Memorial Day & Hot, Hot, Hot & Pictures!

I like to set goals for myself.  When the weather starting getting hot in April, I absolutely refused to turn on the air conditioner.  I decided that we would wait until June.  This is the time of year when windows should be open to welcome the soft spring breezes (and, a time when we can even out our electric bill).  Unfortunately, on Friday the temperatures outside reached into the upper 80s and the ones inside weren't far behind.  I hated to do it, but I admitted defeat and turned on the air conditioning.  I set it at 76 and we waited for the house to cool.  And waited.  And waited.  It never happened.  The house got up to 84 degrees and just stayed there.  Optimistically, we let it run Friday night. On Saturday morning, Thomas noticed that there was a lot of moisture on the unit and since the house wasn't cooling, we turned the system off and called a repairman.   Unfortunately, the earliest he could come to check it was Monday (which was better than Tuesday, which is what I was bracing myself for).  Our new weekend goal became to spend as little time at home as possible.

On Saturday morning we went to a Sesame Street show on the base.  They gave the kids these light-up Elmo toys, and they were enthralled.  Jack hardly watched the show, he was so interested in his toy.     We then went to WalMart to buy some water guns. We also decided to buy a pool, something I thought about all last summer.  As we were putting the pool into the car, I noticed some small print indicating that homeowners should check local ordinances before installing.  So, when we got home we did a quick internet search, mainly to confirm that nothing was required for our little 3-foot pool.  Surprisingly, we learned that our county requires any pool with a water depth over 24 inches to have a permit.  It is a "walk-up permit," but still!  We briefly considered just putting the pool up and forgoing the legalities.  Chances are no one would ever know, but we are law-abiding folks and decided to just return it, rather than deal with the permit process.  In the end, it's probably for the best, it would have had to go in our front yard and that means a few drawbacks (away from the deck, playset and toys, less privacy, etc.).  To help the kids cope with the disappointment, we set up our slip and slide, baby pool, and sprinkler and had a water party in the backyard.  Then, we went to Domino's for pizza and had a pizza party complete with movie (Tangled) in the basement.  The basement always seems to be about 10 wonderful degrees cooler than the rest of the house--which hovered around 85 all day.

Sunday we went out to lunch because it was just too hot to cook.  We spent a lot of time in the basement, including a rousing time doing Dance Party Kids.  We were fortunate enough to have a previously scheduled dinner date with some good friends, which meant a fun night of fantastic food and games (although, I lost, so maybe the game wasn't so fantastic--obviously rigged in fact).

The air conditioner repairman came on Monday morning.  Our system was out of coolant.  $442 later we have a cool house!  Since he was done by 9, our whole day opened up.  We decided to cross the bridge and visit Washington's birth place.  It was really nice.  The kids were well-behaved and there was lots to see (especially considering it's free).  Thomas is really interested in history.  He doesn't read fiction, but he will choose a topic or person and immerse himself with books, including cds on tape; documentaries; historical site visits (when possible), etc.  Lately, his topic of choice has been the Revolutionary War, so visiting Washington's birthplace fit right in (other recent topics include the Alamo, President Lincoln and World War I--topics can take anywhere from a few months to years).  We also visited Yorktown a few weeks ago.

After the visit to Pope's Creek, we went to lunch at Horne's Restaurant--a place we have passed by many times on our trips to Norfolk and finally decided to try.  It is an old-school diner/gas station; we enjoyed it.  When we got home Thomas took on the kids in a water gun fight, while I tried to do some sewing.  For some idiotic reason, I got it in my head that I know enough about sewing that I could follow a simple pattern.  Unfortunately, I can't.  I promised Kara a Drizella costume (one of Cinderella's wicked stepsisters) for our trip to Disney and there is no way I can deliver.  I got to the point where it was time to put in sleeves (in other words, not very far) and had to give up.  I watched a bunch of YouTube videos and did some internet research, but I just can't figure it out.  It doesn't help that I didn't properly transfer markings when I cut the fabric.  I am not sure what we are going to do--I really wanted to make it for her and she was really looking forward to it, but it is also really beyond my capability.

It's been a while since I posted pictures (apologies to the grandparents!)--so here are plenty to make up for it.

Waiting for Sesame Street Live to start.

Kara all worn out.  This may be my favorite picture of all time.

Dancing away, there is a lot of space behind them, but they all crowd right in front of the tv.

Walking around the birthplace site.

Resting at the birthplace site.

The girls entertaining themselves during the 14-minute movie

Their favorite part of the birthplace--these phones.  They kept telling us, "hold on, I'm on the phone," even when we weren't talking to them.

Kara and Jack sharing a shake at Horne's.  We thought they'd take turns, but who has time for that?

At that concludes our weekend update.  In other news, Kara is completely potty trained!  She is even in underwear at night.  Thomas's grandmother continues to do well, for which we are very thankful.

My Favorite "Can't Keep a Secret Story" Ever!

We spent a lot of time doing yard work this weekend.  As in pretty much 2 out of 3 complete days (it was  a 3-day weekend for Thomas).  Thomas gave the deck underside a much needed cleaning.  I did more weeds and mowing.  Then Thomas tackled the biggest project of all, the removal of the stump/roots of the fallen tree (a leftover from the Hurricane last year).

It took Thomas' hours to get the tree done.  And, Anna stayed by his side the whole time.  She brought her little shovel over and kept up a continual conversation while "helping."  It was very sweet.  Jack tried to pick up a mouse that came running out, and they also saw a black widow spider.  It was a very eventful exercise.

So, what is this story you may ask?  After the stump and roots were removed, I started to throw some of the dirt into the large hole.  Jack stopped me.  Thomas said to just leave it and then Jack mentioned there was a secret.  Being the kind of person I am, I immediately began to press my 4-year-olds for details (Kara was playing on the swingset).  Anna immediately told Jack to not say anything, reminding him that it was a suprise.  I jokingly asked if it was a secret or a suprise?  Here is the conversation that followed:

Anna to Thomas: Can I whisper something in your ear?
Thomas: Sure
Anna whispering: Can I tell her it's for Mother's Day.
Thomas: If you really want to
Anna matter-of-factly: It's for Mother's Day
Me:  Okay, well if it's for Mother's Day, I won't ruin the surprise by asking for...
Anna interrupting:  IT'S A TREE!
Jack: ANNA!!!  You weren't supposed to tell.
Kori and Thomas: hysterical laughter

Let me just say it again--I love my family!  It was absolutely hilarious to me that Anna interrupted my acquiescene to the keeping of the secret by revealing the surprise, especially after she chastised Jack for saying too much!  And, I am excited for a new tree.  Maybe an apple or a pear tree?

And, as a soccer update, the kids did infinitely better on Saturday.  In fact, Jack almost scored a goal!  They both ran hard after the ball and got into the thick of things.  It was so fun to watch.

Gender Divisiveness

Lately, there has been a disturbing trend in the Wilson house.  The trio of children is suddenly morphing into a duo/solo.

When we found out we were having twins, both Thomas and I were incredibly excited.  And, when we found out we were having a boy and a girl, we couldn't imagine anything more perfect.  When Kara decided to make an appearance a mere 16 months later, we didn't even bother to find out the sex.  It was completely irrelevant--we had lots of supplies for either gender and figured the surprise would make the experience even more special, which it did, except for an ultrasound tech who kind of blew it for us by referring to the baby as "she" (which we pretended not to hear).   Anyway, the one thing I was truly thankful for was that Kara was going to be a single baby.  I literally had nightmares that I was at the doctor and he suddenly announced another heartbeat.  In one dream, I jumped off a bridge after finding out I was carrying twins.  It wasn't because I didn't love the twins, but rather the thought of having 3 under the age of 18 months was pretty overwhelming.  The thought of 4 was downright terrifying!

Now, I am wishing there had been twins.  Specifically, a boy and a girl.  Why, you may ask?  Because I feel bad for Jack.  Lately, the girls have been excluding him.  Sometimes purposefully, and sometimes they are just playing games he has no interest in.  He doesn't want to pretend to be a princess and they are getting less willing to allow Iron Man (or Larry Boy, or Spiderman, or ...) to intrude upon the castle.  Several times over the past 2 weeks the 3 of them have been playing outside when Anna and Kara will suddenly decide to come in and play something else.  Shortly thereafer, Jack will follow with a sorrowful, "I need a friend."  He will ask them to come back out, but it is of no use; they have donned their princess gowns (or started some other "girly" game) and he knows he is going to be left to his own devices.  If Thomas is home, he will go outside and play with Jack.  I don't like to leave the kids in the house unsupervised, so I generally just offer to read books or play with play-doh.  But, I can see that Jack is just sad, at least when Thomas isn't there to be his "friend".  He feels abandoned.  He is very loyal to Anna and while he absolultely loves Kara, I think it hurts most when he perceives Anna is rejecting him.  He sees them as Anna and Jack... and Kara..  The few times the girls have closed him out of their room, I have intervened.  But, we can see the writing on the wall.  A pattern is emerging and as parents, we feel powerless (we can't make Jack be a princess anymore than we can make Anna and Kara not).

Of course, things may change.  I recognize that they are only 3 and 4, but trios are often problematic and I forsee that there will be many, many times when someone is left out.  It is difficult to watch.  Kara used to be very independent, but lately she has turned into Anna's shadow.  I can't imagine that lasting forever, but for now, it is very clearly girls' versus boy in our house.  We have never limited our kids to gender-specific roles, but at least in our case, it is very innate.  Nature has definitely won out in the gender portion of the nature/nuture debate.

Speaking of gender roles, my dad called the other day while Anna was at dance class.  He asked where Thomas was and I replied, "he lost the coin toss and had to take Anna to dance."  My dad then asked what kind of dance and I said, "it's a combo tap and ballet class."  There was a long pause, and in a strange voice, my Dad asked, "does he enjoy that?"  Slightly bewildered I responded, "not really, she is going to finish out the year, but probably won't sign up again."  Dad:  "Wait, who is taking the class?"  Me:  "Anna."  Seemingly, relieved he stated, "Oh!  I thought you said Thomas lost a coin toss and was taking ballet lessons."  It was very funny.  All I could picture was Thomas taking his first ballet class at the ripe age of 35 (in my head, he was wearing Anna's pink tutu and tights).

Doctor, Soccer, and a Kara Story

There has been a small amount of excitement in the Wilson house.  This is another catch-up kind of post, but I am going to start with the most recent events and work my way backward.

Scene, quiet time (since no one naps).  It is a shortened quiet time because the kids were playing so nicely that their kindly mother decided to limit it to just one hour, instead of their usual two.  30 minutes in, Jack comes tearing out of his bedroom.  A regular occurrence, his mother waits to hear what excuse he will present.  Much to her surprise, he has come up with something new:

Jack:  There's something in my ear.
Mom:  What do  you mean?
Jack:  Just what I said, duh.  I put a sticker in my ear and I can't get it out.
Mom:  Seriously?  <sigh> Come here.

The mother proceeds to use tweezers to remove a crumbled-up sticker from Jack's right ear.  She breathes a sigh of relief to have averted more trouble and sends him back to his room.  As he runs off:

Jack:  <mumbling> There's one in my other ear too.
Mom: <alertly> What was that??
Jack: <pausing> Ummm, nothing <runs away>
Mom: Jack, get back here.  What did you say?
Jack:  <stammers ineligibly>
Mom:  Did you say there's a sticker in your other ear?
Jack: Yes.

The mother looks in his left ear and isn't surprised to see that this one is buried deep.  She attempts to retrieve it, but is unable.  After a quick internet search yields no amazing strategies for removing small pieces of paper from a preschooler's ear she calls the doctor.  They instruct her to bring him in.  She places a call to her husband, who then leaves work early to assist.  In the meantime, she tries again to remove it, both with tweezers and then, has the brilliant idea to try and suction in out with the vacuum.  Of course, the brilliant idea didn't extend to first emptying the vacuum canister, so after the suctioning attempt, when she doesn't see it is his ear, she is forced to go through the dirty dusty vacuum contents hoping to find a sticker of a drum.  The search yields no conclusive evidence.  Fortunately, at this moment, Jack's father comes home.  Using the "flashlight in the mouth" method, he confirms that there is still something there.  Unable to remove it, they continue with a divide and conquer plan.  Daddy takes Anna and Kara to Anna's dance lesson (where she gets in trouble again, this time for having spit dribbling out of her mouth (no further details available) and has her hand stepped on by the instructor--also again.

Mom and Jack arrive at the doctor's office at 5:30.  Sick call is from 5:00-7:00 and the place is packed.  There are about 8 people in front of them (and that was after 2 left, scheduling appointments for the following day).  At 7:30, they finally get to see the doctor.

Scene: the doctor's office.  The doctor is nearing the end of his 12-hour shift.  He has at least 8 more patients to see before he can call it a day and while professional and nice, his manner is still somewhat rushed.  Jack, cooperative at first, but mounting pain and irritation increase his anxiety as the object remains lodged.  It is possible that a trip to the hospital is in their future.  Mom begs him to hold still, tries to distract him with conversation, but it isn't enough.  Finally, a nurse is called in, oddly enough she had a conversation with the mom earlier about having to hold down a child to get a strep culture.  And she thought that was bad...

Doctor: Jack, the nurse is going to give you a hug.  Mom--hold his arms and legs.  Nurse, keep his head still.
<lots of probing in Jack's ear with various objects.>
Jack: I DON'T. WANT. ANYMORE HUGS.  STOP IT.  <crying, screaming>
<Repeat several time,  with Jack uttering varying statements showcasing his discomfort and anger.>

Mom is unable to calm him down.  After approximately 10 minutes, the doctor is able to remove a small, bloody, crumbled up sticker from Jack's ear.  They are given a prescription for ear drops to prevent infection (from all the scratches caused by the removal).  It is now 8:00.  Mom takes Jack to Rite Aid to fill the prescription and Jack says he is agreeable to a dinner of snacks from WaWa.  After a trip to WaWa where Jack chooses a peppermint patty and tootisie roll for his dinner (and Mom buys him a cheesestick and banana to go with it), they are on their way home.  The ordeal is over.

Okay, so that took a lot longer than I anticipated.  Of course, I could have written it in one paragraph in a different format, but where's the fun in that?  Jack is fine now.  He learned his lesson and I had him tell the girls all about it, so hopefully that will be the only doctor visit for object from ear removal.

In other news: the kids have had 3 soccer games.  They are doing progressively better.  They aren't quite lighting up the field (understatement of the year), but I think one of them may have kicked the ball last week.  Or, maybe it just bounced off Anna's shin?  Okay, that is a (slight) exaggeration.   Anna is a really good sport, and Thomas and I are both really proud of the positive attitude she has each week.  She is always willing to go out onto the field and does not complain about anything.  Unfortunately, she is somewhat timid and seems to avoid the ball.  Although, she is getting better about that.  Jack does a good job cheering for his teammates, but is generally reluctant to go onto the field.  The first game he had significant trouble not using his hands, and is doing much better in that regard.  He often declares that he wanted to kick the ball and gets mad that the other kids aren't succumbing to his desire.  It is fun to see them progress and I can't wait to see what they are like by the final game of the season.  Both have indicated that they don't want to play next season, but they seem okay with sticking it out until the end of this cycle.  Thomas is the coach and he is doing a fantastic job.  The overall skill-level of the team has already increased and while soccer isn't his favorite sport (or even in the top 5), I think he enjoys the coaching.  He is really hoping that one (or more) of them wants to play t-ball in the future.

One more story.  I posted this on Facebook, but it is my favorite thing anyone has said in a while.  When I got Kara up one morning (a week or so ago), the first thing she said to me was, "I like your shirt, Mommy.  It's very nice."  I was wearing a faded blue-striped shirt.  I thanked her and we went on with the day.  Around lunch time, she got upset with me over something.  I can't remember what, but she told me "I'm not going to be your best friend anymore."  After that didn't appear to faze me, she then stated, "and, I don't like your shirt, either."  It was hilarious!  My laughing was probably not what she was going for, but I just couldn't help it.

Easter Weekend

We had quite a celebration for Easter.  On Friday, we went to DC.  I had bought a Groupon a couple of months ago for a Cherry Blossom cruise.  It was for the 5 of us to go on a cruise around the Potomac to enjoy the Springtime view of the cherry blossoms.  When I booked it I didn't anticipate that the blossoms would bloom so early.  So there wasn't much (any) pink to be seen but it was still a gorgeous day.  The kids had been asking us to take them on a boat for a while and they were thrilled.  We took the metro in, which is an adventure in and of itself, and then walked to the harbor.  We all enjoyed the boat ride.  The cruise lasted just under an hour and gave some good, touristy information.  The kids loved standing at the very front of the boat and peering over the sides, which made me a bit nervous but certainly kept them entertained.

On the train ride there

This was actually the way home, they loved holding on and moving with the train.

In the distance is the Washington Monument

After the cruise we decided to head over to the museums.  Thomas wanted to see an exhibit that we thought was at the National Gallery.  I was excited to go there because it was where Thomas and I had our first date.  We planned to eat at the museum cafeteria, the same place Thomas and I ate almost 11 years ago when we were just getting to know each other.  It was close to a mile away which is a long walk for little legs.  But, we all made it.  We had lunch and reminisced.   We have been to a lot of the other museums since then but this was our first trip back to the National Gallery (not the most interesting for our out of town guests, most of whom have small children).  Unfortunately, the exhibit we were looking for was at the American Art Museum.  I enjoyed seeing the Picasso sketches and the kids liked all the sculptures, but no one felt like going to another museum.  We just figure this means we'll have to go back soon.  

While we were enjoying lunch, a woman sat down across from us.  She had just a piece of cake and Anna said loudly, "I wish I could have some cake."  The woman then offered her a bite, which we politely declined.  But, her gesture of kindness was all that it took for the kids to label her a friend.  They proceeded to talk to her nonstop, telling her their real names and character names (Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman that day) and about going on the boat.  She asked Jack what his favorite thing at the museum was and he answered with a story about Buzz Lightyear.  I love those kids!  My husband also got us some interesting looks.  We were telling the kids about how we were there before they were born.  Anna said that they must have been in my tummy (their answer for anything that happened before they were born).  Then, she asked how they got out of my tummy.  In a very dramatic fashion Thomas said, "the doctors took a knife (he gestured as if holding a knife) and they cut open mommy's stomach and pulled you out (he acted it out with motions in the air)!"  There were three teenagers sitting at the next table, and they all quickly turned around to look at us.  It was hilarious!  (It is a story our bizarre kids like to hear they are used to it.)

Saturday, we took the kids to an Easter Eggstravaganza on the base.  It was okay.  I was a little irritated that it was $5/person.  I assumed it was $5/kid and I don't think the event was worth $25.  We stayed for about an hour, the kids got to tie-dye shirts, which was fun.  (Although after only one washing they have already greatly faded.)  They also had some games but the lines were really long.  The highlight was, of course, the egg hunt.  They had tons of eggs.  I can't imagine who stuffed them all.  They had fields of them (a different field for each age category, we were in 3-5).  We got lots of stickers and gum (which my kids can't have), some that had laffy taffy and sweet-tarts, and a few with prizes like little compasses, tiny erasers or bouncy balls.   

Dyeing t-shirts

Waiting patiently for the hunt to start (sorry Thomas)

Enjoying their spoils

When we got home we dyed Easter eggs and played outside.  Sunday, they had their own little hunt in our house.  We hid the eggs they had dyed and some more candy-filled ones.  They are all such loving kids; they had no problems helping each other and making sure everyone got the same number of eggs.  If one of them of them found an egg another had dyed, they were so excited to give it to their sibling.  It was very sweet to watch.

Before we added stickers and other decorations to our dyed eggs

A Case of Mistaken Identity

I never know who I am going to find when I wake my kids each morning.  Will it be Anna or Ariel?  Is Wish Bear making an appearance?  Perhaps evil Sid will greet me before spending the morning torturing his toys (and us).  Today I have called them by the following names (at their request of course): Wish Bear and Wish Star (Anna and Kara respectively), Batman (Jack), Baby Captain America (Kara), Baby Darth Vader (Anna), and Darth Vader (Jack).  At the moment, I am a Rebel.  Which means one of the kids occassionally pops in, asks if I am rebel and then runs off screaming to the others that they have found the rebels. 

On the one hand I love their imaginations.  On the other, I get tired of being corrected a thousand times a day with, "I'm NOT Jack, call me Batman."  Frequently, I become a part of their games.  We were outside today, I was pulling weeds and the kids were riding bikes.  Jack was Batman.  Anna was Wish Bear and Kara was her side-kick Wish Star.  Much to the girls dismay Jack refused to be roped into a Care Bears game.  Anna tried, "welcome to Care-A-Lot, Batman."  Jack's response, "Batman does not visit Care Bears."  I, however, had to juggle being Robin and the queen of Care-A-Lot.  Fortunately, the girls let Jack off the hook without much fuss.  It doesn't always go that way when someone refuses to participate in their world of make-believe.  A couple of days ago Kara let out a blood-curdling scream. Assuming she had fallen down the stairs or something equally terrible, I ran to her aid. When she calmed down enough to talk, I learned what happened: Anna had refused to call her Belle.

When Anna or Kara is Ariel they opt not to use their legs.  Thomas is a kinder parent, he will make them a mermaid tail out of a blanket.  I just step over them, trying to remember if I am Ursula, Flouder, or King Titon.

They have no legs and since Mommy refuses to carry them from room to room, they are left with no choice but to drag themselves about.

Last week Anna was Cinderella and I was the evil stepmother.  Every few minutes she would demand a new task.  I would tell her to go wash the windows or sweep the floors.  A minute later she would return and say it was done and I would give her a new task.  This went on for a while until I heard running water.  Apparently she had decided that I was not pretending when I told her to wash the bathroom floor.  She dumped a bucket of water on it.  After that, I was careful to distinguish between real and pretend tasks.  Pictured below are real tasks of wiping counters and helping with laundry.

  





Now, I am a stormtrooper, directing them in their hunt to find Princess Leia.  Kara just threw a pillow at me and told me it was her Captain America shield.  Never a dull moment.  But on the plus side there is no way I could have sat down a year ago to write a blog while they were awake.  Now, their imaginations allow them to have all kinds of fun together, often with limited parental involvment.  They are growing fast and I am enjoying seeing their imaginations blossom. 

I had started to keep notes of all the cutes things they are doing so I could write about it.  Unfortunately, I can't find my notebook.  It was probably the prop in one of their games. 

So, in limited other news, Jack and Anna have started soccer and Thomas is their coach.  I couldn't believe how cute they all were in their soccer gear.  They have only had one practice, so I'll have to keep you posted.  Kara is progressing with the potty training.  She kept her underwear dry all day yesterday.  Today hasn't gone as well, but we're getting there.  Anna got in trouble at dance last night, apparently she was "huffing and puffing" and had to sit against the mirror.  I am not 100% sure what that means but I think she was sighing heavily and repeatedly when she was frustrated.

It looks like the troops need me, so that will have to serve as catch-up for now.  Now, where are those rebel scum???

Me, Anna & the bees

To those who know me well, this will come as no suprise: I am terrified of bees and hornets.  As in, I have jumped out of a moving car to get away from a bee.  As in, I was voted "least likely to become an entomologist" at camp.  As in, my father almost didn't let me get a driver's license because he was afraid of what would happen if I was the driver of a vehicle that contained a stinging bug.  This life-long fear began as a child.  I can't remember a time when I was not scared of the flying insects.  And, as a result of this, I got stung.  A lot.  I have been stung on my eye, neck, arm, foot, and finger.  Those are just the ones that come immediately to mind.  Oddly enough, when you turn into a bumbling imbecile anytime a bee comes near you, they tend to freak out and sting you.  I am also slightly allergic; I swell up pretty big.  We have made at least one trip to the emergency room, but benadryl seems to do the trick.

As an adult I have begun to get a handle on my outrageous behavior.  There have been hornets in the car, but I have managed to pull over without killing myself or anyone else on the road.  I have even mustered the courage to unbuckle a child in a carseat and pull them to safety while we waited for the insect to fly away.  This past summer, I enjoyed a picnic with bees flying around and was able to walk into a house surrounded by bees (without covering my ears, which is pretty much a reflex for me).  In fact, I like to think I am almost over my irrational bee fear.  Now, I would say I just have a healthy fear. 

Unfortunately, the hornet phobia is alive and well.  They are just so dang-scary looking, with those dangling leg-like things.   This time of year, they descend on our home.  One of them somehow got inside last week.  Fortunately, we had some "kill on contact" 22-foot spray.  You know the stuff that says that under no circumstance is it to be used inside?  Well, I used it inside.  Then, I opened all the windows and turned on the fan.  We all survived.  Well, not the hornet of course. 

When we had kids, I was afraid I was going to pass my fear onto them.  I have learned to somewhat mask it  but I still freak-out if I am in an enclosed space with one.  And, heaven help us if one lands on me.  I lose all control then.  Which brings me to the Anna part.  She has already been stung 3 times.  Two by hornets (or wasps, I don't know the difference) and once by a bee.  One hornet she picked up thinking it was dead and not knowing what it was.  The bee flew up her dress at the zoo and couldn't find its way out.  And, the last time, she was standing on the deck right on top of a large nest.  So, you can't blame the kid for being scared.  I am seeing a lot of myself in her behavior.  Today, she saw one on the deck.  The way she was screaming and crying, I was afraid she had been stung again.  And that was just because she saw one.  I had to guide her in an alternate door.

So, what is a phobic mother to do?  I decided to be honest.  I told her I was also scared of them and explained how it had kept me from having a lot of fun outside.  I told her that if she lets the fear dictate her behavior now, it will grow and grow and soon she won't be able to fully enjoy all the things she really enjoys, like riding her bike.  I explained how there were hornets flying around the whole time she was outside and she didn't even notice them because she was having so much fun.  So, we talked for a while and she decided she was going to be brave.  Hopefully, she will have (much) more success than I've had.  Fear is such a funny thing; I wish I could be as rational as my 4-year old is.

On a side-note, Jack came in from outside and reported that he also saw a hornet.  Then he asked, "was it looking for Anna?"