For the first time this fall, the boys are all doing different activities from each other. Jonas is loving his rock climbing class, Xander is getting into piano, and Roman is all about soccer. Â We’re enjoying watching them do their own thing and find what they’re passionate about.
Yes…I did. All of these things actually came out of my mouth in response to things my boys were doing…fun times.
“Let’s not frisbee the Cool Whip top.”
“You may not have a bat in the van.”
“Get the fly swatter out of the spaghetti sauce.”
“You did not pour Crunchy Nuggets down the vent.”
“Get out of the dryer.”
“Get off of the van.”
(Notice there are no exclamation points because…well, they just do crazy stuff like this all the time…i.e. Jonas.)
ROMAN
“Mommy, gorillas like to sleep naked.”
“Didn’t you know dolphins say EEEast?”
“This is the yummiest kind of protein I ever tasted.”
“My cheese stick is like ow ow somebody bit me!”
“Did you ask the rain to water our plants?”
XANDER
“I’m the king of blue.”
“Mom, is God always in your tummy?”
“I bet the heart is called a heart because heart means love and God loves you.”
“Mom, when are you going to inconvenient toot?”
JONAS
“Isn’t it so cool how there are just 26 letters but you can make a gazillion words?”
“Mom, can you tell Xander what a line of symmetry means?”
Tom turned 40 today, and he wears it well!!! Â The boys and I gave him cards and presents this morning, and we enjoyed the funnest birthday party ever with him and friends and family this afternoon. Â Here’s to the next 40!!!
It’s time for another installment of “What Did I Just Say?”…statements that come out of my mouth as I try to parent three little boys under the age of 5…that, as I’m saying them, I’m realizing how ridiculous they are in and out of context and marveling at the fact that I’ve even put some of these words together in the same sentence as a directive:
“I don’t want you throwing stuffed animals at the fan.”
“Don’t vacuum your brother!”
“Let’s not climb in the pantry.”
“You are not bringing a 2 x 4 inside the house.”
Jackie and Phil surprised me by coming in town to cheer me on in the Franklin Classic 5K!!! It was such a grand gesture that meant the world to me…what special people who teach by example how to love in action and not just in word.
It was a hot morning for a run, and I went too fast out of the gate and ended up almost getting sick and having to walk for a little while about halfway into the second mile which killed my time…oh well, what can you do but live and learn not to give in to the adrenaline. Next time, I’ll try to stick to my best training pace…atleast I beat my time from the last race and hit my goal time on my last training run before the race.
“A real fighter fights whether or not the bell rings…I know why the caged bird sings…” – Matthew Ryan
Here’s another round of wacky things that I’m amazed at having said to my children…
“Why are you eating with a key?”
“Let’s not eat our juice box, buddy.”
“Please don’t poke my couch with a colored pencil.”
“Stop hitting your brother with your shirt.”
“Take the hanger out of your mouth, honey.”
“I don’t want you putting the chair down the water slide.”
It’s time for the latest installment of “What Did I Just Say?”…inspired by my three little boys who somehow manage to bring the craziest things out of my mouth on a daily basis…head shakers…all of them.
“Let’s take the cardboard out of the lamp shade.”
“Who drew on Roman?”
“Why did you draw on your forehead?”
“Please don’t lick the dry erase board.”
“Don’t draw on the table with your yogurt.”
“Don’t spit in the water table.”
“Don’t eat your food on the potty…that’s yucky!”
“Get your shoes out of the pool.”
“Get off the table please.”
“We are not going to play with Daddy’s gas can.”
The boys loved having an Easter egg hunt at the park this morning with several sweet moms and kids from our moms’ group. They had fun rotating around to the playground, the snack table, and the arts and crafts table before and after the hunt. At first, Jonas and Xander hunted on the “big kid” side and Roman hunted on the “little kid” side. But Roman very quickly put the breaks on that and absolutely would not pick anything up, so we just walked over to the “big kid” side and he went right to work.
I, for some reason, had a panic/anxiety attack soon after we got there and almost bolted with all the boys. But I am so thankful for the caliber and community of moms in our group who know and see what’s going on and who pass no judgement, step right up when you have to step back, and encourage you with love and understanding no matter what kind of mommy moment you’re having.
It’s time for another installment of “What Did I Just Say?!?”. I know they’re all commands, but really when you find yourself in that situation…there’s no sweet way to say it…words just come rushing out with no filter whatsoever while you’re marveling at the ridiculousness of what you just said. Oh how much has motherhood changed me. Maybe it’s the multiple boys close in age thing or maybe it’s the frightening and sobering thought that it’s something I’m doing (or not doing)…but hopefully it’s just because they’re energetic and curious boys, being active participants in their own lives (and in the lives of others…ha!).
“I don’t want you using that saw.”
“Don’t lick the door.”
“Get off the windowsill.”
“Get out of the dryer.”
“Don’t spit on your brother.”
“Get off the trash can.”
I mean…really? Yes…really. (Half of these were directed towards my five year old.) God help me!
It all started when the following statement came out of my mouth:
“Don’t head butt your brother.”
As soon as I heard myself speak these words…it was like I had an instant aerial view of my life with three little boys, and I started laughing at the ridiculousness that accompanies my daily hiccups in trying to parent them (it’s better than crying about it, right?). Now, this happens to me ALL the time. So, I thought I’d start a list of the things that I never thought I’d be saying to my children and that, when taken out of context, are just downright silly. Here’s your first installment:
“Don’t pick up any poop, okay?”
“Now, I want you to sit there and think about how to be a pirate.”
“Don’t eat your boogers, buddy.”
“We do not drink water out of pencil sharpeners.”
“Get out of the dishwasher.”
We were all SO excited to get to go to the Grand Ole Opry tonight. We loved watching Pops and Maw rehearse backstage. We also enjoyed joining them on stage with Jonas, Xander, and Roman. (Maw likes to walk all of the grand babies out onto the Opry stage to introduce them to the folks…I’m sure she introduced all of her babies there too…what a tradition!) It’s always magical to watch Pops and Maw sing, and it was such a delight to my heart to get to share that moment not only with Tom but with Jonas, Xander, and Roman too.
Jonas and Xander had fun this morning playing in the sandbox, making a volcano. While Xander took a quick snack break, Jonas turned the volcano into a new creation. So cool!
Jonas started VBS this week. He and I were both so happy to find out that his group included five of his friends from preschool (four from this year’s class and one from last year’s class) and that his teacher was Mrs. Jenn (our dear friend and next door neighbor)!!! Here he is on his first day with his best friend from preschool, Henry.
Jonas and I were toodling around in the backyard this afternoon, watering the garden and checking out the growing things, while Xander and Roman were taking an afternoon nap. I showed him the chamomile that came back from the seeds we planted last year. He was SUPER excited and said, “Like chamomile tea…like Peter Rabbit?” and wanted to know if we could make some chamomile tea. So, we did. He loved cutting the flowers, putting them into the tea infuser, steeping it in a cup of hot water, adding some of MeMe’s spiced apple cider honey, and taking sips over and over again. Who knew I’d have a fellow herbal tea enthusiast in my four and a half year old son? Love it…love him.
The boys and I went to the library this morning for the summer reading program to see Snowbird and to hear him read some books about penguins. Jonas loved him so much that he started crying before we even left saying he missed Snowbird…it was so precious…hopefully we can catch him again next summer.
Jonas and Xander had a B-L-A-S-T playing with Homemade Gak this morning (mommy did too…haha!!). We made letters, animals, handprints and footprints, and funny noises…four simple ingredients (glue, water, food coloring, and Borax) made for a lot of fun…
While Roman was napping this morning, Jonas and Xander had fun doing some Traffic Light Color Matching. After he woke up, we all went to the park to have an end of the school year play date with Jonas’ friends from preschool.
After we dropped Jonas off at school and I laid Roman down for his morning nap, Xander and I had fun in the front yard, adding to his nature collection. He started out with dirt and rocks and leaves and ended up dumping them all out in favor of buttercups…now that’s a little boy after my own heart!!! After we picked every buttercup we could find in our front yard, he wanted to start another collection of clover and dandelions and so we did that too.
