Norene, this one is for you ;)
I can't believe my last post was almost 3 months ago!! Where did the summer go?!
We packed a lot into the last half of the summer. Dave went on two weekend backpacking trips. We took the boys up to Edwards for a couple nights-- near Vail. Dave and I got to go to Crested Butte for his birthday while Auntie and Grandma kindly watched Luke and Ben. We went camping with the Quinlans at Steamboat Lake. And most recently, we went back to my parents' house for a week in CT. Dave and I were spoiled again with two nights away in Boston while Nannie and Papa watched the boys.
Both boys were amazing little travelers. They're at the point now where they can handle 4-5 hours straight in the car (not without a few meltdowns of course, but it's survivable). They both seem to thrive on new adventures and experiences. Initially they are shy with new people but warm up very quickly. Camping was a major hit. Ben still asks almost daily, "where is my tent?" (He thinks that the pop-up camper we rented was a tent. Someday he will be sorely disappointed when he has to sleep in an actual tent.) He is also asking constantly if he can go back to "Nannie Papa's house" on an airplane. As a matter of fact, yesterday's pre-nap meltdown resulted in full-on sobs and elephant tears. In between his hyperventilating, he was asking to go back to Nannie's house. "I don't like my house," he said emphatically. Nothing like making a mama feel good about all her efforts to provide a nice home for her family! (Don't worry... I didn't take it too personally.)
Summer is so great for kids. Luke and Ben have spent countless hours riding their bikes/cars in our cul-de-sac and swimming in the neighborhood pool. We still have SO MANY meltdowns everyday, but overall I'm starting to see things get a little bit easier. We're on our way to 3 and 4 years old which I think will be easier than 2 and 3. I'm looking forward to less temper tantrums but I don't want to rush these days either... they are precious. I'm no longer rocking Ben to sleep in the rocking chair for naps. I definitely miss that one! But we still get lots of snuggles with both boys in their beds.
Ever since we got home from CT, they're back to their old ways of getting up early which wouldn't be all bad except that they don't go to sleep earlier at night AND they're grumpier during the day (especially Ben) AND their mom feels like a zombie for the first couple hours of the day. I don't know how my sweet husband gets up most days between 5 and 5:30 and hits the ground running for 14 hours straight. I usually wake up when he gets up and then just as I'm falling back asleep around 6:00, the boys wake up. I then go in and out of the boys' room for about an hour trying to get them to go back to sleep even though I know my efforts will be futile. But I always think maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to go back to bed for a little bit. Eventually I give up and we make our way downstairs and have almost the exact same exchange every morning...
Me: Ben, let's get you a clean diaper. Dewey, please throw away your pull-up and put on your underwear.
Ben: Nooooo, I want to watch something. No change diaper.
Me: Ben, you know we don't watch anything on TV until we've had breakfast. Dewey, PLEASE put your underwear on.
Ben: (now melting down and yelling) I WANT FOOD!!! I WANT CEREAL!!! I WANT TO WATCH SOMETHING!!!
Meanwhile, Luke's sleepy self is stumbling around and ever so slowly getting his underwear on while sucking his fingers and twirling his hair (what he does when he's tired).
Seriously, every morning. It's kind of like groundhog day...
Finally with fresh diaper and clean underwear we head to the high chairs for breakfast followed by 30 minutes of TV so mom can read her Bible and ask the Lord for enough help for today. :)
It's a good life. A tiring one but oh-so-good. God has been reminding me lately that I'm living my dream. It's true. This was what I wanted to do my whole life. It was what I was meant to do. The daily grind doesn't feel glorious at all. So much poop and bad manners and loudness and asking for forgiveness and redundancy. But I'm SO VERY thankful that this is my life. Our life. These three boys (meaning the husband + little boys) mean the world to me. I am forever grateful.
Per usual, my phone has a large list of funny things they've said and done over the past few months...
Some of the things you hear most frequently:
Luke: "Let's fight!" Ben: "Chew on my fist!" (quoted from the movie Kung Fu Panda)
Luke: "I need hungry."
Ben answers "betuz" to all "why" questions. He doesn't actually answer the question. He thinks that "because" is a complete answer.
They call hand sanitizer "Hanitizer."
Ben is constantly calling out "Where are you?" but you would think he's from Boston because he leaves out all the "R's." It sounds more like "Weh-YAH-you?"
If you ask Luke how he's doing he says, "good good." (He got that one from his daddy.)
"I baaaad boy. HAHAHAHA!" Once again, another movie quote. I never should have let them watch Despicable Me 3.
"Don't leave me." They usually say this one with a very dramatic tone. The first time I heard this phrase from them was when Papa was leaving Colorado and we were dropping him off at the airport. Ben said, "Don't leave me papa." Just about broke poor Papa's heart.
One night the boys were roughhousing with daddy before bed (because you know, dads can't help themselves... they have to rile them up before sleeping). Dave was lying in Ben's bed playing dead. Ben had been pretending to "smush" dad. Ben got genuinely concerned at his dad's unresponsiveness and he looked at me with sad eyes and said, "He's over." Pretty good description from someone who doesn't yet understand the concept of death.
On Luke's Gotcha Day, I was trying to coax them out the door to go to Barnes & Noble to pick out some new books. I said, "Come on Ben, we are going to buy books." He thought I was asking him to say goodbye to his books so he walked back inside and waved to his books, "Bye books!"
Ben had a toy plane in his hands and asked me what it was. I said "silver plane." He repeated, "S'il vous plait?" (I've been trying to teach them some French...apparently they're listening!)
Ben spotted a microwave at Costco and said, "Open door, make food."
We were at the pool with our friends the Andersons who have a baby girl named Lydia. Ben saw Lydia Anderson and he said, "Jachin have a Lydia too." His cousin Jachin has a baby sister named Lydia... I just couldn't believe he could connect that so quickly.
One day on our way to Soccer Buddies, I asked the boys what some of the rules are for soccer. I was expecting them to say, "no hands." But instead Luke rattled off the following without hesitation: "Share friends. Don't hit people. Don't kick people." I laughed so hard... you can't make this stuff up! I didn't even know they knew what the word "rules" meant.
When you're getting Ben dressed and his head pops through the shirt, he says "There is me."
I totally hear myself in Ben's tone sometimes... things like "AWWWww" when he sees a baby or something cute. Or "So fun!" in a high pitched, enthusiastic voice.
One day at soccer, Luke was running down the field with the ball and Ben says, "Dewey, kick it in the goal." Luke yells, "Yes I know! I'm trying!!"
I asked Ben to snuggle. He hugged me for half a second and said, "All done." I asked "Why can't you snuggle with mommy??" He said "Betuz I need to play with my dump truck."
Luke his hilarious when he's trying to be the boss. He'll say "Ben, how do you ask?" or my favorite, "Say Yes Dewey"
One night they were supposed to be going to sleep but I heard them at the top of the stairs. They were sitting together and I asked why they were out of their beds. Ben says, "Dewey need food." Ben will think of ANYTHING to get out of going to sleep. He needs a bandaid or water or food or a different blankie or the music louder or the fan on or off, etc, etc...
When we were driving into NYC last week to La Guardia, Luke said "I smell Ben poop." HAhahaha! New York is definitely smelly!
Recently I gave them each a bowl of mandarin oranges and within 5 seconds Ben had dumped the entire bowl, sticky juice and all, on his head. I was so annoyed and was like, "Benaiah, WHY did you DO that?!?!" To which he matter of factly replied, "It's a hat." Dave and I started cracking up when we realized I had given him the oranges in one of those bowls shaped like a baseball hat from a Rockies game. He was looking at me like I was the crazy one! Duh, mom... hats belong on your head.
Dave was rushing out the door to go to work one morning and Ben said, "I need a tiss (kiss) and a high five." So cute!
Luke continues his 3-going-on-13 attitude. It's unreal. I think I've mentioned how he'll say "OK Mom. OOOKAAY MOM." Some other things he says frequently when I'm correcting him or giving him instruction: "Yes, I KNOW." "Come OOON." (which sounds more like Come-OM.) Or when he's really mad at me: "No love mommy. I love daddy." Little stinker.
Dave bought Ben a very advanced remote control excavator for Ben just like his Uncle Jonny. It is his pride and joy. He said this morning as he was playing with it, "This is so happy I have this. Daddy buy for me."
Thursday, August 30, 2018
Friday, June 8, 2018
Kids say the darndest things
I have a long list of notes on my phone trying to record the funny things these boys say on a daily basis.
Some of the most common phrases you'll hear these days in the Fritzler household are:
"Hey, what doin' here?"
"What happenin?"
"That fine."
"Sorry 'bout that mom."
"Mommy, no pee wear." (i.e. Mommy, I won't pee in my underwear -Luke)
We recently changed to a different home church. We've been going for many years to a church in Colorado Springs. It was a hard decision to move, but we found it really difficult to stay close to people at church when we live so far away, especially now that we have little kids. Of his own accord, Ben decided to refer to the churches according to their exterior colors. The church in the Springs meets in a Bridge Club building built out of bright blue metal and the new one we're going to in Littleton has red brick on the outside, so he always asks if we're going to the blue church or the red church.
Their sentences continue to get longer and longer. One day when Ben was looking for his a picture he colored he was walking in circles saying, "Picture. I put it somewhere. I find it." Another day he was looking for his computer (which broke many, many months ago) saying, "Ben's 'puter. I miss it. I work. Where is it?"
When Luke is calling for Dave, instead of yelling for "daddy" he usually says "Hey love?" just like mommy :)
Luke still struggles with getting hurt. He does not have a high pain tolerance at all. He can't help but milk every injury no matter how minor. Often he will say "poor Dewey" when describing to Ben or others what happened.
I yelled down to Dave asking if he wanted some cheese and crackers. Luke yelled up, "No thanks, I'm good."
I crawled into their tent only to be pushed out by Ben. "Mommy, go away. Not fit in there."
Unfortunately, Luke already has the attitude of a teenager. He's constantly retorting back, "Why not?" Or my favorite is when I'm giving him instructions and he says back repeatedly, "Okay Mom. OKAY MOM. OOOOKAAAY MOOOM" with more attitude in his tone than you can imagine.
Several weeks ago Luke decided not to nap. He rolled around in bed for an hour and then woke up his brother before I could stop him. I was livid. Ben does not get enough sleep as is. I let Luke know I was NOT HAPPY. And let me tell you, he got the message. I told him he was NEVER to wake Ben up again. This was when the "OKAY MOM's" started. And ever since then, every time he is going to sleep for nap or night time, he reassures me of his own accord, "Not wake up Ben." And I say, "That's right. Thank you Luke!" It gives me hope. His brain has the capacity to retain instructions pretty well!!
Ben has invented a few words of his own:
Mowing= Mowering
Singing= Songing
He has told me on more than one occasion, "No songing mom."
You know how they always say to give kids options. Well, anytime I give Ben options it doesn't work. For example, I ask, "Do you want grapes or watermelon?" He says, "Grapes and watermelon. Two." (Two means "both" in his mind.) "Do you want milk or water?" "Milk and water. Two."
Ben asked to watch "Piggie songing" one day. He had to repeat it several times before I realized he was asking for the movie Sing.
Mary and I were laughing so hard one day when Ben fell off his scooter riding downhill. In between sobs and lots of tears he kept saying, "Wind blow Ben." In other words, he was blaming the wind for knocking him off his scooter! He's a clever little guy...
One day Dave was giving him high fives but like every dad, he kept moving his hand away so that Ben couldn't reach it in time. After a few times, Ben outsmarted his dad. He said, "Daddy, owie hand?" Dave fell hook, line and sinker. He put out his palm and said, "No Ben, daddy doesn't have an owie on his hand." Ben snuck in his high five with a huge grin on his face. Won't be the last time daddy is beat at his own games!!
Luke's one-year gotcha day is coming up on June 19th! When we asked him what he wanted to do to celebrate his gotcha day he said without hesitation, "Take boys on plane." Hahaha!
Ben was saying bye to our neighbor and I thought it was so cute he made up his own farewell phrase, "Bye Mr. Brad. I see you more!"
I love when I catch little private conversations going on between the two boys. One day, Luke had gotten up from his nap before Ben. When Ben came downstairs a little later Luke says, "Hey Ben, sleep good?" "Yeah, I did."
We were outside one hot day riding bikes and I said out loud, "Whew, mommy's stinky" not really expecting either child to care. Ben says, "Mommy shower?" I didn't even know he knew what that phrase meant.
Like most parents, when we're giving instructions we ask that the boys acknowledge that they heard us by saying, "Yes mom" or "Yes dad." Luke likes to think he's the boss of Ben and I've heard him on a couple occasions telling Ben to do something. He follows it with "Say 'Yes Dewey' " LOL!!!
There was a morning not too long ago when the boys and I had eaten scrambled eggs and chicken sausage for breakfast. I had a stomachache later that day and was laying on the couch. I asked Ben to stop jumping on my stomach explaining that my stomach hurt. He says, "Ohhh... mommy stomach hurt? Chicken sausage?? Sorry 'bout that mom." I guess he thought the chicken sausage was to blame!
Some of the most common phrases you'll hear these days in the Fritzler household are:
"Hey, what doin' here?"
"What happenin?"
"That fine."
"Sorry 'bout that mom."
"Mommy, no pee wear." (i.e. Mommy, I won't pee in my underwear -Luke)
We recently changed to a different home church. We've been going for many years to a church in Colorado Springs. It was a hard decision to move, but we found it really difficult to stay close to people at church when we live so far away, especially now that we have little kids. Of his own accord, Ben decided to refer to the churches according to their exterior colors. The church in the Springs meets in a Bridge Club building built out of bright blue metal and the new one we're going to in Littleton has red brick on the outside, so he always asks if we're going to the blue church or the red church.
Their sentences continue to get longer and longer. One day when Ben was looking for his a picture he colored he was walking in circles saying, "Picture. I put it somewhere. I find it." Another day he was looking for his computer (which broke many, many months ago) saying, "Ben's 'puter. I miss it. I work. Where is it?"
When Luke is calling for Dave, instead of yelling for "daddy" he usually says "Hey love?" just like mommy :)
Luke still struggles with getting hurt. He does not have a high pain tolerance at all. He can't help but milk every injury no matter how minor. Often he will say "poor Dewey" when describing to Ben or others what happened.
I yelled down to Dave asking if he wanted some cheese and crackers. Luke yelled up, "No thanks, I'm good."
I crawled into their tent only to be pushed out by Ben. "Mommy, go away. Not fit in there."
Unfortunately, Luke already has the attitude of a teenager. He's constantly retorting back, "Why not?" Or my favorite is when I'm giving him instructions and he says back repeatedly, "Okay Mom. OKAY MOM. OOOOKAAAY MOOOM" with more attitude in his tone than you can imagine.
Several weeks ago Luke decided not to nap. He rolled around in bed for an hour and then woke up his brother before I could stop him. I was livid. Ben does not get enough sleep as is. I let Luke know I was NOT HAPPY. And let me tell you, he got the message. I told him he was NEVER to wake Ben up again. This was when the "OKAY MOM's" started. And ever since then, every time he is going to sleep for nap or night time, he reassures me of his own accord, "Not wake up Ben." And I say, "That's right. Thank you Luke!" It gives me hope. His brain has the capacity to retain instructions pretty well!!
Ben has invented a few words of his own:
Mowing= Mowering
Singing= Songing
He has told me on more than one occasion, "No songing mom."
You know how they always say to give kids options. Well, anytime I give Ben options it doesn't work. For example, I ask, "Do you want grapes or watermelon?" He says, "Grapes and watermelon. Two." (Two means "both" in his mind.) "Do you want milk or water?" "Milk and water. Two."
Ben asked to watch "Piggie songing" one day. He had to repeat it several times before I realized he was asking for the movie Sing.
Mary and I were laughing so hard one day when Ben fell off his scooter riding downhill. In between sobs and lots of tears he kept saying, "Wind blow Ben." In other words, he was blaming the wind for knocking him off his scooter! He's a clever little guy...
One day Dave was giving him high fives but like every dad, he kept moving his hand away so that Ben couldn't reach it in time. After a few times, Ben outsmarted his dad. He said, "Daddy, owie hand?" Dave fell hook, line and sinker. He put out his palm and said, "No Ben, daddy doesn't have an owie on his hand." Ben snuck in his high five with a huge grin on his face. Won't be the last time daddy is beat at his own games!!
Luke's one-year gotcha day is coming up on June 19th! When we asked him what he wanted to do to celebrate his gotcha day he said without hesitation, "Take boys on plane." Hahaha!
Ben was saying bye to our neighbor and I thought it was so cute he made up his own farewell phrase, "Bye Mr. Brad. I see you more!"
I love when I catch little private conversations going on between the two boys. One day, Luke had gotten up from his nap before Ben. When Ben came downstairs a little later Luke says, "Hey Ben, sleep good?" "Yeah, I did."
We were outside one hot day riding bikes and I said out loud, "Whew, mommy's stinky" not really expecting either child to care. Ben says, "Mommy shower?" I didn't even know he knew what that phrase meant.
Like most parents, when we're giving instructions we ask that the boys acknowledge that they heard us by saying, "Yes mom" or "Yes dad." Luke likes to think he's the boss of Ben and I've heard him on a couple occasions telling Ben to do something. He follows it with "Say 'Yes Dewey' " LOL!!!
There was a morning not too long ago when the boys and I had eaten scrambled eggs and chicken sausage for breakfast. I had a stomachache later that day and was laying on the couch. I asked Ben to stop jumping on my stomach explaining that my stomach hurt. He says, "Ohhh... mommy stomach hurt? Chicken sausage?? Sorry 'bout that mom." I guess he thought the chicken sausage was to blame!
Wednesday, April 18, 2018
Shopping mall adventures
I had a "quick" return to do at the mall today. I thought it was a good use of time. We were already in the area after a Chick-fil-A breakfast play date with friends. Unfortunately I forgot the stroller so I had to put them on their teddy bear and giraffe backpack leashes. I am learning to set my expectations low. Just one return. Anything above and beyond that would be considered icing on the cake. We started out pretty good. Walked in on a mission. Went up the escalator (big hit!) and completed the return. I told them I'd get them a treat if they behaved. They behaved so our next stop was the candy store. I let them pick out one of those huge old-fashioned lollipops. Ben picked a blue one; Luke a red one. We left the store, lollipops in hand. However, Ben kept correcting me, "Not lollipop Mom. Treat. TREAT." He's very literal sometimes. Since I had told them I'd get them a treat, this was NOT a lollipop; it was a treat. Ok, Ben, whatever you say.
I was feeling confident. Thought I'd make one more stop. I had a 25% Macy's coupon and the boys are in desperate need of summer clothes. They had already noticed the star on the Macy's sign so they were happy to go in. We made our way up another escalator (which Ben calls excavator). There was a very small, seemingly manageable toddler boy section. I moved as fast as I could perusing little boys' basketball shorts and T-shirts. ($30+ for miniature gym shorts, really?!!) We found some cheaper ones. Luke started to lose it because he wanted to take off his sweatpants and put on the basketball shorts (he's a little obsessed). We quickly distracted him and avoided that meltdown. By now their faces are sticky red and blue messes and he managed to get the nastiness in my hair as I leaned down to talk him out of a full on tantrum. I raced to the back wall to find the 3T clearance. In the 30 seconds it took me to look through clearance, they had each untied one of my shoes. I swear sometimes they talk to each other without making a sound. It was like they were ganging up on me. As we were walking to the register with my hands full of Nike discounts, Ben dropped his blue lollipop on the floor. And that was it... there was no stopping this meltdown. It split in half. Elephant tears and wailing. "Mommy, fix it. Mommy, FIX IT!!" Normally I would at least try to rinse off the lollipop that had been dropped on the floor but there was no time for this luxury. I tried to hand him the half still on the stick. Wasn't good enough. He took the other half from the floor and shoved it in his mouth chewing loudly. Made me wince. Hopefully he didn't chip a tooth. Meanwhile Luke was still enjoying his intact sucker. We threw the clothes up on the counter. And I'm pretty sure they talked to each other inaudibly again, conniving another attack on mom. In unison, they both dropped (or maybe threw) their lollipops on the ground. This time they each shattered into a dozen pieces. And next thing you know they are both on the ground on their bellies eating lollipop shards directly off the floor like dogs. I felt helpless. I suggested that they at least pick them up with their hands but it was no use. And I wonder why we get so many illnesses in this household. Oh dear! Thankfully the lady at the Macy's counter was so sweet. Even after watching all of this she went on and on about how much she misses the days when her kids were this young. Part of me thinks, "REALLY??!! You miss THIS?! Are you blind???" but then the other part of me knows that someday I'll be saying the same thing. After she rang everything up and told me I couldn't use my 25% off coupon on Nike or clearance items (WHAT?!!) I got down on my hands and knees and used a wipe to clean up as much of the sticky mess as I could. We practically ran to the escalator. Ben decided he was too scared to go down the escalator by himself. Luke had already started so I had to drop his leash and pray it wouldn't get stuck in the moving stairs (thankfully it didn't!). Whew! What an adventure one simple return can be.
It was funny how many comments I got as we walked through the mall with the boys on their leashes. "That is adorable!... Wow, you have your hands full... Wait, are they both YOURS? They must be close in age!... You're a busy girl... Pretty sure they couldn't be any cuter..." It's good to be reminded of how cute they are. They really are an adorable little duo and I know they're going to grow up fast. But I also have to admit that it's affirming to me to hear outsiders comment about how crazy my life must be trying to keep up with them. I DO have my hands full. I feel like it shouldn't be that hard. I have plenty of friends with 3, 4, or 5 kids. 2 shouldn't be so hard. But there are moments when it just is. And that's ok. We take the bad with the good. Wouldn't trade my "Irish twins" for the world.
Some funny things they've said/done in recent weeks... (You'll notice most of these are about Ben only because he's the chatty one of the group.)
- I usually repeat back what I think Ben is saying. Sometimes it's hard to understand and if I don't repeat it back, he'll just keep saying it over and over until I do. He's gotten in the habit now, if I repeat it back correctly, he says "Yeah, right mom" as if to say encouragingly "you got it right, mom." Or "No mom" and then he says it even louder and with more frustration if it takes me awhile to get it.
- The new alarm clock seems to be helping their sleep a little bit. They totally understand the concept that they're not supposed to leave their room until the light turns green (at 7 am). They need reminders sometimes to go back in their room but they usually comply which is wonderful. Gives me just a few extra moments to myself to rest or brush my teeth or read my Bible before starting the day full steam ahead. Luke's excitement at 7:00 is adorable. He comes bounding out of his room, "Mommy green, Mommy GREEN!!!"
- They're still usually awake by 6:15 but there was one morning when they slept until 7:15. Ben was dumfounded. He got to come out of his room right away because theylight was already green and he said, "Mommy, not dark outside!" He just couldn't believe it.
- We love the way Ben says "DE-licious." It's usually in the context of jelly.
- They're learning how to clean up their toys. Best motivation is to tell them they'll be rewarded with a TV show, but Ben is already learning the art of getting out of work. He says, "Hard to clean up Ben. Dewey do it." LOL! He's got the Uncle Dave gene. ;)
- Both of them will say "sorry sorry" if they bump into you or spill something.
- I made them a fruit/veggie smoothie the other day and told them it was a Juice Smoothie. Ben called it a Juice Movie. He later referred to it as a Juice Watch (since they use the word "Watch" to mean watching TV or a movie).
- I introduced them to Space Jam ("Pace Jam" per Ben). For whatever reason, he died laughing when one of the tall monster aliens bonked his head on the backboard of the hoop and said, "Ow, that hurt!" Both Luke and Ben quote that line multiple times a day. There's some other line about "I smell something" which Ben quotes as well.
- Ben was in trouble for something at nap time one day and as I was trying to get him settled down to read books he said, "Nannie Ben's room." He was totally done with mom and ready for a softie.
- One of my favorite Ben phrases currently is when he says in a hushed tone at bedtime "Sweet dreams Mommy." Just melts my heart. Although recently I realized he was saying Sweet James (the name of one of his neighbor buddies). Hahaha
- Nannie and Papa visited last weekend and the day after they left, while sitting in his high chair, Ben stated, "Nannie, Papa gone. Plane. Home." It's astounding how much they actually understand!
- Ben also gave us his own interpretation of where snow comes from. He pointed upwards and said, "Snow mountains. Come down here. Ben's house." Where do they get this stuff?
- Ben continues to talk incessantly of "Grandma's house, Henry." He says the phrase so quickly it sounds like one word. Grandma and Grandpa's house will always be a highlight.
I was feeling confident. Thought I'd make one more stop. I had a 25% Macy's coupon and the boys are in desperate need of summer clothes. They had already noticed the star on the Macy's sign so they were happy to go in. We made our way up another escalator (which Ben calls excavator). There was a very small, seemingly manageable toddler boy section. I moved as fast as I could perusing little boys' basketball shorts and T-shirts. ($30+ for miniature gym shorts, really?!!) We found some cheaper ones. Luke started to lose it because he wanted to take off his sweatpants and put on the basketball shorts (he's a little obsessed). We quickly distracted him and avoided that meltdown. By now their faces are sticky red and blue messes and he managed to get the nastiness in my hair as I leaned down to talk him out of a full on tantrum. I raced to the back wall to find the 3T clearance. In the 30 seconds it took me to look through clearance, they had each untied one of my shoes. I swear sometimes they talk to each other without making a sound. It was like they were ganging up on me. As we were walking to the register with my hands full of Nike discounts, Ben dropped his blue lollipop on the floor. And that was it... there was no stopping this meltdown. It split in half. Elephant tears and wailing. "Mommy, fix it. Mommy, FIX IT!!" Normally I would at least try to rinse off the lollipop that had been dropped on the floor but there was no time for this luxury. I tried to hand him the half still on the stick. Wasn't good enough. He took the other half from the floor and shoved it in his mouth chewing loudly. Made me wince. Hopefully he didn't chip a tooth. Meanwhile Luke was still enjoying his intact sucker. We threw the clothes up on the counter. And I'm pretty sure they talked to each other inaudibly again, conniving another attack on mom. In unison, they both dropped (or maybe threw) their lollipops on the ground. This time they each shattered into a dozen pieces. And next thing you know they are both on the ground on their bellies eating lollipop shards directly off the floor like dogs. I felt helpless. I suggested that they at least pick them up with their hands but it was no use. And I wonder why we get so many illnesses in this household. Oh dear! Thankfully the lady at the Macy's counter was so sweet. Even after watching all of this she went on and on about how much she misses the days when her kids were this young. Part of me thinks, "REALLY??!! You miss THIS?! Are you blind???" but then the other part of me knows that someday I'll be saying the same thing. After she rang everything up and told me I couldn't use my 25% off coupon on Nike or clearance items (WHAT?!!) I got down on my hands and knees and used a wipe to clean up as much of the sticky mess as I could. We practically ran to the escalator. Ben decided he was too scared to go down the escalator by himself. Luke had already started so I had to drop his leash and pray it wouldn't get stuck in the moving stairs (thankfully it didn't!). Whew! What an adventure one simple return can be.
It was funny how many comments I got as we walked through the mall with the boys on their leashes. "That is adorable!... Wow, you have your hands full... Wait, are they both YOURS? They must be close in age!... You're a busy girl... Pretty sure they couldn't be any cuter..." It's good to be reminded of how cute they are. They really are an adorable little duo and I know they're going to grow up fast. But I also have to admit that it's affirming to me to hear outsiders comment about how crazy my life must be trying to keep up with them. I DO have my hands full. I feel like it shouldn't be that hard. I have plenty of friends with 3, 4, or 5 kids. 2 shouldn't be so hard. But there are moments when it just is. And that's ok. We take the bad with the good. Wouldn't trade my "Irish twins" for the world.
Some funny things they've said/done in recent weeks... (You'll notice most of these are about Ben only because he's the chatty one of the group.)
- I usually repeat back what I think Ben is saying. Sometimes it's hard to understand and if I don't repeat it back, he'll just keep saying it over and over until I do. He's gotten in the habit now, if I repeat it back correctly, he says "Yeah, right mom" as if to say encouragingly "you got it right, mom." Or "No mom" and then he says it even louder and with more frustration if it takes me awhile to get it.
- The new alarm clock seems to be helping their sleep a little bit. They totally understand the concept that they're not supposed to leave their room until the light turns green (at 7 am). They need reminders sometimes to go back in their room but they usually comply which is wonderful. Gives me just a few extra moments to myself to rest or brush my teeth or read my Bible before starting the day full steam ahead. Luke's excitement at 7:00 is adorable. He comes bounding out of his room, "Mommy green, Mommy GREEN!!!"
- They're still usually awake by 6:15 but there was one morning when they slept until 7:15. Ben was dumfounded. He got to come out of his room right away because theylight was already green and he said, "Mommy, not dark outside!" He just couldn't believe it.
- We love the way Ben says "DE-licious." It's usually in the context of jelly.
- They're learning how to clean up their toys. Best motivation is to tell them they'll be rewarded with a TV show, but Ben is already learning the art of getting out of work. He says, "Hard to clean up Ben. Dewey do it." LOL! He's got the Uncle Dave gene. ;)
- Both of them will say "sorry sorry" if they bump into you or spill something.
- I made them a fruit/veggie smoothie the other day and told them it was a Juice Smoothie. Ben called it a Juice Movie. He later referred to it as a Juice Watch (since they use the word "Watch" to mean watching TV or a movie).
- I introduced them to Space Jam ("Pace Jam" per Ben). For whatever reason, he died laughing when one of the tall monster aliens bonked his head on the backboard of the hoop and said, "Ow, that hurt!" Both Luke and Ben quote that line multiple times a day. There's some other line about "I smell something" which Ben quotes as well.
- Ben was in trouble for something at nap time one day and as I was trying to get him settled down to read books he said, "Nannie Ben's room." He was totally done with mom and ready for a softie.
- One of my favorite Ben phrases currently is when he says in a hushed tone at bedtime "Sweet dreams Mommy." Just melts my heart. Although recently I realized he was saying Sweet James (the name of one of his neighbor buddies). Hahaha
- Nannie and Papa visited last weekend and the day after they left, while sitting in his high chair, Ben stated, "Nannie, Papa gone. Plane. Home." It's astounding how much they actually understand!
- Ben also gave us his own interpretation of where snow comes from. He pointed upwards and said, "Snow mountains. Come down here. Ben's house." Where do they get this stuff?
- Ben continues to talk incessantly of "Grandma's house, Henry." He says the phrase so quickly it sounds like one word. Grandma and Grandpa's house will always be a highlight.
Tuesday, March 20, 2018
Hopping mad
Finally! A minute to type out a few things I don't want to forget!
This stage is crazy. A 2-year-old and a 3-year-old. I can't tell you how many meltdowns we have on an hourly basis. Someday I should try to count them. Or maybe not. You know that phrase "hopping mad." I can't believe it's been around since before Luke's existence. He is the epitome of hopping mad when he's upset about something. Thankfully he doesn't tend to hit or bite when he's mad, but boy has he perfected the art of hopping and screaming when angry! If Luke is the epitome of hopping mad, then Ben is the epitome of making excuses. A hundred times a day he pulls the "I'm tired" card when he doesn't want to obey you.
We started potty training Luke about a month ago. He's still in pull-ups while sleeping and on the go, but otherwise doing really well. He especially loves the treats involved with peeing and pooping in the potty. Usually Ben gets a treat as well when he gives Dewey (who has become Dewey-Luke, sounds like "Dewey-Loot") some encouragement with a high five.
Since daylight savings, Ben's number of sleeping hours per day has declined even more. This week I decided to change our bedtime strategy (again!). Trying to shorten our bedtime routine. I think we've been dragging it out too much. And, as hard as it is, I need to be more firm with him instead of giving in a million times to, "Mommy, hold you me, one minute." Sleeping 9pm-6am and a 1.5 hour nap... just not cutting it. Mommy needs more sleep. And though my motives are mostly selfish, I do believe he needs more sleep as well. His attitude was just UNRULY last week and I think tiredness is the root cause (and a sin nature of course).
One of the best parts of this stage is the verbal advances we see every week. Today while driving in the car Ben says, "The sun is in Ben's eyes." When I told them it was time to go inside and eat some sandwiches for lunch, Ben said, "5 minutes." Followed by Luke, "10 minutes." I have no clue if they understand what they're saying but it's pretty funny nonetheless! I told them they could watch a show if they picked up their toys. Ben puts one toy away, folds his hands and says, "Mom, Ben clean up." Luke will answer "good, good" when people ask "How are you?" Pretty sure he got that from daddy. The other day I had them in their double stroller in the Lucky Brand dressing room. I was trying on a few shirts and they surprised me when they actually had strong opinions when I'd ask what they thought. "Not this one... I like it... Yes mom... No, not like it." I was cracking up!!!
Their current favorite Netflix show is "Little Baby Bum." I feel a little less guilty about this one because they're actually learning their shapes, numbers, colors, adjectives, etc... I was laughing one day when Ben combined two of the lessons and kept counting, "One, Two, Orange." Hahaha!
Everyday I pray for patience and help to enjoy the moment. I think I'm starting to understand the experienced moms who say the days are long, but the years fly by!
This stage is crazy. A 2-year-old and a 3-year-old. I can't tell you how many meltdowns we have on an hourly basis. Someday I should try to count them. Or maybe not. You know that phrase "hopping mad." I can't believe it's been around since before Luke's existence. He is the epitome of hopping mad when he's upset about something. Thankfully he doesn't tend to hit or bite when he's mad, but boy has he perfected the art of hopping and screaming when angry! If Luke is the epitome of hopping mad, then Ben is the epitome of making excuses. A hundred times a day he pulls the "I'm tired" card when he doesn't want to obey you.
We started potty training Luke about a month ago. He's still in pull-ups while sleeping and on the go, but otherwise doing really well. He especially loves the treats involved with peeing and pooping in the potty. Usually Ben gets a treat as well when he gives Dewey (who has become Dewey-Luke, sounds like "Dewey-Loot") some encouragement with a high five.
Since daylight savings, Ben's number of sleeping hours per day has declined even more. This week I decided to change our bedtime strategy (again!). Trying to shorten our bedtime routine. I think we've been dragging it out too much. And, as hard as it is, I need to be more firm with him instead of giving in a million times to, "Mommy, hold you me, one minute." Sleeping 9pm-6am and a 1.5 hour nap... just not cutting it. Mommy needs more sleep. And though my motives are mostly selfish, I do believe he needs more sleep as well. His attitude was just UNRULY last week and I think tiredness is the root cause (and a sin nature of course).
One of the best parts of this stage is the verbal advances we see every week. Today while driving in the car Ben says, "The sun is in Ben's eyes." When I told them it was time to go inside and eat some sandwiches for lunch, Ben said, "5 minutes." Followed by Luke, "10 minutes." I have no clue if they understand what they're saying but it's pretty funny nonetheless! I told them they could watch a show if they picked up their toys. Ben puts one toy away, folds his hands and says, "Mom, Ben clean up." Luke will answer "good, good" when people ask "How are you?" Pretty sure he got that from daddy. The other day I had them in their double stroller in the Lucky Brand dressing room. I was trying on a few shirts and they surprised me when they actually had strong opinions when I'd ask what they thought. "Not this one... I like it... Yes mom... No, not like it." I was cracking up!!!
Their current favorite Netflix show is "Little Baby Bum." I feel a little less guilty about this one because they're actually learning their shapes, numbers, colors, adjectives, etc... I was laughing one day when Ben combined two of the lessons and kept counting, "One, Two, Orange." Hahaha!
Everyday I pray for patience and help to enjoy the moment. I think I'm starting to understand the experienced moms who say the days are long, but the years fly by!
Sunday, January 21, 2018
Yay Yay Ai Yo
This is Ben's little ditty. We have no clue where he got it from. Maybe he's going to be a composer! For weeks now, he's been singing "Yay Yay Ai Yo." He'll even do it on command if you ask him to sing his song.
I guess my singing ability must not be so great because anytime I start singing, both boys adamantly say, "NOOOO!!! No Mom!" Which of course just makes me want to sing more.
They've begun the pretending stage. Most of the pretending revolves around monsters. This all started when they heard the ice maker on the fridge and they'd ask "What's that?" to which their dad would reply, "There's a monster in the fridge!" Now there are monsters all over-- if they're not in the fridge, they're at the front door or in the basement or in the fireplace.
Both boys can answer "What's your name?" and "How old are you?" Though Dewey has a little more trouble with remembering numbers so sometimes Ben has to help him with his age.
Some other funny things they say...
Cimmanon for Cinnamon.
"Oh No" for oatmeal.
They've made up their own sign for syrup. They wave their hand in circles above their bowls.
Luke was trying to figure out what Ben was doing the other day and I hear, "Ben what doin?"
Luke calls my slippers "slipperys" which sounds more like "sipperdees".
Food is nummy (yummy).
I just love the way they say "fried chicken" especially Luke-- he says it with a southern accent.
One of my favorite things about this stage is nap time. And not just because I get a little breather. Our routine for nap time has been the same for 7 months now. Both boys sit with me in our comfy rocker. Ben on my lap and Luke next to me with his right arm linked through my left arm. Ben still falls asleep in my arms for naps and then I put Luke in his crib where he quickly falls asleep. I love that I can still rock my babies to sleep at 2 and 3 years old!
I guess my singing ability must not be so great because anytime I start singing, both boys adamantly say, "NOOOO!!! No Mom!" Which of course just makes me want to sing more.
They've begun the pretending stage. Most of the pretending revolves around monsters. This all started when they heard the ice maker on the fridge and they'd ask "What's that?" to which their dad would reply, "There's a monster in the fridge!" Now there are monsters all over-- if they're not in the fridge, they're at the front door or in the basement or in the fireplace.
Both boys can answer "What's your name?" and "How old are you?" Though Dewey has a little more trouble with remembering numbers so sometimes Ben has to help him with his age.
Some other funny things they say...
Cimmanon for Cinnamon.
"Oh No" for oatmeal.
They've made up their own sign for syrup. They wave their hand in circles above their bowls.
Luke was trying to figure out what Ben was doing the other day and I hear, "Ben what doin?"
Luke calls my slippers "slipperys" which sounds more like "sipperdees".
Food is nummy (yummy).
I just love the way they say "fried chicken" especially Luke-- he says it with a southern accent.
One of my favorite things about this stage is nap time. And not just because I get a little breather. Our routine for nap time has been the same for 7 months now. Both boys sit with me in our comfy rocker. Ben on my lap and Luke next to me with his right arm linked through my left arm. Ben still falls asleep in my arms for naps and then I put Luke in his crib where he quickly falls asleep. I love that I can still rock my babies to sleep at 2 and 3 years old!
Saturday, January 20, 2018
Buckets of Rain
Yesterday was Luke's 3rd birthday. We dreamed of that day for so long... the first time we got to celebrate his birthday with him!! I read Psalm 68 the other day...
"A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,
is God in his holy dwelling...
You pour out rain in buckets, O God."
It made me think back to the months and years that we asked God over and over for children. One Bible story that brought me so much encouragement during those challenging days was the one of Elijah praying earnestly for rain after experiencing 3 years of drought in 1 Kings 18. Elijah believed and never gave up. I was in a Bible study with friends who reminded me "Your rain is coming... don't give up."
While celebrating Luke's life yesterday, I felt like I was being showered with those buckets of rains. God's blessings and answered prayers and grace just pouring down on us. I loved celebrating that little boy! Thank You, Jesus.
We had a crazy houseful of friends and family and energetic little boys for his "dinner & a movie" birthday party. We ate hot dogs, mac & cheese, and cupcakes. The kids watched Toy Story 2 in the basement with popcorn in hand. I love that Luke is surrounded by so much love and so many buddies... Jachin, Bo, Khalib (his friend from Edget orphanage in Ethiopia!), Cohen K, Eric, Titus, Malachi, Ezra S, and our new neighbor James. We missed his other friends-- Caleb, Jacob, Jameson, Jackson, Weston, Cohen J, Arie and Ezra J, but we're thankful for them too. Such a blessing!
"A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,
is God in his holy dwelling...
You pour out rain in buckets, O God."
It made me think back to the months and years that we asked God over and over for children. One Bible story that brought me so much encouragement during those challenging days was the one of Elijah praying earnestly for rain after experiencing 3 years of drought in 1 Kings 18. Elijah believed and never gave up. I was in a Bible study with friends who reminded me "Your rain is coming... don't give up."
While celebrating Luke's life yesterday, I felt like I was being showered with those buckets of rains. God's blessings and answered prayers and grace just pouring down on us. I loved celebrating that little boy! Thank You, Jesus.
We had a crazy houseful of friends and family and energetic little boys for his "dinner & a movie" birthday party. We ate hot dogs, mac & cheese, and cupcakes. The kids watched Toy Story 2 in the basement with popcorn in hand. I love that Luke is surrounded by so much love and so many buddies... Jachin, Bo, Khalib (his friend from Edget orphanage in Ethiopia!), Cohen K, Eric, Titus, Malachi, Ezra S, and our new neighbor James. We missed his other friends-- Caleb, Jacob, Jameson, Jackson, Weston, Cohen J, Arie and Ezra J, but we're thankful for them too. Such a blessing!
Friday, January 5, 2018
Ephelant
No, that's not a typo. It's what my dyslexic toddlers call Elephants. Ben is especially fond of his stuffed "Ephelant" who we call Mr. Peanuts. A couple weeks before his 2nd birthday, Ben had a vocab explosion. The first full sentence I remember him saying was "I see a plane" while looking out the window. The other night before bed, Dave and I were asking him about his day and we couldn't believe it when he said, "I watch monsters on TV." He was telling us about watching the Monsters Inc. movie. :) I think Luke's vocabulary is probably just as good as Ben's, but you notice it more with Ben because he is such a chatterbox. He's always commentating! The best is when you catch a conversation the two boys are having between themselves. Half of the time I don't understand what they're saying but they don't seem to have any trouble understanding what the other one is saying.
Today Ben was running around on the wood floor and tripped a little. He turned around and pointed to the floor saying, "Sippery." It always makes me laugh when the boys try to reverse our roles and reprimand me. If I start talking loudly (sounds better than "yelling"), they put their fingers over their mouths and shush me. "Mom, SHHH!" Or they'll say, "Mom, Me seepin" (i.e. Mom, be quiet because Mary is sleeping) The one that cracks me up the most is when I'm pounding chicken or just hitting a spoon on the edge of a bowl or yogurt container or something and they say, "Mom, gentle!"
We are most certainly in the "I do" stage. I hear that phrase a hundred times a day. Not only are they independent all of the sudden, they're also in charge. Another common phrase is "Mommy get." In other words, "Mom I'm too lazy to go pick up my water bottle, so you can do it for me." Don't worry... I don't usually give in!
We had a "Ben the Builder" construction party for Ben's 2nd birthday while my family was in town. I loved celebrating that little boy. Our house was loud and crazy but I had a lot of fun. Hopefully everyone else did too!
The boys got to celebrate two Christmases this year. One with my family on 16th and then again on the 25th. They were spoiled rotten by so many family and friends. Lots of cars and sports and tools...all things boy!
On the 19th we're planning a birthday party for Luke. Since he loves movies so much we're having a dinner + movie night. I can't count the number of times I hoped and prayed we would have him here by his 3rd birthday. Once again, we have lots to celebrate!!
Today Ben was running around on the wood floor and tripped a little. He turned around and pointed to the floor saying, "Sippery." It always makes me laugh when the boys try to reverse our roles and reprimand me. If I start talking loudly (sounds better than "yelling"), they put their fingers over their mouths and shush me. "Mom, SHHH!" Or they'll say, "Mom, Me seepin" (i.e. Mom, be quiet because Mary is sleeping) The one that cracks me up the most is when I'm pounding chicken or just hitting a spoon on the edge of a bowl or yogurt container or something and they say, "Mom, gentle!"
We are most certainly in the "I do" stage. I hear that phrase a hundred times a day. Not only are they independent all of the sudden, they're also in charge. Another common phrase is "Mommy get." In other words, "Mom I'm too lazy to go pick up my water bottle, so you can do it for me." Don't worry... I don't usually give in!
We had a "Ben the Builder" construction party for Ben's 2nd birthday while my family was in town. I loved celebrating that little boy. Our house was loud and crazy but I had a lot of fun. Hopefully everyone else did too!
The boys got to celebrate two Christmases this year. One with my family on 16th and then again on the 25th. They were spoiled rotten by so many family and friends. Lots of cars and sports and tools...all things boy!
On the 19th we're planning a birthday party for Luke. Since he loves movies so much we're having a dinner + movie night. I can't count the number of times I hoped and prayed we would have him here by his 3rd birthday. Once again, we have lots to celebrate!!
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