Mom of boys...

Some days I have to stop and remind myself that not only am I a mom, but I am a mom to two little guys. Before Seth came along, little boys were foreign creatures to me. But, I've since learned a lot! Little boys are...

lawnmowing

often partially clothed

mess-makers

with slightly neurotic tendencies.

Oh, such...

sweet...

sleepers!

Stuffed puppy dog loving,

frog-tattooed

extra-wide piggied

tire toting

tractor loving

filthy

tantrum throwing

little sweeties who amaze me each and every day!

Before and After

Warning: this post should come with a bit of a 'downer disclaimer.' Sorry, but in the interest of documenting family happenings, this is what's happening in my family...


Notice the difference in the little boy in these two pictures? Me neither! And I have spent the last few days coming to terms with that reality. Just to back up a bit: I guess I missed the memo that peanut butter is to be avoided until the age of 2. So, since Luke had shared peanut butter cups with Daddy and loves to eat pieces of cashews, I got wild one day last week and gave him peanut butter with his jelly on his sandwich. Before I got him cleaned up he had hives. NOT good. So, I called the doctor’s office (and checked him roughly 20 times while he napped with his door open). Short story, he and I trekked to the hospital for a quick blood draw – this kid is a TROOPER! – not even a tear when they poked him. Headed to the pharmacy for an epi-pen and sat by the phone waiting for a phone call. That call came Tuesday and I was terribly disappointed to learn that Luke has a peanut allergy. It’s a moderate allergy. Smack in the middle of moderate really. Not that that's comforting since an allergy is an allergy and any reaction is unpredictable.

But [you're all my friends right?] this has been an incredibly difficult week for me. Honestly, I feel guilty that I let it really get me down – I know better. I know God gave Luke this allergy and I know that it’s my responsibility to make the most out of this situation, trusting Him to help me keep Luke safe. And I am SO grateful that it’s “just” a peanut allergy. People experience SO many more traumatic situations with their children.

But, that doesn’t change the fact that my baby has a problem that we will be dealing with for forever. So, Tuesday especially, I spent most of my day trying not to cry, crying, or yelling at David for not understanding why I was crying. And still today, I am struggling with turning it over to Him the way I know that I need to!


That said, I love a project, so figuring all of this out has become my project. Taking care of my boys, keeping them safe, loving on them - I chose this as my job. So, I have requested books from the library, been on the internet, visited our pediatrician with a list of questions this morning, contacted a friend whose child has the same issue, etc. Knowledge is power, right? And I think that is what is eating away at me - my lack of power. I think the problem for me at this moment is that it just seems like the list of things we can't do anymore is overtaking the list of things we can do. I need to get a good list going of places we can eat out and foods we can buy to eat, etc. But until then I'm feeling a little crushed by the whole situation.


It's just SO all-encompassing. Seth lives on PB&J. So, I have to be sure Luke doesn't steal any off Seth's plate and that Luke doesn't drink out of Seth's cup if Seth got peanut butter on it and that I don't wash Luke's face with the same washcloth I used to wash peanut butter off of Seth's face. And on and on and on...


And places like bakeries and ice cream shops are off limits due to the cross contamination. Okay, that one is likely bothering me a lot more than Luke!
Who am I kidding? This kid's not bothered by any of it at the moment. But, since he clearly enjoys food it is now my job to find him healthy and safe alternatives. Oh yeah, and of, course, the picture at the top of Luke in the dark shirt is before Tuesday and the picture in the light shirt is after Tuesday.

[And now, back to the regularly scheduled more upbeat program...]

Summer Project 2009

It seems like every summer there is a major project to be done. I guess that's part of what our summer is all about. The project for 2007 was our deck. For 2008, it was new flooring and carpet for the downstairs. And with a 3 year old, for 2009, it was a swingset. David did all the work, which really kind of bummed me out because (shhh, don't tell anyone) I really enjoy helping with these projects. I like a little hammering or drilling now and again. But my job was to keep the boys safely out of the way lest anyone be injured by the swingset before it was even constructed. So, here is the progression via pictures...

After much deliberation, it was decided that this pile of wood and this kit would be used to build the swingset.

Constructing the clubhouse portion of the swingset.

Getting a little help from a little guy.

One of the first trips down the slide.

One of the first trips down the slide, Luke-style - one shoe off, on his belly.

A group trip down the slide.



Definitely enjoying the slide.

The finished product.

The swingset is a perfect size for the boys. Neither one is too sure about the swinging yet, so I guess that keeps me from having to push them both on swings for hours on end. However, both are really enjoying climbing the ladder and then sliding. Seth was even heard to remark, "I'm really sore from all that sliding!"

Fun from the fourth

We had a low key, fun weekend. Friday night we took Seth to see Casting Crowns in concert. They are my favorite band so it was neat that that was his first concert. They were playing at a park so we bought lawn seats and made a night of it. He really surprised me. I thought for sure we'd see half the concert and head home. But instead we stayed for the whole concert. He colored for a little while.

And ate some ice cream.But he also spent a lot of the time curled up with me or with David just listening to the music. [Luke spent his evening loving on Grammy and Grampy. I knew he wouldn't last for the whole concert!]

For the fourth, we had to 'weather' some rain. But David is not easily deterred. Notice the grill and the umbrella (and David) out on the deck.He even blew things up in the rain created a dazzling light show of beautiful fireworks anway. We all huddled inside the garage to watch. And by 'all' I mean everyone except Seth, who decided fireworks were not his thing, and Grampy, who was more than willing to sit on the couch and read to Seth.

This is just a shot of the pyrotechnics, pre-show. Of course, Seth is keeping a safe distance and Luke is attempting to climb onto the table to get a better look. Wouldn't be the first time Luke has made it onto the middle of the table!And finally, we had some fun with sparklers and camera settings. Again, by 'we' I mean that my camera had to stay dry so I was in the garage taking pictures of my crazy friends/family who were kind enough to stand out in the rain twirling sparklers. Hope you had a great fourth as well!

Happy Father's Day

As we celebrated Father's Day I thought about how very thankful I am for the great fathers in my life:

• My own father whom I love for many reasons. Growing up I remember him trying to help me study - science I think usually. I hated science. He would make up multiple choice quizzes as we went along. I still hate science. But it's not his fault. (ha ha) He also (along with my mom) let me live at home until I was very very old : ). And then still footed the bill for a wonderful wedding, after paying for my college education. And he has supported me in my many endeavors, and shared proudly in my accomplishments (think 'yard card' post bar exam!). And he adores all four of his grandchildren. And in return, all four of his granchildren adore him. [I have to share this little story here: My parents spoil my children rotten - birthdays, Christmas, little things in between, etc. But lately, anytime Seth talks about them he says "I love your daddy. He always talks to me." I think that is so neat that it's not the gifts or treats he focuses on but just the quality time together.]

• David, because he loves his boys completely. He works hard so that I can be home with them. He comes home from working hard and plays hard with them. He loves them so much, and is not shy about telling them. They play indoor basketball or kick a ball around outside or blow bubbles. But my favorite is when he reads to them or when they curl up on the couch together and watch movies - just simple quiet time spent together. It's so wonderful to see my husband love our children.

• David's dad, without whom David would not exist . David would not be the person he is today without his dad. I think we can all say that of our parents. And, of course, I would not have my two great little guys without David.

• My Heavenly Father who has blessed me with all of these great fathers in my life. I so appreciate that He has a plan for each of us. He chose my father for me and prepared David to be my husband and the father of our children. Thinking of these people that he has blessed me with reminds me that His plan is better than any I could come up with and for that I am so thankful!

Multi-tasking is bad...

Yesterday I was multi-tasking. Fixing lunch, waiting for my husband to return my call, taking another call, and making iced tea (which is done via the coffee pot so we can put the sugar in and have it dissolve, etc.). Bad for me. Good to drink. Life goes on. But, somehow, I guess I kept filling up the reserve but not dumping the hot water out of the pot. Suddenly I discovered the coffee maker was nearly floating in a pool of water on the counter. I turned it off, mopped it up with some towels and turned it back on. Or tried to turn it back on. It just smiled that smarmy broken appliance smile back at me. Kinda the same smarmy smile David gave me when he mentioned that, "Guess you won't be having coffee this morning, huh?" Won't be so funny when the boys give him a coffee pot for Father's Day. Hah!!! Just kidding honey - you're getting the red shirt Seth told you all about last night (sidenote: don't take the 3 year old shopping with you for the gift unless you are giving it TheSecondYouWalkInTheDoor.).

You'd think I might learn my multi-tasking-is-bad-for-me lesson. But, there's that thing about old dogs and new tricks, etc. Sooooo, today I was cleaning up after lunch. Rinsing dishes, unloading the clean dishes from the dishwasher, loading the dirty dishes into the dishwasher, putting the grapes and cheese back in the fridge. Luke was playing with his plate at the table. Seth was eating the pudding he had conned me into giving him. I had my back to them but heard, "Luke, do you want some?" I turned to find Seth waving his full spoon around in front of Luke's face. Luke is NEVER one to turn down food so he began to eat the pudding that had fallen to the table off of Seth's spoon. With his hands of course (clearly the quickest method before Seth took back this little morsel of goodness). Well, Seth was feeling generous and decided to continue to share. (All I do is harp at him to share things with his brother so I couldn't really think of a way to tell him to stop sharing without contradicting myself). Now here are the two most amusing (hopefully, or to me anyway) parts of the story. One, Seth kept calling it "chocolate pud-out". And two, the most logical (???) way for Seth to share this yumminess was by putting it on his spoon and then transferring it to Luke's spoon (think sword fight) so that Luke could then put it into his own mouth off of his own spoon.

Maybe we'll go out for lunch tomorrow?? Or maybe I'll stay home and clean off my countertops. Yikes!!

Things for which I am thankful...

I know, I know, I STILL owe you all an exclusively Seth post - I know you're all on pins and needles waiting. But for today, I am going with simplicity. Things for which I am thankful:

**The call from my husband's doctor last night and the news that the moles he had removed were benign (although thankfully taken care of when they were).

**Two hilarious little boys who make me laugh quite often.

**A fun hobby - scrapbooking - and the opportunity to do it for someone else (even if I rarely take the time to do it for myself) and make a little extra money.

**My newest scrapbooking toy - Bazzill In Stitch'z - oh so fun and easy.

**That I was home while the dishwasher was running. Oops!

**A dry house to live in while the rain pours down outside.

**Blooming flowers - especially my new roses!

**Sweet treats - and wishing I was feasting on these yummy cinnamon rolls right now!

**Books. I'm reading a good one and an interesting one (two different ones) at the moment. Seth loves to sit and look at books or be read to. And I hope Luke will someday also.