This one...

He's too much.  First I found him like this...

Those are "boomerangs" in his hands he told me and a "Batman cape" of course (he even did the chip clip by himself).  Got it.  A few minutes later, this is what I saw...

Clearly the 90 degree weather today made Batman take off his cape... but shirt too?  And why the sullen, sad stance?  Turns out his BFF across the street, Jonathan, was napping.  Got it.

When I finally convinced him to come inside and play with me instead for a bit he turned to me and said, "Even when I'm a big number like you, I'm still going to love you."

That kid is a piece of work.  But I'll tell you what, I loooooove him!

Weekend fun...

This weekend one of my good friends and college roommates, Alison, came to visit with her two kids.  They live in Seattle, WA so it was a special treat to spend the weekend with them!

Everyone woke up super early both days.  At least these are sweet faces to wake up to!

Mae, 2 1/2 years old 

We spent lots of time outside, especially since it rains so much where they live.  They were happy to see the sun!

Whitaker, 11 months...

Pete, 14 months...

We went to James's soccer game on Saturday.  Here he is playing!

Unfortunately they had to leave early Sunday morning because their daddy was flying in from WA but we had a great visit!  After they left, I took the boys to Monkey Joes to bounce off some energy!

 Where's Pete?  

We had a great weekend and hope you did too!

Ouch!

After Henry's Little Gym class today, we went to lunch with our new friends, Carmen and Lily.  Bobbe, Carmen's sister, and I were close friends at West Point.  Last week when we were at gymnastics, I turned to Carmen and said, "Gosh, you look familiar!" After we exchanged names, she realized the connection! Turns out we'd each seen each other's picture from Bobbe but had yet to meet.  Small world, isn't it?  Anyway, she's fantastic-- just like her sister-- but that's not what this post is about.  This is....

Henry said he had to go to the bathroom after lunch and wanted privacy.  After a few minutes I went to check on him and this is what I found.   I immediately thought, "Really?!?  Why aren't there child sized toilets in public??"  I imagine this happens all the time with friends who have daughters, no?  This is unacceptable.  Funny.  But totally unacceptable.  I suppose the positive way to look at it is at least he's figured out a way to keep from falling in!  Poor kid...

Another Diego fan...

I don't know what it is about our boys, but they've all been obsessed with Dora and Diego at some point.  James is too cool for either now but he used to love them so much we took him to see "Diego LIVE!" in Washington, D.C. when he was 3.  Henry still has a crush on Dora but gets so much flak from his older brother, he pretends he doesn't like her anymore.  When James is at school though, Henry will still request a Dora show and will sometimes even bring out all of his Dora dolls (he probably has 5!).  Diego remains a fan favorite with Henry and since it's the "older" of the two shows, James tolerates it.  What's funny is that Pete shows an interest now too and loves dancing to the intro.  While he doesn't notice other children's TV shows, he loves Dora and Diego!  It must be in their genes...  :)

Guess who pooped in the tub tonight??

If you guessed this little shit, you'd be right...  :)

I guess it's my fault for feeding him tacos for the first time tonight.  Lesson learned.  He was also caught with three k-cups that he'd opened with his teeth, right after I'd gotten him dressed in his pjs.  Coffee was all over him... to include in his mouth!  Looks like we'll be up all night... probably with diarrhea (from the tacos and coffee).  Good times.

It's my lucky day...

This morning I had to go to the Fayetteville DMV to renew my driver's license.  (Cue the horror music, complete with shrieking in the background.) When mom and I were at the bank over Spring Break last week, one of the women helping us noticed my VA license had expired.   Sheer terror ran through my veins when I realized she was telling the truth.  Ugggh... I took the NC driver's exam 10 years ago when we were living here.  And I FAILED it... without any kids hanging off of me asking for more fruit snacks.  How many of you know how fast you can pass moving cattle???

I rest my case.

I have been dreading getting a new one, and have been trying to think of ways around it, but came up dry.  Plus, every time I got behind the wheel lately I'm completely panicked that I'm going to get pulled over for some traffic violation and end up having to pay gazillions of dollars for driving with an expired license.  (Cue Chris telling me over and over again, "I told you so" which is a fate worse than death.)   I've looked like a NUT driving lately... the only person going five miles below the speed limit, with my hands steadfast at 10 and 2.

All of my fear was for naught though because the entire process could not have been any quicker or easier.  Seriously... when have those words ever been associated with a DMV?  I am certain the answer is never.  But it's the truth!  Not only did I pass the test this time but the whole process (including a run to the ATM because I didn't have the $40 in cash to pay) took less than 30 mins.  Nothing short of a miracle.  I've been home three hours and I still can't believe it.

It was also Pete's lucky day.  I let him hang out in the refrigerator for a full ten minutes while I got dressed for said DMV visit.  This is his favorite spot in the house, with his hand in whatever food he can reach.  Today's find was a healthy one... whole grain noodles from last night and a cup of milk.

 Good boy!  He was busy long enough for me to even throw a little bit of make up on for the picture!

Everyone wins!!

Dadisms...

Today marks one month since my father passed away.  I really don't know if it feels like he's been gone longer than that... or less than that... or if it's about right.  In some ways it feels like it's been a long time since I've been with my dad.   I think about him all the time and I try to imagine what he'd say to me during the day.  Every month, on the 17th, for this next year, I'm going to write about my dad.

Dadism #1:  You have to work to kill a kid.  

This was actually a phrase he started to say to me shortly after I had James and then reiterated over and over again after I had Henry... and then Pete.

"Beth," my dad would say, "God wasn't dumb when he made babies.  See how fat yours are??  That's intentional.  That way they ROLL.  Stop hovering.  You give me a headache watching you hover so much.  You have to work to kill a kid.  He's okay.  Re---lax."

You know what?  Even though dad was being silly, he's right.  Kids are resilient.  They're meant to thrive... even if I don't stand over them and watch their every single move.

That being said, my father would've been the first one to point out if one of my kids wasn't "right."  Before we realized Henry was very smart dad would jokingly say, "I hope all the smiling that kid does, doesn't mean he's... you know... simple."

SO much of me, and what I find funny, is from my dad.  He had a very dry, witty sense of humor and I think that's what I miss the most.

I don't recall the joke my dad told me, but here I am laughing at something he said to me right before walking down the aisle at our church rehearsal.

Speechless...

Yesterday afternoon the doorbell rang and the UPS man handed me a big box.  I couldn't imagine what was in it but smiled when I saw the return label... the Crow Family, our dear friends.  The gift inside took my breath away...

It's a framed print that reads "...love will find a way..." with a heart here in the US and a heart in Afghanistan.  It's just perfect.

Here is a picture of it hanging up, on the entrance wall by the master bedroom...

I am certain I have the most wonderful friends in the world.  Thank you, thank you, thank you... you have all been so good to us.  Your kindness and love humbles me.

The kindness of friends...

One of my best friends from college, Chrissie, sent me the most beautiful card and gift today.  It read:

Beth, we are so very sorry for your loss.  Your father was so special, unique, and loving.  I'm better for knowing him.  I got this necklace for you with his birthstone.  Hopefully having this and wearing it will keep your heart at peace.  Love you, Chrissie

Wasn't that such a wonderful idea and beautiful note?  I love it all... the kindness, the gift, our friendship, her.

First Sprinkler of the Season...

The boys had a great time playing in their new sprinkler today.  The weather has been beautiful lately-- high 70's and blue skies...

James, Christian, Jonathan, and Henry playing...

And here's a picture of Pete today in the new "Life is Good" shirt Gigi got him.  He loves school buses!

We had a fun day doing a whole lotta nothing!

Pete's Favorites...

So, Pete is shaping up to be quite the little boy.  He's quickly finding his place in the bunch and loves being part of the action.  Here are a few of his favorite things these days...

It's a toss up between big brother Henry and bath time and when you combine them both, this is usually Pete's reaction...

One of Pete's favorite games lately is "High 5!"  Here he is practicing with Daddy...

And, of course, Pete's all-time favorite pastime is watching his big brothers do anything they're doing.  Pete and I took this video of the boys playing football with Daddy before he left...

Although he is growing much too fast, at least Petey still wants nothing more than to cuddle with his mommy... and he's the only one who gives me kisses any and every time I ask for one.  I wish I could hit the "pause" button for a bit.  The days can definitely be long and hard, but there is nowhere else I'd rather be than next to these three crazy boys we made.

Easter Day...

We celebrated Easter Day at my Aunt Barbara's house this year with many of our aunts, uncles, and cousins.  It was a wonderful day!  As always, I thought I took more pictures than I actually did but here are a few from Easter morning...

Gigi and her boys...

The boys love baby Margo... 

Henry celebrated his 4th birthday with his cousins a little early...

James, Henry, Grace, Keegan, and Liam watching Henry open his gifts...

Cousins Henry and Keegan... so sweet...

Laura and Margo... can anyone believe she's had 3 babies in less than 3 years??  She looks fantastic!

We had a wonderful holiday and feel very blessed to have spent the weekend with our families!

Easter at the Midberrys...

We all had a wonderful evening with Grandpa and Ita Midberry a few nights ago.  Marta organized a really fun scavenger hunt for the big kids and an egg hunt for the little guys.  The boys loved it and we all had a great time!

James, Mom and Marta before the Hunt...

 Henry and Grandpa with their findings...

 Cami and Dana after the scavenger hunt...

 Mom and Pete watching the action...

The Easter Bunny brought the boys lots of candy and toys the next morning too.  And yesterday we celebrated Easter at my Aunt Barbara's house and had another egg hunt.  Shew!  I'm surprised the boys fell asleep last night, with all of that chocolate running through their veins!  I'll be back with those pictures soon.  Happy Easter!

Another goodbye...

We said goodbye again to Chris yesterday.  I guess we're getting "good" at goodbyes lately but they're still crummy.  Here's a pretty family picture before we left for the airport...

And here are a few "outtakes"!  :)

(Don't mind all that empty soil... mom's in the process of having the front re-landscaped.  Should be pretty when it's finished!)  Anyway, that about sums up the goodbye.  Chris turned to me as we were leaving and said, "Can't they ever be serious?"  Ha ha... nope!