You Know You're Tired When...

We've been staying up rather late at our house lately due to our obsession with the Olympics. And when I say "we" I have to (guiltily) include the boys.

The other day Stevie started to fall asleep on the floor. Since David was already in bed, we urged Stevie to hop on up the stairs and start getting ready for bed. He drowsily got up, and when we started up the stairs a few minutes later, this is what we found.



Bless his heart--he just couldn't make those 3 extra steps into his bedroom.

Incidentally, does anyone else have kids who sleep with their eyes partly open? It's kinda creepy.

Stevie's Tooth(lessness)

Sundays at church are really busy for us. First is Sacrament meeting, then 2 hours of Primary for me and Deacons for Steven. Afterwards, we have an hour of choir practice. So needless to say, when church is finally over and the boys have eaten, we practice "Mandatory Nap Time." This is (in theory) where ALL four of us lay down for a much-needed nap.

Well, this Sunday the boys were a tad rowdy. So instead of Mandatory Nap Time, we just let them watch a movie and rest downstairs instead. Big Mistake.

About an hour into it, we hear them start rough-housing and running around a bit. About 20 minutes later, they start bickering back and forth. And right around the hour and a half mark, we hear The Scream coming from Stevie.

You know The Scream, right? It's the difference between the "I'm seriously ticked off about not getting my way" and "okay, SOMETHING'S BLEEDING HERE!" We raced downstairs to find Stevie with a mouthful of blood, and a nervous looking David saying, "But I'm SO sorry, Mommy."

It turns out David wasn't satisfied with Stevie trying to lay down and watch a movie, so he started (once again) antagonizing Stevie by trying to steal his blanket. Stevie grabbed it with his teeth to get a better hold, and wouldn't you know David yanked it right out---along with Stevie's bottom tooth.


I was so mad I couldn't see straight, so I gave myself a quick time-out to calm down while Steven inspected Stevie's bleeding mouth and gave it a good rinse. Afterwards, he handed Stevie off to me and...well, let's just say I'm pretty sure David's never been so worried in his life.

At any rate, we went to the dentist this morning, and after looking at some x-rays, she assured me that everything was just fine. Turns out he was about to lose that tooth anyway, and his adult tooth was just waiting to come in. She also said we should be on the lookout for his other bottom tooth to start getting loose! So this tooth has a date with the Tooth Fairy tonight. (Unfortunately, she's kind of cheap at our house).

I was really hoping their playtime wouldn't get this rough for at least a year or two. Not so. So now we're cracking down on actions and consequences, and praying that our children survive to the age 19, where we can pack them off on missions and let their mission presidents worry about their antics.


The offending tooth.

Love is in the air...

Stevie Jr. is constantly surrounded by women. He is vastly outnumbered by oodles of cute little girls at church, and has apparently adapted to his situation quite comfortably. He's also one of the two boys in his preschool class, and often can be found playing "Daddy" in a routine game of "House."

Today we went to the park for a little impromptu playdate with some friends. After awhile, we noticed that he had been holding hands with his little friend Rachel for quite some time. Upon further examination, we realized they were playing "House," and Stevie was (once again) "Daddy." (Stevie and Rachel often play house together, and cavalierly call each other "Honey" with an unusual air of confidence and authority).

I ooed and ahhed a teeny bit on the cuteness of it all--until I happened to glance up at the top of the slide just in time to watch Stevie plant a big kiss on the Rachel's mouth.

I just about died laughing, all the while advancing on them as if to---WHAT, exactly?---I'm not sure. Give them a scathing lecture on NICMO'S? (Non-Committal Make-Outs). And of course by this time they had already run off and were playing there next game--as artlessly and nonchalantly as only a recently kissed 5 year old can do.

Later, upon gentle questioning, it was discovered that they were pretending to get married, and so OF COURSE they had to kiss. Realism, apparently, was of great importance--and in their sweet, innocent 5 year old minds, marriage=kissing.

So I just mentioned lightly that we really shouldn't go around kissing our friends, and that hugs and holding hands were probably just fine. But man, that was one cute moment. Wish I'd had my camera.

I Love Stevie

Yesterday, we were having lunch at a friend’s house. Before eating, we decided to play a quick game of “Candyland” with the kids. Everything was going pretty well until David ended up winning the game.

Tears started to well up in Stevie’s eyes and he pushed his face into his knees. He does this when he knows he’s going to start crying but doesn’t want me to see. I tried to talk to him softly about how it’s just a game and it’s only for fun and sometimes ya win some, sometimes ya lose some, etc.

But he just got more and more upset. His quiet tears turned into sobs. “I NEVER win at Candyland, Mom. I’m just a LOSER! I’m a big LOSER! I never win at anything!”

You can imagine how my heart broke when I heard this. I continued to talk with him and hold him and assure him that he was in NO way a loser of any sort. Finally, he decided that he needed to sit by himself for awhile so that he could calm down.

I know this is probably an everyday experience for a child, but it just got me thinking about my sweet little Stevie. He’s a thinker---a figure-it-out kind of guy. I feel brilliance brimming out of this child. But he also wears all his emotions on his sleeve, takes things very seriously and feels things very deeply. I love it because I know it means he’ll always be motivated to do great things—hunger for beauty and truth--be a “Mover and Shaker.” But I hurt for him because I know he’ll always struggle because of it. It’s the price you pay for having your emotions too much with you. It makes for living in a colorful and beautiful world, but also unbearable at times.

All I can do is watch and wait---hold him tight when he cries and assure him that he is NEVER, EVER a loser. In fact, he’s a pretty extraordinary guy. But I bet being extraordinary isn't always fun.

End of Season

Stevie’s last two games of the season were last Saturday, and he did a great job. They don’t actually keep score, mind you, but nonetheless all the kids worked hard and had fun. After the last game, there was a little ceremony where the teams lined up and sat around the infield, and the coaches called the kiddos up one by one and handed them their trophies.

At every game, the coach gives out a “game ball” to a player who’s done a particularly good job. Stevie got the game ball at the last game because he was the played that showed the most improvement and “always plays hard” (which is definitely true---I’ve seen the kid chase after the ball with an almost scary look of determination on his face).


I’m really proud of him. He really listened, followed instructions and tried hard. And what’s more, he really enjoyed it. I think our first experience with organized sports was a success. Stay tuned to see what he does next!

T-BALL

Here's "The Team"
We finally signed Stevie up for T-ball! And he loves it. Mmmm, no, that's not the word--he's fanatically happy about it, and every day he asks me if it's the day of the "Big Game." (I think he got that phrase from watching 'Chicken Little').

Here's Stevie looking suprised he hit the ball.
As many or all of you know, Steven and I are not terribly sports-inclinated folks. Sure, we both appreciate sports--we're just not athletes per se. But we realized that at least for now, our boys both really want to be--and being able to find joy in being active is something we want both of them to have.

Of course I waited until the last minute, and consequently waited too late to sign Stevie up for anything. But luckily, my friend Marby told me there was a space open on her son's team, and they needed an extra player. Hallelujah! Now he can play T-ball AND be with one of his friends.

The coach is really awesome. He spends a lot of one-on-one time with Stevie, and I feel like Stevie's really learned a lot. And the absolute best part of all of this is how well Stevie is taking constructive criticism from his coach. The coach words everything just right-- doesn't baby talk them, but says everything in a way to show he cares. But he'll make Stevie repeat an activity until he does it right--and Stevie doesn't cry. His face doesn't even crinkle up--he just takes it like a man. I'm so proud of him.

Here's Stevie pow-wowing with Coach Joe.
And here's Stevie getting distracted during a pow-wow with Coach Joe. :)
During the first practice, they were running the bases and trying to catch the person in front of them. Well, after rounding 1st base, Stevie BIFFED it, and I mean hard. And he didn't cry! He just jumped up and kept running, and the kid behind him STILL couldn't catch him. That's my baby!

Everyone was saying that Stevie was fast! I guess all those times imitating "Dash" from "The Incredibles" was good practice!
David just can't wait for his turn next year. During practice, Steven will take David aside and practice catching and throwing with him--oh, and "baseball ready." (That's where they wait for the ball with their legs spread and their hands on their knees). It's adorable.

It's been a great experience so far. And I'm with Stevie--I can't wait for the first "Big Game."

My School Boys

Well, not only have we joined a preschool co-op for Stevie, we also joined one for David! It's every Monday and Wednesday from 9:30am-11:30, and there's 5 kids in the class. This time schedule fits just perfectly with Stevie's 9-12:30 class. I actually have 2 hours of time to myself twice a week. It's bewildering! But not so much so that I'm not enjoying it immensely. I took a shower today BY MYSELF without any interruptions. It was almost spooky.

We really lucked out with David because this wonderful girl moved into the ward who's really on top of preschool (being educated in early education herself) and got things rolling. She also has a 3 year old son, who David just happens to get along with marvelously. They talk about numbers and colors and letters, along with various themes that change weekly. So far I'm pleased as punch.

So with Stevie progressing fabulously in his 4-5 year old preschool and David reaping the blessings of his 3 year old preschool, we are feeling pretty lucky! Just think, once the baby is born, I'll have TWO HOURS every week for just baby and me. Pretty luxurious.

Now I just have to get the whole carpooling thing worked out. Then the Nirvana will be complete.

SPIDERMAN/ROCK-N-ROLL PARTY!

This year, we decided to combine Stevie and David's birthday party--since all of David's friends are Stevie's and vice versa. It was exhausting, but turned out pretty fun. (I don't know about you, but I hate throwing parties. I love GOING to them, but when I'm in charge...that's a whole different ball of twine).

AT ANY RATE, David wanted a Spiderman party and Stevie wanted a Rocker party, so we just smooshed it together and had a Spiderman/Rock Star party. Steven and I prepared with our usual wait-till-the-last-possible-minute technique to get everything set up at literally the eleventh hour.

We invited everyone to dress up as a rock star or superhero. Here's a few

We also played a little Spiderman game in the backyard. We gave the kids silly-string and let them hit the "bad guys" with their "Spidey Webs."

Not all the kids were crazy about the Spidey Web game--silly string was too sticky? :)

We had some pretty awesome costumes. Look at the mohawk on Colin! And I couldn't get over our glamorous diva Meda!

Steven went as Ozzie. Here he is, thrashing on a mini-guitar.

Jed seems to be rockin' a south-central LA "vato" look. But hey, whatever.

And isn't Marby's new look fierce? (And while he's not wearing it in his picture, Theron was the cutest Elvis I've ever seen).

We put out our guitar hero stuff and created a little "stage" at the front of the room that the kids could play rock star with. At first, everyone was a bit hesitant, but they warmed up in time!

Here's some ladies rockin' the stage. Ozzie's filling in on guitar.

Here's W. singing his repetoire. He was so cute!!

Afterwards, we sang to Stevie and David, and then let the kiddos decorate cupcakes (I made them do all the work). It was a madhouse, but they did a great job!

Here's the rocker family. I'm a knocked-up Pat Benatar and Stevie's a mini-Billy Idol. David initially wanted to be Spiderman--then Venom. Then he decided he just wanted a tatoo and regular clothes. He kept telling me his Venom costume was "too hot." Oh well.

All-in-all, it was fun. Glad it's over, but even more glad the kiddos had a good time. Happy Birthday, my sweeties.

Preschool

So this year, some ladies in the ward got together and decided to try a preschool co-op. We have about 6 little kids, all of who will be entering kindergarten next year. We have “school” on Mondays and Wednesday for about 3 ½ hours each (I know it seems long, but the last ½ hour is for the kiddos to each their lunches like “big” kids. Seeing as how kindergarten is a full day here in League City, we thought they might as well get used to it. Plus, they love their lunch boxes).

Each mom teaches for one week (2 days). This is nice because we only have to teach once every six weeks, and our kiddos have the benefit of school and peers every week. Plus, it gives us (the moms) a little free time and allows the kids to get used to being without mom.

It’s gone really well so far. Stevie, for one, absolutely loves to go to preschool. He’s one of the older kids in class, so at times he’s a little restless from eagerness to get to the next task, but all-in-all, he loves it. And I am continually blown away with how crazy smart this kid is. He just breezes through every activity. And I think the social education of regularly being with his peers will be incredibly good for him. He has such a sensitive little heart, and he doesn’t always pick up on social clues. This will give him lots of practice, and hopefully help him not to take things so personally. Man, I love my sweet little Jingles.

I taught my first official “week” of preschool, and boy-howdy was it a doozy. I of course waited until the last possible second to construct any type of lesson plan, and then proceeded to stay up until the wee hours of the night getting all the materials together. But overall, it went surprisingly well. I found a great book, “The Giant Book of Kindergarten Activities,” to help me out. I also found some things on the internet that were helpful.

Monday went better than today, though. And I’ve realized it’s all because I was in a better mood on Monday. Today I’ve got a bad case of the hormone-related blahs, and it really showed in my teaching. The kids, fortunately, were as chipper as ever, and didn’t seem to notice my many flub-ups.

I’m really excited about this. It’s hard work but it’s going to be worth it. And plus, I don’t have to think up anything else until October. Phew!

A few samples of Stevie's work:

Tracing the Letter "E"


"The Rainbow Fish" Art Collage


Feelings Face Mask--Stevie chose "angry" for some reason

Everything (currently) That I Can Think Of About...

1. New obsession with Lego StarWars, even though we bought him Guitar Hero for Father's Day.
2. Is a fox.
3. Likes to wade in a baby play pool while grilling steaks.
4. Loves to mix his food all together
5. Wishes I liked Thai food.
6. Keeps putting off going in to get his sleep study done (to see if he has sleep apnea, which he doesn’t by the way. I sleep with him, I should know).
7. Seems to take care of all our business stuff lately. I’m just along for the ride.
8. Eats jelly on his grilled cheese sandwiches.
9. Can play “Maple Leaf Rag” and Mozart’s “Variations on Ah! Vous dirais je maman” on the piano by memory. Now that we have a piano again he’s been playing like mad.
10. Is gone just about every Saturday morning moving someone in or out of the ward. Thank goodness we have a ton of great guys in the ward willing to help!
11. Takes FOREVER to write an email. I’m talking hours. It’s strange.
12. Likes to use his music recording software to make original compositions—mostly of which are extremely funky and all of which done with him performing every instrument.
13. Is very handy, and has fixed all the door jambs so they’ll open again.



1. LOVES LOVES LOVES Guitar Hero (especially the drums).
2. Has recently perfected his rendition of “Eye of the Tiger,” complete with vocals, dance moves, sunglasses, and a backwards hat. Other pieces in his repertoire include “LIvin’ on a Prayer” by Bon Jovi and “Crazy Train” by Ozzy Osbourne. He just kills me.
3. Will sometimes shout “I LOVE ROCK AND ROLL” at the top of his lungs.
4. Is very emotional, and has frequent meltdowns when things don’t go as planned. Just like me.
5. Has recently started swimming UNDERWATER on his own. He also does underwater somersaults and always wears his blue face mask while in the water.
6. Loves to swing on the swing set.
7. Calls himself “Fire Guy” when playing superheroes.
8. Loves the ocean—I recently bought him a kick board and he uses it as a mini-boogie board. He’s WAY too brave and it makes me nervous!
9. Can count to 120 (with just a teeny bit of help).
10. Likes to pretend he’s a baby sometimes. He’ll toddle and put his arms out and talk baby talk.
11. Can read. He can sound out just about any word, and can even read sentences when he puts his mind to it.
12. Is completely out-numbered by girls at church. It seems that most of his little friends are girls.
13. Is bored at home. He always wants to play video games or computer games. I’m pretty sure it’s because he’s not being stimulated enough at home, and is ready for some challenges. We just bought him a new computer game that’s specifically for Kindergarten learning, so hopefully that might help.
14. Just learned how to buckle his own seatbelt a few weeks ago.
15. Loves salad, and recently discovered he loves cucumbers too.



1. Always has to carry 2 or 3 toys with him whenever we leave the house.
2. Is a scrapper. He’s always tackling or play fighting.
3. Loves to jump off of things.
4. Just wants to be around you. You can be doing whatever, and David just wants to be in the room with you.
5. Loves to read books. He’s always asking me to read his Tonka Trucks book.
6. Takes FOREVER to eat his dinner. I usually end up having to grab the fork and shovel it into his mouth.
7. Loves bread but isn’t crazy about meat.
8. Wants to be able to do everything Stevie does, and is often frustrated when he can’t.
9. Is an occasional napper. Sometimes he’ll fall asleep in the car and sleep for hours. But most days he doesn’t nap.
10. Is currently in the other room pretending to build a rocket ship.
11. Loves milk but will settle for juice.
12. Isn’t terribly interested in using the big boy potty.
13. Loves to tell incomprehensible knock-knock jokes.
14. Has started being a lot braver in the water. He can’t swim yet, but he’s experimenting with jump off of things and putting his face in the water. He likes to wade out right up to his neck.
15. Loves the ocean. He likes to wade out WAY FURTHER than Mommy would like him to go.
16. Would MUCH RATHER watch old “Batman” or “Spiderman” cartoons than anything on Nick Jr. He’s very into superheroes.



1. Is doing great on Weightwatchers and has already lost 13.8 lbs.
2. Has been obsessed with the computer lately—namely Biotronic and Typing Maniac. (escape?)
3. Works out most days on the elliptical cross-trainer for 45 min. at the YMCA.
4. Cleans her dad’s house every Thursday and makes dinner for him.
5. Watches her adorable nephew Jackson on Mondays and Tuesdays.
6. Loves swimming, and hates that the YMCA is our only pool.
7. Has taken over the ward choir.
8. Hates grocery shopping but seems to be at the grocery store every single day.
9. Is considering re-auditioning for the Bay Area Chorus in August.
10. Has had a very, very happy week. (more later).
11. Is much more boring than her adorable and awesome family.

Swimming Lessons

I finally signed Stevie up for swimming lesson at the YMCA, and he has absolutely loves them. He's such a water bug! I've been SO PROUD of him, because he's OBVIOUSLY the most talented one in his class (of course--he's probably the oldest one too, but that's beside the point).

Here's some photos of him doing being a "starfish." I thought it was a clever way to teach them how to float on their backs.



Stevie was the only boy in the class, and definitely the most rambuncious and impatient. While waiting for his turn, he would often kick his legs crazily in the water, upsetting girls when they got splashed. The little stinker.


I like this picture because it looks like he's hitting on that cute little girl. (It's definitely more likely that they were arguing about which one was the more awesome swimmer. Stevie's yet to learn about charming modesty).



But all in all, I think this has been a really positive experience for him. He's extremely excited about swimming right now, and I think these lessons have helped him feel even more comfortable in the water. He can even swim a few feet underwater now (but only if he has his goggles on. He insists on being able to see, and can't wrap his head around the idea of closing your eyes under water).

David was a bit upset about being allowed to go to swim lessons with Stevie. But he cheered up (after a good long pout) when I assured him we'd sign him up for some lessons when he was big enough.

A Few (unrelated) Things...

1) Hammy escaped yet again. Not once, but twice. On Saturday, David decided to dump her cage upside-down in order to find her (that poor, traumatized hamster...I'm pretty sure we're turning her into a pyschopath). My husband, being the amazing man that he is, found the teeny little monster, and through an intricate recapturing strategy managed to get Hammy into her hamster ball while I cleaned out her cage.

But I guess we didn't screw the lid on tight enough, because a few minutes later Steven came in the room with the hamster ball--Empty. I was almost certain that she'd escaped forever into the labrynth of our inner walls, but suprisingly enough, Steven found her AGAIN! This time she was hiding in the boys' costumes (that were at the time strewn across the floor due to some prior heavy-duty play-acting). So freedom eluded once again. ...Dang it. I was rootin' for you, Hamwich.

2) While I was driving to the YMCA tonight, I saw not one, but THREE people riding freakin' HORSES down the street. Now if you're from the sticks this may not seem like an extraordinary occurance, but when you're in a relatively closely packed suburb where cars are constantly lining the streets, it's really quite a surprise to see a few equestrains meandering down the sidewalk. Why in the world would you want to ride your horse down a residential street, anyway?

3) Lastly, surprise of all surprises, Stevie received the REVERENCE AWARD in Primary last Sunday. It's the award where if you get it, you get to stand up at the front before Sacrament Meeting and fold your arms (reminding everyone else to be reverent).

This was really a major event, seeing as how Stevie is seldom reverent at anything he does, and especially not in Primary. But he had a good day. I was so dang proud of him! When they called out his name, he yelled out "YES!' in his least reverent voice. Tres Grundbergesque, no?

Here's his official award.

Here's his little prize (an origami dragon) made by our primary pianist.

Family Snippets

Stevie has been obsessed with gibberish lately. Every other word out of his mouth is incomprehensible. I call it his “gobbled-guk” language. And to top it off, he loves randomly shouting these words at the top of his lungs at the most unexpected times—which is a tad hard on my nerves. He’s also become quite the computer game whiz. It worries me a bit. I feel like he has an unhealthy addiction to these games (and I KNOW how addicting they can be), and he even gets really upset sometimes when I make him turn them off and go play outside. Oh well. I’m hoping to get him signed up for T-ball or swimming lessons soon and maybe that will channel some of that “gaming” energy into a better outlet.


David is driving Stevie crazy lately, because he follows him wherever he goes. If Stevie’s swinging, then David wants to swing too (usually on the same swing). If Stevie’s on the computer, David squishes himself into the chair next to him. It’s so cute, but it’s bugging the heck out of Stevie. David also tells these long, drawn out anecdotes that usually include something BIG and GIANT and end with David punching said “big and giant” thing. I’m half-heartedly thinking about starting to potty-train him, but he still insists that going in the big potty is “yucky.” If only he could see the diaper-changing thing from my end.


My husband Steven has been moving people in and out of the ward practically EVERY SINGLE NIGHT! He’s the “Perfecting the Saints” chairman in Elders Quorum, which apparently means he’s in charge of moving and parties (both of which happen to be his fortes). He’s got the build for a mover and the personality for a partier, so it works out. He’s gone an awful lot, but I think he enjoys the camaraderie. It’s a chance for the men to get together sans wives, and I think they usually have a good time.

In unrelated news, Steven (Sr.) REFUSES to cut his hair. It’s getting pretty darn shaggy, but the man just won’t get it cut. I’ve offered to try and cut it for him, but he complains, “That would take even LONGER.” So I guess unless an alien-salon falls from the heavens into our living room, Steven will soon have head-banger hair. *Sigh. How hard is it to go to Pro-cuts?
This was a MONTH ago. You can imagine what it looks like now

On My Boys' General Cuteness...

I often agonize over the fact that I let Stevie watch too much TV. He also gets quite carried away with computer games and playing the Wii. So naturally I felt pretty good as I watched some of the imaginative games my kids have been playing the past few days.

Yesterday, Stevie assembled all his toy drums together. He assigned a (drum set) name to each drum. Then he would say (out loud), “Hi, my name is Stevie and I play the drums. This is my bass drum,”—then plays it—“This is my snare, this is my floor tom, this is my high tom, these are my cymbals. And when you put it all together, it sounds like this:”—then he begins playing uproarious drum solos on his faux-set. He ends by saying “That’s it! My name is Stevie, and my cool trick is playing drums!”

To be fair, this is definitely not Stevie’s original idea—he’s quoting almost VERBATIM from the latest creepy preschool show, Yo Gabba Gabba. (It’s actually a pretty cool little show if you can get past the weirdness—especially DJ Lance and his unexplainable bright orange body-suit and Russian fur hat [also orange]). But the thing I was so excited about was 1) he remembered ALL the names of the drums AND all the words to the “script” and 2) he was performing them with feeling in an interesting way. So maybe it’s not Hamlet, but hey—I was impressed.

If you’ve ever been in my boys’ room, you know that it’s covered in those glow-in-the-dark stick-on stars and planets. (We got them at Frys, and the boys love it—Steven and I figure that as long as we’re in NASA country, we might as well get them excited about space). Well yesterday I saw that my husband had attached this round battery-operated night light to the wall, and had titled it the “sun”-- which made the solar system complete. I went in there awhile ago and the boys had flashlights and were exploring the universe.

Today we played “Name that Sound.” We gathered all our toy musical instruments in a box, and went inside a dark closet. Then we each took turns playing an instrument out of the box, and everyone else had to guess what instrument it was. As loud as this game is, the dark room makes me sleepy.

Just a few minutes ago, Stevie asked me if I wanted to play soccer. I was unfortunately unable to at the moment, so he enlists his little brother to help. Stevie assigned the role of “catcher” to David (which I can only assume means goalie) and they had a rip-roaring game of soccer right in the living room—that is until David snatched the ball and began running away yelling “MY BALL! MY BALL!” General pandemonium followed.

Hopefully, some of these anecdotes will make up for the hours and hours of Nick Jr. my children have inevitably watched (and can apparently quote).

Bathtism

On Sunday, Stevie's primary teacher pulled me aside and told me that they had a lesson on Baptism. His teacher had explained to the kids how when you're baptized, you go under the water--and you have to be completely under the water--and then you come back up again.

Stevie apparently raised his hand and said, "Well, my mom bathtizes me every day in the bathtub."

I'm glad it's all sinking in so well. (And by the way--I do NOT dunk him completely under the water when he takes a bath...even though it'd probably be quicker).

Why My Kids Make Me Laugh

1) As I listen in on my husband and Stevie playing the Wii, I hear this little interchange:

Steven: I think I’m going to win.
Stevie: I don’t think so, I’m pretty tough.
Steven: Nope, I’m gonna beat you.
Stevie: No, you’re goin’ DOWN.

So I guess its never too early to learn trash talk.

2) David was running around the house in circles yesterday, raucously singing at the top of his lungs. After a few minutes of listening, Steven realized he was singing “Chocolate Rain.”

3) On Tuesday, I heard the boys laughing uproariously, so I went to check it out. Turns out they had found a drum stick, and were taking turns pulling each other across the floor with it.

4) A few hours after putting the kids to bed on Friday night, we hear their door start to jiggle. Because no little boys came running out, we figured maybe it was just a false alarm. We forgot about it for awhile, but then decided we’d better check anyway. Here’s what we found in the dark by their door:

5) And even though they were put to bed 45 minutes ago, I can still hear them intermittently shouting out nonsense words—just for the sheer joy of making noise.

Tidbits

Stevie got another bloody nose today at the YMCA. This is the 2nd time, and the workers naturally FREAK OUT when it happens. Little do they know that he constantly gets bloody noses, and so I wasn’t too concerned. And I forgot to put Vaseline in his nose today (doctor’s recommendation). But it did pretty much blow my workout. Stevie wanted to go home so I figured we should.

But on a MUCH BRIGHTER note, Steven and I have……dum, dum, duuuuuuuuummmm---SIX WHOLE HOURS TO OURSELVES ON VALENTINE’S DAY!!! They have this wonderful “Parent’s Night Out” program at the Y (for a small fee, of course) and you bet I signed the boys up straight away! 4:00pm-10:30pm of completely child-free playtime! What will we do with ourselves???? Seriously, SIX HOURS! I’m sure we’ll think of something.

Have I mentioned how much I love the YMCA?

Christmas Ideas

Stevie’s old enough now to get excited about Christmas. Which makes me go absolutely insane with excitement, of coures. This year, I checked out a bunch of Christmas books from the library. I’m going to wrap them up like presents, and every night before bed we’ll unwrap and read one of the Christmas books.

I struggled a bit on how to teach Stevie and David about Jesus’ birth. I really want them to understand what it’s all about. I lucked out, because they have these great little videos on LDS.org. They’re basically the Illustrated Scriptures in Video form, but they’re succinct and use simple language. I’m going to try and incorporate a new one every week in Family Home Evening.

Here are some activities I’m going to TRY and have with the family this year.

1. Letters to Santa (yes, we’re going to do Santa. I’m going to follow this advice, too).
2. League City Christmas Tree Lighting on Dec. 4
3. Make homemade ornaments
4. Make Christmas cookies or gingerbread houses.
5. Secret Santa (leave cookies at people’s houses and run away)
6. Go Christmas caroling
7. Go see Christmas lights.
8. Go to Dickens on the Strand (I went last year and loved it. Plus, Steven gets discount tickets at work).

I know I’m probably being overly optimistic, but hey, it’s Christmas! A great time for optimism. Hopefully I won't end up having a Clark Griswald moment.

Seriously,

How is this comfortable?

Busy Day

Yesterday was Stevie's last day of preschool. He had such a good experience and really enjoyed learning new things and being with his friends. I really wish there was some kind of equivalent in League City.

It was a particularly fun day because they had a Halloween party AND it was Pet Day. Afterwards, we got a picture of the kids in their costumes out on the playground.
(Starting from the left is Natalie, Stevie, James and Dallas).
Afterwards Shannon and I took our broods to McDonald's and had a lovely time. I just love Shannon, and it was so much fun to be able to talk and laugh while our kids went haywire on the play equipment.

Right afterwards it was off to Jan's house for another playdate. Jared and Stevie are such good friends. Whenver they get together, dressing up in costumes is an unwritten rule. They ended up dressing up in each other's Halloween costumes and, of course, gratuitous muscle-flexing immediately followed.
I just love Jan. Nothing is more cathartic than having a nice long talk with her about anything and everything under the sun. The best thing about her is that I always feel edified by the things she says and does. I feel like she really listens and appreciates me, and I always leave inspired to be a better person. I can't think of higher praise than that. *Sigh*...I tend to get just a little weepy now that it's time to leave all my wonderful friends.