When Skies Are Grey...

...you put on your rain boots!
It's all the rage at our house to put them on the wrong feet.
And apparently the pants were optional.

The skies were looking rather dismal when the kids woke up from nap time today.

But before too long, the rain let up and only the thunder and lightning stuck around.  

"You ever seen a crack in the thunder before!?  It's scary!!!!!"  - Lawson on lightning

Now, rain boots are fun... but NO rain boots is even more fun!

Sometimes you've just got to get your feet wet...

...and your bottom.

I got the rain all over me and I be happy!!!!  - Naomi

Not a bad way to spend a dreary Tuesday afternoon!

p.s.  Grandma, do you recognize that chest they're sitting on in the first picture?  It's by our front door right now, but I have big plans of fixing the hinges, painting the outside and moving it inside for toy or blanket storage!

Big Shoes

Daddy's got some big shoes to fill when he has to be gone for work.

But we had this crazy little guy running around the house who was willing to do the job, despite still being sick.

There was a wee bit of confusion straight out of the gate as to who's shoes he was supposed to be filling....

But he figured it out pretty quick and spent some time enjoying one of daddy's favorite weekend activities.  Lounging on the couch with Porter.

He also did his best to entertain Quincy while I folded some clothes.

Dustin has made a point to let Lawson know his job as the big brother is to look after and protect his little sisters.  So he informed them often during the weekend that they were tiny and that he would protect them.  They weren't really having it.

His attempt to fill daddy's shoes was complete with flying his "very own jet, dude!"  And crashing it, but luckily that is not so much like Dustin.

He also assisted Quincy in some flying activities of her own.  It was all low level and very controlled since "she's still really tiny and we got to be careful a her."

When I was little I always wished I had a bigger brother.  My girls have themselves the brother I always wanted.  I'm sure they won't always appreciate it, but he's got the role down and makes one heck of a great brother if you ask me!  He also did a pretty good job slipping on the ole size 13 house shoes for the weekend!  As Lawson would say, "Who's the man?!  I the man!"  I concur, but let's slip the word "little" in front of "man."  I've still got a few good years with my little man before he's allowed to really be "the man!"

Naomi, Say Hello to "Bob"...

I wish I had a great comparison photo, but I had to cut Naomi's hair immediately and only had time to grab the scissors.  Not the camera.  It took all of about 20 seconds to lop off the remainder of the rat tail she had grown.  I kept it around because it looked super cute all curled up when I put it in pigtails or a ponytail, which I do every single day.  But, my friend Ashley saw Naomi with her hair down the other day and mentioned a bob cut would suit her and I haven't been able to get it out of my head.  New baby, less time, easier hair cut, win-win.  Yes, the pigtails may be littler when we do them, but at least I don't have to do them every single day for her to look presentable!  After bath today, I was seized by a serious need to cut it NOW!  Why didn't I do this forever ago?  Much better.  Trust me!  What a difference those couple of inches were making!  Thanks for the outside perspective, Ashley!  I wonder how long I'd have let her mullet-looking hairdo go...  poor girl!  So here's the after.  For the before, just imagine about two extra inches in the middle of the back, looping around looking rat-ish. 

Lawson is also due for a cut, but he's not really interested in sitting still for that today.  He's busy being a train conductor being chased by a dinosaur as they both run around screaming, "The dinosaur is coming!  The dinosaur is coming!  Go away, dinosaur!!!"

He's also busy driving crashing his cars on the coffee table.  Perhaps when I bribe him with a lolipop (or as Lawson calls it, a "ladypop"), he'll let me spiff up his do as well!

Sunshine and Sick Days

See this beautiful tree?  Lawson loves this tree!  He talks about it every day and is just sure it's made of snow.  We've been watching it bloom over the last week or so as the beautiful Mississippi winter weather continues on.

Unfortunately, we've been watching it through the window.

Because sickness has struck again.  Just when I thought we were all on the mend, we all started feeling sinus pressure.  Then Lawson got a fever a few nights ago and Naomi was acting a little strangely this morning... but I brushed that off.  I gave Lawson some fever reducer, loaded us all up in the Expedition and we headed out to run a few errands this morning.  A minute before parking at the first stop, Naomi started to cry.  Good thing we're almost there, I thought.  Or not.  I stopped the car, got out, opened the door and reached in to unbuckle my.... throw up   covered   child.  Seriously, covered.  And all over her brand new, beautiful, ruffly tissue tee.  I mean, my poor, poor child!  Priorities, people!  Geeze.  In actuality, she seemed fairly happy, but was sporting a nasty layer of the remnants of the apple, nuts and dried cranberries she'd just been munching on and was quite preoccupied with the mess of the situation.  She just kept repeating it over and over to me as I cleaned her up.  "Mess.  Mess.  Mess."  It was pretty pitiful and so on par with the mantra in my own head!  Thankfully, I keep the car stocked with paper towels and wipes, so I cleaned her up as well as I could, stripped her down to her undershirt and stuck her in the cart.  Yep, we were still going in. We were all the way to town and we were not going back quite yet.  I needed to buy Cliff bars in bulk.  Needed to.  Again, priorities.  Now, before you pass me off as irresponsible for taking two sick kids into public and spreading their germs all over the place, bear in mind, I used a shopping cart cover.  I also thought I only had one mildly sick child when I went.  See?  A totally responsible move on my part. We were already there in the parking lot and going back home Cliff bar-less (especially when I was able to clean her up to the point of looking like she had just spit a bite of food out on the top of her shirt) wasn't much of an option.  It seemed like a good idea to just run in really, really quick.

Until we got inside the store and Lawson announced to the first two people we passed, "Num num just throwed up and my penis really hurts."  He's obviously still reeling from the penis squishing incident and I have never made such a surely awkward transition from friendly smiling stranger to head-down-do-not-look-at-me-I'm-not-here-freak-girl with the bright red face.  Holy cow.  I can't even imagine what those people were thinking! It was a bad idea to "just run in really, really quick", after all.  I grabbed my boxes of Cliff bars and  r a n  out of that store.  Well, I paid.  And I gave Lawson the evil eye and a quick "Shhh!" every time someone got near us, but, then I ran out of there before he could inform another unsuspecting stranger of all things personal and embarrassing.  We then holed up in the house for the rest of the day.

I am exhausted from dismembering, scrubbing and then putting the Britax back together again.  I just installed Quincy's carseat on Monday and had a brief few days of satisfaction knowing I need not remove or install a carseat for at least another year.  Ha!  Luckily, I know Naomi's carseat well and the install process was fairly quick, given my girth and overall breathlessness.  I seem to have gotten most of the cranberry colored stain out of her new shirt, which pleases me to no end and I am now crossing my fingers, toes and legs in hopes that no one else gets the up-chucks.  Well, not my legs, actually.  They don't cross anymore as Quincy seems as overzealous in her preparation for D-day as I am and has left me walking like I just rode bareback down a bumpy country road.  Oh, that itch on my thigh?  No worries, Quincy will scratch it.  Yeah, it's THAT comfortable.

So, all of this has left us all tired, sicky and stuck inside watching movies and blowing bubbles.  Inside, where nary a human can walk by and hear about our squished penis and vomit issues... not so bad of a deal, perhaps.

On The Chopping Block

There's a lot of conversation around our house about penises.  This was something I wasn't totally expecting as a mother to a boy.  I knew we'd cover the topic, but no where near to this extent.  Having had a boy and then a girl, who obviously does not have a penis, the topic grew much more prevalent upon her arrival.  We discuss who has and doesn't have one, why that is, the size differences, function, etc... on a daily basis.  I bet if you asked me at 8am every morning if I'd had a discussion about penises yet, my answer would almost always be "yes."  The word no longer phases me.  Unless it is lumped together in a sentence with "squished."

Tonight, Lawson went to use the bathroom and wash his hands before dinner.  Suddenly, I hear a "BANG" then a horrible scream with some inaudible words.  I did catch two words, though.  SQUISHED.  PENIS.  My stomach turned.  This was unfamiliar penis territory.  I walked in the bathroom and had to breath deeply to keep from passing out or throwing up.  His penis had been put on a chopping block for the heavy, ceramic toilet seat.  A blood blister had already formed and before it was more closely examined, I thought he actually had blood coming from inside his penis (and my stomach flipped again).  What in the heck does one do with a bleeding, traumatized penis??? Luckily (I use that word loosely... how lucky could we really be with a flattened penis), it was just really badly squished and bruised.  And swelling.  Ouch.  And luckily, Dustin walked in just seconds after I found myself googling "squished penis toilet seat" (again, totally uncharted territory) and took over from there.  Soon, Lawson was sitting at the dinner table with a bag of frozen peas and carrots stuffed in his underwear.  It seems he'll live through this one, but not without a surely painful reminder each time he pees that he should probably be a little bit more careful when setting down the toilet seat.  Poor little guy!  Apparently having a penis is a bit of a hazard, in and of itself.  What an end to a beautiful, sunny day.

Lawson is Most Definitely Three

"Lawson, you are such a big boy!" currently elicits the response, "No.  I still really little." with a quick turn around a few seconds later in the form of "I really kinda a big boy!"  His world is full of inconsistencies.  All things are relative and in order to fit himself or the objects around him into that world, what was once little a while can then become huge!  One thing that is almost always huge is how big of a deal it is to have his sister interfere in any way with the building of a train or driving of a truck.  That is always a huge deal.  Playing with his toys is one thing he feels in control of and he takes that role very seriously.  Currently he is repeating, "No, Ma'am" over and over as she is trying to ride the firetruck he's playing with.  At least he's being polite! She may get just a little bit of enjoyment out of watching him get riled up, which may be just slightly entertaining to watch. 

I really think we scored with Lawson!  He is a good kid when it gets down to it.  But, whoever decided the two's were terrible had obviously not had a three year old yet.  Two is a mere warm-up for what three has to offer.  It's not to say that all the fun parts of being two aren't amplified just like the more challenging aspects, but for as much joy as three brings, it brings a lot of head pounding  er, scratching on my part.  Frustration is a daily occurrence for both of us these days as he presses firmly against every boundary he can find.  Sometimes I handle it well and other times I find myself disappointed in my reaction.  Those aggravating moments that he tests me are the perfect opportunity for learning and sometimes I just don't rise to the occasion.  Sometimes, "Lawson, seriously, for the last time, just knock it off!!!" is about as good of response as I can muster.  The good news is that somehow, something we're doing is working because he seems to know his right from wrong.  He may not always choose to do the right thing, but that's part of the "testing boundaries" phase.  You can see that he knows what he's doing is wrong and is double checking that we're paying attention and that the consequence is remaining consistent.  I do sometimes wonder who is learning more during this phase.  The child in constant need of reassurance of everyone's roles and the rules that come with that role or the parents who are forced to pick their battles and win or else find themselves overtaken by a pint sized army of mischief!  Love is a battlefield and so is parenting.

Yes, he may at times knock his sister over or hit her when she invades his playing space, but he is quick to apologize with a hug and kiss.  Yes, he may say "I want.... I want..... I want....." instead of "I'd like....please" like I drill into him on a regular basis, but he usually says "thank you" without being asked.  He's well on his way and making daily progress.  He loves Naomi and is one of the most sensitive little guys I've ever encountered.  He's already crazy about Quincy and gives her hugs and kisses as well as a few little squeezes to get her out of my belly. The better he becomes at expressing himself, the more I get to know just who he is and the more I fall in love with him.  Being a mom to a three year old isn't easy, but it sure is fun.  I imagine that being a mom to three will be much the same!

The Lessons Start Early

You know that stereotypical scene that plays out in movies where the guy tries his best to put a move on the girl and she is not having it at all.  Watching Lawson trying to snuggle with Naomi this morning was a baby version of that.  We're all sick this morning, so I made a little nest for them on the floor to watch Baby Einstein while I got breakfast ready.  Lawson seemed to want to snuggle and put his arm around Naomi's shoulders.  Before I got the video camera, I was cracking up as she looked back and forth from the t.v. to his hand to his face over and over, like "what do you think you're doing?  I'm trying to watch the show here!"  She was clearly not interested in snuggling with him and he just wasn't taking a hint.  This scenario is one that I'm sure will play out again later on in life for both of them.  Hopefully more so for Naomi than for Lawson.  If you're reading this, Lawson, no putting the moves on girls until you're old enough to vote!  And Naomi, keep shooting them down, girl!  You've got the right idea!

You Say Lawson, I say LAOSON

Last week Lawson finally started being able to say his name, which was pretty exciting!  Now, after one night on the couch with dad, he's spelling his name a version of his name!!!  I was shocked, as I can't even get him to concentrate long enough to get to C properly with the ABC's.  I guess learning is more fun when it's with someone you don't see ALL the time! 

iPeed

"Mama!  I PEED!!!!"

I look over to see Lawson, sans pants, with the lid to the IPOD box I've kept around for a toy.  It is full of pee and he is proud.

Yes, that's an iPeed if I've ever seen one.

Classic Lawson

While searching through my videos today, I ran across this one from a year ago (nearly to the day). There really are no words. Enjoy.

So, There Are These Two Little Kids...

...and every single day, they add a new trick to their bag. I can hardly keep up! Today, Naomi grabbed hold of my laundry basket and took off walking like a pro, even though she's never done that before. I almost choked. Well, after I grabbed my video camera. I had to catch the moment! It's the dress rehearsal to the opening night of "My Baby is Walking".  (try to ignore the blue painter's tape on the wall... I'm painting trim.)

And Lawson is practicing for American Idol!  I'd just gotten some new clothes in the mail and Lawson decided he needed to try on his jammies and Naomi needed to wear her swimsuit (which does not fit yet... obviously.  You'll see.).  He then proceeded to become a rockstar.  This may look vaguely familiar because I posted a picture of it here a few days ago.

I particularly enjoy the random "HAT!" and "All Aboard" sequence.  As well as the shock on Naomi's face at the beginning.

These two keep me on my toes, but it's a lot of fun!  A little loud at times, but fun nonetheless!

When You're Little

When you're little , each note you play is filled with magic and each song that weaves itself around

twenty chubby fingers, is the most beautiful song your ears have ever heard.

When you're little, a one piece pajama jumpsuit and a fedora like daddy's makes you a rock star. The moves won't stop!  You are in the zone.

When you're little, a blanket has special powers. 

"Where are we going?" I ask as a blanket is thrown over our heads.  "TESES!!!!" he says.  Apparently we took a yellow jet with spinning wheels and a train whistle that serves hot chocolate.  And when we got to Texas, it was all giggles.

When you are little, the world is anything but black and white.  The window to your imagination is wide open.  You are pure potential.  You are anywhere you want to be and anything your heart desires just because you say so.  It's such a fleeting time in our lives, yet I can remember clearly feeling like life was stretched before me in such a way that it would take forever just to reach the age of ten.  Adding "and a half" to any age was almost as big of deal as having a birthday.   You may not have an understanding of how everything works, but you think you do and that is good enough!  Why shouldn't burps live in our bellybuttons?  Close enough, I'd say!  Is it a plastic bolt or a guitar?  Well that depends on when you ask.

Am I his mommy, his biggest fan or his dance partner?  All of the above.  And I'd add lucky, lucky girl to have such a fun life with my little ones.  Oh, and speaking of dance partner... I defy you to listen to this song and not dance.

. 

Magalenha - Sergio Mendes

We crank this up several times a day around here (the whole cd is great), and stomp, shake and run around the house like the crazy people we are.  Even Naomi's starting to got some moves.

Lawson may only be "2 half", and he may not get everything going on around him, but he does a fine job of putting things in perspective for me.  He's just what I need each day to add some color to my sometimes black and white world.  Make that technicolor.  Maybe, when you're little, you actually "get it" a little more than you're given credit for.  Maybe when you're little, you've got it all figured out, and the as the concepts get clearer, your life gets more messy.  Actually, I just looked over and saw that Lawson has managed to turn a bowl of cheerios into an accessory, so maybe not "more" messy, just different messy.

Life is bowl of cheerios.  And love is a door.

Dustin next to the door he hung and framed for me for Valentine's Day.  This door replaces a curtain that has been hanging in the doorway of our bathroom for almost three years.  Love is a door, people.  Love is a door.  Thank you, Dustin!

The Boy and His Truck

How did you grow so big overnight

How did you get so smart and bright

Yesterday you were asleep in my arms

Today you’re growing off the charts

I’m so proud of you.

lyrics from "You and Me" by Frances England

TWO HALF

It's the 10th of the month again.  Which means that the kids are both another month older.  This time though, it's kind of a big one.  Lawson is 2 1/2, which he proudly calls TWO HALF!

Yep, he's on the fast track to being a real boy.

The toddler is quickly disappearing.

Yep, he's becoming a little man.  Luckily, one that still loves to snuggle with his mommy.

And let's not forget, Naomi is getting bigger, too!  She turned 8 months old today and is adding new words to her vocabulary every day!

She may be getting bigger, but she's still only 8 months young and still needs her mommy, too!

Normally, I'd be having a bit of an attack about how big everyone is, but today, it just feels right. My kiddos bring sunshine to my life every single day. Naomi's scream may be something out of a horror film, but her giggle is just as big (it's nearly a cackle) and the giant chills she gets for several minutes after she wakes up make me laugh out loud every time. Lawson is the sweetest little person I have ever known. He sympathizes with anyone who is sad or hurt and loves to simply be happy! Literally, he loves to sit there and announce his happiness! So, it's alright that you are getting bigger. Just don't let it happen again!