"My nane taught me how to ti my shos."

Remember this?

Well this came home from school with Matthew yesterday.

Annie said I should have it.

It will go in my special box for sure!

"You can have the rest of the night off"

When we got home from karate tonight at 5pm, both parents were home. Promptly Aliya and Matthew both released me from my nanny duties. "You can have the rest of the night off" Matthew said. Aliya piped in with "you can go call your boyfriend!" :) I love these kids!

Wordless Wednesday

Some of my favorite memories from Twitter

What a difference a year makes...the boy just told me 'You make a great dinner Tosha!' 5:14 PM Sep 14th

The children and I are currently circling the things we want in the American Girl catalog we got in the mail today :) 5:33 PM Sep 8th

Aliya: I broke a pencil in class today to see how strong I was. The teacher didnt say anything she just GLARED at me! LOL 2:59 PM Sep 8th

Matthew just asked which we were going. When I pointed toward 495 he said "No I dont want to go on the spedway, it makes me tired!" 1:09 PM Sep 2nd

Matt and I are calling Davis Farmland to ask about the alligators. He swears they are real but he is 4 and I know these things!!9:25 AM Sep 1st

Dear Santa, Matt is now making good choices. He wants me to x out the last text, but let’s just say this one cancels that one :) 10:23 AM Aug 11th

Dear Santa, FYI...Matt is being grouchy, telling me he doesnt like me and saying he isnt going to do what I say.9:43 AM Aug 11th

Aliya: I saw a scary commercial on TV, dont they know kids are watching that? If she only knew how beyond her years she is...12:53 PM Aug 10th

"Tosha are your slivers all gone from your walk?" Matthew just asked me :) He meant blisters!2:49 PM Jul 29th

I love these kids...and to think they are my job!!!3:10 PM Jul 27th

Aliya wanted to know when i was going to get a massage for walking 60 miles and not complaining :)2:49 PM Jul 27th

He was so sweet he didnt want to hurt my blisters but he wanted to cuddle :)2:48 PM Jul 27th

Matt and I had a nap cause he is going to his Red Sox game with his Dad.2:47 PM Jul 27th

The Berenstain Bears get the Gimmies was just purchased at Walmart and a certain little man just told me 15 times that I am MEAN!11:43 AM Jul 22nd

I just told Matt mini golf cost extra money and he replied with " I dont mind if it costes extra money!"2:49 PM Jul 20th

The children are so tired they cant even be grouchy anymore. They r currently eating lunch & staring off into space chewing to stay awake1:34 PM Jul 16th

Aliya lost another tooth and she brought it to Maine with her. I hope the toothfairy finds it in Maine. Aliya informed me she would.12:03 PM Jul 14th

Aliya heard about MJ's Neverland Ranch and now shes convinced Neverland, where u never grow up, is a real place!10:24 AM Jul 9th

Aliya to Robbie-neighbor boy:Do u like me or like like me? Robbie: I like like u. Do you like me or like like me?Aliya:I like like u!1:34 PM Jul 6th

Matt:Are u a teenager Tosha? Me:No teenagers r 13,14,15. Im in my 20s. Matt: Oh so ur gonna die first?!11:08 AM Jul 6th

LOL Aliya just told her dad that she needed his help to the car because she has 6 bags! She is going to her grandparents for 2 nights.5:26 PM Jul 3rd


Matthew has a mohawk!!7:58 AM Jul 2nd

"Santa"(aka Twitter) has been added as a favorite on my cell and is now receiving text updates on behavior and diet for a certain lil boy!5:18 PM Jun 30th

Dear Santa, Aliya and Matt just ate green peppers and celery. I wanted you to know how proud I am of them. I bet you are too.1:50 PM Jun 30th

Aliya:Obama will probably be in the hall of fame too. He might stop the war, which would be a miracle!12:24 PM Jun 30th

Leaving VBS:Aliya- God is the coolest but Elvis is pretty cool too! Elvis was famous entertainment. Hes probably in the hall of fame.12:22 PM Jun 30th

My sleepy bookends :)4:29 PM Jun 29th

Matthew just told me he is going marry Sam and she is going to have a baby. Can I be their nanny?9:48 AM Jun 26th

Matthew wants to know if Michael Jackson knew God and if he grew wings. :)8:57 AM Jun 26th

So the boy just told the lady behind us in line, after I told her I was the nanny "She IS mine!" :)8:57 AM Jun 25th

Hehe...We are sleeping under the T. Rex! I have assured the children I will give them a million dollars if things come alive :)7:09 PM Jun 24th

Sitting in Boston traffic listening to the children talk: Aliya thinks she sees the Eiffel Tower and Matthew says he is allergic to wind.6:10 PM Jun 24th

Gearing up for our very own night at the museum! MOS in Boston tonight :)2:47 PM Jun 24th

After some bad choices and subsequent consequences, a certain little boy I love told me Santa wasn’t going to bring me any presents.3:45 PM Jun 23rd

Matthew: Owen hit the ball so hard it went in the water. He had to get it with his golf hitting thing.5:25 PM Jun 22nd

Aliya: How many times do I have to tell you I'm sorry Matthew? I was just a little grouchy!5:19 PM Jun 18th

Oh the boy...he sure is stubborn! He just held out for an hour before he would eat some celery!1:35 PM Jun 18th

Matt just asked his Dad if Arack Obama plays golf. "l think I seed him play before."7:30 PM Jun 17th

Matthew walked in my room when I had my sports bra on. He politely told me "oh that shirt is toooo small for you!"4:25 PM Jun 17th

Matthew:I like the Halo song Tosha. I wanna hear it! Me:Im sorry Matt, its not that songs turn on the radio. We'll have to wait its turn.9:49 AM Jun 17th

Shes 7 so I left out the alcohol and gambling parts...ya know what most people associate with Vegas :)4:46 PM Jun 16th

Sometimes people go to Vegas and have so much fun they decide to have someone who looks like Elvis marry them. And Vegas is very glittery.4:43 PM Jun 16th

Aliya: Is this Lady Gaga Waking Up in Vegas? Whats this song about? Well....4:02 PM Jun 16th

Matthew: A lot of men died at War. But God made new ones. We need to pray for them.9:37 AM Jun 16th

Dear Santa, FYI Matt says he will make good choices after this day, hows that work for you?4:56 PM Jun 15th

Matthew: I sleeped in my own bed all night! Can we go to IKEA now?11:38 AM Jun 14th

Taking Matt and Aliya camping in ME for their 1st time. Rain rain go away, Matthew cannot wait another day! He MUST.SLEEP.OUTSIDE.TONIGHT!2:36 PM Jun 12th

Matthew: My dad plays golf and works. Is it his work?! But he is still a dad when he plays golf.2:10 PM Jun 12th

Dear Santa, Matthew just fed Jazzy from the table after we went over the fact that this is unacceptable. Just wanted you to know.5:49 PM Jun 10th

Matthew: when I grow up I am going to be a major baseball player for the Red Sox. NOT the Yankees. We dont like them.1:14 PM Jun 10th

By the way, we are currently at Walmart getting a spring jacket,not registering for Matt's Christmas wish list. He doesnt know that though!8:30 AM Jun 10th

The list is growing for Santa (in June?!) Nerf, transformers, matchbox. He says thats it, moves 2 another aisle saying well maybe this 28:28 AM Jun 10th

Downhill raceway, color blaster, zero gravity micro, crash gage. These r toys Matt wants for Christmas. He wants me to write them down!!8:23 AM Jun 10th

Both children are convinced Jazzy the dog can smell the meat they are having for dinner! I caught Aliya trying to break off a tiny piece.4:44 PM Jun 8th

Matt and Aliya are arguing whose bike ride booboos are "badder". Matt is sure his are, but Aliya declared hers the most stingy.3:56 PM Jun 8th

Matthew: Wow its rocky out today! (He meant foggy)7:43 AM May 29th

Aliya just informed me that when she is about 18 she will be singing on the radio probably Karson & Kennedy our morning radio personalities6:53 PM May 28th

Aliya just told Matt not to call people fat, you should call them chubby. I'm not sure which is better? Maybe neither?5:39 PM May 26th

Aliya: I wasn't born to play sports. I pretty much just like the Red Sox, even though I am not a sports fan.11:56 AM May 22nd

Headed home to read: Dinosaur books for Matt, American History (including American Girl stories) for Aliya and Nora Roberts for me :)3:08 PM May 14th

Matt just informed me that "the Red Sox ALWAYS win!"8:06 AM May 13th

While repeatedly singing 'Love Story' - Aliya said "its my favorite song, but in real life, its a tragic love story!"6:44 PM May 12th

Aliya just told Matt not to sneeze into his hand because he could catch the swine flu.3:56 PM May 11th

Matt thinks they need a stop light at school because we usually have to wait 30 seconds. And I thought I was impatient!2:46 PM May 7th

Aliya: My (loose) training wheels are trying to tell me something. Its time to take them off!7:06 AM May 5th

I told Aliya the real estate people check for clean houses. She said, Your kidding, cause you have a mysterious smile. She was onto me!6:32 PM Apr 24th

About muffins Tan made that Aliya didn't like, "I didn't mention it cause if u don't have anything nice 2 say, u shouldn't say it at all!6:29 PM Apr 24th

Just left (Maine) and Aliya asks " Are we near home yet?"11:21 AM Apr 23rd

At 5:15am Matthew woke me up saying "I slept for 100 minutes!" I wish he had slept for 100 more minutes.8:28 AM Apr 22nd

Matthew just told me that I should have brought him soccer clothes! Good thing I'm on my A nanny game and DID bring them!1:47 PM Apr 21st

TypicalAliya trademark...8:00 PM Apr 17th

LOL Matt wants to know how our rental car got all my favorite songs in it!?2:33 PM Apr 17th

So apparently Aliya has 'retired' from soccer at age 7

Wordless Wednesday

York's Wild Kingdom

Matthewisms

"Tosha, I NEED you" means come wipe me (won't he appreciate me blogging about that!?)

As I pull into Dunkin Donuts for a coffee, Matthew will most certainly say "I'm hungry", regardless of the time of day, if he has just eaten, or if he is falling asleep. This means he wants a strawberry donut, which he received the first time we ever went to DD together.

"Anybody wanna cuddle?" (said to Aliya and I) means he is tired and he knows it.

"Tosha, am I making good choices?" means he wants something.

"How much do I have to eat?" means he is in negotiating mode concerning dinner, and I must either ignore, or make eye contact until he says "All of it?!"

"Your mean" or "your not my best nanny" means he is having a hard time making good choices and I am making him take responsibility for it. Yes folks, he understands all of this. He is VERY clever.

"Oh no Tosha, someone glittered!" as he points to trash on the ground, commonly known as litter!

There are many more, I'm just blanking right now. He sure does keep me on my toes! Now that I know the back doors he takes to get his needs met, we work better together. Just in time for summer, when he and his sister will be spending 50+ hours a week with me :)

"Even the poor people Tosha?"

Aliya, Matthew and I discuss things, a lot. We talk about God, friends, family, the news on the radio, sports, school, me NOT being married, church, the bible, music, celebrities, etc. As you can imagine, it is usually me fielding questions, but not always. These children are very clever and always willing to share important information and sweet words of encouragement. They are very caring children and able to think beyond themselves. So much so, that many discussions end with "Even the poor people Tosha?"

Matthew always wants to know if the poor people have it too, like are they smart, do they know Jesus, go to college, get married, have kids, eat vegetables?!

And my answer is always "Yes Matt, the only thing most poor people don't have is money."

To which he answers, "And money isn't everything!"

Our very own Night at the Museum

The view of our beds (in the top left) below Mr. T. Rex!

Couldn’t make it through the 11pm lightening show…


Tired kids on the Musical stairs

Mr. T. Rex – we slept right underneath him!

Bright and early the next morning we were up for a planetarium show!

So, there's this boy...

I've mentioned him a few times. We've spent some quality time together. He's sweet, smart, and handsome. We've been to the movies and shopping together, gone to the museum, church, and to Maine to meet the family. He thinks I am beautiful and compliments me often. He has even volunteered with me and met my friends. My Dad likes him and he believes in Jesus. We've had some heated discussions (conversations-disagreements, etc.) where it turned out I was right. He acknowledged this and said "Your right". He'll ride his bike while I train for my walk and he also wants to help the children in Africa who don't have clean water and healthy food to eat. What more could a girl ask for?!

Well, this boy, who has kind of stole my heart, is four and a half. He calls me Tosha. :) Who says I need a husband, when I have a little man like this?!

Camping

This is the scene from Saturday. We slept in the tent with our new LLBean sleeping bags and Thomas the Train/Dora lanterns on Friday night. I was awoken at 5:50AM to a bright sun and two children eager to embrace the day! The children rode/fought who would drive the Gator for hours. They rode their bikes too, caught frogs, searched for snakes, played in my Dad's bus turned motor home, and made s'mores! Matthew even went to my nephew Issac's t-ball game. I had some tired and dirty kids when we left after 14 hours of playing.

Wordless Wednesday

Matt's not afraid of hills anymore!

.

Funny Kid

What does this...

Plus this equal?

Well this is what you get!

See those little scabs extending from his lips?! The boy went at the lollipop so vigorously yesterday that he cut his lips on the crease. This morning he requested some Vaseline because it was sore. He didn't complain though and his Mom suggested she knew how he got those little battle scars!

His Hand

I love the Boys little chubby 4 year old hand and here are few reasons why.

Because its...

the one that reaches to high-five mine after tasks well done

the one that I reach for several times a day as we get out of the car

the one that I hold as we walk on sidewalks, in parking lots, and if I am lucky, in stores

the one that holds up two, sometimes three, fingers as he negotiates how many more bites from his dinner he must eat

the one that writes MAtTheW like a champ now

the one that on occasion touches my face gently as he cuddles close when he's falling sleep

the one that its owner just hollered, "Tosha, my fingernails are dirty!"

Matt and Tarsha's Hotwheel Track

Somebody was hungry...

And took it upon himself to remedy that!

Pizza + Patio = Picnic

Who says you need a special basket filled with delectable dishes for a picnic? We got pizza, went out on the patio and had ourselves a picnic! Today was sunny and 70 degrees here in MA! It was Aliya's idea for the picnic and she narrated the directions for what we needed. She was very helpful and got most of it. :) Matthew just wanted to be outside and take his shoes off!

Tonight we had a movie night, play date, and slumber party all wrapped up in one. I had the children tonight while Peter and Annie went to the Red Sox game. We had Robbie over (the neighbor boy who Aliya plans on marrying) watched Velveteen Rabbit, and then I let them both fall asleep in my bed. They argued about the middle, so I declared it! And I'm not sure they quite understood they were only falling asleep in my bed, not spending the whole night. But you can bet once I was sure they were asleep, I scooped their limp little bodies up and placed them gently in their own beds. Not that I minded their excitement about the slumber party, but I had an elbow in my rib cage, sweaty legs kicking me, and NO room. Matthew told me twice he didn't have enough room, that I needed to push over and move my computer. Remember, I was in the middle and he had six inches on the other side of him, he just wanted to be thisclose to me! :)

Tomorrow is Aliya's birthday brunch at American Girl in Natick. Then Allison and Damon are coming down from Maine, Tracy and Ben are coming from Beverly and we are all going to the Amazing gRACE event I helped plan with my small group. It should be a grand time!

Biking 101 with Beauty and the Boy

On training wheels:
Matthew (Boy): "I don't need them because Connor (cousin-age 8) doesn't use them."
Aliya (Beauty): "I don't need training wheels because I trained last year."
(Note: Regardless of a cousin needing them or not and said training last year, both have and need training wheels, I just don't mention them!)

On bike choice:
M: Red Lightening McQueen Race car look-a-like
A: Blue Puppy Love brand with blue/white/silver tassels hanging from the handle bars and a bell, of course

On ant hills:
M: Must get off bike and walk it until a completely (as in no sign of an incline/decline) flat part
A: Must go as fast as you can, not a big deal if you fall off

On falling off:
M: Must immediately start crying your eyes out and looking for battle scars
A: Must immediately get up, straighten tassels on handle bars and get back on

On helmets:
M: Must match bicycle
A: Must match bicycle

On bicycle clothing/gear:
M: Would wear elbow, knee and wrist guards if he had them
A: Would wear a dress (and probably heels) if asked to

On distance from Tarsha:
M: Would prefer leading, but following behind and braking OFTEN works
A: Leading the pack while singing your heart out is preferred

This is what I have learned from taking the bikes to the Rail Trail for three days and biking 9 miles. Who would have thought that this is the way it would go with the Boy and the Beauty?! I'll leave you with the site I see as we come within 200 feet of approach anything that resembles inclines/declines.

Look who got bikes...

So Miss Aliya is fearless. She was riding ahead, going up and down ant hills like a trooper and singing to her hearts delight! She fell off a couple of times but rebounded nicely. Matthew, on the other hand, was a bit more leary. "I like flat places Tosha!" he said. They biked and I walked three miles! Matthew fell asleep on the way home. :)