Stupid Bird!

So tonight Jessie and I had a bit of an adventure. When she went out in the garage to feed the dogs, she discovered that there was a bird in there. We opened the door thinking that it would fly right out. Boy were we wrong! This stupid little bird would fly from one side of the garage to the other. It would fly in circles and bang into things. It would even land and sit on top of the open door. But it would not fly out! We probably looked like complete morons to any of our neighbors that happened to see us (not that today would be any different from any other day!). Finally, after almost 10 minutes, the little bird figured out where the big, huge open garage door was and flew out. Maybe we should make our door less invisible so next time the stupid animal won't have such a hard time!

See, even birds want to come stay in my world!

Andrew

So today was a pretty typical day in my world. From the moment he woke up until I was tucking him in, I was constantly having to tell Andrew to talk quieter because we were inside. I'm still amazed at how different little boys and little girls are. Anyone who tries to tell you that they are different because of society or the way they are raised is very wrong, and has obviously never been around children. I ABSOLUTELY love my son, and wouldn't trade him for the world...but I would go crazy if I had 2 of him! Don't get me wrong, he isn't a bad kid at all. He's just all boy, all the time! Everything he does is loud (like father, like son)...walking, talking, opening things, closing things, laughing...everything! And he has that boy sense of humor...farts are hilarious, talking about "pee pee" and "poo poo" is the best thing ever, and crashes of any kind make his day. He is always moving, too. He doesn't ever sit still. Ever. Even in his sleep. And we think it's physically impossible for him to stay quiet for longer than a minute...we actually bribed him and timed it once! But he is also the most gentle-hearted, giving child you'll ever meet. He is sweet and funny. He doesn't like you to be mad or upset with him. He thrives on routine, and likes to follow the rules. He takes what people say very literally. He can be very intense, and he loves to be near people. And he is incredibly protective of his sisters. He often tells me that he wishes he had a brother. It kind of makes me feel guilty. But then again, I know that even though we don't always get what we want, it usually turns out to be what we need.

So, tonight as him and I were walking to his room, and I had to again remind him to be quiet because Devynn was already asleep, I found myself thinking how glad I am to have him. In our house full of pink, he is our blue. With all the estrogen flowing through here, he is our testosterone. While all us girls can be emotional and moody, he is our level-headed thinker. And even though he can be incredibly intense, he somehow balances our family out. He is, as Uncle Steve calls him, "The Boy."

And it wouldn't be my world without him.

Earthquake

We had a 5.4 earthquake a little bit ago. They don' t usually bother me too much, but it sure upset the kids. That was the first one that Andrew and Rylee had ever felt so they were pretty scared. I finally got them down for their naps, although you could really see how nervous they were about being more than 10 feet away from me. I'm hoping we don't have any big aftershocks while they're sleeping.


Other than that, everything is quiet in my world.

Rhino?!

So, I think it's always a good idea for young kids to know the proper names of "private parts". But for some bizarre reason, Andrew was having trouble remembering the proper name for vagina. He kept thinking that a girls "private part" was called a "rhino"! Ryan and I both about fell out of our chairs the first time he said that! Puts a nice mental picture in your head, doesn't it?!

So Ryan decided that he would help Bubba remember by telling him that vagina rhymes with China. It seemed to help and we thought all was good. Until the other day when Jessie's BFF Ali was over.

Andrew went up to Ali and said "Ali, ask me what rhymes with China." When Ali didn't oblige, Andrew started yelling "VAGINA! VAGINA RHYMES WITH CHINA! CHINA, VAGINA!" Ali and Jess laughed out of embarrassment. And Andrew now thinks he's a comedian.

Boys will be boys in my world!

Strange

For some completely unexplainable reason, my kids have all been getting along and playing nicely together. RyRy even pointed out that she hasn't had to sit in time-out lately (which is usually a multiple times a day thing for her!). I'm sure I just jinxed myself, but it's been so wonderful hearing them laugh rather than argue and whine! I wonder if it's a full moon or something....

Laziness

So, on Saturday Andrew was scheduled to have a t-ball game at 10 am. At 9:05 am, we received a call saying that the game was being cancelled because of the heat and the concern of the boys getting heat stroke.

Give me a break!!!!

I think the parents just didn't want to deal with a little warmth...I won't call it heat because I don't think it even hit 90 degrees at the hottest part of the day! There are too many parents out today that are lazy, and are raising lazy kids. These are the same parents that show up late to all the games, even though the games have a strict one-hour time limit. They rarely, if ever, get their boys to practice...out of 14 boys, we have about 7 at any given practice. And it's usually all the same ones. They aren't teaching their boys anything about being part of a team. If you sign your kids up for a team sport, you're making a commitment to get them to practices and games for the entire season. If you don't want to deal with the heat, then don't sign your son up for a league that runs until August!

I guess one of the biggest problems I see with society today is the fact that too many parents are afraid to be parents. They aren't teaching their kids about responsibility or commitment. They aren't showing them that if they work hard at something, then they can feel good about the rewards. Too many kids expect something for nothing. It's sad because these kids don't know the feeling of accomplishment. They don't know that feeling of pride when they worked their butts off for something and finally earned it.

Parents, start being parents. Don't give in, be consistent, and let your kids come to know the joys of feeling pride in themselves and in their teammates. One day, they'll thank you for it. And then you'll have the sense of pride in knowing that you raised them right. And that's what it's all about.

Fears

Devynn's List of Fears

1. Ryan's old Freddy Krueger mask ...she knows that it's in his closet, so she refuses to go in there. She instead will stand near the closet door saying "mask, mask". But if you bring it out, she instantly starts crying and trying to get as far away from it as possible.
2. Shadows on the wall...the look of terror on her face when she noticed my shadow on the wall scared me because I could only imagine what was behind me. I was very relieved it was just my shadow, but that did little to make her feel better.
3. Balloon animals...she was actually ok playing with Rylee's bunny balloon at first, but something happened and she suddenly didn't want anything to do with it. When I tried handing it back to her, she started crying and trying to get away.
4. Whoopee cushions...the classic trick for old prank-pullers...she is scared of it when it is just sitting there. And if you blow it up, and sit on it, she starts crying hysterically!
5. Shampoo suds...her newest fear...discovered this morning while she showered with me. She was quite upset when I rinsed my hair and she could see the lather gathered around the drain. Even once it had all been rinsed away, she kept eyeing the drain nervously.

Dealing with an 18-month old that has strange fears...just another day in my life...welcome to my world!

Baseball Practice

I was so excited when we went to register Andrew for t-ball awhile back. It's America's favorite game, and the little boys are so much fun to watch, and look so darn cute in their uniforms. It's great fun to watch the first game and see the entire team run after every ball. I was looking forward to sitting in the stands and cheering my boy on. Unfortunately though, reality has set in. I spend most of every practice and game at the playground with Rylee and Devynn. I don't know any of the boys on the team, or their parents. The team mom even comes to the playground when she needs to pass any info on to me!



So, the other day at practice, I was sooo bored at the playground...again! I let the girls play for a bit, and then I decided that we would take a walk on the path that goes around the baseball field. The girls were excited with this new idea, and I figured I would get a little exercise in while I was at it. So we started on our little adventure. Rylee started running ahead and Devynn was doing her best bobble-head run trying to keep up. As we got to the southern end of the park (which took about a whole minute because the park is enormous), RyRy asked if we could go sit on the little hill that's there. It's a small grassy hill that overlooks a habitat conservation area. With the afternoon breeze, and the shade from the few trees there, it seemed like the perfect place to sit on a nice, summer afternoon. So we climbed to the top and took a rest. The girls sat for a minute eating their snacks, and then took off their shoes and started playing on the hill. It was such a treat for me to sit and watch them running (or for Devynn, falling) down the little hill with these HUGE smiles on their little faces. AND I discovered that I could actually sit and watch Andrew at his practice at the same time! I was so happy! Andrew noticed us watching, and gave us a big thumbs up with his big grin that can light up any room (or baseball field!). So as I sat watching Andrew and my girls at the same time, I was amazed at the joy I felt in my heart seeing their eyes light up with pure happiness as they rolled and ran and fell and laughed. There is nothing in the world that even comes close to comparing to the sound of your children's laughter. Absolutely nothing. It was in that moment that I realized that I may be just an ordinary mom, but I'm doing something extraordinary by raising my monkeys. What a great feeling. I was in such a happy place that even the man on the bike who decided to stop right behind us (which was upwind from us) and start smoking couldn't ruin my afternoon.



Of course, as soon as practice was over, Andrew and Rylee had to start fighting over who was going to climb in the car first. So I had to leave my happy place, put on my referee uniform (why I ever take it off at all, I don't know), and get back to my normal life.



All in all, not a bad day in my world.

The Beginning

So here you are in my world! It can be crazy, noisy, chaotic, and even boring here sometimes. But I love it and wouldn't trade being able to stay home for the world! Even though I have moments where I want to scream, I know that I am incredibly blessed and fortunate to be home with my monkeys. I think my kids will truly benefit by me being home with them. And vice versa. So feel free to come back and visit my world often. Let me know what you think...good or bad. Just be prepared because you never know what to expect when you step in here! :)

Everyday is an adventure in my world!