I have really fallen off the blogging wagon lately. I lost my camera for like two months (found it the other day in a rarely used diaper bag!) so all my pictures have been on my phone. Blogging from my phone is incredibly frustrating, so I don't do it. Ha! But, I do have some pictures from my phone that I managed to get into this post.
It's hard to believe summer is halfway over. We're cruising along, sometimes more smoothly than others. This week the eldest is doing jail time (that's how he feels about it anyway) and having his first experience with being grounded. Parents who've gotten lazy about making sure we know where all electronic devices are at all times + a smart, sneaky kid = me hearing voices at midnight and discovering my child under his covers watching youtube videos of teenagers playing minecraft on the wii-u game pad, the last word of narration before I turned it off being a**hole. Facepalm stupid parent. Events of the past week were all suddenly explained. His recent obsession and quite extensive knowledge of this game called minecraft, which (to my prior knowledge!) he'd had no exposure to...claiming his friends at school taught him all about it, none of whom he's seen in a month and a half. Telling his dad he was "freaking awesome" for bringing home happy meals for dinner and having no explanation other than "I just said it" when we asked where he learned that phrase. Walking in his room, where he is allowed to watch a show, after putting the baby down for a nap and the wii-u being on the home screen and him acting totally weirdo while he tells me he was just about to pick a cartoon.
So, lesson learned. Hello parental controls. Hopefully we caught it before he learned too many new words. There have been lots of tears and screaming fits as he learns how seriously we take breaking our trust and repeated bouts of dishonesty, especially when presented with so many chances to tell the truth. Oy vey. You're welcome future wife...I mean, inappropriate youtube video game tutorials today....porn tomorrow. I just saved your marriage with my swift and stern punishment. Bahaha!
Parenting is nuts y'all! ;) Before this week, when he was still able to watch shows, he was all "No, I don't want to watch a cartoon. Let's watch national geographic...this one's about dinosaurs Mom, that's probably ok, right? It might not try to teach me about evolution like some of the others. If it does though, it's ok...I don't believe that anyway. I mean, how could we evolve from an ape? A man from an ape?! That's just crazy. Oooh, wait, the moment of death! Let's watch that one instead. Listen what it says about it mom, scientists try to discover what happens at the moment of death. Oh yeah, I want to know that. Know why mom? Nobody knows what happens. Like what happens at the exact moment someone dies? Like what happens to your soul" Ack! Quick turn youtube back on! This kid. He's just so thirsty for knowledge. He comprehends concepts that are beyond his "age level." He would rather sit and talk to my mama friend than play with her son (his same age!) when we meet at the park. He has a lot of trouble just accepting an answer. That whole "because I said so" thing? Totally lost on this one. He has to know the why behind everything. He's a thinker. A questioner. And boy, when he decides his opinion on something ain't nobody gonna change his mind. I think these are traits that will serve him well in the future if he can learn the art of "agree to disagree." ;) But, I worry. I worry about his faith journey. He's got a strong need to really understand how things work. And God, well, He's not entirely understandable. He can't be completely explained. I pray for his heart. That it will remain tender. That he will ask his questions, and have his doubts, and still choose Christ for himself.
Lil' peanut is not quite the theologian that his big brother is, but he's on his way. "Mom. I really love you." "I love you too." "Yeah, but sometimes I get mad at you and I make bad choices." "Mmm yeah, that happens sometimes." "Wait mom, what are bad choices?" If C is our deep thinker, lil' peanut is our resident comedian. He's not just funny in a "aw that was cute" little kid way. He is truly funny. If you're my friend on facebook you're privy to some of the conversations I have with my little goofball. I think if either of my big boys were to follow me into theater, it will be this guy. He's charismatic and charming and boy does he know how to turn 'it' on. He actually uses sound effects. He can be screaming his head off over something ridiculous (yes you have to wear pants to the store) and all of a sudden he will throw his hands in the air and say "Ding! I all done crying now" and carry about his business like nothing ever happened. It's kind of bizarre. Ha!
Pumpkin baby is just growing right along...reminding me that this baby stage is far too short. And that sleepless nights and endless diaper changes, this is the easy part. :) He is just precious and I'm so thankful for my 3rd little guy. What a perfect addition he is to our family. I'm storing up these sweet and fleeting moments of snuggling my sleeping baby, nursing him, wearing him, those baby babbles coming from the backseat of the minivan, the giggles, the bear crawl! Oh, I will miss hearing his little hands smacking the tile floor and knowing he's on the move. He's been cruising along furniture for about a month now and he's slowly increasing his time spent standing unassisted. Walking is probably not too far away. It's funny to me that human babies are the most helpless for the longest amount of time...but almost every mother I know will say that it doesn't last long enough. I'm trying my best not to white-knuckle his baby days but rather just enjoy this time while it's here. This time when his world is so small and I'm at the center of it. I'd forgotten how wonderful it is.
Hopefully with my camera found I can visit this space more often. In the meantime, here are a few pictures from my phone of things we've been up to this summer.
Make something Monday...C loved our little ice world. Baby kept splashing in it and jerking his hand away all offended at how cold it was, then he'd go back again. :)
A local church did a vacation bible school in our neighborhood park. I took the boys all three days and they both really enjoyed it. I was surprised at how well lil' peanut did. So surprised that when I signed C up for a week long nature camp, I signed him up too!
June 28th we celebrated two years home with lil' peanut. We put the emphasis on that being the day these two became brothers and let them decide together on something fun to do. Chuck E Cheese it was. We forced them to do the little picture booth and can I just say I love how it turned out. So them.
Mr. Mover and Shaker. He's climbed up on that fireplace a few times already.
We spent the 4th of July up in Kansas and had a really nice time visiting with both of our families. One day my nieces were fighting over the doll stroller so I took it as an opportunity to do some training. Future babywearers of America. ;)
Everybody was getting in on the babywearing love that day! I just adore this picture of my dad and his little namesake.
The 4th of July!
