Stop it

No.

Nuh-uh.

No way.

Make it stop.

This isn't happening.



You should NOT be standing your wirey self (as grandma describes her) up onto furniture.

Stop it Quinn. Stop it right now.

(And get someone to pull those bangs out of you're face while your at it! :) Sheesh!)

It's the simple things

Days are flying by. Way too fast. Sometimes I need to stop and enjoy all the little things. I hear that all the time, to slow down, but lately I have been really feeling it. My kids are the perfect age. They are so fun to be with. Yes, there is the occasional late afternoon when I want to tie a certain 4 year old to a tree and sell him to anyone who is crazy enough to take him. Or when your husband gets a phone call that your six year old was sent to the principles office. (Yes, this happened.) Those occasional things I can do without. But overall, they are perfect.

Last night at dinner it was just the four of us, Dax, Wyatt, Quinn and me. Somehow we got to telling “ghost stories” while we were eating. Wyatt kept telling the same story and kept getting to the same exact point in the story when he was laughing so hard he couldn’t go on. It went like this, “Once upon a time there was a ghost named Eyeball.” And then hysterical laughing. Laughing with tears and drool and gasping for breath laughing. Wyatt thought he was the funniest thing on the planet. Dax thought Wyatt was the funniest thing on the planet. Quinn, seeing her brothers laughing, thought that was the funniest thing on the planet. And I couldn’t stop laughing at how hard the rest of them were laughing. This lasted all throughout dinner. Genuine laughing. It felt good.

As I was putting the kids to bed I thought about our dinner. Nothing else was on my mind when we were laughing about the scary eyeball. I wasn’t thinking about how I needed to hurry them along to get in baths, or about the pile of dishes or the dirty floor that needed to be swept. I wasn’t thinking about the good book I was finally going to be able to pick up again once they were in bed. There were no interruptions by the phone or the television. Nothing else was going on at that moment that was more important than my kids. And I wanted time to freeze. I wanted to enjoy it longer and more. I need to enjoy it more.

So, I am interjecting a mid-February New Years Resolution. It’s to stop and enjoy the simple things. To not take them for granted. To cherish these moments with my children. To take mental pictures of their laughing, chubby faces. To remember that we laughed about eyeballs for 20 minutes. And to not wish time by.

Wyatt and I sat outside last week on a gorgeous 74 degree day (don’t be jealous…okay, never mind, you should totally be jealous!) and watched Quinn. She is my example. She was enjoying the simple things. She gasped when a breeze came though. She stopped and listened to the birds chirping. She enjoyed the warm sun. She laughed at her brother when he was being silly. She smiled and kicked her legs when Brewster went cruising by. She felt grass for the first time. She was enjoying the simple things. I want to be like her.

I tried to put a magic spell on my kids last night before bed. I willed them to wake up the same, not a day older or bigger, but the exact same. Because right now, they are perfect.

Funny Valentine

My funny Valentine wants to buy lunch on Friday. It costs two dollars and ten cents. I told him he needed to earn it. When I said he needed to earn it, I'm thinking good behavior, going the extra mile, doing service...those sorts of things. Dax had an entirely different plan. He wants to sell his "hugs and kisis" for 5 cents. Any takers??

If not, no worries, I would happily pay anything to hug and kiss this handsome boy.

Brewster Buddy

I am not a pet person. Never have been. Never will be. I think my kids will survive. It might be the meanest thing I do as a mom not to let them have a pet, but that’s just the way it goes. Well, at least, that was the plan. Somehow, someway, about 4 months ago, we adopted a turtle from a family friend. I had no say in the matter. The transaction was said and done by the time I got home. The boys were already in love. He even had a name.

Brewster.

You know that saying that animals are more scared of you then you are of them. That is totally false. I am way more afraid of them. I told Austin I was afraid of Brewster because I didn’t want him to jump out and scare me. Austin laughed his head off and had to sarcastically remind me that turtles don’t “jump”. Obviously I know that. My point was that I don’t like being startled by animals. I don’t want to be in the backyard not paying attention and then BAM! there’s Brewster. It scares me. Contrary to what you may think about turtles, they are fast. No, really. They are. Brewster would be cruising around, I’d turn my back for two seconds, and he’d be gone halfway across the yard. I didn't like that mystery in him.

The boys couldn’t get enough of him and it was really sweet to see them race home from school and head to the backyard to enjoy a game of scavenger hunt as they searched for Brewster. I’d just watch from the kitchen window. He was small and stealthy and just kinda freaked me out. I didn’t want to be pushing Wyatt on the swings and then catch him from the corner of my eye lurking in the grass. He gave me the creeps. The boys knew this and would love to creep up behind me with him in their hands and laugh their little guts out when I would scream.

But, this is how I was sold on our pet. He roams around the backyard wherever he wants. There is no cleaning him, or cleaning up after him. He eats whatever he wants and essentially can be our garbage disposal too. He even hibernates in the winter. He came out from hibernation a few weeks ago and he looks bigger. Lots bigger. I have to admit, overall he’s a really good pet. The boys have loved playing with him again. I, on the other hand, am trying to get used to the mini heart attacks again when I take out the trash and spot him spying on me from behind the red and yellow Cozy Coupe. Freak me out Brewster Buddy!

"One time I touched his nails."

"Fly Brewster! Vrooooooom!"

"Smile Brewster! Smile!"

"Ready! Set! Go Brewster! Go!

"Ahhhh! Haaahaa! Brewster Buddy!"

Baths 2.0

Just in case you didn't believe me that this girl has the craziest, longest, mane-ish hair ever...here is further proof. Out of control. I know Austin will love cleaning out drains twice as often as he does now! We obviously have no problem growing our hair out in this house. I don't think any of us will ever have to worry about losing our hair at a young age. But this little thing, do I keep hers long or short? Here are some pros and cons I thought of...do you have any more?

Long Hair
Pros:
You can do pretty much ANY and EVERY hairstyle out there with it
Its flowey (as in beautiful)
Cons:
It can get in the way
It can make you feel hot, especially in the summertime
It tangles easier than short hair
Baby food gets smeared in it easier

Short Hair
Pros:
Keeps you cool in the summer
Doesn't tangle a lot
It doesn't get in the way as much
Austin can do her hair
Cons:
Can't do as many hairstyles with it
It's not as flowey and pretty as long hair

What do you think? Any more ideas to help me make up my mind??