The Jonesville Pirates and Asheville Treasure



Tractor Rides with Pawpaw

I feel like James Taylor wrote Carolina In my Mind for me, but instead of Carolina, he meant Lee County (stretch that out in your head and it works, sort of, the moonshine part particularly holds up well).  I sometimes just need to see those mountains and watch the tractors pass by to just feel at peace with this life I lead in the city.  Fourth of July has become our de facto trip to Jonesville and to Teddy that means one thing:  TRACTORS WITH PAWPAW.   This kid will talk about tractors for the longest time with you and if you mention Jonesville, he only thinks of tractors, while I think of mountains and peace.  (Adrian and I sat on my mother's porch on Saturday and just sat, with no real sounds around us and remarked that the only things you can really hear are the bees buzzing and the occasional car down on the road, unlike in Alexandria, where we chat with neighbors, listen to the ambulances, police cars, lots of cars and other noises.  It does my heart good to just sit there and stare at the distance and try to hear the cows in the field.)

Traffic Jam, Jonesville style

That is a frog, that Teddy caught, and held, in his hand.  Ew.

I also love, love, love seeing friends I miss and this time was no exception (though I did miss seeing a lot of people I love; next time).  Going to Monica's baby shower (yay for Monica, so excited for her and for Miss Ernestine!) brought back so many memories and I got to see so many people I love there (Renia, Sandy and Miss Pat in particular).  I will never live down the Apple Dumpling Gang incident with Monica and I cannot say I blame her; we are both scarred but for different reasons from it (long story short is that I do NOT eat hot dogs and there are just some things you have to believe a 5 year old kid about when they say they do not eat them, right Monica? ;-))

PIRATES

The Pirates arrived in Jonesville

Giving guns to Nanny and Nana Ada.

Uncle Bobby and GrandNan have been working on this party for several months and it was a Blast, a Pirate Blast!  We enjoyed every moment of the party with family and friends to celebrate Teddy at 3!  (He is so spoiled he gets to celebrate his birthday twice a year.  I want to come back in my next life as Teddy Azer.)  It was a hot day in July for the party, but never fear, the water guns took care of that (and somehow I ended up in the pool fully clothed but decided it was the better way to enjoy the party!) and fans did the rest.  What a great day and fun way to watch all the children and adult alike play.  Of course, no pirate party for Teddy would be complete without a cake to cut with a sword.  Good times, great family and friends, super fun! 

Mowing, for free, for now

My parenting philosophy is simple, let's make it fun and let's wear him out.  Teddy has never slept better than he did in Jonesville, and while I will credit the fresh clear air with a lot of it, I will also admit he spent way more time outside playing in the grass and in the pool.  It's an amazing fact that in the country, we all sleep better and think clearer, which is why we need more time down there!

                                                                    COUSINS

My cousins and their Mammas

Teddy also got to see and play with several of his cousins, with more on the way (finally, some girls!) and had such a great time.  Most of my fondest memories are from playing with cousins and having all kinds of fun and mischief with them (Tara/Kelly/Joey will never let me forget spaghetti and kool-aid; Cara and Sara will never let me forget our endless games of hide and seek, fighting and begging Nanny for a surprise).  It was fun for Teddy to see and play with them all.  Anything that Caleb did, Teddy did, even things he previously would not do, like jump in the deep end, ride in his power wheels, try his scooter and run around like a mad man.  They just all follow each other around doing all these crazy funny things and playing. 

GROVE PARK INN

Formal Wear is a Must

The GPI view

The Gents in their hats at GPI

We love, love, love the Grove Park Inn located in Asheville, North Carolina and hold it dear to our hearts, as Teddy learned to walk there almost 2 years ago (gulp!).  So we went back this time because Adrian thought it would be fun to do a driving course at the Biltmore with my Dad (this is a post all on its own, but suffice to say, the City Boy outlasted the Country Boy on this drive!).  Uncle Bobby joined us to spend some quality time together and we just plain did nothing but play at the pool and in the hotel.  Mother and Bobby also babysat Teddy and Orlando Roberson so we could have a double date at Table in Asheville.  While the adults had a good time reminiscing about our younger years and Grandparents had a great time with the two little ones and just watched them play like we (Roro and me) used to play as well.  (I thought it more than I said it, but I miss Sandy Roberson a lot. 

The Pajama Part with Orlando

I wish so badly she was here to see Orlando grow (and act just like Roland), watch Roland as a father and Brooke as the perfect mother, Naz as the doting aunt, along with others.  She would be so proud and so in love.  I told Brooke that she reminds me so much of Sandy that I almost call her Sandy.)  Asheville has such a mystique for us and we love visiting there as much as possible. 

Swimming with Orlando  

The one snag is that Teddy is potty training as we all know and decided to announce at breakfast on Tuesday morning to everyone in the GPI restaurant that he had to go "RIGHT NOW" and so I was obliged to take him, right then.  But he did this so many times, I am certain that folks there thought I was a crazy woman.  So we went every time, because of course, the flush is the best part to Teddy and the GPI flush did not disappoint.  Then Teddy and I set off on an adventure, together, just the two of us, for nine hours to drive back home.  (Daddy had to fly out from Asheville to Boston that morning for work.) 

Playing with Uncle Bobby at GPI

Props to Teddy for being such a sport; he did not have one episode that entire nine hours, he was the perfect child on that drive and made it such an easy thing for me, given my expectations were that (a) he would get irritated being in his seat for the drive or (b) he would not want to "hold it" for the trip and make me stop constantly.  Well, I am such a great parent that I let him watch unlimited amounts of movies, play games on the iPad and eat ice cream from, gasp McDonald's, eat at the Cracker Barrel (he LOVED the beans and greens, I think he is a country boy after all), buy any toy he wanted in gas stations, you get the idea.  I am not proud of that but I am proud of Teddy, he made a scary drive a lot less stressful for me and I appreciate that immensely!

How we love a show!

So Proud of Teddy!

So I am sure that others will agree, I never minded being in a show (I mean, as long as nothing was being thrown at me, I am good).  From BarBette's, Miss Barron's, Forensics to drama class to whatever, it never bothered me to be in front of a crowd.  So, it makes me smile to tell you that Teddy Azer is the SAME way.  We had his gymnastic (Go Power Tots!) class recital and I had no idea what to expect.  We just paid the money for him to do this at school because, quite honestly, anything that will wear him out is what I am more than willing to spend money on.  They would send home these cute little sheets that tell us his progress (he has only recently MASTERED the crab walk, all others, he is "Still Advancing") but we really did not know much except that he liked to do a forward roll or two.  Boy were we ever in for a show.

Teddy with his Power Tots medal

All the parents were in the back waiting for the stars of the show (and by all accounts, little Miss Evelyn was the one who mastered all the stunts).  Teddy came in and immediately turned around and said very loudly to us "I am so proud of you."  We laughed and smiled and told him the same, while all the other parents said "oh, how cute."  Then Teddy was on!  He made sure that everyone was watching as he did his handstand, backflip, forward roll, cartwheel and everything else.  He ran up to us after each one to give us a big hug and accept his adulation.  I honestly was so proud of him and it just reminded me so much of all those recitals we had growing up.  I now totally understand why they do these and how proud my parents must have been as well.  I loved all my dance classes, gymnastic classes, swim classes (I remember going off the high dive with Miss Connie Daugherty and now she is my Aunt and will hopefully teach Teddy a thing or two this summer), drama, little league/tee ball, basketball, OM, vacation bible schools, Christmas plays and all the other things we did and loving it all.  Someone said recently we maybe had Teddy in too many things (swimming, tennis, Spanish, tae kwon do) and I said no way.  He loves it and at the point he doesn't we will stop (kind of how I faded out of Little League and other things).  A busy mind is a healthy mind, and, oh how we love a show!

Handstand Teddy



Jump and Flip

Chicago is Teddy's Kind of Town

LegoLand Tiger, so real!

We spent Memorial Day with Uncle Magdi, Aunt Linda, Uncle Alex and Aunt Carly in Chicago.  Teddy had the time of his life.  Never has he been to more parks in two days that we went to up there.  The highlight was for sure LegoLand and the sprinkler in Uncle Magdi's backyard. 

THE FLIGHT

The Bicycle Flight at LegoLand

This was the first flight as a big boy for Teddy and of course we are smack dab in the middle of potty training (I made the decision to forego the big boy undies in favor of Pull Ups given that I did NOT want an accident on the plane).  Well, of course Teddy had to have us pretend it was Rocket from Little Einsteins and clap for takeoff.  Then he wanted to watch us fly but did NOT want to stay buckled into his seat.  Again, thank you Apple for the iPad because that was the only bribe that worked to keep him quiet and buckled.  Then there was the issue of the plane bathrooms.  (On a side note, how in the world can two adults fit in there? We barely fit with Teddy and me...I digress.)  He was NOT a fan between the vibration and the small space, he was loathe to use the potty.  Then we discovered what the flight attendant referred to as the "master bathroom," which is one that was slgihtly larger.  Oh the Joy, Teddy liked this one and its space, especially the sink.  Automatic water and soap, oh yes.  Luckily all was smooth and we did not end up having any issues, thank you Apple!



CHICAGO

Playing in the Sprinkler!

Uncle Alex

Well, what can I say, we loved Chicago and its suburbs.  Uncle Magdi and Uncle Alex has a full schedule planned for us.  It all started with playing in Uncle Magdi's backyard where Teddy did his duty as the official stick collector for the City of St. Charles, IL.  Teddy helped find all the sticks and dragged everyone, from Uncle Alex to Aunt Linda into helping him.  Then we went to the Greek restaurant, and you know what Teddy loved the most--it's a tie between the flames from the ouzo on the haloumi and the flush of the toilet.  Yes, you read that right, the flush.  He was OBSESSED with the flush and begged to go to the bathroom multiple times.   He finally bamboozled Magdi to take him and then when he would not go, Magdi let him flush it multiple times.  He loved that flush!  Then it was off to LegoLand, which regardless of your age, is a very cool place.  Teddy loved the flying bicycles and begged to go on that multiple times.  Then it was time for dinner at the bocce/bowling alley with the most amazing Jazz singer, where Teddy had to show off his smooth moves.  Sunday brought us heat and fun (we tried to go into the City but the train was too late so we bagged it), so we made the best of that with one of the most beloved traditions in all childhoods---SPRINKLERS!  Yes, we put the sprinkler on and everyone had to go through with Teddy.  He was in heaven.  After that it was time for some good old fashioned Oberweis ice cream, which was awesome!  Teddy loved hanging out and demanded all the attention from Uncle Magdi and Uncle Alex, detailing everything to them.  We enjoyed the amazing parks they have and the food! 



Playing with Uncle Magdi

FAMILY

I miss my family so much, and trips like this to see everyone makes me happy.  Taking Teddy on these trips is so important because I want him to have a sense of his family and his heritage on both sides of his family.  Watching Uncle Magdi teach Teddy some Arabic and talk to us about family in Egypt is special and valuable for Teddy. Though he cannot understand it now, one day he will remember these conversations and share them with his children, and that makes these trips worth their weight in gold.  I cannot wait to share more of these special trips with Adrian's family and my family and let Teddy grow up hearing stories of family and playing with cousins, just like I did.  I treasure those memories now, especially that some of those folks are gone (I miss my Grandma Lillian so much and I so wish she could have met Teddy and be amused by him, she really would have thought he was something else), and I can appreciate them more now as an adult than I ever could as a child.

Just swinging!

Big Boys play too, always competing
for who has the higher swing! (It was a tie)

Bicycles, Peanuts and Potty Training

The title of this post would lead you to believe that these are all somehow related, but alas, they are not really.  Except that we have had MAJOR instances in the past two weeks with each, so perhaps they are related, but only to Teddy Roo.

Bicycles:
We are TRYING to teach Teddy to ride his bike, both balance and tricycle.  He is too short (but growing at 37.5 inches and yes, finally 29.5 pounds last checkup with the GI doctor) to use the balance bike properly, so we started with the tricycle.  I must say, the whole using your feet and steering concept is fairly difficult, so we end up doing a lot of pushing and turning for him.  And Teddy, my sweet little boy, was not interested; he had less than zero interest in really learning.  He did (and still does) have a lot of interest in his bike helmet.  We must wear the bike helmet in the oddest of situations (e.g. playing tennis in the basement, riding in the jogging stroller) but not on the tricycle.  Oh no, because that would make too much sense.  Well, wonders never cease, and yesterday Teddy wanted to ride his tricycle beside me on my bicycle.  We went to alley across the way, and HE DID IT!  He pedaled and steered himself for a few feet!  (I know what you are thinking, but listen folks, I celebrate the small victories.)

Peanuts:
We are blessed to have a child not allergic to peanuts, so he eats them fairly regularly, because I will literally feed him anything he is willing to eat.  (Again, it is unknown to me how I managed to have a relatively tall and skinny child, but its true.  He only recently tripled his birth weight, a feat most kids manage by 1, only took him 33 months, but who is counting.)  So on a recent stroller ride (with helmet) he somehow managed to lodge a peanut in his nose.  You read that right, he stuck a peanut up his nose.  The first thing that came to my mind was that I thought maybe the ER would give us some sort of discount for recent trips.  Then Adrian just pushed it down his nose from the outside and made Teddy sneeze and there flew the peanut.  Ahh, disaster adverted.

Potty Training:
Lord help me, but I will take a newborn over this potty training.  It is more frustrating, definitely more messy and certainly more time consuming that having a newborn.  I mean, you cannot go anywhere without all the things a newborn needs (several changes of clothes, diapers, wipes, etc) and even worse it takes even longer to do anything.  Imagine my panic when Teddy (for once) announces he needs the potty, only we are in the car, trapped in traffic and I have no where to get him in time.  Seriously, it's been a trying time (I know, first world problem, but people I gotta have something to complain about and I know I am blessed and appreciate it every.single.day).  Lucky for me, Teddy seems to be getting much better and I am hopeful that we will master this beast (and seriously, thank the good Lord for his preschool and his babysitter Carrie because they bear the brunt of this) and he will be a BIG KID.  I will say he finds it all fascinating in true boy tradition and likes to have the iPad with him at the potty.  Boys.....raising boys....it's not for the faint of heart.

People Throw Rocks at Things that Shine

So proud of finding that egg!  

Taylor Swift is a very smart young lady; her lyrics tell great stories, stories of moral character and love and heartbreak and fun. (On a separate note, I am more into country music than ever.  I hate the misogyny of other genres except Top 40 type and cannot stand to be yelled at, as I get that enough from others, thank you very much.  Call me a redneck and an Adele fan, but I like to listen to people who can ACTUALLY sing and maybe even play an instrument and not autotune. IMHO, FWIW)  But this one line is so poignant that it hurts-People do throw rocks at things that shine.  It's a hard fact to accept that not everyone will always be on your side and not everyone will share in your joys and applaud, even when you so clearly deserve it.  Someone is always waiting for you to fail, but don't be afraid to succeed.  Proving people wrong can also be rewarding, for them and you, and you have to believe in your own strength.  Often, the biggest applause may have to be your own and that is a difficult thing to accept, but always know, I am in the background clapping louder (along with others who love you) and picking up the flecks of stars that fell as you ascend higher and higher.  Here is my advice: the hallmark of success is not throwing the rocks back but making them aim higher and higher.

I tell you all of this as today was our parent-teacher conference and you are doing so well; we are so proud of you.  Unsurprisingly, you have trouble focusing on things for long periods of time (I am sure we all know where that comes from.....) but you love to play outside, make art projects and sing.  The best part of this meeting was learning that you like to make a mess just so you can clean it up and that you love to wash your hands over and over.  So keep on shining your light and let us keep basking in the glow!

The Power of No and How Sticks and Stones Will Break your Bones (or at least cause Stitches)

Yes, this cute face says NO loud and often!

Okay, I admit it, my son is in the Terrible Two's (for those of you keeping score, he's been in them since 18 months, so I am ready for this all to be over but I hear 3 is worse, so let's skip that okay) and he has learned the Power of No.  (I should knock on wood because we have not had the fist pounding screaming in the supermarket stuff, but if he is not happy, ain't no body happy.)  Teddy has embraced his ability to just say "No" to everything and anything.  Sometimes, he will just get on a roll and "No" is the only word in his vocabulary and he will prove his conviction by standing his ground, giving you his mean face and shouting "No" until you find something that truly tempts him (ice cream no longer works, its now tennis lessons with Brian (his FAVORITE tennis instructor) or a bike stroller ride to the park).

Easter Egg Huntin

He is just fascinated with the word no and the power of using it I think, which I am sure is telling of my parental abilities.  I am sure he has learned that there are just some things that Mommy will beg and plead with him to say yes to like, please smile, please eat your food, please sit down, please stop eating sand, please stop hitting, biting, etc.  (For the sake of completeness, he does say no sometimes and I just go with it, you know like when I say, do you want to clean up, because, frankly, I don't want to either.)  Apparently, I have taught him that if he says no, then I will beg him and offer even better rewards if he just holds out long enough (note to self, the bribing has gone too far).  (Someone please back me up here, I cannot be the only parent who just tries to get them to stop until you are at least at a place where you can tune out your child's whining without feat of them hurting themselves or another child, right?)

Playing with Auntie Viv

The power of no is a valuable leverage tool and in my job we use it everyday.  I ask client all the time, can you walk away?  Are you able to live without this?  And if they can, well, we just see what we can do and the other side will sense that and they try to entice us with other goodies.  Maybe this is how we all learn the power of no.  I just hoping that Teddy will still use this when he is older and faced with more scary items than a time out and will remember that sometimes saying no is the right thing to do, even now to me, because sometimes I overlook that he has had enough or that he is getting old enough to make some decisions and experience the consequences (I am that parent who just let's him hit his head under the table to learn not to go under the table; apparently, I prefer tears to the tantrums of No).

Dyeing Easter Eggs

Banging on the Piano

And as a special add-on, you got your first (of what I can assume will be many) stitches.  You had a playground accident at school, and tried to be like the big boys but fell off the equipment.  (One of his teachers told us she thinks he needs to be in boxing, so I pressed her on it, Why?  Well, apparently little bruiser Teddy has scared the other boys in his class with his antics so he wrestles with the 3 & 4 year olds (he is only 2.5 remember) and "holds his own"--needless to say I am scared for the future but Adrian is somehow proud of this fact. This also explains the random bruises and other bumps we have experienced.)  I know that stitches in your lip (2 be exact) will not be the worst injury Teddy will experience but I can hope that it is by far the scariest for him.  Putting him in the Papoose (which he busted out of the first on the first attempt) and holding him down while they numbed his lip and then did the stitches has been quite enough for me.

Easter with Nana and Pawpaw

I have no idea how these mommas of soldiers do it, how parents of athletes do it any many others--I was so good during it all, trying to keep him calm, watching his lip being sown and was good.  Once Adrian came back in the room and took him, I literally gaggged and almost passed out (now we know why I am not a doctor).  The doctor had to lay me down, get me juice and crackers as I turned white as a sheet and saw stars.  The adrenaline kept me going while it was happening but after it was over, I was a mess.  I will note that Teddy has been quite the trooper and handled this very well.  He has not let it slow him down and only needed motrin the first day it happened.  He is tough, tougher than me and I just pray this is the worst of it.  Again, he is all boy, but he is my boy and I love him so.

A lesson in loyalty

This is what he recently has been doing while watching TV.
 Guess where he got this from?

People always talk about how their dogs are loyal; how they run to see them to know when you are home, run to you, love you when you need it and miss you when you are gone.  I think that toddlers do not get enough credit in this sense, because toddlers are also fiercely loyal in a way that most adults are not.  It does not matter where he is, as soon as Teddy sees me, he runs, full sprint, drop everything, to give me that hug.  And I watch other children do the same thing.  Apparently, we are all born with this feeling of love and loyalty for those that care for us.  It is really the thing that makes my day, even those really horrible days better, because nothing seems better to me in that moment that than hug and hearing the words "I love you too Momma".  I think I am just wondering what changes, what happens to make that all fade away or certainly fade as we age.  Some say its the laws of nature; your children must grow to hate you and be embarrassed by you to mature.  I still get so excited to see my family, just as excited as I imagine Teddy to be about seeing me.  I get so impatient to get there, wherever we are meeting, drive really fast and just burst out of the car to say hello.  Although now, I must admit, a lot of that is my anticipation of seeing how excited Teddy will be when he sees my family.  We all may think we are loyal but we all become more self-centered, more focused on the personal gains than on the group benefits.  The phrase "take one for the team" only exists because we become more self-interested than we once were as a child, which is why children are so innocent I suppose.  I wish all we all could retain that loyalty of childhood, because even though we have to punish our children, they still run to us every single time, with every single boo-boo and every time they seem to have forgotten that spanking or time out. 

The Pool with Nana--his favorite play date. 

Dear Teddy, please take this as a lesson on loyalty and its rewards.  It's hard to remember when you are upset, angry, frustrated or whatever, but family really is the most important thing and loyalty to your family is important (again, I say family, but I mean your "family" those people that you love and treat like family, whether you are related or not).  But I must caution you; you can only be loyal to those who are loyal to you.  Misplaced loyalty can be hurtful and it will scar you, breaking your spirit even, but don't let it crush you.  Remember that what is business for some people will be personal for you and vice versa.  There are great examples of loyalty in the famous (Peyton Manning coming back to UT for his senior season, I suppose Tebow too (shrug), Roger Federer always being a gracious winner (and loser)) but be careful of the loyalty you put in those folks as well (Brett Favre, Tiger Woods).  No one except you can be responsible for your character; you can look to others for guidance (again, I like the Manning/Tebow/Federer example) but it is you that must live with your choices and your loyalty can never get in the way of your character, because lemmings are loyal too and we know where that gets them. 

Hanging out with Nana and Pawpaw

Remember that you will not understand why I say no to something and it will hurt and you will be mad, but just know that I always have your best interests at heart, always want the best for you and will always, always be loyal to you.  I will stand beside you through all your joys and failures, no matter what, clapping the loudest and crying the hardest.  We want to raise you with strong moral character, one that knows right from wrong, that stands up for those unable to stand for themselves, that believes in the best in people and is loyal to those he loves.  None of this will be easy, as obstacles will appear for you to overcome, but I know that you will be strong enough to persevere. Loyalty is an altruistic endeavor my dear Teddy; you have to give it without expectation of receiving it, and in doing so, you will earn respect, which sometimes means more than loyalty.