Just One of Those Afternoons

Smaller Child went down first.

Followed shortly by Larger Child...

Then fell Beautiful Bald Husband.

I think Olivia may be next.

Or,,..yaaaawn.... maybe not...

A Tisket A Tasket, A Green And Yellow Basket

     Seeing as though Easter Sunday is just a few weeks away, and this will be our newest family member's first Easter outside the womb, Smaller Child and I went to the local craft store to pick up Easter baskets for him and his brother. Their selection was less than desirable, so I got the bright idea to make my boys their very own personalized baskets!
     I started by shopping the plain wicker basket section and found a couple I liked. I then selected a few shades of spray paint, some wooden letters and warmed up the imagination and got to work.
     Step One: Remove shoes. There is something really restricting and constricting about crafting with shoes on. I am not sure what that is about me... dirty hippy at heart?
     Step Two: Take baskets, spray paint and Smaller Child (with bare feet) outside because it is 80 degrees, sunny, and WAY to gorgeous to be wasting.

     Step Three:  Paint baskets...being sure to keep Smaller Child and Self upwind. (Notice dirty naked toes)

     Step Four:  Take break and lay in the sun making Smaller Child laugh for a good thirty minutes or so. Hey, crafting is hard work!

     Step Five:  Put Smaller Child (now sun sleepy and content) down for a nap.
     Step Six: Get out acrylics and brushes... and a good cup of coffee.  (Enter Keurig.  OH Darling Keurig... how I love thee!! But don't tell Slow Cooker. He thinks he's the only appliance for me.)

Where was I...? Oh yes...
     Step Seven: Paint wood letters that correspond to Brood's names.
     Step Eight:  Seek and receive approval of paint job by Larger Child.

     Step Nine: Allow for paint to dry. I have to say, this is by FAR the hardest step for me. It always has been. I have a really hard time allowing for things to set, harden, dry etc... I usually push it too fast and nearly ruin my projects. You think I would have learned by now how to act like an adult.  Like I said in a previous post, I fully admit to the fact that I am a work in progress!
     Step Ten:  Affix letters to baskets. I used good old fashioned Elmers... we will see over time how well they hold.

     Step Eleven: Wait (AGAIN)... this time for the glue to dry.  I think I will have another cup of coffee.
     Step Twelve:  Adorn baskets with personal touches that say, "I made this, just for you!" I painted some "grass" and "flowers" on the bottom. I thought it would make them seem more spring-y.  (I like to add the letter "y" to words to make them descriptive... even if they don't make a whole lot of sense, like aerosol-y or compartment-y) I took some artistic liberty with the accuracy of the plant-life.
     Step Thirteen: Step back and admire a job well done.  Now THOSE are some Easter baskets you can't just find anywhere. Those baskets say, "Hello! I am unique, and made with love. Now fill me with large amounts of sweets and cheap toys!"

     Step Fourteen: Add two adorable boys... and voila! Fantastic!!

Adventures in the Big Big City (a photo essay)

In celebration of Spring Break and Larger Child being out of school for a few days, we spent some time (with the company of Gee Gee and Grandpa) exploring a few sights in Downtown OKC. Here are some highlights. (The first and last picture being my favorites... though they are all pretty wonderful. Isn't hard to take good pictures with subject matters like that.) 

Love it.

The Sixth Member of the Family (the Slow Cooker)

     I am having an emotional affair with a kitchen appliance. I am hopelessly, deeply, and madly in love with my slow cooker. It is reliable, never fails to do what it says it is going to do, makes things better than I ever could, easy, affordable, diverse, works around my schedule, and never complains. I am in love... and so is the rest of my family.  I asked Beautiful Bald Husband what he wanted for dinner this week, and he said "Let's have crock pot week!!" Larger Child chimed in with agreement.  I am not sure if we will have slow cooker meals EVERY day this week, but two or three anyway. How can I argue?
     So, with the confession of my families Undying Love for our crock pot, I would like to share with you one of our favorite slow cooker recipes. Super easy, and DELICIOUS!!

Slow Cooker Black Beans and Sausage
(serves 6)

2 cans black beans, undrained
1 cup chicken broth
1 jar (16 oz) salsa
Salt and pepper to taste
1 package Johnsonville Italian Sausage links, whole (I use mild because of the kids)

Combine ingredients in slow cooker and stir. Make sure sausage is covered by bean mixture and let it cook for 5-6 hours on low. Remove sausage and slice into bite size pieces. Return to slow cooker and continue cooking for another hour.

Serve over rice. Add a dollop of sour cream on top.

HEAVEN.  (Your welcome.)

Snakes and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails!

     As you are probably all aware, I am a girl.  I like things to smell good, I like to be clean, I like to get dressed up on occasion and pretend to have some class. I like wearing make-up. I like frilly skirts. I like the color purple, can tolerate the color pink. I am a girl. But, this girl lives in a house full of boys.
     Most of the time, the fact that I have three handsome fellas around me delights me more than I care to admit. Most of the time, thinking of my future with three strapping lads around to do the heavy lifting for me fills me with a level of giddiness that would make Susan B.Anthony turn in her grave. BUT...
     BOYS ARE GROSS!!!
     They smell. They are dirty. They don't have the same definition of "tidy." I am convinced they are physically incapable of closing a toilet seat.  They eat everything in the house. They delight themselves (and each other) with their functions. And don't even get me started on their delight for their personal anatomy. 
     I have learned to change some of my interests and expectations to accommodate living with boys. I may be a girl, but I am also a zombie lover, a video game player, a dirt digger, a bug lover, and a camper.  There are often times I have to turn the other way or bite my lip to keep myself from exploding my unreasonable expectations all over them.  Once I did this, and I got a reply from my then four year old Larger Child that knocked me on my butt.  He said, "Mom, little boys are suppose to get dirty." Yup, he's right. They are.  And moms of little boys are suppose to encourage this, and get REALLY good at stain removal in their laundry.
     Then again, boys are also such a gift!
     The bond between a little boy and his Mama is well, it's magical. I get the blessing of being their first love, their first Valentine, their first date, and their first kiss. What good man do you know that isn't still in love with his Mama?  Sure, Daddy gets the rough and tumble stuff.  But, I'm the one that gets to see the vulnerable and sweet side. 
     I love my boys. I love who I have become because of my boys. They have challenged me in a way that I did not expect. All three of them have shaped me in to the strong woman I am and am becoming today. I know there is a lot more unexpected, interesting, dirty, stinky stain filled challenges to come.... and to that I say (with my spot remover in hand)  BRING IT ON! I can't wait!

Brotherly Love

     Larger Child and I had a hard time getting him in to this world. It was a difficult pregnancy, complete with preclampsia, bed rest, an early induction, and a difficult delivery, nearly three days worth to be exact.  He came out looking like a prize fighter who nearly lost the title match... and I was no better.

The day I came home from the hospital, I started feeling dizzy and seeing spots. A quick check of my blood pressure and a call to the doctor put me back in the hospital for a week for round the clock monitoring.  Like I said, we both had a hard time getting him in to this world.
     Beautiful Bald Husband and I decided then that we weren't going to have any more kids. We thought we had won the jackpot with the first, and having another would just be playing with fire as far as my health was concerned. We were content to be a three person household.  A few years later, there were some minor discussions about having another child. But, it never seemed like the time was right, and we never really did say for sure to the other one if that was something we really wanted, it was just a casual passing conversation. 
     Larger Child was doing very well being an only child, but he often asked us for a brother or a sister. He would wish for one on birthday candles, he would tell us he prayed for one, he would talk about what he would name him or her... LC needed a lot of attention. He liked being with his parents, he liked having all the focus, we thought there was a possibility that unless he had something really big to distract him, having a new addition to the house could throw him in to a tailspin. Sooo, once BBH and I had the REAL conversation and confirmed that we would both really like to try for a second addition to our clan, we made the decision to wait until LC was starting school.
           We timed it just about perfectly. We started trying to conceive about 10 months before LC's first day of kindergarten. I got pregnant right away! (Way to go BBH!) We were all thrilled! I remember telling both BBH and LC at the same time, and I think they were both equally as ecstatic! I had a due date of sometime in the later part of July. We spent the next nine months doing all of the fun things you get to do with a 5 year old without a baby in tow, including a trip to Disneyland. (I am one brave Mama!)

We knew LC's world was about to be rocked, and we knew he had no clue as to what extent everything was going to change for us all.  This is one of the last photos of all three of us before Smaller Child was born. (courtesy Emma Graham Photography)

     The summer before Smaller Child was born was a strange one for me. I was super excited to be expecting a new baby in the house, but I was also a little bit sad that it was the last bit of time it was just going to be Larger Child and me.  I decided to make the most of it, and nearly every day my huge pregnant self took her THEN only child to do something really fun (zoo trips, natural history museum, movies, park, you name it!) Part of me wondered if I was setting myself up for a fallout when all of those fun activities came to a screeching halt when the baby came.

     But, LC took it all in stride. He talked about his new sibling constantly to us, to his friends, to strangers at the supermarket.  He would often talk to my belly or make noises trying to get the baby to move. He went to the ultrasound with us, he loved seeing his brother's face, he even helped us pick out his name. He seemed like he was just as excited about Smaller Child's arrival as we were, maybe even more so! There seemed to be a genuine budding of a real love in that child for a being he hadn't even met yet.

     Then the big moment came. Smaller Child made his appearance. I would like to note that the pregnancy went much smoother the second time around, and while my blood pressure went up in the very last week of my pregnancy, resulting in an induction, it was only about a week and a half off from when he was "expected" to come out anyway, and before I was even induced I was already starting to efface and dilate. He still took his sweet time showing up though. Another nearly three days of pitocin and a uterus that just wouldn't stop, our gorgeous Smaller Child was welcomed in to this world.

That was it. It took us about a mili-second to recognize the look on Larger Child's face when he came in to that hospital room to meet his brother.  It was complete and total adoration and pure love. We knew that look because we had it too, and we looked at him that way when he was born, and now we were looking at him that way again as he transition into the BIG BROTHER roll.  He still talks about the first time he saw his brother. He would tell you the story, in detail today if you were to ask him. He says "I knew he was going to be cute, but I didn't know he was going to be THAT cute!"  This adoration continues, and develops in each passing day.
     All of the fears we had about him not being able to handle sharing his house, his parents, his life with a sibling were squashed! He has always proved us wrong, and this was no exception. He has taken to his brother and is taken by his brother in every way a six year old can.
      As for Smaller Child... from early on he responded to his brother when he wouldn't with anyone else, even in my belly. As SC gets older and gets more responsive, you can see that outward expression of that brotherly love grow. They are two peas in a pod. God knew what He was doing when he brought them together, for sure!  It is a type of love that I feel so blessed to witness. It is pure and true. Larger Child acts as a protector, an entertainer, a provider, a hero, a role model and plays each role beautifully.  For now, Smaller Child is content to be along for the ride.
     How lucky they are to have each other! How incredibly rare it is to have that type of bond! I pray that they continue to grow together and support one another.  As they do, I will do every thing in my power to foster that bond and help it grow. 
     And with that, I would like to leave you with a few pictures of my boys. You can see it in the way they look at each other.  You can see it in a way that I could never express.  Enjoy.

 

It's the Simple Things

     I should take a lesson from Smaller Child.  Find true blissful happiness in the small things.

The Rhythm is Gonna Get You! (The rhythm is gonna get you.)

     I have it on good authority that children are greatly affected by music.  When Larger Child was younger, and a sad song came on the television, he would run to me for comfort snuggles.  If a song came on that was fast and intense, he would get hyper. I don't believe he is special in that case.
     But, he has always been a fan of all things music, and enjoys listening to the radio, watching (and participating) dance, and sings all the time. I cannot for the life of me figure out where he picked up those traits... snicker. He started this aptitude at a very young age by singing along to music and dancing, or well wobbling rather, to The Wiggles.  I believe we have footage somewhere, if I could find it, of him singing "Hot Potato" at around 10 or 11 months old, and him in the rocking chair singing the ENTIRE opening song in Nightmare Before Christmas at around 2. "Ghosts and ghouls of ev-a-ree age, would you like to see some-thing strange? Come with us and you will see, this our town of Halloweeeeen!"  Ahem. Sorry. I'm back. 
     Well, we have recently discovered that Smaller Child is also highly susceptible to what Gloria Estefan was talking about, and will too fall victim to the rhythm in fact "getting" him. Most often in the form of a chair dance.

Dang Pebbles in My Road!

     I am certainly a life in progress. This much I will admit without question.  Over the past several years, there has been many many opportunities to progress. Some of those I have taken and run with, others I will face and say with a yawn, "Maybe tomorrow."  Through the six (seven if you count pregnancy) years of being a mother, there has been one opportunity that I can say to be one of THE most important that I luckily saw for what it was, and grabbed it with both hands! This progression came in a form of a lesson. It is a lesson that I am doing my very best to instill in my children. It is a gift, a blessing, a get out of jail free card, a blank slate, a mulligan, a tool for living that has enabled me to break the sometimes vicious cycle of the human emotion.  Sounds pretty wonderful huh? Are you ready to hear it? Here it is:

 
      It's so simple, yet so very powerful! If something comes along in my jog (sometimes sprint, sometimes flat our haul) from awake to asleep again that happens to trip me up a bit, I don't have to let it consume my day, or even my hour. (As a Stay At Home Mom of two, an hour can be a lifetime!)  I can simply kick it aside and take a breath and start over.  If I get angry at something ridiculous, and let's face it, usually the things I get angry over are ridiculous, I don't have to let it consume me. I can recognize it, take a breath and not let it stay with me all day long. I don't have to stay mad just because I get mad. If I mess up on my goal to eat better by grabbing a handful of my kids goldfish crackers at lunchtime, that doesn't mean I have to eat garbage the rest of the day. I can recognize it, and get back on track. START MY DAY OVER. 
     This tool can be especially powerful for young children. It is an incredible coping mechanism.  Larger Child can get pretty passionate about things. While that is often a great trait, sometimes it can get him stuck on an emotion like anger, frustration, or disappointment. I know what you are thinking, "Noooo! Not your perfect child. He appears to be such an angel."  He has had all out meltdowns over some of the smallest things. This was a few years ago. His fits have become more refined since then. But, you get the picture...

I am teaching him that just because one thing in his day doesn't go his way, doesn't mean that it has to ruin his entire day.   This has saved numerous grocery store, zoo, doctor outings and as it is slooooowly sinking in, improving the overall quality of mental health in the home. Oh Darling Larger Child....
     So, I encourage you to try and implement this useful tool into your lives and the lives of your children, or grandchildren, or nieces and nephews, cousins, random stranger's kids who seem to be having a rough go of it because their evil parents won't give them the cocoa puffs they so rightfully deserve. Our children need to learn some coping skills. This is a tough world, there WILL be times they don't get what they want. If we are good parents, those times will happen a LOT. Spread the good news to everyone! You don't have to be controlled by the pebbles that show up in your day! No more ruined weekends because of a stubbed toe.  Be an example for your kids. Just try it. I promise it works. If not, you can just sit around being mad at me all day if you like!

The Four-Legged Family Member

     Beautiful Bald Husband and I adopted an adorable small puppy over eight years prior from a litter. This was pre-children, pre-motherhood, pre-responsibility. We had a dog already, a super rad Basset mix named Pablo. BUT, my raging baby-makin hormones encouraged this adoption non-the-less.  He was adorable! But, he grew... and grew... and grew. Our sweet puppy, Theo, was a Labrador Rottweiler mix (heavy on the rottie). So, there we were tiny house (800 sq ft.) and two giant dogs.

This is Pablo (taken about a week before he passed on):

 

And this is Theo:

     Once Larger Child came in to our lives, the giant dogs in the tiny house ended up being the giant dogs in the backyard of the tiny house. A couple of years later, we moved in to a larger house, and the dogs rejoined us. To make a very long hair filled story short, BBH and I made a decision that once these dogs move on to their next lives, we will only have one pet at a time, and that pet will be small.
    Fast forward a few years, our sweet Pablo passed away shortly after moving in to the larger house, and our darling Theo moved on to that big beautiful farm in the sky about a year ago as well. I loved these dogs! I loved having big dogs that you could hug with both arms! I loved the feeling of protection and strength they gave me! BUT, I also hated the hair, the crowded feeling, the discomfort when house guests came, seventy gazillion pounds of dog food consumed on a weekly basis, the back yard clean up after seventy gazillion pounds of dog food consumed, etc.
    Picture this: I have just given birth to Smaller Child about a eight weeks prior, my hormones are still cooky, I am still a sleep deprived, spit up covered mess, and my dog, my amazing-stick-by-me-through-everything dog, the one who woke me up in the mornings, stayed by my side when I was up at night, and thought he was a tiny lap dog though he weighted close to 90 lbs dog passes away quickly from cancer. I AM A MESS. I allow myself to be a mess for about a week, then I cannot take the empty (HA! There are FOUR people in the house now) feeling of the home, and the lack of four legged companionship. So, I start scouting the petfinder websites and ASPCA ads.
    One day I find an ad for a "yorkie mix" puppy. She is 10 weeks old, and has her shots, is spayed and available for adoption through ASPCA. On a whim, BBH takes me and the kids to the adoption center to see her. (I think BBH couldn't stand to see me heartbroken and petless. He knew what he was getting in to though, even though I was too blind to see it. I am telling you, the man is a saint.)
     Enter Olivia into our already crazy lives.
    

  
      She's pretty cute, huh?  Yeah, we thought so too! This was the day we brought her home from the ASPCA. She was all clumsy and affectionate, she smelled like puppy and just loved Larger Child to pieces! She was 10 weeks old when we adopted her. So was Smaller Child. I thought there was something really poetic in that. Come to find out the word I was looking for was actually psychotic, not poetic. I can see how I got those two words confused now.
     WHAT WAS I THINKING?? Who among you would think it wise to adopt a new puppy when you have just had a baby a little more than two months prior? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Yeah, I thought not. BUT, despite some tears, and some major headaches, we managed to make it though, maybe a little worse for the wear, but we are all still around.
     Today Olivia is eight months old. She is... different than expected.  I am not sure what I expected. But, Olivia has definitely defied just about everything I thought. Well, maybe a picture would explain. Remember sweet puppy Olivia? Well, this is her now.

Yeaaah, different kind of like that. Poor girl's got a face only a mother could love. I call her "Special." It's ironic really, the ASPCA said she was a Dachshund and Yorkie mix. Apparently this is a new trendy cross bread. Kind of like the labradoodle they call them "Dorkies" seems REALLY fitting.
     I have never had a tiny dog. I assumed I would get one of those "stick them in your purse, carry them around in cute little outfits" kind of dogs.  Not so much. Again, ironically Olivia thinks she is the 90 lb rottie that my rottie did not think he was. We have wild turkeys at our house, she tires to scare them off. They just look at her with amusement. She tries to intimidate strangers with her "vicious bark" I have never seen anyone do anything more than laugh.
     She is squirrel-ly and wiggly, she is smelly and strange. She's a bug hunter, and one of the fastest dogs I have ever seen. (Not a good trait when you are trying to get them in their crate.) I can't really hug her with both arms, she's too teeny and she wouldn't let me if I tried, but the yard is much cleaner. For a tiny dog, she can sure take up a LOT of space in the house, on the couch, in the bed.  BUT she is our dog/rat/thing. And we (I at least) love her.

An Ode to a Search Engine

     I am a lover of knowledge. I am a seeker of knowledge. This is a trait that I have blissfully passed down to Larger Child. He asks questions.  He asks a LOT of questions. These aren't the usual irritating questions of the average child, like "where do babies come from?" or the never ending string of "Why?"s that I have often feared but have never encountered.  He asks questions like, "Why do certain months have 30 days when others have 31?" Or, "What's the difference between a raven and a crow?" Or "Is there a world record for the longest fart?" (They can't all be thought provoking winners. Despite my best efforts to think of him as a mature exception to the rule, he IS still a six year old boy.) The POINT IS, he asks questions I often don't have the answers to.
    This brings me to one of my strongest parenting beliefs. If a child asks a reasonable, and real question, do everything in your power to answer it! Don't ever just say, "I don't know" and leave it at that. Your child is seeking knowledge.  He is wanting to learn something new.  Something has sparked his interest, and he wants to explore it to get a better understanding of the world around him.  Is there anything better to encourage?  So, I have made it a point that whenever possible, I answer the questions!
     Enter Google.com. HOW DID PARENTS DO THIS BEFORE GOOGLE?? I know that the Encyclopedia Brittanica or good old Funk and Wagnalls was in a lot of homes, but there were many homes that were reference book-less (gasp!). So, what did they do? Pack up the family and go to the local library? Maybe.  I do know one thing, I am so very grateful for the wealth of knowledge I have at my fingertips. If I am given a question I don't know the answer to right away, I just hop on the laptop or ipad and in less than three seconds, I can usually be on the track to an answer.
     Thank you Google for making me a better parent, and frankly a smarter individual. 
     Oh, and in case you were wondering, yes there is a record, and it is 59 seconds.

My boys, and myself.

   
     After many attempts at blogging, trying to be someone I am not, and write about what I don't know, I said to myself, "Self, you have something to say.  It is just not what you thought it was. That doesn't make it any less important." So, I am beginning a blog about what I know best... being a mom.  More specifically, I am going to write about being a stay at home mom of two young boys in an era where sometimes that can be more than a difficult task.
     I hope you will come along with me on my journey. I am not sure where this is going to take me. But I am excited to find out. HOWEVER, first things first...  An introduction to me and my little brood.
     I am a young(ish) woman, about to be thirty, who went to school to be an English teacher. I graduated the same time I had my first baby, and made the decision to stay at home with him instead instead of going in to teaching. I spent five and a half years at home with this young man until both of our lives changed when his younger brother came 8 months ago.  I am clean, but I love to get my hands dirty. I am organized, but I thrive on chaos. All of which I consider to be great assets to my parenting skill set. I love to be crafty. I sing a lot, even when I don't know the words. I am learning what it means to be a whole person and am enjoying experimenting with life. My family is my heart... and my heart is strong. I love my boys, all three of them (my beautiful bald husband included).

        My oldest child (affectionately referred to as "Larger Child") is six years old, going on about 46. He is in kindergarten, but is already reading chapter books and teaching his classmates to do the same. He is spunky, hilarious, sensitive and so so charming. However. he has been known to intimidate the occasional adult.  Some of them just don't quite know what to do with a six year old who can converse and reason better than they can.  He is quick with the one liners, and can say some things that have my laughing so hard my sides hurt. His best lines have become my twitter feed (in which you can access on the side of this page.) I have called him my Sugar Bee since he was a baby in my arms listening to me sing Rainbow Connection while he cried non stop for about six months.

      My youngest (dubbed "Smaller Child") is an eight month old Behemoth who recently weighed in at a whopping 23 lbs and is over 29 inches tall. He is a very happy baby who is usually all smiles and laughs. He is a drooler, an eater, a pooper, and more recently a dancer. He has quite the rhythm and enjoys a good chair wiggle dance when the music does in fact, "get him." He thinks his brother hung the moon and his puppy is the strangest and most hilarious thing he has ever seen.  (She is an eight month old Dachshund/Yorkie or "Dorkie" mix, and frankly is one of the oddest dogs I have ever seen too, but more on that later.) We have all taken to calling Smaller Child by his initials "E.B.", a name his older brother coined while he was still in my belly. I have taken to singing to him "Close to You" by The Carpenters since he was born. Not sure why, but as I already told you I sing... a lot.

     And there is my beautiful bald husband.  What can I say about him besides he deserves a medal for putting up with me and my -isms over the 12 years we have been together. GOOOD LOOORD, 12 years??? Seriously, that man is as close to sainthood as I have ever known. Ha! In all seriousness, BBH is the best father I have ever seen, and always, without fail, puts his family first. He is adventurous, hilarious, and after over a decade can still keep me in stitches! Frankly, he's my best friend. We have grown up together, or are growing up together rather, and I have had the blessing to see him mature into the type of man I hope to raise our boys to be.  I mean, come on! Does it get better than that?

     So, that's us... in a nutshell. A snapshot introduction to our family (minus the dog, but again, that is a WHOLE 'nother post!).