Just Today...

Just today...

I have broken the faucet. Ripped that bad boy right off - water squirted like a fire hydrant. What a mess!

Jake (or Sam - I'm really not 100% sure) colored on himself with a green marker. I think it could POSSIBLY have been Sam because it is mostly on his neck.

I put Sam down for a nap and after going in there a few times I told him his new toy(s) would be in time out if I had to come back in there, so to lay down and be quiet. I didn't hear anything from him and assumed he was sleeping (for an hour and a half)!!! He came out of his room with black 'marker' all over him. After a few questions and him showing me a few things, turns out it was the FURNITURE REPAIR PEN! Didn't even know it was in there... not to mention he had to CLIMB THE FURNITURE to get to it! So, there is black furniture repair 'paint' on Sam's face (pictures to come, I'm sure), Sam's jammies, Sam's mobile, Sam's sheets, and on every piece of paper he could find (there wasn't much). Miraculously, the walls were untouched!!!! (Sam never slept... should be an even more interesting afternoon!?)

It's only 3:00..... thank goodness BJ is on his way home - to fix the sink!

The FIRST Christmas Program...

So Sam had his first ever Christmas Program last week. I was so excited to go and see him 'perform.' Sadly, he was sick the weekend before and had to miss school on Tuesday. He definitely wasn't 100% by Thursday, but he wasn't contagious, and I was SO GLAD he was able to go! I think I would have been WAY more dissapointed to miss it than he would have been, though!

The theme was 'Bethlehem in the Barn,' so the kids were instructed to dress in western/Christmas attire. Don't know how that exactly ties together, but we figured it out! My mom found some cowboy boots and a cowboy outfit - and he wore a plaid shirt with red in it to tie in the Christmas part. I really didn't think Sam would wear any of it, but once he wore the boots a few times, we couldn't get them off of him, and BJ dressed him that morning in his chaps, vest and hat, and he LOVED it! I honestly couldn't believe it that he would wear the hat, but he did! AND - he still had it on by the time he had been at school for and hour and the program started!!!!

The three and four-year-olds were on the risers and sang a few songs. The two-year-olds came on stage for one song, then bowed and went back off (guess they weren't to be trusted to make it through the whole thing!?) I was so proud of my little guy! He looked so cute, and, get this... he even BOWED with the rest of them!!!! I was so shocked and excited to watch him 'perform'!!!!!

There he is on the far left (yeah.... the only one in a hat and full-on costume!)

Close-up!Talking to his friend!Exiting right stage!

So we don't do anything halfway. None of the other kids were QUITE as 'dressed up' for the them, but Sam enjoyed it, and it helped us spot him quickly!!!! This is one time where it would have been hard to have a girl, because we all know she would have had to wear a frilly Christmas dress!!!!

After the program, we had a Christmas Party for the kids and parents in Sam's classroom. Sam had fun, but he kept telling me he was ready to go. You see, my parents and BJ were there as well, and Sam knew he was going to Mimi and Pop Pop's after the party. So, he was ready to get the next party started!!!!! Stinker!!!!

Here's the fam... Mimi and Pop Pop came too - thank goodness!!!!

Sam and BJ made a gingerbread house for the table decoration at the party. Mimi made the reindeer cupcakes.... with Pop Pop's help of course! They were so cute!!!! What would I do without her???

'Ode to My Husband

Twas a night we attempted to get in the bed
Early as possible because we were so dead.
Days and nights of sick and whiny kids;
Mommy was also feeling sick as the others so did.

Snug and warm in our bed finally -
All we could hear was the soft hum of the t.v. and the snoring of the puppy.
When all of a sudden did we hear
A screaming child oh so near!

Up sprang my hubby with one agile bounce,
"It is Jake" was all I could announce.
Out the door Daddy flew
To see if he could make the baby coo.

In a NyQuil induced coma I did float.
In and out, I hear the baby cry and the Daddy dote.
Half drunk and half asleep,
To the baby's door I did creep.

My intentions were sincere,
I wanted to go in there.
I stopped outside the door to hear
My husband singing to the baby oh so dear.

I stopped at the door and listened awhile.
Tears in my eyes were beginning to pile.
I heard remnants of "Hush Little Baby don't you cry,"
Then words only a Daddy could compile.

After an hour of repeat,
The baby finally did sleep.
My husband climbed wearily back into bed.
As I said, "I'm sorry," "It wasn't that bad," was all he said.

I fell back asleep hearing in my head
The sweet words to be kept between a baby and his dad.
And the sweet dear thought slipped past
That I am so very blessed!

BJ - you are the best daddy and husband in the world!!! I love you!

Picture Mania

So this time, Jake got sick right after Thanksgiving and Sam has followed him... AGAIN! However, Jake 'just' had a cold - still stinks to have a sick baby that you really can't give anything to except TLC. Not to mention he's cutting three 1-yr-molars too! Sam, on the other hand has had high fever and puking. I don't know if it's just his 'thing' that he pukes whenever he gets a fever or if it's just another stomach bug. Bless his little heart. He's so pitiful! And none of us have gotten that much sleep the last few nights. Geez... I am DONE with all this sickness business! He fell asleep on his 'sick pallet' - and Stormie is always 'sick' with whomever will sit still!

I have quite a few pictures/stories to share - so get ready!

Here are the "Popsicle Amigos" at work. A lot of nights, they have to share Popsicles with Dad!

We went to the farm a few weeks ago, and here's Sam enjoying his snack and Gatorade.

We took Jake's walker and he literally took off out there and hasn't turned back since. That weekend was really the turning point for his walking - he figured out how to 'maneuver' the walker around things (instead of running into a wall and turning to look at me and whine). When we got home, he started walking more and more, and within a couple of days, the walker was history (unless he just needed to go faster)!Jack helping... he has gotten so big!Sam and Jake in the woods. Jakes' pretty happy about it, huh? I think it was close to dinner time... and we didn't take a snack cup along for the ride - big mistake to EVER leave a snack cup behind!

Snack time at our house...Jake feeding Sam... (Sam not sharing his)Jake feeding Stormie!Jake took over as 'boss.'Then Sam snatched it away...And has maintained his title!Our big turkey - this is how he came home from school before Thanksgiving. See all the stains on his shirt? The teachers had his jacket zipped all the way to his neck!!!! It was grape jelly from his sandwich... so it was technically BJ's bad (he made the sandwich!!), but I thought it humorous that the teachers tried to 'hide it' until I got him home!!!!! Sam helped me make brownies for his Thanksgiving party at school...And loved every minute of it!This is the reality of life with kids... my OCD-self has had to learn to 'let it be.' At least until the kids go to bed!!!!! My....... how life has changed!!! Mommy put the boys to work... none of them miss the chance to do "man-work!" Can you see Sam's screwdriver???? Jake really just wanted to climb on the ladder!!!My boys!Is that fear on Jake's face???? I'm afraid it was!Sam had such a great time helping us decorate the Christmas tree! So did Jake.... yes, that is a plastic bag in his mouth! We were watching him the whole time... promise!!!Thanksgiving..... Bo slept in the same room as Sam - who got up way earlier than Bo usually does!Playtime with Jack!Jake was saying, "Wait up guys!!!!" The MimiThe Mimi and the Pop PopMe and my (littlest) baby Bo and his kidPlaytime... (yes, that is a pink bubble popper you see in the background - my grandmother was really hoping for a little girl!!!!!!)And we're down (he didn't hit his head, by the way!)And Jake is escaping up the stairs... AGAIN! This kid has stair radar!!!

Now... we're getting into the holiday spirit!

This was Sam's first 'homework assignment.' Looks just like a 2-yr-old did it, huh? Mama and I helped him (he colored it, obviously! We looked at it and said her face looks bruised, so when we finished it and mentioned it anytime thereafter, Sam says, "I bruised her face!" Ummm...my bad!) But all-in-all, I think Sam did a good job!?This is my most favorite decoration in our house (the tree is a close 2nd, though!)And, a little holiday cheer for all!!!!! Most moms wouldn't have even bought the picture, but... these are my kids, and this is my reality! Everyone else has their perfectly dressed kids with their perfect hair and perfect smile on their holiday cards (and are living in a dream world). Not me! This is my reality, and it makes me smile SO BIG every time I look at it - because they are MINE, and I think they're cute!!! (Not because they are in distress - I promise!)

Merry Christmas........ time to get into the holiday spirit - Here comes Santa Clause!!!!!

Back to Normal...

What is normal, really, though??????

So Sam got sick, I got sick, then Jake got sick! YUCK!!!!! BJ played Mr. Mom while I was down, which was Thursday through Sunday... bless his heart! BUT - I remind myself that they are his children too so that I don't have to feel AS bad for him!!!!!! He actually really enjoyed spending time with his boys. I think they were all a little stir crazy by Sunday, though!!!!!! (One might ask HOW BJ avoids these sicknesses... my answer is I HAVE NO IDEA! But we'll take it!!!)

Nonetheless, six plus bed changes later (from the puke - theirs, not mine... I made it to the toilet), we are all back to 'normal,' whatever that is, and feeling much better!

Pictures will have to come later... not TOO many piled up yet, but I have a few Sam and Jake stories:

• BJ put Sam in his bedroom for timeout (which BOTHERS him SO MUCH), and through the crying and hysterics, we hear him knocking on his door and saying, "Come on in!" Good thing he couldn't see us cause we started dying laughing!!!!
• Sam's favorite line right now is, "Weeeellll...." with those little hands outstretched. Mimi asked him something the other day and he said, "Weeelll, Meems, if you say so." HAHAHA!!!!!!
• Jake has grown up overnight. He is walking all over the place. Poor guy, when he gets going, Sam is right on his heels (WHY?), and usually ends up 'bumping' into him and knocking him down. "But it's not too bad," in Sam's words as we're putting him in time out!
• Jake is a CLIMBER!!! He can climb up the ladder of his slide in no time. I don't have any pictures of this because I'm usually freaked out and running to the slide to be sure he doesn't fall... and he just has a BIG OLE grin on his little face! No major trauma yet (besides my minor heart attacks... normal for any mother of a toddler). The other day, I looked into the kitchen only to see his little head popped up over the island where he had climbed up Sam's 'helper ladder' in the kitchen!!!! That doesn't stay out anymore!!!!!
• Jake is saying so much now. Probably not discernible to most, but I understand (and those who are around him regularly)! It's funny how I used to be that person looking at that 'proud mom' that thinks her kid is a genius and wondering what the heck her kid just said that could cause that look of pure proudness to cross her face. Well..... MY kid can say cute things now too.... and I TOTALLY get how parents can be so proud of the darndest things - heck, I about did flips when Sam tee teed in the potty the first time, and that's pretty normal!!!!!!!! ;)
• Anyway, Jake says: "Amma" (Amen), "Amo" (Elmo), "Ah Duh" (All done), "Mee Mo" (Mickey Mouse), "Aba" (ball), "Abu" (book).... come on.... you couldn't figure those out???????
• Discernible words include: "Mama," "Daddy" (I wish you could hear the inflection he uses over the blog, it's so cute), "Pop Pop" (of course! Mimi comes out as 'MayMe'), "Ni Ni" (night night), and a few others I can't think of right now! He also blows kisses (while saying "Mooha"), waves
• And just today, Jake pointed to his diaper and said something (even I couldn't really discern that one), so I checked his diaper and there was POOPIE in there!!!! He was telling me he had a poop!!!! Pure genius already!!!!!!

Thomas and the Zoo

A couple of weeks ago, we went to Cordele, GA (about 3 - LONG - hours away) to see Thomas the Tank Engine. What an adventure! The good part is that we met Mama, Daddy and Nanny down there - we celebrated Jake's 1st birthday and Nanny's 85th.

OH - it was POURING DOWN RAIN. Driving down was a nightmare because of the rain. Driving back was a nightmare because of the kids! The things you will do for your kids...

OK - here's the beginning of the adventure....... See that house thing? The motor home is parked across from that (you can't see it b/c of our UMBRELLAS). We had to walk up this huge hill to get to a trolley (that we had to JUMP in front of and flag down to stop and pick us up). Mind you, we have two kids (Daddy and BJ and carrying them) AND an 85-yr-old woman with us!!!!

Made it to Thomas. See how hard it is raining?The name of the cars that Thomas was pulling were the Sam Shortline!Jake was so interested in Sir Topham Hat...Sam would have nothing to do with him - so he just had his picture with Pop Pop! Boarding the train (I'm sorry... THOMAS)Sam checking out the agenda, I suppose... the agenda was drive 15 minutes one way, then reverse for another 15 minutes. Yep, that's the ride!Can you tell the camera lens was fogged up? Because it was SCORCHING on board good 'ole Thomas!!!!!!We really did have fun anyway! The kids loved it! See the sun coming out through the window????? =)And we're moving...Is that really the sun coming out?Then Jake found some food - he was a happy little guy the rest of the ride! See?Playtime with Mimi...Sam and his daddy cutting up!Jake was all tuckered out! Personally, I think Thomas looks a little creepy! BUT... kids love it!?The Lego Thomas was just as entertaining as the 'real' one!!!! Don't let these images fool you... they DID fall asleep as soon as we got back in the truck. However, and hour later, they both woke up. We ate dinner, and NEITHER of them went back to sleep until we got them in bed!And can you believe this little innocent guy SCREAMED for a good hour on the way home? You don't have to... I lived it!

We got back home about 9:30, got the kids in bed and crashed... only to get up and head to the zoo on Saturday! It was so worth it once we got going (it was basically me and BJ that had to get ourselves in gear - the kids were up and going full-steam regardless!). It was a beautiful day, and Sam and Jake LOVED looking at all of the animals. We were going to a Kids at Heart event (through CHOA), and went to lunch at the zoo with all the participants. This is the point where we are SO INCREDIBLY THANKFUL and GRATEFUL for Jake's health. There were kids there in wheelchairs and with other obvious 'issues.' Selfishly, we are so relieved and thankful that Jake is not like that. Thank the Lord!!!!!

Here we are with the big daddy stroller... ready for the zoo!

Heeheehee!!!!The elephants...That's a ferret in the background. And for the record, the kids were supposed to dress in their Halloween costumes, but Sam wouldn't and I didn't feel like making him. I DID draw whiskers on his face (he was supposed to be Mickey), but he promptly rubbed (most of) them off!!! Oh well.. can't win them all!

This was Sam's favorite... the giraffes, hedgehogs and something else that were in the same exhibit.Sam's favorite thing to tell us was, "OK, let's go see some more animals real quick!"Sam wasn't a fan of the Willie B statue!Nor of the actual gorillas... they just sat there!

They had lots of fall displays in the pavilion where we ate lunch (raw pizza)...Typical...

BJ was having to hold Sam up... I wasn't aware of that and was taking my sweet time to take the picture!!!!!The petting zoo...Sam decided to give this goat the leaf he had been carrying around for the last hour...

The goat dropped it, and Sam was trying to retrieve it!

That's about it for now... I think I'm up-to-date for now!!!!! WHEW....