Maybe

Maybe it's the camo underwear...maybe it's the Mickey Mouse hat... or maybe it's the sweet little crease in the top of his legs...

Whatever it is, his cuteness makes me grin. I could eat his sweetness all day long. Especially those crease-filled legs.

Thankful He Remembered Me

Sam did his thank you chart again this year to celebrate the Thanksgiving season. This year he focused less on individuals he was thankful for and more on things...like animals and leaves and all that important stuff. I encouraged him to list people he was thankful for and he gladly yelled out "Cade, Cannon, Landry and Ally!" Days went by with no other mention of any other person. I vowed not to encourage him to name a person again and to just let him shout out what ever was in his heart. I am happy to say that he did finally murmur the words I'd been longing to hear, "Mama!" I came in a respectable 27th this year, behind wood, changing clothes and even monsters (I still haven't figured that one out yet). Poor Jody and Jack didn't even make the cut this year. So I am just thankful to have been mentioned. Even if it was 27th.

Sam is thankful for...

bears, noggin, kangaroos, animal cookies, milk cups, chimpanzees, changing clothes, monkeys, my name, picking flowers, birds, Africa, monsters, funny stuff, Cade, Cannon, Landry, Ally, leaves, working in my garden, taking baths, the sun, wood, going to the beach, berries, Mama, pictures, toast, zookeepers.

Let Your Light Shine

Jody bought the boys flashlights today at Lowes. And they have thoroughly enjoyed playing with them this afternoon. They have hidden in the dark pantry with just their little light, inspected bugs in the grass and studied their mouths countless times. And then we heard a hysterical laughing coming from the den. It was Jack, of course. And it seems he found a new use for his flashlight...illuminating things that should not be illuminated.

Thankful

"You are the poem I dreamed of writing, the masterpiece I longed to paint. You are the shining star I reached for in my ever hopeful quest for life fulfilled. Now with all things I am blessed." -unknown

Abundance Designs

I am thrilled to have a blog set up to display my Christmas Card designs this year. I also have gift stickers, calendars and sticker charts on display too. I will continue to add new items and am always available for custom invitations and stationery. Please check it out if you have time. Thank you!

Flutter

Oh, Sam and Jack, do you have any idea how you made my heart flutter when I saw you do this? My boys, my heart overflows with love, love, love for you.

The Blame Game

Jack loves to blame others for stuff he does. He never, ever takes responsibility for his mishaps. Never. He even loves to blame people for doing things that are not even in our house at the time the mishap occurred. Yes, if you are close to Jack, you have likely been blamed for dumping out a milk cup, peeing on the floor or coloring on the wall. Even though you were no where near our house at the time. It is quite comical to see who he will blame for what on a given day. Sam surely catches the most blame, with Jody and me coming in a close second. Here's a little glimpse of what it is like to deal with my sweet little one. After removing his diaper and taking a very large dump on the floor, he proceeded to tell us the birds in the picture did it. He then blamed his Daddy and even me, his very innocent Mama. He is stubborn and funny and refuses to give in. We are in deep, deep trouble.

***Disclaimer: You will hear my sweet husband threaten to get his belt in the clip. No, we don't spank with belts. The belts around our house are merely used to create leashes for stuffed animals. And you'll also hear Jack refer to his Daddy as "Jody." Yes, he calls him Jody 99 percent of the time instead of Daddy. And we have no idea why. Sam never did this. But then again, I wouldn't expect anything less than out of the ordinary from Jack.

This Little Piggy

Jody picked up four baby pigs today for the boys to "raise." We won't discuss the future of these little ones, we'll just say this...sausage. Regardless, Sam and Jack love the idea of having them around now and I'm encouraging Jody to get back into the pig business a little so we can have tiny pigs that will actually allow you to hold them. These four are a little old to be held and since they are all boys, Jody appropriately named them Cade, Cannon, Sam and Jack. We even offered to let the Lee clan raise one at their house for a couple of months, but Corey spouted off some excuse about subdivision ordinances and refused our generosity. The Lees will just have to hang out here to enjoy the pigs.

Sam bravely waits on his knees, like his Daddy taught him, hoping they will run up to him...

Jack was a little scared of the very fast pigs and spent a lot of time doing this, gazing into the pen, tucked closely to his Daddy...

Jody shut them up in a contained area so Jack got brave and followed Sam over to the gate...

And then his Daddy caught one and got it a little too close to Jack. This is him just before screaming insanely loud and sprinting across the pen to safety...

This solid orange pig is Cade. The two with "tiger" stripes are Cannon and Sam and the cute little white one is Jack.

Jody has also been weening "Runs on White" so he has been residing in the barn stall. The boys have enjoyed being reunited with him and feeding him carrots...

I am so happy these boys are being raised around all these animals. I hope they know how lucky they are to grow up here. I am so thankful.

I Can't Make This Stuff Up

While bathing Sam and Jack the other night, the following conversation occurred...

"Hey, Mama. You know what kind of pet I want you to get me from the pet store?"

"What kind, Sam?"

"A pet boobie."

Stunned, I was sure he was referring to some strange kind of animal and was mispronouncing the name...

"A pet boobie? What in the world is that?"

And without a seconds delay, my son reached out patted my boob and said, "That, Mama. That's a boobie. And I want a pet one."

I was speechless, although the thought that immediately popped into my brain was, "Yeah, son. You want a pet boobie. You and every other man alive." But I said nothing. I moved on to another, more appropriate, subject. And I'm just hoping he doesn't tell others his wish for that special pet.

He Sleeps

He rarely naps. Days go by with no rest. And so when he does nap, I relish every second of my "free time." I run around like a crazy woman, seeing how much I can accomplish in a short, precious amount of time. I giggle as I mark things off my "to do list." I rush to do as much as I can before I hear my signal telling me "time's up." My signal...the sound of his little feet bounding down the hall, overflowing with newfound energy, desperate to find me or Sam. He sees me and runs into my arms, hair messy and sweaty, blanket in hand, his grin reaching every corner of his face. He leaps into my arms, thrilled to be with me again. And I realize that I've missed him so much and that those footsteps don't really signal the end of my "free time." They are the sounds that reunite me with me sweet little one. The one I've been missing while he sleeps. The one I love so.

Welcome to The Jungle

We just had a very talented painter come in and paint Sam and Jack's bathroom with an African/Jungle theme. In two days she transformed the room into an amazing work of art. Both the boys love it and I often find them in there just staring at the walls. Sam says, "I have the awesomest bathroom in the world!" Jack loves it too but clams up and gets "scared" when it's time to take a bath because "a monkey might get him." The pictures really don't do the animals justice. It is quite amazing.

The very big snake...

Sam really loves the leopard...

This cute chimpanzee is positioned over the tub and is covering his eyes so he doesn't have to see any naked boys...

She added the giraffe at the last minute and we love it...

Another chimpanzee, this one with a toothbrush in hand...

Love this cute monkey, too...

He Sings

Sam went to choir practice with Cade and Cannon a couple of weeks ago. Cade and Cannon have sung in the choir for a while now, but Sam has never been in the choir before. The teachers gave him a cd to practice the songs for the Christmas performance in a few weeks. He insists that he loves singing but he doesn't want to sing in front of the church. I keep encouraging him to please sing with the other boys and girls because he sings so pretty. He says, "maybe." We keep the cd in the car and play it over and over. He knows nearly every song and sings them with such a sweet confidence and a joyful spirit. I must admit my eyes fill with tears nearly every time I hear him singing about Jesus. His favorite song goes, "By and by, we're going to see the King." Sam sings it this way, "By and by, we're kissing the King." It is adorable and I don't have the heart to correct him. I'm just thrilled to hear my child singing about Jesus...even if the words aren't quite right.

Hunting Trip

Today was a special day for Sam. Jody took him on his first hunting trip. Sam filled his backpack with grapes, juice boxes, binoculars and his battery powered revolver and was thrilled to head out with his Daddy. Jody even gave him one of his "special knives" to carry in his backpack. Before he left he said, "Mama, I'm going with Daddy to shoot a deer and you're going to cook it and it's going to be delicious. But don't cook the horns, okay, because I don't like horns. They're too hard to chew up." Little does he know, his Mama doesn't ever plan on cooking any deer. They loaded up in the truck and headed to Mema Willa and Granddaddy's house. They climbed into the loft of the barn and watched for deer. Jody said they'd be home by dark which would have meant a four hour trip. I knew there was no way Sam would sit still that long and wasn't at all surprised to see them pull in the driveway at 3:30. I think Jody was a little disappointed that they didn't get to stay long enough to see anything since hunting is a rare treat for him these days. I'm just happy they were able to spend time together. That's all that matters.

So happy...

All packed up...

Daddy's special knife...

My little hunter...

Jody sent me these pics from his phone. Sam scoping things out...

Special Daddy and Sam time...

Light Reading

He yelled to me, "Mama! Stinky! Mama! Book!" And I thought surely not. And then I walked into the bathroom to discover this. Surely, yes.

Toenails

The other day Jack pointed to my teeth and yelled, "Toenails!" A little offended, I asked him again what he said. "Toenails, Mama!" "Where are toenails, Jack?" "Right here Mama," he said as he pointed to my teeth again. "No, honey. Your toenails are right here on your toes," I told him as I pointed out his toenails to him. "Okay, Mama."

Apparently I'm not a great teacher. He does know where his toenails are on his feet and will gladly point them out to you after he shows you his first set of toenails. He still insists his teeth (and everyone else's) are toenails. He even asks to brush his toenails now. So when you ask Jack where his toenails are, be prepared to see this as he proudly shows them off to you...

Don't be offended when he points out the "toenails" in your mouth either. Just smile. That's what I do. A lot.

Bulk Shopping

Buying in bulk is a good thing. Like when you can get 36 rolls of toilet tissue for the price of 24 or 18 paper towel rolls for the price of 10...that's a good, good thing. Walking out of the room for three minutes and returning to find this...not so good. Thanks boys, for unpacking every roll of toilet tissue and paper towels and using them as a mat to land on as you launch yourself from the couch. And for rolling around on them in attempt to flatten them out for Mama. And for using them as missiles to throw at one another. Yes, thank you boys for all your help.

And, yes, that is Jack, naked from the waist down and attempting to drape the Charmin plastic wrapping around himself to create a new (and certainly leak proof) diaper. Again, thank you son.

Little Mama

He refuses to wear a diaper for me. He prefers instead to run around in the nude, constantly going in and out to pee outside. I chase him around the house trying to hold him still enough to slip a diaper on him. It is a constant battle. But when Little Mama is around, diapering Jack is astonishingly simple. He tells me, "No, Mama. Andry do it." And so she does. Little Mama steps right in and he patiently waits for her to position the diaper perfectly and fasten it tightly. No chasing, no battles. Little Mama has me beat in the diaper changing category. Now if only she could move in with us until he's potty trained.

Exhausting

Jack. So beautiful. So funny. So sweet. So exhausting. The time change has thrown my boy into a whirlwind of sleeplessness. Not that he was ever the greatest sleeper. He is an early riser, like his Daddy (unlike his Mama), he fights sleep like a pro and thinks that naps are so last year. He is that kid that can be utterly exhausted, close his eyes for five minutes, only to wake up suddenly and act as if he just took a four hour nap. And I've accepted these qualities, as hard as they may be to like. But lately his sleep habits are a little hard for me to accept. I blame it on the time change, but honestly there really is no excuse for this craziness. He has woken up at 5:30 (and decided everyone else needed to wake up too) for the past two mornings. The two mornings prior to that? He slept in to a staggering 6:30. So up at 5:30 should definitely justify a nap, right? Um, nope. Fourteen hours later and he's still kicking. Just like yesterday. And the day before that. And to think I thought his previous wake up time of 7:30 was flat out torture. 7:30...those were the good ole' days.

And as frustrating as it is, and as tired as I am, I try to remain positive. I try to look on the bright side of things. To be that Mom who looks for the good even in the trenches of this thing called parenting. And then it hit me. Maybe this need for little sleep is one of Jack's attributes. I mean think of all the exciting, prosperous careers he can venture into that require one to thrive on little or no sleep. A doctor who works 24 hour shifts in the ER...no problem. A pilot who specializes in flights to Australia and Japan...piece of cake. The president of the United States who must work long hours and be available at any moment...easy, easy. Yes, an attribute. That's what we'll call this little need of sleep that Jack has. So I expect great things of him. And I'm sure he'll excel with little or no sleep at all. And I'll be rooting him on. Me, his exhausted, sleep-deprived, loving Mother.

Knee Socks

Why?

Because pulling your brother's socks up to your knees with nothing else on is considered a fashion statement around here. And doesn't he wear it well?

The One

Sam, my oldest...

the one with the John Deere hat on backwards whose hair grows faster than I can keep it cut...

the one who calls me constantly, "Mama! Mama! Where you are?" So much that if I had a dollar for every time he says this during the day, I'd be very, very wealthy...

the one with a new affection for gorillas and chimpanzees...

the one who tells me he loves me at the most ordinary and perfect times...

the ones who still changes clothes way too often...

the one who yelled at me the other day from the back seat at the top of his lungs, "My uncles! My uncles! Mama, my uncles are hurting soooo bad!" And I turned to see him grabbing his ankles. And I just smiled...

the one who can fully dress himself but still needs my help buttoning his pants...

the one who says the best blessings...

the one who asks me every day, "Mama, has the baby popped out yet?" He must sweetly overlook my ever growing belly...

the one I still love to cuddle and hold, no matter how big he grows...

the one who always says, "Mama, I just don't know what to do" when he is so tired he can't settle down to sleep...

the one who plucks blooms off our azalea bushes for his Mama since the summertime flowers are gone...

the one who upon seeing a flock of buzzards flying nearby ran to my side, patted my leg and calmly said to me, "Mama, don't be scared of those buzzards, okay? Buzzards only eat dead things in the road and we're not dead or in the road, so don't worry, Mama. Okay?"

the one who still drinks more milk than should be humanly possible...

the one who loves to turn a rope into a lasso...

the one I love so much it frightens me...

the one I can't imagine spending every one of my days without...

my one and only oldest son...

Mistaken Identity

Jack did the funniest thing Friday night at the Halloween Carnival. We had retreated inside to make crafts before heading home and Sam had removed his gorilla hat and feet. I stuffed them into the top of my diaper bag and walked around watching the boys color and play at the craft table. Jack started calling, "Lucille. Lucille." I thought nothing of what he was saying and didn't even respond. Soon he was saying, "Here, kitty, kitty. Here kitty, kitty." I turned around to see him making his way to me calling Lucille, our (very black) cat. As I stopped to try to figure out what in the world he was talking about, he ran up to my side, hunched over my diaper bag and began talking to Lucille. "Hey, kitty, kitty. Hey Lucille. C'mon kitty, kitty. C'mon." He then leaned over and began kissing "Lucille," which in reality was the head of Sam's gorilla costume. He began petting the costume and continued talking to "Lucille." I tried not to laugh because I sure didn't want to hurt his feelings, but I was giggling over my crazy boy. Oh, the innocence. That he would think I would carry around our very moody, very anti-social cat all evening in my diaper bag is beyond my comprehension. Did he think she'd been hiding in the bag, tucked safely under my arm all evening, the cat that I don't even allow in the house? He sure did. And not to disappoint my little buddy, I played along, getting in the car ever so carefully so as not to smash her against the seat and even pretended she jumped out of the bag when we got home and he saw her resting on the porch. I do my part in this fun life with Jack. And I love every second of it.

Our Halloween

We had a very busy, very fun Halloween. Friday night we kicked things off with a carnival at Baptist Center. The boys enjoyed hot dogs, inflatables and a hayride. Sam proudly showed off his gorilla costume...

He though he'd be brave and ride the mechanical bull. The first jolt and he was in tears...

Jack loved his balloon animal and he managed to keep it from popping for twenty minutes (a new record for him)...

After the hayride, the boys relaxed and enjoyed some ice cream...

We ended the night inside the fellowship hall where the boys colored and made crafts...

Saturday afternoon we went to the carnival at First Baptist. Sam skipped out on the gorilla costume for this event since it was nearly eighty degrees. He chose to wear his Spider man costume instead...

Sam enjoyed the big slide...

Sam walked in the cake walk several times. I looked over to see Jack sitting quietly on the steps eating cookies from the prize table. He had helped himself to the goodies without any attempt to walk and win...

We headed to Nana's for dinner after the carnival and then got everyone dressed up again for a little trick or treating...

We walked through Ally's neighborhood with two kids in the jogging stroller and two in the wagon. Poor Cade had to walk...

Sam was a little picky over what houses he would go up to. If they had any scary decorations at all, he sat that round out...

Jack didn't make it around the circle before falling out...

Sam and I packed up the Halloween decorations today and put out our Thanksgiving goodies. He was thrilled to realize that when we pack up the Thanksgiving decorations, it will be time to put up the Christmas tree. I'm choosing not to think about that yet...