Riding in Cars with Boys

Sometimes I feel like we spend half of our lives in the car. It only makes sense that I have tons of memories about times in my car with the boys. In fact, when I'm driving around by myself, I have to resist the urge to point out school buses, construction vehicles, and fire trucks. Seriously, I am so used to doing it now that I have to stop myself from announcing them to an empty car. (Logan is particularly fond of school buses.)

And the other day, I was singing along to the theme song from "Go, Diego, Go" out loud before I realized that I had just dropped of both boys at school...and I could listen to my own music. Then, I quickly realized that it won't always be that way. One day I will miss that they no longer watch Diego (or Backyardigans...I will miss that show the most, I think.) So, I brought my camera along one afternoon that we spent some time in the car to catch some things that happen all the time in the car...

First of all, now that Ethan has started Kindergarten, we get in the car at least twice a day. That is significant because, before this school year, there were definitely days that we did not go anywhere. And I would do that on purpose. But now that car trips to and from school are inevitable 5 days a week, Ethan has come up with games to play on our way. We have always played I Spy and variations of that game, but now Ethan has come up with "Guess the Country" or "Guess the State" or even "Guess the Animal" games. He makes up the rules and we all take turns giving clues. Honestly, I really love this. And it is so much like Ethan to do this. Side note: that face - even with just half a smile - makes me melt.

The most memorable thing about Logan in the car for me is his carsickness. Starting when he was about 16 months old and we turned his car seat around (I know you're supposed to wait longer these days), he would occasionally vomit in the car. At first I thought it might be a stomach bug, but then I picked up on the pattern...he would always do it in the car and it was usually when he was holding a toy or book, which meant he was looking down at something. When I figured out what it was, I took all of the toys and books out of the car (which was a bummer for Ethan) and we have a strict policy about it because he still gets sick under those circumstances. Poor kid. And you'll notice the car seat cover in the photo below. That was the second thing I did...searched high and low for a waterproof cover that would fit our super-tall car seats and could be removed without completely disassembling the whole car seat. Because parents know that whole process is something like the 9th ring of hell. I did it so many times before we figured out this whole carsickness thing that I got pretty fast at it, but I still have nightmares about the task. I love that we can avoid that yuckiness for the most part now. I much prefer to see his toothy and dimply smile.

I cannot mention car trips without mentioning the thing that drives me absolutely nuts...the boys dropping something and asking me to get it. I don't know what's worse...listening to them beg for it with increasingly loud and shrill pleas, or having to contort into all sorts of positions to retrieve it to restore the peace. Or actually...it may be trying to explain that I am driving and can't get your pencil, stuffed animal, cracker, water, toy car, shoe, etc....right this second. The concept that driving is an activity that requires attention is completely beyond their comprehension, apparently.

Want to know what we sometimes do for cheap thrills? The car wash. For $4 and a few minutes, I can have a clean car and kids that practically crown me queen for the day when we do it because it is that exciting for them.

See? Mesmerized by the colored foam spraying onto the car.

Sometimes we have some fun with the car wash and pretend we're in a boat on the ocean and there's a giant blue octopus attacking us (or some other crazy adventure)...it's amazing what you can come up with during a 3 minute car wash.

If Logan gets the chance, he will push every single button in my car. Every single one. He loves to sit on my lap and pretend to drive the car. It kind of makes his day when I let him do it.

Sometimes we open the moon roof and check out the sky. You know, for those times that the confined space of the car and the out of control screaming is about to make you want to toss yourself out. Distraction sometimes does the trick. Sometimes.

But, when the boys are in a good mood, and especially when I get them by themselves in the car, it can be a great place to talk. Some of the best conversations have happened in the car. And some of the sweetest conversations between the two of them too. I've been a silent observer when they say "I'm sorry," or "I forgive you," or "I love you" to each other. Those are the carpe kairos moments that keep me going.

We listen to a lot of music in the car. We have our favorites, of course, but sometimes I try to sneak in a little of my music. Sometimes I can pull it off and sometimes the attempt is met with strong protest. The best thing is when the boys dance to the music. They get really silly and then they want me to watch them. That is another idea that completely escapes them...that mommy can't watch you in the back seat while I am driving. They are very persistent, though.

No recap of car experiences would be complete without mentioning the fighting. Oh, the fighting. It makes me crazy. It makes me want to sell my children to gypsies. (I may or may not have actually have threatened that one time.) Even though my boys have a seat space in between them in the car, they still manage to fight...even physically, while in the car. But it's the screaming that really gets to me. 

There are various ways that I choose to deal with fighting depending on the situation (or let's be honest...my level of patience). Or sometimes I just don't deal with it at all. Sometimes I choose to turn up the music in the car really loud and let it become part of the chaos.

There are rare times that the boys will actually make up with each other in the car and as mentioned above, it really is one of the sweetest things I get to witness.

I think I learned pretty quickly - like even before Logan was born - that I could not leave the house without snacks and a full water bottle. I still do it to this day. It makes my life (and errands) so much easier. And now, I have added to my arsenal a small stash of  treats (usually small lollipops) for dire situations. They have saved me more than once.

Another thing that works for me is that trash can that sits strategically between their seats. (Thank you, Pinterest.) If snacks keep things running smoothly, then there will inevitably be trash. And as I tell my boys repeatedly, I am not a trash can. So, I made sure they had a place to put their trash while we are in the car. The really funny thing is that they love to put trash in there.

There's only one thing I haven't mentioned that may be one of the most effective things to make car trips - especially long ones - actually quite peaceful. And that would be the DVD player. I have a semi-flexible rule about watching shows in the car...we have to be on a "long" trip. And "long" is defined by me, of course. But honestly, I'm not going to say I haven't resorted to it just running around town on days that I just couldn't deal with car drama any more. I used to be idealistic about watching TV in the car (before I had kids), but I'm over it. I may feel slightly less guilty about it because it is one of the only things Logan can do in the car that doesn't make him sick (thank goodness.)

Remembering our times in the car will be a big part of my memories with my boys. I'll remember how it felt like a huge victory when Ethan figured out how to buckle himself completely. And then how to un-buckle himself. Or how Logan can easily ask me 400,000 questions in a 10 minute ride. "Why?" being the most common one. Or how they try to catch the dust particles that become visible in early morning streams of sunlight. Or how they now say, "go, people!" because I may be a little bit of an impatient driver. Or how they love to roll the windows down to "feel the wind."

Fall, You May Begin

(This photo is from the trip to Asheville, NC with my mom last November.)

Most years I'm ready for fall at the beginning of August. Last year in particular, I remember being SO ready to hang up the pool bag for good. Getting two little boys ready to go swimming, wrangling them while we were there, and then cleaning up when we got home wore me out. Even before I had kids, I loved fall because the weather can be so lovely, and the pumpkin goodies alone make it a great season.  

But something magical happened this year. I set out to make the most of summer since Ethan was starting Kindergarten this fall. I knew our lives would be changing with him being in school for 5 days a week instead of two. And I can honestly say that we had the most wonderful summer together. Don't let me give the impression that it was all sunshine and roses, though. Obviously life with two boys ages 5 and 3 is what you'd expect some days (or weeks). But I really didn't want summer to end this year, which is definitely a new feeling for me. We were truly having fun together. And fall meant not only a new weather season, but a new season of life for our family.

But, of course, summer did end as all seasons do. And now that we've officially entered into the fall season as of this past Sunday, I can now say I'm ready. We're more than six weeks into school and it all seems normal now. And I'm shocked at how productive I am with just one kid at home. I really didn't expect that and it feels pretty good. Fall, you have my permission to commence.

Hello, Summer

I am so excited for summer. Next school year Ethan will be in Kindergarten, which translates to more time at school than home and I will miss him. I know that Logan will miss his brother and playmate/friend too. So, we are living it up this summer and enjoying every minute of being together.

Last year, I made a schedule of things we'd do each day of the week during the summer months, but then we never actually followed the schedule. I kind of winged it (which is so not like me), and surprisingly, this did not trouble me at all.  We had fun and we relaxed. We did things and we didn't do things.

So this year, all I did was make a list of activities I thought would be fun for us to do together this summer. Truth be told, I have been thinking about this summer list since March. No joke. I am a warm weather person. This list is not a to-do list of things I will check off, but more of an idea list that I can refer to when I feel like doing an "activity." I am not much of an "activity" mom, but some of these are so easy and the summer really gives us time to have fun with a few of them. (I might do one or two a week.) Summer, let's do this!

Water Activities:
Swimming (obviously)
Slip n' Slide (thanks to Nonnie and Papaw for the awesome one they got for Ethan for his birthday)
Sprinklers
Car Wash (see previous post)
Paint fence with water

Outside (non-water) Activities:
Scavenger Hunt
Photo Safari
Picnic
Bubbles
Bike Rides
Playing with shaving cream (like last year, but a little different)
Sink or Float experiment

Art (which are usually also outside activities at our house):

Watercolors
Finger Paint
Paint Rocks
Nature Collage
Q-tip painting

Field Trips:
Dallas Zoo
Children's Museum(s)
Aquarium
Hawaiian Falls
Splash Parks
Arboretum
Movies (in a theater)

Edibles (baking/cooking):
Homemade popsicles
Homemade ice cream

Dino footprint cookies
S'mores
Homemade Lemonade

Other Scheduled Activities (already on our calendar):
Swim lessons
Summer playdates with church group
Summer school (at preschool)
Lake House visits
Sea World Trip

Last Day of Preschool | 2013

Another school year is in the books. Yesterday was the boys' last day of preschool. Ethan finished up his third and final year of preschool and Logan completed his first year. Of course I took a photo on our front porch just like I did the first day of school back in September last year. They have definitely grown (a lot)!

They both had end-of-the-year parties at school and an early release so after we said our good-byes and loaded up the car with all their goodies from their teachers, we stopped at Sonic on the way home for orange slush drinks. This is a first for both of them. Nothing ushers in summer like a Sonic drink.

I asked them whether they wanted orange or grape (keeping the choices down to two is always a good thing) and they both picked orange with no hesitation. I must have taught them nothing...it should always be grape!

Logan, who is not adventurous at all when it comes to food (that's an understatement), loved his slushie. He kept calling it "juice" and was so excited about it all.

Ethan, however, still does not like cold things, apparently (and yes, that includes ice cream). He liked the flavor but it was too cold for him. I ended up letting it thaw out during nap time and he had some more later in the afternoon when it wasn't as icy.

I am so excited about our summer. I used to be a summer girl...because school was out. So, obviously it was my favorite season. Then, after graduating from college, when the school year no longer mattered to me and I was in an office all day instead of at the swimming pool, I gave up on summer and switched to fall. Now, I have a feeling that summer is making a comeback in my book. We're on a school calendar again and there's just no denying that summers are magical times during childhood. And I love that!

Mother's Day 2013

Today was a sweet day of my boys (and daddy) making me feel special. Actually, it started yesterday because we do the bulk of our Mother's Day stuff on the Saturday before Mother's Day. Much more time and less stress than a Sunday. 

I didn't pull out my "big" camera or even my iPhone today...but I got a few photos nonetheless. The point and shoot cameras really came through for me today. Thanks to my mom for this first one of me and my boys at lunch after church.

And then a couple more at home after naps (and in our lounge clothes). Ethan is king of the fake smile these days, but that's ok. Lately I've been getting glimpses of his thoughtfulness that make me so proud. He loves to make things for and celebrate others.

These two...though they make me crazy sometimes...are two of the greatest gifts in my life. I am so thankful for them and honored to be their mama.

And as for my own mom...she really is the best mom and Mimi there is. I know the boys would agree. She is my best friend and I still learn from her all the time. Although I wish she had passed down her thick hair to me, but I guess that was sort of out of her control.

I hope all of her mom-skills have rubbed off on me a little. The crazy thing about moms is that (like I said before), they continue to teach you even when you have children of your own. And I honestly think (actually, I know) that she takes care of me just as much now as she did when I was little.

And then somehow, I was blessed with a wonderful and truly amazing mother-in-law. She raised a son that I am so very thankful for. I am writing down notes on how she cares for us so that I can be just like her with my own sons and their families. She will probably kill me for posting this photo (and Casey will too), but isn't it just awesome!?

Donna is the best Nonnie to the boys there ever was. She makes them feel so special. And I'm pretty sure she would do just about anything for them. Really.

I love being a mom. And I'm so thankful I've had the opportunity. It has defined a large part of my life in profound and wonderful ways. This year, more than any year before, I am aware of those whose dreams of motherhood haven't come true or who grieve losses of moms or children on this day. One thing that I think is true about life...it is joy and sorrow mixed together, lived and felt at the same time.

A Day in our Life: March 2013

It's been just a little more than a year since my last "day in our life" post. I decided a while back that I'd like to try to do these once a year until the boys are older (and maybe even then.) I can't tell you how much I love looking back on my previous "day in our life" posts. The remembering of daily moments and then the actual documenting of them during that day helps me slow down and appreciate this time that I have with my boys while they are little.

Right at 7:02 am, Ethan comes into our room and tells us, "mommy, daddy, my green light came on." We're still using the "Ok to Wake" clock because it's still working for us. Ethan doesn't (usually) come out of his room until the clock says he can. By the time he sees his green light, goes to the bathroom, and picks up a few toys, it's two minutes past seven when he enters our room. (That wall color in our bedroom and the fabric on the chaise have already changed, by the way...thank goodness!)

After he wakes us up, Ethan will sometimes ask if he can get some grapes from the refrigerator and I say "yes." Then, I stay in bed another 15 minutes while he eats his grapes and plays with his toys. At some point around that time (7:15 - 7:30am), Logan wakes up. So, I head upstairs to change him and get him up. He's in a bed, but we keep his door locked (from the outside) during the night so he doesn't roam around. (But we've got a monitor in his room so I can see/hear him anytime.)

With smiles like these from both boys first thing in the morning, there's a pretty good chance it will be a good day!

7:30 am - By the time Logan and I head back downstairs, Ethan has pulled three of the four chairs from the breakfast table into the living room to make a fort. This is not normal for this time of the morning, but he got the idea into his head to do it, so he did. That's Ethan...one track mind and very determined.

But this keeps him occupied while I get breakfast ready. The boys are always more than ready for breakfast in the morning. I cannot make it fast enough for them.

7:40 am - Oatmeal is in the works. Logan bypasses the fort and comes straight to the kitchen to sit on the counter while I make breakfast. Every single morning he does this. Partly because I think he's really hungry, and partly because he just likes to be close and "watch" whatever I'm doing.  He'll say, "I watch you, mama." 

I realize that this photo exposes me as a mom who will sit her 2.5 year old son on a kitchen-height counter, right between the knife block and a kettle of boiling water. The chances of a catastrophe are pretty high here. Usually he does not sit there, but he wanted to watch the water bubbles...I stayed close. 

While we're waiting for oatmeal and fruit, yogurt is a good first course for breakfast.

7:50 am - When the boys are all set and eating, I make my breakfast, which varies daily. On this day, I was having vanilla yogurt and Kashi GOLEAN Crisp! Cinnamon Crumble cereal. (This is not an official plug for the cereal, I just really love it.)

8:15 am - Breakfast is almost over and this particular day is a Wednesday, which means that it is laundry day. I spend a few minutes gathering laundry from all over the house and start a load. I usually do 4-5 loads and then I'm done for the week. Except for the occasional unplanned, but necessary, load.

8:30 am - Casey leaves for work. Sometimes earlier than this. The boys and I have a tradition of going to the garage to say goodbye when he leaves in the morning. We've always done it.

I feel like this next picture of Logan waving to Casey is one of the reasons I love documenting our whole day. Because otherwise, I would not have my camera at this moment and I would have missed capturing it. A moment that happens so often in our lives and is just so sweet. I'm thankful to have it in photo form now.

8:35 am - Breakfast is finally, offically over and the boys take their dirty dishes and such to the sink area. Logan has just mastered this "chore" in the past few months. Sometimes he does it with a smile on his face (like below). And sometimes he needs a little prodding to "remember" to do it.

8:45 am - After a quick clothing change and the addition of shoes, the boys are sent outside to play. It's a beautiful, sunny morning, but still a little chilly. They are both wearing their "pirate" pants...$5 sweat pants from Target that I cut to be jagged at the bottom for their pirate day at preschool. They are wearing those because they actually love them...and because it's laundry day and there are no alternatives!

Normally, after the boys go out to play, I take a few minutes and get the kitchen back to square one...all the dishes away and clutter cleared. But today, I go outside with them first to take some photos. They used to want me outside to play with them, and sometimes they still do, but at their ages now, they have such a great time playing together. It's awesome.

It seems that Logan felt that the pirate pants would not be complete without the pirate hook.

Neither one of the boys can swing on the swings by themselves yet. Sigh. Is anyone else frustrated with teaching their kids this skill? Maybe it's a complicated concept...back and forth with the legs, lean back and pull up with the arms. Well, I don't expect Logan to do it yet, but Ethan has taken forever to teach. He's still not there. So, when I'm not outside to push them, this is how they swing...

Except today Ethan is feeling very brotherly, so he pushes Logan, which totally thrills him. Both of them, actually.

It kills me that Logan (my baby) can climb this rock wall by himself now.

If you haven't noticed in the previous photos of the swing set/fort, the boys have taken to "decorating" it with sidewalk chalk. My first instinct (months ago when they began) was to tell them not to do that, but then I thought, "why not?" And I couldn't come up with a legitimate reason, so I let them do it.

9:20 am - After spending a little time with the boys outside, I go back inside to get a few things done. Tidy the kitchen, start another load of laundry, touch-up vacuum the kitchen and living room floors (with the stick vacuum). And paint some sample squares of paint on my bedroom walls. In the photo below there are 8 color samples. I would end up with 12 on the wall before I finally made my decision. Just for the record, that's the most (by far) I've ever had to try before picking the right one.

10:15 am - The boys come inside. Often, they will play outside even longer than this and I have to make them come inside to eat lunch. But today, they wanted to play with the (inside) fort, which apparently is not much of a fort with the sheet completely falling down. We've done better.

Just Logan being Logan...

10:30 am - After they're done with fort-play (which only lasted about 15 minutes), I strip them down and turn on a show. They have a snack of Kashi granola bars. We obviously don't normally have our kitchen chairs in the living room, but since they were already there for the fort, I pulled them over. Kids like doing new and different things like that and sure enough, they stayed put for the entire 25 minute show. I took a shower during that time.

11:00 am - After the show, snack, and my shower, the boys get their own bath. This time, it's in our master bath tub. The boys love occasionally taking baths down here because it's a bigger tub than theirs. And also that new and different thing again, I think.

11:20 am - The boys are out of the tub and I get Logan dressed (Ethan takes care of this himself.) Remember how I said that Logan likes to be around to watch whatever I'm doing? He likes to sit on our dressers in the closet when we're getting ready in there. And play with the lint roller too.

11:30 am - On a whim, I called Casey at work to see if we could have lunch with him. He said we could, so we changed from our house slippers into real shoes and got in the car.

11:45 am - We picked Casey up from his office and took off to one of our favorite Mexican restaurants, Petra.

12:00 pm - This face is common for our Logan. He's such an emotional kid. So happy one minute, and crying over who knows what the next. So, it was no surprise that he was crying about something here. Don't remember what it was.

A quick pic with daddy before our food arrived. We did have our chips and queso, however, which was partially responsible for the sunnier outlook for Logan. Ethan is no-nonsense (mostly) at meals. He likes to eat and like most other tasks in his life, he does it wholeheartedly.

12:40 pm - Finished with lunch, we load up the car again, drive daddy back to his office, and head home. 

1:00 pm - Back home, the boys put away their shoes and head upstairs for nap and rest time. I put Logan down first. He still takes a nap (most days). He sleeps anywhere from 1.5 - 2 hours if he's at home in his bed. He still likes to be rocked too...and I am happy to oblige.

Ethan stopped napping several months ago, I think. I can't remember exactly. But he still has rest time for at least 1.5 hours every day. And he needs the down time. I let him play with his new leap pad (got it for Christmas) during this time as well as read books, color, or play with some toys quietly in his room. Ethan is really good at playing in his room by himself, so this switch to rest time instead of actually sleeping during nap time has been seamless.

1:15 pm - I sit down at my computer most days during nap time. Usually it's to edit photos or just take care of general things. Sometimes read blogs. It's my down time too. Occasionally I'll prep dinner or shuffle laundry (did a little bit of that this day to keep it going). There's always photos to edit, personal or professional, so any given day, that's probably what I'm doing. 

2:45 pm - Ethan gets up from his rest time and brings his stuffed alphabet letters into my office to play. Sometimes he'll do that while I continue to work until Logan gets up. Usually we don't have to wait very long for that.

But, while we are waiting, I make my oldest take a photo with me.

3:15 pm - We hear Logan stirring on the monitor (squealing, actually), so Ethan and I head into his room to get him up. Then, both boys head off to the playroom at my suggestion. I have them both pick out a few books for me to read. We snapped this photo of both of them on my lap, and sometimes that's how it works. But often, they'll stick around for the books they picked and not their brother's books. And here's a confession...as much as I know we should do this reading ritual daily, it does not happen every single day.

3:30 pm - The boys play with their toys in the playroom. Today, it's cars. But any given day, they'll pull out different things. Although the cars are a regular player.

The kitchen too...Logan is getting me a drink of water.

And wouldn't you know, they both love to play with the Cinderella's castle that my mom bought several years ago for her future granddaugher(s), which she never got. But, if you think about it, castles are fun for boys too. While they're not worried about furnishing it, they do love to play with the characters (we have a bunch of Disney characters...even ones that didn't live in a castle).

5:15 pm - Just as we're done cleaning up the playroom and heading downstairs to think about dinner for the boys, daddy comes home! But don't be fooled, this is not his normal coming-home time. Usually it's around 6-6:30 pm (sometimes later, unfortunately). But tonight, he has a flag football game to play so he's home early to eat, change, and get to the game.

And normally, I would fix the boys some dinner from leftovers or something else while they watch a show. Casey and I eat later because he comes home so much later (usually). But tonight, I ordered the boys a pizza. Yep, I took the easy way out.

Ethan is completely happy with my dinner choice. They don't get pizza very often, so it really is a treat.

6:00 pm - Dinner is done, and because the boys didn't watch a show while I made dinner, I let them watch one after dinner. They also play with their toys in the living room while they watch.

6:30 pm - We head up to bed to read, pray, and do our bed time routines. We went up a little earlier than usual tonight so Casey could take some photos for us. But actually, our normal bedtime is 7 pm, and since Ethan has not been taking a nap, we've been making sure he's in bed completely by 7 instead of just going up there at that time. He's usually really ready for bed by then. And he's also a kid who loves routine...if we don't do every step of his bed time routine he is not a happy camper.

We usually read stories and pray together and then split up into the separate bedrooms for the boys. So, they gather on Ethan's bed first.

We've been working our way through the Jesus Storybook Bible one story at at time. (We love it, by the way.) Sometimes we'll let the boys pick another book too. Or they each take one and one parent reads it to them in their own bedroom. But after stories, they hug each other and say good night.

Then it's off to bed for them both. Logan likes to be rocked and sing songs. Ethan likes to do various special things with me and Casey. Songs, alphabet games, quizzes, etc. 

7:00 pm - Tonight they are both tucked in by 7pm because we went upstairs so early. Casey had to leave for his game shortly after we went up, so I'm by myself. I turn on the TV in the living room and fold some laundry. It doesn't all get folded and put away today. It's rare that I finish it all in one day. When Casey gets home, he takes a shower and I get our dinner ready. I have no idea what we ate that night, but I know it wasn't pizza. Maybe leftovers? Or something that didn't take long to prepare. 

8-8:30 pm - Cleaning up after dinner. Heading upstairs to edit for about an hour. Then, to bed to watch Gilmore Girls until I'm too tired to keep my eyes open. Great day.