One mans trash...

Yesterday we had to take a trip to the dump to haul off all the junk from our backyard. The boys saw daddy pulling away and made me stop him because they wanted to go to the dump too, to see how it works. I knew that the would love it and they did. They looked out the windows, taking it in. The giggled when daddy had to put on a green vest and hard hat. The watched as a big machine, which I'm not sure of the proper name, pushed all the trash off into a giant hole. On the way home Aidan found a peanut in the truck. I about freaked out, looked back there and daddy failed to notice a whole bag of opened peanuts in the back under Brady's seat. UGH! Aidan was so scared, he watched his brother like a hawk, wouldn't let him touch his face and at one point screamed, "Brady, DON"T!" His face was pure terror, he told us if Brady blew up I'd have nobody to play with. It was sweet to see him be such a protective big brother. We obviously stripped down and showered ASAP and everything was alright, just a close call.

Me pot of gold

On our way to the super center we saw a bright giant rainbow, which turned into a double rainbow. The kids were thrilled. Aidan immediately wanted to look for a pot of gold, seeing as he loves money so much. Michael and I were looking at the rainbow at the exact same time and saw a bald eagle on a high branch right in front of the rainbow. It was truly a beautiful treat on such an ugly afternoon.
I must admit, I have already been sleepy with the window in my bedroom open loving the cool breeze and listening to the rain and frogs. Yet another of life's little pleasures.

Sick

I have been sick, but took a day off and decided to go see a movie with daddy and the boys. We don't make it often, it is expensive and the boys are restless. We went to the free movies the past Summer to practice, just the boys and me and it worked. We saw How to Train Your Dragon, which was wonderful, even though I was hesitant to go. I love that this movie emphasized that it doesn't matter if you are different or have a physical handicap, you can still be great and everyone has their own strengths and weakness. So adorable.

Rainy Spit

We bought the boys there very own umbrellas for the start of Spring and one is batman and the other is iron man...which they fight over constantly. Today the boys opened up in the house and since it was not raining, they decided to spit on each others umbrellas. Although I would never admit it to them, it was cute and very creative, even if it ended with me mopping the floor. Ah the genius of boys, and I am now convinced that it was a mom who said it was bad luck to open an umbrella in the house to get her kids to stop spitting all around the house.

Soul Sistas

We had a wonderful bible study, great group of ladies, great book. A mom after God's own heart really put things into perspective and reinforced the resposiblities and joys of being a mom. It was such a wonderful safe environment for all of us to open up and be encouraged by our fellow moms. I think it is time for a Soul Sistas reunion.

Frolic in the sunshine

It is AHHmazing today! The boys went outside for some vitamin D today. We spread out and stared up at the blue, blue sky. Aidan commented that up there is where God is, he has such a big kingdom. It made me think about how huge the universe is. I love astronomy, the stars, the sky, gamma rays, antiparticles, white dwarfs, supernovas...etc. Sorry I just showed how much of a nerd I really am. Anyways, to get back on track I was thinking about how huge the universe is and how tiny I am. It is kind of overwhelming. I was telling this to Aidan, whose eyes were glazed over at this point, and I was thinking all this was lost on him...but then he said, "Yay mom but God still cares about us, even if we are tiny."
Wow my child is AHHmazing.

So thankful!

Tonight I read some sad news about a little boy that broke my heart. His name is Skyler Sanders and I have never met him but feel like I have know him for many years, from reading his updates and praying for him as much as I do my own children. His brain tumor is growing and aggressive and he has been given months to live. The pain his family is faced with everyday watching their precious sons battle must be unbearable. I ask for them peace.
We spent our day indoors today as it rained and rained. We rented The Princess and the Frog, yes I know I have boys but they loved it. When the little firefly died Aidan said, "That was not a happy ending." When the movie was over I asked Aidan what he thought of it he just held up his "it rocked" hand, and said rock and roll mom.
Then our little monkeys got sleepy and we put them to bed. Brady called for me and was upset he didn't get to say goodnight to me, which was not true as I carried my "little monkey baby" to bed like a baby and kissed him thoroughly. So I just lay down with him and snuggled, and his little face lit up. Brady was not always my snuggly bug. Now the little guy just snuggles so tight, it is so sweet. He even holds my hand with his tiny little "honeybear" paw. I swear I could eat that boy up, especially right after a bath.

Must lose some LBS!

Aye. So I was doing great, I got sick many times this winter and stayed below where I aimed for the winter months. But then I started to worry because I lost too much weight. I began eating happy meals and desserts and lots of carbs. Well here I am 2 months later and 8 pounds heavier. Oops! So depressing, I need a piece of cake. Seriously, I am working my butt off running, biking, kickboxing, and eating healthy. A new me will emerge just as the butterflies do. Wish me luck!

To school, or not to school...

It is kinda scary that I am responsible for teaching my child until he goes to school, but alas I have taken the challenge seriously. I have been working with our little man since he was 2. He is currently working on phonics and is beginning to read. It is such an accomplishment to hear him make the sounds and blend them together. He is really picking it up, what a proud mommy I am. There are a few kids in his class at preschool that can read, but Aidan is the baby of the class which is why we are going to keep him in preschool one more year. After serious debate and research it has been determined that it is best for boys with a summer birthday to start school at age 6, not 5. We are very comfortable with this decision and are ready to school him for another year at home. I am excited to spend one more year playing with my baby.

Happy St. Patricks Day

Rainbow cupcakes and four leaf clover jello jigglers...A helpful side note, Blue Mixed Berry Jello and Lemon Jello make Green Jello instead of Lime Jello, but it taste like Pine Sol. (The kids ate it anyway.)
I love any excuse to mix up a batch of cupcakes, so when I saw the Rainbow Cupcake in Family Fun I couldn't wait to try them. Unfortunately I lost my yellow food color, so we skipped out on the yellow and orange layers, but the kids didn't even notice.

Tickets

Recently we have decided to start giving the kids allowances due to the increased "I want" theme at our house. We cannot step inside a mega store without hearing "Let's go to the toys" or "I want to buy it!" So for the past couple of months with helpful advice from the Love & Logic presentation at MOPS, we have been giving allowance and paying our kids to do random things around the house. Aidan has become quite the little saver. He loves money and wants to be Mr. Crabs because he doesn't have to work and has lots of money. Today he wanted a toy at target and I said he could have it but he would have to give me $7 from his piggy bank when we got home. He actually thought about it for awhile then finally decided to buy it. We got to the car and he said, "Mom, I don't want to give you $7." I said, "Well, I have the receipt, do you want me to take the toy back in?" He replied, "No. I'll pay you."
So we got home and brought me $7.
Later he made a mess in the bathroom with a blue Popsicle and left it. I told him he was going to have to pay me $2 to clean it up. He asked where the vinegar was and got the paper towels and cleaned it up himself. Wow! That was awesome.
Now he gets tickets, for doing naughty things much like a police officer would give. I write one up on these special post-its I got on sale at Michael's. He has to bring me his ticket and give me a quarter. Example of tickets that have been given: not buckling up, messing with his brother, not listening to mom or dad, talking back, picking his nose. I like how this is working out. It is nice to watch my kids take some responsibility on, even if cleaning their rooms isn't exactly how I would clean it.

Brady's language

I love that Brady says hangerburg for hamburger, and mazzzagine for magazine. He calls Lowe's, Lowzark. He is stinkin cute. Yesterday he crawled into the coffee table and said look at me I'm a mazzzagine. I just laughed and laughed...he is after all our little entertainer. Big things await that little stick of dynamite...I am enjoying the ride.