Turkeys!

Slowing Down

That title doesn't really fit our family, but anyway...

Saturday I was wishing Mike and I had a grown up party to go to. One where I could put on a dress. I mean, really, what's the use of working out if you never get to wear a dress. (Somebody, please, get married, so I can wear a dress.)

So, there we were with nothing to do. We have a lot of days like this. I usually love it, but for some reason, I was being a bit of a sourpuss about it Saturday.

That is until the boys started playing "Santa". Each had a pillow case and would approach Mike and I asking, "What would you like for Christmas?" And then, magically pulling that item out of their Santa Sack. Then they took turns playing Santa with each other. Then, they took turns being Rudolph and pulling the sleigh of the other, Santa. (This was funny and involved the use of a jump rope and "Santa" scooching on his buttom while "Rudolph" crawled in front.) Anyway, this pretend play with my two boys lasted a good 40 minutes and totally made me realize how lucky we were that we weren't out doing last minute shopping, or spending the day cleaning the house for a babysitter, or trying to keep them out of our hair while we got ready for a grown-up party, or stressing about how I looked, or...

I love it...

The nights that Liam actually rests his head on my chest and relaxes while I sing and rock him before laying him down for the night seem to have become the exception, not the norm. Lately, he's been kneeling on my lap, looking at me, and singing along. Usually to "Elmo's World." You'd crack up if you saw how much "gusto" he puts into the last line, "elmo's Woooorrrrllllldddd" and his arms go out to the side and his head shakes and his voice, oh his voice, so loud and excited. It's all I can do to not just burst out laughing.

Anyway, last night was one of the exceptions to the new norm. Liam actually laid his head on my chest and relaxed as I was singing "Baby on a treetop" (as he calls it). After a few verses he looks up at me, grabs my hand, and puts it on his back, "mama, pet me." That's right - he asked me to pet him. Once I started "petting" him, he looked up and smiled, "like that mama, like that."

Then, last night as I was tucking Quinn in I asked what song he'd like. And you know what he said?

The song about cars for kids.

You know it. "One, eight, seven, seven, cars for kids. K - A - R - S cars for kids. One, eight, seven, seven, cars for kids. Donate your car today."

Right. And so I sang it.

These guys crack me up sometimes.

Heading Out

We're taking the boys and their ridiculously ugly sleeping bags camping today.

One night.

One and one half hour away.

We'll do great, I'm sure.

If not - Liam's eyes will do their magic and make me laugh in the middle of the night when nobody is sleeping....

Oh hi there, internet.

So, I know, my writing here as been lacking. Almost non-exsistent, really. Seems as though I just pop in every few days to post some pictures. It's not that I don't have anything I want to write about, oh no, there's plenty of half written posts up there in my over-crowded brain, just that there's so much I want to say, I never know which one I want to actually put together. So yeah.

Anyway, the boys and I met up with some friends at the "forest". The boys had a blast checking out the map and figuring out where we were. Also - the working well - how fun! Liam loved throwing sticks off of the bridge... Of course, here's some pictures...



It was decent. But I realized I need to start checking out more forest preserves around here... that was something I always enjoyed as a kid and then through high school and college - I've got to get back to that.

Happy Monday!

Come on! Enjoy your day - enjoy your week - enjoy!

Aha!

I knew there was a reason I was looking forward to Quinn being able to read.

Now we've just got to work on changing diapers and making lunches.

Happy Monday!

Doooood....Happy Monday!

Dude seems to be the new word around here. I blame Meghan and Victoria and their use of the word All The Time on Twitter. And now I use it all the time - and feel a little funny about it.

Doooood. Come on spring, we are ready!

Superbowl Sunday - Toddler Style

Created with Storybook. of course.

Happy Monday!

Happy Monday!

Christmas is in full swing over here.
We were busy this weekend glittering, baking, and decorating some more!

What are you doing to get ready for your Holiday?

Christmas Card Fail (but not really)

So, DesignHER Momma is hosting a Christmas Card Fail contest and I thought I would enter.

First, though, let me explain. Usually I attempt to take some pictures of the boys for our Christmas Cards, but this year we got a beautiful one of all of us in front of Cinderella's Castle - so I just went with that. But that doesn't mean my boys were exempt from having to pose for some Christmas pictures.

My mother-in-law puts together the most clever and adorable Christmas Cards I've ever seen. I look forward to them every year - and every year she buys the boys (my 2 plus Mike's sister's 2) something to wear, bribes us with pizza, insists that we each bring a camera, and maybe she even says a little prayer that it will all work out. And somehow it does. I think it has something to do with the fact there are 3 cameras clicking away. This year I took over 40 pictures. Here's some of the best, or uh, the worst.

Remember I said my 2 plus 2 more. Yeah. That does not equal 3.
This would have been perfect. With one more.
So let's add him in...

There that's better. All four boys.
With only two of them looking good.
Liam is staring at Mike - waiting for his brownie reward.

Oh goodness. Now only one is looking and smiling.
And Liam? He's eating his brownie reward - not sure why he got a reward.

Okay - forget it for now.
Let them play for a bit and we'll try again later.

We got my mother-in-law's card yesterday and she did it again! Absolutely adorable. She's amazing with words and very creative. And she managed to find a good one of the four boys - and then one of the entire family.

The outside of the card reads: "We wish you the Quiet Ecstasy of a Christmas of Simplicity, A Welcome Wreath, a Christmas Tree, and always, the Bear Necessities."

And of course the "Bear Necessities" are her family.

Perfect, right? And the card I'm sending out...well, you'll see it when Meghan hosts her Christmas Card exchange. But really, don't hold your breath.

Sometimes a 4 Year Old Knows Just What You Need

Last night I was at a bra party (that's right, a BRA party. And no, there were no fires, just a bunch of ladies trying to fix the damage done from pregnancies, nursing, or just getting old.). Anyway, I accidentally drank about 3 glasses of iced tea (oh my, that tea was delicious). When I got home later and then tried to fall asleep I couldn't. It took me awhile to figure out why. "Oh, duh. Cathy, you had a TON of caffeine tonight - usually you only have one can of pop in the morning." Stupid me. So, needless to say, but I'll say it anyway, I was not ready to wake up this morning. And after a crazy day at work (TEACHER! It's almost Halloween. I'm going to be a blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah hyper hyper hyper! x18 2xday) I picked up the boys and headed home. I asked Quinn how he was feeling and he said, "Great! How are you feeling today, momma?" And I answered honestly, "I'm a little tired and my head hurts." So, he insisted, "Well, when we get home I'm going to put you right to bed and you can rest until dinner. I'll tell daddy." And that's just what he did, God bless his little 4 year old self. AND God bless my husband, because I told Quinn to ask Daddy if he wanted me to get up. Quinn came back and reported, "Daddy said, 'It's okay. You can sleep.'" God bless these boys of mine. And God bless my nap.

Just a side note, NO. I am not running for any political office. Just for some reason, the phrase, "God bless..." is stuck in my mind. And although I am not running for political office I have had an urge to train for a marathon. And WTF? You might be thinking - you don't run! Right, I don't run, so WTF? Could it be from reading all of her run reports? Or that one of my good friends from high school just finished her second marathon? But wait - she runs - she ran in high school - she still runs. I never do and never did.

The Drop

This morning I was sitting on the edge of the tub waiting for Quinn to finish up peeing so I could send him out of the bathroom and continue with my morning routine. I said something to him right as he was finishing and he turned towards me. And I felt it. A wet drop right on my leg. Yuck!
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Before I could say anything I felt another. I looked up and saw the wet washcloth hanging on the shower curtain rod dripping down on me. Phew.


By the way - I had a very stressful night and day - and my first ARGH! moment in Disney Vacation Planning. Go ahead, check it out.

What I Love About Him

I love that when Mike gets home from work he'll take both boys outside for awhile before starting dinner. Sometimes - he'll keep them outside with him WHILE he grills. And I get to do Nothing.

Wanted

One 4-6 year old boy.
Must enjoy playing with trains, bikes, lincoln logs, cars, or various other toys.
Must NOT enjoy playing guns, shooting, or fighting.
Must NOT even know how to play guns, shooting, or fighting.
Must display decent table manners, listen to his parents (and other adults), and understand the difference between inside play and outside play.

My copycat son would love to play with him! And since he is a copycat, the above requirements are a must. Somebody is getting a little tired of saying, "No shooting me. I don't care if he does that at the table, you do not. No, you cannot play fight with Liam. Stop kicking Liam's balls around - you're inside. (ha ha, yeah, I know) That noise is not okay to make at the table."

Inquiries can be sent to mccathy at comcast.net
Suitable applicants will be treated to a weekly playdate - no guns allowed!

Okay, seriously, does this even exist? I know it's in boys to want to play a little rougher, but all of a sudden Quinn is constantly shooting, setting things on fire (not for real, just pretending), running from the bad guys, being the bad guys, getting the bad guys, and shooting. Shooting, shooting, shooting. This is all because of his exposure to more boys - cousins, neighbors, summer camp friends, the kids at the mall playplace, everywhere we go there's boys - and those boys are shooting, running from the bad guys, being the bad guys, getting the bad guys, etc... I knew it would happen, I just didn't think it would be this soon. And also, he LOVES to copy - hopefully it's just a stage, but I'm getting a little tired of explaining to him that just because somebody else does it doesn't mean he has to - especially when it's something Liam has done! "Liam is a baby. You're not."

Boys

For more Wordless Wednesday go here, here, here, or even here.

Adjustments

I really love the school I work at - and the position I'm in there. I teach "regular" ed. preschool - parents pay tuition for the program, but it's housed in a public school, which means I get all the benefits a regular teacher does (except for some, because I'm part time). The thing I love the most is the relationships I've built with many of the parents. Most of the kids in my class are younger siblings of kids I've had in the past - so for the past seven years I've been seeing some of the same parents again and again. Anyway, I just finished up parent/teacher conferences and was asked by many of the parents (who I could easily be friends with if I wasn't their child's teacher) how I was adjusting to having two instead of one (kids).

So - how am I adjusting??? It's been a pretty easy school year, since my mom is coming to our house to watch the kids. I haven't had to pack up bags for the two of them and load them into the car to get to the babysitter's house - so that's been easy. I think the most difficult thing with having two is their own sleep issues. If Quinn decides to sleep past 6am on the weekends Liam is up by 6:15. If Liam decides to sleep through his early morning feeding, Quinn is up by 5:30. If Quinn decides to take a nice long afternoon nap, Liam decides 40 minutes is long enough for him. I feel as though all the stars need to be in perfect alignment for the two of them to both have a good nap or a good morning. Luckily, they both go to bed pretty easily - but when I'm home alone at night it's just so tiring getting them both ready. First Liam takes about 30 minutes to nurse/wind down, then I play with Quinn for a bit, then he takes about 30 minutes to have some milk, read books, brush teeth, and wind down.

It's unbelievable to me just how much I love them both. Quinn is amazing with all his new phrases, ideas, and imaginition. Liam has started to army crawl (real fast) and loves to make us laugh. And the two of them together just push my heart to the extreme. I never knew I could feel so much love while watching two kids play together. So, I'll take this difficult adjustment with sleep issues and what not - for moments like this:

Heavy Haiku

Valentine’s day ruined
Another senseless shooting
This one at college

Friends at work prepare
To send their sons and daughters
Off to school next year

Are we pushing boys?
Hide your true emotions please
Anger, sadness, more

It’s so strange to hear
A 19 year old gunman
Man? He’s just a boy

A boy with a mom
A boy with a bright future
A boy with troubles

A boy old enough
To go and fight in a war
War rages within

How can we help them
These boys growing into men
Hold tight – trust yourself

***************************
I'm not sure if the "gunman" was 19, I think that was one of the first news reports I heard last night. Then I think I just read that he was a master's student. So probably older than that. But still.
Wed. at work I watching a 1st grade boy walk through the hallway with the social worker quietly following him. He was angry. He was knocking down whatever he could in the hallway. Angry, Angry, Angry. Why? I'm not sure. I work in a "good" area. Middle-class or upper-middle class. These kids all have great futures ahead of them, but what are we doing to help with their emotions? What are parents doing? Parents are usually concerned with academics. "Okay, so he has trouble coping in the classroom, getting along with his peers, but really, how's he doing academically?" I get that question so often. Or, "What else can we do to encouage his math and reading?" Nothing. It's preschool. Set up playdates, help him work through his frustrations, teach him to be empathetic.
I'm starting an online book club. We're starting with Raising Cain. I hope it helps me work with my students and parents as well as my own sons.