A 3rd Birthday!

We recently celebrated our youngest son's 3rd birthday. He's such a sweet boy who is so easy to please. I was putting him to bed the other night and as I rubbed his back he sighed and said, "Mom, you mine best friend."

Water Fun

I took the boys to the local sprayground today. Just me and them. It was good to take them somewhere fun for a change. I realized that the last couple times I've taken them somewhere together, besides school, it was to Target or the grocery store. Those trips haven't gone so well lately. The last time we were at Target they tipped over a cart and pinned my arm between the cart and a shelf. Then our oldest boy knocked over a bottle of wood oil near the cutting boards. There was oil everywhere and then when he was running to catch up to me he slipped and fell in the wood oil. Our youngest son does his own damage in a store, grabbing everything he wants and then laying down on the floor if we don't get it for him.

I thought it would be nice to take them somewhere fun for a change and the sprayground is even free! They didn't get as wet as I thought they might, but they seemed to have a good time together and no one even got mad! We need to try to do stuff like that more often!

Finding Happiness in a Day of Chaos

While I've been home on maternity leave from my job I've enjoyed spending some time cleaning up the house, paying bills on time, coming up with menu plans (and even doing a little cooking!). I've taken my boys to their schools and then come home and taken a wonderful nap with my new baby girl. I've really enjoyed spending time with my kids and seeing everyone interact.

I'm dreading the hustle and bustle of getting out of the door on time with 3! kids. Getting everyone dressed and fed, including myself, seems like it an insurmountable task. I'm not sure how I'm going to pull it off.

Today is my last official day home. My oldest son has a vacation day from school and my youngest son is recovering from an ear infection. I was hoping it would be lovely and sentimental, but it has actually been total chaos. I know my boys are learning so much from each other. They are learning how to get a long with others. Taking turns and learning conflict resolution is one difficult thing! I'm trying not to get involved so much (which means yelling less), and let them try to figure it out on their own a bit. They do ok, but boy is it hard to be around.

I'm trying to find the beauty and happiness in their chaos, because I know there are important life lessons to be learned (and FUN to be had!), but it's really hard sometimes.

Strawberry Season / Growing Boys

Today officially marks the opening day of our favorite local berry patch.

We recently stumbled across a local grower of strawberries, raspberries, peaches, apples and pumpkins. We visited there for the first time last summer just in time for raspberry season. Today they are opening for strawberry season. Hopefully we can visit there next weekend for some fresh local berries.

In the mean time I ran across a pretty good sale at the local grocery on strawberries. They were from California, which is half the country away, but they looked good and the price on 4 whole pounds was pretty good. I thought I was probably overdoing it by buying so much, but these growing boys went through them in no time at all. I bought another 4 pounder about a week later, and those too are gone.

Our oldest son is now 5 1/2 and our youngest is 2 1/2. We have managed pretty well on not noticing their food intake very much, but all of a sudden they are eating supper and then following that with bowls of cereal. They are looking for snacks left and right, eating lots of apples and pears, string cheese, yogurt and more cereal. I suddenly realized that our grocery bill is probably going to take on a whole new meaning with these two boys!

So, local strawberry patch -- here we come! Hopefully that will sustain these two guys a little bit.

Summertime!

Well, it seems summer is officially here!

We are going through boxes of popsicles like there is no tomorrow.

The grass is being mowed weekly and the hoses and sprinklers have come out.

The air conditioning is on and my husband is grilling almost nightly.

It seems like it was just a slushy winter thaw with muddy dog feet.

Living with Boys

I always thought I would have a daughter. I never imagined being surrounded solely by boys.

There are boys things everywhere. Spider Man underwear, Robin Hood videos, Matchbox cars and fire trucks that have wailing sirens. I imagine girls present other specific challenges that perhaps don't involve superhero powers or heated battles with bad guys. Some days I'm sad there aren't pink dresses and tights to fold on laundry day, but other days I feel like it's a specific responsibility assigned to me to instill love and compassion in my sons so they will be kind to those around them in years to come.

In the mean time I'm finding myself suddenly interested in more girly things for myself - that I never was interested in before. Maybe it's a need I'm feeling to set myself apart from the men in my life.

I'm also seeing the world in a whole new way. I'm looking at grown men now in a different way too. They aren't just bosses and coworkers, doctors and mechanics, judges and criminals, but suddenly I'm realizing that they were little boys once too, some not so long a go.

Snow Day

It's wonderful to see the unbridled excitment in my son over a fresh snow.

He kept insisting he wanted to go outside to make snow angels. His dad and I reluctantly helped him get bundled up in his snowpants, hat, coat and mittens, and kept thinking about how we did not want to go outside in the cold.

We braced ourselves and said, "we're going to stay in, but you can go outside if you want."

We waited with dread, thinking he was going to beg and plead with us to go with him and then end up deciding with great frustration that he would stay in afterall.

Instead our big boy said, "ok, I'm going."

I think it might have been the first time he ventured outside to play by himself.

We watched him from the kitchen window as he went out and promptly laid down in the snow to make snow angels.

That's when I felt bad and threw on a coat and grabbed my camera.

It only lasted a few minutes and he was ready to go back in, but boy was it a great snow day.

A Four Year Old

Happy Birthday to my oldest son. He turned four on January 15. He is a sensitive, caring and tenderhearted young man. He has weathered the past year well, becoming a proud older brother.

He started preschool this year and is known to be a peacemaker among his peers.

Although he is particular at times I hope he grows up continuing to hone his eye for details.

I also hope he continues to care about the world around him and looks out for those less fortunate than him.

I'm proud of him and look forward to getting to know him more.

Christmas Day Sledding

Happy Birthday!

My younger boy turns one today. What a joy he has brought to our lives. His laughter is contagious. His sense of adventure is a marvel. I hope he never doubts the love and joy he has brought to my life. I love him very very much and can't wait to get to know him better.

Brotherly Fun