Cupcakes, Leaves, and Basketball

The boys and I spent yesterday with several different people--people we haven't seen in about a month.   My best friend's baby shower was a few weeks ago.  I didn't make it to her shower because we had so much snow here that I couldn't even get my car out of the garage.  So, we made plans to meet for lunch and then hang out at Denisa's house for a bit yesterday.  She made cupcakes just so the boys could decorate them--they were SO good!  The boys got to play outside at her house and Alex loved it!  Denisa and her husband have acres and acres of land--and a big blue tractor that the boys thought was cool. It was a lot of fun.  We then went to my parents' house.  We hung out there for a couple of hours or so and were able to see my grandma as well as my brother and nephew, Kyler. The boys played outside there as well.  My dad raked up a huge pile of leaves and played in the leaves with the boys--I'm not sure who had the most fun, the boys or my dad!  Jacob and I also took the boys to the park to play basketball this weekend. Jacob even went outside and played catch with me today--I love playing catch and it was nice of him to play with me (since you can't really play catch on your own).  It has been a fun weekend and I thought I'd share some pictures--a few I stole from Denisa, but I think she expected that.  Ha. 

The boys decorating cupcakes at Denisa's house. 

Mmmm . . . cupcakes!!

Here is a picture of Alex and Logan with my best friend, Denisa.  She kind of likes them--just a little.  Ha

Logan, me, and Denisa

Alex and Logan petting Denisa's dog, Riley.  He's the sweetest dog!

My dad and Alex--Alex was eating M&Ms he got from Denisa. He was sharing them with his Poppy--it was very sweet.

Playing on the swing set at Nana's and Poppy's

My dad raked up a bunch of leaves so the boys could jump in them.  They did this for about an hour and loved every minute of it!

My dad even jumped in the pile of leaves with the boys a few times, which was hilarious. 

Running toward the pile of leaves to jump in!  They had a blast--and were filthy by the time we left. Ha

Having a leaf fight with Poppy

We played basketball at the park--as you can see, everything was damp (that made it more interesting).  

Super Mario Bros. World

I have posted pictures of the boys' bathroom and playroom after we changed them both.  I have been meaning to post pictures of the boys' bedroom.  It was cluttered--the walls covered in comic books and posters.  The boys loved it but it was time for a change.  The boys love Super Mario Bros. and Jacob found some of the classic Mario wall decals.  The two shelves in the boys' room will be painted green to match the bedding/curtain/and Mario decals, but everything else is finished.  I thought I'd share some pictures so you all could see their room.  The boys said it's like being in a video game.  They were very excited!

The boys' beds.  They FINALLY have matching comforters.  It helps make the room look less crazy.  The matching comforters match the cool game decals on their walls.  There is a green valence to match the comforters as well--I obviously didn't get a picture of it.  (We kept the brown because in the summer it keeps the sunlight out and the boys go to bed on time).  You can also see their computer--Alex uses this for homework. 

It's just like something right out of a video game--or that is what Alex tells me. Ha.  They boys were excited about this! 

One of the boys' shelves--it holds the TV (and will be painted green this weekend).  You can see their Mario and Yoshi stuffed animals hanging on the hooks.  All they have to do is ask and we get them down for the boys. 

The boys comic book "rack" and more Mario wall decals--along with their retro stereo they listen to.  Ha.

The second shelf.  It is higher and displays some Mario and Luigi figurines as well as one of Jacob's old Nintendo systems.  This shelf will be green at some point, too.

This room was easier to redo than the play room was--this room also took about 1/4 of the time to change than the play room did.  We are happy the boys like it and wanted to share!

Busted Heads, Staples, and Monkeys!

Yesterday evening brought a bit of excitement to our world.  The boys were in their bedroom playing.  They were pretending to be astronauts and were playing on their beds.  They were laughing and having a good time--being loud.  Suddenly I heard Logan screaming.  I hurried to him and he met me in the hallway.  I said, "What happened?"  He was still screaming and he said, "I hurt my head!"  I said, "Turn around and let me see."  What I saw was NOT what I expected.  The back of his shirt was covered in blood and blood was gushing from his head.  I quickly grabbed a towel and hurried him to the bathroom (I figured blood on a bathroom floor would be easier to clean up than blood on the carpet).  I stood there holding the towel on Logan's head and told Alex to hurry and get some shoes on so we could take Logan to the ER.  Alex put his shoes on very quickly--the smart boy got some shoes that had velcro--I was proud. He hurried to the bathroom and said, "I got my shoes on, Mom"  I stood there holding the towel on Logan's head and said, "Okay, Momma needs to call daddy and put on her shoes."  I kept standing there trying to figure out how I was going to do that while holding a towel to Logan's bleeding head.  Alex said, "I can hold the towel while you get your shoes mom."  That is just what he did.  He stood there holding the towel on his little brother's head and kept saying, "It's okay, little brother."  On the drive to the hospital Alex was telling me that Logan had fallen and hit his head on the handle to one of the drawers under his bed.  We made it to the hospital where Jacob met us.  Alex wouldn't leave his daddy's side once Jacob arrived.  We waited almost three hours before we were called back.  A doctor came in and looked at Logan's eyes, ears, etc. to be sure he didn't have a concussion or some other injury associated with his accident.  She looked at his head and as she was doing all of this she explained to me that they use stitches for gashes that aren't that deep and staples for gashes that are deep.  She finally said, "Well, he's going to need some staples, mom."  She cleaned his hair because it was full of dried blood and then she squirted some liquid on his scalp that was supposed to numb it.  After that she immediately gave him a shot, which Logan said hurt.  Then she said, "That is it.  The rest won't hurt."  Obviously she didn't give the medicine she had squirted on or injected into his head time to take hold--she immediately started putting the staples in.  After the first one Logan started shaking and crying and saying, "That hurts me!"  It was horrible.  I was holding his hands and rubbing on him and trying to comfort him.  She did the second staple and said, "We're going to have to put four staples in instead of three-this one didn't go in so I'm going to have to take it out."  I couldn't believe it.  She did the remaining staples, which seemed to take forever, and gave Logan a monkey dressed as a doctor (which he hasn't put down since we got home last night).  We got home to find that Logan's head had hit the handle on Alex's drawer (under his bed) so hard that it broke a piece of wood off of it.  We were told to wake Logan every two hours throughout the night to check on him.  It was a long night.  The boys are both home from school today and Jacob stayed home to help me--we have to keep an eye on Logan and the house is a mess.  It was quite an adventure--one I hope we don't get to experience again anytime soon!

Logan's staples--I couldn't get a good picture, but you can kind of see it in this picture.  He keeps telling us the worst part was the staples.

Logan with his monkey he got for being so brave at the ER.  It hasn't left his side since we got home last night.

Play Room

We recently redid the boys' play room.  It was a project Jacob and I did together and we had a lot of fun doing it. The play room was full of superhero things, comic books on the walls, and the entertainment center we put in there for the boys to use was . . . well . . . UGLY!  We were both tired of it and decided to redo it in a sports theme and surprise the boys.   Jacob and I went shopping together to get things we needed--we searched for great deals and put both of our ideas together and just enjoyed working on this project together.  It was a lot of work but it was worth it.  I wanted to share some pictures of the finished play room. 

This is the wall above the boys' entertainment center.  We painted the wooden shelf red and put one of their footballs on the shelf along with their helmets.  We got 8 x 10 prints of pictures of them playing sports and hung them on the wall.

The entertainment center which was the ugliest thing.  It was scratched up and gross looking.  And that fake wood paneling they put on those things just wasn't doing it for us anymore.  So, while Jacob put the boys' lockers and toy box/bench together I painted the entertainment center blue.  Alex was excited we went with blue (it's his favorite color).  It looked so much better and more kid-friendly after I painted it. We took all the cluttering junk off the top and put the boys Rangers bobble head, football, baseball, and basketball on the top. 

The dart board, baseball tin sign, and the Red Sox foam finger that came home from Boston with us two years ago. 

The boys' lockers--Alex's favorite color is blue so he got the blue locker.  We put his Bat Cave on top and put his toys inside.  Logan likes red so he got a red locker and Big Foot is sitting on the locker holding a baseball.  We found a canvas picture of the Royals baseball field and got a REALLY good deal on it so we hung it on the wall with a collage of old baseball cards.  The boys' batting helmet and Jacob's Royals cap are hanging on the wall. 

We have a basketball goal in the playroom that the boys use quite often so we wanted to be sure basketball was incorporated in the room.  (We plan to add more basketball things on the wall behind their goal at some point). 

The corner between the lockers and basketball goal.  Jacob put this toy box together and all the toys who didn't fit some place else found a home in the new toy box.  It also serves as a bench for the boys to sit on and watch TV.   We put their little bat, golf club, and hockey stick behind the toy box and I was really happy with how it turned out.

The boys were happy with how it turned out.  They spent all evening in there last night and then this morning they didn't want to leave because they were playing basketball.  Jacob even made a little court for them to dribble on--they really seem to like the play room.  That makes all the work worth it. 

The Adventure Continues

                                                  My boys

Last night when I was getting the boys ready for bed Alex started asking questions about growing up.  He asked if Jacob used to be a little boy like him.  I explained that Jacob was a little boy once and grew up.  Alex said, "We'll be big like daddy some day--Logan and me?" 

Part of being a parent is learning as you go.  Your children reach an age where they are curious about every aspect of the world around them.  They ask questions that you know the answers to, but you don't think they are ready for the answers.  They ask questions that you don't have answers to--and they ask questions that you answer not knowing how your response is going to affect them.  This is what happened last night.

Alex asked his question and without thinking about how either of the boys would react I responded.  I said, "Yes, some day you will both grow up like daddy did.  You will move out, get a job, and start a family of your own."  Alex nodded and started brushing his teeth.  Logan, on the other hand, started crying.  I said, "What's wrong?"  He stood there in his pajamas, hugging his Yoshi plush toy, and had big tears rolling down his cheeks. He said, "I don't want to leave you, mommy." 

As a mother to small children you get used to squatting down and standing back up.  It is important for me when I'm talking to my children about something important that I get down on their level and talk to them face to face.  It is something I have always done and will continue to do until my boys are taller than me and I have to look up at them.

So, I got down on Logan's level and told him that he was only four years old and he didn't have to worry about all that stuff for a very long time.  It really seemed to bother him that one day he was going to leave.  He kept going back to the subject and asking about why he would have to leave some day.  This morning on the way to school--out of the blue--Logan says, "I want to stay with you even when I'm grown.  Okay, Mommy?  Can I do that?"  The funny thing is that when the time comes it won't be an issue for him--it will be harder on me than it is on him, but right now, in his little 4-year-old eyes he can't imagine not being with Mommy and Daddy.  It is one of the many things I love about that child--he is such a sweetie.  

This conversation reminded me of just how smart and observant my boys are--it also made me realize that even though there are days when parenting seems hard we must be doing something right.  I mean, if our children burst into tears at the thought of leaving us then we must be doing something right.  Right? 

So here's to many more years of tough parenting days, tough questions, serious conversations, and everything else that this adventure throws our way.

New Bathroom

It is always nice when you find great deals.  It's even better when you find great deals on great products.  I stumbled on a great deal the other day and Jacob and I decided to purchase these items and make a fun change in the boys' bathroom.   We found some really cute M&Ms themed bathroom products and decided they were perfect because they are kid friendly, but adults will love them too. 

The shower curtain, rug, and bathroom accessories in the boys' bathroom.  It looks really cute and we are happy with it.  Best of all, it was cheap!  ;P  I am glad I found a great deal, glad it looks so good, and just wanted to share it with everyone!

My Little Trooper

As a parent there are things that are extremely hard for me.  Every morning I drop Logan off with his class and then I go to the office, sign in, walk Alex to the gym, tell him goodbye, go back to the office, sign out, and leave.  Every morning I ask him if he wants to walk by himself -- his answer is always, "Please come with me."  I don't mind walking with Alex -- if he wants me to walk with him I'm more than happy to do so.  There have been mornings when he sees children in his class and I will hear him say hi to these children.  There is always excitement in his voice when he says "hi" to them.  Many of the little girls say "hi" back and most of the boys just look at Alex.  There have been many days when I will ask Alex if he wants to walk to the gym with his "friend" and his face will light up and he hurries to catch up with these children.  A few are more than happy to walk with Alex, to talk to Alex, and to acknowledge him.  Most, however, aren't as kind.  Alex hurries to catch up and they don't wait for him.  He talks to them and they ignore him.  When I hear him say, "It's me, Alex," I feel a mixture of hurt and anger.   On days like this I walk to the car, leaving my child, and feeling a sting of sadness.  I would love to walk up to these children and say, "Do you hear him talking to you?  Respond to him!"  As a mother I know that Alex needs to learn to deal with these situations on his own -- I am also aware that as he gets older it is only going to get worse. No one said parenting was easy -- it definitely isn't easy.  I don't understand how children in Pre-K and Kindergarten -- children who are still so young -- can already be hurting each others feelings, being rude and mean to each other.  It blows my mind.  Do parents no longer teach their children to be nice to others?  Do they see their parents being rude or mean to other people -- teaching them that this is acceptable behavior?  I am sure these children don't mean anything by it -- it's early, they may be tired or just not looking forward to being at school again.  I don't know.  I do know that when my child puts forth the effort it would be nice to see children respond in a more positive way.  Alex is 6 years old now and is always telling me that he "talks different from other kids" and he can't do things they do.  He is aware of the differences and I am always telling him that these differences are what make him so special -- he's like a super hero!  His face lights up at the thought of being like a super hero.  And, in my eyes, he is.  He never complains about all of the therapies he needs and he never complains when something in class is easy for everyone else but not for him.  I have always said he is my trooper -- he just keeps trucking forward, doing what he has to do.  His teacher says he is well-liked by the other children in the class, which is great.  I wish that would extend to the "out of class" realm as well.  He doesn't let it phase him -- it bothers me more than it bothers him -- and this is why he is my little trooper and I couldn't be more proud of him.

Our Valentines Day

Logan and I decided to make a special little treat for dessert last night since it was Valentines Day.  We got the boys a toy and some candy and they received gifts from their grandparents.  It was a fun day.  Jacob and I agreed to not exchange gifts, but he thought to make a funny card for me -- which I loved.  I thought I'd share some pictures of the boys from Valentines Day.

The wallets the boys received in the mail from their Bleu and Boompa for Valentines Day.

There was $5 in each of their wallets.  Alex also put a picture of Spider-Man toys he wants in his wallet.  They were really excited about them.  They put them in their pockets and kept showing us that they had wallets in their pockets.

Logan with his wallet -- showing me his $5

The boys with the toys we gave them as part of their Valentines Day treat.  Alex received a Spider-Man riding on a motorcycle and Logan received a wrestler named Suicide -- we call him Sam (for obvious reasons). 

The cute and funny card Jacob made for me -- it was funny AND sweet!  I loved it!

Logan enjoying the Valentine treat he suggested -- strawberry jello with whipped cream

Alex eating his treat and giving me a thumbs up.  Ha.

Alex had whipped cream all over his face and wanted to show me so he turned around and stuck his head through the curtain in the kitchen (where I was) -- it was so cute!

I hope you all had as much fun on Valentines day as we did!! 

Another Play Day

My two silly boys!

So, we were under the impression last night that there would be school today. We learned this morning that it had been canceled again because even though the main roads seemed drivable most of the schools are not on main roads and still pretty bad.  The boys' school had busted pipes on Tuesday and they were trying to clean up the mess, so maybe this will give them a chance to get it cleaned up before school on Monday.

The boys have spent the morning hanging out in the playroom.  They played with Legos first and then moved on to the farm and farm animals.  This afternoon we are going to try to run some errands and get Alex to his OT session at 3:00.

Logan informed me this morning that he was magical because last night he wished school would be closed again today -- and it was.  He put his magician's hat on and grabbed his wand and went around the house trying to do magic, but nothing happened.  He finally said he thought he used all of his magic on not going to school.  It was so cute. 
I know they have enjoyed these snow days but I hope this is the last of them for a very long time!

6th Snow Day This Year

Today is another snow day.  This is the 6th snow day for the boys this year.  Jacob didn't have to be at work until 11:00 today so we decided we'd make a big breakfast.  Last night while tucking the boys into bed they said they wanted to make pancakes and bacon for breakfast today.  This was a great plan, but this morning when we went to the kitchen I didn't have any flour to make pancakes.  I didn't even have baking mix.  I felt bad for the boys because they had their hearts set on pancakes and bacon.  Alex stood there for minute and then said, "Mom, do we have sausage?"  I said, "Yes, we DO have sausage."  He shrugged his shoulders and said, "Why don't we make some breakfast burritos?"  I told Jacob that Chef Alex had put the last minute menu together.  It was just so cute.  The above pictures are of the boys making the breakfast burritos.  Alex was in charge of the eggs and Logan was in charge of the sausage.  I got a chair for each of them to stand on and they looked so cute standing there (in their underwear and pajama tops) cooking breakfast.  The rest of the day will be filled with laundry and cleaning for me and movies and toys in the play room for the boys.  I am very tired of the snow but I do enjoy spending time with my little guys! 

Another Snow Day

We are, yet again, all home for another snow day.  The fun and excitement of snow left a long time ago and seeing the ground covered in snow this morning when I woke up was NOT a pleasant sight.  The boys and I did a lot of fun things today, though, and I thought I'd share some pictures with you.

The boys getting ready to make snow ice cream (and no, I didn't make them pose this way -- it was Alex's idea)

Making snow ice cream -- Alex is pouring the sweetened, condensed milk into the snow

Logan eating some snow ice cream.  He said it was really good so we put the rest of it in the freezer for another day

Alex refused to eat it because he thought the condensed milk looked "yucky."  So, he laid on the table and watched Logan eat his ice cream.  It melted quickly so Logan asked for a straw.

The boys working on Valentines for their school parties

Logan's Valentines -- it took him over twice as long as it took Alex to sign his name, but his name looked so cute.  I love his little backwards "g." 

Some special Valentines the boys made for some special people

Then, this afternoon, we ventured outside so the boys could play in the fresh snow

Jacob doing what he has to do each time it snows -- shoveling the snow (in this pic he is making a path to get our two full trash carts to the curb) while the boys throw snow balls at him

Alex running around in the snow -- it was pretty windy and the wind was COLD

 Logan walking along the top of the fort the boys made during the last snow storm

It was so cold outside -- and the wind?  It was much colder.  It was horrible.  I followed the boys around looking just like this and grumbling at the snow.  LOL

Alex playing in a huge pile of snow

The neighborhood covered in snow (again)

Our street covered in deep snow

Logan was playing on the huge pile of snow and managed to get snow down his shirt and all over his face.  Can you tell he's not happy in this picture?  We quickly went inside and changed his clothes -- that was a pretty good indication that it was time to go back inside!

Alex was complaining of being cold by this point, too.  That wind was just a bit much!

Until next time . . .