A New Spin

The nursery rhyme that Jacob recited to me:

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe,
Catch a tiger by his toe,
If he hollers,
I don't care,
I'll pull down his underwear.

Better than either of the originals.

Bonfire at the Grandparents'

Taken before the fire slightly spread to the adjacent tree and after a brief discussion of the penalty fee for calling the fire department to put out a brush fire...

Car wash, anyone?

Best 10 minutes of self-directed entertainment we've had in a long time!

So about that minivan...

This is our new purchase. We got it on Saturday. On our anniversary. And Caleb will be happy to tell you that "I bought my wife a car for our anniversary." Any shred of "cool" I had left in me was tossed out the sliding door as we drove away from the dealer. And, honestly, I am more than OK with it. In fact, I really don't know why I was dragging my feet in the first place. Our mini is completely designed to fit every inch of our lifestyle: A huge DVD screen that can play up to two movies at a time (with optional wireless headphones, which Jacob LOVES), retractable sun visors on every passenger window (genius), space for our family AND all of the riff raff that comes with having a family (necessary), and buttons that open every door (selling point for the boys). Now I get why people get minivans. And now I get why people who have minivans love them. Absolutely the MOST CONVENIENT thing I have ever owned. We will go back to an SUV at some point in time when we are done with car seats, strollers, and accessories. But for now, I have crossed over to the dark side and am loving it!

This kid

 
Looking very special in his bike helmet and slippers. And jammies. Always jammies.

Mason unofficially turned 2 on Saturday!

Birthday party success!

[The cake I didn’t bake. It came with two actual toy cars on it, so I am sure it was way cooler than anything I would have done. We might be seeing this cake again in December for Blondie’s birthday…]

[Though not planned, Mason’s birthday morphed into a huge explosion of Cars: Cake, balloons, gift wrap, and the large majority of presents. And since these boys are both Lightning McQueen addicts, I think that was a good thing.]

[After singing Happy Birthday to Mason, he clapped and exclaimed: Birthday, again! So, of course, we sang it again!]

[Mason’s personal birthday cake. Good for him…. And for the rest of us!]

 

Yay for birthdays!

Happy Birthday, Mason!

This is what 2 looks like. Isn’t it cute?!

Our Saturday

Today is our sixth wedding anniversary. Never in a million years would I have guessed that exactly six years from our wedding day I would be hosting a second birthday party for my youngest son and... Wheelin' and dealin' at the minivan store. I need a paper bag to breathe into!

What a day.

Jacob got out of bed at 5:30 this morning insisting that his clock (that turns green when it's time to get up--at a more appropriate time, say 6:15) was broken. Mason flipped over his bike and gave himself an insanely bloody lip, tongue, gum (not sure what. It was all pretty bloody.) I threw in the towel and ordered a sheet cake for Mason's birthday party. We spent a good chunk of the afternoon sitting in the back seat of a minivan (and liked it). And our neighbor's body was removed from his house after a well-being check went horribly wrong. I'm ready for tomorrow (or at least bed!)

Too good to be true.

Last night Jacob told me he was an adult. Without going into too much detail, I explained to him that he wouldn't be an adult until he could drive a car and live by himself. His response: But I always want to live with you and Daddy.
And before I could get too sentimental he continued: Because what if I need help opening something...

Glad we are good for something!

Boys will be boys.

Goodbye house beautiful, hello house full of boys. I think this will be the first of many "masculine" changes to my decor. Sigh.

Slumber Party

Caleb was at a work function last night, and due to my extreme lack of interest in managing the boys come bedtime (laziness, really) I sold Jacob on the idea of me and him having a slumber party after Mason went to bed. Fast-forward to 2 minutes post-Mason bedtime, and Jacob excitedly asks me how we "play slumber party." My response: We lie in Mommy's bed and quietly watch cartoons until we fall asleep.
I'm not sure that was quite the fun he was looking for, but he bought it. Maybe next time, I'll throw in a bag of popcorn to up the ante.

Note: You better believe I was out cold about 30 seconds into the first round of Dora!

Down to Two

Caleb and I have been kicking around the idea of a new car for a while. And we know the best thing for our family needs would be a vehicle with three rows of seats. That said, we have narrowed down our search to two options:

Option #1:

A Ford Explorer. It's sporty. It's attractive. And with second-row bucket seats and a bench in the back (with additional room behind the seats), this has made our short list. I like it because it has room for 6 passengers. A second row of bucket seats means that you can still access the back row even with car seats installed. And... it's not a minivan. Downsides: It doesn't come standard with a DVD player, and it would still be a tight fit to squeeze our family and any tag-alongs inside, which is the problem we are trying to solve.

Option #2

A Toyota Sienna. (Gasp. Gag.) It's a minivan. And I am kicking myself for saying that I really do think this is the best option for our family. Automatic doors. Enough room inside to fit a small army. A DVD screen that rivals our family room TV. Downsides: It's a minivan. And, really, that's the only downside. I thought I would always be too "cool" to entertain the idea of a minivan, and, yet, here I am. I am a mom. I need space. I need practicality. And if it's going to be a minivan, I think this will be the one. It's not awful, and a pair of dark shades and a hat will disguise me as we haul-ass to the zoo...

Proud mom moment? Eh...

The boys and I were jamming to the toddler channel on Pandora over dinner tonight. About two seconds into "When will my life begin?" Mason looks up from his plate and yells, "Tangled." Not bad for a two-year-old, but I think that provides concrete confirmation that we need to peel ourselves off the couch. I do love that movie, though!

Sports Camp Finale

Jacob participated in a park district sports camp this summer in which the kiddos learned a different game each week. Parents weren't allowed to watch the class, but we all got to jump in the action on the last day today. Though I would have enjoyed seeing him learn different skills, I really enjoyed dropping him off and dumping Mason in the daycare room (which left me with 45 minutes of uninterrupted peace and quiet...ironically in a very noisy gymnasium. Hey, I'll take what I can get!)



Jacob said his favorite sport was hockey. A kid after my own heart. It's just too bad that I know how expensive skates and ice time are...



I'm not sure how bike riding fits into team sports...


But if big brother is going to ride a bike, then, so too, will Mason monster.

Mason enjoyed being able to goof off with Jacob at class today, and was insanely well-behaved. I think he was scared of being sent back to the daycare room. I now have a legitimate threat to hang over his head...

Adventures in Babysitting

My mom watched the boys on Saturday, and this is the scene she relayed to me:

Jacob found a dead fly, and I told him that we needed to throw it out and that we couldn't touch it with our hands because flies are dirty and they touch poop. And the next thing I know, Jacob is looking for the fly in the garbage can. I asked him what he was doing, and he told me he wanted to see the poop on the fly's feet.

So literal. And such a boy.

Drought

Our yard was mowed today for the first time since Memorial Day. Talk about a dry spell!

Said Jacob

When I called him the usual "honey" this morning, Jacob looked at me and said: You always call me "honey", but you could call me "peanut butter" or "cream cheese" instead.
Perfectly serious. Perfectly funny.