Liar, liar...pants on fire-ra

This morning the boys found and put on pieces of their Halloween costumes from 2007. It was all fun and games for about 15 minutes, until the first argument broke out from behind Ethan's bedroom door. Evidently the pirates were playing with the train set....or a better description might be Carter was lining up and attaching all the trains and all the other elements along the tracks and Ethan was trying to actually move the trains along the track. A little OCD vs search and destroy...this happens often around our house.

Both boys ended up in the living room pleading their cases and arguing about what truly happened. Carter got too close to Ethan and a small irritating shove was issued from Carter. Too which Ethan shoved back a little harder..Then the tears and complaints began. Really... the shoves were not bad enough to cause such drama. Jess and I each took a child, trying to diffuse what was happening and trying to explain to each that we don't push one another.

Mr. Drama (Carter) began dramatically retelling the train story to which Ethan piped in saying "Carter you a liar liar pants on fire-ra". Hence the name calling and accusations flew. We diffused the argument, we thought, and the boys happily went back to playing in the living room.

I stepped into the kitchen to get a drink and Jess went back to his paper, when we heard Ethan say very plainly and very aggitatedly, "Carter you want me bite you?" Which was surprising to hear, but also very funny. He was definetly warning the instigator to back off. Jess got Ethan and talked to him about threatening his brother and also about biting people. To which Ethan replied, "I keep my teeth myself and in my mouth. Then he ran off to play with Carter.

The whole confrotation/argument lasted all of 5 or 6 minutes and is not uncommon around here. We try to let them settle many of those sibling issues by themselves and intervene when physicality occurs. They do get in trouble when they need it, but in this case the whole thing was minor and actually quite comical.

The boys are great friends and play well together, until Mr. Drama OCD big brother becomes too OCD or too bossy &/or when Master of Destruction little brother destroys what they are playing with. It is always a loud, busy, circus around here.

Here are a couple more picture of the pirates. By the way, I believe little pirates should always go shirtless or maybe just be in their underwear. Such cute little stinkers.

Saturday Morning Soccer

So we decided we just weren't busy enough....thus we added another round of soccer to our schedule. Carter played fall soccer and when he found out that he could play again in the spring he was all over it. He is already a sports playing fanatic and fiercely competitive. He only wants to play if there are other "good" players playing and he has little patience for those players who are "flower pickers" or kids who are out there because their parents want them to play and in all actuality have no interest in playing. This has been the case when he played t-ball, basketball, and now soccer. He is so serious about playing hard and playing well.

Today was our first game of the spring season, which lasts six Saturdays. He got to practice on Tuesday, but with temperatures in the mid-40s, it was a short one. This morning he got out there ready to go and he remembered a lot of what he had learned back in the fall. It was evident to Jess and I that he has grown quite a bit and his hand eye coordination is better than it was in the fall. It's amazing how much kids grow in just a few months time.

After the game, he informed us that his team won (they don't keep score in this league) and that he had scored 4 goals. He did actually score four, but as the day wore on and people asked him about how many he scored the number of scores began to go up...6, 7... It was quite funny.

It was such a nice day today and after naps, Jess and the boys went outside to play and do a little yard work. I on the other hand was chained to this computer completing grad course projects. I completed one today and submitted it, but I still have two to complete before Monday the 16th. I am bound and determined to get them done by next Thursday. So I will be chained to this computer again tomorrow, while everyone else is out playing and having a good time...Rats!

I have plants to plant, exercise I need to do, and creative ideas running amok in my head and not enough energy or time to do them. And now the time change is going to suck another hour out of today/tomorrow. Aww the irony!