I almost forgot.

Mason traveled to Iowa with Grandma and Papa for a few days. It was his first time alone, and I think he got along alright. Grandma’s house is about as kid cool as it gets. Couple that with armpit tickles and bedtime songs, and Mason was in heaven! Bonus: He got to ride the rails home. I wish I could have seen him on his first train ride.He’s still talking about it!

[A quick pit stop at the cousins’ house en route to Grandma’s.]

[Weenie roast over the fire pit, and fishing off the covered bridge.]

[Hitting the hay in bunk beds made for a rock star!]

Yesterday, this happened.

Little Miss decided it was time to take a stand. By herself. Big girl!

Today, this happened.

 

Look at this big shot who is Kindergarten-ready. A new chapter officially begins on August 19. I’m sooooo ready, but, really, I’m not so sure if I’m ready.

Car Seat Shuffle

Big changes taking place in the burbs. Camryn moved into Mason's seat, Mason into Jacob's, and Jacob is now loving life on the go in his new booster seat. Everyone is feeling a little more grown up today! 

*Feeling very comfortable in her new space!

Sleeping Baby

My mom always tells me that no matter how crazy your kids can drive you, and how at the end of your rope you might feel, there is nothing like a sleeping child to erase your mind of all the ick you trudged through. How could your heart not melt at this sight?

*Picture taken at 6 tonight. 15 minutes after Mason made the choice that he would rather go to bed than eat a meal in a timely fashion. As promised, I cuddled with him for a few minutes after I put his sister to bed. He might not remember it, but of course I will.

Conferences.

School conferences were today, and this is what I learned:

Jacob is NOTHING like he is at home. At school he is quiet, well-behaved, and polite. He waits his turn to talk, sits still during circle time, keeps his hands to himself, does not have random loud outbursts, and follows instructions very well. He excels in letter and sound recognition, can point out numbers up to 15 and can count much higher than that. He chooses his friends based on who is participating in the activities he wants to do—rather than hanging with a clique. And although he can become a little rambunctious when the boys around him are getting rowdy, he is a follower and not a leader of negative activity. This is all music to my ears because at home he is the exact opposite.

Mason is EVERYTHING like he is at home. He is a non-disruptive fidgeter, has difficulty following more than two directions at a time, and can be easily redirected. He is very friendly, not a wallflower in the least, and has no problems with social interaction. What he does have a problem with is sharing. And just as he does at home, Mason emits a deafening high-pitched whine whenever he feels his toys are being compromised. He is learning how to hold a pencil and write his name, can point out and recognize almost all of the alphabet letters, can pick his name out of a crowd, can count past ten, and can use scissors with the best of them. And it wouldn’t be Mason if he didn’t always have some sort of noise coming out of his mouth so it’s not surprising that at school, much like at home, his engine motor is always running.

Our last first birthday party.

Camryn turned one, and was pretty in pink.

[Playing with balloons and checking out Great Pa’s walker. Better than any of the awesome toys she currently owns. No surprise there!]

[Opening up presents. Among the loot: She scored a new summer wardrobe and some new shoes. And then she attempted to try them all on—or just play a serious game of peek-a-boo…]

   

[Cake time, which she wasn’t sure of at first, loved for a second and then cried for a minute. Dirty is not her speed so it was off to the bath for a quick wash down where we learned that she may be allergic to red dyes. Who knew?!]

Somebody Turned One

I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that my baby girl turns one today!

*Same bow one year later…

Camryn is the sweetest, happiest, funniest, most squeezably kissable baby in the world. Don’t believe me? Grab a hold of her for just one minute and you will see. She snuggles in to your shoulder when she is tired, face plants on your cheek to give you a kiss, and quickly turns her head away from you when she is being bashful. She copies the boys’ every move by obnoxiously shaking her head, sticking out her tongue, and making crazy noises. What the boys need to copy from her: her insane eating skills. This girl can and will shovel just about everything down the hatch. Except for mashed potatoes. Those make her barf. She has mastered the art of crawling, and will make a mad dash up any flight of stairs within a quarter-mile radius. As soon as she gets where she is going she likes to pull everything off of shelves and then put it away. Sometimes where it came from. Sometimes not. She will greet anyone with a happy wave, and gives everyone a happy wave goodbye. Except for her momma because her heart is too busy breaking whenever I leave her sight. She has mastered the word “uh-oh” and is currently working on blowing kisses. She understands and obeys the word “no,” though this being our third rodeo, we know it’s just a matter of time before she throws this talent out the window. She grabs a nap when she can, goes with the flow because she has to, and can chug milk from a bottle like no one’s business. She loves the peek-a-boo game, can chuck toys with amazing precision, and will make anything she does look cute. She has grown four teeth—two at a time—splashes like crazy in the bathtub, and points at everything asking “zat?” (what’s that?). This past year has flown by, and we are looking forward to another year full of milestones. Happy birthday not-so-baby girl!

Marble Mania

Following the lead of my friend, our family has put a reward system in to place where the boys can earn marbles whenever we catch them making good choices, being helpful, playing nicely... Once they fill their jars they get to go to the store to pick out a toy. Did it work? Well... We started this process in January, and after more than two months of being only sorta rotten the boys filled up their jars with enough marbles for us to decide it was time for them to cash in. Jars have been dumped, and process begins again. I'm hoping that now the boys see the reward for their efforts that this round will be much faster--full of better choices and fewer sucker punches...

Happy Monday

Just a little bit of cute to jumpstart the week.

…And it’s this sweet little baby’s birthday week. How in the world did that happen so fast?!

When in Rome…

Or the snowy tundra known as Chicagoland.

My dad and brother cashed in on some end-of-season deals and bought a couple of mini snowmobiles for the grandkids to drive around my parents’ yard. This brings me back to my youth when my brother and I each had one of these puppies—er, kitty kats. And before you start commenting on how—gasp—Mason isn’t wearing a helmet, let me tell you that these snowmobiles travel at a slightly slower than walking pace. So long as trees and air conditioners—ahem, Joey—don’t jump out at you, they are about as harmless as a nap on a couch. Looking very forward to the kids creating some of the same snowy memories as I did way too many years ago!

Mark my words.

After trudging through the first get-my-kids-to-stop-being-little-shits book, this is what I learned:

1. Be 100% consistent in your behavior.
2. Don't give warnings. The kids need to hear it once, listen to it, and act on it the first time.
3. Always follow through with what you say you will do.
4. Don't threaten the kids. You don't mean it, and you can't follow through with it.
5. Respond. Don't react. Use actions, not words.
6. Don't get angry. Don't let the kids control your mood.
7. Keep positive. Even when things SUCK!

And doesn't all of this seem so incredibly obvious?! So obvious that both Caleb and I have violated each of these rules at least once every 3 minutes of our parenting career. But no more! I'm taking a stand against my tyrants, and it begins today! The author said these changes will initially make things worse before they get better. But, well, the old way of doing things was getting us nowhere, so...

A Day in the Life

A beaded Ninja Turtle and a Pirate Buzz. This is how we roll.

My little wrestlers.

This is what these boys do. All. Day. Long. Sometimes playing. Sometimes not. And it almost always ends in tears. Amy Pohler said it best on “Ellen” when she explained that her friends all have girls, so when she takes her boys to her friends’ houses, those girls all sit quietly making organic bird houses while her boys roll through the house like a couple of wild animals. Amen, Amy. Looking forward to the day when Camryn and I can temporarily escape all the boy-ness going on in our world—though I’m thinking more pedicure and less birdhouse…

When I Grow Up

 

Jacob told me today that when he grows up he would like to be a physical therapist like his dad because “Daddy gets to do paperwork, and I would like to do paperwork. And he gets to wear a name tag, and that’s cool.” He also told me that he is going to work in the same office as his dad so that he can give Mason, Camryn, and myself Tootsie Rolls when we come to visit just like his dad does for him. When asked if he was going to go far away to physical therapy school his response was “No, because we are a family, and I don’t want to ever leave our family. Plus, how would I ever find my way to Daddy’s work if I didn’t live with you guys?” This whole conversation began when Jacob asked if he could have my awesome minivan when he is old enough to drive. I imagine this request may change once he realizes how the high school ladies feel about minivans…

What does a Camryn say?

“Uh-Oh!”

In context. Whenever she drops something. Which has made meal time one heck of a challenging game…