Day One- Planes, Trains, Automobiles, and a Boat!

Day One- Planes, Trains, Automobiles, and a Boat!

The day started at 4:30 with the alarm ringing and the scramble to get up and out. I dressed, woke Logan and he was even groggy. Sylvie wanted to sleep in a nightgown so I was trying to dress her through screaming and fighting, and then- wham, she actually processed that today. was. the. day. The day her dreams would come. true. And she was much more helpful after that!

Around 5 am we were heading to the long-term parking lot at the airport. Picking a spot not too snow-entrenched, we unloaded and quickly realized that -1 degree feels really really cold when you’re barely awake! We RAN to the train. Did I mention we were dressed for Florida in fleece and no gloves? A half mile away, we got inside with teeth frozen, hands quivering from cold exposure, and ready for round 2. The train.

And then there were the highlights from the airplane. Security double-checks, a lovely glass of o.j. graced my lap and Sylvie refused to enter the airplane restroom. She has a newly well-timed, well-developed fear. Of restrooms. Did I mention we’ll be gone from home for a week? And the best part was when I heard the pilot mention “It is now 38 degrees in Orlando.” Wait, what?!? Logan said “Why is the weatherman so wrong?”

On to another monorail to get to the shuttles. On to a motorcoach to get to the hotel. By then everyone was done sitting in moving vehicles but we needed to charge on. There was a serious mission to be accomplished. Operation Princess Lunch needed to be attended and time was tight.

After a stop at the hotel, a run up to the room to drop off anything we didn’t want and pick up the tickets, we hopped back onto a boat and headed to the theme park. Oh. My. Goodness. I don’t think -1 Chicago degree had anything on 38 Florida degrees in a boat wearing fleece with massive winds on a boat in the middle of a lake.

We’re here! DisneyWorld! The Land of Happiness! Except your disney card is being denied, someone or something screwed up, so you are destined to the land of “Guest Relations.” Still trying to get to the Princess Mecca in time for our reservation, Josemanuel, Reena, and I (who had working tickets) RAN. It felt like the Amazing Race, out of breath, dodging balloons and people, and pumped on adrenaline and no sleep, we made it to the castle! They giggled at our effort and promised we could have lunch, and did the birthday girl want a chocolate cake and a happy birthday song? Oh, yes she DOES.

Insert sappy tears here while we all watched Sylvie meet her idols, the Disney Princesses. We all agreed Snow White was most in character, her voice, her mannerisms, and her aura were pure Snow White. I think I was 4 again for an hour or so. Sylvie was her typical reserved, shy scared exterior, but you could tell she was jumping for joy inside. She had her own set of paparazzi as we all took a million pictures. She even took a quick break in the princess loo. After 2 times of thinking about it, but thank goodness.

Then it hit us. We’re in Disney and it’s still 38 degrees. So we stocked up on fleece blankets and mittens and extra layers. First stop, Swiss Family Robinson, Pirates of the Caribbean (Sylvie decided she likes pirates, but not those pirates, Logan cheered when we went down the drop-off). A typical disney day with a few rides and a the castle at the end of the day was absolutely stunning sheathed in lights and color.

We ate too much for dinner, and both kids fell asleep at the table, and we’re ready for Day 2!

Life + Snow

Just taking a moment to document how much more intense life gets when you throw in some snow!!!! Some of the things we've dealt with over the years.

*Wake up to the furnace not working- eeeek! Luckily we got it fixed.

*Our radiant floor in the family room works on a boiler, whose pilot light is finicky. To fix it, you need to squeeze into a spot on the floor in the basement. Lay down on concrete. Grab a candle lighter. Turn a knob, get the gas to build up and come at the pilot with a flame lit. Turn the knob and hope it stays. Then jump up because once it catches, it kind of attacks with blue flame and you better not be too close! Repeat every few days.

*Getting to the stores isn't as easy. Lots of snow, slush, a detached garage means bringing bags back and forth in your boots, setting them inside the door, and yelling at the dog to get her nose out of them.

*And then there's the alley, which is gravel and not plowed. And all the intersections where cars get stuck. And the second car of ours that is not as good in deep snow as the SUV.

*Walking Logan into kindergarten means parking, walking about a block through an unplowed playground, and for some reason it's a wind tunnel. Twice Sylvie has had a meltdown crying about her fingers being frozen. Today we bought heavier gloves for her finally.

Seems like everything about winter takes longer, is more difficult and more intense. Between intensely cold days you don't want to leave the house to waking up at the crack of dawn to shovel, it's a lot of work! So when we hear snow is coming, the kids get all excited, and I just want to hybernate!

My Baby Girl is turning "4" !!!!!!!!

She was originally due to arrive on Christmas day. Even being born January 6, I was a bit concerned that her birthday might get shoved to the side so close to all the holiday hooplah. I don't know what I was worried about. We have found reason to celebrate each year of this little girl's life with gusto. This year we survived more stages, heard precious stories, and watched her pictures are becoming so detailed and even a few first stories to go along with them.

At age 4 our Sylvie Alecia is quite the little lady, loving anything girly and quick to claim anything her brother loves for her own. She is creative, imaginative, spunky and bright. She has her own light and our little "Chivilina" as we call her makes our days full and funny and fantastic. She is learning ballet and fiercely practices her athletic moves at "My Gym" until she masters them. She can bend her legs more than I could ever hope to! She's in preschool and making new friends.

I love you little Sylvie, you have "a way about you" (in Billy Joel's words) that we could see from when you were little and I love it. Thank you for being my daughter, my confidante, my shadow while I do all things girly, my extra pillow in cold nights and for all the spontaneous hugs and "I love you's" that come from nowhere. Can I put them in a box and take them out for later as needed?

Kisses and Hugs,
Mommy

She's got a way about her
I don't know what it is
But I know that I can't live without her

She's got a way of pleasin'
I don't know why it is
But there doesn't have to be a reason
Anyway

She's got a smile that heals me
I don't know what it is
But I have to laugh when she reveals me

She's got a way of talkin'
I don't know what it is
But it lifts me up when we are walkin'
Anywhere

She comes to me when I'm feelin' down
Inspires me without a sound
She touches me and I get turned around

She's got a way of showin'
How I make her feel
And I find the strength to keep on goin'

She's got a light around her
And everywhere she goes
A million dreams of love surround her
Everywhere

She comes to me when I'm feelin' down
Inspires me without a sound
She touches me and I get turned around

She's got a smile that heals me
I don't know what it is
But I have to laugh when she reveals me

She's got a way about her
I don't know what it is
But I know that I can't live without her
Anyway

Thyroid Stuff

About 18 months ago I got sick of being depressed and annoyed and angry and depressed and overweight and thought "gee, maybe there is an actual medical reason I'm so off." So I started googling and found this extended list of thyroid symptoms and it fit me, all the way down to being cold all the time, losing hair, and well, just everything. As in, symptoms I've experienced my whole life. So I called, made an appointment at 3 different places to get my bloodwork done and followed through with my OB as they were the shortest lead time. FYI - for some reason the Chicago area has the looooongest lead time to speak to anyone but a doc-in-the-box.

Anyway, my OB, love him, he says "wow, you DO have an issue." What I love is that he actually followed the current "guidelines" for thyroid issues. So I made an appt. with an endocrinologist and 3 months later, got some medication. It helped! For a few months. Then I made a new appt. and waited longer and she bumped it up a tiny bit. So nowadays I'm getting that same ol' lovely "your thyroid is outta whack" feeling and I called to make an appt. at the end of January. Fantastic.

So in the meantime I want to tear my hair out, quit my job, hide out with my children and never face humanity again. Someday when my thyroid is removed or my meds are more regulated, I want to be able to look back and remember just how crazy I felt so often. Maybe it's my sensitive nature, maybe it's my charisma, but I am so itchy to do something different and new and well, not live the days that I am living right now. I am curious how much will change when I change my job.

Today I talked to my co-worker as the office was empty, and we both talked about how we hated working there. Good grief, they could lose their entire architectural department if they aren't careful to maybe perhaps become a better office. I've been miserable every single workday and I'm even having panic attacks on certain days. Ugh. So, finally, this Monday there were a few funny things that happened and brightened my mood. Of course, it involved another co-worker driving one of my least favorite comrades nutsy, but hey, take the humor where you can get it right? Today at the end of the day, after said comrade dealt with Mr. Coworker, I found out he has been re-relegated to another cubicle. By me. That's a good thing because he makes me laugh and the other lady drives me crazy. Gotta take some smiles where we can get them until this "Great Recession" really and truly lifts eh?

A-Maze-ing

I got this idea from

http://ittybittylove.blogspot.com/

We don't have long pretty red blocks, but we do have a mishmash and it was enough to make a maze. I helped guide the kids on when to turn directions on the blocks, but they did well! Logan usually has a lot of patience for building things, but today Sylvie was really into this activity. She loved the addition of the bell at the end of the maze. Logan enjoyed doing the maze walking silly, acting like a chicken, etc. After the maze, it was fun building castles and fortresses for our favorite characters.

Countdown to Christmas

We've had sort of a non-traditional month. We had a double Thanksgiving, one at my mom's house with lots of not-often-seen relatives, and over to the in-laws to a meal they made (which tasted divine, we usually go out with his family). Plus a new addition- Joe's fiance- was so exciting! Of course we've met Emily before, but knowing there will be a wedding in the summer was extra fun. Jorge and I experienced Black Friday in all its sleepless glory when the kids slept over at the in-laws. Toys R Us at Midnight threatened to be a mob scene in the frigid cold, but the security guard and police presence seemed to nip that in the bud. We opted to go home and sleep as it seemed they were letting 10 people at a time inside the store. Woke early and got some great deals. When you're being careful about money there is something thrilling and overwhelming about going "shopping" for good deals and buying a lot!

I waited too long to find an advent calendar and decided that the kids just needed a countdown and chocolate, so I improvised. I think it's kinda fun! And I made sure to get extra candy so these don't disappear before they are supposed to.

We didn't want a big ol' tree this year. We're heading on a trip this January and the trees around here have gone up in price, and we just rearranged the house for new flooring and did not feel like doing it again for a tree. So we welcomed to the family a tiny tree. We love it! The kids love it. Logan thought it would keep growing if we kept adding water, so I hated to crush his hopes of this new live tree we brought home, but I promised we could do some planting in the spring.

We went out with some friends last night downtown, I love seeing the city in the cool crisp winter in all it's holiday glory. Such a great reminder of why we love being a part of "Chicago." We had to walk a ways from the parking garage and haul kids, toys and food, but we all survived and had a great time. It's funny how holidays are so much about family, and I wouldn't have it any other way, but this was a fun holiday celebration the way WE would plan it.

Today we did the Polar Express train and went to pick up Santa, and bring him back with us. It was cute! Sylvie was very uncertain, and then when she realized what was going on, she got all happy and excited:)

Paper Dolls

I love the internet and its plethora of free things to download and cut out.

Gotta Love those Dreams!

Last night was super-intense. I got a chance to see some old friends from Seattle (and some local) but it brought back so many emotions, memories, and thoughts. At the end of the night we were discussing living a more urban lifestyle and so when I finally went to bed, those thoughts were fresh on my mind.

I dreamt we lived in the city and we had just moved. One of the annoyances with our current life is dealing with the drop-offs at various places. So in my dream of course this was resolved! We were all in the car and miraculously I was able to drop everyone off at one corner and they dispersed into their separate directions and we were commenting on how much easier it was! Hilarious.

Then I was driving my SUV and somehow it miraculously parked for free and I found myself walking into a subway tunnel (aka my memories of subway stations in New York) and I rode the train to work (I actually currently work in the suburbs, not the city). So I'm at the next subway station and I am looking at this modern sculpture and there are kids sliding down these metal bars that come to a point (no guard rail) and then drop about 15 feet to the floor below. I was suddenly frantic about someone pushing ME down the sculpture and angry at the parents that didn't seem to notice the major safety hazard. Then I walked upstairs into a grungy stairwell and into my office.

I am usually prone to premonition dreams, I definitely knew the gender of each of my children very early on. And I knew I was pregnant with Sylvie before the tests read "yes." But it would be pretty darn crazy if we did overhaul our lives to fit this dream. Especially if my car could park itself, that would be awesome. I'll keep you posted if this occurs anytime soon:)

Home Sweet Home

I'm getting really attached to our home! We moved in 5 years ago and it's by far the longest we've stayed put in one home in our 12 years of marriage! The last time I lived in a home for so long, I was in High School. The other day Logan said:
"Mom, do you know where I'm going to live when I grow up?" "Where?" "Here in this house. With you." Ah, the optimism and idealism of a little boy who loves his mommy:)

But it also makes me think about having to leave here someday or hand the home over to someone else would be a sad day. We've left our mark. I have tick-marks up the closet door jambs marking Logan's growth from 17 months to 6 years. And Sylvie from age 2 to almost 4.


The person we bought the house from lived her for a few decades and put the addition on it. She had 2 boys and cut a door into the "nursery" and closed it back in when it wasn't needed. Her husband had a workbench all organized with tools, pegs and rows of containers with different nails and screws taped on for identification. They left the tool bench. They left the addition. They left the old appliances and the new ones. We have made our mark as well. We've added a pretty paver patio. Painted and changed out flooring. Knocked apart a countertop in the kitchen to fit a big family sized fridge there. Had a dead tree removed and added plants.

I like to think that someday when we leave here we'll leave a cd or data of some sort with a history of the house, then and now. It fascinates me that a place can be so solid and so fluid at the same time.

Oooh the itch....

You know the one where you want to turn your life upside down, shake it around a bit and start anew? I do love our house and our neighborhood and our schools. But the job, my appearance, the routine with the kids, the daycare situation and the stress, well, I could be happy messing around with all of those for sure!

Job- ugh I'm so ready for something different! I just wade through work telling myself "Just hold out til after the new year and our planned vacation and maybe in the new year the economy will pick up." And some weeks at work are okay and others, well, let's just say I am SO happy to have survived. I know all jobs have their ups and downs, and working is never as fun as being home:) But would it be bad if I started a countdown til I could send some resumes in the mail?

My appearance, well, I'm getting older, I need to lose weight, get a good haircut, and better fitting clothing would help. This week my favorite shoes broke and I have had to compensate with some flats I dont' love because then I have to roll my pants up which is way out of fashion. So hopefully this weekend I can find some new ones!

Daycare- it just seems so jumbled and some things have happened this week that make me want to scoop the kids up and never let them out the door with anyone else but me and Jorge. I don't like giving up control, and I've come a LONG way to trusting others with our kids and letting them do things their own way. I hate when things get messed up in that department.

And I could use my husband back. He's been gone alot traveling. And we've survived! But his deadline is not over so he's been a maniac running around trying to get things done and it'll take a day til he gets his head screwed back on. I'll be waiting:)

My 6 year old!

What is Logan like at age 6? He is definitely at the crux between babyhood and big-kid-hood! He brought his Blue Blankey to school for show and tell (student of the week) and yet likes to build ugly scary Bionicles. He gives into his sister even if she wants his brand new toy before he has played with it. He doesn't care much for the zoo or animals or as much about sports or balloons (halleluja!) as he did when he was little. He's more well-rounded and less obsessive. He lost his first tooth this week and must have lost it during his sleep, we couldnt' find it. It never bothered him, he just figured the Tooth Fairy would come no matter what. And of course she did! Five whole dollars!

When he gets to the line for Kindergarten, the kids call his name and his whole face lights up. He has real friends and he's really good at it! He amazes me every day when he comes home with schoolwork. How could a child who still isn't sure of half the alphabet by sight write out a list of 10 recognizable words from the teacher saying them and him sounding them out?!?! I mean really!? He never ceases to amaze me. And when you point out his incredulous achievements (well, at least they are amazing to his adoring parents), he just shrugs and tells you like it is.

His demeanor still is a bit of a mystery. One minute he's running through the house screaming and excited because he's happy, and the next he's sobbing telling me he wants to be 5 forever (seriously, is that so cute?!) He can be serious and non-challant and boisterous depending on his mood. He still doesnt' love baths, but can jump on the trampoline with the best of them. He loves superheroes and playing legos. He adores new toys and gets plenty of them from all of his biggest fans.

I love my little Logan. He's still quite the individual and a very very very sweet soul.I can't imagine life without him:) Happy Birthday my Logan Anthony, my firsborn and my sweet baby boy.

Future Predictions

Logan: "We could get married and then have babies." (I'm not sure who he was actually talking about, we were talking about marriage.)

Me: "Logan, if you get married someday you can be a daddy and have babies. How many babies do you think you would want."

Logan: "I would want 162 babies."

Me: hysterical laughter

Logan: "Mom, I could totally handle that. I could totally handle 162 babies."

Me: "Logan, you crack me up!"

Logan: "Well, I could have 10 then, that would be way more easier."

Me: "Sylvie, how many babies would you like someday."

Sylvie: "Maybe one."

Proof is in the Numbers

I don't have the official numbers in front of me because they will be mailed to me, but I got a sneak peek at Logan's Phonological Test Scores. Here is the rundown:

Age 3 when he entered Phono: 181 (profound)

Age 4 beginning of the year: 165

Age 4 at the end of the school year: 151

So that's why they recommended he continue Phono in the class, he hadn't really made enough progress and was still high on the scale of needing help with speech.

So, they tested him this week, about 6 months after his last exam:

You ready? He scored a.... 24

Holy cow what a difference! 24 is considered "Mild" so my boy has improved quite a bit! So exciting. He had his last day of Phono, I had his IEP meeting where we changed his goal and met the new in-district speech teacher. She was already putting together ideas for Logan at the meeting and he will most likely come in with one other child from kindergarten. The speech room is right nearby and he will enjoy bonding with one other child for sure, the kindergarten class is pretty large, and he won't feel alone.

Graduating from Phono!

It started at age 2, we did Early Intervention where he ended up getting therapy sessions in my mother-in-laws house.

Then it moved to Early Childhood with testing and placement in the Phono class. 3 Days a week he went to Kensington and 2 days a week he got on a bus and went to Phono preschool. 5 days a week of papers, parties and treats and special days to coordinate, with things to practice at home from both schools.

Then he turned 4 and did the same thing all over again.

Then he turned 5 and while I wanted to pass him out of it, they weren't really offering the option. So we did phono again with the bus and the crazy schedule of 3 different schools to get 2 different children to on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

And finally I was able to get the school district to allow him to do therapy for 15-30 minutes a week during kindergarten hours! I was all worried that his Phono teacher would talk me out of it, and she said she agrees, he has improved enough to "GRADUATE" from phono!

I know it's a silly thing but this has been a part of our lives for 4 years and I guess I'm just taking this moment to revel in the fact that he has moved ON. We have survived, we have done a good thing and he is now in regular kindergarten with a mostly intelligible speech! I couldn't have done it without the grandparents. And it was worth it. This summer we had a meeting and they specifically said that all of our hard work (especially Logan's hard work!) has kept him out of Special Ed. Yeah for Logan!

He has always been my quirky backwards, do everything different than the books say, intense beyond belief for that first year to the point that I had to quit my job, adorable and not predictable boy. He has mellowed to a sweet boy beyond compare and now I can stop being the mom at the park who has to interject for him when the other kids don't understand. He talks to his friends on the playground and he talks a LOT more then ever before.

I just wanted to share my good news and send a note of encouragement for any mom in the group heading down the long road of "therapy" in any of its forms. It's so worthwhile to give your child a hand up when they need it so when all they want to do is be a "normal kindergartener" they have all the tools at their ready.

Playground Anctics

This was all this morning, in the 5 minutes waiting for the school bell to let my son into Kindergarten.

A to Logan: "You're #5 in line! How come you didn't get here first?"

W:"You know what Allison told me? She told me she likes me!"
A: "No she did not! That's a lie!" W looks like he's going to cry.

I turn around to see Allison making eyes with a boy in the next line. There is a cluster of girls saving a spot for another girl and all clamboring around Allison. She's cute, she's got a big sister and apparently she's not afraid to talk to the boys. Should I warn her mom?

A: "Hey Logan, guess what?"
Logan: "What?"
A: "BLPHTTT!" practically spits in his face and makes faces. Nice huh?

Geesh! This is KINDERGARTEN kids? Where's the sweetness? Apparently left behind in preschool.

11 -5 year old Boys.

Oh my! I just attended the first birthday party of the kindergarten year. This party was at home which to me conjures innocence, fun games and homemade cake. Well we had the second two but innocence, man I can picture some of these boys in junior high already. I think I need to send a spa certificate for their teacher this Christmas. Or perhaps buy her a trip to the Bahamas to recoup and get ready for round 2 of the rest of the year!

There was rowdiness, pure insane disregard for the kids toys, and knocking over of juice cups by whipping an inflatable pumpkin everywhere. They had some fun Halloween decorations like the one with a skeleton hand that comes out, and instead of just standing there laughing, it became a contest to see who could break the darn thing faster.

The mummy contest was crazy. The musical chair contest was ruthless. And the pinata left some kids in tears!

The parents hosting were great, they really did try to keep a handle on things. But what do you do when you announce "Time to play a new game!" and a child stands their ground and says "Not me!" and continues to destroy the playroom by throwing things all over the place.

I was actually happy to be there as I had to defend my son a few times, steal his toy gun back from 3 different kids (who took it right out of his hands), and pull a few boys off of him that were in a punching kinda mood. Good grief!

We have a birthday party coming up at Chuck E Cheese for Logan with the same 11 boys, and a Halloween party at kindergarten, I'll be curious to see the behavior of the kids for these events.

And to think, the 11 boys are only half of the kindergarten class. Now I'm glad to be an architect again!

What's for Dinner?

This is a typical dinner for the kids and me. I love serving the kids in these trays, as Logan especially is not very "Mixed food" friendly. He would flip out if I served him a casserole, he prefers compartments. Plus it makes it easier to say "eat all of your veggies or fruit" Since we had a big lunch and neither child is in a growth spurt at the moment, I had to do some cajoling to get them to eat this.



This, on the other hand, is Logan's dinner request. And lunch request. He tells me he would like to eat Ramen all the time. Even though it isn't healthy. And every food presented comes with the question "Is this healthy?" and eaten better if it is healthy.



I have to say it is nice to have ONE food you KNOW the kids will eat, no matter what. Sylvie's fav is rice from the in-laws restaurant. For a Long LONG LOOOOONG time, Logan preferred Hot Dogs, Scrambled eggs, Chocolate Milk and Breakfast Sausage. Sylvie is not as routine, she goes in phases. Usually when you stock up on something, she decides she no longer likes it:)

Robot Control Tower

I had a blast with the kids pulling out some old boxes from the recycling bins, our art supplies, and let them go to town. I made them 3 of the "cottages" and they made the others. Sylvie's is the well-colored variety and Logan's is a "Robot Control Tower." We had a great time!

A few weeks back, you know, when it was warmer!

I can't believe it was warm enough for a sundress and a sunny trip to our favorite sandbox park just a week or two ago! It's so chilly and wet and windy right now, Fall has come aknocking. I even turned on the radiant floor to help keep our toes warm!

I love this park. The smaller equipment is in a huge sandbox. There is a very accessible playground with neat swings and lots of ramps (not pictured). And there is the "Age 5-12" park. The kids took on the big kid park with gusto and had a great time! We stopped at Target on the way there to buy kites, but they were put away for the season- waah! This park even has a "kite-flying hill."

Room Parent

I'm so in love with the idea of helping when I can in Logan's school. Believe me, I'm not the one with 50 ideas and volunteering for every committee. Have to make sure I'm not spread too thin. Plus, everything I offer takes a bit away from either the kids time or my husband's time, or both. But there is just something so cool about walking through those halls with art projects and kids' names and desks lined up that makes me so happy for my Logan to be in school. I guess it means I have good memories from my school days and I'm excited for my kids to be given the chance to go just like I did.

But yes, I am excited to wrap things for a Halloween surprise and have some fun helping at the "parade" and so excited for all of these fun experiences we give these kids and watching them enjoy enjoy enjoy!!!!!

In the green schoolbag- Sylvie

And here are Sylvie's drawings. She likes to draw something and then change her mind about who it is depending on who she is discussing it with. So for me, in my interpretation, she always tells me all tall people are me. I like being tall:) I'm the one in purple. She recently drew some stick figures with REALLY long legs and said they were Logan- grown up.



I really like this apple tree she brought home this week. Very directed in what and how to make it I'm sure, but pretty nonetheless!

In the Backpacks- Logan

I thought I would show some papers that have come home from school that put a smile on my face recently


This one cracks me up. They do a cool activity where they have teh 4th graders come in and read to them. Apparently they read half the story and the kids had to draw/discuss what they thing the end was. The story was about a "big golden surprise thing." Logan drew a spaceship and was all excited for what it could be. He was extremely disappointed that the "Golden thing" was a sunflower. How boring compared to a spaceship!

We have words! Lots and lots of words! Most of his worksheets involve him copying words from somewhere, he lets me know which words he got to "pick myself."





And this one made me actually laugh out loud. This drawing is very different looking than anything he had previously done. He said it's an ice cream truck. Running over a mouse. BOYS!