Rejuvenated!

I didn't want to leave on such a cliffhanger.  I have climbed down from the "CrazyTown" ledge.  ;)   Mostly due to lots of Daddy time Chris has had with the boys over the weekend.

On Thursday evening, Chris took all 3 boys to James's soccer practice.  (For all of us moms, this sounds like "not a big deal" and also very much a big deal.  As you know, we've done this 100 times alone and are well versed on how much of a struggle an hour and a half long practice can be trying to entertain those who aren't playing while watching and cheering on whoever is playing, all at 7pm at night.)  But Chris took everyone and said they were "great" for him (of course!).  Meanwhile, I was home alone.... and no one asked for water or a snack or accidentally spilled milk on the carpet or needed a diaper change or wanted to be held or needed help changing out batteries or called out "MOM!!" every 2 minutes.   It was wonderful!

About 15 minutes after the boys left, I received a text message from Cortney asking me how I swung that magnificent feat!  (I laughed when the text came in since I knew she'd find it funny when Chris rolled up to practice with all 3 boys and no Mommy!)  She sent me this picture as proof that everyone was alive and well behaved with Daddy in charge.  Whoda thunk?!

On Friday night, I went out to dinner with several girlfriends to celebrate one of their 30th birthdays.   We had a great time!

After dinner we stopped by this new(ish) wine bar in downtown Fayetteville.  What's really cool about it is that you load a card with however much money you want to spend and then you can "taste-test" as many wines as you'd like.  The dispensers on the left side of the wall allow you to pick and choose different wines and they pour out directly from the wall.  You can get a sample, a 1/2 glass, or a full glass (and pay accordingly).  Or, of course, you can purchase an entire bottle to share there.  

I've also been able to get several good workouts in the past few days which always make me feel better!  The boys love swinging on the rings...

For dinner tonight we had grilled flounder and steak with roasted asparagus and cherry tomatoes.  Yum!

So, all in all, the past 2 days have been really good... and Pete's cold is finally gone so while he still loves his mama, we've been able to separate from the hip just a bit over the past 24 hours.  All is right with the world again.  :)

J-U-M-P...

Yes, that's exactly what I feel like doing.  Petey has officially driven me to the edge with his I-have-to-be-right-beside-you-or-I-will-start-to-cry behavior.  Seriously... what gives?  It's not even like I'm that nice.  WHY do my children want to be around me all of the time?  On my lap when I'm at the computer.  Smack-dab next to me on the couch.  Beside me in the laundry room.  In...the...bathroom.  Basically rightnexttomealldaylong.  Sigh.  Chris tries to help but he's at work all day.  And then when he returns, it takes Pete a little bit to warm up to him again.  Sigh.

But, when I was "cleaning" out my iPhone this morning I came across this video of Henry talking to me over the summer (at my mom's house).  I was reminded of God's plan.  He purposefully makes children funny and cute so you don't give them away.  Or put them out on the curb.  Or place a "for sale" sign around their neck.  Not that I've thought of doing any of those things, of course...

(Forgive all of the "interruptions" during our conversation.  And in case you are having trouble understanding him, Henry is asking me-- presumably in a British accent??-- "Do you have any sores, my lady?" and then he switches to, "Would you like some tea, my lady?")

Yesterday when I dropped Henry and Gabby off at school, I noticed a great big picture the class drew, entitled "Friends," on the wall leading into their classroom.  I looked the whole picture over, looking for Henry's name and then I found it.... next to a big mess of color and circles and a little man.

Me:  "Henry... what is this?  Did you draw a picture of your friends?"

Henry:  "Nah.  I drew a picture of a magician in a bottle instead."  

Me:  "Ahhhh, yes."

It ain't easy being 3rd...

First, your mother forgets wet wipes... and doesn't realize this until after you inhale an ice cream sandwich at Sam's Club...

Then your germy older brothers bring home a sick bug...

Then your father misses catching you and you fall down two steps and land in the door frame...

Man.  Life's tough when you're the 3rd boy I guess.  Poor baby.  Fingers crossed for a better day today!

The neighborhood...

Well, I think we had everyone.  At our house.  Most of the weekend.  James and Nicolas have befriended two new boys who moved in up the street from us.  William and Waylan seem to fit right into the mix and are polite and sweet and fun for the boys.  Of course once you add Christian and Jonathan and Kenton... well, I suppose it's a party.  A party Chris would rather not be invited to ;) but I think he's realizing very quickly he's outnumbered!

Here are a few pictures from the boys playing this weekend...

The first of MANY bike races...

Playing Cops & Robbers... again.

Nicolas and James taking a quick break...

Henry blowing bubbles with our new neighbors...
They have a 4 year old son (Tyler) and a new baby boy (Brayden),
Which makes me wonder... doesn't ANYone make girls anymore??!

Now Chris is getting in the spirit!!  Ha ha.
William, Waylon, and Chris taking a rest break...

Once the boys got tired of chasing each other, and riding their bikes and scooters, they all came inside and played in the playroom for the rest of the afternoon.  And while it seems crazy to have that many boys over at once (7 total), it really wasn't.  The boys are all kind and well-behaved... and I don't have any problems sending everyone home if they aren't.  It's worth the extra popsicles, and cheese sticks, and juice boxes, and clean up time, to know that the boys are safe and happy and that their friends are too.  I certainly don't mind having everyone over because I think the older the boys get, the more important it is to know what they're up to and who they're hanging around.  And the best way I know to do that is to have their buddies over.  And feed them.

Chris agrees.  Sort of.   ;)

Pete's new trick...

Seems harmless enough, right?!  But no, it isn't.  And let me tell you why...

1.  He hasn't figured out how to actually hoist himself up entirely so he lingers.

2.  Worse yet, he hasn't figured out how to get DOWN from that little small incline.

3.  Which means he calls my name CONSTANTLY until I remove him.

4.  Or... if I don't get him right away, he loses his grip and, like this morning, falls backwards.  I suppose it's the equivalent to rock climbing the way he makes a show of it.

5.  And then even after I remove him (or he falls), he climbs up almost immediately again because inevitably the big boys have left something tempting RIGHT AT THE EDGE of the table.  Look above... there are markers (that's a treat when Pete gets ahold of them), part of a muffin, stickers, and a used lollipop stick.  Lovely.  And even more lovely when I find them strewn about the house... Love, Pete.  

Happy Friday, y'all!  ;-)

Henry's 1st day of school!

Henry started pre-school this morning.  He is now in the 4-year-old class and even has his best girl, Gabby, in the same class with him.  He goes from 9am-1pm, Monday- Thursday.  He was excited to go this morning but even more excited to wear the new "American dog" shirt Gigi sent him for the big day!

Outside of his classroom

Putting his lunch box away with Ms. Paula's help

Checking out his classroom...

Playing trains and cars with Gabby & new friends...

Brothers

I'm going to miss him during the day!

Adding his name to the class rainbow...

Gabby, a bit nervous...

And, in grown-up news, Chris has been working hard getting our home gym in great shape!  It is awesome and SO much fun!  The boys enjoy playing and "working out" too.  The best part about the CrossFit routines is that they're usually fairly short so we can do them alongside the boys.  This past weekend, Cortney and Jeff came down (along with a friend of theirs who was in town) and we had 5 "stations" set up for time.  It's really a ton of fun... come join us!

Henry and Pete helping tidy up after a workout...

Along with the new gym has come a vow to eat even healthier.  Yesterday Henry and I made homemade "power bars," with nuts, stone ground oats, flaxseed, applesauce, and other yummy good-for-you ingredients...

So that's the news over here.  Hope your week is off to a great start too!

Labor Day Weekend...

We've been enjoying a relaxing Labor Day weekend.  Daddy had to go in to work all day today so while he was busy, the boys played in Cortney's water slide (while the adults got a chance to catch up), and then we came home for lunch, ordered Toy Story 2 to watch, and relaxed on the couch...

Then we had a stuffed animal party!

And then around 4pm Mommy was just about DONE for the day and proceeded to text Daddy every half hour, which went something like.... "Are you leaving yet?" to.... "HOWMUCHLONGER?" to.... "I'm selling our kids."

You know, the usual.  ;)