Happy Birthday....

Today 2 very important people in my life share a birthday. OK, one of these birthdays will only be celebrated for the first year of his life but still. I'd like to wish my lil guy a happy 4 mos birthday and I'd like to wish my mom a happy (You don't really think I'd disclose her age, do you?) birthday! At 4 mos old, Easton weighs what his big brother weighed at 6 mos old. The poor guy is going to get a complex from everyone making comments about how fat he is but I think all the rolls are adorable! And at my mom's age, I'm impressed that she looks so good and remains so active. I can only hope I look as good as she does at her young, tender age of.........
I'm thankful that I get to spend the day with both of these important people, celebrating their lives and what they mean to others. I love you both to the moon and back!

Feels Like Summer!

Ever look back at a weekend and think, "Now that was a fun weekend from beginning to end!"? That describes our weekend to a "T". We spent the entire weekend as a family and had a blast! It started out with a fun filled camping trip (See the blog below to see pictures). Once we got back and got the camper unpacked and the boys bathed we settled in to watch the Richmond NASCAR race. Although neither of the drivers that we root for won, it was still nice to sit and watch the race as a family (Well, P ran in and out of the house but you get the idea.). Yesterday we went to church and enjoyed a guest speaker that has taken over while our regular pastor is recouping from surgery. From church we went to the Kite Festival.

Although we enjoyed it, it was a lot more crowded than last year's festival. The best part for me and Rob was the fact that P couldn't pronounce "festival" so he kept calling it the ""Kite Vegetable". We got home in time to take late naps and then had a Summer feast for dinner.....steaks and corn on the grill, boiled shrimp and watermelon. I loved soaking up the sun rays while we spent a lot of time outside but my favorite part of the whole weekend was just being together, not stressing about life, but just having fun as a family!

Camping Fun

Last weekend Rob suggested we go camping this weekend and I jumped at the chance. After talking about places to camp, we decided on Tahoe. That's always a favorite of mine so I loved every minute of our overnight adventure. We spent time playing football, catch, going for walks, chasing squirrels, roasting marshmellows and taking pictures (OK, maybe I was the only one that really did that). The only gliche was the boys getting into bed with us, causing us not to get any sleep. Rob blames it on the fact that I told P a bear story before bedtime but I think it would've happened regardless. Here are some fun pictures from our Tahoe camping trip.....

Now That's Funny Right There!

For the past 3 nights, between stress and a baby with an ear infection, I've had little sleep. Yesterday I was exhausted (Today I feel like a zombie!) so I'm glad I was provided some comic relief. We had a morning FULL of errands and since I was early to meet someone I made what was supposed to be a quick stop at a store. Once inside P informed everybody that could hear him that he needed to go poop. As I was trying to locate the bathroom he announced, "Mommy, I'm going to hold my poop in so it doesn't squirt out everywhere." while he proudly grabs his butt. Once I found the bathroom I told him I'd wait outside for him since it was a small bathroom. He's fascinated with echos right now. So once we realized his voice echoed he took advantage of it by singing a song (rather loudly) about going poop. I stood outside, encouraging him to hurry up and praying that no one could hear him add sound effects to his bathroom experience. Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse.....it did! A lady walked in just as I asked him to go back in, flush and wash his hands. He proudly told her, "It stinks because I just did a big poop." She was quick to reassure him that it wasn't that bad and he replied, "Oh yeah, it stinks because my poop squirted out everywhere." At this point I wanted to crawl in a hole. I quickly hurried him out of the bathroom and to the cash register to pay for my items. While trying to pay and get out of the store before P could embarrass me anymore, he announced, "Mommy, they didn't have any toilet paper so I couldn't wipe the poop off me." I'm sure my face turned 50 shades of red as I grabbed my stuff, grabbed his hand and tore out of the store as fast as I could. Although embarrassed, this is one of the things I find entertaining about being a mom. You never know what's going to come out of P's mouth on a daily basis. He usually makes at least one person laugh a day but yesterday I think he hit a record high as he made people laugh at every stop we made.
Another funny situation is one that, for the sake of my youngest son, I cannot divulge too much detail about. But I will give you the basics and you can ask Rob or me for a more detailed story. I had to take him to the dr's because he was sick. While there I asked the dr (not our normal pediatrician) why something looked the way it did on his body since we never experienced that with P. The dr, in all seriousness, said it was because he was fat. He said, "He's got fat packs and rolls. If he doesn't turn out to be a 450 lb man then everything will look normal eventually." It was all I could do not to bust up laughing at that answer. For as exhausted as I've been from lack of sleep, I can still enjoy comic relief, especially when it's provided by my boys. Ah, never a dull moment!

Miss Me?

I haven't forgotten about you. We've been having computer issues and it's too hard to blog from my phone. Editing from my phone is challenging and I don't do it well. So it was easier to take a break and just be patient for the computer to work.
Since the last blog we've been busy....having fun! The boys and I have been enjoying the beautiful weather by meeting for play dates and playing at various parks around town. This past weekend we spent the day as a family going to a Curious George event in town and then capping off the afternoon with a scrimmage football game for UNR. As we were on our way home Rob got called out for work. The boys and I laid low the rest of the afternoon and P and I enjoyed a Mother/Son movie date after Easton went to bed for the night.
The only downfall lately is Easton being fussy the past couple days and P being mean to Ruby. All of a sudden he's treating her unkindly. We've punished him in several different ways to no avail. Today I tried a different tactic when I found out he hit her on the head with her food bowl since she wouldn't give him her bone.
****If you have a sensitive stomach you may want to stop reading here.*** First I took ALL of his beloved stuffed animals away. That in and of itself was a fate worse than death in his opinion. The other punishment ended up punishing me more than it did him I think. I told him he'd have to clean up Ruby's dog poop in the backyard. If you know P you know he can be rather dramatic. He kept complaining that his back hurt and that it was so hot (It was a balmy 70 degrees...if that). Then he got frustrated that he couldn't pick up the poop with his shovel so he grabbed it with hand. At that point it was all I could do to keep from gagging. He then kept asking what that bad smell was. The only time I enjoyed this experience of holding the bag for him is when a fly flew off one of the piles. He freaked out and screamed like a little girl. Hopefully these punishments will take effect and he won't be mean to her anymore because I'd be heartbroken if we had to give her away. But I won't have a dog that is getting abuse on a weekly, if not daily, basis.

That's the long and short of our life right now. We're going to Tahoe to go camping this weekend and then I'll be taking the boys to my parents' next week for my mom's birthday so expect more blogging and pictures in the near future.

Gun control....my opinion

For my 1000th blog (yes, we've written that many!) I'd like to get on my soapbox. Our laptop is temporarily down so this blog probably won't have the pictures or corrected grammar so my apologies in advance. Anyway, I haven't been on my soapbox for awhile but the news lately gets my blood boiling (on many topics) and I can't keep quiet any longer. Do I expect you to agree with my opinion? No! But I hope to give you something to think about, something to challenge your way of thinking, prompting you to do your own research and form your own opinion.
A little background before I get step up on my platform.....I did not grow up around guns. In fact, they make me nervous. The last time I shot one I was deer hunting in MS. I flinched when I pulled the trigger, resulting in a not-the-perfect-clean-shot I had hoped for. It traumatized me and I may never gun hunt again. I'm not a conservative, gun toting gal that believes all law abiding citizens should carry guns. It's your prerogative.
That being said, I'm ready to launch in on my own beliefs on this gun control debate. You ready???? A few days ago there was a horrific bombing at the Boston marathon. It was later discovered that a bomb was created from a pressure cooker. To my knowledge, they have yet to put a background check on pressure cookers and they're blaming a PERSON not a cooking device for this tragedy. I feel it's the same with shooting tragedies. It's the PERSON that killed, not the gun. The gun can't do a thing without a PERSON pulling the trigger. Do I agree that there should be stricter background checks for potential gun owners? Sure but I don't think it'll help. What needs to be done is to do a reality check on the world around us.
There are too many hoops that people with mental illness need to jump through in order to get the help they need. Between teaching and working for a non-profit I've worked with my share of people that suffer from mental illness. As a teacher, I dealt with 2 sixth grade boys that had mental health issues. One of the boys made a knife at school with the intent to use it on me. After getting suspended at our school, he got expelled from his new school for bringing a gun. Another boy that I had in my class got violent and was always being removed from the class while I was pregnant with P. In both situations I was fully supported by my administrators. However, there were so many hoops to jump through that I don't know if one of the boys ever received the help he needed but the other boy did (thankfully). I propose less hoops for medical help instead of more hoops for gun owners. Too many people that deal with mental illness go untreated and then the rest of society has to pay the price.
Another area to look at is TV and video games. Before having kids, Rob and I decided that we wouldn't have video games in our house for many reasons. One reason I'm opposed to them is because of the violence. I don't profess to have much knowledge about today's video games but I've seen enough to know I don't approve of them. What makes it fun to win a game based on how many people you can (graphically) kill? I remember when Duck Hunt first came out for Nintendo and I thought it was so cool that I got to shoot at something. But I don't ever remember it being a graphic game. Video games sure have changed since I played them. What happened to jumping onto buildings, collecting things like on Mario Bros? In my opinion, that was a fun game and no obscene violence was needed.
I also believe the FCC needs to have stricter TV guidelines. I've mentioned to Rob on more than one occasion that I can't believe the violent commercials that are shown during the 'Family Hours' of TV. Recently, Rob, a friend and I were discussing TV because I'm so strict on what P watches. We were talking about how old westerns showed the gun fight but didn't show the gore. Today modern shows go into too much detail when showing violence or someone dying. It's not needed. We have imaginations. We know what happens so why show so much? Watching violence has proven to getting people's adrenaline going, which doesn't usually result in the safest choices. There is no need for kids to be exposed to that sort of TV at a young age. I believe that violence breeds violence and TV doesn't help.
Criminals will continue to posess guns no matter what laws are passed. Just like mentally ill people will still obtain guns and weapons from people that have jumped through the hoops to obtain them. A guy I dated committed suicide using a gun that was registered to his dad instead of receiving the help he had tried unsuccessfully to get. People have a way of getting what they want. So instead of just looking at gun control maybe it's time to look at all the pieces of the puzzle! Just my opinion. Take it or leave it!

Out Takes

Usually after a trip I post pics I'm proud of but tonight I needed some light hearted moments. So I'm posting some pictures from a fun trip in Sacto with out takes and just some pictures that make me smile.

He makes it obvious when he needs to go to the bathroom!

I'm going to use this for blackmail when he's an adult since this is how I'll remember his younger years.

Fishing is all about the snacks and "BobBob Juice"

A teeny tiny fish that he "caught".

How he was for about 20-30 mins after the "Jumpy Squirrel" bit him.

Bonding time watching "Sophia the First"

It's All Fun and Games....

This morning my parents took P fishing at a local fishing hole. I'm glad there are people in his life that subject him to many things, especially since I can't stand fishing and would never take him. It took awhile for him to "catch a fish" but he was so proud of himself when he did. The fish was about the size of his hand so we obviously didn't keep it but he was happy none-the-less. Everything was going good until he tried to feed the squirrels. He thinks every animal is his friend but today he found out, first hand, that wild animals aren't always so nice. He and my dad were feeding a squirrel some Cheetos when all of a sudden it mistook P's finger for a Cheeto. It bit him but luckily didn't draw blood or break the skin. The experience did shake him up quite a bit and it took about 15 mins for him to stop crying. Luckily he had the memory of catching a fish to overshadow the squirrel biting him.

Hunting Story

P and I spend hours telling stories. Usually I start with a simple story or two and then P tells me his story. His story always includes at least some part of my story but with a lot more detail. This is one of his recent stories that has become my favorite....
"I was going to Gee's hotel and I saw a big elk. So I drew my bow back to my mouth and let my arrow go. BANG! CRASH! BOOM! (He always tells this part with LOUD enthusiasm.) I tried to catch my arrow but BOOM! it hit the elk's butt! Then I found my arrow and I cut up the meat and I had it for dinner. Then I went to Gee's hotel."

The way he tells this story always has me in hysterics! I love his imagination, how he can take something so simple and make it so grand. This is definitely something that I hope is not just a phase because it brings me so much joy every day!

Exploring

I don't like sitting around the house, especially on a nice day. Time with my boys is too precious to waste so P and I decided to go exploring since it's one of our favorite past times. Unfortunately Easton hasn't learned to appreciate it yet so he cried until I put him in the baby carrier. Here are some of the things I captured on film while we roamed around the State Capitol grounds and the train museum....

Playing Hooky

If I worked at a job where I got paid in currency instead of kisses and snuggles I would've played hooky today. It's one of those days where the weather changes by the minute- sunny then raining then windy then sunny and windy then raining then... It's one of those stay-in-sweats-lay-in-bed-and-read kind of days. It took willpower to put on jeans this morning after my shower. It took even more willpower to get anything accomplished today. Despite getting some groceries, taking P to play with one of his buddies, running the dishwasher and doing a load of laundry I still don't feel like it's been a productive day. But it's been enough to wear me out. The boys are asleep and I'm right behind Maybe tomorrow the sun will be out and it'll be warm enough to motivate me to do more. But, as of right now, I'm going to enjoy laying in bed, reading and napping on this winter like afternoon.

Nursing

I laughed this morning at the differences between the boys. When Easton is done nursing he cries much like his older brother used to do. However, P would cry because he was still hungry. Easton seems to cry because he loves to eat so much and is sad to be done! It's probably because it's much more enjoyable to nurse this time around. With P I was embarrassed and stressed out every time. It was a difficult struggle for the 6 months that I tried it. With Easton I feel a sense of empowerment. I feel like because it was so difficult with P, I'm entitled to enjoy nursing Easton because it's easy this time. I don't think twice about nursing Easton in public (with a cover) where I only did it once with P and it was a horrible experience. It's nice to experience the difference, to not feel like a failure when it comes to nursing. I'm sure y'all could care less about this blog (except maybe the moms that can relate) but I just wanted to share a joyful moment this morning when Easton cried because of the joy he gets from eating (If you've seen his picture recently you can see how much he loves to eat!)

Easter Weekend

I like to do every holiday up big (except maybe Thanksgiving). I'm truly a kid at heart! Parades, parties, treats?? Bring it on! So it comes as no surprise that Easter began on Good Friday for us and ended last night. Friday I took P on an Easter egg hunt with a play group. Then Saturday we drove to my parents' to spend Easter with them for the first time in a few years. They went above and beyond to do an egg hunt full of goodies for P. We also dyed Easter eggs. (Actually my mom did most of them because of P's short attention span.) That night my parents gave Rob and me an Easter gift by treating us to dinner and watching the boys so we could go on a real date. It was a lot of fun to be just a married couple instead of parents trying to rush through dinner before a castrophe hits. Sunday we went to my parents' church
where there was another egg hunt. (We have a ridiculous amount of candy now!) It was special because my aunt and cousins went to my parents' church as well so we filled up a couple pews, something that never happens with our family events. After church we went back to my parents' to enjoy a nice ham dinner before heading back home.
I tried to do my best to make P aware of the fact that Easter isn't about candy and egg hunts but about Jesus dying on the cross and rising from the grave. I don't want him so focused on the commercialism of a religious holiday that he forgets the true meaning of it. He came home from his last day of school on Thursday and told me, in great detail, about the Resurrection. It made me so happy to know that, although I didn't necessarily like the school (hence the reason we pulled him out), he did get some good Biblical foundation.
It turned out to be a great Easter weekend, one that I will remember for years to come!

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3 months (and a few days)

With being out of town for Easter weekend I didn't get this blog done on Easton's actual 3 month "birthday". So it's a little late. Anyway, I can't believe how much he has changed in 3 months! Although I'm not a mom that claims to know what her baby's cry means I can tell when he is going to start crying because he starts "swimming". I can usually tell when his cry is going to be brief or go into a full blown scream. I pretty much have his schedule down to a T and know when he'll be napping. This month has been special because he got to experience a lot of firsts. So many, in fact, that I couldn't fit them all on the chalkboard. I also didn't get his weight despite him going to the doctor last week.

This is my brother at 2 months and Easton at 3. They could be sumo wrestling twins!