Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

What I have been learning...

I saw this on someones blog today (if only I could remember who, I would paste them here) and had to create my own. Thanks for the idea...My family will be pleased you gave me the idea to write!!

Things I have been learning about being a mom…and being a mom to Y’s

1. As much as I have tried to change it…every day I only have 24 hours. I have to make choices about how to use them. If I choose to play with my y’s or take them to the park, then I'm choosing not to do something else (like clean my bathrooms). Therefore, I can't get upset later in the day when the bathrooms are not clean. Personally I’d rather go to the park!

2. There will always be something to clean

3. The laundry basket will ALWAYS have something in it. And I am learning to accept the fact that said laundry basket is always in the background of some picture, no matter what room the picture was taken in!

4. My bed doesn’t get made everyday (ok, hardly ever)

5. I have to go to the grocery store more than I admit. We will always be out of something about every couple of days despite my list. Sadly that would be a paper list, not a mental one!

6. It's okay to run the dishwasher every day to save myself the time of washing dishes for hours

7. Some days I will not be able to have a traditional "quiet time" with God. But I can cry out to him all day for guidance.

8. They discover their “pieces and parts” way before they realize what “pieces and parts” are

9. My entire day can be affected by my attitude.

10. My children aren't perfect and neither am I (gasp!)

11. Little boys love their mamas!

12. I NEVER in my life could have imagined the love I feel when I look at these two.

Saturday, June 26, 2010

It's been a long time comin'

So whenever I think about the life changing event that happened today, I can't help but sing "It's been a long time comin'" by Five for Fighting!

It happened. Finally! It's been a long time comin' (anyone read the cotton ball post?!)
Q got his very first "big boy bike with a helmet"!!

Q helping daddy put it together


The training wheels go on


And it was HOT, HOT, H.O.T.

We got it put together and made it to Uncle Dirk and Aunt Michelles.


And then it rained.
And then it was time for the US vs Ghana soccer game.
And then it poured.

Hoping tomorrow after church it will not rain and it will not be so hot.
Hoping we can get some good bike ridin' in.
'Cause it's been a long time comin'

Friday, June 25, 2010

Just because...

Who's now wearing shoes & drinking out of a sippy?


YUP! B! He doesn't care for them....he is his mama's boy! Neither of my boys like
shoes!


This would be the "mole face". You know when a mole comes out in the sun and it's really bright? He also likes to make a funny "sushing" noise while making this face!


SOOOOOO BIG!!!


One last one, just because....I can't get enough!

(And there's those two teeth I was telling you about!)

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Monday, June 21, 2010

Weekend Wrap up

This weekend was fathers day!

It's easy for me to write about fathers day. I have an awesome dad. I also married a man that I knew would make an awesome dad. I knew it years ago. And once we had children I was proven right. It was one of the many reasons I knew I would marry him. It was one of the many reasons I did!

There is nothing he wouldn't do for those boys. It's amazing to watch. I fall in love with him every time I see him hug, kiss, play, wrestle, read to, rock, and snuggle with them. The one thing that will melt a girls heart; listen to your guy talk with them. I love listening to my charming prince lay in bed and tuck Q in for the night. I could sit at that door for hours.



So because it was fathers day, we celebrated how he would want to.

We went to see his grandmother in Granite Falls. This is Mimi. She is the great grandmother to Q & B. Q loved seeing her. He took to her super fast! This is them enjoying some ice cream at Huffy's.



B, not so much. He is in his mommy phase right now. NO ONE (ok, fine, there are a select few) will do.

Sunday morning he enjoyed some cereal with Mimi. This is him leading Mimi to the dining room for breakfast. Of course neither of them ate because they had just enjoyed some cheerios!



She is a little unsteady and sometimes needs a hand. Q thought he should help her.



Granddaddy was also in Granite falls!



We then drove to Greensboro at naptime to see Grammy. We spent the afternoon enjoying lunch and painting and hanging out there. Then it was time to head back to Raleigh.

It was a nice "holiday" weekend. Including some great weather!

Happy fathers day to all the awesome dads, granddads, uncles, father figures and moms that are dads too!

Thursday, June 17, 2010

9 months

HOLY SMOKES!
B is nine months! Here is the low down on "B" or "BB" or "BPP" or "Baby B". Like him, his list of nicknames is also growing!

He pulls up on everything, even moving things!
He likes to feed himself finger foods (This part I hate. It's so scary!)

He drinks water from a sippy cup.
He LOVES bath time.
He adores his big brother.

He says "mama" and means it!
He wants to eat, lick, and suck on everything, including shoes.
He doesn't like when you take something from him!
He smiles the minute anyone acknowledges his presence.
He still only has his bottom two front teeth.
He has now been exposed to pink eye

He looks like his mommy (seriously, he does)

He weighs 21 lbs 10.5oz
He is 28.5" long
He now SLEEPS THROUGH THE NIGHT!

SURVEY SAYS:

HE IS PERFECT!!!! No really, the peditrician said it at his 9mo check up. I'm pretty sure she doesn't tell every body that!

On that sleeping thing: Dr. P said, as she did with Q. "You need to let him cry it out. He doesn't need any nourishment through the night. You are creating bad habits. He doesn't cry because he needs you, he cries because he wants you. You don't nurse him when you go in there do you?" With tears in my eyes like a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar..."Of course I do. I have to go in there, because he won't let anyone else settle him, and when I go in there he won't settle for me until he is nursed. And I go in there because when he cries, he doesn't just cry, he screams. I want him to know I am there for him." I thought all this was supposed to go away after the first baby? So last friday night after his appointment we did it. I actually think he slept through on his own. But since then he has only woken up twice and both times has cried himself back to sleep...and it only took an hour, ok fine a few minutes, each time!

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Cotton

It's summer! Remember what summer was like when you were a kid?! How many miles do you think you rode that bicycle?

Chad and I want to get Q a bike. As Q refers to it, "A big boy bike with a helmet". Yes, that's the one. A big boy bike with a helmet. It could all be yours, ahem, his. All he has to do is fill this 1qt container with cotton balls. Simple I know. Fill it and you get a bike. The idea is genius. Not mine. My genius friend Amanda (you know mom to Mitch and "the twins") In her previous life she was a teacher.

I was so excited and sure it was going to work. He earns them and then they get taken away when he doesn't listen or we have to count or, or , or. The possibilities to earn are endless. And putting back a cotton ball would be pure devastation. A sure way to learn a lesson and never want to give another one up! Right?

We did this for one week. Q was PERFECT. Earning cotton balls left and right. And since we weren't going to go until Saturday, I even smooshed some down to make room for more!

Friday when we left school, Q told his teachers he was getting "A big boy bike with a helmet". We talked about our genius reward system and how it worked all week. That is when they both started in on how great Q is and how he ALWAYS listens, and participates, and helps out. They couldn't believe we needed any such system at home. Oh, but we do.

And then we came home. Slowly but surely Q started to unwind. And it got ugly. And more ugly.

And then I said it. "It's time to take a cotton ball out". He was devastated. "I want to take them all out". I explained ever so calmly, KNOWING there was no way he would take them all out, "You take them all out and you will not get a bike tomorrow" Yup, I said it. That was the rule all along. The jar had to be full to get a bike. Not full at one time, full when we left to go get the bike. I guess I needed to be more clear.

That is when he did it. He grabbed them all in one swift handful and put them all back in the cotton ball bag!! "I don't want a big boy bike with a helmet" "I want to take them all out"

I was crushed. I was the one devastated. There was no way he was going to earn back all those. Not tonight. He was going to bed.

That is just what he did. He went to bed.

What do you think the first words were out of his mouth on Saturday morning? You guessed it..."Are we going to go get my big boy bike with a helmet today?" There went that knife deeper and deeper into my heart. With a heavy heart and a sad voice I said "No, Q we aren't. You don't have any cotton balls in your jar."

AND.HE.WAS.FINE.WITH.THAT!!!!

It was Chad and I that were so upset. We had planned the perfect day. We were going to go to the farmers market and then go pick out a bike and have lunch and then to the helmet store. The rest of the afternoon we were going to spend learning how to ride "A big boy bike with a helmet".

I made a promise to myself, that if I threatened it, I would follow through. That is the cardinal rule of parenting isn't it?

I honestly thought he should learn how to earn as well as taking responsibilities for his actions. A bike is a pretty big prize. I thought this was the perfect combo. And we were soooo close. It was Friday at bed time. So his Aunt Kelly and I came up with a revised plan. I put a red line around the half way mark. When it gets to half way, he earns a small prize to keep the momentum going. I would say let's get his helmet. But let's face it, by the time he earns this bike, that helmet might be too small.

But as we sit on a Tuesday evening our jar is just under half way. Since Saturday, you ask worried? Yes, since Saturday, that is because every time he is asked to take out one...

He wants to empty the jar.

PS
Sorry there are no pictures because uploader is not working. Hang in there, maybe our next picture will be Q on a bike!

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Friends

I write a lot about my friends. I have a lot of friends to write about. I am very blessed. I try to tell them how wonderful they are. How they inspire me. Why I am a better person because of them. I try to do the same for them.

However, sometimes I know the car turns down selfish rd and there you are listening to how amazing the Y’s are or what cool thing they are doing now, and how I am looking for child care, again. And that is when I pull in the driveway, or the parking lot, or the parking deck and I have to go. And yet, you listen because you love me and you love them too. Not once did we talk about you, and how amazing you are or what cool thing you are doing now. But you answer the phone the next time I call and sometimes you even call me (hoping that I won’t be surrounded by screaming y’s, or about to park the car, or heading to my desk.). You must still know that I would drop everything for you?! I won’t even start on how everyone always comes to see me, yet, I haven’t made a single trip!

Yesterday, my friends attended a funeral. A LOT of friends. 1 funeral. I knew him. He lived in my neighborhood growing up. One sister was in my class. He still lived at the beach and apparently still saw or hung out with these friends. Everyone was so sad. Everyone hurt. Everyone was asking “Why”. This was the second funeral in two months. Neither boy was sick. Neither family was expecting this. They were living their life, doing their thing. Even though we weren’t “friends” anymore, my heart ached. I was sad. Sad for my friends. Sad for his sisters. Sad for his parents. And my stomach would flip when I thought about the two sons that he left here.

And because they are boys, I wondered, did any of their friends tell them how much they meant to them? Do guys do that? Do guys send text messages saying “Hey man, saw Dirty Dancing (ok, maybe not Dirty Dancing) on TV today and thought of you. Remember the first time we saw that?!” “Hey dude, just got back from surfing some killer waves, wish you lived closer.” Is this something we can teach them? Is it possible this is a nature vs nurture thing?

So send someone a note, a text, an email, a voicemail and tell them you love them. Because tomorrow you may not get to.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Sunday, June 6, 2010

It's been 5 years....

Not since I last blogged, although several of you have said it's been too long. Since Chad and I got married! May 29th 2005. Some days it seems like so long ago. Some days it seems like yesterday!

We celebrated our 5th anniversary at a wedding! We really wanted to go some where to celebrate, just the two of us, but instead headed home to the Outer Banks and enjoyed ourselves just as much!

I would post a before, but we have lost our (only) three year old lap top to a lightning storm! Boo, but that's another story for another time!

That five years is such a short time for all the things we have seen!
The arrival of our first baby (of the four legged variety)

And the arrival of Q

And the arrival of B

Those are just the best highlights! There have been many good things. Not to make it sound easy, but the four pictures above help me stay focused! Focus on what's important.

Which is what I have been doing, instead of blogging. Anyone reading this blog knows me. Knows that I am a full-time working (outside the home) mom of 2. Wife of 1. Slave to 1 hairy monster. It's not necessarily about coming up with a topic or how to put those thoughts down. Anyone blogging is not usually a person that has that kind of problem! And if you are reading this blog, chances are you know me, and you know I definitely don't have that problem!

My days are long (thanks to said full-time job), my nights are short (thanks to a teething, nursing nine month old)and I want to spend the few short minutes I have in the evening with my boys. So all things not directly related to the laughing and giggling y chromosomes in my house were put on hold.

And I admit, I missed blogging. But once the y's were in bed, I was trying to complete other tasks.

I could give you the laundry list of things accomplished but that would be boring. Instead I will give you the exciting list of things the y's have accomplished:

B likes to make a clucking noise now! He uses his entire mouth and tongue. He smiles ALL the time and likes to laugh. One thing that he ALWAYS laughs at: the "how big" game! He even knows how to play peek a boo!! He is crawling like a champ and loves to chase Q. He also loves to torment is older, (for now) bigger brother. He now takes a bath with out any support and enjoys his new freedom in there. He can pull up on anything and will try! He took his first fall down three stairs into the garage and almost sent me to the ER for worry!

Q is still madly in love with his (for now) little brother. Still the first thing he wants to see in the morning and the last thing before B goes down. He is excited about swimming this summer. This makes mama very happy! He loves to take care of everyone. At the beach he was constantly watching and helping K (who is only 2, so much younger!) He is very social! Mama also likes this! He loves telling me about his day and his friends. He remembers everything! He will repeat things days & weeks later. We are working on his letters. He can write a Q! Potty training is going well. Still doesn't want to go poop every time in the potty. And still wakes up wet most mornings. He is getting his tonsils taken out in July. We are talking about it a little at a time, trying to let him know what to expect. Easier said than done! He loves to tell us how strong or how big he is, or what a big helper he is being.

And now that I have updated you on my life with y’s, I am going to go spend some more time with them.

Hope it was worth the wait!