Just Don't Call It Football

Ben got off to a fantastic start in sports. Before the age of two, he was quite excited to throw, kick, or hit a ball. He was an amazing little golfer and ran early. "Ball" was one of his first words. If I was ever stuck for something to do with my one little toddler, I could always count on him to be happy just heading outside with a ball or a bat, or a whole bag of sporting equipment!

Then something changed. Although he is big, strong, and fast, for some reason, he now has an attitude towards all sports. In his words, "I'm just not that into sports, mom!" We have had him in soccer and t ball, and he likes to go, but certainly hasn't shown the typical Ben enthusiasm that is so characteristic of him. Getting him to play catch or practice batting or kicking a ball around is more like a chore at best, punishment at worst.

A couple days ago, though, I discovered the secret to re-opening the world of sporting games to him! I found out if you call soccer "kick the dragon's egg to the nest," he will play the game of soccer with gusto! If I call a football an egg and say he's a raptor and I'm an allosaurus and we have to attack each other while trying to get the egg back to our own nests, he can play with speed, strength, and, most importantly, excitement!

Of course, I don't love the sound effects that come with turning football into dinosaur's egg, but I'll take it if it gets Ben (and Mitchell too) excited about using the physical abilities they have been blessed with, but up until now, have chosen not to care about.

It is pretty fun to finally watch Ben excited about throwing, catching, tackling, and coming up with elaborate game plans on the field with his dad and brother (and me, of course.)

A New Food Discovery and A New Way to Sleep

Today was the last day of our vacation and "going home" day.  The boys had to say goodbye to their "dude room," the hot tubby, their radio and TV, and the mini corn-dogs they had for dinner at two separate restaurants two nights in a row.  What is it with that town and corn-dogs?  I've never seen them on the kids menu anywhere else.  My kids have a new favorite food that I hope I've convinced them only exists in this one town.  They thought they were awesome though - they were shaped like little eggs (not on a stick like I remember them from childhood) and when dipped in ketchup, they pretended they were bloody dinosaur eggs they were eating.  Gross.  What is vacation for if not for air guitar in the dude room, sandy hot tubs, long naps, and bloody dinosaur eggs for dinner?  Doesn't get any better than that... 

Speaking of long naps, there is nothing like long hours of jumping and climbing and rolling in the sand to make a 3 and 5 - year old ready for a nap, but Mitchell still insisted he was not tired each day and was not going to close his eyes at all.  We finally made a compromise and he decided he'd just sleep with his eyes open.  Works for me!