Without a hitch

Well the block party went off without a hitch. We had a great turn out, tons of food, way too many leftovers. The kids had a great time playing in the street together. Everybody got along. The adults visited and got to know each other better. A couple of families on the block were out of town and others had family visiting-who came to the block party too! The older people on the block loved the idea and everybody thought we should do it every year. We only had one neighbor who chewed us out about blocking off the street. Apparently she was having a party that night and had to move it since nobody could drive to her house. She said she "hated" block parties and wouldn't be coming! Yeesh. Once the sunset the bugs came out and most people cleared out. By 9:30 the kids were beyond tired and filthy dirty so we headed home for baths and bedtime. What a great way to spend an evening...

gone...again

So my hubby left for the great Grand Portage again. I am beginning to really hate Grand Portage and I have never been there! I hear it is very pretty. But last Fall I almost lost my mind with him being gone on the road. I, today, started my new shift at work. I am working 8-4:30 like normal people do. I do not consider myself normal. I get no break during the day because I am the only one there. I physically cannot get to the bank during operating hours. I own my own business and feel like I shouldn't have to work this much if I don't want to. All summer I had been going in at 9:30 so that I could spend time with the boys in the morning, because once 5 pm hits I am scrambling to make dinner and then in 3 short hours they are in bed. Am I ever going to see my children again? So here I sit, writing my blog at 7 am while they still sleep. I dread having to go wake them up from there warm beds to rush to get out the door on time. All summer we slept in together and took our time getting ready, played outside and I made breakfast every day! And next week? When my Parker starts school...he starts at 8:30 and not a minute earlier, I have no idea how I am going to get him to school at 8:30 when I have to be to work at 8. I am seriously considering bringing him to work with me and leaving the place unattended for 10 minutes while I drive him down the road to school. Is that just crazy or what? I have grandparents that can pick him up at 11 and bring him back to daycare-which is wonderful since we have already established the fact that I can't leave work during the day.
FYI-owning your own business isn't all it's cracked up to be!

In one week.

In one week, my baby, my firstborn little boy starts pre-school! We went to Kmart and picked out a backpack for him. I was told to get the regular size backpacks and not use the tiny little Lightning McQueen one he already has. He, apparently, will be bringing home huge projects. Once winter comes-the snow pants and boots need to fit in there too. So we come home and he is wearing it around the house and the backpack comes to his calves! I think if I put much weight in there he will tip right over.
Wednesday evening we go to the "meet the teacher night". I have a few things that I need to purchase for him to contribute to the classroom. Not the regular crayons and scissors I thought, things like: dixie cups, juice and kleenex!
Steph at daycare assured me that Emmitt will be just fine without Parker. She sees it happen more and more-that the younger sibling tends to "find himself" when the older one goes to school.
FYI-So...in one week, I will be posting some adorable pictures of the first day of school and a very depressing post about my kids growing up way too fast!

18 Months

18 months-wow! Just think-I started this whole blogging thing when I was pregnant with Emmitt...Parker was just 18 months old then. I have a love/hate relationship with 18 months. I love the independence of an 18 month old, but hate the demanding do it myself actions (not words) of an 18 month old. Just last night I gave in to him putting his brothers way too big crocs on all by himself because he would squeal like a stuck pig if I even moved a fraction of an inch towards helping him. It took him a good 5 minutes to get them on, but the concentration on his face was worth the wait.

Emmitt still isn't "talking" real words. At least when anybody is around. We are fairly certain that he can talk, he just chooses not to. He was at Auntie Tammy's last week and clear as a bell, pointed out her window and said Park! But when you ask him to say Parker? He replies with Bro-oh!

Even little things like-cup or light or please or even help me...nothing. He will repeat a sign back at you immediately and then use it, but just doesn't want to talk. We really don't mind-once he does start talking-we'll want him to be quiet, so no hurry bud! But when the whining sets in and he is screaming for something he wants and refuses to use his words (or signs for that matter) to ask for what it is-that is making us all c r a z y!

I am really trying to decide between the above and below pictures-which 18 month old shot do I hang on the wall? I have baby pics of all of us hanging in one part of my house. Bear and I are closer to around a year old and Parker is 18 months old in his. So...what you do for one, you do for the other right? It is one picture that I never change out of the frame, so I gotta really love it....

Last Friday-I kept the kids home from daycare and we went to the beach. It was 60 degrees and super windy. They were dressed accordingly and I couldn't let those Easter hats go unused! Parker actually wore his hat again the next day out on the golf course with me and Auntie Tammy. The boys had fun throwing rocks and sticks into the water. Then we were frozen and decided to head to the Wharf, as promised, for ice cream! We attempted to sit outside but everything was swarming with hornets, so I popped the trunk of the SUV and let them drip with their ice cream there.

Someday, I believe that Emmitt will get used to the camera and actually start smiling (even a little) for a picture...but for now? He's just not that into it.

The boys can play so well together-sometimes. I have officially thrown all of the toys down the basements stairs and given them free reign of the whole space...in return I got a living room back! Yippee!! It is not uncommon to come home after work and start making dinner and the boys just go downstairs to play until I call them to come up. Gone are the days of setting one of them in the exersaucer in the kitchen and feeding them endless amounts of Gerber Puffs while I scramble to make dinner for two. We are officially making dinner for four. Most meals are still too much for us, but someday I know they will eat the whole pan of lasagna and a gallon of milk in one meal. Other times they absolutely cannot stand each other. Parker is at a very imaginative age and has things like, puppy houses and bear caves set up all around the house-Emmitt just likes to come "wreck" them all. You will hear Parker repeatedly tell others here comes the wrecker. Parker has recently taught Emmitt how to give an Eskimo Kiss-all you have to do is ask him for one and he comes at you with his head shaking.

They actually do love each other-they are both leaning in here for a very sticky kiss.