Pause Button Please

As we are recovering from our holiday hangover, I am finding myself reminiscent of the year that has passed. If I look back at where we were a year ago, I am shocked, proud and a little saddened at how fast my boys have grown in the short twelve months. My babies, yet still young in age, aren't necessarily babies anymore. So I'm pushing the pause button yet again to remember a few moments that I never want to forget.

Drake,

We are so proud of you. You are turning into this little boy that I always hoped you would be. You are polite. Saying "No Franks" and "Please" often. You are social. We walk into a store and you say "hello" to everyone and wonder why some people don't say "hello" back. I usually tell you that they just didn't hear you so that your feelings don't get hurt. You are inquisitive. You ask at least a hundred questions a day. Always ending the question with "huh?" before I even have a chance to answer you. If I don't answer you promptly, you will ask the question again and again. You love dinosaurs. You know ten times more dinosaurs that I've ever wanted to know. Sometimes I think that you've made up a name, then sure enough, we'll look it up- and there it is. I thank Dino Dan for your dino knowledge. You still love Transformers. And Batman. And Bakugan. Actually, anything that transforms. I'm just happy that you're old enough to transform them yourself. I love ya, but my gosh. I can only transform those things so many times before I want to throw it against a wall. You don't like when I go to work. Unless I give you a lollipop before I leave. Then for whatever reason, your heart doesn't hurt so badly when I leave. Must be the sugar high. You still love chocolate milk more than anything. Although hot chocolate is now a close second. Or maybe it's Bar Beer. That's what you call Root Beer and we have no idea why. Skibbles is another word I love of yours. That what you call Skittles. It gets me every time. You're learning that curse words get our attention. Yesterday you asked- "what in the hell is with all of this traffic?" It's obvious we need to start censoring A LOT more. When Daddy is picking on you, you often tell him to stop being a bully. I love that you stand up for yourself. Never lose that. You make up songs. It usually starts with a song you've learned in school and ends with a verse or two of your own making. A lot of song composing is done while you're on the toilet. When we ask you to sing the song again so we can hear it you politely let us know that you can't- it's a secret. I just hope you know that you can always trust your secrets with us...

Trey Bird,

We still call you Trey Bird. You still are so quiet. You point at everything. It might be something you want or something you just want us to look at. Sometimes you call things "Dat". We can't figure out what it means. Maybe "That"? Whatever it is. It's cute. If you're cranky or really want something, then a "Mama" will come out. That makes my heart smile. You smile all of the time. You just had major surgery on your little man parts, and you still came out smiling. Although quiet, you are incredibly smart. You understand everything we say to you. You love to snuggle. You like warm milk at bedtime. You hate the dark and often have nightmares. You hate your shoes, but love to wear Drake's. You love, love, love lollipops. A ball is your favorite toy. A ball that is thrown is even better. Drake often waits until you're napping or asleep for the night to play games or with his favorite toys so that you don't bug him. While playing, you often make a "roar" sound. Kind of like a little lion. It's super cute. You treat your friend Hazel, like Drake treats you. Anything she has in her hands, you swipe away from her and make her cry. But then you make up for it by planting big open mouth kisses on her and patting her on the head. Katie and I already have your wedding planned. You adore Cougar and love on him often. He tolerates you. Then escapes at the earliest opportunity. You're not a big fan of eating right now, but I blame the six teeth you have coming in at the same time right now.When Daddy wrestles me or Drake you get very protective and cry and push him away. It's super sweet. I hope that you always feel protective of your loved ones...

Boys,

You are our whole world. Please be patient with us as we are learning right along with you. We will do better in this new year to be more patient with you and understanding of your needs. We will always expect the most out of you as we know that your potential is great. We will never allow you to be less than we know you can be. And most of all, we will always love you. Even when you're naughty =)

It's Been Awhile

I have no idea where the days have gone...each day seems busier than the last.

In my last post (yes, I KNOW it was a month ago. I'm trying here people!) I mentioned going on a Girls Weekend to Dallas. It was a blast. It was just enough time to get away and not miss everyone too terribly. The kids did great. Matt too. He actually left the house with both of them. I was pleasantly surprised. Drake had a hard time at bedtime and would call to tell me that he was "trying so hard not to cry" (enter sob). That broke my heart...as it would any other mother. But I knew he'd be fine after a good night's sleep. As an added bonus, I came home to a full head of hair on the Bird. Gail and I had a great time. We shopped till we dropped and then some. Lots of eating and great hospitality (thanks Kay and Dale!). I very much plan on doing it again next year. And the year after.  

The family took a trip to the Midwest for Thanksgiving. Matt got to go to 2...count them...2 Iowa games. Even if one of them was in 9 degree weather, he had a great time watching the Hawks in action. The boys got to experience their first trip to the Mall of America and thanks to Grandma Gail buying tickets to every ride there, they had a great time. The boys didn't mind the cold at all. In fact, Drake was very sad to leave. Makes me rethink this whole living away from family thing. Don't get me wrong. We love the life we've made for our family here, but every time we go back to visit, we are reminded of all of the benefits of living close to family.  Maybe someday we will all be in the same area...so start packing! Head south! =)

So the big news of the moment is Trey's upcoming surgery. Wednesday is the big day. We pray that all goes smoothly...hoping for the best. A mother worries about her children on a day to day basis. No one should have to go through the stress of worrying about a child's surgery. The doctor seems confident that all will go well. He says that the worst case scenario we'll see is that Trey will have a catheter for four or five days. What?! Have you met my child? My monster child that destroys everything? I can't even fathom trying to keep him away from a catheter. I imagine duct tape. Lots of it. Ugh. So we're hoping for his best case scenario...a cranky kid for a day or two. Please God. If you've ever heard a prayer...
We'll keep you posted =)

The Happenings Lately

Today, something happened that hasn't happened since...well. I have no idea when it happened last. Sad. But true. Anyway...drumroll please....Drake ate three whole meals. In one day! We started with pancakes, moved onto macaroni and finished with spaghetti and garlic bread. Maybe this means he's growing? Or was just starving from a year of not eating? Who knows. I just hope it's the start of a whole new tradition for Drake. It will be the trifecta year...brushing teeth (don't judge), potty training AND eating three meals a day.

Things have been crazy busy lately. With the start of my new job, I've had to do something I haven't had to do in years...wake up early. Like really early. But it's okay. It's kinda nice to be up before everyone else. I get to work in bed and drink coffee in the quiet. Peace and quiet. It's my new little piece of heaven everyday.

I got to help with Drake's Halloween party at school. They started the day with a parade of costumes.....Then they sang us some spooky songs (blogger isn't cooperating with my videos- so if you want to see them, check them out on YouTube).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkSNwysswyE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQLZIKhcyyA

I was shocked that they sang us songs. Everyday when I pick Drake up from school it's the same conversation:

Me: Drake! How was school?

Drake: Good

Me: What did you do?

Drake: Played and remembered stuff.

Me: That's it? What was for snack?

Drake: A DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF WHAT HE HAD FOR SNACK AND WHETHER OR NOT HE LIKED IT =)

Never once did he mention learning Halloween songs. I now know what my parents went through when asking me about school. Sorry guys! Anyway. It was cute. We then had spiderweb cookies, orange colored water (out of a open cup!) and made glittery bats with handprints for the wings. I had a lot of fun watching him interact with the other kids. I hope to go back on a day that's not so crazy. I did discover that Drake may have his first playground crush. On a girl named Ocean. She's a little tomboy. Cute. I was much more smitten with a girl named Lily. I now see what mothers of boys go through. And I'm not going to go there right now.

We had a great time Trick or Treating with friends. Batman and Robin made their way around with their buddy Woody. We hit 10 or so houses and then back to hand out candy. I think the kids had more fun handing it out than getting it. They would get so excited seeing the kids walk up to them with their costumes on...they would yell out who everyone was and give out the occasional compliment to the really fun costumes. While our costumes were homeade, I must say, they were comfortable, (parents- you really put your kids in some of those plastic-y materials? ugh. you wear that for a couple of hours and let me know how you feel.) I didn't have to worry about them getting ruined (because let's face it, they cost MAYBE $5 in materials) and I had a fun time making them. I think it will make the holiday more memorable for all of us (or at least that's what I'm telling myself =)).

So that's that for the past couple of weeks. I'm headed to a "Girls Weekend" in Dallas next weekend with my MIL. I'm very much looking forward to it. It will be another first in my life. Never ever ever have I left both of my children alone overnight with Matt. This whole thing was his idea and now he's trying to recant on the whole thing. His latest protest? If I don't take Trey with me, he's going to shave his head. Trey's head- not his own. Can you believe that he would threaten such a thing? Just another chapter in my book =) But in all honesty. It probably wouldn't hurt if you all called and checked in a few times that weekend. Listen for the clippers.

My New Obsession

Some of you know...some may not. I have a new obsession. Some may call it a hobby. Others, a good deed. But really. It's an obsession. And I'm okay with that. Her name is Ashley (sorry sis...). And she's a good 900 pounds. Dark skinned. And if I could bring her home with me, I would (sorry honey).

The first time I met her, she was offstandish. Ignored me and the boys. Wouldn't come when she was called. But, she would be a good horse to learn on (or so I was told). A dream of mine is to own a ranch of sorts. With lots of land to let all of the animals I love to roam freely. Horses. Lots of horses. And dogs. The beauty of it all is that they all can live in the barn. Outside of my home. But that's another blog post in itself.

Anyway, the boys and I started going out to the stables to learn the ropes with Ashley. She has been a school-horse her whole life. The stables she resides at now adopted her from a not-so-great situation. After learning her story, I better understood her character. She truly just needed attention. And love. And that, we could give her. We immediately started spoiling her with carrots and apples and lots of grooming. From there, I've been getting lessons in the round-pin and arena, not only in the saddle, but on the ground as well. I've been learning so much. And so has she.

Now when we come out to see her, she comes right up to the fence to greet us. She listens to me and my commands and adores the boys. She's such a good horse. I swear, a truck could drive right up to her and she wouldn't spook. Trey loves putting his hand in her nostrils and walking under her belly. His head grazes the bottom of it and he laughs...both boys like riding her. Although Drake says "woah" a lot, which confuses her. But it's so fun. It's become part of our routine. The barn owner keeps telling us how much healthier and happier Ashley has become since we've started coming out there. And that...that makes me happy =)

Things I don't want to Forget

Dear Baker and Bird-

I just wanted to take a minute to write down a few things that I don't want to forget. So while this is addressed to you, it's really more for me.

Drake- You hate Lunch Bunch. You cried the whole time because you thought Mrs. Sullivan forgot to bring you to me in the parking lot. You ask me to wait for you in the car every day when I drop you off. You love Scooby Doo, every super hero and something called Sym Bionic Titan. I have no idea what that is. But you talk about it often. You are addicted to chocolate milk, although I've found that if I give you plain milk, you don't notice. You have however, started to enjoy water. In a cup. With an open top. You know how to get out of your carseat and out of the car for that matter. You also know how to get Trey out. This somehow makes me feel better. You hide all of your good toys from your brother. And tell on him when he's getting into trouble or doing something that might hurt him. I love that. When you see me in carline at school you get a smile a mile wide on your face and scream "Mama!". Brightens my whole day. You like gymnastics. Your teachers think that you're going to be a stuntman when you grow up. You can walk the whole balance beam on your own. You will only wear Crocs. You love to brush your teeth and take showers by yourself. You beg to play in the front yard with the big kids. And you had a pet frog named Pointy- for one whole day.

Bird- You are a monster. A good monster. But a monster all the same. You get into anything. And everything. Specifically the toilet. And garbage can. And dog food. And dog bowls. And the dog water bowl. You love playing on the lanai. You love drinking out of anything with a straw. You have 8 teeth. But I think your molars are coming in. You love the wagon. And wearing your brother's shoes. You're obsessed with remotes and phones. You pretend to talk on the phone a lot. And say something that sounds sort of like "hi". Daddy claims you said "ball", but I haven't heard it, so I'm not sure I believe it. You love to dance. You enjoy riding Ashley and walking underneath her. You often pretend that Cougar is a horse and try to ride him. He hates it. Tolerates it. But hates it. You chase the dogs often. And think it's hilarious when they eat out of your hand. You cry when Drake takes toys away from you. And you cry even harder when he locks you out of rooms. I'm sorry about that, give him a year or so. 

To the both of you- I love you more than you'll ever know. Daddy too. I thank God every day for blessing me with the two of you. 

XOXO- Mama

Visual Aids

I'm obviously obsesssed with my kids. And taking pictures of my kids (can't wait for my new camera for Christmas honey!!). And editing pictures of my kids. With the abundance of football in our lives right now (woo-hoo), I have a lot of time to edit. So here you go. A look into the life of Team Keraus.

Thanks for the Cookie Monster brother.

"C" is for Cookie! I love him =)

The new Dragon pool...

Mama love... <3

Catchin' something!

Sandy Kid...

Loves swimming in the ocean!

Cover Model

I love my cheese crackers...pretty much the ONLY thing my brother doesn't take away from me!

What's this in my toes??

Like I said. Always. Climbing.



That face...



The eyes...

Future's so bright...

So as I'm doing this, I'm becoming very aware of the ratio of Trey pictures to Drake pictures. And I must plead my case here. I'm not favoring one son over the other. It's simple. Drake won't let me take his picture anymore. Any time I pull out the camera he runs. Or at least stops whatever cute thing he was doing at the moment. I swear.
Thanks for looking...more to come =)

It's Fall!

Yay! It's Fall!
Okay. Truthfully, we live in Florida. We won't REALLY ever SEE Fall. But the weather has started to break. A little. Really. Like today, it was only 75 when we woke up. That's something. I swear.
But without a doubt- it's October. One of my favorite months. I love decorating the house (even though Matt hates it and complains about it...yada yada yada). I love making Halloween cutout sugar cookies with orange frosting and sprinkles. I love talking to Drake about what he wants to be for Halloween as the costume catalogs pour in. Today it's the Green Goblin. I will Tweet daily about what he wants to be. Let's see how many times he changes his mind. I refuse to buy a costume until a few days before as I'm sure he will want to be 12 different things before the 31st. 30 days? That's a LLOONNGG time to a 3 year old. And Trey. Poor Trey. He will just have to be the sidekick to whichever hero or villain Drake decides to be. As long as Drake doesn't want to be Beavis, I think we'll be okay.

Hey! That's MY Name!

Things are going well around here. Drake seems to be liking school...although he's gotten into the habit of saying that he doesn't want to go in the morning. I chalk that up to me waking him up in the morning. Anyone that knows my kids knows that they like to sleep in. They get that from me. When there isn't an alarm, we get up around 8:15 or 8:30. So, I know why he's saying he doesn't want to go to school. But after some waffles and chocolate milk, he's geared up and ready to go. Once we are at school, he's anxious to get into the classroom, but never fails to tell me to wait in the car. Today his teacher said, "You know Drake, that's an awful long time to wait in the car!" He said, "That's okay." Ah. Gotta love him.

Thanks for the Firetruck Grammy and Grampy Keraus!

Trey. Where do I begin? It's monkey see-monkey do. All. Day. Long. Drake goes in the other room. Trey goes in the other room. Drake is drinking with a straw? Trey must drink with a straw. You get the picture. Unfortunately, he also must try anything Drake tries. Hence the reason every chair in our house is either hidden or on it's side. The kid is like Houdini. Climbs onto everything. Scares the heck out of me. He's trying to talk too. When he hears one of us say "Hi" to anyone, he chimes in with some sort of babble that sort of sounds like "Hi!". And the dancing. So fun. Whenever a song with a good beat comes on, he'll stop whatever he's doing and start dancing. Arms up and everything. Very cute.
I'd love to go on, but Drake just puked in the leather chair. And for those of you that know my husband, if I don't attend to it immediately, the sky might fall on us all =)

Diary of a Preschool Mommy

Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings I find myself wondering...imagining. Generalizing. Stereotyping. Wondering how bad the morning was to make a mother give in when her son wanted to wear a beach hat, sunglasses and cowboy boots to school. Although we have yet to walk out the door with cowboy boots on, I'm sure our day will come. Well, we don't have cowboy boots, but we have fireman rain boots. So I'm mentally preparing myself for what outfit will go with said boots.

Imagining. Imagining what each one of these women is off to do after dropping their precious cargo off for a few hours. I imagine that the plethora of women that show up in yoga wear are off to do one of two things. Half of them are actually off to bikram yoga or bar method as their perfectly toned bodies suggest. But I firmly believe that the other half just want us to THINK they are. Or maybe they have every intention of going, but then daily errands and housework get in the way. Next are the moms that are dressed to the nines, racing down the hallway already thinking of the day that they have ahead. Hoping they have time to stop for a caffeine fix before heading to the office. My favorite kind of mom to watch are the moms that are dropping off one, holding another by the hand and have one in their belly. I both envy and feel for these women. I envy the state that they are in, however, I feel for them because I can only imagine the craziness that they are about to embark upon! Last but not least, there are always a few moms that show up in their pajamas. They'd like to think that we don't realize that they are pajamas. But we know. We ALL know. I hope I'm never that mom.

While I'm on the subject of moms I don't want to be. I have already done what I have always said I wouldn't. I was the last mom there the other day to pick up Drake. While he didn't seem to mind, Mom, I vividly remember what it was like to be the last one at school to be picked up. Like, there were a few times that I remember the janitors were there to clean the school and I was STILL sitting there. Wondering when my mom would show up. I hated that feeling. So here it was, 11:40 and I was at the horse barn. 20 minutes away. I knew I was going to be late, but I also knew that no one would be in the office, so I couldn't call. I pulled up at 12:03 (pickup is 11:50). The parking lot was empty. As soon as I was in sight, I could see all of the teachers staring at my car. Wondering. Was Drake's mom finally here? Poor Drake was sitting on the ground all by himself, playing with dirt. My heart dropped. I felt so bad. He of course was fine. I apologized to everyone giving some lame excuse as to why I was late. And I vowed to myself and my son that it wouldn't happen again...

Drake has been doing great in school. When he gets into the car after school, we break it down. Did you sing? Yes. What? I don't know. Did you read books? Yes. Which books? I don't know. Did you eat your snack? No. What was it? Cheese crackers AGAIN! AND I had to drink water! Out of an open cup! Lol. Did you play? Yes. With who? I don't know his name. He had a dinosaur shirt on. But the girls wouldn't let us play with them....

That's what I like to hear. Good girls.
Every Friday he brings home all of his crafts. I find it quite humorous, as you can tell he did the bare minimum. Just enough to show the teacher he did it. For example, on a cutout cookie, he was told to put chocolate chips on it. There are literally two chips. Two little dots that say, "Here, I did it. Can I go back to playing now?" I get that. Matt doesn't. He's not nearly as impressed with Drake's drawings as I am. He claims that mediocrity won't be allowed in our house. Ahh. Men. I guess they just want better for their children. Want them to want to do the best they can- be the best- from day one. And I suppose I get that too.
I can't wait to look back on these days when Drake is grown. Well, I take that back. I can wait. I'm having too much fun to wish these days away =)

A Day All About Trey

A child's first birthday. I think that every mother can say that this day is a bittersweet one. On one hand we think- YAY! We made it through the first year! For most it means that we are sleeping through the night again, we are done breastfeeding, most of the teething is over with and we once again feel okay about leaving the baby with the sitter to enjoy a night out on the town. On the other hand we think- WAIT! Where did the year go?? Where is my sweet snuggly newborn with whom I could waste a whole day just lying around and staring at each other?? Why doesn't he need me in the middle of the night anymore? Why doesn't he need me to feed him? I want my baby back! 
It's because of this "other" hand I believe a lot of women keep having babies. We like to feel needed. Loved. Unconditionally. My babies never cared if I had showered, gotten out of my pajamas or brushed my teeth for that matter. If I was having a bad day, they were there to love on me and remind me that nothing could be that bad. For that, I am grateful. But I'm also realistic. Sure. I'd love to have a whole gaggle of babies (I think a gaggle relates to geese somehow...idk. I like the way it sounds). But right now we can house, feed and send the two we have to college. So for now, we are done having these sweet, adorable and cuddly babies. For now =)

So onto the topic at hand...Trey Jaxson! One year ago today at 10:44 am, we welcomed you into our family with loads of love to offer you. You made our family of 3 an even 4. Of course mommy and daddy loved you, but Drake absolutely adored you. My cup over floweth. I never thought I could love my second as much as my first. But you proved me wrong. From the get-go you were an easy baby. You would go to anyone, sleep like an angel and had the most laid back demeanor. Then all of a sudden you started moving...at what? 6 months? Crawling. At the speed of light. And as if that wasn't enough, you decided that you had to keep up with Drake, so walking was a must. At 9 1/2 months. We weren't ready for that! Trey Bird is your nickname...although often it's just Bird. Or lately, Monster. Because seriously, you are into EVERYTHING. Toilets? Check. Garbage? Check. Dog Bowls? Double Check. You want everything Drake has. And of course, that is causing major problems on the toy front. You love chocolate milk, grapes and peaches. Chili, spaghetti and chicken are high on your list too. You love to look at pictures of yourself and of course your brother. Drake started school last week, and on day one, you cried the whole time he was gone. You just didn't know what to do without someone to follow. But day two? We came home and you didn't know what to play with first. For the first time ever, the entire house was yours, toys and all. You aren't talking yet, but I'm convinced that Drake has something to do with that. When you have something to say, you'll say it. I'm not worried. 

Anyway, Happy Birthday Son. Mommy, Daddy and Drake love you more than you'll ever know.