fun: Play with Laine
Where does she shop? Grocery store
What is your special time with mom? Shopping
What do you do with mom before you go to bed? I watch a funny movie. I love you.