40 Months

Whew, another month. A little late again. I guess it's good since it means we've been busy.
The boys have definitely been busy. They are working very hard at becoming more independent. Which is good, right? Sure, we all want happy independent children...
In our case in has come in a blast of wanting to do things themselves like: get things out of the fridge/freezer (heavy things, frozen things) and open things that spill and open things like
doors to the outdoors or stop the garage door as it is closing or getting the scissors or a knife to open a freezie. NOT GOOD. The sharp objects. Not good.








Most suggestions by me are met with a 'I don't want to', 'No, not yet', or an emphatic 'I do, I do!'. Emphasis on the 'I' not the 'do'. Opposition in all things.

We are making some small steps with potty training. Finally! Hurray! The Bee is a star. The Bug has shown some progress. I don't think we're going to be all done in the next day or two, but we are making progress. Hurray! No one wears diapers in college right?!

An interesting thing happened today. One boy had a big ole nap in the middle of the day (rare, for sure...has a cold, up late last night).
Anyway, the shock came when the other boy played quietly by himself. For a long time. Quietly people. Two children napped and one played quietly. Which just confirms what I secretly suspected all along.
IT'S WAY EASIER WITH JUST ONE AT A TIME.
We have made a point a few times lately to separate them just to keep the mayhem down. Their combined forces give them superpowers. Of destruction.



It's also much easier to appreciate them one on one, and we're going to try and make a point of doing that a little more.

But at the end of the day they are best friends. The most dynamic of duos!

Zoodles

What do you get when you take 2 adults and 5 kids under 5 to the zoo?
ICE CREAM!!!
And lots of napkins.

The P Word

Potty training.
I have one boy who seems ready to go. Umm...literally. The other one may take a bit longer. I'm sort of prepared physically, but not quite mentally.
I'm looking forward to the end result, but I am extremely wary of the in-between time.
So please give me your thought, advice, what worked for you, what totally didn't...whatever you have on the topic.
Pull Ups, sticker charts (I have both), candy treat rewards, potty dance, big potty, little potty...???

aiy-yi-yi!

We All Scream

I made strawberry ice cream yesterday. It was delightfully not too sweet. I like a little tart in my berries. And not too rich. Just right. Fresh and summery.

My CH hated it (who hates ice cream??). For those exact same reasons. Not enough sugar or fat.

More for me!
And really, I just love the color.

Summer Solstice

This has been a busy week. Which is good. But the long days have really felt like loooong days. Going to the zoo and picnics and book clubs and friends over and sprouting classes and block parties and playing outside...
The warm weather is such a treat after so much rain. In this town we never take our summer for granted!

This photo was taken by Mr. Charming out near the river at Gamma and Gampa's. I added contrast, and faded it a bit and added dark edges with the help of The Pioneer Woman's actions. I love the way it turned out.

The Kindness of Strangers and Why I Wanted to Stick My Head In the Freezer at Superstore

The Bee has been acting out a lot lately. Having tantrums. Screaming in his 'I'm on fire' voice when he is not. Kicking. And more screaming. IN PUBLIC. At church, at Grandma's, at nursery, and today, at the GROCERY STORE.
And that kid has the lungs and tenacity to keep it going. And going. AND GOING.
And then I get going and I get angry and frustrated and nobody calms down.
So today at the grocery store when I took away a clothes hanger he was using to hit things with, he started off on a ripping tantrum.
I tried to reason with him. I tried to argue. I tried to insist. I tried to ignore. I tried to walk away (he just sat on the floor screaming some more). I tried to bribe. I tried to threaten...if you don't stop right now...!!!
I tried to keep my cool when I wanted to to get on crazy mommy on his still diapered butt.

The store seemed to be full of old people today. Seniors Tuesday? I caught the looks of sympathy and others of disdain. He was being extremely obnoxious. But I wasn't leaving.
Of course the thought crossed my mind to just cut my losses and leave, but then I'd just have to COME BACK LATER. And it would have been a total waste of time and sanity.
So he continued to scream through the cereal and the produce and the bakery and on to the checkout.
All of a sudden the lines seemed incredibly long. And the baby is trying to stand up in the cart and throw food out of the cart. And I don't know if I can take it.
And a kind older gentleman standing in the line beside us comes over and asks if he can help. I have nothing left to protest or pretend that it's all under control.
He bends down and says a few words to The Screaming Bee. Then he picks him up and puts his head on his shoulder. Like a grandpa would.
And the screaming stops.

Now, I'm not in the habit of letting strangers hold my children, but the relief was immense (to myself and everyone within earshot). And he was right next to us with a cart full of milk jugs and ground beef (odd, but I'm in no position to judge).
And he held him right through the checkout. And waited for me to finish.
Then he handed my silent boy back to me and we had a brief conversation about helping hands and how he'd had one when he needed it. And I thanked him several times.
And I am thankful tonight.
And I'm going to try to be more aware.
And to offer my hand when it is needed.

And I'm going to find a grocery store that will deliver.

Father's Day 08

We spent the weekend out at my mom and dad's which is always nice. The boys enjoy Gamma and Gampa, and always enjoy being outside.





Father's Day was spent going for a family 'hike' (a walk to the river) and we got to spend time with my dad as well.






Happy (belated) Father's Day to all the great dad's who love their kids. My dad and my husband top the list!

Clark Kent and the Kissing Bandit

The boys have really been into The Super Friends recently. Especially The Bee. So when he put on my glasses the other day, I figured he must be trying out his 'Clark Kent' look. The blonde version. With girl glasses.













He also tried on my pink high heels. While only wearing a diaper. I think I'll save that one for his wedding!

The Bug has become quite affectionate lately. It's nice to see him developing more compassion and awareness of others.
He will just come up and give us a kiss. On the arm or the cheek, or my foot. Especially if he is in trouble. I don't know if it's just coincidence or careful planning, but I will admit it is difficult to stay angry at someone who is kissing you.
Brilliant strategy!

More Fluff

Ok, you can't say I didn't warn you...

We had a few plans this weekend and we were totally rained out. I have to say, it looks lush and beautiful outside, we just don't want to be outside.

These pics were taken in the backyard last week, and the light was bright and not so nice, but it was fun to play anyway.

Can't Stop...

So I know it's not completely original, and it's not even the best photo, but there is something I find irresistible about the whole idea of woodland fairies and girlie dresses and magical things.
My hubby asked me tonight if I was happy I had a girl.

Um...YEAH!

My boys are superfantastic and I wouldn't have it any other way. And I hope to share a lot of great experiences with them. But...they mostly like cars and bikes and smashing things. Hurray for boys!

I never really thought of myself as super girlie, but it seems now, I can't stop myself!
(so yes, you may see a tiny bit more of this theme)

I also downloaded some chic-cool actions from Pioneer Woman, for free. Fantastic!

Busy-ness

Often I have a few things humming around in my head...things or projects I'd like to be doing while I'm actually loading the dishwasher or making peanut butter wraps. My head seems busier than usual lately...

This list may only be for my interest, as I will likely forget everything otherwise, but here's what I'm thinking about:

Little wooden chairs. I have a chair I painted a few years back, but I'd like to find a new one and paint it a light/white color to use as a prop.

Some nice photos of The Babe for her First Birthday. I really want to do this, but it seems difficult to get all my stars aligned. I tried a few today, but not what I was hoping for.
Although I think I've found a great location.

Make another tutu!

Container gardening. I'd like to plant a few things for the first time. I think my husband is still disappointed I didn't get any done last year. (helloooo...newborn baby in the house)

I'm no great seamstress (yet another disappointment), but there are a couple of things I'd like to do. I find the entire process of sewing frustrating. Maybe I just need to keep at it?? I have some sweet Amy Butler fabric I'd like to make into cushions. And I adore this.

I'm working on a couple of books. No, not the great novel or anything, but photo books you can put together online with Heritage Makers. It's fun. I'm looking for some more visual inspiration.

Photography in general. I like to keep learning. I'd like to be making progress. Any progress I may be making feels incredibly slooooow.

And on a slightly (totally) different tangent, I baked salmon tonight. With some inspiration from Julie. And some mango salsa. Fish scares me. It's tasty, but I have no idea what to do with it. But it was EASY. And YUMMY. So try it out!

AND...from me to you...from some other interweb people...here are some popsicle recipes I'm going to check out. Or maybe just throw them in the ice-cream maker.

Party Girl

We didn't have a huge birthday bash for The Babe, but we did have a celebration. It was a dark, rainy day in May (much like every day in June so far) so we invited Auntie ShiShi over, blew up yellow balloons, threw on some flowers, played 'Island' music and ate festive treats. Sounds like a party to me!























I also made (ShiShi helped) The Babe a tutu for her birthday. So easy and so cute. I got the instructions here on flikr.












A couple of days later we had friends over who brought cupcakes. How great is that?? The Bug and The Bee were veeery helpful taking care of the cupcakes.

I am also determined to take some 'official' first birthday photos. I need a little cooperation from the weather, and a LOT of cooperation from the children. What are the chances of that happening?!