My Summer Motto

It isn't a successful summer day unless my kids are messy and outside.  Today was a successful day.  We were first back in my hometown at a graduation open house for a relative and then at Tyler's farm going through logistics for the wedding next week.  I think my boys are going to be the cutest ring bearers ever.  Hopefully Jax will walk down the aisle himself and not have to be carried on the groom's shoulders though.

Then after getting back on this gorgeous day I had what I plan on being a very typical summer evening at the house.  The boys playing in the back yard while I get dinner ready, dining outside and then running around the back yard getting wet and messy.  The boys were in heaven, so was I.

No More Hunger Strike

For MONTHS Jax has been a very picky eater.  The kid would seriously live on Ritz crackers and cream cheese if I would let him.  I can't get the kid to eat any meat, vegetable or pasta and he passes up former favorites left and right.  Well the last few days has finally started to see a very small but present light at the end of the tunnel and got much brighter tonight.  For the first night in forever, Jax finished his entire meal and it didn't consist of crackers and cheese or breakfast!  He ate fish sticks and fruit.  We still need to work on the veggies, but hey I will take a win where I can get it.  I told him how proud I was of him for trying and eating his food.  He is starting to understand that and gets excited when I tell him that.  So stinking cute.

The Best Laid Plans

We had a full day planned for today.  I had a spin class at the Y this morning and the boys were all excited to plan at the kids area there.  Then this afternoon we were meeting a friend and her son at the pool in our neighborhood for some fun in the sun.  The boys got up and I got us all fed, dressed and out the door, VICTORY!  They happily let me buckle them into their seats and then away we went ... about 10 feet before I stopped realizing something wasn't right.  Yup, my tire looked like this.

We weren't going anywhere anytime soon.  I think I could change a flat on my own, with the proper equipment and without two very "handy" helpers at my side. I didn't have the equipment though and did have the helpers, so I called in reinforcements.  The boys loved watching the guy that came out to change my tire.  Jax kept offering to help which for some reason the man didn't accept.

While the spare was quickly put on it took the rest of the day to deal with getting new tires (yup two as it turns out another was on the way out).  So no gym for the kids and no swimming with out friend.  Luckily we were able to meet up with YaYa for a very late afternoon swim at the playhouse where the boys decided to spend the entire time jumping in the water.  It is their new favorite game and I love that they are getting so comfortable in the pool. It is going to be a great summer, just hopefully with no more flat tires.

Rainy Days

Rainy Days mean wrestling matches in bed.  Love these wild boys.  

Brothers United

Today I had to put Jax in timeout.  After doing so a perfectly happy Miles went over to sit next to his big brother. Miles then sat there crying and giving me dirty looks. Gotta appreciate the solidarity at least.

Date Night with the Bestie

Tonight I got the rare chance to hang out with my best friend without any kids in tow.  I had tickets to Book of Mormon (thanks to an anniversary gift from J a month for he left) and Paige came up to be my date.  While I adore her kids (and being their Aunt Birdie) I loved having time for just the two of us to hang out.  The play was pretty hilarious as well.

Strawberry Fields Forever

Spending a summer day picking strawberries is just about perfect. Jax was all about getting strawberries for his bucket. Miles treated the field like his own personal buffet. Both boys came home as tired sweaty messes. I love summer.

We Have Arrived

For over a year now I have had two little ones and the nighttime routine has been an exhausting one.  Even though Jax has been an easy sleeper since 6 months old, for a very long time Miles was not.  Then even after Miles started falling asleep on his own, both boys would run around like little maniacs before going to bed.  What is it about that time of day that brings out the crazy in kids?  Trying to get them both to bed at the same time took lots of energy, and patience.  When both of us were home, Jasper and I took a man to man approach with each person taking a child.  Well since October I have been on my own for many more nights and by the time they are asleep it is all I can do to just collapse on the bed for a good hour to recover from the day.  Then of course there was the fact that Miles was waking up several times a night and Jax was waking up at 5am every day.  Have I mentioned I haven't been getting much sleep these last few months?  What got me through this tough time of sleep deprivation was 1) my kids are still ridiculously cute, even in the early hours of the morning, and 2) I knew that at some point this phase of parenting would end.  Well I can confidentially say that time as come.    Miles has been sleeping through the night, without so much as a peep overnight, for over a week!  For weeks he has teased me with a night here or there of sleep only to go back to his pattern of waking up the next night.  This week long period though really feels like it is here to stay and I feel like a new person.  Also Jax, thanks to his big boy bed, now sleeps until 6:30-7:30.  It has been AMAZING. 

On top of our awesome new sleeping patterns, I can say that the boys and I have really found our groove in our bedtime routine.  Sure they still may run around a little while we get ready for baths, but Jax is old enough now to really listen to me and Miles, well he just wants to follow his big brother around.  I have been reading stories to them both at night in Jax's bed and tonight was the sweetest night yet.  Miles sat in my lap and Jax leaned against me with his head on my arm as I read book after book.  Jax and I took turns "reading" as he has many of the books memorized and can recite them to me as I turn the pages.  Then when we were down Jax leaned over to give Miles a big hug and kiss.  I took Miles off to his room to sing him his song and he happily laid down in his crib and gave me the biggest grin while saying "bye bye."  Then I went back into Jax's room to sing him songs and lay in bed with him for a moment.  I love that special time with him.  When he looks me in the eyes as I sing his favorite songs.  First "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," then "I See the Moon" following by "Jesus Loves Me."  I thought we were done at that point and told Jax good night.  He kept saying "monkey bird, monkey bird" and I couldn't figure out what song he was asking for.  Then I realized he was saying "mockingbird" which is "Hush Little Baby."  So I laid next to him lightly stroking his back singing "Hush Little Baby" as he closed his eyes, just like my mom did for me when I was little. 

Some moments with these boys just take my breathe away, tonight was one of them. 

When the Cat's Away...

When the cat's away ...Miles will play!

Miles loves Jax, Jax loves his red hat, therefore Miles loves Jax's red hat!  So almost every day that Jax goes to preschool is a day that Miles likes to run around the house in Jax's beloved red hat.  We have tried getting other ball caps from Miles to wear, but they just don't compare.  I think my parents are going to need to go back to a Red's game soon because we might need another hat! 

Big Boy Bed -- FINALLY

After it was time for Jax to graduate from a toddler bed to a twin size, we just did a mattress and boxspring on the floor at first.  This was because Jax HATED toddler railing so if he fell out of the bed I wanted it to be close to the floor.  Well that was months ago and I have been meaning to get him a true bed for some time.  I finally purchased a bed thanks to a furniture sale at Pottery Barn Kids and today it arrive!  I have been talking up this big boy bed to him for days and he was really excited when the men arrived to deliver it.

So tonight when it was time to go to bed Jax ran upstairs and jumped into bed. 

 He seems to really love his big boy bed. I love it as well, except that it makes him seem so old.

Update:  Jax slept in his new bed starting Monday night.  Though his usual wake up time as been between 5-5:30, he has woken up at 6:45, 7:15 and then 8 am after I went in to wake him up!  Really hoping this continues!

A Break from the Cold

Today was a warm(ish) day and the forecast for tomorrow is more cold so we seized the opportunity to break out of the house and head to the park.  My mom wanted to tag along which I always love because I could really use an extra set of hands these days.  I am thinking that really should have been on my list to Santa, maybe next year.  Well the boys had a blast.  Miles is becoming a little wild man who takes off and climbs everything with no reservation or fear.  He wants to do the big slides not the little ones.  He wants to climb up the slides, go down them backwards, take off for the bridge (you know the type with no sides so he could easily slide off).  Good times. 

So between chasing a one year old who thinks he can do everything for himself when he can't, and having a two year old who can do the stuff himself, but wants you with him, things are getting interesting to say the least.

Poor Jax is such a little city kid.  All these other kids were running around acting like it was a warm day out (it was in the 50s).  Jax was acting like he was freezing.  If I could only get him to wear gloves I think he would want to play outside more in the winter.  The kid likes the coziness (and heat) of his house I think. 

Say Cheese!

I never tell Jax to "say cheese" when I want to take a picture of him and now I know why. I get this face when I do.





Crazy kid.