Brother Lovin'

(His smile says 1,000 words)

Underneath the boys' tough exterior, I've witnessed in the past few weeks, how truly sweet they are on the inside. When the stomach bug overtook our home, I watched Trey rub Drake's back as he was hovering over the toilet and Drake return the favor by rubbing Trey's hair when it was his turn to worship the porcelain god. I often hear Drake translating for Trey to outsiders and making sure that he always has his toys or gets his chocolate milk. One always sticks up for the other while being scolded or punished with time outs. They are both artists when it comes to helping the other escape from timeout...it's super irritating, but makes me extremely proud that they care so greatly for each other. 

Now, da da da daaaa! Lane Michelle has arrived. Albeit, early, she's here. She's perfect (aren't they all??) and she is already loved by these boys. The boys first met Lane via Facetime. I was sure to take a mental picture of their faces as they lit up by the sight of their new baby sister. It was like Christmas morning...but better. Because unlike the latest Power Ranger, Lane will be their sister for life. When the boys finally got to the hospital, they couldn't get their hands on her fast enough. Instantly, Drake let her know how much he loved her. And Trey, aka, the Bull in the China Shop, enveloped her with many bear hugs and just smushed kisses all over her. It melted my heart. Our family felt complete. 

Now, I'm no dummy. I get that this new little addition will often drive her brothers crazy and no doubt, they will put a damper on a day or two of hers....but it doesn't matter. They are siblings. Through and through. I can only hope that they will be as thick as thieves. That they will be there for each other in the good and the bad. That as adults, they will be great friends and raise their families together...Okay, I know I'm pushing it here... But I hope that they always remember the good times and cherish what they have, I know that I will. 
"There is so much to be thankful for this holiday season." Amen...Happy Thanksgiving...

A Rainy Day

I post this picture with high hopes...

I knew from the minute I woke up on this incredibly rainy morning that I wanted to do two things today, sew and veg. I could hear the rain pelting the roof and immediately smiled at the thought of the boys being lazy on the couch while I sewed away in the craft room. My morning went exactly as planned. We dropped Drake off at school and rushed home to slide back into sweats and socks. Trey snuggled up on the couch to eat breakfast and watch Backyardigans. Score. 
Now, that Drake is home from school, my hopes and dreams are being crushed. Although Trey is still being the good son that I trained him to be (wink, wink), Drake is dying to do something. Anything. Even as I type this blog (I thought Transformers would distract him for longer than a nano-second) he is whining at me for something (although I'm not sure what it is at the moment because I'm trying concentrate on typing lol). 
It started with hot chocolate. Check. I thought that sounded good too. Then he saw me pick up my computer, which must have reminded him that there was a Netflix movie that he wanted to watch. Well, too bad, I say. Mommy is working. Go get YOUR laptop and watch it. No. Not good enough.  There are vampires in my room...Whine, whine, whine.....can you get me garlic to protect myself with? Whine, whine, whine....No. I'm not kidding. But that's a whole-other entry all together. Then it was, well I want to play a game on my computer. Fine. Go do that. Well, I don't know how to get it started (which is code for, "I don't know how to play the game I want, so you need to stop doing what you're doing and play with me.") Did I mention that I wanted to veg today? It's like they have a sixth sense for your need to just sit for a moment. Is it really that difficult?
So, being the mom that I am, I guess I will close out this brief, but necessary entry (for my sanity- who else I am going to vent to?) to yet again, tend to the children. Now I know why people have live-in nannies. I gots to get me one of those ;)

A Day for Trey

Yesterday, we celebrated such a special day. Trey turned 2. Two. Wait, 2??? I vividly remember the day we had him. I taught class Saturday morning, enjoyed a "last meal" Saturday evening, got induced Saturday night and viola! He was here Sunday morning. He was such an easy delivery. And such an easy baby in the coming months. Heck, who am I kidding, Trey has always been easy. Until he started figuring out that Drake had the cooler toys. And got to do cooler things. Big kid things. Then all of a sudden, he wanted to skip being a baby- a toddler- and jump right into the big kid things. I love that they love playing together and being together and fighting together (wink wink), but for purely selfish reasons, it saddens me that he skipped that baby stage. He never relished in Elmo or Mickey. He never wanted to crawl. Just walk. The only trace of  baby left is his dang bottle. And even that has been cut back to bedtime. And oh yeah- that not talking thing. We are working on that too. He sure knows what he wants, and knows what everything is, but all-be-darned if he's gonna say it. Oh well. In due time. 


A few notes to remember about you on this special day:
You love chocolate milk. In fact, you insist that your white milk get a dash of chocolate before you'll touch it. 
You'll try just about any food- except if Drake is around. Then you are much too busy to be bothered. 
You call Drake Buddy. Or Bubby. Each equally cute, considering Daddy's grandpa was called Bubby. 
You love naps. Hate bedtime. You've resorted to sleeping with Mommy. Which is going to have to change here in a month or two. 
You're a crappy bed-mate. I'm often awoken by a slung arm or kicked leg. And it hurts. 
You want everything your brother has or gets. Right down to the color. And there's no fooling you about it. 
You get REALLY mad at the dogs when they are in your spot on the couch or in the bed. I hear you yelling at them often.
You love to feed the dogs. Although I'm never quite sure how much or how little you actually give them. 


I'm sure there are a hundred other things I should jot down...but you're calling me to play Woody B (Toy Story)...and I can't resist that smile =) Love you Trey Bird. Happy Birthday.  

Things I learned from a 7 week vacation...

So as most of you know, we spent the summer in Iowa. 7 1/2 weeks to be exact. I had all of these wonderful plans to get so so so many things done. Guess what? None of it happened. Blog every week? Fail. Find new fun music for my classes. Fail. Find and cut all of my competition music. Fail. The list goes on and on. But after reviewing what we actually did in those 50-some days, I look back fondly on the time we got to spend with family and friends. There was never a dull moment. And I'm actually glad that I put away the to-do list for once and just enjoyed the here and now. It gave me time to ponder. And observe. And I took some notes.


1. After 24 hours in a car, no one likes each other very much.
2. Parades are waaayyyy more fun when EVERY single float throws candy. Wowza!
3. Milk poured out of the window of a moving car will dry into a cement-like substance and will be near impossible to remove days later.
4. A moving RV's air conditioner cannot keep up with 90 degree heat. You WILL feel like you're in a tin can that is in a microwave. Motion sickness is inevitable and BBQ is not suggested for lunch. 
5. It is not recommended to live in your in-laws house while you are pregnant. Your nesting instincts will kick in and you will have an incredible urge to clean (and purge) everything in the house (for this Gail, I apologize). 
6. Grandpa's get grumpy too. 
7. There's nothing like the first taste of Iowa sweet corn on a summer night. 
8. There's nothing like an Iowa summer night. 
9. Floridians truly miss out on how fun catching fireflies is. Just ask Trey. He loves them so much, he squeezes JUST a little too hard. 
10. Iowans, I hate to break it to you, but you don't know what hot is. 
11. If you are going to unplug your refrigerator for 7 1/2 weeks, be sure to bleach it first or leave the doors open. Black mold is not fun to come home to. 
12. The Midwest has the best antique/junk shops. Next year I'm taking a trailer just so I can bring home all of my treasures. 
13. Climbing a tree is something every little boy must learn to do. 
14. The circus still comes to town. No seriously. We went. And have I no words...
15. I want to own a lake-home someday. And a farm. With animals. 
16. Small town people are good people. 
17. After 33 years, Matt learned how to mow a lawn. Now if I could only get him to do ours. 
18. Raising kids is a lot easier with 4 people. Maybe those multi-wife families are onto something...
19. Grandpas don't like changing diapers. Or listening to crying. I'll hand it to our generation- we've learned patience somewhere along the way. 
20. Make your husband live with his dad as an adult. Then he'll apologize for all of his awful learned behaviors (this was a HUGE plus for me!!)
21. There are still movie theaters that show NEW movies (albeit one at a time) for only $1. 
22. I loved hearing, "Mom! I'm going outside to play!" I wish we lived in a neighborhood where my kids could do this (see #15).
23. When it gets light at 5:30 am and doesn't get dark until 9:30 pm, kids get really confused about when to wake up and when to go to bed. Window covers are a necessity. 
24. Small town grocery stores are highway robbery. Like even more expensive than Naples' grocery stores. But your only other option is to drive 20 minutes to the next closest store.
25. Grandpa's bus is the most fun bus to ride =)

 So all in all, we had a wonderful time. Garner, thank you for your hospitality. We'd love to come stay again....if you'll have us =)

Is summer here yet??

I have been more than a little slacking when it comes to this blog. But I have an excuse. A good one. Promise. Up until about 5 days ago, I didn't have the energy to clean my house (ask Matt his thoughts on that), much less open this dang laptop and write a blog. And we can give credit to the little peapod growing inside of me for the lack of said energy. I can't believe we are going to have another little person running around this house. Like- I really can't believe it. It hasn't totally sunk in yet. In the rare moments that I do think about it, I start having heart palpitations and small panic attacks. What are we going to do with 3 kids?? Oh no. Here they come again...deep breaths. In. Out. In. Out. In.....Out.
Lol. Ahh...the joys in life.

Anyway, besides that, we've just been doing day to day stuff. Trey trying to play. Drake taking anything that Trey touches away. Trey crying. And so it goes. In fact, it's happening right now. Fun stuff. But now that the pool is warm again, we've been happy to break up the day with hours in the pool. Trey is a crazy man. He doesn't seem to understand that he sinks. It's pretty funny...he literally just walks off the steps like he's magically going to float. Sinks straight to the bottom. Drake is becoming more brave every day. Hopefully we will be done with the "floaties" by summer's end.

Drake had his last day of school this week....so bittersweet. Drake's time at school was nice for everyone. He got to play with kids his own age and Trey got to play with me- or alone even. Which he loves, because no one steals anything away from him. I guess it will make him tough in the long run. Right? The thing I won't miss is the alarm clock. No one should have to wake up to those things. How awful.
Some big things on Matt's plate lately....his senior hurdler won the State title for the 110m hurdles this month. He will soon be off to play football and run track for the University of Iowa (which we all know Matt is over the moon about). Matt is also making the move to the school I coach for! He couldn't stand being away from me any longer (ha!). We think it will be a good move for him professionally and are looking forward to the doors it may open for him. He will be the head Cross Country and Track Coach for boys and girls and will be in charge of all of the Middle School PE classes. It's a small private school here in Naples with a family oriented feel. I'm very excited for him.

In a couple of weeks we will embark on what is sure to be the biggest thing this family has done. We are DRIVING to Iowa with a toddler and preschooler. Any tips on how to all get there without killing each other are greatly appreciated. If we aren't divorced or haven't given the children up for adoption by the time we get there, we are looking forward to 6 weeks of Iowa weather and tons of family time. Sweet corn. Lake boating. Cabin living. Craft fairing. Thunderstorms. Cool evenings. Grandparents. We. Can't. Wait. The way I see it, with all of the extra hands around, I'll be able to blog every day! Okay...who am I kidding. I'll shoot for once a week.

 

Long Overdue

As we are all vegging on the couch today due to the crud that is traveling around this town, I decided that my blogging has been neglected to say the least. So here we are...embarking on another post to fill you all in on the goings-on around here. 
We've been doing a bit of renovating around here. For those of you that were privileged enough to experience the infamous "Hawkeye" room, I'm afraid to tell you that the room is no longer. In a fit of rage over how awful the room was and how little it functioned for my and the kids' needs, I tore out the awful wood paneling, thinking that surely, the previous owners (the owners that put the god-awful paneling in the room to begin with...I mean seriously. Who puts wood-grain paneling in a room? The person that created it needs to be shot...) put drywall behind the paneling. But of course, that wasn't the case. There was just the concrete garage walls. Nice. So anyway, new drywall is up, paint is on the walls, and all that is left is the organizational aspect of the room. Almost there. I will post pics of the progress when it's all done.

Beyond home demo, we've finished up a soccer season, enjoyed a spring break filled with the waterpark and the beach and endured a week of swim safety classes. Drake did awesome. They got to play in a boat...fall out of the boat (gasp) and climb back into the boat; save each other from the side of the pool with a noodle; and jump off of the diving board. That was definitely his favorite thing. Like, his most favorite thing ever. He also experienced a traumatic event involving a toilet seat and his Bo-Bo. You do the math. Definitely a first and sad to say, it probably won't be the last. 

Trey is always along for the ride. He's up for anything and everything his brother is doing or wanting to do. Which for the most part is awesome. But we are quickly figuring out that we need to purchase two of everything so that everyone is happy. This, we are also figuring out, is going to start getting expensive. And a bit nerve-grinding. Because, not only does Trey want what Drake has, but Drake wants what Trey has.  Literally, as I'm writing this, I just watched a lollipop debacle go down. They each had one. One red. One green. Drake wanted to try Trey's. So Trey, being the loyal brother that he is, traded whole heartedly with his older brother. Drake decided that he didn't like the trade- so tried to trade back. But Trey no longer wanted to trade back, because while he doesn't talk (he sure does roar a lot), he's uber-smart. He knew that his brother wanted the green one back for a reason. Which ensued a screaming chase around the house that ultimately ended in tears. And the lollipops in the trash. Sorry kids. Mommy ain't having it today. 

The Next Pele?

Most of you know that this has been Drake's inaugural year for Mighty Mites soccer. I, of course, have big dreams for my son. Being a former soccer player myself, I can picture him making goals long into his high school years. Matt on the other hand was mortified that I signed him up for such a communist sport (his words- not mine). We are moving into week four...here's some pics of his season so far. 

Game #1 They didn't have enough shirts...he really had no clue what team he was on. 

This kid kept rubbing Drake's head. For good luck maybe??

Not sure what's going on here..but Drake looks happy with the result. 

Look at that form! Dad's getting excited...could Drake be a soccer superstar?

Still Game #1. Drake was playing forward all game! All of a sudden Dad didn't think soccer was so stupid after all!

Go Drake Go! Make that goal! (He did...no one cared that it was on the wrong goal)

Is it my turn now??

Game #2 Drake was super sick. We made him go anyway.  I can only imagine what the conversation is about right now!

The poor kid felt awful, but it was a good day. He got my old soccer number.

Game #3. Interest in actually playing soccer has waned....

A little more....

Drake! The ball is RIGHT there! GOOOO!!!

And yet he stood. I'm pretty sure he didn't touch the ball once this game. But man, look at those cleats =)

Moral of the story. Remember that they are only 3...and soccer is only a game =)

I need a clone...

For anyone that knows me, they know that I tend to take on too much. I like to be the one that does everything and helps everyone. And as I'm scrolling through all of my friends' blogs, I realize that there are more things that I want to do! More things with the kids. More things for the kids. More things to the house. More things for my business. More things with my husband. So. It's decided. I either need to be cloned so that I can get everything I want done...or I need to take a time management class. Because to be honest, 24 hours in a day just isn't enough and since cloning is out of the question for the time being...looks like time management it is. I truly wish I could blog every day, because my kids are hilarious and cute and fun and I have a thousand stories to share (doesn't every mom?) but I'm too much of a perfectionist and control freak (although- I've gotten better about it. Really. I think anyway) to just post a funny story. I have to post the story and a picture. Which means I have to upload the picture from my camera (do you KNOW how long this takes??) and organize the pics into which month it is, etc., etc. Then I need to edit and perfect the picture. THEN I can insert it into said blog. Huh. That's exhausting just to think about. So now you see the problem. Maybe it's not that I'm an unorganized, time management failure. Maybe it's that I'm a control freak. But I'm trying. Trying to let go. Trying to not sweat the little things. So here I go. I'm going to post my first blog WITHOUT a picture. Ugh. My pulse is starting to race...is it getting hot in here???

Why the Worry?

I often wonder if it's pre-programmed in us. To worry. Like if it's a sleeping gene that is with us all through life, but doesn't actually start kicking in until the moment we become pregnant. Think about it. Before you found out you were pregnant, you didn't worry nearly as much (or let's be honest-- at all) as you immediately began to, the second that plus sign turned up on that pee stick. All at once, all of these worries popped into your head: I wonder how far along I am? When is the last time I had a drink? Did it hurt the baby? Sushi. Did we have sushi this month? Wait! I had a headache the other night...did I take ibuprofen? Tell me I didn't take ibuprofen.... 

Growing up, I always told my mother not to worry about me. Always. Mom! Don't worry. I'll be fine. Often, she'd remind how hurt I could have gotten had something I was doing had gone terribly wrong. I'd always tell her, "But it didn't. I'm fine." Then I would always hear a "But it could have" under her breath. And until I became a mother, I couldn't figure out what all of the fuss was about. Now I'm a mother of two incredibly fearless little boys and I worry. All. Of. The. Time. And "But it could have" is the way that a daily conversation is ended in this house.

I worry that my 3 y.o. will try to climb out of his top bunk in the middle of the night and if he doesn't hit his head on the ceiling fan, then surely he'll miss a rung on the ladder and fall. Breaking at least an arm. I play the whole scene out in my head. Often. Would I change out of my pajamas to rush him to the ER? Would my husband insist on coming? Or stay behind with the little one, as to not wake him? Would he think his cast was cool or never want to climb up to that new bunk again? I can usually talk myself down after the cast. Little boys think casts are cool right?

Then there's Bird. He's 16 months going on 4. He wants to do (and usually does) every little thing his big brother is doing. Bunk bed ladder? Check. Jumping on top bunk. Check. Climb up the slide at the playground? Check. The physical stuff he's got down. I've almost (repeat: almost) stopped worrying about him in this regard. What I can't stop worrying about is why he won't talk. We are talking (no pun intended) not even a peep. Sure, he'll babble once in awhile. Point and fuss when he wants something. He's even resorted to a few signs if he really wants something. Otherwise he's quiet as a mouse. Everyone tells me not to worry...that the poor kid doesn't get a chance to get a word in edge wise with his older brother around. And sometimes, I believe that (his brother started talking at 10 months and truly hasn't stopped since. I mean really. Sometimes we have to encourage quiet time just so we don't lose our minds). But other times, my extra only-for-mommies-worry-gene kicks into overdrive and I see a future for our Bird that no mother wants to imagine. I could go into more depth here, but if I start, I may not stop. And that's just not healthy for anyone.

So why do we do this to ourselves? Why can't we give ourselves a break and trust that we have taught our kids right from wrong or that God wouldn't give us lemons knowing that we didn't have the recipe for lemonade? As if we have nothing else to do but sit and jump into the deep end of the "What-If" pool? I wish I had an answer here, but I don't. I guess it's just because, from the moment we saw the little flutter of his heartbeat on the screen or saw the first glimpse of that slimy alien like creature (come on- you have to agree that they come out a little alien-esque!) we immediately went into protector mode and vowed - either silently or out loud- that we would never let anything happen to something so perfect. The problem with that is, if you never let anything happen to them...well, nothing will ever happen to them. So for now, I'm going to let go (if only a little)....and let God.