Suck It In...

Apparently he's trying to hold his "toddler tummy" in...with some masking tape.

He is naughty resourceful...I give him that.

I may try it too...except I may need something sturdier...duck (duct?) tape perhaps? I blame it on those pesky pumpkin bars.

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The Dead-Bolt is Necessary...

This is why I have to dead-bolt lock our doors...during the day, while I'm home...

He's mastered the art of sneaking out of the house, ever so quietly...to fill up the watering can and then make a mud hole at the bottom of the slide...where he proceeds to play in it...fully clothed.

Did I mention it's like 50 degrees out while he's doing this?

Little rascal.

He's seriously lucky he's so dang cute.

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Sickly...

Life in the parsonage today...

Sunday night Eli and I started feeling sick...both with different stuff.

Turns out his is Strep. He's on his 2nd day of staying home from school so that he doesn't infect his friends. First Day: Just felt lousy, laid around. Second Day: Feels great but still contagious...which means another day of Star Wars movies and building.

Jakob has been giddy the past two days with his new found freedom. Mom sick and brother sick means complete and utter access to all he wishes. This morning he fed himself (and Odie) shredded cheddar cheese...right from the bag. He's moved furniture around to accommodate his needs and dumped powdered laundry soap all over the mud-room...but not to worry, he assured me "It smells good, mom."

There is no rest for the weary...with Jake in the house. And I don't want to send him to a friend, because chances are...he's gonna get strep too...cause we share like that.

He is entertaining though...I give him that ;)

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Carry On...

While Noah was busy scoring his first touchdown in flag football, his brothers were busy doing this...

And this...

No...I did not feel the need to ask Jake if he'd eaten some dirt...I think it's fairly obvious.

I'm the mom who was actually relieved that there was something for them to do so I could watch the game. ;)

Carry on boys...carry on.

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Little is Much...

Where do I start...

• Last night was the kickoff of our Bible Club for kids (for this school year) It was beyond fantastic! 42 kids...and in tiny-town in tiny church...WOW...all because of Him. We also had over twice as many adults helping as we've had in previous years and I can't even begin to describe what a huge blessing/encouragement that is to me! There's a theme God has placed on my heart this year...Little is Much When God is in It :)


• My official ministry roles are wrapped up for the week, and today, I get to just focus in on my family and I love that in a whole different way.


• I always refer to Noah and Eli as "the boys." Ya know...

Boys...come down and eat

Boys...brush your teeth, eat breakfast, get dressed...on and on

Boys...stop hitting/kicking/punching/provoking each other

Yesterday at Target, Jake said to me, "I need to get treats for my boys...my boys like these."

It was cute.

• And now...some visuals of what I'll be tackling today...for your viewing pleasure (seriously, it will make you feel better about the condition of your own home)

I give you example 1: "The boys" room...

And another view:

And another:

And then there's Jake...who can't seem to resist the urge to dig into anything gooey, greasy, or sprayable.

His dresser...who knows what that is smeared on there:

And this concoction is wads of toilet paper that he got soaking wet in the bathroom and then "cleaned" his garage thingy with...

Lovely, isn't it?

My boys are especially gifted in the "making disasters out of anything" department...it makes a mother proud. *wink*

Off to clean...

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My Apology Letter...

Dear Odie,

I want to thank you for being such a good sport while Jake adjusts to his brothers being at school.

You endured, with such grace and dignity under the Kleenex blanket he made for you.

Thank you for not biting his head off as he lays on you, props his feet on you, and totally disregards your personal space. I wish I could display your same patience under those circumstances.

I promise to get him out of the house more so that you can have some peace and quiet.

Sincerely,

Me

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Dumbness

I embarked on a series of dumb moves yesterday, regarding my blog. I got the wild idea to get a new free layout. Which is a fantastic idea, if you actually have the skills to accomplish it...I however, do not, and it ended up costing me hours of my life, just to get back my widgets (techi blog term) and same layout. In the process, I also deleted my cute header...but Shell saved the day (again)!



Since I had wasted so much time getting my old stuff back, I also decided to add some new stuff too...which I frankly have no idea how it works, but is doing a fantastic job of junkin' up my page ;) From now on, I'm leaving the blog layouts to the professionals. So, if you hear of any free blog layout giveaways, let me know...I'll totally register!

Oh yeah...this is what my 3 year old was cooking-up while his mommy was on the computer...
Gotta remember to hide that (tampon) box...it's not the first time he's opened them all up...you can bet I'm saving this one for just the right girl someday :)

My blog fiasco yesterday caused me to drink an (extra) excessive amount of caffeine. Last night I laid in bed (forever) trying to come up with some good post ideas...nothing. NOTHING?!? But I did start making a mental list of words that I overuse on my blog & comments...

• totally
• cute
• LOVE
• so
• adorable
• fantastic
• great
• ...
• :)

I think that about covers it. I know it's bad when I start to annoy myself with those words. My vocabulary standard is very, very low...and I'm still annoyed. I need some new phrases...new words of encouragement to share. I've got nothing.

I need your help. Need some new words. Help me.

In real life...I overuse words too. I say Good Grief! all the time...for everything. I'm also notorious for the phrases "It'll be fine" "It'll work out" "Good enough."

The phrases I use with my kids should be a post of its own...the last few days is has been

• turn the hose OFF!!!!
• go to your bed until I tell you to come down.
• stop touching each other...don't even look at each other.
• no you can't have a snack, you just ATE.
• Jake, you go get the diaper and leave Odie alone.

Can you tell we're adjusting to summer vacation!?! *smiles* OK, let me have it...what are you saying?

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Just Do It For Me...

What better to talk about on a Monday than poop?!? I hate potty training. Despise it. I am bad at it. My kids are bad at it. Jake is almost 3...in our house, that means it's that time...the battle is oh-so-on.

We have one bathroom in our house...upstairs. We have one lazy toddler who has decided that it's easier to poop in his diaper DOWNSTAIRS than to have to go UPSTAIRS to sit on the potty. I feel his pain...after all, I'm the one who almost moved her coffee pot to the office...I'm not in denial, I know where he gets his laziness from ;) BUT, I am the mommy. Mommy is tired, and not to mention grossed out by changing the diapers of an almost 3 year old.

Here's my bright idea. We keep his diapers, upstairs in his room. I'm now making him (rather than me) go upstairs to retrieve his own diaper when he needs to be changed, in hopes that he will start to decide that it really would be easier to just go on the potty. Great idea...if my child were not so stinking STUBBORN!

Here's the scenario all day long...

Jake: "I poopy"

Me: "Go upstairs and get a diaper"

Jake: "No, you do it"

Me: "If you want to be changed, you go get the diaper"

Jake: (talking to the dog) "Odie, you do it" (no response from Odie)

Jake: to Eli "Eli, you do it" when this doesn't work, he goes back to me....

It takes around a billion times of this conversation before he eventually heads upstairs and comes down with a diaper. Every. Single. Time. *silent scream*

I have read, watched, you name it, a ton of different stuff on potty training...what I really want, is for you to just take him away and bring him back when he is potty trained. Is that too much to ask?

(I should note...that if there happen to be any weirdos out there (with no sense of humor) reading this...I do Not actually want you to take my child away...ya never know :)

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Cute and Disgusting

Cute & Disgusting...all at the same time.

I have no idea what that junk is around his mouth, but it's obviously not bothering him.

The hat: I bought it last year, to protect his little head from the sun. He would have none of that...took it off every. single. time. But now, this year...he wears it everywhere. It's too small (now) and it drives me nuts...of course he would want to wear it NOW. And if I go ahead and buy one that actually fits, do you think he'll wear it?!?! No. Big fat no. So goes my life in parenting thus far.

So, if you happen to see an almost 3 year old, with a dirty face, wearing a hat that's too small...he'd be mine. Love you Jake, aka stinky face.

Happy Saturday!

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The Consequences...

Remember this? Well, today this is life in the parsonage. Do you think the other pastor's wives that lived in this parsonage had days like this? I have not been feeling so hot the past few days. I think I may have gotten Jake's "sore throat, headache, chills, achy all over, leave me alone so I can get better" sickness. I just needed to rest...who I am kidding...with my children,

You Rest: You Pay the Consequences.

Yes...that is our obese Wiener Dog eating a cheese quesadilla that was prepared by a 2 year old. Good times.

This is Jake playing in his mess of

Cheese.

The boy can get into all kinds of naughty...just give him a chair.

WHY?!? Why the need to eat everything!

My sweet little Jakob, how do you do it? How do you instinctively know you can get away with all kinds of stuff when I am sick OR on the phone or *cough* computer?!? And how do you know to immediately say "I sorry! I sorry!" and then flash me those little dimples that seem to make even the naughtiest of things seem...cute? You are a brilliant little creature, you really are...but mommy is tired...time for Dora :)

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The Pic Says it All...

Today....his $4 shirt from

Wal-Mart says it all.

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Hal-le-lu-jah

I experienced a miracle today...a BIG one. You see, I'm in the process of transitioning my 2 year old from the nursery to sitting in church. Yeah...lots of fun. It's a little extra tricky since I'm a single parent during church, since my hubs is the pastor. Three boys, in church, by myself is a challenge. BUT, today, Jake made it through the whole service and fell asleep on my lap! Can I get an AMEN!!!!! WOO HOO!! I was able to actually listen to Ben's sermon...on the four letter word W-A-I-T. (He, by the way, does not call it a 4 letter word. HA!) But I often view waiting that way....I'm not good at it. Today, God knew I needed to hear the message...and now instead of waiting...I am eagerly anticipating...doesn't that sound SO MUCH BETTER! More on that later...

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Funny...But Not Really.

Most of the time, when my 2 1/2 year old pitches a fit, I am not amused. Mostly because it happens often and it's usually because he has a different plan on what he wants than I do. The battle of the wills is on, with this child.

Yesterday, however, was different. Jakob had gone outside to play while my hubs did some grilling for lunch. When it was time to come in...melt down. Oh the drama! Who needs girls!?!? I've got plenty of drama with boys. He threw himself over the dog, laying on the couch...then the floor. It must have been the cute red boots that made this tantrum seem amusing...either that, or the fact that it wasn't in public helped too. I had to get the camera out. This just made him more mad...which made it even funnier to me! What is wrong with me?!? By now, I have learned, that in my life, I either laugh and find the humor in it...or spend a lot of time wanting to cry :)

The rest of us finally sat down for lunch, and Jake, of course snapped out of it as though nothing had ever happened. Sometimes, as I watch him throwing a tantrum, I'm actually a tad bit jealous. Wouldn't it be nice, to just roll around on the floor crying...just get it all out, and then pop back up like every things fine! Truth is...I throw fits too, they're just the grown-up, dignified kind. It dawned on me, that when I do this, (which is hardly ever *cough*) I look as ridiculous as my two year old. So, this week, as my kids are on spring break...I will try to be the grown up who does not throw dignified tantrums. Here's hoping that this week goes by fast!

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Bright Red

This was the beautiful little bright red face I found this morning. I had to post a picture of it...because frankly, who doesn't like looking at a good rash!?! HA! It freaked me out a little, so I called a friend of mine, who's a PA, (God bless her for all her medical advice:) gave her the description of his bright red rash, and she assured me it's probably nothing to worry about and to start the Benadryl. Needless to say he's now zonked out on the couch...the Benadryl is working :) She told me to watch it for the next couple of days, and if it doesn't go away to take him in, and I am going to follow her advice. I am going to resist the temptation to Google rashes...I've learned that lesson the hard way. Googling health issues is not a good idea for me...I'm a "give me the worst case scenario" type person. I think that if I know the worst possible outcome, that then the real situation won't seem so bad...that would be faulty thinking. Plus, on Google, I suddenly think I'm a doctor who is able to make a diagnosis! What is it about Google that all of a sudden makes me think I am a medical expert...without any training!?!? Not rational...but true. And, in all my ignorance, it ends up filling me with a sense of fear that just maybe my child will have the symptoms that indicate something serious. Blows is waaayyy out of proportion :) So, for me, No Googling rashes today!

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Cross Dresser

Each of my boys, when 2 years old, went through a cross dressing stage. Jakob is currently in his. He's always clomping around in my heels and wearing all my bracelets and necklaces at the same time. I'm forever getting after him for digging in my purse and smearing my lip gloss all over his face and hands. When I'm getting ready in the morning, I have to lock him out of the bathroom because he digs in all my makeup. Yesterday I let him pick out a treat at the store. He of course picked candy necklaces, and staying true to form, he wore them all at once. My hubs is never very fond of this cross dressing stage, he doesn't find it quite as humorous as I do. I'm pretty sure he doesn't get why I'm forever running for the camera to get a shot of the cross dressing moments. I know I need these pictures...because someday, I'm going to tell our boys what they used to do, and they will deny it....and then I will pull out the pictures! Plus, let's face it, its cute....and soon enough he'll outgrow it. He'll grow up, and be "disgusted" by girlie stuff. So, for now, I'm going to enjoy my little cross dresser :)

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Diaper Wipes

The things he thinks of...
Last night Ben had Bible study, which meant it was just me and the boys. After another snow-day...it had been a looong day. I'll admit it, I put the oldest 2 to bed around 7:30...they could use a little extra sleep, right? Jakob, however, wasn't tired, so I let him do his thing so I could watch The Biggest Loser. Apparently, the chair needed to be cleaned with diaper wipes. Diaper wipes, at our house, offer countless hours of entertainment. I don't know why. I do know, that our wipe container only has a nice neat pile of wipes in there for about 5 minutes after I re-load it, after that its a huge tangled wad because I shove em back in the container after he's done playing! Whatever works, Jake :)

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