Goofy Guy

I love all my kids -- no matter what.  Even when I'm ready to start screaming my head off because they left the fridge open AGAIN/hit their sibling AGAIN/left the water running in the sink AGAIN/spilled juice on my dinner AGAIN/knocked over wine at the grocery store AGAIN (and so on and so forth), I still love them.  And they know that (I hope).  

But other parents out there will understand that sometimes your kids do something that just makes your heart clutch -- a moment when a rush of love for your child dazzles you, where you want to laugh and cry and gasp, "I'm so happy you are mine!" all at the same time.  

For me, those moments with Boyo come when he comes in and says "I forgot my good night hug and kiss."  

Or when I hand him juice and I get an absent minded, "Thank you for my juice Mommy."  

Or when he can't decide what shoes to wear, so he wears one of each.  

Or when he puts his clothes on backward so "No one will see me coming."  

Or when he worries about rattlesnakes in the hotel.  Or bears on a camping trip -- in our living room.  

Or when ...

He wears his masks backwards so "I haf eyes in da back of my head."

He pretends to be a pirate.

He sets up his Lego guys so all the good guys are taking down the bad guys.  And makes the requisite "P-chew, p-chew" fighting sound.

His hair sticks out the back of his hat.

He falls asleep on my shoulder during story time.

He insists on a Star Wars pj shirt, Superman and Batman pj shorts, and Lightening McQueen underwear (not pictured) to sleep in so "All da good guys will keep me safe!"

Camping!

My kids have been begging to go camping.  They think it will be "so much very much fun, Mommy!"

Yeah, I know it won't.  I grew up camping.  I remember the dirt, the bugs, the sheer work that went into a "vacation."

Still, though, their constant pestering asking has worn me down.  

And a friend mentioned that our city does an neighborhood campout at a nearby park, so I caved and said okay.  One night at a park can't be that bad, right?

Here's the thing though.... we don't have any camping stuff.  And I don't want to break the bank to buy new stuff for a one night event.  Then I remembered our earthquake kit. 

 There is a tent in there.  

A tent that I bought on clearance for $20 at Walmart. 

 I figured that we should set it up before the campout to make sure it was functional.  

I told the kids we were going to have a campout in the living room.  I was immediately awarded "Best Mommy Ever" status.

Everyone got involved in setting this tent up.

It was bigger than our living room.  Sigh.

She was fascinated.

BabyBug taste-tested the stake pin before I could stop her.

I was informed we needed lanterns for camping in our living room -- Dollar Store, here I come.

No sleeping bags?  No problem.  Pillows and bean bags work great.

He was worried about bears coming to eat them.  Polar bears, to be exact.

He didn't even make it until 9pm.

She made it to 10pm.  At that point, I said screw this and carried them both to bed.  Their daddy is doing the campout with them.

Wordless Wednesday: I'm not sure what is funnier....

Boyo strangling the penguin, Girlie getting ready to swing from its beak, or BabyGirlie plotting world domination off to the side.

This is what Tball looks like when you forget your mitt.

These Two...

I love all my kiddos equally -- differently, but equally, because they are all different people. 

BabyBug is my little lovebug -- she is all squishy fat and a huge, toothless, drooly grin.  

BabyGirlie is an exhausting joy -- everything is so new and wonderous.  She takes such delight in the world around her. 

Boyo is my intense guy -- he doesn't handle change well AT ALL. He is also the one who comes running downstairs in the morning shouting, "I need my daytime hug!!"  Everything he does, he does with such PASSION and ENERGY.  If I could bottle and sell that, I would be a billionaire. 

Girlie is my angel baby.  My first.  My sweetheart who is so eager to please.  Who stalls bedtime by demanding extra kisses.  

I love them all so much.  I enjoy them too -- even when it seems like I don't.  But once a day I find myself stepping back, watching them with a big goofy grin on my face because they are so cool. 

But I do have to say that these two.... 

 

.. when they get together, WATCH OUT.

They spark off of each other.  Sometimes that's bad.  Sometimes that good.  I can't decide if they are honing leadership skills or cultivating criminal behavior in one another. 

But I know that of my four, these two will be the death of me.

Boyo and T-Ball

Dear Boyo -

Mommy is so sorry she missed your very first ever T-Ball game.

Daddy sent me pictures, so it was almost like I was there, but I wasn't.

I know the work I do today will make a better life for us tomorrow, but it still breaks my heart that I didn't get to see you take the field for the first time, or your first at bat, or the first time you ran the bases, or the first time you caught the ball and threw it to first (even though everyone else was telling you to throw it home).

I'm sorry that I didn't get to see your proud grin, the high five you gave your coach, or how you learned to spit just like a real ball player. 

I know Daddy and your sisters were there cheering you on.  I know that you probably won't remember that I wasn't there in one or two or ten years. But I know, and it weighs on me.

I want you to know that I was there in spirit -- that I was cheering you on from my meeting when Daddy texted me to tell you that you got a home run.  That I was with you when you rounded the bases.  That I was bragging about you to my co-workers.  I know it's not the same though; I wish I could have been there. 

I love you, Bug

Why I Ask Boyo Questions

Me: "Boyo, what number do you want on your T-ball Jersey?"
Boyo: "Uh, 100, I think."

~
Me: "Boyo, why did you put your marshmallows in your water?"
Boyo: "Because I like that!  WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" (screaming and running around the house).

~
Me: "Boyo, what is a good fire safety rule?"
Boyo: "No hitting."
Me: "That's a good rule in general, dude.  But what is a good rule to make sure we don't have fires?"
Boyo: "To be quiet cuz you have a headache."

~
Me: "How was school?"
Boyo: "Not good."
Me: "Uh oh.  What happened?"
Boyo: "The girls keep trying to marry me."
Me: "What do you do when they try to marry you?"
Boyo: "I run away, screaming WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

~
Me: "Dude, did you help yourself to a brownie?"
Boyo: "Uh, no."
Me: "Then why is their chocolate on your face?"
Boyo: "BabyGirlie made me eat it."
Me: "Dude, she's half your size."
Boyo: "Mommy, she's little but she's quick." 

~
Me: "Boyo, do you know what Mom's job is?"
Boyo: "To make the baby stop crying.  And to wipe our butts."

~
Me:  "Boyo, why are you wearing your clothes backwards?"
Boyo: "So no one will see me coming."

 

Ten Minutes With Boyo

During the 10 minute drive to the movie theater last night....

~ "Mommy, I don't have to die on the cross, right?  Cuz Jesus did it for me?"

~"That's tall grass where skunks live! They pee on you with stinky pee.  Poppa got peed on with a skunk and stinky pee.  TWO TIMES."

~"My favorite part of today was going to the carnival.  I liked hitting the baby the best."

~"BIG CANNONBALL KISSES!"

~"There is no one behind us now so you can go in that lane."

~"Mommy, when I grow up I want to do what you do -- play games on the computer."

~"Mommy, I have three girlfriends.  It's hard to have three girlfriends.  I think when I am five I will only have two."

~"Mommy, did you know that seven comes after six?"

~"In Star Wars, Lando tricks Han.  I don't like Lando.  Han should cut him to ribbons." 

~"IT'S NOT YOUR TURN TO TALK!"

~"I see a box that the juice for the lights comes from.  And fireworks."

~"That's the way to Baby Beach!  Let's go there."

~"Tomorrow, when we go to Disneyland, can we go on the pony roller coaster?"

~"This is where the movie is!  And sticks!"

Giraffe

My son wants a pet "of his very very own to make him so happy!"

I asked what he wanted -- thinking he was going to say fish.  Or cat.  Or dog.

Nope.  He wants a giraffe.

"Well," I said.  "Giraffes are really tall.  We don't have room in our house."

"Yes we do," he informed me.  "In the living room."

Okay, that is true. But I wasn't done yet.

"Okay, but how will we get it in the house?  It's too tall to fit through the door."

After thinking about it, Boyo said, "Well, when it's a baby it will fit.  So we have to get a baby giraffe."

"But when it gets big, it won't fit outside to go potty.  I don't want giraffe poop in my living room."

"Mommy, it's okay.  Daddy will clean it up."

I love my boy.

Legoland!

We won tickets to Legoland last month.  It was AWESOME.  Fun family day.  And exhausting.  We'll go back in about 2-3 years when everyone is tall enough to ride all the rides :)

Hurry, Hurry Mommy!

Lego Mom greeted us when we got there.  Lego Baby was creepy.  So were Lego Mom's boobs.

Girl's got sass.

Her favorite Princess who "doesn't live at Disneyland."  She does now, Girlie.

Legos and Star Wars.

My son was in HEAVEN.

Peek A Boo! 

Explaining the scene to the "girls"

BabyBug was not impressed.

One of THREE temper tantrums.

BabyGirlie is so short you can't even see her over the ride!

She fell asleep 5 minutes before we left the park.

Building our new Legos!

For someone who didn't do anything, she sure was tired!