Happy Valentine's Day

I love every holiday. It's not a secret, so it's no surprise I like to celebrate this holiday with the kids as well. My husband, however, does not enjoy this holiday. I convinced him to at least bring his daughter flowers. He gave me a look of disapproval but after I assured him it wouldn't cost $40, he manned up and brought her some. I knew I wasn't getting any flowers but I at least thought she is too young to know her father's hatred for the holidays.

We don't need Cupid to bring us love around here, we have plenty of it, so we have the Valentine Armadillo who brings us presents (something my mom started years ago). It's a fun little tradition we have and the boys love it.

The loot before the boys attacked it.

The boys ran to the table as soon as they woke up to see what the Armadillo brought them.

Cole tried to eat the chocolate with the wrapper still on.

For breakfast, the boys ate heart shaped donuts

My three special Valentines

(the boys each had a Zhu Zhu Pet in their mail boxes this morning and they have played with them all day long! They are in the girl section at the store but they're not too girly. They have boy ones too)

If the heart shaped donuts were not enough, we had a heart shaped pizza for lunch!

TJ liked the "broken heart"

As soon as the little ones went down for a nap, Cody and I started making our dessert for after dinner. We were making conversation heart Rice Krispie Treats.

First, we had to melt the marshmallows.

Then we added the food coloring (we had to make three different batches for three different colors).

The final product before the words were put on

And here are a few with words...

Next up, St. Patricks Day! I already bought the boys some apparel they get to wear and we will have family in town to make it that much better!!

Haunted Sucker

We're being haunted by a sucker! I'm not exaggerating, I was 99.9% sure a sucker was out to get us.

A pink one, if you really must know.

Last night, Cole was eating a sucker. He was playing with it more than anything and causing everything in his path to get sticky.

So, being the awesome mother I am, I took it away from him and threw it away. Of course this led to the pure delight of an uncontrollable, screaming one year old.

After a few minutes, he calmed down and was back to his happy self. Only it wasn't because I let him scream it out and eventually he gained control of himself again. No, it was because he had that pink sucker back in his mouth!

Holy sucker, batman!

Now, you're all thinking....duh, he just got the sucker out of the trash! Well, I'm here to tell you, unless he climbed inside the trash can to get the said sucker, there was no way he could have reached it.

But sure enough, when I checked the trash, the sucker was gone!

Baby Houdini or a haunted sucker?

We know I'm not one for letting my kids pull a fast one on me, so I took the sucker away from him, yet again, and cleaned him up. This time, I put the sucker in a plastic bag and threw it away in the bathroom trash can under an empty shampoo bottle.

Twenty minutes later, Cole had the sucker in his mouth again!

What the...???

This was getting ridiculous!

My baby is smart, but not that smart! He didn't see me go in the bathroom or put the sucker in a plastic bag! So, how was this sucker in his mouth again??

Round three...I took the sucker away from him but this time, I put the sucker in an empty juice bottle, on the counter, far out of his sight and reach (I was going to just go throw it in the outside trash but it's freakin' cold and it was just going to have to wait).

Ten minutes later the juice bottle is open, empty, and lying on the kitchen floor!

I.dont.think.so!!!!

I will NOT be outsmarted by a one year old!

The sucker was taken away again, but this time I just put it on the counter in plain sight. Obviously it's pointless to try to hide it and I wanted to see the haunted sucker in action.

Sure enough, within ten minutes the sucker was removed from the counter and placed in Cole's hands.

I wasn't outsmarted by my one year old or the sucker...I was outsmarted by my two year old!

I had not noticed him watching me when I threw the sucker away or put it on the counter. I thought he was in the other room playing. He waited until I was busy doing something else and snuck the sucker back to Cole. He doesn't like hearing his brother cry (unless he's the reason for the crying). Cade is a little guy and would not have been able to reach the sucker either except he is smarter and carried a stool around to help in his little mission.

He was also smart enough to hide the stool when he was done! Either that or I taught him well when it comes to putting things back when he's done with them. I'm thinking the hiding of it is a stronger probability!

From now on, when I snatch a sucker out of a very upset one year old's hands, I'll be making sure no two year olds are lurking behind the walls.

If they're covering for each other now, I'm in BIG trouble later!

What Cade didn't expect was Cole turning on him and trying to steal his sucker out from under him. So much for brotherly love...

*I do realize my pictures are blurry and that's because my camera sucks. I am saving up money to buy me a new one! I can't stand not having good pictures!*

Brown eyed boy

My favorite color is blue and I have always wanted kids with blue eyes. Especially brown hair and blue eyes. I didn't think it would be possible since I have brown eyes. Brown is dominant and I figured there was no way, with my strong brown gene, that I could produce not just one, but two boys with blue eyes. I'm not a biology wiz or anything you know, since I had to take the class twice in college before I finally got a C, but I obviously carry the blue gene as well.

When Cole was born, his eyes started changing blue just like the older two. I was sure he would have blue eyes as well. I even have a picture of him at 4 months old with pretty blue eyes.

Shortly after that, his eyes took a turn in a different direction. They started to get darker. Before long, I became the mommy of a brown eyed boy.

Very pretty brown eyes.

But they're not just brown, they have a little green in them as well.

The older he gets, the more green they become

I always wanted kids with blue eyes but that was before I realized how pretty brown could really be.

I am excited that not only will I get my brown hair/blue eye combo with Cody and Cade, but I'll also get my little brown eyed boy. Probably the only thing any of them get from me. :)

This is the life

I was trying to get Cody ready for school this morning. He's not such a morning person, so getting him out of bed can be a challenge on some mornings. This morning was one of those days. I finally had to threaten him. Either he got out of bed, or he didn't get to go to school. (I, for one, would have chosen to stay in bed but Cody loves school and hates the weekends when he doesn't have it! Weirdo!)

I got him dressed and I was in the middle of putting his shoes on when he laid down on his back, with his hands behind his head and said, "this is the life!"

Well, I guess for him it is! I bet it's nice having someone dress you while you lie comfortably on the floor not doing a thing!

Guess who will be dressing himself tomorrow??

At least he can cook his own breakfast...

Still a little worried...

Cade will be turning three in just 19 days. I should be excited and planning all the fun stuff for the boys (Cody's birthday is just two days after). This year, I'm kind of nervous. Not because he's getting older, but because he's still not growing.

He's almost three and he's still wearing size 18-24 month clothes and a size 5 or 6 shoe (depending on the brand). He can fit in the same clothes he wore last year! Now, he has grown a little, but not like he should. He still only weighs 24 pounds. We will go back to the doctor for his 3 year check up and find out exactly where he stands. Three months ago he was still not on the charts but had made a little progress so they wanted to wait and see him again on his birthday.

We have taken him to specialists and no one seems to be able to find anything wrong. We have changed his diet because one doctor said he seemed to have a problem with Gluten but after months of not seeing a difference, we were able to introduce some of those foods back.

The doctors keep saying maybe he's just a "little guy". That's fine if that's the case but he has stomach issues as well that we can't seem to find a cure for either. I'm not a doctor, but I'm thinking the two are related...just a hunch.

If he is just a "little guy" then great, so be it. However, if there is something wrong, I would like to find out sooner than later. TJ tells me not to worry about it. Cade's smart, seems healthy, is active, etc. I just can't stop thinking about it though. Cade is almost three and his 18 month old brother can wear the same size clothes and is only one shoe size smaller. At Cole's doctor appointment last week, he weighed 23 pounds. Cade's not going to be too keen on the idea of having to look up to his younger brother!

I am not going to put him through unnecessary testing or anything. I am going to "keep watching it" like his doctor says but it's still hard. I watch him around his friends and he is so much smaller than they are right now. When we were at Cody's basketball game, Cade was playing with Tristin's little sister. I used to think his little sister was tiny. She was always so petite. Now, she's taller than Cade.

Hopefully he has grown a little these past three months and I've been worrying for nothing.

He might be small, but he's got a very big personality and I sure love my little guy!

and he's very cute...

Basketball Injury

This is Cody's third season to play basketball. Basketball and baseball are definitely his two favorite sports. Every season, he learns something new. He has learned how to shoot, dribble, pass, and that assisting in a shot is just as important as making it.

Today he learned that bouncing a ball between his legs can be VERY painful!

The boys were just warming up. They were taking shots and playing around. Cody wanted to try bouncing the ball between his legs like Ty and his friends can do on their team. The first few times were a success because he sort of just passed the ball though. The final time, the last time he will probably do it for a very long time, was not so successful. He bounced the ball hard on the ground and before he could help guide it though his legs, it shot back up and hit a bulls-eye.

Cody was rolling on the floor in pain within a second.

I didn't know what to do, I have never been in that situation. In fact, I am pretty sure Cody has never been in that situation. He was just holding himself and saying his stomach hurt.

When I asked if he was alright he said, "No! The ball just hit my junk!"

Well, that entertained everyone watching!

Awesome, just another thing he learned from his older brother. I'm glad my four year old refers to that area as his "junk".

He got up within a few minutes and played his game. TJ wouldn't let me take a picture of Cody on the floor. He thought that would be a little heartless! He doesn't realize pictures make these stories that much better!

So, I only have these...

Obviously his "junk" is feeling better.

Hiding tips

When in doubt...hide!

There are times during the day when I just need a break. I need a few minutes to just get away. Even when the kids are behaving well, I still need a few minutes here and there to myself. The boys have all been on their best behavior lately. We have worked on some stuff (ok, I have worked on not losing it so easily with them) and there has been a significant decrease in whining. From them as well!

There are still times, however, when I need quiet. I need to take a breather and, for just five minutes, not have little ones hanging on me needing drinks, snacks, toys, their noses wiped, their faces clean, their diapers changed, etc.

So, I hide.

I lock myself in the bathroom, sit on my closet floor, or pretend I'm doing laundry in the laundry room. I'm not trying to get away from my kids, I am just trying to find a quiet spot. I usually find them something to do, sneak the computer away, and hide.

It takes them no time at all to find me, but they have figured out not to bother me too much. Cade will knock on the door and ask what I'm doing and I'll make something up. This usually will buy me five more minutes. Anything is better than nothing.

I have different places I go depending on who is home and how much time I need. When I get a phone call, I usually go in the closet. My closet is in my bathroom so there are more doors for the kids to have to go through to find me. There is also a small "hall" between TJ's closet and mine so I can sit back there because the kids usually forget that part exists.

When the older kids are here and I don't want to be bothered, I hide in the laundry room. I do this because if the kids think I'm really doing laundry, they wont come in there in case I decide to put them to work.

When I want a little extra time, I hide in the bathroom. The boys usually think I'm taking a shower and think know I can't hear them if they're knocking on the door or screaming my name...over and over again!

When they start getting older, they'll realize what I'm doing. Hopefully, by then, they'll understand why I'm doing it. Maybe then I wont need to hide because they'll be self-sufficient and I wont be needed as much.

Wishful thinking? Yeah, I thought so...

My boys are great, they're the best things that have ever happened to me. They're still young though, they still need me for everything, they still depend on me to do what is best for them. So until they grow up a little, until they can start doing a little more by themselves, I will continue to hide. Trust me, this is what is best for them right now. It doesn't make me a bad mother, it makes me a smart one I think. A few minutes alone makes me happier which in return, will make them happier!

*Cole's hair cracks me up in this picture. He just woke up from a nap and his hair was wild!*

There are times when I'll be hiding and I'll hear a crash, a scream, or continuous fighting and that will be a premature end to my quiet time. For instance, the sound I just heard means one of the kids just knocked something off the shelf in the living room. It sounds like my "shower" is done for the day.