We are still here!

Sorry no posting in awhile...we have just been in

BRAZIL!!!! going to the beach, lounging by the pool, drinking limeades, and hangout with Todd's family.

Posting has seriously been the last thing on my mind. But now back to the real world so pictures will come soon! Happy New Year!

Say what?

I realized there are a couple of things I would probably be saying a lot less if I had two little girls instead of boys. They are:

1) "Seriously! Butting heads is NOT a game!"

2) "Point it down! Point it down! Awwwww.....you peed on me again!"

3) "Sweetheart, just because we are walking by a basketball court, it doesn't mean you have to talk in a deeper voice..."

4) "I swear if you throw that dead bug at me I'll dip your head in the toilet! Wait...you don't actually like that idea, do you?!"

5) "No, honey, that apple is not a ball. Neither is that candle. Or that fork."

6) "Please, don't jump off that! Or at least wait until I put a cushion under you..."

7) "Stop pulling my hair."

8) "Sure, you'll sit with dad and watch football all night long, but you won't let me watch 5 minutes of HGTV!"

9) "I'm not painting your toe nails."

10) "You can either buy this ball or this chocolate bar." (Me pushing the chocolate bar towards him.) "Really? The ball? Again?" I shouldn't give options.

I LOVE my boys!

unexpected visitor

The sickies have come to visit us. They showed up early Sunday morning, and are still making their presence known.

Poor Zack has been taking it the hardest. He has been suffering since their arrival and is still not completely recovered. Todd was sick all yesterday, but seems to be doing better. So far, I've been okay (knock on wood) and so has this little man.

I hope they leave us soon! The sickies are no fun at all!

A couple random notes:

I finished reading The Diary of Anne Frank. I'm not sure if I read this before or not, but it was like the first time. It was amazing, to say the least. One of my most favorite books ever read. Anne just blows your mind with her insightful thoughts and views on the world. Love her and this book.

A little girl at the library kept telling her mom she wanted to take Brody home. I thought it was cute, and the poor mom had to keep giving her child reasons why they couldn't kidnap my baby. It wasn't until the mom looked at me and said "My little girl has no idea how lucky she is being the only child! She will never have to compete for our love and will get everything she wants!" that I got annoyed. Really? Everything she wants? Except a baby brother or sister. And what happens when her parents are dead? She will be totally alone. I didn't say any of this since it's not in my character to be harsh, and I didn't know if maybe this was her excuse because she couldn't have any more children. Either way, the lady should learn some manners!

Lastly, my little Zack is growing up so fast. It amazes me the changes in our relationship that have occurred in just the last 2 years. It has always been a good, strong one, but the level Zack needs a mom is always shifting. Since Brody has been born, Zack's independence has been on overdrive. It makes me sad to realize he's not my baby anymore, but at the same time I love watching the bond between him and Brody grow. They love each other, and it's the most beautiful thing in the world to see.

That's all the rambling I have for now! Happy October! Eat turkey and drink lots of shasta!!!!!

family pictures!

Erica Kirby did our family pictures again this year! They look so amazing, and the trees are so beautiful. I love this time of year with the leaves all changing. Here is one picture. More to come later!

Halloween!!

My boys at the trunk-or-treat:

Here are Zack's friends that he hangs out with every Friday night. We do a babysitting trade off, which has to be the best idea ever! It's so nice to have a built in date night, and Zack loves his girlfriends!
The big kids with their baby brothers:
The baby boys:

Zack about ready to go to the trunk-or-treat:

Trick-or-treating at Todd's work:

Brody trying rice cereal for the first time. He didn't really like it...
And have I mentioned this kid hates his car seat? Here is his look of total betrayal as Todd strapped him in:
Playing with dad at the park:

Why I Love Cate

She leaves comments like:

"Peeing with the door closed is so over-rated."

I just wish I had her voice in my head all the time so I could keep the right perspective!

For those of you who don't know: Cate is my sister-in-law. She is married to my older brother, Matt, and they are the ones living in Scotland right now. I would post a picture, but our computer with the pictures is in Brody's room and he is sleeping.

Halloween pictures to come!

monster

I bet you didn't know this about me, but sometimes I turn into a monster. Devil horns, pointy teeth, claws...you wouldn't even recognize me.

The person who pays most dearly when I'm like this is my poor, abused husband Todd. He is always there to swoop in and handle the kids while I take a 30 minute time-out in my room. Alone. With a book. And hot chocolate.

Then I'm back to normal Joy and can handle baths, dinner, and maybe throw in some cuddling if the claws are truly all retracted.

I know I'm not, but I sometimes I feel like I'm the only mom who does this. The only one who can't handle my kids 24/7, and sometimes wishes I had a real job or career I could lose myself in. How wonderful would it be to take a lunch break at a non-kid restaurant, pee with the door CLOSED, or be able to quietly sit at a desk for hours with only my own thoughts for company.

I know I would miss my kids. I would miss the smiles, cuddles, and fun ice cream treats. I would miss the two-year-old conversations. I would miss Brody's laugh. I would miss staying in my pajamas all day.

But sometimes, just sometimes, I miss myself even more. The Joy who knew what kind of music she liked, who knew the latest fashions, who slept in, who had the time to be vain every day and not feel guilty, who saw the new releases instead of waiting for redbox, who had much more time and much more patience with other people's children, and whose biggest accomplishment of the day didn't revolve around a little person going poop on the big boy potty.

This is not a pity post. I'm not going back to work, or saying I wish I never had kids. I just want to look back on this blog/journal and remember being a mom was not always fun and wonderful; it was hard work. I woudn't trade it for anything, but I also want to acknowledge what I, and all my stay-at-home friends, are giving up. We are all smart, talented people. Most of us have some sort of degree. We all could be successful in whatever job we wanted, but we choose to stay home with our children because that's what matters most right now.

I've just been thinking about all this stuff a lot lately. Sometimes I get so eager for my kids to get in school so I can finally get a job and have a life outside the home, I forget to enjoy the days right now. I know I'm lucky to have my children here, especially when I hear stories of people losing theirs.

See? If you didn't believe me before, I'm sure you all agree I'm a monster. Who doesn't always enjoy their children? What kind of mother actually has bad weeks instead of bad days? Who dreams of working?

I can see I've been rambling for way too long now, so let's see some pictures!

Here is what we have been up to here:

Hanging out at home:

Band aid mustaches:

Playing with favorite cousin, Charlotte:

Going to a pumpkin patch:

Zack finding his perfect pumpkin:

Carving pumpkins:

Watch Brody discover his toes. He can also roll over now!

"Do you need to potty?"

Can you guess what we are in the middle of? Two days ago, Zack decided he was done with diapers and wanted to wear his big boy undies. I was sooooooo nervous, but to my surprise he didn't have any accidents at all the first day! Yesterday was a little bit more tough, and today has been nothing short of horrible, but I feel like we are in the slump with nowhere to go but up. So on we go!!!

I feel like I should note just how much I love my little Zack. He has accomplished so much in his short two years, and I'm so excited to see what he will do in the future. Some of the amazing things he is doing are (And please don't think I drill my kid into knowing this stuff. He just picked most of it up.):

* counting to twenty in English, and to ten in Spanish

* knowing almost all his letters

* knowing almost all the shapes, his favorite being the pentagon

* saying random things in Spanish and Chinese (thank you Dora and Kai-Lan)

* throwing a ball with more strength and better aim than I can

* being an excellent big brother

* knowing how to make me laugh by saying things like "What's up, dog?"

and soon to add to the list:

* potty trained! Woot Woot!

While the Zackys away...the bug gets to play...

Why do I call Brody "the bug"? Hummm........ Let me see..........
Now that I think about it, I'm not so sure. :) (For those of you who really don't know...it's his humongous bug eyes.)

Today Brody and Zack had different nap times so I got a little picture-happy with the B-head. He is such my little angel baby.

I tried out the Bumbo with him and the little stud did perfect. Barely three-months-old and already holds his own!
My new favorite of him:
Did I mention you should lock up your daughters? Because this guy is serious heart trouble. Blue steel pose:
I LOVE this picture. It looks all dreamy with the sun making the lighting all fuzzy which is perfect since he is my dream baby!
Some adorable smiles:
And a serious one:
Here is Zack all during the photo shoot. He was totally out. I discovered my favorite channel, HGTV, is perfect for making him fall asleep.

Other then just playing around the town we haven't been up to much here. Getting ready for fall and all the great holidays coming up. I'm sad summer is over, but excited for all the fun things we have planned for the rest of this year. Happy October!