Rock Catch

This morning I walk out of the bathroom just as something flies past my head and hits the wall with a thud.

I look at Quint who was standing across from me, and ask...

"what are you doing?"

Q responds....

"we are playing rock catch"

As Q says this, Russell runs over to get the rock....which nearly blinded me.

In my mind:

Seriously you could have blinded me!

But,

I respond....

"that is not a game"

"Russell give me the rock"

"Quint, what do we throw?"

Q responds....

"balls"

Sometimes I wonder how they come up with this stuff:)

Russell's first swim lesson

It was Russell's first swim lesson and he was so jazzed.

He loves the water....

I was eager for him to turn three so he could join in the swim lesson fun.

I told Q and R to stick together and for Q to keep an eye on Russ.

As they walked away with their teacher,

Q kept his hand on Russell's shoulder to make sure he went the right way.

Russell probably thought it was annoying, but it was cute.

Russell was all smiles after class:)

Russell's first swim lesson

City Park Pool

7.11.11

Overcoming my fear of hives.....

Debating back and forth about swimming....

decided to do it, because I had to get over my fear of the Quint's hives.

(he had this allergy to cold the past few weeks...but we have done the ice cube test and he seems better)

(Thank God, because it was intense, which is why I was freaked)

I went for it.

Felt like I needed a xanax the whole walk there.....

kept thinking positive self-talk....

"he is going to be fine"

"if not you have the epi-pen....and lots of lifeguards"

"even if the lifeguards are not great we are half a mile from the hospital"

Despite my anxiety about Q I tried to soak up the swim lesson moment.

Because.....

It was

Russell's first swim lesson!

It went great.

and

NO HIVES!!!

Rhett crawls

Its official.

He crawls.

Still a bit wobbily, but his has mastered it.

Now he is everywhere.

Snapshot

Tonight in my snapshot...

Q was pretending to be a pancake making robot....and we didn't eat pancakes:)

Its super cute how he likes to act like a robot lately....

Russell was still h-un-gr-y.....(that is how he says it...all sweet)

So he is up at the table eating shredded wheat...

spilling some, but I can tell he is trying hard not to.....

Rhett is aggressively army crawling all over the room....

looking for anything he can possibly choke on....

Daddy is at his first EM conference....

not too big of a deal since its in Iowa City....

but it is still super exciting...

Momma....very tired, but trying to embrace the moments....

Rhett's teething makes for less sleep:(

We should call the police

Its our anniversary.

7 YEARS!!!

Its Awesome....

But, even on special days, Daddy has to work and we need groceries.

The boys and I packed it up to the grocery store and I thought we would buy something special for dinner.

We went to the store with the driving carts, hoping that would make it a smoother trip.

Unfortunately, they were all taken.

So we roughed it in a normal cart, and I tried to go very fast.

All the sudden we saw this woman pushing a driving cart (if you don't know these are clearly for kids)

and she had no children with her!

She had some of her groceries in the car part.....

I was thinking of many choice words for this woman who I felt had literally stolen some of my sanity,

when Quint noticed the same woman.

He said "mom, she doesnt have any kids with her"

I acknowledged.....I said "that is a bummer, I think those carts are for kids"

He said "we should call the police!"

I whole-heartedly agreed, but tried to down play it to him....

its ok we will find another one.....

but on the inside I was wishing there were grocery police for such an offense:)

We did eventually find a good cart, the boys drove while we found some bacon on sale that we knew Daddy would love....

home for bacon-cheeseburgers and sweet corn.....

A castle

Today we drove by a large construction site.

They had the framing done for a large new building.

We were talking about the construction and we asked the boys what they thought they were building.

Russell confidently said, I think it is going to be a castle.

BK and I thought this was so cute, we just said,

"that would be really cool"

But Quint did not think it was cute....he thought it was wrong.

Quint piped up....

"I don't think it's a castle....I think it's going to be a tall building"

In the end...Q was right, but we give Russell most creative.

Deep down don't we all wish they were building a castle instead of another lame office buildng?

"I had to deal with it."

Quint defends Russell.

This morning we went to the gym early and we were home having a snack when Quint said...

"mommy I have to tell you something"

he made me come close so he could tell me in my ear....

He whispered...

"mommy...at the gym I had to deal with a boy"

I wasn't sure what he meant so I asked him to explain...

He whispered...

"a boy took Russell's toy, and I had to deal with it"

"Oh" I said.

"what did you do?" I whispered back.

"I saw where he put the toy and I got it back for Russell, I had to deal with it."

I was bursting....

Quint was defending Russell.

I asked Russell....

"did someone take your toy at the gym?"

Russell looked sad....

"yes".

I continued...

"did Quint get it back for you?"

"Yes" Russell responded happily.

I said that is awesome. Gave Quint a high five....

we are a family and you are brothers....

You should always defend each other.

It was awesome.

Eavesdropping

Quint was building a train track

Russell came to help.

The long train piece was missing.

Quint said to Russell

"Russell do you know where the long piece is? I saw you with it..."

Before Quint was done asking Russell was running away saying

"I know where it is..."

(his words muffled by his paci)

Then he ran back in the room...

raised the track piece in the air...

and said

"tada!!!!!"

Russell was so proud....like he had just won a battle or invented the cure for cancer....

Quint was more low-key..

"great Russell lets put it here..."

I love eavesdropping on the conversations/interactions....

it is one of the coolest parts of my job.

Published?

A long time ago.......

I did some research......

and wrote a thesis.

In the beginning, I dreamed of it being published.....

but with babies and life I was proud I finished.

It was a enormous amount of work....

which was my fault since I made it up....

but still it was crazy.

Today my advisor contacted me about publishing......

Who knows if it will really happen....

but if it does I would be jazzed.

It kinda made my day to think I might achieve my original goal:)

Get it Russell

There was an ant on the floor.

Russell pointed it out

"look mommy!"

I responded...

"Get it Russell!!"

I thought he would grab a shoe....

which would be my first instinct....

but no....

Russell started smacking the ground,

with his bare hand.

Then Quint started trying to catch it and squish it with his fingers.

I thought....

"gross!"

My next thought....

"but I love that I have boys...

only they make gross things super cute.

This just in....

Russell likes to poop standing up.

Russell is doing well potty training....

so when he ran to the potty while stating

"I have to go poo"

I didn't chase right after him....

He came out a few minutes later asking to have his bottom wiped.

BK went in to help.

I heard from a distance

"Russ did you poo standing up?"

Russell just side

"yep"

Honestly, I don't even know how he did it...

I would think his legs were too short...

but...

three cheers he went in the toilet!!

Maybe I am too low-key but my thought is...

when potty training...

anyway it makes it in the toilet is a win:)

Besides...since Quint started peeing standing up my toilet has never been the same.

The Man Store

Its Memorial Day

BK is off work which is awesome.

He took the boys to the man store for some supplies for our sand box project.

They were so jazzed.

I know my little men love me,

but in some ways I could never compare to Daddy,

and I am totally ok with that:)

I know we have been given the blessed task to raise men,

which means they need to get dirty, go to man stores,

and it is also why I stopped saying things like "outfit, and Quinty"

(BK's tip)

I love that BK seems to love going to the man store with them,

as much as they enjoy going with Daddy.

Its probably crazy but seeing him be such a fantastic Daddy,

reminds me why I love having BK's babies.

But don't worry, no more babies around here at least for a while:)

If life was fair....

When I was younger i had naturally blond hair.
Age, birthing, and living in winter have all made it darker.
Now, I am forced to pay someone to highlight it to keep it a bit blond.

Today it occurred to me, how unfair this is....
I am a naturally ditzy person, which I feel has gotten worse since the babies.
At least when I was younger I had the fantastic natural blond to go with the spacey brain.
But since mommy life I feel like I have gotten a bit less brainy, yet my hair has been darker and darker.

I know life is not fair, but if it was I would not have to pay for blond hair.