One More Time

We’ve all heard it a million times. We’ve probably sung it at least half a million. But when your child is doing the singing, well, that’s just priceless.

Here’s Max’s rendition.



Notice how independent he is. He gets upset when Merk tries to help him with the hand motions.

By the way, this was probably the 20th rendition we heard that morning. Each one was followed by “one more time.”

I love it!!!!!

The Weather

In Texas, we're notorious for having crazy weather. The past three weeks have been georgous. Cool enough that you know fall is coming, but still warm enough to spend a lot of the day outdoors.

Unfortunately for us, we seem to have been under the weather more than we've been outside enjoying it. For the past three weeks, at least one family member has been sick. This weekend, we were three for four. Not good.

Things are looking up though. The weather finally turned cool and I only wiped one nose all day. Spirits are running high and we are looking forward to the Fall Festival this week at our church. The kids will put on their costumes (Captain America and a giraffe) and we'll collect more candy than we need.

Stay tuned. Cute halloween photos to come.

Boy's Mom

I hate to admit it, but lately, I have been struggling to be a "boys mom." I know that's an odd thing to say since I've been a boy's mom for 4 1/2 years now. But lately, I look at my little boys and see aliens. As adorable as they are, little boys are so different from anything I have ever known.

I don't know exactly how it happened, but I was raised in a family of women. I have close bonds with the women in my family, but the men weren't around much and they certainly were not a significant part of my life.

So here I am, the lone female in a house full of testosterone and I find myself lost. All I've ever known is girl stuff. This crazy, energetic, jump off the furniture because you think you can fly, stick spaghetti up your nose because you think it is funny, beat your brother up because you want to practice your punches, world is so foreign to me.

Did you know that Spiderman and Superman are not on the same team? That Lex Luthor can't fight Captain America but can fight Superman or Batman? I just learned all the names of Thomas' friends and now there are dozens of superheroes with complicated relationships that I have to figure out. There's also Nascar, Rescue Heroes, dinosaurs and sports. Who can keep up with all that?

Max is still into things I can understand. Right now his world revolves around the zoo and farm animals. But he's right there on the threshold of boyhood and his brother ushers him deeper into that world every day.

My saving grace is both of my boys are snugglers now and I am a world class snuggler. My favorite time of day is when they crawl up into my lap for a good snuggle. Most of the time, I let them stay as long as they want.

I'm grateful for my little boys and they crazy things the do. I know it's a part of who they are and I love that. For me, the bottom line is I want to be a part of their world, even when I don't know how. It looks like it might be time for some personal growth.

Anyone have an encyclopedia of superheroes?


Luke playing Rescue Heroes. Yes, I know they never have clothes on. They always start out with clothes, but by the end of the day, this is usually what we've got.

Luke's so proud of his muscles.

Max is showing his feminine side, cooking in camouflage.

Luke is pretending to be the Statue of Liberty here. I'm not really sure why.

Irony

When I was in college, I had a roommate with a lot of allergies. She used to zip everything up in plastic - her mattress, her pillows, her clothes - everything. Poor girl, we gave her so much grief for that. Especially me, since we were in the same room and I had to hear the rustle of the plastic every time she moved on her bed.

Fast forward almost twenty years and now I'm the one zipping everything up. Luke is allergic to dust mites so of course, we have all the covers with zippers to keep them away from him. Life comes full circle sometimes. I love it.

I have to laugh at the irony though. I also laugh, because now, no matter what I do, my mind goes back to my first apartment at Baylor, my sweet college friends and some seriously fun times, every time I change the sheets. Not a bad deal if you ask me.

HSN

For anyone who wants to be amused, check out the Home Shopping Network tomorrow (Wed, Sept 26) at 1:00 and 5:00 Central time. My awesome husband will be selling watches.

I think he does a great job, but the whole HSN thing is a mystery to me. The only time I watch is when he's on, but somehow I always stay tuned for the next show. The crazy thing is, if I watch it long enough, I really start to think I do need a new loofa.

Good luck Sweetie. We miss you!!!!!!!




xoxoxoxoxo

Weekend With Grandma

The boys spent this past weekend with both of their grandmothers while Merk and I went to a marriage retreat. Yes, it took both of them to manage the weekend. I'm glad we only have two kids.

Overall, I think the weekend went well. I did come away with a couple of observations...

Grandmothers will not read or refer to your notes. They tell you they don't need the notes, because after all, they raised you and look how well you turned out. I think that is still up for debate, but it's their position and they will die defending it.

Grandmothers are going to give the kids a bath, whether they need it or not. I don't know why they like to do this, but it appears to be one of their favorite activities. Both of them bathe the boys every time they babysit them at night. I know little boys are messy, but I didn't think they were that dirty.

Happy Meals are the go-to food for Grandmothers. In fact, as my Mom was leaving on Sunday she told me, "I wouldn't feed them Happy Meals for awhile." No kidding. Now I'm in the process of throwing away all of the toys. I have to do it one at a time so they won't notice they've gone away. Don't even get me started on the nutritional aspect.

All kidding aside. We had a great time and are grateful to have loving moms who will help us out. xoxoxo

Running in Circles

Running in circles completely describes our lives right now. The past few weeks have been all about running around, but not really getting anywhere and ending up just plain tired.

The kids started school this week - more about that at a later date. Luke also started T-Ball and choir. All in the same week.

At the same time, my Gran and sister have been here. I really enjoyed seeing them and spending time with them, but there comes a time when a girl just wants to be at home.

And it's almost here. Merk and I are going to a Marriage Retreat this weekend (again, I know it will be fun, but right now it seems like more running).

Soon though, we will be home and I plan to stay here for a good long while. I plan to cook meals for my family, watch my kids play and get reacquainted with my house.

I've got so much to write about the past couple of weeks, but it's just going to have to wait. Bear with me. I'll be back soon and I promise not to be so overwhelmed and bitter.