Paulie, The Shark Man and Bear

If anyone were to ask what one of our biggest day to day challenges is right now with three kids, I would have to say it's getting Braden and Jackson dressed and ready for school in a timely manner and without screaming, tears and negotiations. Who would have EVER thought that I would have two BOYS that were so freaking particular about what the heck they wear on a daily basis?

Lately, the fact that the summer is over is just not setting in with them. They think they can still wear shorts on 40 degree days (it doesn't help that their father doesn't ditch the shorts until

January!!!). All that said, Jackson our sweet, fiesty, sensitive, devil child has declared about three outfits to identify himself in. The first being his SOX jersey (short sleeved top and shorts). He calls himself "Paulie" when in this set that Grandpa so proudly purchased while Mommy and Daddy were in the hospital having Flynn! Jackson likes going against the grain and since the rest of the Meyer family are CUBS fans, Jackson will most likely follow Grandpa's lead and be the lone Sox fan...or as we are to call him, "Paulie".

The next outfit is his Shark shirt and shorts. He calls himself "Shark Man" when in this get up. It's basically a pair of swim trunks and the lycra top that matches it. He has gone days and even nights wearing this outfit WITHOUT taking it off!!! Mike and I have to get in knock down, drag out fights with him about getting him to agree to take the shorts off to get washed. He'll sometimes stand in front of the washer in a fit of rage just waiting for them to get transferred into the dryer which means he will be that much closer to getting them back on! Now that it's chilly out, we have negotiated he wear sweatpants underneath the shorts when he insists on wearing the damn things to school. I sometimes dream of just "accidentally" tossing them into the garbage and blaming it on River. My guilty concious always manages to get in the way. I always remind myself that he will only have this chunk of time in his life to get away with wearing the same thing day and in and day out without too many reprocusions. Hell why not!

The last is our "Bear". He loves to wear the Chicago Bears uniform Braden got for Christmas last year but quickly grew out of. It consists of a pair of football pants, a jersey and helmet. The jersey and pants have taken over the daily Shark Man obsession and I believe Jackson thinks this is his ticket to getting away with wearing pants. However, he still pulls the pants up above his knees for the short look and feel. We usually give him about two days and one night in the outfit before starting our negotiations for wearing another outfit!

Who would have thought that I would be dealing with two boys that cared so much for what they wear at the ripe old age of 3 and 2 years old? We can only hope and pray that we are in a "phase" and look back and laugh at the memories of these fabulous mornings full of negotiations and tears!

To see it through their eyes...

Damn It!

Mike and I had to run to Costco to get none other than diapers and wipes for Flynn. As we were driving by The Creamery on Wolf Road Braden noticed that the place was boarded up for the season and yelled "the ice cream place is closed!" where Jackson replied with a cool, yet raspy "DAMN IT!!!"

To see it through their eyes...

Boogers, Hair and Nails

Yes, you read that right! Braden informed me tonight that he likes to eat boogers, hair and nails! EEEEEEEWWWWWW....

Where did he come from? Was he just looking for a great reaction from his mom? I sure hope so??!!

To see it through their eyes...

Happy Halloween!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

To see it through their eyes...

Flynn's Milestones

Flynn is WALKING now! It has been a little over a week and she has finally taken a liking to using her two feet rather than all fours to get from point A to point B.

This also means that Flynn is now a part of the mix when it comes to play time with the boys. They are not used to her walking and don't realize she is right by them, which results in her tipping over A LOT! It's actually pretty funny. We'll all have to get used to the fact that our baby is now a walking machine!

Flynn is also using lots of words lately:

River
Dada
Mama
More
Up
Nigh nigh
Uh ohhhh
Foo ball

She is quite a pistol and knows what she wants and when she wants it! Although there is still a language barrier between her and the rest of us we are incorporating baby sign language, which she has finally started to use, as well as understanding her pointing and grunts!

Last but not least, Flynn is moving out of the infant room next week and into the early toddler program! I still cannot believe that it has been over a year since she came into our world and completed the Meyer family. Looking over the past year I realize how difficult it was and yet how rewarding it has been. We are so blessed to have three healthy children, who all have their own unique personalities, likes and dislikes. Now that all three are walking, talking, and sleeping through the night, I anxiously await the next year of challenges, milestones & growth, not only as individuals but as a family unit.

To see it through their eyes...

2 in Roo's!!!

It has been about 2 months now and I can safely and confidently say that JACKSON IS POTTY TRAINED!!! I didn't want to jinx the system and figured I would wait a while before bragging that I finally have 2 kids OUT of diapers at one point in time rather than 2 IN diapers! Now we just have to work on Flynn, if only we can be so lucky as to have her potty train herself like the boys did???
Jackson has done a great job and has ditched the nightly pull ups, as well! We are so proud of our big guy. Way to go Jackson Gregory!

Some major benefits to having 2 in roos:

• Number of trash bags have decreased dramatically
• No more pullups
• No more diapers
• Costco monthly spend has decreased by $100/month

To see it through their eyes...

The Polar Bear, Towel and Zebra Dress

Well, I am officially 32!!! Being ever so thoughtful, Mike decided to take the boys shopping for Mommy's birthday gift. Before leaving he video taped them declaring what they wanted to get me. Braden wanted to get me a "pretty dress" and Jackson thought I needed a "beach towel". With these ideas in mind Mike knew exactly what department to guide them to, this time he video taped their selection process. First he took Jackson to the towel section, he spent no time making a decision, saw the first towel that caught his eye and said that was it. It had a pretty brown, green and yellow leaf print on it. Next was the dress section for Braden to make his selection. He thought I deserved a pretty dress that I could wear to the zoo...a zebra print was what he had in mind! Amazingly enough, zebra print is in right now so guess what I got...a black and white zebra striped summer dress!!!

So Mike wrapped these gifts up and had each of the boys autograph their hand picked cards. Jackson was first to present his gift to me. I opened the card first and there lay a polar bear with its head in the pool of water. Jackson was so proud trying to show me how the "polwar bears head is in the water, mommy". I opened the card and it read "Wishing you a Happy Birthday, Just go easy on the tequila"!!! Oh my goodness, I was dying with laughter and of course thinking to myself that this might be a little forshadowing?!

Braden on the other hand presented me with a card that had a nice baseball on it with a simple happy birthday written across it. I opened the card and inside it read "from your number one fan"-of course, so Braden.

What memorable gifts and cards I received from my wonderful boys! All thanks to their amazing, thoughtful father!!! Thanks for making my birthday so SPECIAL!!!

To see it through their eyes...

Jackson and his potty training adventures!

Jackson is now Mr. Independent! "I do it, mommy" is his favorite thing to say these days. Lately, he has been informing both Mike and I of the fact that he "does not wear pullups, okay?" With that, we have been treading the water slowly and lightly as he tends do want to do the opposite of what we ask for!

This morning Jackson went to his underwear drawer and pulled out a pair of red boxer briefs and declared that he was wearing underwear to school today!!! Oh joy I thought, just what I need to start my week off...why couldn't he pick Saturday to declare this? As all mornings go, no time for negotiating so I said fine and grabbed a pullup for the road!

Mike ended up picking up the kids. He unloads all of them and Jackson comes running up to me to tell me that he pee'd in the big boy potty all day and "weared his big boy underwear without peeing or pooping in it!" Just as he is saying this pee starts trickling down his legs and onto the GARAGE FLOOR!!! Strike one.

We change him and assure him that everything is okay and sometimes when you get excited you pee in your pants (just like mommy!!!). So we go about our nightly routine of preparing dinner, playing with the kids, unloading diaper bag, etc. Jackson is outside and all the sudden he comes running in screaming "my shorts are wet!". What? Another pair of shorts and underwear down.
Strike two.

At this point, Jackson started to feel a little discouraged and broke down by asking for us to put a diaper on him. We told him that he was doing great and that he needs to ask to go to the potty as soon as he feels like he has to go. We give him another pair of roos to put on, by himself. All of the sudden Braden and I got a whiff of poop and looked at each other frantically. I freaked out and told Mike to take Jackson to the toilet, ASAP! It was a smelly fart. Foul ball.

Mike put Jackson on the toilet and left him there to do his business. Before we knew it Jackson was screaming "I'm done, I pooped in the potty!"

In our house, that's what we would consider a GRAND SLAM!!! Jackson was prouder than a peacock and loved the way his poop looked in that toilet! Poop on my little pooper...hopefully we'll have two in roos and one to go by month end. Or is that just wishful thinking???

To see it through their eyes...

Daily drop offs

I am the lucky one that gets to drop off and pick up the kids to and from daycare most days of the week. All three kids have their own drop off styles and requirements:

1st to get dropped off is Jackson-room 2. Most of the time he just walks right in, no looking back. I usually have to beg him for at least a high five so I can get my blurb in, "be good, have a great day, I love you" He walks in with great confidence, his chest puffed out, waiting for the daily "Jackson is here" greeting from his teachers and friends.

2nd to get dropped off is Flynn-room 1/nursery. She has been attending daycare since she was 8 weeks old. She knows nothing else other than the same people she has been seeing for the past 8 months. No drama, just drop her off, give kisses and report the last feeding. When I turn to walk out and look back to see a smile on her face, I melt. She is my baby and her days in the "nursery" are coming to an end.

3rd to get dropped off is Braden-room 3. Before he can even step foot in the door he requires a minimum of 4 hugs and 4 kisses (his favorite number these days as he cannot wait to turn 4!). I always add 3 "bonus kisses" to make his smile go from ear to ear. He by far is the most emotional of all three in his goodbye. He is the watchful eye, making sure that his brother and sister are well. He gets to visit them throughout the day and "take note" of their behavior and surroundings so he can report not only what his day was like, but what Jackson and Flynn's day was like.

We have some emotional days and not so emotional days. All in all, the kids are very happy with their caregivers, as are we. We are super lucky to have such unique individuals to call our own that require their own signature departure rituals. I walk away each day just thanking my lucky stars to be a mom to such wonderful, well balanced children.

To see it through their eyes...

I love you, Daddy...I love you, Mommy!

Words spoken by Braden Meyer, almost daily now. It doesn't matter what kind of day either of us have had, how frustrated we might be, hearing those words spoken by a 3 year old all the time make life worth living and loving. Sometimes you need that little reminder, albeit from a 3 year old, to remind you that the simple things are most often the BEST THINGS. Hearing your own child tell you that they love you in the most enthusiastic, sincere way really goes a long way and can turn any bad day into the best day.

We have been super lucky to have these "best" kind of days everyday. How sweet it is!

To see it through their eyes...

You not nice...

In May we had the opportunity to take a couple of days off and head up North to Spooner, WI to visit Grandma and Grandpa over the Memorial Day weekend.

While there we went to a place called the Wilderness Walk. It's a zoo for Northwoods type animals. The boys and Mike were checking out the reindeer when one of the reindeer saw both the boys and pounced towards them like she was angry and trying to get them out of the area! Everyone was shocked at the behavior of the reindeer and sat staring in awe as she continued to run in a circle and then run forcefully toward the boys, with a fence between them, so as to scare them away. Finally Jackson took a few steps back and walked toward the fence and yelled, "you not nice Dora...you go to time out!"

Now let me explain who "Dora" is. We have resident deer that live in our neighborhood. We have named one of the mama deer Dora. She frequents our yard and eats our tulips and any other rufage she can find. With that said, any and all deer we see the boys think it is Dora the deer!

It comes to find out that the poor reindeer was just trying to protect the baby she had just had earlier in the spring. From what we were told, after the reindeer had her baby a couple of kids were standing outside the fence antagonizing it. The reindeer was just taking care of her offspring and didn't want the little tikes to harm it.

Either way, Jackson was not happy with the reindeer's behavior and therefore kept telling it off by repeating "you not nice Dora...you go to time out!"

To see it through their eyes...

Sparkles

Any mom or woman that doesn't shave after a few days starts to grow stubble on their legs, right? Or is it just me???

It was bedtime at the Meyer household and I was sitting in Jackson's toddler bed giving out my nightly hugs and kisses. I grabbed Braden and being goofy I wrapped my arms and legs around him and he pulled back immediately and motioned over my legs and said, "ouch Mommy, your legs..they have sparkles on them" Oh my goodness, I had the best belly laugh over that comment!!!

So now whenever I don't feel like shaving I think of Braden and remind myself that I need to get rid of my "sparkles".

To see it through their eyes...

Dat funny, Mommy?

Mike and I have no clue what to do with our little Jackson! Lately, when we pick up the kids we get reports from the teachers and Jackson himself that he was in the thinking chair sometime during that day. Ugh...seriously, the kid is 2 years old and already spending part of his day in the THINKING CHAIR?

One day I picked up the kids and got everyone buckled up and situated in their respective seats. I got back in the drivers seat, put the car in drive and asked my daily question, "soooooo....how was your day?" Jackson immediately shouted out in his raspy, yet squeaky voice, "I was in the tinking chair today, Mommy!" To which I replied, after a sigh, "why were you in the tinking chair today, Jackson?" His response was, "I tackled Devin, dat funny, Mommy? Ha ha" It took me a good minute of silent laughter, and thank GOD I was not face to face with him, to compose myself and respond that no it was not funny and that I didn't like that he was in the thinking chair for TACKLING someone!!!

To see it through their eyes...

Can we stop talking about that now?

This is a follow up remark to Braden's "I have to work on it" story.

Tonight I asked him to grab a pullup and get ready for bed. He replied with, "when can I stop wearing pullups?" and I replied with, "whenever you stop peeing in your bed at night" where he then replied with and in a very annoyed tone of voice, "can we stop talking about that now?" Ha! A 3 year old putting the kabash on the whole peeing in his bed subject, too funny!!!


To see it through their eyes...

It's Mine Now...

This morning while helping Jackson put on his clothes for school I pulled out a long sleeved shirt that used to be Braden's that had a big basketball on it. Braden immediately saw the shirt and said in a somber tone,"that's mine!" That's when Jackson puffed out his chest (like hurry, put it on me NOW before he grabs it) and with a big smile and raspy Jackson voice replied to Braden, "IT'S MINE NOW!" Like, heh heh, I got something you want but CANNOT have!

The brotherly love and competition we witness on a daily basis! Gotta love it.

To see it through their eyes...

Cute vs Handsome

Mommy: "Braden you are so cute"

Braden: "I'm not cute, I'm handsome"

Braden: "Boys are not cute, girls are cute and boys are handsome"

There you have it folks. Don't call Braden Mekki Meyer cute anymore or you'll get SCHOOLED!

To see it through their eyes...

Costco

Costco or Hostco (as Braden and Jackson pronounce it)-better known as our second home or third highest monthly expense in our lives aside from mortgage and daycare. We buy all of our diapers, wipes and formula at Costco, that alone can explain our monthly bill! Anyone that knows us knows that we are at Costco A LOT!

Tonight I told the boys that we were going to Costco when Daddy got home and Braden proceeded to ask me, "Mommy, can you bring some wipes from the diaper bag so I can poop at Costco?" I then followed with, "no, you can poop at home, we have plenty of time, there is no need to poop at Costco." Braden then replies with, "but I only have one poop." So he was going to save his one poop for the Costco bathroom and not ours? Unbelievable!!!

To see it through their eyes...

I have to work on it.

Braden is 99.9% potty trained, however we still have some hiccups at night with him wetting the bed. Unfortunately we hit a rough patch just recently and Mike and I decided to put Braden back in pullups for bedtime. Of course, Braden DOES NOT like this new rule and has tried negotiating his way out of it just about every night lately.

Mike made a bargain with Braden and told him that if he had a dry pullup for 5 nights in a row he could start wearing big boy underwear again. It has been about 3 nights so far and Braden has been waking up proud as a peacock running into our room with his pullup in hand screaming, "I have a dry pullup, SMELL IT!!!"...ewwww, smell it? Gross. Anyway, I digress. Mike and I have been getting a little chuckle out of this little countdown. I ended up having to go out of town for work and picked up the kids from Grandma and Grandpa's. I was trying to get the scoop from the kids on how their night was with Daddy and their day at school, etc. I asked Braden if he had a dry pullup that morning and he took a deep breath and told me, "I have to work on it."

Holy cow, I was dying inside. "I have to work on it"? God I love this kid!

To see it through their eyes...

Don't worry about me...

Tonight while in the bathroom supervising the boys brushing their teeth Braden's stool started to slide and I held him while pushing it back. Braden proceeded to say, "mommy, don't worry about me." What? I was taken back by the fact that he even said that and immediately tried to reference where he got the word worry from and how he was able to use it in the right context. I quickly realized that Mike and I are always telling Braden not to worry about Jackson and to worry about himself.

I wanted so badly to tell him that I will be worrying about him, Jackson and Flynn for the rest of my life. That I never understood the true meaning of worry until the day he was born and nothing but worry flooded through me the second he was handed to me. His birth signified the day that I, Alicia Meyer, started to worry about someone other than myself and Mike. The reality of it did not resinate until tonight when Braden told me not to worry about him. Yet another realization coming from my 3 year old.

It's true, once you have children your perspective on life as you knew it has a whole different meaning and purpose. Worry is a new feeling that never seemed to be of concern for me. I think the act of worrying is now a permanent resident within, for as long as I have children on this earth, I will be constantly worrying.


To see it through their eyes...

Zone Defense

It's OFFICIAL, our strategy has been changed for life to ZONE DEFENSE!!!

According to Wikipedia, Zone defense is a type of defense used in sports which is the alternative to man-to-man defense; instead of each player guarding a corresponding player on the other team, each defensive player is given an area, or a "zone", to cover. A zone defense can be used in virtually all sports where a defending team is present.

If you haven't guessed it already, Flynn is CRAWLING! It has been a long time in the making and we have been anticipating this day for a while and for good reasons.

1. It marks a milestone that most babies hit.

2. Our little girl is going to be 9 months next week which means she is getting so big, too fast...especially since she is our last.

3. We now have to WORRY about where she is, what she is picking up off the floor (which the Lord only knows what fun stuff she'll find on our floors), and where she will be found!

4. She no longer will want to just sit and play. She is mobile now, there is no looking back. Aaaaaahhhh!

So, here's a clip of our little cutie pie making the jaunt from one end of the room to the next. I cannot believe we have 3 children ages 3 years, 2 years and 9 months who are all MOBILE!

Note to self: Count to 10, often.

LET THE GAMES BEGIN!

To see it through their eyes...

Happy New Shoes

Braden loves when he gets a brand new pair of go fasters, flip flops, sandals, etc.. He loves to get new shoes so much he sings himself a little melody each and everytime a new pair is presented to him. It goes something like this and is sung to the tune of "Happy birthday, to you"...

Happy new shoes to me
Happy new shoes to me
Happy NEW SHOES TO BRADEN
Happy new shoes to me

Ridiculous seeing as he now has his brother in on the act!

To see it through their eyes...

Daddy, hurry up...

Today has been a great, but long day. We took the boys to soccer in the morning and ran a couple of errands afterwards. Came home, acted as a short order cook and made each person their own lunch. Braden wanted a "tuna sanwich", Jackson a "brown butter sammich" (peanut butter and jelly) and Flynn her butternut squash and avocado. We took the boys upstairs to put them down for naps in the hopes that they would sleep for a couple of hours so we could get some yard work done.

Not 10 minutes into starting our outdoor adventure, we looked inside and saw little bodies getting shoes and coats on. GAME OVER...no naps for these little creatures means nastiness for the rest of the afternoon. Mind you, they are able to get to a certain point in the late afternoon as pleasant fun loving boys but right around 4pm is where the exhaustion REALLY SETS IN and their horns start to sprout. They just become little devils...to each other and to us.

This particular early evening it was Jackson's turn to just melt down. He did nothing but whine and cry until the second he fell asleep. Since we were out and about we decided to order pizza from one of the new take out places in town. Mike asked both boys if they wanted to go with him to pick up the pie and Braden of course replied that he was in. Jackson on the other hand continued to whine and cry about who knows what, that was Mike's clue to get the heck out while he could. As both Mike and Braden walked out towards the garage Braden tells Mike, "daddy, hurry up before Jackson decides to come".

Mike called me immediately to tell me what Braden said, laughing that it's not just us (Mike and I) that are tired of hearing Jackson's non-stop nonsense. Our three year old was ready to go crazy himself!!!

To see it through their eyes...

Dose yours, Mommy?

Anyone that knows Jackson these days knows that he likes to CRY about anything and EVERYTHING! His biggest thing lately is wanting to be picked up ALL THE TIME! With that, I find myself lugging him on one hip around the kitchen as I try to prepare dinner or around the house picking up, putting away or anything else that doesn't allow me to actually sit down.

I'm usually so consumed with the task at hand that I don't really realize that I actually have an extra 24 pounds attached to the left side of my body. One day I felt something on my boob and looked down to find Jackson's hand cupping it! I laughed and told him "those are mine, leave them alone!!!"

Wouldn't you know it, the next time I picked him up and was carrying him around for a while I noticed a sly, yet mischievous smile on his face. Not understanding why he looked that way I slowly followed my eyes down his arm and toward my BOOB, his hand was cupping it AGAIN!!! I looked back up at Jackson and heard, "dose yours, Mommy?"...what a little devil!!!

To see it through their eyes...

I'm the LOSER!

Mike and I had to go to parent teacher conferences at the kids daycare one Saturday morning so Aunt Mary and Uncle Bill came over to watch the kids. Braden talked them in to playing a board game that had no directions included (of course misplaced and probably sitting in one of Braden's MANY bags!). Since Aunt Mary and Uncle Bill did not know how to play the game Braden tried explaining the rules by telling them "Okay, I'm a winner, Flynn's a winner and Jackson is the loser." With that Jackson loudly and proudly screamed "I'm the LOSER!" like it was so much better than being the winner!!!

To see it through their eyes...

The thrill of spills...

Oh the thrill of spills! This morning was going to be a hectic one with both Mike and having to have kids out of the house by a certain time and on the road to our respective appointments. As Murphy's Law would have it, we got through the showering, dressing and bottle making when it was time to sit the kids down and feed them breakfast. Rather than eat their breakfast the boys decided to get into an argument about something extremely important-like what color the flower on the table was-and started their usual back and forth banter. Jackson decided to emphasis his usual "NO" by standing up on the chair and getting in Braden's face to say it LOUDER and PROUDER..."NOOOOOOOOOOO it's not, Bra-den!" And then all of the sudden, right before my very eyes his cereal bowl went flying, MILK AND ALL! Rather than get upset and annoyed Mike and I just took the task at hand and started working together to clean the mess up as quickly and efficiently as possible with the hopes that we could finish getting them fed and be onto the next task. During the clean up, I had told Jackson "see what happens when you don't pay attention?" and left it at that.


Not so long after the spill the boys asked me to make them "coffee" for the ride to school, so I gladly started boiling the water and let each of them pick out the packet of hot chocolate to mix into the water. Jackson declared that he wanted a BIG BOY CUP like Braden had. So, Mike pulled out a cup with a lid and straw and got the approval from the newest big boy in town, Jackson. I loaded everyone up in the car and handed each of them their to go "coffee mugs" and we were off. All of the sudden I hear Jackson say "uh oh, mommy"...I sigh and ask him what happened and he tells me that he "pilled his coffee all over the place." I started my lecture by telling him that I am driving and that I will help him when we get to school (the hot chocolate was luke warm so no damage done there) but that he needs to be more careful with the new big boy cups. Jackson listens carefully and then tells me, "see what happens when you don't pay attention?"


On my way to my customer I went over the mornings events in my head again. It was then that I reflected on what Jackson had recited back to me just 20 minutes earlier. Only this time I heard it differently. What I heard in those exact words was that if I don't hold onto the memories of these little spills and mishaps, someday I will miss them. And before I know it I'll be telling myself "see what happens when you don't pay attention?"

Note to self: Live in the moment


To see it through their eyes...

They are Grandpa's Balls!

The boys love, love, love their balls. We have an entire toy chest dedicated to anything round that can be kicked, bounced or thrown. After a night at Grandma and Grandpa's though a new ball was introduced to the mix...a golf ball!

Now you might be wondering what the big deal is, it's just a golf ball, right? Not for Mike...he does not like the fact that they like bouncing the balls on our hardwood floors (which have already been scratched beyond repair by our precious River). He has even gone so far as to "throw" the golf balls out of the door into the front yard in the snow to get rid of them, only to look back at two sets of eyes with tears flowing like a river. Note: He didn't really throw the balls out the door, he held onto them, but to the rest of us amateurs we truly thought he did it. He just wanted to prove his point that golf balls do not belong in the house, they belong OUTSIDE!

Just the other day the golf balls reappeared. This time it was Jackson that was enthralled by them. He was happily bouncing them in the dining room when Mike looked at Braden and told him, "go tell your brother to put those DAMN golf balls away" when Braden immediately responded with, "Daddy, those aren't DAMN balls they are GRANDPA's balls!!!"

To see it through their eyes...

Stop talking

Anyone that knows Braden Mekki Meyer knows that he is a TALKER! He even prides himself (even though he doesn't really realize it) on being a TALKER! In a very proud tone of voice, "Mommy, I'm a talker aren't I?"

Lately, we have been spending quite some time in the car on Saturday mornings driving to Plainfield so the boys can both play soccer. There is never any silence in Braden's world so with that we get a lot of nonsense fluffy talk out of him the whole way there and back. One morning Jackson just looks at Braden and says, "BRA-DEN STOP TALKING!!!" Mike and I nearly pee'd our pants laughing, both secretly thinking the same thought...FINALLY some validation that it isn't just us that gets overloaded with the yippin' and yappin' of Mr. B!!!

Gotta love 'em!

To see it through their eyes...

I have a meeting

This happened throughout the month of November 2008.

Braden was going to be turning three at the end of the month and was starting to feel a little anxiety. I could tell when he started asking me if he had to move to room 3 at preschool (this was a daily question). I kept saying I didn't know and would move on to answering the next question. After a while, it started to become more apparent that he really was not liking the idea of becoming 3! He started saying things like, "I'm going to be 2 on my birthday, not 3". You see, at school they started introducing him slowly to his new class to ease him into the new 3 year old curriculum, teachers and friends. He liked it, but was still very comfortable in the 2 year old room, with Jackson. He knew that turning the big 3 meant he was going to have to endure CHANGE and change for Mr. B is just not that easy.

On our way to school each morning Braden would inform me that maybe I should just drop Flynn and Jackson off and leave him in the car. My question to him was always, "where are you going to go?", his reply to me, without any thought or hesitation was ALWAYS, "I have a meeting" and of course my reply was, "where?". Again, without any thought or hesitation he would always tell me, "Um, I tink I'll just drive around and find it."

Let me preface this business meeting with this...Mike and I are always talking about where we are going to be for the day. With both of us being in our cars a majority of the time traveling from one end of the metropolitan area to the next, we are always talking about where our "meetings" are located. These conversations are just our way of communicating who will be dropping the kids off that day and who will be picking them up (another tidbit of information that Braden must be privy to EACH AND EVERY DAY!).

Back to the meeting. It is a Saturday morning and we are driving past the Mokena Aurelios, Braden sees the restaurant and screams, "that is where my meeting is!" Mike and I both look at each other and laugh. Mike asks him if he needs a ride to his meeting and of course Braden says, "YES!" With that, Mike drops Flynn, Jackson and myself off at home and leaves Braden in the car. I looked at him and asked him if he was really going to take Braden back to his "meeting" and Mike said he was. I started going about my business wondering what the heck Mike was going to do with a disappointed 3 year old that thought he was going to a meeting where there were no attendees!

This is how it went down, according to Mike:
Mike gets back in the car, takes Braden around the corner to the Aurelios, gets out of the car, gets Braden out of the car and watches Braden confidently walk right up to the front door and tug on it. The door was locked as they were not open yet. Braden tugged for a while before he confidently walked back to Mike and said, "I tink the meeting has been cancelled."

And that was the end of the obssession with meetings as we know it!

To see it through their eyes...

I don't hear you...

Mommy: "Braden, please take your swimsuit, shirt and goggles off and get ready for bed." (side note: this is the new pajama gear as of late)



Braden: "I don't want to"
Mommy: "Please, it is time for bed...go upstairs and get your pajamas on"
Braden: "What?"
Mommy: "I said, go upstairs and get your pajamas on"
Braden: "What?"
Mommy: "Please, go upstairs and get your pajamas on"
Braden: "I don't hear you..."
Mommy: "Do you want a piece of candy?"
Braden: "Can I have M&M's?"
Mommy: "I think your ears are working just fine...go upstairs now!"


I just love the selective hearing of a three year old. I thought it was a learned behavior of males, however I am now convinced it is inate!!!


To see it through their eyes...

Timmy Tattle Tale

Driving home from soccer the other day we hear Braden whisper to Jackson, "don't tell on me". Immediately Mike and I look at each other and wonder whats going on in the back seat. Jackson all the sudden blurts out, "Mommy, Braden's eating candy!". Braden then yells, "I said don't tell on me, Jackson!"

Now this is a classic case of the pot calling the kettle black! Braden is the KING of tattling on Jackson. Said in whiny drawn out voice, "Mommy, Jackson said NOOOOOOOO"..."Daddy, Jackson hit me"...and so on and so forth. We are always trying to explain that he doesn't have to tell on Jackson all the time and to work it out. Mike of course has nicknamed him "Timmy Tattle Tale." So with this little incident of Braden asking Jackson not to tell and Jackson fully capitalizing on the opportunity, Mike decides to explain to Braden that it is no fun to be told on and that he should remember how he felt and maybe he won't do it all the time to Jackson now. And with that, Jackson blurts out, "Yeah, Timmy Tattle Tale!!!"

Unbelievable!!! Lesson learned? Doubt it!

To see it through their eyes...

Look who came over for dinner tonight!

We have had some very special guests come over for dinner that past few weeks.

Last week, Spiderman aka Braden spent some quality time with us.

Along with Soccer Man, Jackson! He likes to come home from school and strip down to nothing but his diaper, soccer socks and "go fasters". He then spends the time before dinner running around the house kicking the soccer ball around with Braden!

Flynn has started to enjoy her fruits and veggies and can even hold her own bottle now!

Jackson also came to lunch "undercover" the other day in his sunglasses and raincoat! As anyone can imagine, we love our guests and cannot wait to meet more in the months and years to come!

To see it through their eyes...

BS Waffles

This happened on Friday, August 9th while I was on maternity leave after having Flynn just 10 days earlier:

A new mom of 3, I seemed to be adjusting quite well to the routine of getting two kids ready for school and a tiny little baby bundled up to make the trip with me. It was a sunny Friday morning, Mike had already left for work and I was walking slowly down the stairs with Flynn in my arms asking Braden what he wanted for breakfast that morning. He thought for a moment as he took another step down and replied with "I tink I want bullshit waffles". Wait, what? "What do you want?....blueberry waffles?", "No, I tink I want bullshit waffles" (with the word bullshit annunciated). After stiffling a huge roaring laugh, I simply replied "we don't have those kind of waffles in this house, you're going to have to settle for the waffles we have in the freezer". I think he heard the word and wanted to figure out what context to use it in. He quickly found out that "bullshit waffles" just don't exist.

On the other hand, I have found ways to integrate it into my vocabulary! Like when I'm not happy with a certain outcome of something, I'll say "that's bullshit waffles"...or sometimes I'll put a twist on calling someone's bluff by saying "BULLSHIT WAFFLES"!!!

Although "bullshit waffles" are no longer a part of Mr B's vocabulary, they have now become a part of mine! Oh the fun things you learn from a 2 year old!

To see it through their eyes...

"99 Red Balloons Go".....POP!

We were fortunate enough to head south to Florida for a couple of days in February. We spent a few days in Ft. Myers with the Adams family and then headed North to Tampa for a couple of days to check out Busch Gardens. We arrived in Tampa and checked into the hotel just before 5pm. We knew the kids were antsy from being in the car for a couple of hours and all of us were hungry. Mike and I immediately did some research based on the brochures and maps we had picked up along the way and decided to check out the waterfront in downtown Tampa. We talked to the lady at the front desk and she gave us a couple of recommendations for restaurants down at the Channelside Plaza. We got there and were pleasantly surprised! Everything was outdoors and there was lots of live music and space for the kids to run around! We stumbled upon a girl that was making balloons for the kids. Braden said he wanted a red (his new fav color) sword and Jackson decided he wanted a blue and green Stegasaurus. Both kids were happy as could be until Jackson's balloon broke and Braden still had his left. Braden, being the wonderful big brother that he is found this to be great opportunity for him wave his sword obnoxiously in front of Jackson all the while asking Jackson what happened to his balloon?! Naturally, Jackson started tugging and pulling for the balloon because he wanted it!

Imagine this...Mike pushing two boys in a double stroller across the street with a lot of pedestrians. Two boys sitting, tugging back and forth for the red sword balloon (while I stand across the street watching the madness and secretly praying they POP the damn thing) and whack...I see Jackson on his face in the middle of the street! He and Braden were tugging so hard that Braden finally let go of the balloon leaving Jackson to lose his balance and go forward towards the ground! EMBARRASSING! First of all, because they should have been strapped in, but who wants to fight that battle when they refuse to be? Secondly, because there were so many people walking by us and watching the whole spectacle that you couldn't do anything but smile through my teeth and assume they had been "there" before and understood the situation.

It gets better...Mike is paying for parking at the kiosk and the boys go at it again. I am so furious at their behavior by this point that I walk right over to them, grab the red balloon and POP, POP, POP it (not one of my best mom moments)!!! Braden went BALLISTIC on me! Picture someone that is so mad they just rant and rave about nothing for a while using lots of obscene words...that was Braden, only G rated. He is now starting to learn about his feelings and emotions so this is what came out of my little three year olds mouth, all together, no breath taken:

"Mommy, why did you do that? I am UPSET with you! I'm going to throw you in the garbage, you NAUGHTY guuuuurl, that was NOT NICE, I don't like you, naughty girl, I want another one!"

That was repeated over and over and over again until he basically fell asleep that night. Once again, not one of my greatest mommy moments, but it took the object out of the picture and at that point in time, that was all I was yearning for!

Braden will forever remember the state of Florida as the place where Mommy popped his red balloon! Sigh...we'll all get over it.

To see it through their eyes...

Grandma Cut My Grapes!

Loading up the kids for school is always a daunting task for one person! First you put Flynn in, then open the door for Braden to climb in by himself and then carry Jackson over to his side of the car to load him up, buckle and place whatever he decided to bring along with him in his lap. This morning was different, Jackson wanted to climb in by himself..."i do it". I figure heck why not, I'll spot him in case he falls and I am not in a rush. So, he slowly starts pulling himself in when all of the sudden he stops, picks up a crusted (from already being soggy) cheerio and pops it in his mouth, then he sees something else UNDER THE SEAT and starts the motion to put it in his mouth again before I interupt him by telling him, "that is so GROSS". He ignores my statement and goes ahead with adding yet another crumb of nastiness found at the bottom of the Tahoe floor all the while laughing hysterically. He is not phased!

So, everyone is buckled up and ready to start the day. Both boys have been requesting their morning "coffee" (hot chocolate) this week, so each of them are sipping away when Braden tells me in a very serious tone of voice, "Mommy, Grandma cut my grapes last night". Now mind you, I was prepared since Peggy had told me that he threw a full fit last night when she started cutting his grapes for him. He likes them whole, but Grandma doesn't want any choking on her watch and likes to cut everything up for them (understandably so). So, I tried to explain to him that Grandma will always cut his food up for him and that he should not give her a hard time about it. "That is just what Grandma's do, B"! Again, the little things that cause havec in our little man's world.

We pass the highschool and Braden asks Jackson, "what are you going to play when you go to college" and without any hestitation, Jackson replies, "basketball"! I turned the question over to Braden and asked him what he was going to play in college and he immediately responded with "baseball"! I told both I would love to see them play and Braden proceeds to tell me that there are plenty of seats at the baseball games and that I can come all the time. "Okay, Mommy?"


To see it through their eyes...

"I have no clue"

I picked the kids up today and noticed that the number they had learned was the number 21. 21 is a special number for us seeing as it is the day that both boys were born. Braden on November 21st, 2005 and Jackson on March 21st, 2007. This of course happened by coincidence and not by design. Aside from that, I wanted to see if Braden was able to associate 21 with the day of his birthday. After asking him three times and showing him the number he looked at me blankly and said in a slow, annoyed tone of voice, "I-HAVE-NO-CLUE"!!! Like, hey lady, you've asked me three times and I don't have an answer for you, what do you want from me!

I love it, I ask him the same question only THREE times to get the response that I got. However, for some reason he is allowed to ask me the same question over and over, and over and over again without me being able to slowly, annoyingly say, "I-HAVE-NO-CLUE"!!!

I chuckled and put my seat belt on-bracing myself for the next 5000 questions to be asked of me; of course, without having time to fully answer any of them without another one immediately being fired off!!!

Note to self: Pray for more patience!!!

To see it through their eyes...

"Mom, are you kidding me right now?"

Wait, was that my 3 year old talking to me? Sometimes I have to rub my eyes and look again, he is getting so big and his vocabulary is scary! The fact that he put that whole sentence together with the right tone of voice freaks me out. So, you might be wondering why he said such a thing? Yes, it's true, I forgot to replenish his pullups in the easily accessible bin that they always magically appear in for him. When I asked him to get ready for bed and put a pullup on, he agreeingly walked over to the bin and to his surprise, dah dah dah, NO PULLUPS! Hence, the question..."Mom, are you kidding me right now?". I just love the drama that NO PULLUPS had created for my little 3 year old!!! If only we could have someone always be there to replenish our supply of goods that easily!!! Think about it, wouldn't it be nice to have someone appear at your doorsteps with this week's groceries, make the 2x per week trip to buy milk, to take your car to get washed and filled with a tank of gas, or better yet go to the bank and "replenish" the checking account?

To see it through their eyes!