Re-load

Often when I go out with the boys, ok everytime I go out with the boys, people ask me how far apart they are. I tell them "14 months". Yes that means I was barely unpregnant before I got re-pregnant. In fact when I went for an ultrasound the technician said, "Hum - that is weird. the machine is saying your 21 months pregnant." Even the ultrasound machine knew I was nuts. Everyone always says "Ha, bet you have your hands full."

And you know, except for those few first months it has always been great - now it is great. The boys are so close and they get along so well. They have a built-in playmate. Neither one knows what it is like to be without the other one. But, can I just say today I understood those crazy looks I get. 10 minutes before the boys went down for their nap they destroyed the living room - DESTROYED! How can two little people do that much damage in 10 MINUTES! See for yourself:


We are having company over for dinner and one would think that I would take advantage of their 2 and a half hour nap to clean. Instead, I took an hour and a half nap myself. I have reloaded and now fill equipped to pick up every toy the boys own off of the living room carpet and to sweep up the food crumbs and play-doh crumbles out from under the dining room table. By the way who ever invented play-doh was either a man or a tired lady who did not spend 15 minutes with a three year old as a test run. Clearly, the time it takes to clean up is NOT worth the time the child's attention is occupied.

An Isaac Classic

Yep, this is normal at our house...

Tired

I am tired. I have been working on a grant for the past four days straight - it is due in tomorow at noon. I have been one huge ball of stress. Too much to do, not enough time. This grant seemed like the impossible task. It was a brand new application with a new focus and so we really had to start from scratch -to make matters worse we were given 4 weeks to prep the 80 page grant (usually we get 2-3 months minimum). I have been a basket case for the past week.
Last night we had been to a family picnic, and I received an e-mail that a big section of the grant needed to be re-written. I was aggrevated and stressed. I just wanted to enjoy a day off with the fam, and instead I was going to be on the computer until midnight, at least. We went home, showered the boys, and got them ready for bed. Eli wanted to snuggle - I did not. All I could think about was that 80 page paper that somehow had to get done in the next 24 hours. But something in me said "snuggle with him, these requests won't last for ever. " So I laid down with him on the floor on a pillow. He snuggled up to me and said, "Mom, your the best," then he jumped up and said, "night night time". It was a whole 30 seconds of snuggling. He was happy and I felt like a million bucks.

Are we friends

Life has been a bit busy here. I have a grant due on Tuesday so it has sucked the life out of me, but I had to write this down while I was thinking about it.

The boys have been fighting today over whether or not they are friends. Eli said they were this morning and Isaac was certain they were not.
This afternoon Isaac tried to hug Eli and say they were indeed friends, and Eli pushed him away and said that they were not.
The jury is still out...

The Guitar Cake

I have had to keep this under my hat for about two months now, but my brothers new wife asked me to make my brother's grooms cake. No pressure. I have done some out-of-the-ordinary cakes for Eli and Isaac - but never one of this importance. I have been fretting over it for weeks! So the big day has come and gone and the delicious chocolate cake is resting in the guests' tummys. I tasted a piece, being the chocolate lover that I am - it was to die for!

It started out as three 12x18 chocolate cakes. Here are some pics of the progression. It took 12 hours total!

Ice Cream

Eli doesn't think he needs an afternoon nap anymore...

A hair cut

We took the boys to get a haircut yesterday to get handsomed up for the big wedding this weekend. I haven't taken the camera lately since the "first' haircut has come in gone, but I sure wish I had it yesterday. The stylist cutting Eli's hair was painfully slow - painfully. I think Eli sensed my frustration and was a little wiggle worm. He was literally like trying to cut the hair of a moving target. The stylist was patient with him, possibly too patient, and she was cutting off a mm of hair at a time in order to not cut him. I thought we are going to be there for HOURS!!
So, as every good wife should do I asked John to switch with me. I would stand with Isaac (he was almost done) and John could deal with the slow poke. He is a bit more tactful at moving things along. The next thing I know Eli is asleep. ASLEEP. John is literally holding Eli's head in whatever direction the stylist wanted and she is just clipping away. He slept for a good 10-15 minutes while she fnished up and then snapped awake when she put the blow dryer on him to clean off the loose hairs! I am not sure if it was a drug induced sleep, but it shaved about 45 minutes off the haircut...

I knew we were in trouble...

We went to the wedding of a dear family yesterday. For two summers I was a camp counselor at Laurel Lake Baptist Camp. The camp director and family, the Callahan's, have always been very dear to my heart. Their oldest daughter (of 8) got married yesterday. We made it a weekend trip - while we were headed south we went to John's grandma's house on Thursday and made our way back home on Saturday, stopping in Corbin for the wedding. Isaac managed to eek out a LITTLE sleep in the car, Eli did not. If you are a parent you know this story is headed towards disaster.

The wedding was to be outside but due to the 40 days of rain we have had lately, they decorated the basement of one of the new dorms for the wedding. We were able to walk through the center part of the camp before the service - as beautiful as I remember it.

We choose four seats in the side back so we could make a quick exit if needed. We knew we were in trouble when the pianist started playing Pachelbel's Cannon and Isaac started singing "Shake your booty". He is soft spoken, no harm done. Then while the preacher was giving the charge to the couple Eli declared "That he wanted to go peep on a tree" I guess nature calls. We spent the rest of the wedding in the back of the congregation.

After the wedding we were able to go outside and talk to some of the staff I used to work with. By the end Eli & Isaac were covered in dirt, or poop as Isaac would call it. They were throwing rocks down a steep embankment and bragging about how "amazing" they are.

Kids need naps, and don't belong at weddings.

Yogurt

We have no idea what happened. We were peacefully eating dinner. We looked over at Isaac and his entire face and bib was covered with yogurt.

Playing with Uncle Kevin's Dog...

Captured...

Blame

Potty training has really been stellar. The boys ave done great with very very few accidents. Isaac is especially hard on himself. When he has to go he always says, 'no askidents, no askidents." His poor, poor school teachers. He has had two accidents at school - the teachers have taken the blame of not getting him to the bathroom in time or the potty being in use, etc. Yesterday was one such day. Isaac peed out of the toilet and soaked his pants/shoes. His teacher was apologizing because it really upset him.
I guess Isaac decided to take that self-blame and run with it. When we got in the car I noticed two orange paint spots on his very, very cute white and blue stripped shirt. I said "Oh Isaac what happened to your shirt, did you get paint on it?" He said, 'No, my teacher did it..."
Right..............

A New World

One of Eli’s favorite things to do is to dig through a big “junk” drawer we have in the kitchen. It holds everything little thing that does not have a home. It is a treasure trove of odds and ins. It seems like Eli always wants to dig through the drawer when I am in a hurry or preoccupied making dinner or something. And he wants to ask questions about each item.
What is this?
What does this do?
Can I smell this (a candle)?
I think this is….
Mom can I play with this?
He likes to do this I my make-up drawer too. I am as confused about all the crap in there as he is.
These are one of those times that have eyes in the back of my head when come in handy. I have to stop whatever I am doing, look at whatever he is talking about and answer his 1 million and one questions. But this morning he said, “Hum what is this, I have never seen this before.” It wasn’t till later in the morning that this all clicked for me. Eli’s whole little world is just coming together. To date he has been playing and that is about it, but now he is starting to notice things outside of himself. He is starting to learn new things and observe things that he has never seen, touched, played with, smelled, etc. I guess if everything was new to me and I had “never seen that before” I would have some questions too. I should be thrilled that I get to be the teacher and get to lead this little mind and make sense of his world. As Isaac says, I need to “be patient” and take the lead.

Tired

When kids are tired they are nuts. Irrational, cranky, irritable, loud. For whatever reason church wears the kiddos out! So Sunday lunch consists of a thrown together meal with irrational, cranky, irritable, loud kids. Sounds lovely doesn't it. Today Isaac was inconsolable. Everything made him cry at lunch today, and not just a whiny cry to was a full fledged, ear piercing wail. John and I had tried to appease him but he wouldn't hear of it. He wouldn't drink his juice, wouldn't eat his lunch, and would not calm down. Finally I asked Eli (the oh-so-wise 3 year old) to calm his brother down. He proceeds to talk to him. The conversation began with "Talk to me sweetie" which is how I usually start MY conversation with them when I am trying to talk rationally with an irrational toddler. Eli proceeds to tell Isaac a silly story which makes Isaac stop crying. Dumbfounded I said, "Hey Eli see if you can get Isaac to drink his juice." He pause his silly story and said - "Isaac drink your juice." Isaac picks up his sippy cup and drinks his juice, still listening to Eli. Clearly, John and I are not in control here.