Days Go By...

And with each day, I get further and further away from my last blog posting. It's been on my "to do" list for weeks but something always comes up when I try to sit down to type. Excuses can only get me so far so I'm forcing myself to sit down at the computer before anyone wakes up this morning to finally make a post. So much has happened since the last post on March 2nd; I'll do a little recap.

We went home to Louisiana on March 13th - it was wonderful to spend time with family and friends. Jackson had the best time playing with his cousins. His favorite activity the entire week was mud riding with Kolby. He was in pure heaven on the back of that four-wheeler! My two little guys are country boys at heart, I learned that very quickly. The week flew by and when the time arrived to head back to Texas, Jackson was so deflated. For the first time in 3 1/2 years he did not want to go home. As we lifted off the runway that Saturday, he could see the marshes below and began crying huge crocodile tears. He was going to miss his family; and to tell the truth I was too. It was one of the best trips we had ever had...

Well, once back in our neck of the woods, our schedule was packed with activities. We had a Trophy Club family camp out at Trophy Club park where Jackson learned to fish. He was a natural (according to his daddy). We didn't actually spend the night but it was a great trial run for all of us and we got to meet some very nice people. That next week brought lots of rain but that didn't slow us down - school was in full swing for Jackson and they had lots of fun activities including a tricycle speedway and train rides around the parking lot. I had a blast watching him have a blast!

This past week Bailey and Olivia have been in town visiting. Jackson quickly became attached and now calls them his sisters - if you try to correct him, it won't get you very far. He has told everyone who will listen all about his sisters. This, obviously, has gotten me a lot of inquiries into our "new daughters"? So, Grandma and I took the new sisters, Jackson and William to the zoo and it was exhausting fun (those are usually the best times, though, right?). William's favorite animal was the rooster in the petting zoo. The rooster crowed at him through the fence and he tried to climb through it just to get to it. Jackson loved feeding the giraffes and the penguins, but his favorite thing was the train ride . Go figure!

William has made amazing strides over the last month in his development. I can't remember everything (unfortunately) because he says at least two new words a day and does something new almost as often. Here are some of the highlights:
New Words - "zoo, boo, Gertie, uh oh, NO!, ouch, shoes, socks, I want that, I want juice, Jack, choo choo, Good Night, etc."
New Activities - He will show you his tummy when you ask by lifting up his shirt. He will bring you his shoes. When he wants a new diaper, he'll grab at his or bring you a new one. He can stack four blocks. He plays a mean game of hide and seek with his brother. He gives me "mama kisses" with an open mouth! He climbs up on the bed when Jackson is asleep and pulls the covers off to wake him up. Makes fun noises with the matchbox cars (imaginative play at work!).

This next week will be busy with Easter activities and Mimi and PawPaw will be here for a visit. It's always a busy, fun, blessed time here at our house! Happy Easter everyone... and stay tuned for pictures of the boys in their Easter wear; I promise they will be very handsome.

Who's the Boss?

*The above pictures were taken last night in our kitchen while I attempted to make dinner - I wanted to capture what I deal with when trying to cook dinner every night (okay, most nights). Jackson loves cooking pizzas - this usually involves him eating the dough, sauce, pepperoni and cheese before he even puts it in the oven. Once its cooked, he's no longer interested in eating it. William pulls everything out of all my cabinets. He loves to wear my strainers as hats. Stylish I must say!*

Sometime this week, I had my usual wrestling match (figuratively, not literally) with Jackson over something I wanted him to do and he didn't. In his usual 3-year-old way, he asked me why. I pulled out the old standby, "because I'm the boss and I say so." Since then, he's been relentless with this boss issue. He asks me questions like, "why are you the boss?", "are all mommies the boss?", "are you the boss of daddy?" - so on and so forth. Well, when I went to pick him up from school yesterday his teacher asked me about this boss issue. Apparently, Jackson told her he wanted to be the boss of something just like mommy is the boss of him, William and daddy. Ms. Tammy, his teacher, thought this was hilarious. She told him he could be the boss of the chairs - he had to pick them up at the end of the school day. He wasn't excited about that job, but just to be the boss of something, he did it anyway! He is something else!
The five of us- Maggie, Gertie, William and Jackson- went to the dog park yesterday. I could see the look of pity in people's eyes as they watched me unload these "things I'm the boss of" out of the car. I'm sure they were wondering if I was ever going to stop taking things out of my car. Anyway, Jackson holds the leash while the dogs pull as hard as they can against them, William takes off toward the park like he's a dog ready to be set free as well, and I run behind yelling commands at all four to wait. So, once in there, Jackson started to play pretend airplane with the tunnel used for dog agility training. He asked me and William to join him as his passengers. We climbed in and he announced we were flying high in the sky headed to Lake Charles! He's super excited about our trip home in a week and a half and I have to admit, I'm pretty excited too.
William continues to amaze me everyday - he understands and responds so well to us. He's begun saying "sure" and shaking his head yes. He also answers "yeah." He still loves to eat and I actually had to wrestle a milk shake away from him today at Mc Donald's - one sip and he was obsessed. His hair has gotten so long that he actually looks like a girl. I guess it's time for a cut but I'm so hesitant to check off yet another milestone. David said he didn't mind me waiting to cut it but William wouldn't like it when the other kids laugh when he starts kindergarten with a mullet. So, we may make a trip to the haircut place soon... I want to cry just thinking about it. Guess you can't keep them babies forever (if you discover a way, please let me know ASAP).

"Everything Is Sometimes, Always Easy"

When William was trying to undertake a daunting task this morning, this little nugget of wisdom was given by his older, wiser brother, "William, everything is sometimes, always easy." I made myself a mental note to really listen to this advice from my sweet little boy. What a way to approach tricky things in life! You may see this quote on those little inspirational desk calendars one day and you will know "the rest of the story".
This past weekend we had a visit from Nana and Poppa Wreck. It was a wonderful visit and despite the yucky weather, we all had a great time. William was feeling under the weather Saturday (fitting considering the rain and cold) so I checked his ears with my trusty odoscope (thanks Mom!) and discovered he had an ear infection. Poor little guy - his first ear infection and he was miserable. I do want to say though, that despite being sick and feeling terrible, he is still so sweet and loving. I guess it's his nature to be such a little love bug (my nick name for him is "love bug" and couldn't be more fitting). So, we made our first visit to Cook's Urgent Care (lots of firsts this past weekend) and they verified my "mommy diagnosis" and sent us home with a prescription for antibiotics. We're still working on getting better but it will take a few days to clear up. In the meantime, I'm showering him with hugs, love, and cuddles which, I believe, is the very best medicine. I still long for those things from my mom when I'm sick despite being an adult mother of two! Oh goodness, I'm not even sick and now I'm longing for my mom...
Updates:
William has been watching "Letter Factory" with Jackson and has picked up on about 1/2 of the letter sounds. The music goes something like this... "The A says Ah, the B says Buh, the C says Cuh and the D says Duh..." I noticed him repeating the sounds in response to the DBD with no prompting from me. I have since started practicing with him when we are not watching the DVD. It's amazing how much he can absorb and respond. I don't want to get ahead of myself but we may have a little genius on our hands!! *As an aside, this is a great DVD for children*
Jackson has embraced his role as "Bubba" to William. He's begun saying, "Come to Bubba, William" or "Come play with Bubba." I can see how proud he is when he says this. It is a title he holds very well and I think William would agree - most of the time...

If Only My Life Were A Reality Show...

*Jackson's Valentine's Party at School*

If cameras followed me around, then I could possibly catch some of the hilarious (often outrageous) things that are said in our house. Instead I'm forced to blog about it, which loses over half of the joke because you've missed the spontaneity. That said, I will still attempt to chronicle one of the funniest "episodes" in the Little House.

Scene: Daddy has fixed mommy a Valentine's meal and after both parents get up and down a few times to take care of kid demands, they finally sit down to eat...
Dialogue-
Jackson (who is not eating his dinner, as usual): I'm cold.
Mommy: Finish your dinner and you can sit by the fire.
Jackson: I need a blanket.
Mommy: You are always cold when you are sitting at the table and don't want to eat dinner. Eat and you can get down to sit by the fire.
A minute later...
Jackson: I have to go potty.
Daddy: I just took you to the potty before we sat down. You do not need to go, you're just avoiding dinner time.
Jackson starts to fidget.
Mommy: Are you going to pee pee in your pants?
Jackson: No but I'm pooping in my pants right now.
Daddy: Let's go to the bathroom, now!!

Mommy laughs and laughs. Then finally finishes her cold dinner.

So, you see, life is never boring with two little boys around. I sometimes try to remember how quiet and still things were when David and I lived by ourselves. That seems like a monastery life to me... those were the simple days when I only had to prepare one meal an evening instead of 3. No one pooped their pants at the dinner table. My clothes were not constantly stained with some type of food, excrement, etc. I actually had intimate moments with my husband (sorry but its true). And I actually got presents from my husband on Valentine's Day and not silly cards. I had no clue what Nick Jr., PBS and KERA meant much less had my TV tuned to those channels 99% of the time. A conversation with my husband didn't involve screaming over wrestling toddlers or whispering over a 3 year old sleeping between us...

Yes, life has definitely changed - for the better of course!

Love Is in the Air

Mimi and Jackson playing trains during her visit... We loved having her!

To all you love birds, I wish you a wonderful valentine's day. If you're old and married like me (these terms are relative so let me feel old), you probably just want a nice meal cooked for you without the hassle of putting on fancy clothes, makeup, perfume and fighting the crowds of blissfully happy unmarried couples who are way too excited it's Valentine's Day. So, I'm putting this note in here in the hopes that my boys will take notice - mommy wants a tasty dinner (take-out is just fine), no dirty dishes in the sink when I go to bed, and a long hot bubble bath with a smutty celebrity gossip magazine. That's not too much to ask, right?!

In a tribute to Valentine's Day, I want to write about some of the wonderful things I LOVE about my boys:
The smell of William's hair after a bath. Jackson's laugh, especially when he's not faking it. When my husband nuzzles my neck in the morning after he's gotten up early with the boys so I can sleep in. The boys wrestling with each other - before it becomes too rough, which it always does after about 30 seconds. When Jackson holds my hand. William's tongue kisses - he doesn't understand that you kiss with your lips and not your entire tongue. Reading a book, any book, to them and watching their little faces as they get lost in the story or pictures. Rocking William - which I still do for every naptime and bedtime - and singing "You Are My Sunshine" to him. Snuggling with Jackson in my bed at night; especially when he puts his head on my chest and falls asleep. Smelling David's cologne on me and in the house after he's left in the morning. Bike rides with William on the bike seat of my bicycle and Jackson riding on Daddy's bike - this image will always remind me of Sunday afternoons. Seeing both boys light up when David walks through the door after work in the evenings; and watching their Daddy's face as they jump in his arms. When they say "Mommy" in the sweet, little, innocent voice of a child...

Finally, some quick updates:
William is working on two new words this week. He will point to the sky and say "up!" He has also mastered "uh oh" when he drops something (usually his sippee cup or his pacifier). His hair is getting longer and lighter, and I just love it! He has also developed an obsession with lip balm (an eos mint balm to be exact). He will thrown things, hit things, scream and hold his breath until someone opens it for him. When we open it, he proceeds to attempt putting it on his lips but ends up licking it. Nice, I know... I'm hoping to get a video posted of this little tantrum over mint lip balm - it's hilarious!
Jackson signed his name to a picture from school his week and the J was almost legible. I knew exactly what it was, but that takes some talent and experience in preschool handwriting. We're working hard on learning the letters to his name!

Boys Day

My Little Texan! William was trying on Daddy's cowboy hat as he watched daddy rip out the closet fixtures...

This post is a little early in the week but I knew things would get busy when the Queen arrives in DFW on Thursday. I do not mean Queen Elizabeth... no, no, it's the other Queen - Queen Ramona! However, despite being early in the week, I do have lots of fun things to report so I promise you will not be disappointed. Let me begin with Saturday...

Saturday:
Mommy has an all-day meeting at church so the boys will be hanging with daddy (or as he likes to call it, Boys Day or babysitting). Why is it that when dads keep their children, it is called babysitting but when mommies are the watching them, it is simply the usual... I digress. So, they were having boys day when I arrived home around 3p and noticed David in the garage working diligently on our new closet renovation. What's wrong with that, you ask? Well, that's fine and dandy, but "where are the children?" Not to worry, he has been "watching them through the open door"! ha, ha, ha. Anyone who knows William will understand the humor in this. So, as I enter the living room that looks like a tornado has gone straight through it, I notice both boys still in their PJs and William is covered in peanut butter head to toe. After a long day of an intense meeting, this is not the peaceful serene environment I was hoping to find. Thankfully, my aunt Bonnie showed up an hour later to give me a hand. This also allowed me an hour to go to the nail place nearby and have a pedicure and waxing (that ended with half of my upper lip being removed by the hot wax). I'm considering electrolysis at this point. That, and a nanny...

Sunday:
Daddy wakes up with a terrible back pain and cannot move. Jackson is bothered by his daddy hurting so badly that he checks him over and offers him medicine and a bandaid. This should do the trick! (Actually, daddy was still in pain hours later but don't tell Dr. Jackson). I continue to have high hopes that Jackson will excel at math and science and become a well-known doctor. However, if he continues to have the short attention span he currently employs, this dream may transition to Jackson being a star tennis player (this is my other dream for him). William, on the other hand, seems to be the daredevil so I currently imagine him being a firefighter or race car driver. This will be difficult though because both boys have promised me they are never growing up...

Monday:
Jackson decides that he is going to be very nice to his brother and this will, hopefully, result in William treating Jackson's toys in a way that pleases his big brother (which includes "no bashing", only playing with the ones given to him by said big brother, and watching jackson is awe as he puts on "scenarios" to act out his favorite movies or tv shows). It works - for a few minutes! I will say that last night while taking their nightly bath, Jackson laid his head on William's shoulder and they hugged for a while. I, in turn, laid my head on their daddy and cried my eyes out.

This is today's prayer: Lord, please help my boys understand that their brother is with them through thick and thin. They will never have another brother. Help them to treat each other with love, respect and kindness. I pray they will always be the best of friends. Amen.

*As an aside, I am working on writing a piece about my roles as a mom. I've decided that I only spend about 5% of my time doing actual mom duties and the other 95% doing things I never realized I would do. I can only hope that my bosses will give me some time off from those duties to actually write about them... I've always wanted to write and I hope this will give me that outlet (beyond updating this fabulous blog!).

Good Times, Bad Times (but never boring times)

*We enjoyed a day of beautiful weather at Towne Square last week. That is where I shot these pictures of my beautiful boys. Jackson never stopped running (he's my little Forest Gump) so I had to get action shots only of him.*

It has been a tough week in the Little household... It has brought with it all the headaches (literally) that come with being a mom of two boys, ages active and extremely active (in other words, 3 and 1). It began with preschool drama (yes, there is drama in preschool), peaked with extremely bad weather that had us all jumpy, valleyed with a CT scan for my migraines and ended with William having a very hard day of being sick and tired (I can relate). I am so glad this week has finally arrived at the weekend so that Daddy will be home to make things a little easier on all of us. I'm hopeful that next week will be better - wait, have I just jinxed myself?! You'll have to visit the blog next week to find out... (my poor attempt at a teaser - sad, I know).

Updates on the boys:

Jackson's obsession this week has been Cars 2 and he has played nonstop with the few hundred model cars he has from the movie. He even falls asleep holding them. He also likes to play out scenarios with these cars and today I overheard him pretending one of the cars was William and scolded him for bashing his other cars. Life plays out in drama! His usual way of handling his brother has been to grab him around the neck and shake him, but that's landed him in time out pretty often lately, so he's taking to releasing his frustrations on his cars. I can relate! However, he had a moment of sweetness today for William and tried to hug him and tell him "Bubba loves you". William backed away slowly and gave Jack a look that said, "this must be a trick, what are you going to do to me?" Can't blame him - Jackson is unpredictable and very mischievous.

William's new word of the week - "Go, Go". And, Buddy, when you say it, he heads for the door. Speaking of doors, my little troublemaker can now open every door in the house, including the doors leading outside. We have to be very careful to lock them behind us or we could have a child on the loose. I'm secretly worried Jackson will unlock them on purpose to get a break from his brother "bashing his cars" - see paragraph above. William's new favorite activity is running full blast toward any street or parking lot. It's like he instinctively knows its dangerous... well, that and he loves for people to chase after him screaming "William, STOP!" To him, it's the funniest game ever. To me, it's torture.

This week, I have a simple prayer request - Please pray that God helps me find patience, strength and improved health.

Mommy gets a Vacay

Yes, this tired mama got to spend a weekend in NYC with some other fun ladies. That meant, of course, that Daddy got to take over all the duties for 3 days. It appears the boys had a blast hanging together and had their own "Staycation" - eating out every meal (see evidence above of William enjoying ranch dip for the first time at Central Market), spending hours at the park, mornings lounging in their PJs and watching cartoons, visiting Grandma, riding bikes and wrestling with daddy. At least they were happy... Daddy's to do list was never touched, but I never expected it to be. I had fun, they had fun, so everybody won, right?
So, I've decided to start a weekly "fun things my boys say" portion of the blog, because, honestly they say the darndest things and I want to remember them forever. And, like I said previously, I write this thing so I'm in charge!
So, William is now saying "juice" and even points to the cabinet where I keep the juice cups. Smart little guy! He can never get enough juice so I'm actually relieved he can now tell me that's why he's screaming at me rather than waste time trying a hundred other things first.
On our way to Discovery Day this morning, Jackson and I were discussing how much I would miss him while he was at school. I began to cry because 1) I'm emotional 2) I cry about everything and 3) I'm scared how quickly the time passes and next year he'll be starting kindergarten. When I told him this, he reassured me that he "can't wait to go to Kindergarten." I asked him why this was and he told me, "because when I go to kindergarten, I'll be all grown up like daddy"! I didn't know whether to laugh or continue to cry so I did both.

Because I feel so blessed for my life, I'm gonna end with a short prayer - one that I hope you'll say for me after reading this.
"God, please slow things down a little so I can enjoy this moment, help me to remember to say thanks every day for my beautiful children, loving husband and blessed life, and Lord, please keep my babies mama's little boys forever. :)"

I'm on a Roll... Post #2 of the New Year!

(Jackson lovingly (yeah right!) grabbing William's face as he always does to make a point!)

Well, first, I must document my deep sadness for the loss of our BCS Bowl Championship Trophy. Really, LSU... You let Bama roll over you with a shut out? Ahh, now we must listen to the chatter about who is really #1 in college football, who should've played in the championship. yada yada yada. This has nothing to do with our boys but I had to find an outlet for my ranting and since I've got sole authorship over this blog, well, I make the rules!

I'll be leaving for NYC on Saturday for a girls' weekend (thank you Jeanne Buck:) so I've been working to prep all three of my boys for my absence. I know it's only three days but that feels like a lifetime away when you're home all day every week with your kids. My wonderful husband says this is all the more reason for me to get time away. I just say it's like taking away my food and water (and wine) - I need those things to survive just like I need my boys to survive. Jackson has said he wants to go with me and see the parade - he remembers the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade from TV months ago. That kid has a memory like an elephant. He remembers the smallest things for months, especially when it lacks significance. I think he has a photographic memory like me. I can remember words to songs I've heard once but I can't remember my parents' birthdays. Anyway, NYC here I come; I wish David good luck and God Speed for those few days. He's going to be exhausted come Monday.

Jackson, in his beautiful little mind, has come up with a new hide and seek game that both he and William love. He basically hides in the same three spots (under the bed covers, under my chaise lounge, and in the bathroom closet), calls out Williams name and jumps out when William finds him. They both laugh, then Jack tells William "it's my turn to hide again." William never gets a turn to hide and he's okay with that. I enjoy watching them play this game over and over. William can't get enough of his brother's attention so he's on cloud nine. Jackson just loves having someone "find" him but that's okay with William. I pray every day they remain (and possibly become even better) best friends.

New Year, New Blog... well kind of

Okay, it's not actually new, but I haven't written on our blog in so long that it should be new! My new year's resolution is to begin (again) recording the wonderful things happening in our Little lives. Now that Jackson is in school 2 days a week (and every other Friday), I should have no excuse, Right?! A dear friend, and Godmother to Jackson, recently told me how much she misses these and made me feel terrible for not keeping it up after Will joined our Little family. Well, the guilt trip worked!
So, I'll just jump right in... William is now 1 (14 months to be exact). He began walking in October before his 1st birthday. That child can motor! He mastered going up and down the stairs very quickly. It was his mission to keep up with Jackson. Now, he has mastered the ladder and slide on our backyard playhouse. He uses his knees to boost himself up the ladder, turns himself around at the top of the slide and speeds down on his tummy. If I'm not there to catch him, he skids across the yard, cries then gets back up to do it all over again. This usually goes on until I force him to come inside and that is not met with much happiness. He can't get enough of the outdoors. He says a few words like daddy, bubba, woof woof, mama, and recently AAAhhh-choo has become his favorite thing to say (and accompanies it with much fanfare). He eats like he's on a mission and doesn't turn much away. He can put away a gallon of juice and milk in a day and is going to be a tough little guy. I adore him... he is definitely mommy's little love bug.
Jackson, on the other hand, is my challenge and joy all in one. As I say, William is my heart and Jackson is my best-friend. I can't live without him but he drives me crazy! He is 3 1/2 and all boy. He is very social, loves going to school, and is very conversational. He asked me to make him "nice and comfortable" in the bed before turning out the light. Did I mention he's demanding?? He never gets tired, hasn't taken a nap in months and has more energy than I've ever had in my life... And, he still doesn't eat much! That kid is a walking science experiment; I simply don't know where he gets his fuel for life. His favorite thing right now is dinosaur but he still loves Thomas the Train and Cars. He's very inquisitive and asks way too many questions for me to answer. His best friend is Lillian, his best buddy is Hayden and his school buddies are Carson and Owen. I'm not sure where his little brother fits into that friend hierarchy but I do know that William adores his big brother.
So, to our adoring blog fans... may this entry appease your need for everything "Little", may your return for more, and may I keep my promise and resolution to renew this blog. Keep your fingers crossed and "say a little prayer."