"Colder than a well digger's ass"

Holy shit, my dad makes me laugh.

My mom and I were waiting for him to meet us at the pickup door behind the furniture store last Saturday...I'd just purchased the twin bed set for Benjamin's new bed, and we were waiting for my dad to help tie it to the roof.
The anticipation of myself driving home with a twin mattress attached to the roof of my Explorer already had me peeing my drawers.
But then my dad pulls up next to me...puts his car in park, rolls down his window and says with a smile: "Colder than a well digger's ass, eh?"

I totally lost my shit.

So this last week has brought many changes in the life of Benjamin Richards...seems the transition to being 3 years old made him ready for some big-boy adjustments in his life. Sometime during the middle of last week, he gave up the binky. I can't say I used any magic strategy or story to help him along...cold turkey tends to be more my style, when all's said and done. I did, however, promise a matchbox car under his crib if he could make it through the night...and it worked. And not only that, he made the decision on his own. Especially when I failed to yet again replace his chewed up binky with a new one. And MUCH to my relief, he hasn't asked for more matchbox cars...I was kinda afraid the bribing might lead to that. But luckily, it didn't. He's just been telling everyone he sees that he "slept without a binky and got a CAR!".
But in the last few days, there's been zero mention of it at all...he just goes to bed without it, and that's that.
I'm beyond happy about it...was overdue.

So the bed really happened sooner than I'd imagined, but when we started talking about the bed frame we were going to get from my parents (a hand-me-down), he was all questions. "Where will it go? Will Ted sleep in it?"...etc. And I also went out and bought some super-cheesey-and-totally yuk-character sheets. Lightning McQueen....Mater...the whole gang. Hilarious. I actually laughed outloud when I dropped the set of sheets into my cart at Target.
But as soon as I washed them up at home...he started asking for them all the time. Wanted to watch his shows with them, all balled up in a bunch, under his arm (PLG).
So I enlisted the help of my parents this weekend, and we got the bed put together...complete with new twin mattress set.
And again, cold turkey: no "here's your crib...over there's your bed...you pick which one you want tonight."
That would never work with B...he'd pick the bed, then at the last minute bail and opt for the comforts of his barred-in palace. It was going to have to be all or nuttin.

And for the most part, it was a total success. When he came upstairs to see the bed yesterday afternoon, I had the sheets on it, the pillow propped up with Lightning McQueen smiling at him...and he went nuts. Totally loved it. Bent over and hugged himself and proclaimed "Oh my gosh...it's soo cute! This is so very, very nice and cute!"
PLG. Holy shit, the entire moment of discovery was PLG.

Going to bed was relatively easy...but when I started to leave the room he got whimpery, so I sat in the sofa chair (that has temporarily been parked by his bed in place of a rail) and sang "Country Roads"...that pretty much sealed the deal.
Plus, with the time change and NO NAP yesterday, it was pretty easy...

This morning he told Miss JoAnn at Bright Beginnings all about it..."I slept in a big boy bed, Miss JoAnn...it was so great...yeahhh...." and then his story kinda trailed off into some other random commentary.
Unfortunately, I was so wrapped up in his story and beaming with pride over how confident he was in telling his accomplishments...that I didn't notice, until it was too late, that Jonathan was mawling a 1yr old little girl like a tiger attacking a kitten. Poor little girl was all red-faced and hysterical when I pulled him off of her...he, on the other hand, was growling and swinging his arms toward her face.
Good times.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again....two very different kids.

So, it's a good Monday overall over here. Very sunny out, which I love. Or as Benjamin would say, "very wonderful and shiny outside". :)
Weekend was good, but pretty much filled up with youth group. Sunday's church services were led entirely by the youth group, which they do once a year. This year all nine seniors gave really meaningful mini-sermonettes on their lives, their faith, and mostly the impact youth group has had on them. And then at the end of the service, the same nine seniors sang the Benediction (a favorite of mine...had it at my wedding) and I completely lost it. Each of these seniors are amazing kids, and I've been lucky enough to really get to know almost all of them. But about 4 of them have become practically family. And what's more, they are extraoridary individuals...each in his/her own right. One of them called my cell last Thursday to announce where he had finally chosen to go to school next year, and how excited he was.
I saw his mom at the MAC later that day, and she said..."you know...you're the first person he called."
Amazing.
And of course Allie, our babysitter, is among this group...so needless to say, it's an emotional time watching these kids move on to the next major phase of life. When looking back, Brian and I both realized that these kids were freshman when he and I started with youth group...so it's a bit of a milestone for us, too.
Anyway...a weekend rich in celebration, melancholy, and obviously a great deal of reflection.

Sigh.

I'm off to put the boys down for naps and bust out the zamboni (sp?) for the lunchtime mess.