Swag

I got these in a goody bag from an event I attended. No, the event wasn't WWF or in the slightest way related. It was this, a John Cena dvd, a camo hat and fake dog tags. I was frustrated he stumbled onto it because I had planned on wearing it to work the next day. The headband really complemented my purple blouse...

My baby, the artist...

Benjamin has become quite the artist around our house...literally. With Joshua, we never really had trouble with him drawing on the wall. In his life, he has given it a go perhaps 3 times total and then only a single line. Benjamin...well, Benjamin has a stubborn streak a mile long and it takes far more than three reprimands to correct a problem. In fact, I have yet to learn the magic number because I have yet to find it. He knows right where time out is and will toddle himself over upon request and from there, you can hear him singing "beby booga...seeeeee" throughout the house. The one phrase that boy can say crystal clear is "stop it". Well...the experts say to stray from the word no... So, our house is now decorated by the boy who can stare me in the eye, blue crayon in hand and slowly bend down to mark the stair in one fluid stroke. Does he dare? Yes, he dares. (a little Berenstein Bears for all you who have read my boys the Spooky Old Tree) One with a light, one with a rope and one with the shivers...

Silly Boy

My mom, sisters, brother-in-law and the boys decided to take a walk after dinner around the block. It is a good size block and when it is hot outside, even one lap can take it out of you. By the time that they got back, I could see the red faces as they walked in. Jess, stepped into the cool air with a "Whew...I need a drink". Joshy echoed, with matching rhythm. "Whew...I need a cookie".

Weekend Family Time

My dad was home this past weekend and we all went over to hang out and have dinner.

I did spend some time, myself, laying in the hammock. It was not without trepidation though. A few years ago, John, Tina and I all tried to lay in it at the same time and let's just say that when they list weight limits, well, they are actually serious. It was doing okay until the dog jumped on and that was the butterfly on the breaking limb that sends the cartoon character over the edge. My dad was able to bend the frame back and all is well but I think that going forward, unless your partner is under the age of 10, there won't be any couple skates where the hammock is concerned.

A Night Out

Last Thursday, John and I attended a MS charity event in the evening and Jessi, appreciatively, came and watched the boys. (I am so thankful that my mom and sister are willing to help out so often with the boys. Without them, we would have to make actual adult friends as there is no way I am letting a 16 year-old watch them. I don't know why these parent's let me watch there kids when I was 14. Clearly they did not love their children.) This time around she brought a big blanket for a front yard picnic.

I had told her that there were some bomp pops in the freezer that they could snack on, but I think that Ben is still figuring out that whole proper technique for eating a popsicle thing. At one point, Joshy got a hold of the camera and became photographer for awhile.

Isn't it great when you capture that postcard worthy moment with people acting naturally and entirely not posed...

Thanks, Jessi, for watching the boys.

Preschool

Friday was Joshy's first day of preschool. I can hardly believe that he is 4 1/2 and as he walked out the door carrying his "clear" backpack (apparently they are on the hunt for any 4-year-olds trying to sneak in web-slinging action figures) he looked so grown up.

He has been so excited to make the transition and has always adjusted well to change. He makes friends so easily, just like his aunt Jessi. Even though it is the same building, preschool just feels different. Older. Official. Now instead of just showing up each afternoon to pick up children, we have volunteer hours to satisfy. We have book clubs to order from. We have birthday party invitations passed out to the entire class even though Joshy has known this boy all of one day. I showed him the picture on the invitation and said, do you know this boy? His answer? Yeah. I think he is the boy who was mean to me. Can I go to his party??? He carried that invitation around for most of the night. It was his "mail". He gets so excited any time he gets real mail. The funny part is that he understood that there was licking involved to seal and envelope, but instead of the envelope flap, he kept licking the actual card and then patting the envelope closed. I am so proud of him. Proud of the little man he is becoming. Proud of his kind heart and generous laugh. Proud of his insatiable curiosity and his inherited goofiness. Enjoy preschool bubba. I have no doubt you'll do well.

Slip and Slide pictures, as promised.

The Ranch

This past Saturday we had the opportunity to visit my dear friend Pat and her husband, Hoppy, at their ranch in Blanchard. It is always a fun treat to spend the day out there. There is plenty of room for the boys to run around and when I am with Pat, the conversations fall easily into laughter. We hadn't but walked through the door when she offered Joshy and Ben a popsicle. She is smart enough to know that the affection of children can be bought...

As we were wrapping up lunch, Hoppy watched as the boys mulled about in his office. Joshy, as always, was full of questions. What is this can? What are these rings? At one point I turn around to Hoppy explaining how to use brass knuckles. Not many offices where a child can stumble onto WD40, ring sizers and brass knuckles inside 12 square feet. Not many 4-year-olds that have to set their brass knuckles on the counter so they can go to the bathroom.

The star of the day was Anabelle. Pat's newest pony, she was just the right size for an eager cowboy in training.

After Hoppy saddled her, he simply showed Joshy where to put his foot and Joshy pulled himself right up into the saddle.

We all took turns walking Anabelle and Joshy since it was a bazillion degrees but Joshy didn't mind because he couldn't get enough. It was a 180 from last year when it took all afternoon to get him to pet a horse, no less ride one. This time he was excited to be a cowboy and more than once informed us he was ready to take off without us holding on. This, in turn, brought back two memories. 1. Being a little girl in Half Moon Bay and being walked around the corral on horseback by my mom or dad and always wanting them to make the horse run. 2. The vision of Tina, as a teenager, galloping off into the woods when her horse just decided to take off, neither of us able to go after her since my "yah" produced no movement and John's "yah", walking into a bush. There she went. Off into the distance. Screaming as she bounced along.

So back to sweating in the sun, chaperoning Joshy around the yard. Where was Ben during all this merriment, you ask? Well, Ben found the one spot that had the two most sought after commodities. Food and shade.

He pulled that apple off the low hanging branch himself and just dived right in.

Ben did finally get his turn on the horse and Joshy his turn with the apples. I just had visions of that horse biting off his hand, so I kept showing him how to hold the apple. Thumb down. Thumb down Joshy. Thumb down. Just throw it. Throw it! He did great on the form until Anabelle couldn't fit the whole apple in her mouth and started to sort of gnaw at it. That was when the throw it came into play.

I am so thankful for Pat and Hoppy and the love she has shown not only me but my family. I love her dearly. Although...I think she might be cashing in on that love as she mentioned something towards the end about helping to paint some fence...

Four

I, along with a friend from work, have decided it is time to embrace the corporate culture and refine the skill honed by executives world wide. Golf. Having not played consistently in many years and her having played never, we signed up for some lessons from a local golf pro. I am sorry, Master Golf Instructor. We get to the range a few minutes early and have the privilege of watching a 7 year old Happy Gilmore his way up to the ball and hit it 100 yards...every time. I still shake my head thinking about it. I don't have a 100% hit rate when standing stationary, no less taking a running start. Fortunately for my ego, their class ended as ours began. I grabbed an iron and the first shot I made went straight down the middle. Then began the rapid descent down hill. First of all I was nervous. It was 100 degrees, I had on uncomfortable pants and had someone watching me be hot and fidgety. The humidity was intolerable and not 10 minutes in I had actually begun to drip sweat down my face. Like it is running into my eyes and it is burning. Everything about my swing apparently needed adjusting. Not turning my shoulders enough, not leading with my hip, not letting my wrist break enough, not bringing the club face around to keep from slicing. Let the club do the work. Imaging holding the pillow against the wall with your head. Remember, you're not a Maserati, you are a freight train. This is like the meditation class where they tell you to reflect on people you are thankful for but don't actually picture them, just clear your mind. Look people, if I am having to think through your conflicting instructions, my mind is not clear and if I have to remember to hold the pillow, be a freight train and stay toe up, I am panicking mid back swing and blowing right by the ball. By the end, I was receiving instructions from one of the older grounds staff on the proper technique for throwing your club and how to sacrifice a ball to the water hazard gods. Clearly they felt these were useful tools to have for someone of my playing caliber. Next lesson in two weeks. Game on.

Rockin' the midriff

Joshy was sent up for his nap in a normal size shirt and woke from his nap wearing a size 3T pajama shirt he found on the bottom shelf of his closet. He was so proud he changed into it by himself which, when considering it was skin tight, was something worth being proud of.

TOGA!!

On the night that Joshy turned his blanket into a cape and made mischief of one kind and another, Ben wanted to join in. But there was no blanket small enough to make him a cape, so he stomped his frustrated stomp and cried his frustrated cry and yelled "No!" when offered any other game to play. B then said, "I know!" She made him King of the Togas and there was no declaration needed to let the wild rumpus start.

Slip n' Slide...almost

This weekend we bought the boys a Slip n' Slide after much requesting on the part of Joshy. They have water day every Friday at their daycare and the Slip n' Slide is apparently one of the main attractions. As such, once we had it set up, we expected him to take off down the slide like a pro but instead he just ran up to the edge and stopped. Now, if you don't know Joshy, you don't know the diva within. You see, we couldn't find his bathing suit and instead had just put him in a pair of shorts. He stopped at the edge of the Slip n' Slide because he didn't want to get his clothes wet. For the "I will, if you will" that solves a majority of problems, John volunteered to take a trip down the slide in his shirt and jeans. He took a running start and aside from the jarring force with which he hit the ground, made a perfect slide to the pool at the end. Finally getting up the nerve, Joshy takes off in a run towards the slide and then continues to run all the way down the slide. We are laughing and saying "no, no, no" when at the last minute he plops down and slides into the pool. We were trying to correct his form when really, he was the much more practical one. He knew his sliding capabilities and gaged the distance from the pool accordingly. A lesson I should have paid more attention to. While John and Joshy took turns with the slide and Ben played in the spray from one of the vents, I was standing on the porch, watching and nurturing my general aversion to wetness. I then got the notion that it would be great fun to surprise them by taking off from the porch and running through them to the slide. Planning my take-off perfectly, I take off as soon as one cleared the slide, before the other could begin. I reach the slide at full speed and leap forward in my best dive and slide...two feet. I was like one of those characters you see in a unintelligent comedy. I was still in dive form, hands out, feet back, dead stopped half way down the slide. John is dying laughing on the side and I pull myself up, less embarrassing than trying to snake crawl my way to the end. So much for my grand appearance. Ben was slowly migrating from spray to spray until he reached the end of the pool and just stood in the middle of it, feeling the water spray against his chest, pointing and excitedly screaming at anyone who drove by. All the while Joshy sliding just up to the edge of the pool to avoid knocking him over and John cheating by using the boogie board thing to splash me when I had only used my hands on him. Nothing beats running away and feeling that entire wave of water hit your previously dry back. My camera batteries were dead so I don't have any pictures but I will take some the next time we are out there so you can see the boys in action. They are the craziest and the best things to happen to John's and my life.