The Week in Review...

Henry continues to enjoy putting puzzles together.  

He dragged this 500-piece puzzle out 30 minutes before bedtime... natch.  

Peter continues to enjoy eating his toenails.  Seriously!?  Chris says it's clearly a mutant gene of mine (since I was a former nail bitter.  Oh!  You didn't know?  I gave that up this year.  Eating your nails is so 2012!)

No explanation necessary.  Nothing sweeter than a baby and his bunny snuggling.

My main man.  ;)  In one of my bracelets.  But he wears it well, no?

The little boys (at 7am) making popsicles.  Heaven help us... these two want Zoku pops all damn day long.  In their defense, it's super cool (and healthy) but tiring for mama nonetheless.  E....NOUGH.

Petey being a good Bunny Daddy.  He offers Bun-Bun his food, drinks, beloved popsicles, and even his suckie...

Henry is in love with Charlie and I'm quite certain the feeling is mutual...

James and a spelling assignment.  Each week he has to do several homework assignments with his spelling words and we've finally figured out a way to make (one) part of it less painful.  Hooray for us!

And, seriously?  This dog drags his bedding out of his crate, out of our bedroom, and into the kitchen to nap.   Funny, isn't it?

So there you have it... our week in review in pictures.  :)

Dadisms...

Dadism:  "Have I ever told you girls about the time..."

I can't tell you how many times my dad started a story like that.  And it always involved some trouble  he and his buddies got into growing up.  Since dad was an Army brat, he and his family traveled and lived all over the world... to include Germany, Hawaii, and Japan.  They'd just moved to Japan when a little girl accidentally dropped a metal bar on top of my father's right hand, permanently severing the tips of each finger off on that hand.  He said he was so disoriented, in pain, and in shock (not to mention brand-new to the country and post), it took forever for him to find the right house.  When he finally found his mother, the doctors were afraid he was going to die because he'd lost that much blood.  Then there was the time he broke his collar bone.  And the time he broke his arm.  And his nose... a couple of times.  He was always climbing, falling, or getting into something.  Dad said as soon as he woke up in the morning, he left the house and returned only when he had to.

Although the quality of these pictures is poor (they're photographs of photographs), there is no mistaking how much James and Peter look like my father I think!

Tell me that doesn't look like
Peter sitting on those steps!

Diane, Grandma Billie, Great-Grandma Henrietta,
Great-Grandpa Eugene, Dolores, and James...
I mean, my dad.  ;)

My father and his sisters...
again, the resemblance to James is uncanny I think!

Diane, Dad (Randy), and Dolores

I could definitely do without any bodily harm, of course, but I love the energy and spunk my dad passed along to our boys!

Like a WEED!

Yesterday I took James in for his 8 year-old physical.  He stands 4 feet, 8 inches tall and is exactly 75 lbs, which places him off the growth chart again for height and in the 95% for weight for his age group.  He's only a foot shorter than I am at this point!  Which may explain how I spent $500 in groceries in only SIX days last week!  Can you believe that??  Neither could I.  :( Except when I see how much my children eat... and apparently grow!  It's a great thing of course... just less so on the wallet.

Peter love, love, loves his "Bames"....

So do we!

James is 8!

Yesterday was James's 8th birthday.  There really isn't a way for me to explain how very much I love him except to say he is exactly who I would've picked for a son if I could have. 

James got to pick anywhere he wanted to go for his birthday dinner (Chick-fil-a!) and afterwards, he opened lots of cool gifts from his grandparents, his brothers, Mommy and Daddy, Aunt Megan, and Cousin Laura.  It was like a mini-Christmas over here again!

James asked for a "football and soccer" cake.... so Henry and I improvised by making these cupcakes for him, with soccer plates and napkins on the side.  (And what are the odds that I had BOTH on hand, neither of which James knew about?  Man, sometimes you actually win one as a mother.)

We're having his "friend party" at a Laser Tag spot in town next Saturday which he's super excited about too.  All in all, I think he had a fantastic day!  

Rain Man...

Peter is talking more and more lately.  Almost every day he says a new word which has been really fun to listen to... except when he gets on "Rain Man mode" of repeating himself.

His absolute favorite request (asked at least 100 times a day) is, "I wan' can-can" which means, "I want candy."  Of course you do.

And here you can hear him asking over and over again to ride Henry's bike.  "I wan' bike.  I wan' bike.  Mommy....I wan' bike.  Mom.  I wan' bike.  Mommy..."  

I love how he bribes Charlie to come to him with a "treat and candy cane."

And... we're back on candy.

More Hank ramblings...

Henry:  Mom, can we build James's new Lego kit?

Me:  No.  I've already told you this at least ten times.  I don't know how to build them.  We have to wait until Daddy can help us.

Henry:  Or James.

Me:  Hmm... right.  Or James but preferably James and Daddy since there are so many pieces.  

Henry:  Yeah, 'cause they can build anything.  Well.... except houses.  [Pause]  And puppies.

Me:  Right.

[Another pause]

Henry:  Or sweatshirts.

Me:  Right again.

Sweet Jesus, he is always talking!

The last 24 hours...

Mommy woke up with a stomach bug and Peter woke up with the worst case of bed head anyone has ever seen....

Seriously.  On a boy??  How is that possible?!

 We did lots of looking out the window and playing with trains...

And apparently chilling in the dog crate...

But then today, Mommy felt better and we got our nails did!

My shadow wanted to join me...
and picked "glittery gold."
(Making Daddy proud...)

Everyone's feeling back to normal again over here, thank goodness!