Monkey See, Monkey Do!

Children are the magic dreams that we all once were, filling the air with laughter and sunshine. Carefree, beautiful, little gifts from God...children are our students, yet they teach us so much. Through their eyes we see life as a path of adventure, with caves to explore, secrets to keep, and a lifetime of experiences just waiting to be discovered.
Author Unknown.

Happy Mudder's Day!

These three people mean the world to me. I am so proud to be the link between them and I love to share them with each other. Of course, I don't need a specific day to remind me of how much I love them but I am always up for celebrating relationships, especially those which shape and define me each and every day. My role as a mother has made me appreciate my mom on such a deeper level than I ever had before and I truly doubt that I would have nearly as much fun "mothering" if I couldn't share this journey with her. I am so grateful to her for showing me how this whole motherhood thing works. In so many ways, I still find it hard to believe that I am actually a mom. I find it crazy that I am the one that can heal the boys "boo-boos" and calm their tears with a simple hug or kiss. It can still make me smile when I think about how I am the one that answers "yes, buddy" when they call out for "mama" a million times a day. I cannot tell you how excited I am to be the grateful recipient of years of handmade Mother's Day gifts and crumpled up flowers picked by little grubby hands. It still amazes me that I get to be the one that teaches them that it's not okay to talk about poop at church, in front of girls, or at the dinner table. And how awesome is it that I get to cheer the loudest at the baseball games, take an annoying amount of pictures before prom, and mouth the words from the audience as they deliver their big line in the school play? Pretty dang awesome, if you ask me! So thank you my boys for reminding me everyday of the "fruits"of my labor! You make me feel lucky even as I pick dried cheese of the car seat or blot up pee off the carpet. : ) And of course, a thank you to my mom for showing me how to care for and love someone with all your being. I am a better mom because of you.

Little Sailor Boy!

Jack had his very first 'Spring Sing' at school on Thursday. It was an "On the Go" theme and Jack's class were the sailors of the group. Of course our little seaman stole the show and this stealing was despite (or because of) his multiple wardrobe malfunctions, his tendency to forget that he was actually supposed to be singing, and his many full blown yawns throughout the action packed show! : ) If you ask me, only a star can deal with these less than ideal conditions and still find the time to play to the crowd! Hollywood here we come...

Bed Bugs

Well, it was nice while it lasted. Ever since we first sleep trained Jack as a baby, he has been a wonderful, make you envious sleeper. He goes down with little or no complaint at 6:30 p.m. and our little guy was like clockwork in the morning. Every single morning at 6:30 a.m. we would hear "mama, dada...I'm ready to wake up" over and over again until we wandered bleary eyed into his room and got him out of bed. So you might be curious as to what he did all night long? Did he really stay in his bed while surrounded by a room full of toys? Did he really go down for the count when it was still broad daylight outside? Why wouldn't he just bound out of his room as soon as he wakes up? Well I can't really answer all of the why's, but I can definitely answer the what's...I can tell you that Jack stayed right in the exact same spot all night long. Sometimes it was hard to tell if he had moved a muscle the entire night. Pillow-same, arms-same, drool spot-same, covers-same, sweaty head-same, stinky pull up-same...it was kind of amazing and definitely nice while it lasted. Unfortunately, I am saddened to report that our 'stiff as a board, clockwork' sleeper is now a "get out of bed 10 times at bedtime and get out of bed 5 times WAY TOO EARLY in the morning' sleeper. Not exactly as amazing or nice. Now don't get me wrong, he always has his reasons...he lost his tissue, he has to poo-poo, he needs to give me one more hug, he needs tell Daddy what he wants for breakfast, he wants to sleep with us, he needs an animal to sleep with, he forgot to tell Hayes goodnight, and of course my favorite "I don't know why I got out of bed" Seriously? Seriously? Don't worry though, Jason and I are staying strong and are confident that we will prevail. We are not ready to let go of our super sleeper and are doing everything in our power to keep that little turkey in bed. So here's to a good night's sleep to you and to us! Tomorrow is a big day...lots of shopping to do! And on my shopping list? Just a few goodies like a safety lock, some rope, peanut butter, a mouse trap, a night light, guard dog, barbed wire, tape, dead bolt, and of course, a straight jacket. Happy parenting! : )