Scared the daylights out of me!

It's February.  But it's also Kentucky, so it rained overnight.  In the wee hours of the morning, an enormous BOOM! woke me from my sleep.

Heart pounding, I sat up in bed.  A few low rumblings followed as I waited to hear small footsteps approach my bedroom. The steps never came, no knocking on my door. I fell back to sleep to the dripping of the rain, but no more thunder.

A few hours later, the cloudy day greeted my family.  I asked Gabriel if he even heard the giant, loud BOOM! of thunder.  Surprisingly, he did. He said he had thought about coming to my room, but decided he would just cover his head with his pillow if he heard another.  

"It was SO loud", I said. "It scared the daylights out of me."

Gabriel replied, "You mean the night lights, Mom. It scared the night lights out of you. Cause it happened during the night."

Ah, yes.  That's what I meant.

New Post, Chicken Host!

Remember that joke from when you were a kid that goes like this-
"Guess what?"
"What?"
"That's what, chicken butt!"

Well Gabriel has learned this joke much sooner than I learned it.  Like all jokes, it was cute the first time.
This has now morphed into an entire lifestyle for Gabriel.
And us.
Every. Single. Answer. from Gabriel now goes like this:



"No fair, chicken hair!"

"What, chicken butt?"

"I don't know, chicken toe."

"But why, chicken thigh?"

"That's fine, chicken spine."

"Guess who, chicken poo?"
"Why not, chicken spot?"

"Go fish, chicken wish."

"Ugh, chicken thug."

"Yes, chicken mess."

"No thanks, chicken spanks."

"No fair, chicken hair!"

"No it's not, chicken snot."

"Goodnight, chicken fight."

That's the end, chicken friend.

Live long and...what?

Oh my.
It seems I've been complete negligent in my blogging.
The adventures of our summer, going back to school, and winter break have all been relegated to several fleeting Facebook updates.

I wanted more than that.

School is going well for the kiddos.  Gabriel managed to break his arm at the school skating night.  Frankly, I'm surprised it took him seven years before he wound up in a cast. He handled it all beautifully, and I'm impressed by how quickly he adapted to life as a southpaw for awhile.

All three children have recently lost grandmothers.  Maddie's mom recently married and the boys' dad has moved. Again.  After seven years, he finally has a place of his own.  Batman and I continue to strive to be the constant in their lives.  It's important to us that even with the frequent changes that happen in their other households that we keep our routines, maintain stability, and try to be the balance they need.  He and I both struggle with how things are handled with our exes (regarding the children, that is.  After all, they are the only reason we still have to interact with them).  We address things when needed, and just do our best for our children in our home.  I am learning that much of co-parenting is knowing when to speak up and know when to let it go.  It's hard, because we love our children more than anything in the universe, and we only want the best for them.

We have a newish bedtime routine.  For the first time in my boys' sweet little lives, I am required to check for monsters under the bed.  There never are any monsters.  What they don't know is they should be afraid of what's really under the bed.
Cat hair. Dust bunnies.  Random Lego pieces.  Stray blankets.  Pennies. Paper scraps. Stuffed animals who have either lost their way or are diving for cover.
And they have to see me check under the bed.  There's no convincing them I peeked real fast while they weren't looking.
Then there's the Spock thing.  I have to make the Vulcan hand sign thingy, and pronounce, "May The Force be with you."
Wait...what?
Yes, my boys have combined their Star Trek and Star Wars geekiness.
I have added "Live long and prosper." while I do the Spock thing.
It just feels right.
Then I wish The Force with them. Especially for good dreams.
Then I blow them each kisses.  Gabriel requires an even number of kisses.  Just because.
I remind them a thousand times to whisper!
I wish them good dreams again. I tell them I love them.
Then I tell Gabriel "I love you bunches and bunches".
Just so he can reply, "I love you one bunches more."
Sigh.... I just love my boys.

Little Boys

Little Boys
And their smelly shoes
Rocks in their pockets
Sticky glue

Fingerprints on my glasses
Impish looks
Constant wrestling
Lost library books

Ninja masks
And Kung Fu kicks
Scattered colors of
Lego bricks

Boy parts, pee pee jokes
And new lingo-
Bakugan, Paper Jams
And Ninjago

Superheroes
Climbing Trees
All their jeans
Have holey knees

Pirate ships
And zooming cars
Imaginary
Flights to Mars

Splashing in puddles
Hills of ants
And far too many
Captain Underpants

Boogey noses
Sticky-up hair
Need constant reminders
To stop tipping their chair

Walking and talking
In their sleep
Spinning in circles
Till they collapse in a heap

Cuddly hugs
Yet they sniff my pits
Gales of giggles
Had in fits

So many kisses
And I Love Yous
Come with
Little boys
And their smelly shoes
                  -AM

Sweetness

It's been a truly wonderful summer with my kiddos.  Even so, the other day after breakfast and before my shower, I brewed myself a cup of coffee.  The kids were amusing themselves, and I just wanted a moment (or two!) to enjoy my coffee outside, enjoying the sounds of the morning. In peace, by myself.

Of course, this is not exactly what happened.  I tiptoed through the door and onto the front porch, and as I turned to close the door, Gabriel appeared.

"Whatcha doing, Mom?"

"Oh, I just wanted three minutes to sit here and drink my coffee..."

"With your son," he finished for me in a cheerful sing-song voice.

I sighed and smiled at the same time.  Sighing because the few moments of peace would not be, smiling because summer was coming to an end, and there were only a few precious days left before the start of school.  I could enjoy my coffee alone nearly every single day. For now, I would be enjoying it ...

"With my son", I confirmed.

We chit-chatted for a bit, and at some point we got around to talking about Gabriel's future wife.

"I'm going to find someone pretty who knows God," he said.

I told him that was a very smart thing to do, and to make sure she is kind as well.

"And funny, and smart."

He looked up at me with shining eyes.

"Just like you, Mommy."

Tears sprung to my eyes. I knew I would treasure this moment forever. Then he added two more words that would ensure I would indeed remember this.

"...except young."

Summer so far

Here it is, the middle of July, and we are truly enjoying the lazier days of summer. The kiddos sleep as late as they want (although usually that means only an extra half hour or so), we're not as rushed in the mornings or after dinner, and I usually only have one lunch to pack in the morning- my hubby's.

We've gone swimming a few times, enjoyed the splashpark, and played in the sprinkler plenty. The boys and I occasionally cuddle up on the couch together and treat ourselves to an afternoon movie. And today, during a rare summer rainstorm, we baked a perfect batch of chocolate chip cookies together.

Earlier in the spring, we started a container garden of sorts. I have basil, lavender, and lemon balm on the deck. Each child chose a veggie to grow and care for- Gabriel planted a tomato plant, Julian wanted to grow green peppers, and Maddie chose a different kind of green pepper along with the cabbage she started at school. Our little garden is doing well; we've enjoyed a tomato, picked by a very proud Gabriel, and one of Julian's big green peppers- dipped in Marzetti's creamy ranch- yum! And I think when Maddie comes over tomorrow, she'll be ready to pick her first pepper. It's been very rewarding to see the kids take care of their own plants, eagerly checking for produce progress. They water, check every leaf for holes, pet, and talk to their plants. They are much more likely to taste and actually eat what they have grown themselves. They surprised me by devouring the mini-cabobs I made them using Gabriel's tomato, fresh mozzarella, and a tiny basil leaf, all speared on a toothpick. You can bet next year our garden will be much, much bigger.

My work hours have been reduced, partly by my request, since most of my pay goes to childcare expenses during the summer. I am thrilled to be getting so much done around here. So much seems to be put on the back burner when I am working more, helping with homework, packing five lunches in the morning, and just keeping up with all the mayhem in general. And since this is our last summer before all my kids are in school (sniff!), I am trying to enjoy as much time with my little guys as possible. The other day, Julian slightly overlapped two hulahoops behind his back and exclaimed, "Look, Mom! I have a Venn diagram on my butt!" Gabriel is endlessly entertaining (and sometimes frustrating)- he corrected Maddie when she said "care-a-mel" (we grew up pronouncing it "car-mel"). Julian jumped in and explained that Caramel was the Jewish way of saying Carmel. I guess that's funny for those of you who know that Batman and Maddie are Jewish, and we are not. We got a good laugh out of that one.

And last night, we saw Gabriel get up to go to the bathroom, which is a pretty common occurrence with him. Instead of going to the kids' bathroom, he went into ours. I thought I better go check on him. When I got upstairs, I could hear him peeing, but couldn't find him. It wasn't till I went around the corner in our bathroom that I found him. He had just peed in the bathtub. He was clearly sleepwalking. I walked him back to his room, tucked him into bed, then went to clean up the tub.

We're getting ready to take a family trip to Connecticut. My grandparents and aunts and uncles live there, and have never met my children. I am looking very forward to seeing them and having them meet my wonderful new hubby and all my kids. Our plan is to take the kids swimming for the afternoon to get them completely worn out, feed them a good dinner, get them in their jammies, and leave around their bedtime. Batman will drive overnight, and hopefully the kids will sleep for most of the trip. We can hope. The swimming strategy should work well, since the last time I took them, the two hours we were in the pool completely wiped out Gabriel. He was so exhausted he could barely eat his dinner. I have never seen such a bouncy child eat in slow motion before!

Lots to do before the trip. I have been really dragging due to some kind of cold virus or something. It's hard to be a mommy, helping everyone else when you feel lousy. But everything is getting done, and soon we'll be on our way. I'm sure there will be lots to write about when we get back.

This entry feels very disconnected and all over the place, but I would say that's pretty fitting for our life right now.

Panic! At the splashpark

Our zoo has a wonderful splashpark to enjoy all summer long. It's a great way to stay cool and let the kids run around (make that walk around) and have fun. We usually allow time to dry off and feed the lorikeets nectar. It's one of our favorite ways to spend a hot afternoon.

Batman and I were excited to take all three kiddos to the splashpark today. I have taken the boys and Maddie on several occasions, but we've only enjoyed the park together as a family once.

Fountains spouting, buckets pouring, children squealing; it was all going so smoothly. Gabriel was super excited about the little waterslide- just his size, Maddie enjoyed pumping water so it would spray out the top of the water tower, and Julian was off splashing in the water by himself, probably enjoying the solitude of being in his own little world. I alternated between sitting in the shade enjoying conversation with my husband while keeping tabs on the kids, and making the rounds actually watching each of them. The cool spray was refreshing each time I made my rounds, and I was relishing the enjoyment on each of my children's faces as they played.

And then it happened.

Somehow, Julian and Gabriel collided (there is some debate over whether or not actual pushing was involved), and Julian fell, whacking his chin on a metal spout close to the ground. I watched him fall, and it really did look like it hurt. When I checked him out, his chin was already swelling and turning blue. A tiny bit of blood rimmed a bottom baby tooth, and he was wailing loud enough for one of the employees to come check on him. We were grateful when she brought an ice pack. No stitches required, and no teeth lost. We decided to pack it up and head home.

He is absolutely fine, but the huge bruise on his chin has continued to change colors as the evening wears on. It almost looks as if he has a small purple goatee. It doesn't bother him to talk or eat, so I'm thankful for that.

We took it easy the rest of the day. I joined the kids in a board game while Batman dozed on the couch. We enjoyed copout pizza for dinner. The boys helped out at the grocery store, and later settled down for a story before bed.

All in all not a bad day. I feel bad for my kiddo anytime he gets hurt, and am stunned Gabriel has yet to break a bone or somehow land us in the ER by now. But today could have been much worse, so I am counting my blessings and at the same time waiting for the next mishap that is sure to happen when there are three healthy, active children in the home.

Boys Are Gross

Boys are gross.

Or is it just kids in general?

Yeah, maybe it’s just kids, period.

My boys used to have good aim when going potty- I don’t know what’s been happening lately. I am also finding giant globs of toothpaste all over their damp hand towel. The same kind of hand towel that Julian decided was enough to soak up an entire sink full of water. All that did not make it into the towel wound up all over the floor. And the other day, I found a booger stuck to one of my books. The one entitled- get this- “The Everything Guide to Raising Boys”.

*sigh*

Where is the chapter called “Tissues: the Complete Users’ Guide”?

Yesterday, Gabriel’s T-shirt sleeve was encrusted with yogurt because he had used it as a napkin (again), and this morning swung a belt around just enough to break the glass globe on the ceiling fan in his room. He sports a nice little scratch on his forehead from this. We later came home and immediately Maddie was yelling that the cat yarked on her bed (guess that is more of a pet thing. Still…). Later in her room I found she has shredded chunks of her cocoa butter lotion bar all over a fabric-covered Dr. Seuss book.

And nevermind the constant string of potty talk, which I believe my kids are getting just a bit old for. Surprisingly, though Gabriel tends to be the worst offender in this category, Maddie, who is eight and a girl, is often the instigator. It doesn’t take long for the two younger boys to join her in the hilarity.

I have found myself saying sternly to my children, “will you please act like you have parents who teach you manners?!” I feel like I have been working diligently and consistently day in, and day out, three meals a day- plus snacks- to teach them how to behave at the table, and it’s all just not sinking in. I thought they’d sort of get it by now. I am hoping if I stay patient (and consistent, and diligent), that it will pay off one day, and there will be well-mannered, conscientious, somewhat tidy people sharing my home with me. Of course, by the time this happens, they’ll be mostly grown, preparing for life on their own, and it just won’t be near as amusing if one of them wipes a booger on my book.

So I will keep trying, very consistently, ever-so-diligently, to do my absolute best with these little beings in my care, and all the while I will squirrel away these little tales for later. And not just so I can reminisce about their precious younger years.

But also for blackmail.