Nervous Nellies

Ree does not do well with new situations, and she really struggles with changes in plans. In addition, she processes by learning as much as she can about the topic at hand. Consequently, thanks mostly to her dad's efforts, our house turned into a giant science lesson on hurricanes last week. We read about them, looked at pictures of them, and discussed all the possible scenarios.  By the end of the week, Ree was so into hurricanes, she was swirling her foamy bathwash in the bathtub and saying, "Look, Mom!  It's a hurricane.  It's spinning counter-clockwise!"  As a result, Ree did just fine with the hurricane.

It wasn't until the power went out on Friday night that we realized we really hadn't talked to the boys about hurricanes.  Oops.  It probably would've been okay, but we were watching a movie at the time, so there was definite drama in losing the TV.  It was already getting dark at that point, and thankfully the kids were already bathed, so we decided it was time to eat snacks.  As the kids were sitting down, Leon asked me to turn on the lights.  I did my best to explain to him that we didn't have electricity.  He thought about it for a second and then demanded, "MAMA, you turn on lights now!" 

Thankfully, the power actually came back on right before the kids went to bed.  Hallelujah!  That made life so much easier.  Everyone could go to bed with their usual fans and nightlights.  But then it went out again during the night, and so it was pretty dark when the kids woke up at 7:00 on Saturday morning.  The boys' room was especially dark since they sleep with both closed plantation shutters and a blackout curtain.  (It takes a lot to keep Michael asleep!)  Leon tries to act tough, but he is just a little kid under it all.  What he does do, though, is take care of himself.  The boys sleep with their beds touching, and Leon has repeatedly been reprimanded for climbing into bed with Michael.  (Even when I was pregnant with them, Mikey liked his space.  This has not changed.)  Leon has actually been trying very hard to do the right thing lately, so that wasn't an option for him.  Instead, on Saturday morning I discovered he had made a nest for himself on the floor next to Michael's bed, which was also further from the window than his bed.  Leon placed one blanket on the floor, and he was laying on that.  He brought over his pillow, another blanket, and all his stuffed animals, and he tucked himself in to sleep where it was safe.

Meanwhile, if Ree deals with situations by learning, Michael deals with them by talking.  Holy cow!  That boy's mouth never stopped moving on Saturday.  My jaw ached in sympathy.  I think Jeff had to laugh at some level when even I commented about the constant chatter.  Apparently this is my payback for keeping up a steady stream of noise until about the age of 23.