Crocs as Socks?

Am I the only one with kids that have crazy quirks? I swear, each day brings on a whole other obsession with each and every one of them! Tonight, I was going through the normal bedtime routine with Flynn and she decided she wanted to wear a different pair of pajama pants and put them on all by herself. I decided to watch the whole thing, partly in awe that she is old enough to even try to dress herself and partly because I was just too tired to fight back. She successfully put the pj pants on and proceeded to grab her Crocs and put them on like they were her socks!!! She did it so confidently like it was normal to wear Crocs to bed!? This is not the first time she has insisted we keep her Crocs on, or shoes for that matter, when putting her down for bed. She insists on keeping them on when we put her down. I of course find it odd and find myself sneaking in to remove them before I go to bed. Either way, I hope this phase doesn't last long, I think it's a bit odd that she likes to wear Crocs to bed...don't you?

To see it through their eyes...

Celebrating 6 years with a Chocolate Kiss...

Let the ER visits begin! Amazingly enough and knock on wood, Mike and I have not had to make a trip to the emergency room in the 4 years we have been parents UNTIL this past Sunday night, January 10, 2010. Jackson ran into a chair in the family room and split his forehead open a little over an inch vertically.

Sunday, January 10, 2010 Mike and I celebrated 6 years of wedded bliss, 3 children, a dog, and a house in the suburbs! Crazy how time flies and how different our lives are today compared to 6 years ago. As we sat in the Urgent Care in Flossmoor, IL waiting to be seen I couldn't help but dream about how different my night was on Saturday, January 10, 2004. 6 years ago we were dancing double dutch with our friends, reeling each other in like we were fish in a pond, laughing, eating, drinking and enjoying the awesome band play sets of music that appealed to everyone we invited.

FAST FORWARD 6 YEARS...we sit with our 2 3/4 year old (yes the 3/4 makes a HUGE difference these days!) waiting and waiting and waiting until 2 hours goes by and we are still WAITING. Surprisingly, Jackson was patient and pretty delightful in light of the gash on his forehead. We finally moved into the examining room where we waited a bit longer taking the total wait time to about 3 hours. Jackson finally got fixed up and was such a good patient that I told him he could have a special treat when we got home. When I asked him what he wanted he said a kiss. Mike and I looked at each other and thought it was cute that all he wanted was "a kiss". So, Mike leaned in and puckered up for a kiss. Jackson looked at him like he was crazy and said, "not that kind of kiss Daddy, I want a CHOCOLATE KISS!".

To see it through their eyes...

Bobby!!!

Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Who the hell is Bobby and why is it the title of my blog entry?! "Bobby" is what Flynn has been yelling just randomly from time to time with no one really understanding why she is saying it or who she is referring to. For example, we were at Aunt Mary's house not too long ago and she was trying to chase the cats around yelling "BOBBY!". We all just sat and laughed as each "Bobby" became louder and more pronounced. Or the time that we were in the car on the way to school and all she kept saying was "Bobby", "Bobby", "BOBBBBBBBY!!!!". Both the boys and I started laughing at her in confusion as to who the heck Bobby was. Braden's genious theory was that maybe she was calling for Bobby from Bobby Bear, a mascot from the kids school that comes once a week for a gym class type of program. We felt settled that this might who she is referring to and moved on. That night, at the dinner table, Flynn sat across from all of us and yelled "Bobby" again. Mike and I, as well as the boys, all looked at each other, shrugged our shoulders and started to chuckle again, trying to figure out why the heck she keeps calling out "Bobby". Finally, after no formal response from anyone, she yelled it again and pointed her little finger at me!

I AM "BOBBY"!!!!!!!

Now it's a running joke between Mike, myself and the boys. We are working on emphasizing the M in MOMMY, but for now I guess I'll remain "BOBBY!".

To see it through their eyes...

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...