Things I love...

The silly things little boys add to your life...
My backyard and the fact that only 1/4 of the leaves have fallen from our trees...
Dave's nod to Halloween, with his "Octopus Ghost" as I like to call it...
That raking leaves is a boy job...

Dear Parker, It's Blake...

"When I was a baby, my mommy didn't have a name for me, so she called me Uncle Dick, and Sweet Baby Barbecue."

Soooo......

Would it be bad if I decided to become a professional photographer in my free time (because there really is soo much of it...) and pimped my child out to different brand name companies? I mean, it seems okay. We would work as a team, and all we have to do is place a slab of salami, box of wheat thins, scotch tape, maybe some pumpkin ale beer in his chubby little hands and college is paid for...

It's true...we are in fact related

Jump for Joy!!!

My kids sleep amazing at my parents. For some reason, unbenounced to me, they sleep late in the mornings, take super long naps, and look forward to snuggling in at Nanas. We now know why...

Dave and I took the boys to St. Edwards park to take in the amazing fall weather. The kids loved the dirt, and it lovingly clung to their jeans. We put Blake down for a nap in undies, and a t-shirt. My mom went to check on him a half an hour after, to find him jumping up and down on the bed, singing whatever tune was in his head at the moment, with his "wiener flopping about" (literally word for word by my mother...) and his underwear on his head.

Oh the joy of a good naked jump.

Blake and Chippy's Pumpkin Adventure

So being a mom has made me borderline obsessive compulsive. I feel with every ounce of my being, that this thing called parenting is just a little bit easier if we are clean, organized and polite. The first two, I am trying to give my children a little bit of grace on. So this year, I put Martha's guide to the perfect Autumn season back on the coffee table, and allowed Blake to create his own look for his pumpkin. My ideas of the perfect polka dot ghost white pumpkin with accented green gourds will have to wait until next fall. Blake, with the help of our good friend's "tweenagers" helped to carve pumpkins last weekend.

Blake was so proud of himself and all of his hard work. He would stand in the dining room and admire his work...until Chippy, the friendly neighborhood squirrel, wanted to add a little of his decorative flair.

Blake decided that he hates chippy, and he is going to starve him.

There you have it.

What's Grosser than Gross?

Parker realizing that he can take his peanut butter and jelly sandwich apart.

Deeps Thoughts by Blake

Did you know that Penguins only eat bacon? I bet you didn't realize that.

Mommy, Bruce and I are married. But only after he came out of my belly.

Um, I think that my bottom might have the throw ups.

Mommy. There really is no need for you to raise your voice.

I don't really care for what you made for dinner. Thank you anyways.

Mommy, don't talk back to Daddy.

Sleeping with the Enemy

When it comes to raising boys, I see it as a privilege. I believe that I am raising boys that will someday take care of girls, and right now, I have them practicing on me.

Parker is in the most loving, and tender stage right now. And he is crazy about his Mommy. Today, while his older brother made a great decision to take a nap, Parker had other plans. He proceeded to howl at the top of his lungs in combination with screaming, "Mama!" through all his tears. After 45 minutes and me needing a nap, I brought him into my bed (there's a first time for everything!!) and told him that he could lay down with me, and we would both sleep.

He squinted his eyes shut tight, and I closed mine. He then proceeded to trace my lips with his fingertip, brush my hair out of my eyes, and gently places his little lips on my mouth. Again, all the makings for a perfect little man.

After an hour, when I caught him with his finger up my nose, making spit bubbles on my brown matte coverlet and yanking on my hair, nap time was officially over. At one point he pulled the covers over our heads, and I think that he may have tooted. Looks like I still have a lot of work to do.

For the sake of Sadie...

I use my blogs to tell funny stories about my kids, not about me. However, I think that the way that I relive all of our moments, in the end tells so much about me. My girlfriend Sadie, "tagged" me to write 7 random facts about myself. Because I really really like Sadie, and I want her to really really really like me, I will go forth.

1. When I was in college, and nannying, I was driving my boss's 1985 4 door truck, and I hit a parked car heading up Dravus in Seattle. I kept driving and told the little girl in the backseat that the wind blew the side mirror into the passenger window.

2. My husband does all of the laundry in our house. I think that this embarrasses my mom.

3. I allow my children to eat crackers and cheerios that they find in their carseat or stroller. Please, it saves money.

4. I am obsessed with clear containers and feel that everything for the most part has it's very own home. Batteries, puzzle pieces, light bulbs, tea lights, little people, and tampons, to name just a few.

5. The first time Dave kissed me, I burst into tears.

6. I gave birth to both of my 9+ lbs boys naturally. I won't be having anymore children.

7. I don't take my contacts out at night, and I don't wash off my eye makeup. More than likely, I will be blind by next summer.

Soap Talk

So it's official. The inside of Blake's mouth became intimate with Johnson and Johnson's baby soap this evening. I was hoping that I wouldn't have to deal with this until we were at least 8 or 9, and some kid in 2nd grade taught my sweet Blakey bear the f-word. Not so. Not that he repeated the big F bomb this evening...we are just taking preventative measures here on the home front.

I hate potty talk. I think that it makes for gross little boys and girls, and is only appropriate when we are in discussions about whether or not we need to sit or stand. Tonight it came in the form of just silly boy talk. But the thing is, that I have threatened Blake countless times, that I would in fact put soap in his mouth, and tonight I was fed up.

It actually worked out quite nicely, since we were already in the tub. He said the word, I grabbed the soap, opened his mouth, sloshed it around on his teeth, scrubbed his tongue and he just sat there. Eyes wide open, not saying a word, and much to my disappointment, he didn't cry.

Toddler or Teenager?

So I guess that I would assume that I am quite the expert on teenagers. After spending almost ten years, loving the daylights out of high schoolers, you would think that I would know a thing or two. But since I have never raised a 3 year old, going on 13, I am a bit ill prepared. Hormones seem to be kicking into overdrive lately in our house, and I promise, they are not mine. Blake is so sensitive. He bursts into tears if Parker gets anything red, and he ends up with blue. "Mommy, red is my favorite color you know..." The water works go on if he thinks that Daddy forgot to hug or kiss Mommy goodbye in the morning. Sit in "his" chair for a morning cartoon, you will pay. Pull him out of the tub before the last water drop has made it's way down the drain, tears. This is what happened two nights ago, when he was STILL screaming, five minutes after he had been out of the bath. I told him, "Blake, you have to stop screaming. You are hurting mommy's ears". He stopped for a moment, placed his hands on my ears, and started up again.

Lastly, our most proud moment as parents came on Wednesday, when Blake got into a fight at preschool.

Nothin Like Baked Goods

I have always tried to find great things about Everett. I am seldom able to add to my short list. Of course, at the top, is that WE live here, but second to that, is the unreal views of our state that we have in every direction. Especially on a sunny day.

Today, on the way to the pumpkin patch, Dave was telling Blake all about Mt. Baker.

"Daddy! Look at that. Look at all of the snow on top of that mountain! Actually, Mommy, did you know that they have a bakery at the top of that mountain?"

"Wow. I didn't know that Blake. What sorts of things do they bake?" I asked.

"Oh, you know. Bagels, sandwiches, raviolis, pasta. Things like that." he stated.

"And Mommy, that snow on the top of the mountain...it is really just powdered sugar."

Kitchen Table Convo

Typed word for word this morning:

From Blake to Parker:

"Parker, did you just tell me no? Did you? Are you lying to me? You know what Parker, we don't lie.

I will ask you one more time if I can have a turn with that. Parker, can I please have a turn with that? Are you ready to share? Are you ready to share? We don't share? Huh?"

(I didn't turn around to see if "it" was handed over, or taken)

"Thank you."

Much to Bill's Dismay

William Sonoma makes the most lovely batch of mixing bowls. We received ours as a wedding shower gift, 7 and a half years ago. They have helped in the making of my first "Rodger's Chocolate Cake", many rounds of brownies, banana bread and numerous cheesecake frostings (amongst other things that don't involve sugar).

Today, they were used as hats. Then as drums. Then as hat-drums.

Now, they are in the garbage...in pieces.

Page 341 in the Parent Handbook

Using an air pump as a cell phone and a small dog.