Memorial Day Weekend '09

We had a great, relaxing, fun-filled, busy 3 day weekend. I love 3 day weekends. The world should only have to work 4 days and then take 3 off. It only seems fair. My sister Debs and her family were up North. 2 of the 3 days we had gorgeous weather up here. The cousins got to play together. The older cousins got to watch my kids for me (which is why it was so relaxing). The older cousins tend to gravitate towards each other and just "hang out" now instead of playing. Although they did end up at the park!

Parker tends to stick by Emma. So does Emmitt. She is so good with the kids and I think they feel like she will just take care of them if they stick like glue to her legs! And she does...
Emmitt kept handing Peter dandelion heads on their little walk to the park. He just kept saying "what have you got for me buddy". It was precious...maybe he isn't too old to play with babies.

Emmitt is over his I'm-gonna-cry-when-you-put-me-in-the-swing-phase and has excepted the fact that every spare moment we have, we are going to the park or out back to play. Which has now turned into the I'm-gonna-scream-if-you-think-of-taking-me-out-of-this-swing-phase. He realized he can yell up the tunnel slide and be rewarded with mommy playing peek-a-boo for a good 20 minutes.

He is in love with this dog. I re-did the family photo book for Emmitt to drool and carry all over the house with him. Each time he finds this book, he flips as fast as he can to the Drake Page and frantically signs puppy and barks in a (very) high-pitch voice. He would not get too close to him this weekend but played peek-a-boo around a tree with him. I think Drake new that he was still chained up and it was hot and therefore useless to get up and chase after the kid. He is a very gentle puppy...

this picture is precious...

Nicker-all 6+feet of him. I know the boys get sick of hearing "geez, how tall are you now?" but stop growing ALREADY!!!

Pete.

Emma.

Just chillin' on the deck with my cuz eatin' a dilly bar...

It was a great weekend...we managed to knock another movie off of our top 100 list. The Godfather. It was a great one. Debs fell asleep and would wake up every time a gun shot went off! We had a great time golfing...lots of laughs and swear words got left out on the course that day. Had tons of great food to eat, beautiful weather and a weekend full of activity with no agenda to follow...those are the best kind.

boys in the sand...

Emmitt going down the slide...brave lil' bugger. No words are necessary...

Wasn't that fun to watch?

Parker is obsessed with his Christmas gift from Papa Milo. Milo had one just like it when he was younger and hunted this past shopping season to find a real Tonka metal toy. The only other one available is a dump truck. But Parker loves, scooping and dumping and pushing and moving sand all over the sandbox.

Emmitt screams at Parker until he gives him what he wants...funny how Emmitt doesn't even bother to "ask" for the Tonka truck. But they constantly fight over this tiny shovel. Like the medium sized one or the huge yellow one are no good.

Our little Blondie. Bear and I were both super blonde when we were little too. Funny how we get used to Parker's dark hair and then this little guy comes along and for 15 months we have talked about his hair every.single.day.

We have more sticks in our yard and sandbox that didn't originally start there. I actually think this one came home in the car from the shack.

The boys are in for a lot of playtime in the sandbox. We typically put the pool in this spot but I think I am debating even going through all that work of putting it up this year.

mothering...it's just what we do

My Mother's Day was a great day. I got to sleep in...a little. Bear got up with the kids, but failed to shut the door and lock them downstairs so I could sleep, but 7:45 is sleeping in in my world. I'm a mom. Then we all started making breakfast. I really tried to just park it in the living room with a cup of coffee but that doesn't really happen. I helped make the blueberry pancakes while Bear did what he does best Sunday mornings-make killer bacon. It is a long standing joke with us. He can do nothing else while he makes bacon. I make bacon, by putting it in the pan, a little to hot, and do ten other things while checking on the bacon and it ends up burnt. I rush it he says. So he made the bacon while I had Emmitt walking under my feet and a 3 year old insisting to help me. I'm a mom. We sit down to eat and I cut up the boys' food and eat last. I'm a mom. Bear cleans them up for me and I shower while the kids randomly bang on the door screaming my name. I'm a mom. I get ready in the bathroom while the kids steal my make up brushes, dip them in the toilet, hit each other with the eyeliner pencil and I wonder how I actually get the stuff on straight. I'm a mom. I pack them up and we head to church. Emmitt has blown his cover of being mute and has actually started to communicate via signing and head shaking. He is repeatedly banging his little fingers to his palm demanding "more" puffs, goldfish and water. He throws his cup on the church floor just to sign more food. I try to keep him quiet by shhhing him with my finger on my lips and he copies by sticking his sloppy wet fingers up his nose and shaking his head no. Laughing at all those smiling people behind him. I get Parker up to the Children's Sermon and to Sunday School and Emmitt goes up to the choir loft with me to sing. He realizes he can slap at my neck and make a loud noise and then shakes his head no. I smile at him and he pushes away. I'm a mom. After church we split a piece of Happy Mother's Day church cake and head home. Emmitt falls asleep in the car crashing from the sugar rush and sleeps for 3 hours! I actually kept checking to make sure the monitor we have relied on for 3 and a half years was still working. I'm a mom. Parker skipped his nap and played out in the sandbox while I got a sun burn and read a book. I played in the sandbox with him and we buried our feet. I'm a mom. My sister and mom picked me up for our lunch/dinner date at 3 where we relaxed over a good glass of wine and a superb meal (at The Spot of course). I brought home an extra meal for Bear and the boys to share. Parker beat both of us in a game of Candy Land fair and square. I went down to my cousins house for a visit. The night before she became a mom of three and went over our pregnancies, labor and delivery stories for an hour and a half. All day I kept trying to do nothing but relax but what does a mother do? Mother. All the time that's what, it's just what we do. It is by far the hardest and most rewarding job I have ever had. As much as I want to run screaming in the other direction some days, if I wasn't a mom I wouldn't have a reason at all. I'm a mom.

does your head fit through there for sure?

Emmitt Jon...what I am I going to do with you? Most of your day you are the busiest little boy I have ever seen! You are constantly into everything. If you can climb it-you will. If you can eat it-you will. If you can find a way-you will. You are so persistent it is actually scary. Part of me just lets you do it so that you have the sense of accomplishment, but the other part of me is scared to death while I watch you figure it out on your own. Just the other day you and I were outside playing together. I grabbed the camera to see what you would think of the freedom of the un-fenced front yard. You checked every part of that unseen territory over.

You dinged the wind chimes. Something that you have seen your brother do many times but maybe never really get the chance to do all by yourself. After you "ahhhhed" in that high pitch voice at the pretty sound they made, you grabbed onto the chimer with both hands and shook that thing like a crazed man on the loose! You made as much noise as you could with that wind chime and your eyes just lit up!

You then walked over to the end of the cemented walkway and put your little toes right to the edge. You looked back at me, just to make sure I was watching or to see if I would tell you to be careful or not to go any further. I just sat there, gave you a little smile for encouragement and off you went.

I was waiting for the face plant to come but it didn't, you recovered your balance nicely. You have next to no depth perception but that will come. I have seen you lately wanting to take the steps down like a big boy with just one foot but haven't been able to accomplish that just yet. It will come little man, be patient.

You were so interested in the texture of all those outdoor objects. You grabbed fistfuls of moldy leaves and threw them, tried to eat them as you kept one eye on me to see if I would say no. I did-ish! You picked up sticks and put them down. You made a pile of sticks and then stomped on them as they cracked under your feet.

You played on the front steps for the longest time. Up and down. Sit and stand. You poked at the crushed pieces of cement that the winter let loose. You played peekaboo through the railing.

You would giggle at me through the railing and poke at the camera. Squealing with delight each time I shrieked Peek-A-BOO! You have started to copy things I say to you in a very high voice. You say "hiiiii" to anybody who walks in the room.

You got brave or daring I should say and proceeded to stick your head between the railings open spots, trying each one. I made sure you wouldn't get stuck and you just laughed at me each time you moved to a new space. You did each slot multiple times and it never got old.

You squished your face on the bars, licked them, tried to pull them out of the foundation with your will.

You played for almost an hour just in the front yard with just mommy. You never went more than 10 feet from me and always looked back to make sure I was still there. I was. I just sat on the walkway with the camera and smiled at you in the sun. It was a beautiful afternoon with nowhere to be but with you

Emmitt, at 14+months you are officially a busy boy...no longer a baby who I can bend to my will. You test our patience every day with your refusal to communicate. Your demanding screeches can reach annoying levels but that smile you give so easily melt us everyday! You give kisses and snuggles in mass amounts, and each time you want to, I freely accept. Keep 'em coming bud-I'll always be here to take them...

"You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes.

you can steer yourself in any direction you choose.

You're on your own.

And you know what you know.

You are the one who'll decide where to go."

~Dr. Suess~

mr. independent

Just trying to feed him his yogurt this morning and he freaked until I caved and gave him the spoon and Trix yogurt himself...well this is what you get mom!

Mr. Independent better figure out how to get more food in his mouth with that spoon of his!