Aunt Julie's Visit

Last weekend, we had the wonderful opportunity to visit with our sister-in-law, Julie, while she was in town for a few days.

On Saturday, we met her, her friend, and her dad at her US home. While we weren't much help, we tried to do what we could (The Lime filled in cracks in the floor in the kitchen and family room, I dusted baseboards and filled in holes in the walls, LaVor replaced a light in the pantry, filled his truck up with stuff to take to the thrift store, and replaced a smoke alarm, and Doodlebug screamed). Julie's dad had flown in from out of town that day and Julie and her friend were so tired from working all week that we decided to meet up again for dinner on Sunday.

When someone comes from an area of the world where the food is amazing, you hit a wall when trying to think of what to cook for them. Thankfully, tacos aren't very prevalent in Switzerland so LaVor whipped up a delicious spread for everyone to enjoy. Seriously, I devoured the meat for the next two days. Amazing!

After dinner, we soaked up their company and caught up. Doodlebug is an identical twin to Julie's second son, and Doodlebug must have felt something because he didn't leave Julie's side.

The whole weekend, she kept saying, "I feel like I'm looking at my little Jonah!" She sent LaVor a picture Saturday night, of Jonah at the same age, and they certainly do look exactly like each other.

Julie's dad asked if we got the Ensign. Unfortunately, we just read it online so he suggested we look up the story he contributed! How awesome is that?! Check it out if you get a chance. "You Know It's True!"

They had a busy day ahead of them and soon it was time for them to leave. We were super sad they couldn't stay longer (Doodlebug especially. He had to stand at the door and watch them until they drove away) but we were so happy for the time we got to spend together.

Julie has got to be one of the happiest, most positive, uplifting human beings I've ever met. She's funny and kind and we were happy to share our boys with her in exchange for delicious treats.

We hope to see her and the rest of the family soon!

100 Days

Today is The Lime's 100th day of school! (We have four more months until I get him all to myself! Woo hoo!)

Like I think most kindergarteners do, he had to bring in a collection of 100 things. We walked around Target and I threw out every idea I saw; stickers, straws, balloons, candy, post-its. He turned down every suggestion I had.

He got a couple cards for his birthday and decided that's what he wanted to include in his project; 100 greeting cards.

Saturday night, I cut out 100 miniature greeting cards out of scrapbook paper and wrote various messages on them. I drew a chart on his poster board so he'd know where to glue each card. As LaVor and I prepared dinner Sunday night, we asked The Lime to finish his project (simply gluing the cards on the board). It took him about five minutes before he exclaimed how hard and boring it was and he needed help. "Dude! I did the hard part! All you have to do is glue them on!" I said. He fought with us for the next two hours about finishing. Finally, he did it and I realized we have our work cut out for us for the next twelve years.

I'm going to guess his teacher hasn't received a collection of greeting cards, so even though it was like pulling teeth for him to finish his work, I'm glad he's able to think outside of the box and be creative.

Boys Will Be Boys

People ask me all the time if we'll try for a girl. One, it's none of their business. But two, I secretly love being the mom of just boys.

We were at my Grandma's house a few weeks ago when the bug guy came to spray. It didn't take long for The Lime to catch on and start pretending he was a bug guy. Then Doodlebug saw how much fun he was having and wanted to join in. I must say, I love these bug boys much more than the ones who used to move into the area during the summer and take over the YSA ward.

They sprayed the lawn, around the outside of the house, and even tried to exterminate me.

I love them and their sweet imaginations.

Last Monday, the rain took a break and we were able to soak in the sun and warmth and play outside for a little bit. Because we've received a lot of rain (hallelujah!), the ground is super saturated and the dirt is muddy. A boy's dream! I had hesitations of allowing them to play in it but LaVor told me to relax and let them be boys. So I went inside of the house.

Not too long after, I heard laughing and screaming and knew somebody fell in. It was Doodlebug. Into the bath he went and into the washing machine everything else went.

There's not a whole lot of sugar and spice around here but we love our snips and snails, and puppy dog tails.

Doodlebug - Tally Mark 20

-Says "thank you" (in his own language).
-Loves playing with The Lime's Legos.
-Loves oatmeal.
-Can buckle himself into his car seat and highchair.
-Likes to play hide & seek behind the shed at The Lime's school.
-Three new teeth have barely erupted and one more is just about to poke through.
-Won't sit still long enough for me to even out his haircut.
-Does this funny running/marching thing.
-Figured out how to unscrew things (the milk carton, toothpaste).
-Still tucks his arms underneath his chest when I hold him.
-Likes to make gargling sounds like The Lime.
-Can still take two naps if I time it right but sometimes only gets one nap, and somehow we manage to survive those days.
-Is becoming a happier, more fun to be around kid the older he gets. Hallelujah!

The Lime - Tally Mark 72 - Part 2

-Likes doing his own hair.
-Is teething (6 year old molars).
-Decided he likes pastrami sandwiches.
-Wants to be in the Coast Guard so he won't die (apparently that branch is immune from catastrophe?).
-Wears size small shirts, size 7 pants, and a 13/1 shoe.
-Speaking of shoes, he loves hi-tops.
-Never remembers what he did at school when I pick him up.
-Tattles on himself.
-Overuses the word "like"...a lot.
-Sings often. Our favorite song right now is Stressed Out by Twenty One Pilots.
-Inherited my motion sickness. Can't play on the iPad in the car like he used to.
-Does the hang ten sign with his fingers at least once a day.
-Thinks he's the smartest person alive, but asks you not to ask him addition problems.
-Still talks about his pretend friend JJ.
-Is the best 6 year old we know!

The Lime - Tally Mark 72 - Part 1

My Sweet Boy,

As I sit here typing this, I can hear the rain tapping on the roof just like it was doing six years ago. At this time six years ago, my body was doing its best to prepare to bring you into the world. While that was our special day, I'm glad that we're celebrating it now and not re-living it :)

What a year you've had! You played two seasons of t-ball, you traveled to two new states, you experienced death for the first time, you started down your path of education, and I think you've grown a foot or two (okay, maybe not that much but I feel like you'll be taller than me any day). We found out you're allergic to chicken, turkey, raspberries, and peaches. The poultry doesn't bother you but you've been begging for the fruit once we told you you couldn't have it anymore. Maybe one day!

You seem to be six going on sixteen. You want to be "cool" and dress like older kids but you still bring Lucifer wherever we go. Your little attitude has gotten you into some trouble this last year but we're hoping you're getting it out of your system so by the time you are sixteen, you'll be a doll.

One of your biggest fears about starting school was if you'd know anyone in your class. Not only have you made some best friends in your class, you have lots of little friends in several grades. You take after me (in more ways than one) and recognize kids while we're out and about. You're aware of everything and can usually tell me what class they're in, yet I don't know if they all know you. And that's okay!

You like to be read to at night. We've read every Berenstain Bear book we have, several times, and just finished your Eyewitness Book about WWII last night. You might be a little young for nuclear bombs and concentration camps, but your desire to learn history is strong. You are a lover of old things. You still haven't been to Alcatraz (me neither!) but let's hope this will be the year that we make it happen!

If we'd let you, you'd stay outside all afternoon long and ride your bike. Back and forth, up and down the driveways, you go. You are the neighborhood chatterbox and have no problem striking up conversations with any of our neighbors. You're the first one to say hi and the first one to wave. You love them and they sure love you. You've even got this connection with the teenage boy across the street. He waved to you one day and you said, "I think we're best friends!" He calls you bud and says "what's up?" and you think it's pretty cool. His name is Hank and he also plays baseball and drives a Ford truck, which I think makes him even cooler in your eyes.

Just like in previous years, you've dreaded getting older. But just like 5 was an awesome year, you're going to have just as much fun as a six year old!

Even though we've spent more time apart this year than ever before, and I hate being away from you, I've loved seeing you gain confidence, knowledge, friendships, talents, and experiences. I hope that you use all of your amazing potential for good, and remember what I tell you everyday when we kiss goodbye: "Make good choices!" You're a smart kid and can do great things! And I can't wait to see what those great things will be.

Thank you for being my sweet boy, my Freddy, for giving me hugs and kisses, and jumping into my arms and onto my back. Thank you for holding my hand and getting excited when I work in your classroom. Thank you for wanting to snuggle on the couch and asking me to play with you. You are a sweetie pie and I wish you a majestic sixth year of life!

Love,

Mommy

Dinnertime Shenanigans

I love food. Love it! But when it comes to dinnertime at our house, I dread it. I dread thinking of what to make, I dread making it, and I dread sitting down to eat it. Because without fail, someone will complain and object. And it's usually one (or both) of these two.

We need to go grocery shopping so I'm down to using whatever we have on hand to whip something up for dinner. Last night was potato hash, scrambled eggs, and sourdough toast. My scrambled eggs are looked down upon compared to LaVor's so I knew it'd be a fight to get The Lime to eat them. Doodlebug scarfed his down then threw his arms up and said, "Ahhhh!" which means all done. We were off to a great start! Thankfully, The Lime said I pre-mixed the eggs well enough so he ate all of his. But then I had to try and convince both of them to eat their potatoes (which had salami, bell peppers, and red onion in them) and their toast. That's when things got interesting...

Doodlebug kept his mouth shut tight, whipped his head back and forth, swatted the fork away; he tried everything to prevent the food from going into his mouth.

The Lime tried distracting himself from the task at hand. A little coloring and playing dead was way better than eating your dinner.

Time ticked by and voices were raised, tears started flowing, and some even began gagging. But everyone finished their dinner (even the sourdough toast that tasted like vinegar). By the time dinner was through, so was I.

Even though I dread it every night, I absolutely positively refuse to cater to their little pallets and make three different meals. If there's anything I learned from when The Lime was little it was that everyone eats the same thing (we used to feed him the toddler ravioli and such and then it hit me, "Why are we doing this!?!"). It's a pain in the butt to deal with stinkers at dinnertime but I know it'll pay off in the end.

After WWIII erupted and then quieted down, so did the boys. They played, wrestled, loved on each other, and made me realize that those 30+ minutes of pure chaos is nothing compared to an eternity of happiness.