Happy Father's Day

Braddo just got back from a man's weekend trip to Lake Powell with the guys from work on Scott's houseboat. Man, was he missed this weekend! My life has been absolutely crazy this week and these items added just a tad bit to the drama: My phone fell in the pool (okay, I dropped it), my computer keyboard broke, our dish remotes stopped responding, the air conditioning went out in the guest house, the pool overflowed and wouldn't stop spilling into the courtyard, and the garage door openers stopped working. I sure learned to appreciate how handy Brad is as our fix-it man! And boy, was I relieved when he came home my rescue last night. I wanted to document Logan's self-typed list of the 10 things he loves the most about his dad, and i'll add to it that I LOVE how Brad keeps this house and our life running smoothly. He is the only person in the world that can tell me what I sometimes need to here. His presence calms the boys down when they are bouncing off the walls, and calms my heart when it is troubled. Of course we get on each other's nerves, and of course we don't have the perfectly peaceful home 100% of the time. We have the fun, stress, excitement, conflict, resolution, and the whole 9 yards of a marriage relationship. But someday I will look back to read this journal entry and remember that I could have never done anything i'm doing now, or anything I will be doing by then, without him at my side.

Also, a note about my dad. I don't get to see dad very often lately. The phone seems a poor replacement for time spent with him when we lived closer. I love him and miss him all the time. The boys love and cherish every memory they make with him. I wish he knew how much I cherish him and my relationship with him. I am proud that I got his eyes, his smarts, and his love for the outdoors. I am proud that he is my dad.

A good mother moment....

The boys have discovered Lion King and LOVE it! Austin and Logan have made a hard week for me be so much sweeter. Logan is just being more obedient and so thoughtful. We are finally back to being best friends again after a long power struggle. He made Austin a mickey mouse pancake with a bowtie all by himself this morning. Austin is now calling me "mommas" with a lispy s instead of "mom". He has started to twirl my hair while I hold him. So funny! He is repeating things I say and trying to sing the Dora theme song as he runs through the house. And he is giving me kisses all day long. These boys are, like all kids, exhausting and stressful. But sometimes they bring enough joy to make me feel like I'm going to bubble over.

I have a 7 year old!!

Oh, my sweet, sweet little angel is no longer little, but he can still be sweet. For the most part, he’s as hyper and independent as could be. Logan’s birthday party was a really high-energy day! Like always, Logan LOVES throwing parties. He was very helpful to get set up and get the invitations out to his friends. We decided to stay indoors for the celebration because the weather was chilly. So, this meant hauling 13 crazy, smelly, loud 7 year olds to Laser Mania for laser tag and miniature golf. The best part of that ordeal was leaving at the end! We all came back to the house for light saber cupcakes, popcorn and presents. He really does have some fantastic little friends. This age is just a new adjustment to try to understand what must go through their little brains before they talk or act! We celebrated as a family the next day with grandma Tammy, Rachie, and Molly. Logan was ecstatic about his wiggle car (no more arguments over  Austin’s, yay). He was totally shocked when dad pulled out a BMX bike! (By the way, the next week he watered his wheels and headed down the driveway, ending in a curb face plant and a panic-ridden ride to the doctor's office for the day- it was aweful and Logan's septum will never be the same!!)

He also got some other fun toys that will keep both he and Aussie busy for the summer.

Now I want to attempt to describe what Logan is like at this phase in life. He is the most creative, exhausting little engineer I’ve ever seen. He has a strong, stubborn personality. As I try to “bring him in,” and discipline him, he pushes right back. Logan is a very expressive child. He has a very intense love for life and needs a variety of channels to get his energy out. Logs is quite the artist and scientist. The projects that I can think of from the last few weeks are taking apart one of my wall clocks, fully disassembling my old sewing machine motor with his dad, building a bowser castle out of crackers, setting up a lemonade stand without lemonade (with a $50 membership fee along with ownership rights), making a customized pinecone birdfeeder, cutting out a mummy costume out of one of his shirts, trying to dye a green flower blue through it’s roots, learning his own version of “The Entertainer” on the piano, and drawing a large collection of eyes, aliens, and monsters from another planet. Logs likes to get a lot of affirmation to know that he is on the right track. He is affectionate and sensitive about making sure he gets to express how he is feeling.

Logan reminds me of a motor; he starts a lot more projects than he actually finishes, and couldn’t care less about the clean-up! Logs sees no boundaries, no reason something can’t be done if he tries or negotiates enough, and absolutely no limits to what he is able to do if he wants it bad enough. Logan is a very good friend, and a natural leader. He is talented at helping other kids and making them feel good. He is a great student who asks a lot of questions. He knows how to pump someone up and get them excited in a split second. Logan is a very agile athlete, and LOVES, LOVES being in playing on his sports teams. He is an excellent piano player, but REFUSES to accept help from me! So stubborn! So smart! I love this boy endlessly, and he sure does give me a run for my money!!

Oops, i accidentally spit on everyone's cupcake!

Valentine's Day

1 of 3 projects in 1 morning: saltine castle, eye drawings, pots and pans band.

He's a little baller

Here's what his new BMX bday present did to him!!

Baby Aussie at 21 months

Austin has grown SO much, SO quickly. His verbal skills just started to soar this last month. This could be in large part because of the fact that he ditched his te-tes (binkies)! Brad cut the ends off of both of the tetes he always had attatched on to his shirt. He stuck them back in his mouth, said yuck, and that was literally the end of it! Phew, what an easy and unexpectedly clean break! His little belly and toosh are as round as ever before, but his words are a constant reminder that this boy has graduated to TODDLER status! He loves to slide at the park, throw rocks in the swimming pool, walk without holding my hand in parking lots, and pitch a fit now and then when things don’t go his way (which is rare). Aussie still calls his brother Wanna. Blanket = ninight. Brad’s car still= daddo. Reese= any girl that I like. Mom = any of the 4 grandmas or Steph. Mommy= me. He also says, “I don’t know”, “Oh no!” and “Where did it go?” a lot. Sock, shoe, outside, bubye, candy, down, ouch, nana, apple, bike, water (anything but water) and kakah (chocolate) are other common words. He still does a bit of his hilarious mumbling before spitting out a meaningful phrase. He has mastered most of his animal sounds, though a stranger would never, ever guess which was which. A duck says ka-kah, and a fish kisses you. “My ring tone is set to “Don’t worry, be happy. When he hears it ring, he sings “Happy, happy, happy.”

Aussie hates getting haircuts. He LOVES hearing the birds chirp and reading bedtime stories with daddy. Brad amazingly got Aussie to start going to sleep with NO TEARS! He positions Woody, Buzz, monkey, and baby in place and then Austin yells out for mommy and Wanna to come say goodnight. He laughs and giggles as we give him his kisses, then he is off to la-la land. It melts my heart to see him so happy to fall asleep after all these months of fighting it tooth and nail!

       Aussie has a special love for grandparents. Grandma Joann and grandpa Doug have stopped through and slept over twice this spring, and Austin just can’t get enough of them. He absolutely adores all of his Grandmas. 

A new U.S. citizen in the family!

Brad felt very compelled a while back to pursue getting his U.S. citizenship.  Braddo has always and will always be Canadian, but after filling out a lot of paperwork and attending several grueling interviews, he has been able to change his “Resident” status to “Citizen” status! What an AMAZING experience to attend the ceremony! In attendance were people from all over the world. Many of them were able to share their personal stories of trial and triumph. The program did a beautiful job of reminding me what it truly means to live in the United States of America. I will never forget the feeling of that day. Thanks to mom for being his sponser, and to his family for allowing him to have dual loyalties!

Aussie at 19 months

Baby Austin at 19 months:

Aussie LOVES when his great grandparents come to visit

bye-bye binkie!

The video above is small and hard to see, but he's sleeping and eating at the same time- what a skill!

It’s time for nursery and this boy is loving it! “Dadd-yyy, daddy ugh ugh uuuugh!” (In other words, “Check ya later mom! Dad, could you hang out in here for a while until I know that snack time is legit?”) Austin is still a daddy’s boy and becomes more so by the day. Dad leaves to work = Aussie cries at the door. Dad comes home from work = Austin is squeeling with excitement from the sounds of the garage opening. He calls Brad’s car the ‘daddo’ and often repeats the words, “bubye daddo,” meaning, “Let’s go in dad’s car this time!” He calls Logan “wanna” every time, without fail. He loves to follow Wanna around and copy whatever big brother is doing. Austin is OBSESSED with his wiggle car. He and Logan ride that and the tricycle around the house all day long. Aussie also loves his Buzz and Woody stuffed animals along with his matching pajamas. Austin’s use of words is unforgettable! He MUMBLES these hilarious sounds in his own special little language, with tone fluctuations, head-nodding, and all. He knows exactly what he is talking about, and has endless things to say! “mumblemumbleunintelligble shoes!” He always throws a word on the end of each phrase.

hide-and-seek, straight to the closet every time

He has broken my glasses to the point of no return

He insists on going outside....

Come rain or shine

sucker lover

and chocolate lover

He has a very particular love for Stephanie. When she is around, he wants her to hold him non-stop. When Steph and I get done with our workout at the gym, he ignores me and holds his hands out until Steph picks him up. He also favors Reese over Lily. He calls for her all day long! “Reese, bubye, Reese” as he points to the door. Austin is definitely use to being on the fly with me during the day. He wants to get outside and get cracking with the day as soon as Logan is ready for school. Aussie is a fantastic eater. He’s a good little sleeper too. He still cries every single night of his life as we put him to bed, and every morning at 11:00 as he goes for his nap. This little man is the lightest sleeper on the planet. I hope that I never forget what a cuddly, loving, and sociable little bug he was as a little guy. He laughs and smiles and teases all the day long. He loves to read books and sit by daddy on the couch to watch “hotey”. Aussie also LOVES getting in the shower with daddy! Having clothes on does not stop this boy from running into the shower every morning. I love watching him observe the birds and the bugs. Being outside is his happy place- he’s just like his mommy. He comes with me on the Razor to get Logan after school, hat and gloves flapping in the chilly air. I feel incredibly blessed that I have had such long periods of time to spend with my little boy, just as I did with Logan. Don’t get me wrong, I will LOVE having siblings who are closer in age than 5 years, but what special, sweet memories I have been able to make with each of these little boys as we explore the world for their first time.