Heading

Everything you want to know (and maybe a few things you didn't) about our life as we just try to get through one day at a time with our two boys - Jackson and Will. This is an exciting time for our "Little" family!

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

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!).

Saturday, January 28, 2012

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.

Friday, January 20, 2012

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. :)"

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

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.

Friday, January 6, 2012

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."

Followers