Tuesdays......

Tuesdays have always been a tough day around here. It's the day that both kids are home with Chris while he still tries to make ends meet at the job site..... Tuesday is a day when we expect:

1. the house to look like a tornado
2. the day that we pull the Dino nuggets and mac and cheese out for dinner
3. the day that we just don't give in to schedules and "being somewhere"
4. the day that Chris needs to go back down after dinner and "finish his day"

I have always been really proud of Chris for making this work, I understand it isn't easy to answer phone calls, while someone is crying in the background, or a customer ask "is that Dora playing in the background" But he always seems to make it work. Some days are better than others, as kids have grown out of naps and need a little bit more attention, but he manages to have our kids stay home with him and has built some great relationships with them around this cluster that we call Tuesday. Our Tuesdays will remain busy and hectic but next Tuesday the load will lighten a bit as our hearts become a little heavier....Ms. B will be starting public school and we can't hardly believe it. Now granted Chris will still have the kids home in the a.m. but after lunch some pretty excited tike is heading off to school for the afternoon. Her "daddy day" will slowly be dwindling down to a half day this year and then a full day next year. So Dad know that you have done a great job at multitasking and taking care of these nuggets and they love that day at home with you, but before you know it that day will be filled with "just work" and then our Tuesdays will just be "leisurely" filled with making sure we get to the bus stop in time, getting them to after school activities, getting dinner on the table etc etc etc.... I guess it never really ends the tasks just shift.
One of my favorite things to do after I know the kids have been home with Chris on Tuesday is to pull out the digital camera and flip through the pix - it kind of gives me a glimpse of how the day went and what he had to deal with......These were what I found last Tuesday......I can't imagine what the big deal is.........Doesn't look like you have anything to occupy your time with :)

Here is to those crazy Tuesdays with Dad!

Objects appear closer than they seem.....

I will admit it my rear view mirror isn't always used for it's intended purpose...
I mean I am not going to lie I have been known to occasionally bend that shiny tool my way to:

1. check for that piece of food that might be lodged in my tooth prior to exiting the vehicle
2. apply a fresh coat of Kiehls
3. gasp in horror as I catch a glimpse of my now apparent John Stossel stache staring back at me.
4. glance to check if I really look as cool as Gwen Stafani singing the lyrics to "hella good" (BTW I never do....haha

But I am a Mom now I need to stay focused on the road - I know hands at 10 and 2, seat belt on, kids tucked into their respective straight jackets (car seats), cell phone tucked away, but somehow that rear view mirror is always at a slight tilt not so much at me anymore its aimed back at my two little nuggets - sometimes the things I catch in my rear view mirror are some of my favorite moments......

1. Brady falling fast asleep the minute the car has been turned on for more than 10 minutes and his cute little face resting on his cheek as if it were the fluffiest feather down pillow he has ever experienced.
2. Brooke sacked out from going 100 miles an hour but doesn't care that her head and neck are not leaning on anything but just dangling in a constant head bob, all the while never waking up.
3. Watching Brooke stare into the mirror singing Fergie "big girls don't cry" at the top of her lungs and seeing Brady in the same frame with his finger up to his mouth making the "shhhh" sound to his sister"
4. Catching a glimpse of Brooke trying to read books to her brother and hearing her say "Brady let me hear you say monkey, Brady look at my lips mmmmmmmmonkey"
5. Both the kids screaming Weeee every morning as we have renamed Laraway Lake "roller coaster road"
6. Catching Brooke waving a finger at me in a disciplinary fashion and stating "Mom get your hand in the window, that is dangerous" when I try and be 10 again and do the hand worm in the gusty force of wind...
   

I could go on and on - the rear view mirror I know it, it is there for my safety and I should use it accordingly, but it has also proven to be a camera of where I can take snapshots of what the two turkeys that I continually can't take my eyes off of in fear that I might miss another cute interaction or fade away into dreamland ......oh yeah and one quick peek for me to make sure no kid has spilled, drooled or wiped anything on my outfit before I head out into public.


Thanks turkeys for making my rides so enjoyable, albeit not that safe.........

Memorable convos with the BROOKIE....

B: "Hey mom why are the Olympics in China?"
M: "Well they pick a new country and city every two years for the Olympics"
B: "So they will probably have it in Ada next year?"
(internal thought - we can't even get a decent Mexican restaurant here.....I am sure they could throw a few billion for building the Olympics around the sweet Grand River!)

a little background on this one - Brooke is becoming very attached to this boy Clayton at school - he is a sweet boy and they have a great time - I picked her up today and he ran to give her a long embrace and a weed that he picked at recess......he then asked if he could come over and play......too cute..... So there has been a lot of talk about this Clayton character......

M: "How was school today?"
B: "Great, except for Clayton and I had a sad day....?"
M: "Oh no what happened"
B: "I don't want to talk about it today, maybe tomorrow"
few days later......
B: "You know what the problem with Clayton was?"
M: "No what happened"
B: "Well Devin wants to play with me, but Clayton wants to play with me too....."
M: "Wow that's nice, so did you all play together?"
B: "No, because Devin didn't want to play with Clayton....and then Clayton and I were just sad the rest of the day...."
M: "Well maybe tomorrow you can figure out a way to get everyone to play together"
B: "Mom you just gave me a great idea...... (and this I kid you not.....) But our lives are really really hard right now"
(oh I feel your pain......I wish my biggest concern of the day was who the heck am I gonna play with!)

Things that make my heart skip a beat......

The fact that when I asked "hey girls do something silly" All three of them as if on cue looked at each other and in unison stuck out there booties and started giggling hysterically!!


The fact that in 14 SHORT years this lil man will be not just pretending to drive but legally will be able to.....I mean i can just hear it now "Mom smell you later me and the guys are heading up to Woodland mall....."




This one speaks for itself....again no idea why it is sideways - but this lil thing needs a stage STAT.





Seriously there is a reason salons stay in business or the hair dye aisle in Walgreens has to be restocked hourly - it is for thoughts like these that these corporations thrive :)

A July Whirlwind.....

WOW - really August already???
July was a BUSY month for us - hence a few weeks from my last update..... we have had a revolving bed and breakfast happening for most of the month and then had two child free weekends so that schedule doesn't lend me much time for uploading photos and debriefing..... so this one might be a long one in order to recap some of the ins and outs of the last few weeks!

We started out with Brady Bug's second b-day (you know the only day in July that it rained!) we are two for two with the weather..... He got lots of goodies and able to spend the day with family and friends!
Grandpa and Grandma were in town from AZ and the kids got to spend some great quality time with them :) They did the beach, the pool, the zoo, parks, movie nights......let's just say they didn't want for much


Next we had a EMERGENCY Nanny 911 episode at our house when we had a break in the action and Ms. B could download all her naughty behavior into one hellaious night! It was unbelievable ....most kids when put in their room normally try to come out and make amends - oh not our "lil angel" she would come out of her room with such force and get in our face as if she was an umpire in the major leagues getting ready to throw Joe Torres out of the game (imagine spit flying from rapid talking, head bobbing, hands on hips) this chick doesn't hold back...... I seriously can't imagine who she got this from (silence mom and dad - I was at least in my teens NOT 4) So we had thrown down the hammer and took EVERY possession out of her room (unfortunately placed in our room that now looks like a flea market) to be earned back each day, unless we have another episode where then Mom and Dad get to pick items to be given away to kids who can behave :) So far so good ........ These pix are just to remind me of her ridiculous behavior as well as capture the cleanest her room has ever looked. The first night after "the incident" the two items she took back were her beloved boom box that she jams out to CONSTANTLY and her blankie......So as the days improve her room looks a little less like solitary confinement and our room is starting to look a lot less like a Salvation Army donation center......OH Vey.....

Notice her Pink radio and her ratty blanket were the first to come back!

M&D the lucky recipients of the drama......The rest of the days are filled with swimming, girls nights, escapes with hubbie and that was July folks.......Looking forward to soaking up every last inch of summer that is left!