What? It's Almost Time for School To Start??

It's funny how I can remember my parents, grandparents, even aunts and uncles telling me that life goes by fast--and I responded by thinking they were insane.  I can remember being a freshman in high school and thinking that it would last forever--well, it didn't.  I woke up one day at the age of 32, married to a wonderful man who is an awesome father and a wonderful husband, with two beautiful and absolutely hilarious little boys.  It seems that time is going by faster since the boys were born.  Another school year is quickly approaching and we are slowly preparing for the "big" event.  School supplies, back packs, lunch bags, shoes, clothes, lunch money, milk money--it forces me to budget and organize (gasp) and obsess.  Obsess?  Yes.  I want to be sure EVERYTHING is in place before the first day of school.  I want to be sure that everything the boys could possibly need is here and ready for them before school starts.  Alex knows that the first day of school is coming--every day he asks if he is staying home.  I dread the day he asks if he is staying home and I say, "Nope, not today.  It's the first day of school."  I'm sure his new shoes, new lunch bag, new back pack, etc. will be a big enough motivator to send him off to his first day of school with a smile.
We have had a fun summer.  A summer full of memories.  Playing in the water, popsicles, cook outs, birthday parties, picnics, and countless other fun adventures have filled our days this summer.  Preparing for school has provided it's share of memories as well.  We spent a morning going through the clothes the boys have and I tortured them by making them try on every pair of jeans and every hoody/jacket.  We ended up with two large trash bags full of clothes that no longer fit them to give away. I was shocked at all the 2T shirts that had been shoved to the back of Logan's clothes in the closet and the 2T shorts that were in the bottom of his shorts drawer.  It was nice to get their clothes all organized for school and sadly, I enjoyed it.  Is that bad?  Ha.
Buying new school shoes is something I won't soon forget, either.  I let the boys pick out the shoes they wanted within a certain price range.  I showed them the shoes they could pick from and I honestly think Logan would have been happy with any pair of shoes I had purchased.  He finally decided he liked the Snoopy baseball shoes, so we got those for him.  I turned to look at Alex who was standing there looking at all the shoes. We stood in silence for a bit and I finally started pointing out shoes and saying, "What about these?"  He would say, "umm, no."  He did this for every pair of shoes and I was starting to think that he would end up going to school shoeless.  Finally, he pointed to a black pair of Adidas basketball shoes and said, "Those are really cool!  I like those."  I breathed a sigh of relief since he had finally found a pair of shoes he actually liked--and better yet, they were on sale!!
Picking out a lunch box with Alex was just as stressful.  Ha.  Most people would ask why I let him pick--why not just pick something for him and make him carry it.  In a perfect world that would be great.  I could easily do that with Logan and he would be happy with anything I picked out.  Alex, however, is a very picky boy and if he doesn't like it he isn't using it.  Sure, I might be able to fight with him and get him to take it on the first day, but I'm pretty sure when I picked him up at the end of the day the item would be "lost."  You're probably thinking, "Oh, don't say that.  It's mean!"  Well, I can say this because last year Alex's class made Yankee Doodle hats.  I went to pick him up and he didn't have his hat.  His teacher asked where his hat was and Alex said, "I don't know."  She said, "Well, do you remember what you did with it?"  Alex shrugged his shoulders and said, "It's just lost."  Well, it was eventually found and some one had tried to hide it between the teacher's desk and the filing cabinet.  When they happily announced that it had been found Alex sighed and rolled his eyes.  When we got home he immediately put the hat in the trash.  I said, "What are you doing?  You made that!"  He said, "It's ugly and I don't want it.  I only made it because I had to for school."  I pulled it out of the trash and he sighed again, rolled his eyes, said, "Oh, mom" and walked away.  He is just funny that way.  He wants what he wants and he likes what he likes and that is about it.  Ha.
So, as we prepare for another school year I wanted to share some summer pictures of the boys with those of you who read the blog. 

 Logan was singing into the microphone (the boys entertained us with songs and stories after dinner one evening) and Alex showed us some of his best dance moves! 

Logan singing while wearing nothing but underwear!  (His outfit of choice these days!)

Logan trying to climb into the TV.  They said, "Stay tuned for fun and adventure with . . . " and one of the names was Logan.  Logan said, "Logan!  That's me!  I didn't know I was supposed to be in this show! Nobody told me."  He got a little chair and tried to climb into the TV.  I asked what he was doing and he said, "Trying to get into the TV.  I'm supposed to be on this show and I'm late!"  It was so funny!

Alex as Batman.  This is the day he got a haircut.  He was more than likely watching Batman cartoons while wearing the costume--it's what he does!  Ha.

 Alex the day we went to the bone specialist.  He thought it was pretty cool that they took pictures of his bones.  This is before, of course--we were all tired, hungry, and hot by the time we got home! 

Logan the day he had his hair trimmed--again in his underwear! HA!


I hope everyone enjoys the rest of their summer!

Little Photographers!

Alex is all about taking pictures these days.  He loves it and is always asking if he can use my camera to take pictures. Alex had speech therapy this morning and I was getting ready when Alex walked up to me, holding the camera, and said, "Mom, can I please take a picture of you?"  It was so sweet and I knew it would only take a few seconds so I said, "Sure, where do you want me?"  He told me to go stand in front of the door.  He held the camera up and then said, "You're too tall, get on your knees."  Ha. It was funny.  I got on my knees and he said, "Okay, say cheese."  He took the picture and this is what we ended up with.

Jacob's parents gave us this T-shirt.  We have been talking about taking a trip to Kansas City and taking the boys to a Royals game at some point in the fall.  Jacob and I enjoy watching baseball games and our TV is on ESPN quite often.  We actually watched the Red Sox and Rangers game last night.  It's always fun.  The boys enjoy watching it with us as well.  Jacob told me I should wear the shirt because it's 30 years old and very cool.  So, today, I decided to wear it.  I received a, "wow, cool shirt, mom" and a thumbs up from Alex.

Next, Alex wanted to take a picture of Logan and me together.  He told me to sit down and let Logan sit on my lap.  After Logan sat down Alex said, "Okay, mom, turn this way" and pointed.  It was so funny watching him.  He loves taking pictures and I think he enjoyed telling me what to do, too.  Ha.

This is the picture Alex took of Logan and me.  He's getting really good at taking pictures!

Then, of course, Logan wanted to take a picture of me with Alex.  So I stayed where I was and Alex came and sat with me and said, "Logan, does this look okay?"  Logan looked at us from every angle and then said, "Ummm . . . yeah, it looks great."  It was just so funny!  They were so cute and taking it so seriously!

Logan said, "Okay, say cheese!"  I smiled and Alex made a goofy face.  He was proud of himself and laughed afterward.

Then, Alex wanted a picture of him and his brother together.  So, I took pictures of the two of them together with Alex telling Logan what to do.  This is what we got:

Did you notice that they went and put on clothes before "letting" me take pictures of them together?  It was fun and I'm glad the boys (especially Alex) enjoy taking pictures and being photographed.  It is always fun when they want to do stuff like this.

Are You From The Black Lagoon?

Everyone knows we love books.  I enjoy reading to the boys and the boys love hearing stories--they also enjoy looking at the art work in books.  Last week the boys stayed a couple of days with their grandparents and while they were there they discovered the awesomeness of the Black Lagoon books by Mike Thaler.  Their grandmother (Bleu) told me that they ordered some of the books from the series. I had never heard of the books but the boys were extremely excited about them. Life continued on in it's busy way and we forgot about the books--until one day, Logan was sitting at the table eating and he announced, "We got a box."  I said, "What?"  He said, "A box! We got a box on the porch." I said, "Oh, we got a package?"  Logan said, "Yeah, let's see what it is, mommy!" I got the box, opened it, and discovered it was the boys' Black Lagoon books.  To say they were excited would be an understatement. The stories are clever, very imaginative, and a lot of fun.  The artist, Jared Lee, does a great job of illustrating the main character's imagination as he frets over new people and situations.  We learn at the end of each book that everything is as it should be and the crazy characters in the book are only figments of the main character's imagination.  These books are great for several reasons, but my two top reasons are that 1.) they encourage children to have imaginations, which we are all about--and 2.) they help children learn how to deal with new people and situations by showing that even though you might be nervous or scared it usually turns out alright in the end--you could meet your best friend, or discover that something you were afraid of is actually something you enjoy!  I'm not one for book reviews, but I wanted to talk about these books and also give a big THANK YOU to the boys' Boompa and Bleu for ordering them. We have had a lot of fun reading them. The boys have even started pretending they are creatures and saying, "I'm from the black lagoon!"  Then, they'll laugh and one of them will say, "No! You're just a boy." 
Alex starts kindergarten in a little over 5 weeks--he'll be in school all day this year, which includes eating lunch in the school cafeteria.  Logan will be starting Pre-K so we have a lot of new and possibly scary situations coming our way and I love how these books' themes go hand and hand with what the boys are about to experience. It's funny how things work out that way sometimes!

The boys looking at the Black Lagoon books

The next time you are put in a situation that you don't really want to be in or if you're nervous about starting something new, just imagine that those people and places are from the Black Lagoon and let your imagination run wild! 

Random Weekend Fun!

We've had a lot of fun this weekend--nothing special or exciting happened.  We stayed home, played soccer in our yard, made mini pizzas, had movie night with the boys, chocolate chip pancakes, and then today my parents came up for a while.  My dad played soccer with the boys and then, as the afternoon grew (and the temperature and humidity rose) we came in for a bit to cool off. The boys played and Jacob and I watched the world cup.  As I said, nothing exciting, but it's always nice to spend time with the family.  I am thankful for my guys and the time we get to spend together!  Here are some random pictures from our weekend!

Jacob and Logan playing video games.  Logan wanted to sit with Jacob in the recliner--I promise Jacob isn't sitting on him.  (I have noticed a pattern with Logan stripping and ending up in his underwear a lot, though! LOL)

The Pioneer Woman Cooks (cook book).  "Why beans?" you ask.  Well, I can remember my mother making beans and cornbread when I was younger.  My dad used to talk about how when he was little they didn't have a lot of money and they had beans a lot.  He told me once that you can use a lot of different seasonings and toppings to make the flavor different--he said he has probably had beans cooked about any way you could possibly cook them.  Every time I have beans and cornbread I think of my dad.  He told us how to make "Poor Man's Chocolate Cake" once, too, but that is another, odd story! We actually eat beans and cornbread about once every few months--and . . . brace yourselves . . . the boys ACTUALLY eat them!!  GASP--I know!!!  I have made the Pioneer Woman's beans and cornbread before and they were pretty good so I thought we would have them again this evening. Logan was excited to see bacon in his beans!

I received some tomatoes and peppers from Jacob's parents' garden and have used them quite a bit since getting them.  I noticed while making the beans that Ree Drummond (the pioneer woman) suggested making her Pico De Gallo and putting it on your beans--you know, like chow chow, only . . . not.  So, I pulled out my fresh garden veggies and followed another of her recipes to add to the beans.  It was pretty good, if I do say so myself.  Jacob even seemed to like it!

This is Logan playing with his army men.  Jacob pulled the big army jeep off the shelf for Logan to play with--it was funny because the army men were tiny compared to the jeep, so Logan could fit all 100 army men in the back of the jeep and take them on "missions" (which ended up being a 4-year-old boy sitting on his bed and tossing them across the room one by one).  At one point I heard Logan making his army men talk.  There was a grandpa and a dad and a bunch of boy soldiers.  They were saying, "Okay, daddy.  I love you, daddy."  It was too cute!  He is such a funny (and lovey) boy!

Here is Alex playing with the Hero Clix figures.  He loves these things!  He had a lot of fun with them--until he broke one and didn't tell us he had broken it.  I think the fun dwindled after that! Ha. It WAS an accident, though!

Alex and me--I was in the kitchen and it was warm in there so I came and sat under the ceiling fan with Alex and he started hugging me and said, "Mom, let's take a picture of us together."  How could I say no to that face??

Logan eventually ditched the army men for Hero Clix with his brother.  It's funny how much fun they have with this stuff!

Logan and Jacob played hockey yesterday--this was Logan's hockey uniform of choice.  He kept posing and it was just too funny to not take a picture of it.  He'll love this in about ten years!

After we ate dinner there was cornbread all over the floor under the table. (I can't imagine how it got there!)  Alex helped me by getting the Dirt Devil hand vac and cleaning it up for me.  He is such a good helper!

Nothing too exciting happened this weekend, but it was fun just staying home and spending time with my guys.  I love weekends like this!

Time Marches On

Jacob and I spent a lot of time with family over the weekend.  There were cookouts, pool fun, firecrackers, games, and of course water guns!  We had a lot of fun and always enjoy seeing the boys running around, laughing, and having a great time.  There was one point at my Great-Grandpa Jack's 4th of July cook out when I was sitting at the table eating with my aunts, uncle, and grandparents--they were talking about the medications they were taking and doctor's appointments they had to go to.  Sometimes it blows my mind to think that Jacob and I are already in our 30s.  I remember when my parents were our age--my grandparents were my parents' ages and all seemed right with the world.  I look at Alex and remember what it was like to be 5 years old.  It's funny how things change--and time just keeps marching on.  The older I get the faster it marches.

I wanted to share some things with you all that stood out while we were visiting different people over the weekend.

This is a picture of my Grandpa Jack and Logan.  My grandfather is 86 years old--he has some amazing stories.  He is currently battling cancer--my grandmother told me he isn't eating and he spends most days being tired and feeling sick.  It is sad to watch him get sicker and thinner, but I always remember my grandmother looking at him and smiling and saying, "he's lived a good life, though."  I will never forget the look on her face at that exact moment!  While we were there my grandfather was sitting in the rocking chair and Logan just randomly walked up to him and kept saying, "I love you, gweat gwandpa Jack."  My grandfather said, "I love you, too."  It was a sweet moment.  I went to get the camera to catch the two of them in this moment.  Logan just stood there and stared at my grandfather with that little grin he has.  Jacob said my grandfather stared back at Logan and began to cry as he rubbed Logan's head.  I love the way my grandpa's face lights up when the boys run to him and say, "Gweat gwandpa Jack!"  This picture is one of my favorite pictures from our weekend trip.

This is a picture of Alex on the ladder at Jacob's parents'.  He was playing basketball with Jacob and the goal was too high so Jacob was lifting him up so he could make a basket.  Alex said he wanted to do it on his own--because after all, he's 5 and therefore a big boy!  So, Jacob got a ladder and Alex climbed up and made a basket all on his own.  He was very proud of himself. 

While they were playing basketball the goal came unscrewed on one side.  Jacob used the ladder to fix it.  Alex climbed up behind him and said he was helping.  It was really cute.  Jacob's mom reminded me that she has a picture of Jacob and his father when Jacob was little on a ladder just like this. 

We took this generation picture of my grandparents, my two boys, and my brother's son.  My grandfather didn't want to take pictures because he said he looked bad, but we finally talked him into taking a picture with his great-grandchildren. He was very emotional but went on and on about what handsome great-grandsons he has.  I am very happy we have this picture!

Logan was his usual hilarious self--before I get into some of the funny things he did and said, I wanted to share this picture of Logan watching the bunny at the Smith's house.  Logan usually loves any kind of animal or bug so I found it odd that there was a bunny hopping around and he was sitting very still in a chair.  I asked him why he wasn't petting the bunny and he very seriously said, "Mom, that bunny has red eyes.  I don't like that it has red eyes, it looks mean."  It was so funny! 
At Jacob's parents Logan kept hearing the rooster crow. It was a cloudy and rainy day and the sun never made an appearance. Logan looked at Jacob's mom and said, "Bleu, that rooster keeps crowing but the sun isn't coming up."  Jacob's mother smiled and said, "That is a really good observation, Logan."  It is funny the little things he notices.

 This is a picture of Logan sitting with my Uncle Keith (or "Uncle Keif" as Logan calls him).  Logan has ALWAYS loved Uncle Keith--even when he was a baby he would always want to go to Uncle Keith.  Uncle Keith was sitting on the couch after we ate lunch and Logan just crawled up there with him and the two started talking.  It was a very sweet moment!
There was also a time when everyone was sitting in the living room and Logan went around the room and told EVERYONE that he loved them.  I hope he keeps this sweet, friendly nature he has--it's one of the many things I love about that boy!

This is a picture of Alex on the teeter totter at the Smith's.  I love it when I catch pictures of him happy and having a great time.  His Nana made mac & cheese at the cookout with my family--she said, "He has all those texture issues and won't eat any of the side dishes we will have so this way he will have mac & cheese to eat."  She also added, "Plus, it's his favorite and I'm his Nana so I get to spoil him."  He LOVED it, too.  He got the same treatment from Jacob's mom while we were there. He had a great time over the weekend and we got a lot of great pictures of him, but this one is my favorite.  He loved that teeter totter--I think he would have played on it all day!

We had a lot of fun over the weekend, ate A LOT of good food and saw people we always enjoy seeing. Alex and Logan have been with their grandparents since Monday morning and Jacob and I were able to watch a couple of movies, go shopping, and have lunch together a couple of times.  We talked about vacations we would like to take with the boys.  I really enjoyed our time together.  The boys are coming home around lunch time today and I will be glad to see their smiling little faces when they walk through the door.  I can't believe how big they are getting--I saw two teenage boys with their mother yesterday while Jacob and I were out and about.  I watched her talking with them and thought, "Someday, that will be me--the short mother with two big boys."  I am very proud of my boys--Logan and his ability to befriend every one and Alex with his persistence and hard work.  I have been blessed with good boys and I don't know how Jacob and I got by all those years without them!

I hope you all had a fun and safe 4th of July weekend.
Until next time! 

Funny Photo Shoot

Alex's teachers sent home a list of possible activities to do over the summer break.  I came across it this morning and decided to skim over it and see what activities were listed.  One of the activities was a funny photo shoot.  I knew the boys would love that so I decided that this afternoon we would do our own funny photo shoot.  I was right--they loved it.  We got some really cute and funny pictures and what better place to display them than on a blog about the boys.  I hope you all enjoy them and get a laugh out of them--just as I did!

I think the boys were trying to see who could squeeze the other one tighter! 

Alex kept sticking his tongue out--it was hilarious!

See?

Alex's expression in this picture just makes me laugh!  He was so funny!

I hope everyone has a happy and safe 4th of July weekend!!!