Swinging babies and guitar rock out!

I was shocked when Bobby got home from work yesterday and suggested taking the boys to the park. Anyone who knows him well is probably surprised also, but there were several reasons it took me off guard: 1. I had just told him his PS3 was on the fritz. (It is also our blueray and dvd player, so that was no fun). 2. By the time he suggested it, it was 7pm, Ayden's bedtime. 3. Bobby hates to leave the house, ever.

But, to the park we went! There is a very nice one just half a mile down the road. All the equipment is brand new and it has this awesome, super-squishy, fake bark. I'll shut up now and show some photos.

Okay, I lied, but it's just a caption. Dillon likes to sit in the swing like he's in a bowl - so cute.

Ayden spent all of 10 seconds on the swing. He was just so excited to be there he couldn't settle on one thing. I did not get any good slide pictures. I think I messed up some settings on my camera so those were blurry.

I took Ayden and Dillon to Target this morning. The trick with Ayden is to swing by the toy section and put something in the cart with him to occupy his mind. Then, I ask the cashier to put it back when I check out. Today, I decided to let him keep it... do you want to see why?






He is just too stinkin' cute with that thing!

I let him take it to bed with him for his nap. I know, horrible mom that I am. I can hear him rockin' out now!

Fit

That word is used in our house a lot lately. I wish we were using it in the context of, "I'm so fit because I'm working out" but, alas, that is not how it is used. It does not usually pertain to Dillon either but last night he threw a whopper of a fit. It was so sad and so funny at the same time, so what does every proud parent do? Record it. Dillon is blocked off, keeping him in the living room. One thing blocking him is a little doorway. He figured out he could just open the door and crawl through so we had to get clever. We blocked it with a bumbo. He just figured that out...

Here he is, in happier times, enjoying the house.


Ayden has been throwing at least four fits a day since the day he turned two, I'm not kidding. Now that three of his siblings are gone and he's the big man of the house, I thought it would improve things. It didn't.

Here are the stages of his angst. It starts well.

Ayden feeding his baby (he has to grab the baby's head to feed him).

He got down because the baby was finished. Now he's getting grumpy here....
And here's the fit, a literal meltdown if you will...
I can't tell why he is crying but that's life with Ayden lately.

Wordless Wednesday: Attitude already? Or was it just a tart popsicle?

It's your day Dad!

My dad has to be one of the hardest workers I know and one of the smartest guys around. He filled my head with more information than I could process from the time I was old enough to ask questions. Once I asked how the light switch turned on the lights and he brought out a book that showed pictures of conductors and switches and a bunch of other stuff I couldn't comprehend. It is from my father that I developed a love of learning. By his example I learned to love reading and figured out that I could glean much knowledge on my own by studying it for myself. As hard as he works he plays just as hard and there were many of his days off that I spent, by his side, going to parks, the mall, to a movie and various other places. He took me everywhere. I have fond memories of riding with him to collect money from his video games. It made me feel so special to have that one-on-one time with him. He listened to every question I had, tried to answer them all and never shushed me but instead, seemed pleased that I asked. I remember other mornings waking up to the sound of his voice and his guitar. He sounded better to me than Elvis, the Beatles and Buddy Holly combined - he still does. When I went away to school in Austin it was my dad that would drive me back to school from Houston at least once a month, I was so homesick. He never complained about the five hours he had to spend on the road taking me there and back. Instead, we'd visit and enjoy pork tenders from the La Grange smoke house. Once I had my own car I missed those car trips with him on Sunday evenings. I miss singing with him, talking to him, camping with him, car rides with him and his big bear hugs. I wish I had more current pictures but my dad is usually the one behind the camera or taking pictures of wildlife! If my scanner was hooked up I have some great ones. I'll have to do those on his birthday. I love you dad! You're the best! I hope I can see you soon.

What keeps me sane?

It's already been said that Ayden is not the easiest child. He is highly emotional and has an extremely strong will. I often just want to throw my hands in the air and give up. He has his moments though and they make up for the craziness.

Ayden letting Brooklyn sleep on him after her long nights and pool parties with friends. (Yes, we shaved his head again. I made a bet with Bobby and lost.)

Ayden decided to do the dishes. I turned the water on so it trickled and he had a blast. It kept him quiet and out of my hair for a while.



Dillon also helps keep it light around here. It's hard to get too upset with his big grin around.

A busy week makes a long post!

Caleb, Brooklyn and Seth headed off for their last day of school on June 12th. It was a half day so I'm sure it was full of games and goodbyes. They were finished by 11:15. Kind of begs the question, what was the point of that? Anyway, I took a picture thinking it would be fun to compare the first day of school to the last...
Here was the fist day:
And the last: (Caleb was right, I stood them in the wrong order, oh well.)
Is it just me or do they look so much older! Wow kids grow so fast.

Bobby's birthday was the 12th, the last day of school. For his birthday Bobby got to stay home with all the kids while I finished out the school year. Yay, fun for him right? Not only that but his boss insisted on putting him on a conference call for over an hour where she was not pleasant, to put it nicely. I managed to salvage his day but it was not an easy task. We had a tasty Red Lobster dinner and came home for cake and ice cream. I had no candles but Bobby made the best of it.
Happy 32nd birthday honey - you're the best!
The children came with me on the Monday after school was out because I rushed home on Friday and had a couple of things to finish. While there, I went to the book room to shelve some books and heard my name called over the PA asking me to return to my room. I can not begin to say how many scenarios went through my head. The forerunner was that they were fighting and being so loud that someone called and complained. What I found was nothing like that. Seth was sitting in a chair with a paper towel wadded up against his mouth, crying. The teacher next door heard the commotion and came to find that he'd fallen off one of my tables onto his face. Great. The floor in my room is tile too so his mouth was not a pretty sight. Here he is this morning. The swelling has really gone down. The amazing part is that since almost all his teeth are missing already, he didn't knock any of them out.
Hey, it really doesn't look too bad does it?

I would post more on Brooklyn but she is not home much these days. She has planned sleepovers with her friends since she will not be here for a month. My dad and Sheryl bought the kids tickets to come spend a month with them in Houston. The kids are very excited about it and Brooklyn has been making plans to see her friends there too. She's my social bug!

Dillon is officially crawling. He did the inch worm thing for quite some time but now he has the hand, knee coordination down pat and he's fast! He is already up on his knees grabbing at chairs and boxes so I'm sure pulling up is not far behind. Here he is! Watch to the end and he says 'hello' with his cute froggy face.



Ayden loves to play outside. Caleb just came running in shouting that I had to get a picture of Ayden on the scooter. Here is Ayden 'riding' the scooter, showing off his mad skills.

To Mary

She had a hard life, but it made her strong. She was a hard worker and knew no other way to get a job done but to give it everything she had. She served others unfailingly. She brought food to comfort everyone she knew. And her food? Only the best; what came out of her kitchen could say "I love you" better than any words she could offer. She touched the lives of so many children that went through the schools of Bay City. She was Miss Mary. She showed those children acceptance and taught them perseverance. She had unshakable faith. It did not matter the hand life dealt her because she could take it and add it to who she was to make her a better person. She loved music, she loved to hear others sing. She enjoyed games and watching her grandchildren play. She taught me to listen. She taught me yes ma'am and no sir. She made the best chocolate pie. Her white hair was always neat. Her dress, classic and classy. Jeans? No sir, those were for the field. She had to wear those often enough in her time. She did not wear them once she married and left that life behind. She was stern and strict. She was going to teach us and teach us proper. She loved to rock, rock and think, rock and talk, rock and listen. She loved to rock the babies. That was all she could talk about when her first great grandchild was born, how she couldn't wait to sit and rock the baby. Her family at her table, her friends at the church, her flowers in her garden - these were the things that were important to her. "Well," that is what she would say as she chewed on a new thought, "good, that's good, that's nice." I can hear her sweet, southern voice even now. She was a steadfast daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, teacher, friend, care giver. She would praise you to others but expect more of you. I understand that. We will miss you GG. We will miss your company, seeing you wave good-bye from the driveway surrounded by your flowers, your down home meals, your hugs and the big kisses on our cheek with your hands on our faces. That is what I remember.