I Like To Say Cheese

I was going through my phone's camera roll and started to pick up on a theme.  Looks like I really enjoy taking pictures of myself with the kiddos.

I'm not sure why I do this, but looking at them all at once is sort of funny.  Like the one where Charlie is hysterically crying and there's Mom, just smiling away like nothing's even happening.

Sort of the story of my life, I guess.

 

This Is The Story Of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde

Charlie is a classic two-year-old with Jekyll & Hyde syndrome. He can throw a mean tantrum, has been known to take half an hour to pick out the specific clothes he wants, and can scream so loud that the neighbors come running.

On the other hand, he's a major lovebug. He'll dish out sweet cuddly kisses, snuggle on the couch for hours on end, and pet my hair saying, "Momma you look so preeeety."

The other day he was feelin' the love, and I was the lucky recipient. I'm thinking I won't get all of this attention when when he's a teenager so I'm soaking it all in now. MUAH!

Big Fish In A Small Pond

Last week we bought bunk beds off of Craigslist. It's turned out to be the greatest purchase ever...in addition to saving space they've also turned into a fort, a trampoline, a diving board, and now - a fishing boat.

The boys were running around in circles tonight looking for something to do. For some reason I thought, "Let's stretch wire hangers and make fishing rods so they can fish off the top bunk." Check.

Once that was complete, we needed something for them to catch. So I thought, "What's soft and flexible that we have in large quantities?" Eureka! Underoos.

Best. Idea. Ever.

Yes, I Realize These Videos Are Proof That I Have The Maturity Level Of A 6 & 4 Year Old...

...because I think these are pretty darn funny.

Photo Download

In a world of smartphone cameras it's just too easy to take shots of my lovelies. I'm way backed up on posting so I'm just going to throw some old shots into a post. Write your own captions and let me know what you come up with!!

Oh What A Tangled Web We Weave

Every year for Christmas, Aunt Lori buys the boys matching PJs. This year was a Spidey theme and the boys were killin' the lewk.

Here's how I imagine this conversation going:
Dean: Okay...quick conference...so I'm thinking about just messing around when she's trying to take our picture
Charlie: Shh, shh, here she comes...act natural...


Cole was right on point as he warmed up for our annual PJ shoot:


Right before we took this picture Ry stubbed his toe. We told them they could get an extra dessert if they smiled - so here you see Ryan gritting his teeth and taking it like a man.


And the always popular raising the roof shot.


I don't know how many more years we'll be able to convince them to wear matching clothes...so for now I'll just take what I can get. These boys will always be super heroes in my book. *SHAZAAM!*

Christmas 2011 Top 10

10. Santa came! He came!


9. Presents galore


8. Keeping the boys entertained/distracted with new toys for all of 5 minutes


7. All the boys in cute fuzzy pajamas with feet


6. No words needed for this one


5. Cole's look of complete shock to learn that he was on the "Nice" list

4. Family time 'round the tree


3. Knowing that Santa brought exactly what the boys wanted and seeing their faces light up with each gift

2. Listening to Charlie walking around saying, "Ho ho ho"

1. Wearing Dean out to the point of exhaustion. We win!

Coley, Defined.

My dear, sweet, headstrong Cole. No one's going to tell him how to have his fun.

Exhibit A: At the end of a recent Cub Scout hayride, there was a big bonfire. Everyone gathered round to toast marshmallows and have a Coombaya kinda night. Cole, instead, sat on this here log.


Exhibit B: During a recent trip to the zoo the lion was feeling photogenic and plopped himself right in front of the viewing window. Charlie, Ryan, and Dean were understandably glued to the glass. Cole, on the other hand, was too busy reading the zoo map to notice.


Exhibit C: Tonight he had a choice: let me cut his nails or sit in Time Out. He chose to sit in time out for almost an hour, and finally relented with: "Oh fine - I'll let you cut my nails now."

Raising this child takes lots of deep breaths...but his nails are cut. Oh yes, his nails are cut (a.k.a. I won.)

Sugar High

I've decided that Halloween is officially my favorite holiday. Seeing kids dressed up is as cute, scary, or hilarious as it gets. People give you free candy, and it's a great excuse to get out and re-connect with the neighborhood.

We kicked off the holiday extravaganza with a parade at daycare. I kept telling people that Cole's scraggly hair was part of his costume.



Next adventure: get a picture of the boys all together in costume looking somewhat cute. I'd say mission is slightly accomplished.


How cool is this pic? Here's Harry Potter flying on his broomstick on the front porch.



Before we went trick or treating we went to our friend's annual pre-party. Apparently Dean took this concept very seriously and found the backup supply. Luckily we caught him before he busted out the corkscrew.


Aaaaand....they're off. Cha hung the whole time, and even went back out with Phil after they stopped home to drop off the first round of goodies.


Here's Cole inspecting the loot. We're still working through all of their hard-earned treasure, including nightly negotations and trade agreements. I allow the nonsense because I figure it's good training for their future political careers. Or law school. Or I'm just numb to the fighting. Hmm...

Hockey & Wine

Ryan and Cole asked to try out floor hockey this season. Things we've learned:

1. Setting ground rules for boys and hockey sticks is always a good thing
2. Cole would rather slide on the floor with his pads than actually play floor hockey
3. An empty racquetball court is the best place to kill time with 2 toddlers while waiting for their older brother's games to finish

And the best lesson of all that was a total "duh" when I learned it: When giving water to a kid wearing a hockey mask, use a straw






After their final game, we went to a party at our friends house during a freak October snow storm. There was lots of food and lots of wine, which led to lots of laughs and a quick stumble home to snuggle with the family.

Looks like it's going to be a long winter...good thing we live near a discount liquor store. Cheers!