It Used To Be Even Crazier

I've been so frustrated lately with tantrums and requests (some rather demanding) to be held and carried all over when the children requesting are perfectly capable of walking. It sometimes borders on out of control.
Last night at dinner, however, I realized that it's not always so bad. Drew and Owen can be quite polite and sweet (if they so choose). I used to take a lot of videos at meal time because Drew and Owen were hilarious in the early days of food getting everywhere. They've always been pretty chatty (which I hope is something that will continue, especially when they become teenagers), and I find myself really enjoying our chats now that actual words are involved. I took a video last night to compare to previous times. Like the Diet Pepsi people say, "We've come a long way, baby."

May, 2007:

Owen decides Skippers' tartar sauce makes a great hair product.

Drew really likes the word fry.

March, 2008:

Note the lack of food in Owen's hair, and the lack of screaming (for now).

Drew actually uses an eating utensil now (usually), and his face doesn't get nearly as messy.

Is It Spring Yet?

I think spring is upon us. Finally! It's been a long winter. Full of coughs and colds and strep.

Finally, though, all the snow is gone (well, from our yard at least; not from the mountains yet). Our yard is dull and brown for the most part, but there are little leaves popping up out of the dirt. And, there are crocuses! I found three little flowers in the corner of my garden. They're hard to see from far away, but they're bright and cheery still!

Time to Catch Up

What a weekend. Jam-packed from sunup to sundown every day. Here are some highlights:

Easter Munny
The fun started Friday afternoon when our neighbor brought her kids over and asked if we could watch them for her. I couldn't turn her down; her basement had flooded and her jeans were water-soaked almost to her knees. She said Boy, who is five (maybe six), was trying to swim in the basement and was throwing pennies into the water and making wishes. Girl, who is three (maybe four) was freaking out and screaming, but also trying to splash around (she's a complicated child)... So I took them off her hands.

Boy wasn't very happy about the arrangement. Obviously our house is boring in comparison to a house with a flooded basement. He played here for a little while, then sneaked back home, only to be sent back over to our house. We tried to lock him in, but he just stood at the door kicking and hitting David and whining to be let go. So finally we called his dad who relented and said Boy could go home if he'd clean his room.

We decided we'd like to go to the mall to see the Easter Bunny. Girl said she wanted to go with us, so we got permission from her parents. Boy was denied permission to go with us due to his previous refusal to hang out with us. Again, he was not very happy about the arrangement.

Drew and Owen were so excited to see the Easter Bunny (even though they had no clue who he is). Drew yelled, Easter Munny! over and over and over all the way to the mall. When we got there and met the real deal, he wouldn't go near. Owen was the first to go, because we told him he'd get a hat if he went to say hi. He did was a little shy, but said please and thank you when offered the hat. It was over when we tried to get him to sit next to the Bunny. He jumped off that bench and ran for his life. Girl was next in line, and did okay, but wouldn't get very close. Drew had to be carried by David. He wouldn't be put down, but he was polite and chatty.

After we saw the Bunny, we went to the mall playground to let the kids wind down for a bit. Then we took Girl home, and that was the boys' first experience with the Easter Bunny.

DNCFR

That's Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo, for those of you who don't know... David's dad took us (us being Drew, Owen, Cousin 1, Cousin 2, and me) to the Rodeo on Saturday. We had to get there extra early, even though we had reserved seating, to get a free stick horse from Channel 3 News. It was worth it. The boys love the horses, even though they don't exactly know what to do with them.

I enjoy the rodeo. I'm not sure how I feel about it as far as the whole cruelty to animals thing goes because I don't know all the facts, like, just how bad does it hurt when running at full speed to be yanked back by a lasso? If you're a cow, maybe not so much because your neck is real thick and strong. I know what methods they use to get the "bronckin bronckins" (as Cousin 2 calls them) to buck, but it's applied for a short time, and does it harm them or is it just (very) uncomfortable? It sure is fun to watch, though.
And I love Mutton Bustin'. Two more years and I can get Drew and Owen into that. We're going to start going to my dad's house more often so they can practice riding his sheep, then they'll win at every rodeo. The trophy the winning kids got was bigger than the kids themselves. It was awesome.

Easter Sunday

Our church starts way too early. I can see some early church times, like, Christmas Mass so people can go be with their family afterward, but our church starts at 8:30 every Sunday morning. We're almost always late. I got Samantha dressed up in a pretty lavender number Aunt Ace gave her, but she promptly spit on it and I had to squeeze her into this little flowery dress (which I love, and am glad it still sort of fits so I could get some pictures). I'll have to try the lavender dress some other time. I didn't get the boys ready, though, because my sister was in town and she offered (well, we kind of begged) to let the boys stay home with her.

We did little Easter Baskets for the boys and one for Roz, too. We didn't get much candy because the boys don't really need it, and also we don't like to pay full price for Easter candy (more on that later).

After church I made an Easter-y meal of fish (I was thinking of Galilee), rolls and twice baked potatoes (nothing to do with Easter, I've just been craving them). I made a "candy cake" as Drew and Owen call it. I had planned on coloring some eggs, but that never happened.

Day-After-Easter Candy

David's favorite candy ever is Cadbury Creme Eggs. He gets all excited the day after Valentine's Day when they start showing up in stores, and he'll buy a few, but the fun really begins the day after Easter, when they all go on sale: 50% off! Last year we bought $70 worth of Easter candy. I couldn't believe it*. It lasted into June. This year we've only spent about $40, so far. I think David has a few more stores he'd like to check out. Here's what that much candy looks like (the baseball isn't made of chocolate; I only wish it was, but it's just for scale):

One of those Easter Baskets is completely full of Cadbury Eggs. And some candy is buried under other candy, so you can't actually see it all in these pictures. But isn't it pretty? So sparkly...
*David is kind of, um, thrifty, I guess with his money. He actually asked me the other day if I think he's a tight-wad. I don't think he is, he's just careful with what he spends so that there's always enough for emergencies. And Easter candy, apparently. Even though I know this is his long-standing tradition, it still kind of shocks me every year when he comes home with all these bags of candy. But it doesn't shock me so much that I can't eat any!

Fireworks!* And Other Fun Stuff

I've been offering Drew and Owen chances to use the toilet. Not pressing the issue, because none of us need that extra stress, but I ask them every so often if they need to use the toilet. If they do, great, if they don't want to, that's fine too. For now. I think Drew might be more ready than he lets on.

Last night as we were getting ready for bed, I helped the boys use the toilet, thinking we'll probably make it part of the nightly routine, then gradually add more times during the day when they'll use the toilet too. Drew did pretty well, in that he went pee, but he missed the toilet. As it splashed all over the floor, he yelled, "Fireworks!" I don't know what that had to do with anything, but the phrase stuck. I told Drew to go in his room and get a diaper while I cleaned up the mess. Just as I finished up and joined Drew in his room, the fireworks started again. And again. It's like he was aiming for things. This is why I think he has more control than he lets on. He was practically writing his name on the carpet. Luckily, we always have Woolite pet spray on hand. It works just as well for kid messes as it does for pet messes (and it comes in a fresh new scent)!

***

Monday, the 17th, was Samantha's half-birthday. I was going to make half a cake (which was going to be green in honor of St. Patty's day) but it never happened. We did make it to the doctor for her 6 month checkup. I was surprised to learn she's gained about 3 ounces in the last 3 months. The doctor wasn't worried (he's the laid back type that doesn't really worry about much at all) and said she looks great and will chunk up with the addition of solid foods to her diet. And here I thought she was already chunky! Turns out she's small for her age. Those extra chins of hers had me fooled.

***

Also in honor of St. Patty's day, we ate green eggs and ham for lunch. It was delicious:

*This story could probably be used to blackmail Drew later in life...

Is Six Months Too Long?

Can I still say, "I just had a baby" and expect sympathy, or should six months be ample time to get over it?

City league soccer started yesterday. I didn't play very well. But, I mean, I just had a baby, right? So I'm allowed to be out of shape, right?? Hmm. Maybe if I omit the italics: I just had a baby, so I'm a little out of shape. Then it doesn't sound like I had my baby yesterday, but still fairly recently.

Honestly, the reason I didn't play very well, aside from lack of oxygen to my major muscle groups due to poor cardio-pulmonary performance, is that I'm just not very good at soccer. Two seasons in junior high/high school didn't turn me into a star. Who woulda thought? I never figured out the strategic part of the game, like where should I be on the field and when should I be there? Also, I'm a little bit scared of the ball. There. I said it. I don't want to have the wind knocked out of me, or get a black eye or a bloody nose. I feel like I'm just too old for that. All that being said, I'm very glad to be playing. I had forgotten how much fun it is to just get out and run around like crazy.

And, it's very fun when our team wins our first game 3-1, especially against one of our arch rivals*!

*I'm probably the only one who considers this team a big rival. But there is a guy on there who drives me crazy! He's a total trash-talker and he just acts like he's all that and then some. He's pretty good at soccer, but honestly? It's co-ed city league. Lighten up.

Samantha's First Bouncing

We got these Bungee Bouncers at the Spring Fair a couple years ago when Drew and Owen were babies. They absolutely loved them.

Tonight, as I was sitting in front of her swing, Samantha kept kicking my leg making the swing go. She giggled and squawked so I thought maybe she'd like to try out the bouncer. She also loved it. Here's the proof:
The video was cut short by Drew climbing on my arm. Here's why it's such a classic amateur video: it's a little dark and if you listen closely, you can hear Pa Grape (from Veggie Tales) reminding kids to share their doughnuts.

I can't get enough of her extra chins and chubby elbows...

The original Bungee Bouncer Boy. I don't know why I have no photos of Owen bouncing; I have some sideways videos* but that's all I can find. And he loved bouncing even more than Drew did.

*I took the video while holding the camera vertically, thinking after I uploaded the image, I could just flip it to be right-side-up. But apparently it doesn't work that way.

In Unrelated News...

This post includes a bunch of random stories relating to the craziness that has been our household lately.

*The boys have been playing "Hamburger King" with the box from our new water heater. Yesterday, Drew came up to me and said, "How you doin' today? Hamburger? Fries?" I think we need to reevaluate how often we go out to eat. Maybe tone it down a little. But the in laws usually invite us and pay for us, so it's hard to say no.

*David had hiccups for almost 24 hours. They started yesterday at 3 p.m. They continued even while he was at work from midnight 'til about 8:00 this morning. He was able to sleep for a few hours until the hiccups came back and woke him up. He eventually went back to sleep, and when he woke around 4 p.m, he resumed the hiccuping. He ate a spoonful of honey (he read online that it would "cure" hiccups); it worked for a couple hours, but he had to eat another spoonful after dinner. He's at a ChurchBall game right now--I wonder how he fares?

*Our "roommates" are moving out. They got their apartment key yesterday, so they've been clearing things out. I think it would've been fun if they had found a place in the neighborhood. Then we could see them at church and such. But I have to be honest: it'll be nice to have our house to ourselves again. And I'd be shocked if they didn't feel the same.

*Drew has been coming up with some interesting observations lately. He doesn't like to be corrected, though. Here are a few examples:
***
Drew: It's an orange four wheeler, Mom!
Mom: It's actually a blue four wheeler.
Drew: It like an orange four wheeler.
***
Drew: Diaper is wet!
Mom: It's really quite poopy.
Drew: It's like it's wet!
***
Drew: That's a boat, Mom!
Mom: It's a car.
Drew: It's like a boat!

*Owen has been sick. Again. He had a fairly high fever on Tuesday. He had some nasty burps, too. I'm a wait-and-see-er, so I didn't take him to the doc right away. I guess he threw up sometime during the night, and Wednesday morning he was pretty messy, but feeling quite a bit better. But also quite a bit more tired. He fell asleep on the couch downstairs and didn't wake up even with people moving furniture, vacuuming, and the rest of the kids playing and yelling. Today he's been really chipper and energetic, but he has a stuffy/goopy nose and drippy eyes. Just now he went up to Drew and said, "How doing, Drew? In the house fries and hamburgers. Right back." He walked over to the cardboard box, rustled it around a little, walked back over to Drew and said, "For you." Drew said, "No thanks" so Owen brought it over to me and said, "For you, Mom!"

*Samantha is getting a tooth. She has a little line on her gums that is the very tip top of the tooth. She likes to rub her tongue over it, and also the inside of her lips. She makes a face that looks a lot like an old lady who took her dentures out.

Samantha rolled over the other day, from her back to her tummy! She didn't like being on her tummy much, so she paused for a couple seconds then kept on rolling onto her back again. I felt like I should have given her a treat. Since then, the furthest she's gotten is onto her side, but with both knees touching the ground. It looks pretty uncomfortable, but it makes her laugh.

*My brother Mike came to visit yesterday, too. He brought his little girl Rowan, who's about 3 months old. She is such a doll. She and Samantha enjoyed smiling at each other. After Mike left, Drew kept asking, "Where Rowan go?" Poor Owen slept through the whole thing and didn't get to see Mike or Rowan, but at least he couldn't get Rowan sick that way. I was silly and didn't take any pictures, so I'll have to get them to come visit again real soon!

How To Spend Your Tax Return

• Go on Vacation.
• Buy new tires for your car.
• Get the front-end axle fixed on the same car.
• Buy a new water heater.
• Buy new pipes to attach said water heater to the main house pipes.

By now, your tax return should be just about gone. Good thing you went on vacation first, so it's too late to feel bad about spending that money when everything in sight seems to be breaking.

A Picture Post

The Hamburger Kings:

We went to Burger King (or Hamburger King, as Drew and Owen call it), last week. We usually go through the drive-thru, but we felt like staying out of the house a bit longer, so we went into the joint and ate our food. Drew and Owen were cracking me up in a sort of "Ssshh! Not so Loud! Sit down!" kind of way. Every time a customer placed an order, an employee would call the order back to the kitchen with their little microphone. and the boys just had to repeat it. Very loudly. And sometimes from a standing position. So we'd hear things like "Spicy chicken sandwich" while we were eating, and then the boys would yell, "Spicy chicken sandwich!" a few times over in case anyone missed it the first time.
Drew and Owen enjoy the "birthday hats" they got. They weren't so good at putting them on by themselves, though.

Toe Suckers

Samantha discovered her toes recently, and simultaneously discovered that they taste good or feel good on her gums or something. I'm not sure what her reasoning is, but in her mouth they go... Drew and Owen thought it hilarious and had to give it a try too.

Just Being Cute...

Samantha makes some cute faces. My camera is a little slow so I haven't been able to get any good smiling ones. And the flash on it is absolutely blinding, so I try not to pursue it too heavily. I think that genetics-wise, our kids are doomed to have bad eyesight. I don't want to intensify the problem.

Love These Jammies.

Wal*Mart had a sale on pajamas since winter's almost over; they're just clearing out all the cold weather stuff. So I bought a few for next year's traditional Christmas Jammies, and a few lighter ones for Spring. The boys dig 'em 'cause Drew's have cars and Owen's have aliens and spaceships. I dig 'em 'cause they're just so dang cute. Samantha has a pair in bright pink which, as it turns out, is a great color for her. I haven't gotten a picture of her wearing them yet, though.