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!