Ahoy!

Arr, me hearty! It's been a full day and me eyes are very close t' shuttin' fer the night ... but before I go t' sleep, I'm obliged t' give ye a wee little peek at our fun. Me little mateys were stealin' hearts left an' right today. Be sure an' come back t'morrow if ye be wantin' t' hear the details.

The Best Medicine

After much discussion last week, it was decided that I would travel home to help my parents after my sisters left. I have to be honest ... I was pretty hesitant to take on the job, knowing I would also have two active little boys to take care of. I was so nervous that the three of us would become more of a burden than a help. And that I would basically just stress everybody out.

Silly. Silly. Me.

My parents blossomed under the care of my two little ones.

What I learned this week:

1) Watching a two-year-old peform "Open, Shut Them" and "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" was much more nourishing to the soul than any food I could have prepared for them.

2) Holding a sleeping baby kept my mom a thousand times warmer than the blanket I covered her with, or the slippers I helped put on her feet.

3) Listening to my boys laugh in the bathtub was more cleansing than the hydrogen peroxide I poured on their wounds as I changed their dressings.

4) Watching cartoons and eating breakfast in bed with her grandson was the best kind of distraction from my mom's constant pain and nausea. And my dad didn't even mind the crumbs left behind on his side of the bed. ;)

5) My constant encouragement was no match for the time Tanner saw my mom using the restroom and said "YAY!!! Grammy gets an M&M! Grammy gets an M&MMMMMMM!!!!"


These two were the best kind of medicine.

We'll be heading back next week for another dose.

A Little Bit of Peace

Don't you just love those new little paint samples they sell at Home Depot? You can get a pretty good size sample of any color you want for just under $2.50. It's great, really. Especially if you are terrible about making decisions, like me!! We are determined to paint our living room/dining room that is really a playroom, and I think I've bought nearly 10 different samples of paint to test out.

Just an hour ago, I schlepped the kids into the store, bought two new samples, and came home to test them out. Landon fell asleep in the car, and Tanner was playing so nicely by himself, I thought it was a great time to get out the paint, brush it on a few pieces of posterboard, and see how I like it. Surprise, surprise -- Tanner decided to join me. He pulled his chair up to the countertop, stood beside me, then spilled the entire sample of paint all over my hardwood floor.

I (very calmly) removed my shoes and paint-splattered pants, carried him up to his room and locked the door, explaining that I would come get him after the mess was cleaned up. Then, I proceeded to clean up that huge mess, yuck. Anyways, now I'm done. Tanner is up in his room playing (HE doesn't know I'm finished yet). Landon is still sleeping. And I have a little bit of peace. I might even have a cup of coffee before I go upstairs.

And I'm just going to go ahead and say it. In honor of my dad and Jon's dad. "We can't have anything nice around here."

:) PEACE OUT.

Prayers, Please!

Many of you already know what happened this weekend, but some of you don't, so let me fill you in.

On Thursday night, my parents were in a car accident on their way to visit my little brother at West Point. I got a call from my grandmother on Friday morning to tell me what had happened. Their rental car was totaled in the accident, but fortunately, the inside of the car stayed pretty much intact (other than the windshield). The accident happened in Toledo, so they were taken to a hospital there, where they have been ever since. My dad broke his clavicle in three places, and just had surgery to repair it on Sunday afternoon. My mom's hip was fractured right where the hip socket is and she also had to have surgery on Sunday evening. The rest of their injuries were just cutr and bruises ... thank goodness!

My sister, Lauren, flew in immediately after she got the news, and we drove together to Toledo to be with them on Saturday. I had to come back on Sunday, but Lauren decided to stay with my parents for the week. My other sister, Katherine, flew in on Sunday night and will also be with my parents for the rest of the week. (Did you get all that???) I am so lucky to have such wonderful sisters who were both able to take a week off and get my parents back from the hospital and settled in at home.

I just spoke to Katherine on the phone and they are getting ready to load my parents up in their van to bring them home. I'm not quite sure what we should expect as far as recovery for my dad, but I know that my mom's recovery will be pretty long. She cannot put weight on her hip or sit up straight for 6-8 weeks. We have a lot of work to do to get the house ready for that kind of situation and aren't quite sure what to do after Lauren and Katherine leave. So, please just keep my mom and dad in your prayers. And if you think of it, say a prayer for my sisters and I, too, that God will give us the wisdom we need in making the right decisions for them, etc. We are so sad that this happened, but incredibly thankful that my parents are still here and that their injuries will eventually heal! I'll keep you posted!

"My do it"

Just a glimpse of life with a "big boy" in the house. :)

Oh, Brother!

... a guest post from Landon.

The other day, my mom FINALLY got into the front of the line at the post office. Tanner had already gone through a whole lollipop and even took his shoes and socks off while we were waiting. He was being SO Bad. But I was being good -- of course. Someone's gotta keep my mom sane at times like this! I kept the old ladies behind me distracted from my big brother's behavior by flirting with them big time. They were all in love with my dimples. I mean, who ISN'T? By the time she got to the front of the line, my mom forgot the pin number to her debit card. That's almost as bad as forgetting your phone number! In fact, she entered the wrong pin so many times that she got locked out of her bank account. Talk about embarrassing. I made sure to wake her up a few times that night to give her a hug and make her feel better.

I'm getting pretty good at moving around. Tanner gets all worked up whenever I get close to his toys. (The kid thinks EVERYTHING is his.) Yesterday he tried to physically move me away from his kitchen stuff. He obviously didn't realize that I'm 20 lbs of solid muscle.

My mom attempts to feed me mush every night right around dinner time. It's totally gross and I try really hard to keep my mouth clamped shut. I'm no fool ... if I eat that stuff it'll make me way too full to wake up for my night-time snacks, complete with undivided attention from mom. (She's a total sucker -- it's the DIMPLES, man! I'm telling you! The women LOVE them!)

My dad is totally fun. He flies me around the house like I'm an airplane. And he's always telling everyone how fast I catch on to things ... like breastfeeding, which always makes Mom roll her eyes. She loves it when he tells other people things like that.

My brother and me ... we're going to be best buddies. I just know it. Even though he's pretty stingy right now, I know he'll eventually learn to share. He's very protective of me. Whenever we go over to a new friend's house, he always leans over my seat, points to me, and says, "NO! MY brother!" with a really stern look on his face. He comes to my rescue during the day whenever I am crying in my crib. And he's always so happy to see me when he first wakes up in the morning. I can pretty much say for certain that he is my favorite person in the world.

Don't worry, though, Mom and Dad. You're tied for second.

Still Adjusting

Well, it's no secret by now that some days are better than others around here. I'm happy to report that today was a good day -- which is nice because yesterday I was about to pull my hair out.

Both boys slept a tiny bit late this morning, then we had playgroup, a trip to Kohl's, and a calm afternoon filled with lots of independent play by Tanner. He is very into pretending right now, and spent close to an hour taking different stuffed animals up to his room, attempting to diaper them, read to them, and then make them take a "nap." It was all very entertaining to spy on!




Landon spent most of the afternoon just crawling around the playroom with Tanner. He was so content to just watch his big brother in action while gnawing on everything in sight. I can't believe how fast he is starting to move. He is still Army crawling, but definitely getting everywhere he wants to go. Pretty soon I think he'll start pulling himself into a sitting position. No teeth yet. Solids are going okay. Still not sleeping through the night :( We had his 6 mos. checkup last week and he weighed 20 lbs (80th %tile) and measured 29 in (off the charts). I asked the doctor if he should be sleeping all night yet, but he said not to worry about it. (Hmpff! Easy for him to say!)





I have been really struggling lately to accomplish anything. To-do lists (which I used to LOVE) totally stress me out and make me a mean mom. So, I'm trying to just do what I can when I can. Lately our naps are all over the place, so someone is always awake. The house is a mess EVERY NIGHT when Jon gets home. I often feel like I'm floundering and barely keeping my head above water. I just can't seem to get it together even though I spend ALL DAY taking care of my house and my boys. Maybe this is what life with multiple kids feels like. Or maybe this is just a bump in the road and my kiddos are extra needy right now. Time will tell. Even after 6 mos, I'm STILL adjusting to life with 2. I find that my attitude makes a HUGE difference in how my day goes ... not that I am more productive when I have a good attitude, I just approach the day in a different way and it is more enjoyable for everyone. I'm sure a good night's sleep wouldn't hurt anything either. :)

Speaking of, I better get my kitchen cleaned so I can get to bed. Goodnight!