The McMahon Family

Patrick’s bedtime is 7:45ish and Mac follows around 8:00ish.  Normally it works great.  Patrick has usually fallen asleep by the time Mac heads in and all is quiet within a few moments.  Occasionally, Patrick is still up and the boys will chat or giggle for a few minutes, then quickly fall asleep.  Not so last night.  They were both still wide awake and practically screaming at 9:55.  After both of us going in numerous times to quiet them down, they finally fell asleep around 10.

Then came the morning…

Regretting that late night of playing now, aren’t you boys?

So, Mac had his first dentist appointment this week.  I was so nervous about it.  I had a bad experience with dentists as a kid and still have a fear of them, so I  wanted Mac’s experience to be a good one…but I also know him and he doesn’t like things that make him feel uncomfortable at all.  He just clams up.  So anyway, we got there and he did great through the first set of xrays, the one where he had to stand next to the machine and bite on a small stick.   But once he had to sit in the chair, he got a little freaked out and it went downhill from there.  The dental assistant wanted him to just smile for an ID photo, but he refused.  This was all she got:

Then they wanted to take more x-rays by having him bite on the flat ‘plate’.  He refused for quite awhile, but after two dental assistants and Mommy and Daddy begging, he finally did it!  By then we had been there an hour and he was getting more comfortable in the chair (no choice after waiting so long!) and he finally opened up for the dentist and the cleaning.  He didn’t complain once during the cleaning and fluoride treatment. I was very proud of him!  I was a little amused that he fought the non-dental part of it (x-rays) and had no problem with the dental work! It’s so hard to figure out kids. 🙂  Anyway, he got a goody bag at the end and was thrilled with his loot. I think he’ll go back just fine!

I am constantly annoyed with Mac’s ‘why’ questions.  I mean, when people joke about kids asking why to everything, I figured it was a slight exaggeration…I was wrong.  I feel like an answer machine.  I mean, I’m glad he thinks I know EVERYTHING (and I mean everything!), but really, I start to feel dumb after awhile.  I try to be honest so that he’ll learn, but between you and me, sometimes I just have to lie…

So this week, while we were eating lunch, he asked me how God makes us.   (Refer to my earlier post about how babies get in tummies to know what brought this thinking on lately. 🙂 )  So, I answer as honestly as I can, “Well, he made us from the earth.  The dirt.  He used his hands.”  I think that’s honest, yet understandable for a 4 year old.  Then it comes.  “Why?”  Ugh. Really? I don’t know..it was the only thing lying around?  He had just created it and thought it was cool?

Then I thought about it and realized what a great opportunity to tell my child why his God made him!  “God makes us because he wants friends.  He was tired of being lonely.  He wants to hang out with us.”  “But why, Mom?”  “Because he loves us.  His favorite thing to do is to hang out with us.”

“Wow, Mom.  I like talking to God.”  🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

He’s becoming so aware of God and what He does and why He does it.  As the conversation continued, we discussed Adam and Eve, the Garden of Eden and I tried to make it as real as possible.  I’ve realized that when I try to explain things to Mac, it brings me closer to God.  Retelling all His acts of love for us, his current blessings for our family just makes me realize so often, how awesome is the God I serve!

“So Patrick was in your tummy?”

“Yes, he was.”

“How did he get there?”

“Um, er…God put him there.”

“You mean with his hand?  He just put Patrick in there with his hand?”

Didn’t think I would have to explain how babies get there at four…I guess he’s just a little advanced, right? 🙂

Guess I should have seen it coming last year when he was caught with this picture. 🙂

I love to rearrange furniture and stuff.  It’s just something I have always enjoyed.  Shannon does not like to rearrange.  Before we had kids, I got used to not being able to do it very often.  We had to agree on it and that usually only occurred when we got new furniture, which wasn’t often!  Then we had kids!  It’s kind of my domain. 🙂  Shannon lets me arrange, rearrange, organize, reorganize to my heart’s content.  Fun!  So I finally had found a great system for the toys in the boys’ room, but now with two, it was getting messy once again and things didn’t have a place.  So today Mac and I went through their whole room toy by toy.  He decided what he didn’t need and what he couldn’t part with.  He did a great job!  So between all the baby toys that went and Mac’s choices, we have quite a purge pile!  I’m proud of both of us!

And now the room is back in order.