JCT-Rex

Mommy: "Do you want to take your dinosaur costume off, JCT?"

JCT: "No, Mommy. I LOVE being a dinosaur!"

Thanks, Pop and Grandma!!! Thanks for coming to see us! We LOVE you!!

T-R-O-U-B-L-E

I used to think that the "T" in JCT stood for Truett. That at least was our intention when we gave him his long and meaning-filled name, but now I am rethinking this. Now I think the "T" may actually stand for trouble, no, make that TROUBLE.

So, it was Wednesday, and let me give you a little rundown of the day. We got up and out of the house, dressed, ready, and teeth brushed by 8:20. We drove to the Honda dealership to get maintenance work done on our beloved Vannie. I was dreading this because here I am with three boys and pregnant. And to make it even better, Joshua's eye was black due to an incident with JCT and a sippy cup. I told Erik that I was going to wear something to hide my growing belly because I didn't want the guys at Honda to think I was completely in over my head. Erik just said, "Yeah, because it really matters what the maintenance men at Honda think." I know he is right, but still. . .

It actually went unusually well, me and my three little men hanging out in the Honda waiting room. Then, we headed to Super-Wal-Mart, and if you know me, you know the mood that trip can put me in. But, I must admit, I remained calm and handled myself quite well. Then, we went to the mall for a lunch/playdate with Deana B. and Afton. This went well, too, especially considering Elijah was forced to sacrifice his morning nap. After this it was time to go home for naps with the promise of playing outdoors later that day.

Later that day came. We played on the swingset. We took a walk to see the horses. I set up two basketball goals, and I did a multitude of other motherly things requiring strength and stamina. And, by 5 o clock I was tired, worn out, beat. And, so when my darling JCT dumped an entire package of peach puff stars on the tray of Elijah's stroller when he KNEW GOOD AND WELL THAT THIS IS A MAJOR NO NO, I felt myself getting overwhelmed and just plain over it! The reason this is a major no no is not only because it is simply, common-sense, not a good idea, but mainly because Elijah will put as many stars as he can in his mouth at one time. If there are 2 on his tray, they both go in his mouth. If there are 6 on his tray, as fast as he can shovel them in, all 6 go in his mouth. So, I walked over to the stroller and pryed Elijah's handfuls of stars open and hurridely picked up the stars before he stuffed too many in his mouth and began choking. All the while, JCT is laughing. . . hysterically. I am NOT. So, I say, "JCT, you know better. How many stars are you allowed to put on Elijah's tray at one time?" JCT answered smiling, "2." Through gritted teeth I responded, "You knew not to dump the entire package on his tray. Now go inside and sit in time out. I'll be inside in a minute to talk to you."

He went inside, and I began gathering our things, etc. getting ready to head indoors for the evening. Joshua was a bit ahead of me and ran to the door. And, guess what he yelled back to me. . .

"Mommy, JCT locked the door! We can't get inside!"

So, here I am, Elijah on my hip, standing in shock thinking, "Are you serious? This is just like him! Little rascal!" And, to make matters even more interesting, Erik hired two young boys from our church to do yard work this week, so they are enjoying the entire scene. They tried really hard not to laugh, but I know they wanted to, very badly.

I walked over to the door to check and see that it was indeed locked. It was. And, through the window, I could see my very obedient JCT sitting in time-out. . . smiling, SMILING! I motioned for him to come to the door. He came with his silly smile getting bigger!! I asked him to unbolt the door. He tried, but just couldn't seem to do it. Then, Joshua tried to help him, and the young boys in between laughter, tried to talk him through it. Somehow he just wasn't strong enough to unlock it, but he sure could lock it. Funny, isn't it?

After 20 or so minutes, I told the young boys to go on home that Erik would be home soon, etc. Really, I just wanted them to leave. After they left I really tried hard to get JCT to open the lock. Several times he disappeard, and I couldn't see where in the house he was. Erik still had patients to see, so I was stuck. . . outside with my baby and my five year old while my three year old had the whole house to himself.

After 45 minutes or so, JCT layed down on the bench by the backdoor. He started to look bored and lonely. His silly smile had disappeared. I thought he might cry, so I asked him again to please try the bolt.

Amazingly, he opened the door, first try, without hesitation. Interesting, huh? When it was fun and he had an audience, he couldn't seem to unlock the bolt. But, when the audience left and he was bored, suddenly he could open the lock easily. Go figure?

What is even funnier is that I, too, was laughing. . . on the inside. I couldn't let JCT know that I thought it was funny. I had to make an even out of it, so that he would NEVER do it again. So, needless to say, I did discipline him. But, the whole situation made me smile because I love him. I love who he is, this little man with spunk and a mischeviously cute grin. He is a funny little man, and I am thankful to have him as my own. Life would be a lot less interesting without him!

A Moment

I've been complaining a lot lately. Because life with 3 little ones can be quite difficult at times. In fact, I have been overwhelmed with life in general. I completely forgot about the boys' haircuts this morning. So, not only do I feel awful for wasting an hour of my hairdresser's time (I dropped by and payed her to relieve my guilty conscience), but also my boys now have to wear shaggy hair for the next 2 weeks until she can work them into her schedule. Ugghh. It would be fine if this was an isolated event, but I have felt quite often lately that my life is running away from me, leaving me confused and scratching my head somewhere in the distance.

Then, today I had one of those moments. You know, one of those moments that makes it all worth it. Amidst the frustration of missing the hair appt., the busyness of getting lunches made, eaten, and dishes cleaned, 4 loads of laundry cleaned, dried and folded, several imminent phone calls made, sticky situations discussed, errands run, a dog taken out twice to do "his job," a book or two read, an email or two responded to, a baby nursed twice, solid foods attempted twice, discipline handed out - along with love, and two boys prepped for naps, amidst the blur that is my life at this particular stage, I had a moment. I was holding JCT, singing, rocking, and getting him ready to lay down for his nap when it hit me.

I like to think of the whole rocking thing as a subtle form of hypnosis. There is a certain way to hold him and sing to him. And, if you do it just right, he will slowly begin to blink his eyes, long sleepy blinks. Then, sweetly, softly, he will drift away to sleepyland in my arms. And, I will begin to lower him down to his trundle bed on the floor, but just before I put him down, he will open his eyes, look up at me, and say in a quiet sleepy voice, "Sing me one more song, Mommy, one more song, please. Love you up to the moon song." And, I always oblige him this simple request because I love him, and I love the "love you up the moon" song. As soon as I begin singing, his eyes will once again close - this time not to be opened again until he has had an hour or two of rest filled sleep. It is a process that we do twice daily, once before nap and once before bedtime. It is a precious process and one that I take for granted far too often. But, today I didn't. Today I had a moment.

It was as I was singing to him that the thought occurred to me. I looked down at his pillow, with his silky placed just so over his pillowcase - just the way I always do it. And, the sweetness of these days hit me smack in the face.

And, I wondered, one day will I be willing to give almost anything to go back and live one day of my life right now again? To be young and healthy, to have the great privilege of holding a little hand as I cross a parking lot, to feed tiny pieces of bread to a growing baby, to kiss a boo boo, or to rock a little boy to sleep in my arms. To be completely, wholeheartedly irreplaceable to three little boys who call me mom. Three little boys who love me, trust me, and miss me when we are apart. These are the things that define this stage of my life, simple, wonderful things. They are the little everyday things that I take for granted so often.

These are long days. I spend a lot of time watching the clock, counting down until the reinforcements come in to take over, or Erik gets home, anyway. But, these are also very sweet days. I just need to remember that. . .

Lord, make me ever mindful of the blessing that is my life today. I spend much too much time thinking about and planning for tomorrow. I spend much too much time worrying about trivial things. Teach me to live in the moment, living each moment to fullest, being all there, all in the moment, not in my thoughts, worries, or plans. I want to parent like You, Father. I love You. Amen

No Wonder Rain Loves Them. . .

This is JCT feeding Rain part of his dinner. . .

Bad mood, Good Day - Part 2

I think it was around 4:00 pm yesterday that I posted the post previous to this one. After I finished the post, JCT woke up and I took all 3 boys outside to play. Do you remember that I said something like this. . . "and the day isn't even over yet. . ."

Well, it wasn't.

I bundled the boys up and took them down to the swing set. As I was settling this cute, cozy little one into the baby swing, I heard my oldest son squeal with delight.

And, if you have sons, then you know that squealing with delight is often a bad sign. I looked up to see Joshua smiling and laughing at the bottom of the slide. He looked at me and in between hysterical laughter he let me in on the "fun." It seems JCT thought that it would be a good idea to stand at the top of the slide and tinkle down the slide. I walked over to the slide. There stood JCT smiling proudly at the top of the slide and a stream of urine making its way down the slide. I didn't think it was funny. Call me a prude, but I was quite disgusted by the whole thing. And, since the swing set is too far from the house to hose the slide down, I announced that the slide was not to be used until we have a good hard rain.

Boys.

The day before JCT went tee tee in the garage. I was unloading the van, and when I came back out to get another armful of bags, I saw him. He was standing beside the car, pants at his ankles, and a little puddle in front of his feet.

So, in a twenty-four hour period the child has gone tee tee in my car, down the slide, and in the garage. What next, I ask you?

Whiskers. . .

And, I'm not talking about the ones that grow naturally from the chin of a man. . .

I am talking about the ones on the chin of my two year old son.

It was a day like any other day, except for the fact that it was the anniversary of the day my mother gave birth to her youngest daughter, and that would be me.

Remember those lovely benches that I bought for our kitchen table? Love them. But, when your children tend to act like monkeys, they are an accident waiting to happen.

Monkey child + backless bench + concrete floors = a trip to Daddy's office and 3 stitches

JCT and Joshua were playing at the kitchen table, and I was completely engrossed in a conversation with my mom who was in town for a visit when it happened. We heard a boom, looked up, and saw JCT laying face down on the floor. I picked him up, and he cried a bit. I looked in his mouth, no blood. I held him for a few minutes trying to calm him down. Then, I noticed that there was blood on his sweater. So, I looked under his chin and found an open wound.

Long story short. . . We were at Erik's office a few minutes later. Halfway to his office, I realized that I had forgotten to grab the camera. So, with JCT bleeding in the backseat, I turned the car around and went back home to get my beloved camera. Finally, we got to Erik's office. He took one look at JCT's chin and said he needed stitches. Kim, Erik's nurse, gave me gauze pads soaked in Lidocaine to hold under his chin until Erik finished seeing his morning patients.

And, so you ask. . . Was the doctor's son a good patient?

That would be a. . .

N.O.

Bless his little heart he was scared and mad, and he kicked and screamed and cried. How in the world Erik stitched him up is beyond me. The child refused to hold still even with a crew of people trying to hold him down and talk to him. Erik was amazing to watch, his hand was steady, he appeared perfectly calm. Other than the fact that sweat was dripping, pouring actually, off his forehead, I would have thought the whole thing a walk in the park for him. He just stuck that fatty tissue back inside JCT's chin and sewed my sweet baby up!

Needless to say, JCT was asleep before we got out of the parking lot. He completely wore himself out fighting off Erik, Kim, Sean (Erik's partner), Julie (works at the front desk), Lisa (works in the lab), and me. But, I must say, he looked pretty cute in the rearview mirror -asleep with his little bandaged chin.

And, after JCT woke up from his nap, Joshua admired his bandage saying it looked like a pirate's beard. Aren't big brothers wonderful!

I'm not sure what was more upsetting to me - the fact that my two year old had to be held down by 6 people and given stitches or the fact that I don't have a single picture of the incident.

Why, you ask, do I not have a single picture since I turned the car around to get my camera? Because, I tell you, a digital camera is a wonderful thing, but it will not work without a CF card - you know, present inside the camera. I took wonderful pictures of Erik leaning over JCT's gaping wound, and of JCT sleeping soundly in his carseat after the exhausting endeavor. But, they are recorded only in my memory. And, yes, my camera does alert the user to the fact that the CF card is missing. "No CF" blinks on the screen if I remember correctly. Unfortunately, I was a bit preoccupied, therefore I didn't notice until it was like 5 hours too late.

This picture was taken later that night after I realized that I had neglected to notice the missing CF card. Just call him "Captain Bandage Beard."

Oh, and just in case you are wondering, that is pizza sauce on the corner of his mouth, not blood. Mr. Cute pouty lips!

This is the T-shirt that he wore while getting stitches. I still haven't washed it.

I'm sure this is the first of many trips we will take to Daddy's office, and I don't mean to visit Daddy. I mean trips to Daddy's office for stitches, x-rays, etc. I've got a hunch that most of these trips will involve JCT. . .

He May Never Find His Way Back Home. . .

Now that Joshua is in pre-K two days a week, JCT and I have some one on one time. And, it is a wonderful thing really.


The kid cracks me up.


I mean, really, the things that he comes up with amaze me!


While Elijah takes his morning nap, I take JCT and the monitor down to the swingset. And, we have what I like to call "swingset conversations." I had many precious "swingset conversations" with JCT's big brother. And, now it is JCT's turn. He gets in his favorite swing, and I push him for 30 minutes or so, and we talk. We talk about whatever JCT wants to talk about. Sometimes he wants us to sing together. Sometimes he wants me to tell him a story about him and Joshua. Sometimes he wants to tell me a story. I love it. The conversation is full, free, easy, and often quite entertaining, as well.


Yesterday morning there was a soft cool breeze. The sky was clear, and the sun was shining. As I was pushing JCT and he was assigning numbers to everyone in the family, I started to wonder what would happen if he got lost. Did he know what to tell people? We have told him our address, but I felt sure he didn't remember it. Would he remember my name or Erik's? So, I asked him. . .


Me: JCT, what is Mommy's name?

JCT: Mommy.

Me: Do you know Daddy's name?

JCT: Daddy. And, Grandma's name is Grandma.


It wasn't looking very good, but I thought I'd try one more time. . .


Me: JCT, where do you live? Can you tell me where you live?


JCT: Yes, I live in the jungle with my Grandma and Pop.


Oh, good. I feel better now. I'm just praying that he doesn't ever get lost because I fear we may never see the poor child again.

Neither here nor there

A quiet peace has fallen over our home at present. All children are either napping or resting in their beds. A candle is lit in the kitchen. Dinner is cooking slowly in the oven. I am sitting, coffee in hand, deciding which list I want to make first - always the list-maker. As I told my Deana B the other day, I rarely ever go by my lists. I usually make them with great fervor and then set them aside. But, something about just making the list, putting my thoughts into writing, organizing the ideas that crowd my brain makes me feel better. Silly, I know, silly, but true.

I was musing this morning over several things. One such thing is the fact that Rain is sure to have gained a bit of weight over the past month. I have turned the job of feeding Rain over to JCT who thinks this new responsibility a great honor. He so loves to feed his dog that he rarely feeds him just the one cup full that I ask of him. No, he goes above and beyond the call of duty. He tells me, "No, Mama, Rain needs a little more than that. He's 'ungry." And, with that he digs the scooping cup into the food bag one more time. And, if you look closely, ever so closely, you can see Rain's mouth turned up just slightly in a grin as he watches his little 2 year old advocate scoop extra dog goodness into his bowl.

I have a sweet friend who, when I complained about not having a favorite CD to listen to right now, made me 3 CDs. Yes, she did. She titled them "For Erin vol.1, 2, and 3." And, she didn't stop there. No, ma'am, she typed up pages of commentary on each individual song - why each song is special to her. So, now I have 3 new, and very good I might add, CDs to listen to. Thanks Sara!



Oh, and for any of you out there who follow Sarah's In the Midst of It. I want to say something to you, something that I learned long ago. I know Sarah well. We went to college together. Now a lot has changed in Sarah's life since college. In college she had to get 8 hours of sleep every single night. I would pass by her room at 3 a.m. still very much awake and deep into my studies, and she would be already 5 hours into her sleep. And, while the rest of us crammed large quantities of information into our brains during finals, Sarah would be sitting on her bed cross-stitching. She began preparing for finals at the beginning of the semester, so they were really no big deal to her. She would simply sit back and relax listening to Christmas music with a cinnamon candle lit for atmosphere. My Sarah was always well-prepared and rarely procrastinated. Somehow, she maintained many friendships, a serious boyfriend who is now her husband, an active craft life, and a 4.0. She was always reading books for her classes, as well as, books for her own enjoyment. Just like it baffles my mind now that she is able to knit 6 baby hats, 4 sweaters, cross-stitch, home school, read 5 books at once, and maintain a well-organized household, it baffled my mind back then how she wore 12 hats and wore them all well. I have come to believe that she is some sort of time-management genius. So, if you read her posts and wonder how she does it all, know that you are not alone. I have been wondering the same thing for years. She amazed me back then, and she amazes me now. Some things never change - but, her bedtime, now that is one thing that has changed. . .



Now I am off to make one of those ever important lists!

This Week. . .

I just dropped my three little men off at church. Tonight is Parent's Night Out. I will be spending this parent's night out as a single parent because my Erik is at a high school football game.

This week has been typical for me - extreme highs and lows. I am learning that the way our day goes has a lot more to do with my attitude than it does my boys' attitudes. But, that is just one of the many lessons that God is teaching me through my little ones.

My heart is full, as per usual. This week has ushered in change in a variety of ways and mostly to do with my darling JCT. He has worn underwear all week except for a few outings - which I dared not attempt. . . yet. He did have one accident while playing upstairs. I heard him tell Joshua what he did. JCT confessed to Joshua that he was "scared Mommy will be mad at me." But, Joshua reassured him, "Mommy won't be mad. Don't you worry, JCT. Once I colored on the table, and I thought Daddy would be mad at me. But, he wasn't. Daddy said green was his favorite color. He wasn't mad, and Mommy won't be mad either. It was just an accident. Don't worry, just go tell her." And, God spoke to my heart at that very moment, and I learned something. Too often I use fear tactics to teach my children. But, the lessons that they will remember, the lessons that will give them the clearest picture of Christ are the lessons taught by showing grace. Now, back to the original topic, he is in underwear tonight at church, and I feel certain he will do just fine. He is growing up right before my eyes. Unbelievable.

I pulled the trundle out from under Joshua's bed Tuesday afternoon. And, I asked JCT if he wanted to take his nap on his big boy bed or in his crib. He opted for the big boy bed. I turned the video monitor on and went downstairs. Joshua and I had fun watching JCT play with his feet and listening to him sing song after song. And, eventually he drifted off to sweet sleep. That night I gave him the same choice, and he chose his crib. Wednesday, once again, he napped in the big boy bed and slept the night in his crib. Then, last night he insisted on sleeping in his big boy bed, so I let him. Joshua was tickled. And, I thought they might never go to sleep. They talked and laughed and sang. All the while, Erik and I stood downstairs around the monitor smiling and loving every minute of it. We took the dog out and walked a minute, and when we came back in, they were both sound asleep. It felt good, really good.

Earlier that night I watched as my husband corralled both big boys into the tub with laughs and squeals filling the air. Then, as they played in the bath, good old Rain sauntered upstairs and gave the clean boys a few licks sending them into hysteria. And, I couldn't help, but feel utterly blessed. A great husband, a good dog, 3 wonderful children, and a warm home full of love and laughter. . .

I have been staring at my backyard a lot lately. It is so pretty this time of year. A family of turkey have been eating breakfast on our levee each morning. I love to sit and watch them eat their fill. Occasionally another animal will startle one of them, and the startled turkey will take flight, a short flight - but still very fun to watch. And, yesterday when I took Rain out to walk for a minute during nap time, I heard a wonderful sound. The breeze blew some fallen leaves on Mr. Cole's driveway. I stopped walking and watched the leaves dance a minute and listened to their soft rustle. I simply cannot wait until the street is full of leaves. I love to watch them take flight when cars pass, and I love to hear them crackle under my shoes.

I have fallen back in love with an old CD - Chris Rice - Peace Like a River. It is a great fall CD. Anyway, as I was listening to it earlier this week, Joshua asked an interesting question.

"Is this Jesus singing, Mommy?"

I answered no, and then smiled thinking about how Chris would be honored by Joshua's question. Then, later this week, Joshua asked me again, "Mommy, are you sure this isn't Jesus singing?" I assured him that it was Chris Rice who though he has a wonderful voice was not God incarnate. Then, he said, "But, Mommy, he said, 'God, our father.'" Which brought a wonderful topic to the table. The fact that God is our Father, too, and Jesus our brother.

JCT insists that he saw an angel in the backyard. Every time we read a Bible story about an angel, he brings it up again.

"I saw an angel once," he will tell us. "He was in da backyard, and he sayed to me, 'Be not afraid. God is with me,' and he was a man angel. He talked to me. He tole me he luffs me." Makes me wonder. . . Imagination or supernatural? Who knows, but I love to hear him tell us the story. I like to think that children see angels, makes my heart smile.

Oh, and did I mention that when JCT's choir teacher (one of Erik's patients) asked him, "And, what does your Daddy do?" JCT confidently answered, "He spanks my bottom." Oh, me.

So, that is my week in summary. It has been a good week all in all. But, I'd be telling you a story if I told you it was all watching turkeys and listening to rustling leaves and laughing boys. This week has been a wonderful mix of good, bad, and the not so pretty. But, all is well. And, tomorrow I get to go on a Starbucks date with one of my very best friends in the whole world. And, we have great plans to discuss the ninety-nine balloons blog and the book Grace-based Parenting over a decaf white chocolate mocha (for me) and a Chai latte (for her). Now, that is a great way to start October, my favorite month of the year!

A Full Swingset and a Good Picture of JCT

HE IS SO STINKIN' CUTE THAT I COULD EAT HIM SLAP UP!!

Well, folks, the swinset is officially full!! I have a man at every station, well, almost. . .

As I stood back admiring my sweet boys, all three swinging side by side, the thought occured to me that all three swings were full of little boy goodness! My heart swelled with pride and love. I tilted my head to the side and let out a satisfied sigh. And, then I made this statement to my boys. . .

"Well, boys the swingset is full. All the swings are taken. Isn't that great!"

No one really seemed as overwhelmingly moved by this fact as I did. They all just continued to swing. Then, JCT motioned over to the little red disc thingy that hangs from a long yellow rope on the very end of the swingset and said. . .

"Nope. Not full yet. We gotta wait for MOSES. He can swing on da rope."

"Moses?" I asked. "Who is Moses?"

"He's really little right now, but when he gets bigger he can swing on da rope!"

Just checking, I asked, "So, who is Moses' mama?"

"YOU!" JCT answered.

That is what I was afraid of.

Which made me wonder if it has occured to JCT that he is our only son not named after an Old Testament hero. Whenever it does occur to him, I will remind him that James is his Daddy's favorite book of the Bible. And, hopefully, that, along with the fact that he was named after his grandfathers, will satisfy him.

OH, ME, I LOVE MY BOYS!!!!

Too Much

How much is "too much"? What exactly does it mean?

It isn't a precise measure.

It is just a phrase we throw around.

But, yesterday "too much" was thrown at me when I least expected it.

Being in the stage of life that I am in and being the weak vessel that I am, there is a lot that seems to be "too much" these days.

Like taking 3 children (4 and under) to the mall or to Wal-Mart. . .

Last night at dinner, too much was holding a fussy baby, rocking him, standing beside the dinner table while my family ate, all the while listening to my two year old complain about his dinner and my four year old ask the same question over and over and over and over again.

But, after dinner something magical happened. I was putting my sons to sleep, tickling their backs and loving on them. I picked JCT up to put him in his crib across the room, and I asked him:

"How much does Mommy love you? How much, baby, do you know?"

And, his response came in his usual way, very matter of fact but with a smile:

"Too Much."

And, I suppose he may be correct.

He's the one!!

You know how every family has one. One child who does all things crazy. You had one in your family. One sibling that tried to pull all the off the wall stunts. The one that when your family gets together at Christmas or Thanksgiving and reminisces about the good old days all the stories seem to revolve around the antics of this one child.

In my family it was my brother, Kelly. Oh, yes, no doubt about it, Kelly was the one, the one and only one. From nearly catching the neighbor's house on fire while playing with matches in their yard to riding his Big Wheel down the middle of a busy street in Phoenix, AZ while cars lined up honking behind him, he was our family's main character. I say that because he is the main character in all of my favorite stories from childhood. He adds a splash of bright color to our family. And, we wouldn't be the same without him.

And, in my family now, I am beginning to think that JCT is the one! He is revealing this to us more and more each day. He has brought life and bright color to our family. . . especially since he turned two.

A couple of days ago, I asked he and Joshua to use the bathroom before we had to leave on an errand. Now, JCT knows how to use the bathroom (tee tee, anyway) by himself. So, I busied myself with fixing juice cups and finding my keys.

A few minutes later JCT came up to me saying, "I tee tee in dare, Mommy. I tee tee in dare."

"Good," I said not completely understanding why he felt the need to tell me this.

"No, Mommy, I tee tee in the stull. In the stull, Mommy," he said with a proud grin.

"In the stool, baby?" I said and walked in the powder bath to inspect.

I flipped the lid on the top of the stool open, and this is what I saw. . .

He tee- teed in the stool just like he said. Potty training has alerted him to a new toy, a toy hose that God gave him. And, I guess he just thought it seemed like a good place to use his new toy? At least he didn't tee-tee in the oven. That is where my brother, Kelly, used the bathroom once when he was two. Yes, the oven. I can just see my mother's face when she realized what the smell coming from the oven was. . .


Then, this morning JCT was left alone for all of about 5 minutes and look at the damage he did. He found my foot creme beside my bed and helped himself to the entire container!! Thankfully, I had not yet made my bed, so most of the damage was done to the sheets and his clothes. This picture truly does not do the whole ordeal justice.

I am little afraid to imagine the stunts he will pull in the future. . . the stories that we will repeat over and over again.

My goodness, I love you!!! Thanks for the color you bring to our family!!

For the Love of Cheese Dip

We are all about manners at el casa de erin!

There is just something irresistibly good about white cheese dip from our local authentic Mexican restaurant! I'd lick my plate too - if I weren't thirty something and supposed to be setting the example. . . It is that good.

Guess Where We Are?

Scroll down to the bottom to find out where we are. . .

Just for the record, there are a few things that I hope I don't soon forget. So, I am going to record them here. . .

About Imagination. . . Joshua is naming everything right now, everything. And, while at first this seemed a bit strange to me, it later occured to me that when I was in 2nd grade I gave all of my facial features names. All that I can remember is the names of my eyes - "Pinky" and "Inky." So, maybe I passed this gene down to him? Who knows? But, he has been doing it for months. . . Our house is Frankie. The last curve in the highway before you get to the road that takes us to our house is Curvey. Our mini-van is Vannie. The tires are called Tire Bire. The pond is Water Pauter. The vent in his room is Barker, not to be confused with his bunk bed which is named Venti. The list goes on and on and it grows daily.

About Nursing. . . Joshua declared that I AM A SUPER-HERO because I FEED ELIJAH!!! He also declared when he accidently walked in on me pumping one morning that I am "a lot like a cow." Oh, me. JCT sits two inches from me at all times when I am holding Elijah. So, we are a threesome at feeding time. JCT kisses and talks to Elijah while I feed him. It usually goes something like this. . . "Hi Lijah! I love you. Mommy, I love da baby. Da baby loves me. Are you eating, Lijah? Lijah eats milk. God made Lijah, Mommy. God made Lijah for YOU and ME!!! I love my little Lijah. . ." JCT also informed me the other day during a feeding that one side was milk and the other side was juice. Funny, I never knew that! He keeps me smiling, that JCT, my sunshiny happy boy!

About Music. . . Our boys love the song, "Life is a Highway" from the movie Cars. They love it so much that they absolutely go nuts when it comes on! They run in circles and throw themselves on the couch and chair! They dance like crazy men!! And, it makes me laugh every time they do it!

Don't we all feel a little like this when we hear our favorite song?

And, notice that Rain, our dog, is not at all surprised by there behavior. He is quite used to it by now.

Okay, and now the answer to the original question. . .





If you guessed that we are in our driveway, then you are correct! Yes, the brick layers left a huge present for my boys this past January when they did their work on the back of our house. Most people might be a little irritated when they drive up and see a literal mountain of sand in the middle of their driveway after the brick layers were long gone - not even offering to move it, but, no, not us. We rejoiced!! It was quite possibly the largest domestic sandbox in the southeastern US, and my boys have loved it! Due to the spring rains, it is almost gone now, but there is still enough sand left to "play beach."

My JCT

(Okay so I have no idea why this picture is sideways! I have never had this happen, and I am helpless to change it. My computer won't let me??)

This is my JCT. I hope that I never forget. . . one hand in his mouth and one hand in his pants. Not that I approve of the hand in the pants thing - I don't. I feel certain that in the course of single day I say at least one million and two times, "JCT get your hands out of your mouth and your pants!" But, like some sort of innate drawing. . . the hands migrate back to their favorite places. . . This is my JCT, and I love him!

He is my messy boy! Joshua likes to be clean. He actually uses a napkin. But, not my little JCT. Messes don't really seem to affect him like they do Joshua and I. He rather likes them.

Example: We painted yesterday morning. . .

Notice his brother watching with a smile. . .

My little finger painting Picasso!

Just for the record: Joshua's hands, face, hair, shirt, and chair were all clean.