Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Jack


  
You know how before you have kids, you're all "Oh, my kids will never eat fast food." and "My kids will only watch 30 minutes of TV a day (if at all)".  And my personal favorite, "My kids will never act like that kid screaming his way through Target begging for everything and pulling things off the shelves." 

Then, along came a kid named Jack. Oh. My. Gosh.  This kid is non stop!!!  He doesn't like vegetables and eats chicken nuggets about 3 times a week. He watches approximately 80 hours of TV a week (ok, maybe that's an exaggeration) because for the LOVE OF GOD, it's the only thing that keeps him still for longer than say, a minute. And, I'd rather go shopping at midnight than have to take him to the store with me.  


But, he's just so stinking cute and he stops playing to say, "Me love you, Mommy."  

And when he's sad or hurt or sleepy, he wants me and only me.  He is an awesome snuggle bug! 


He is ALL boy.  His favorite words are booger, butt, wiener, and poop.  Seriously, is this stuff just ingrained in boys????  If I want to make him laugh, I just insert a potty word into a song and he's dying.  All the while, Kate is telling me how inappropriate it is. 


He has a temper like you wouldn't believe and boy, is he stubborn!! 

He also has quite the imagination.  He's always telling us, "You call me Batman." or the most random one, "You call me Ricky." One day, I was smack dab in the middle of disciplining him and we were having a talk and he says, "You call me Batman." 


He tells these funny little white lies to try to get what he wants.  He will come up to me (with Mark right there in the other room) and say, "Daddy say me have candy." when he really didn't.  He blames Kate for everything! 


One day, I caught him with a mouthful of cookies that I had laid out to take as a snack for the kids that day.  I said, "What are you eating?"  Knowing he would get in trouble if he said cookies, he said "a apple" (although he spit cookies when he said it because his mouth was so full).  I said, "Jack, we don't even have any apples... are you telling the truth?"  He stuck to his guns and swore we had apples and he was eating one... and then got put on the time out step for lying.  Poor kid. 


He has a very funny way of saying things.  We were at the mall ALL day getting everyone's Easter outfits lined up awhile back.  He begged me to leave the whole time.  Finally, I said, "Ok, it's time to go home."  He said, "Oh, man! Us go home? Dang it!" 

Speaking of Easter, on Easter Sunday after Kate got all ready, he came in and said, "Oh, there's my princess!  Dance with me, princess?" and then he slow danced with her!!  It was the cutest thing ever!


He had us dying laughing when he fell and scratched his hip.  He got up and said, "Ow, ow, ow... me hurt my side butt!" 

At the Cardinals Opening Day Rally, there was a lady painting baseball bats, baseballs, or Cardinal birds on the kids faces. When it was Jack's turn, she asked him what he wanted and he said, "Batman". 


If he spends time with the grandparents while I sub or something, I will say, "Did you miss me?" and he puts on this really sad face and says, "Me miss you."  One day, he said, "Me miss you all time. For 8 hours." 


Mothering a 3 year old boy is some of the hardest work I have EVER had to do (if not THE hardest). 


But, when I watch him pat his Sissy on the back and say, "Me love you, Kate" or hear him use his manners and tell me "Please and thank you are nice words" or tell me that Jesus lives in his heart or hear him pray at night for his family and thank God for his toys, I realize that allllllll the hard work is worth it.  


 


Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Kate Rileigh



 She is growing up before our very eyes.  She has quite the little personality.  She says things that are just so funny.  



Awhile back at Mimi and Papa's house, I had them watch The Land Before time on VHS.  She could tell it was an older movie and said, "This is an old, old movie.  Like back in the eighties." 



One day, we were playing the Question Game (a super creative game I made up to pass time in the car... I basically ask a question and they answer it... ha! See?  SOOO creative, right??).  I asked Kate, "If you had to pick one sport to play, what would it be?"  She answered, "Tennis... on the XBox." haha! 



She will say things to me like, "I'm not mad at you, I'm just really frustrated." 



One day in the car, I was singing and she said, "Mommy, you are kinda singing out of tune."  I kept singing anyway and she started pouting in the backseat.  I asked her what was wrong and she said, "I have a headache... because of you." 



She likes to be my little helper.  One day, she was helping me clip coupons and declared, "I'm so ready to get these scissors off my hands!"



I asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up and she said a teacher.  I asked why and she said, "because of all the hand pointing... and I want to use a pointer." ha! 



One day, she tripped and fell and said, "I gotta work on my technique!" 



She makes me notes all the time that say, Ilyou" or "Ilu" for I love you. 


She asked me, "Do you know what my two talents are? Humming and smiling while talking and not moving my lips."



We had to take our cat to the vet to get neutered and declawed.  She had a total meltdown the night before. She was so scared.  The kids dropped him off with me and heard the vet (a male) go over everything with me.  After we left I said, "See?  I told you it was going to be ok."  Her reply was, "Yeah, well I would have been more comfortable with a girl doctor." 


Making snow ice cream

We had a sleepover with some little friends at Mimi and Papa's house.  Kate likes to be "in charge" of her cousin, Ruckus.  The little girl was holding him and I think Kate was starting to feel a little threatened. :) She ran off crying and it took a lot of talking to get it out of her.  She finally said through tears, "It's like she's taking my place.  It's like she's stealing my personality."  



She is CONSTANTLY singing.  She makes up all kinds of songs.  One of her latest: "I've  got a house.  I've got some chickens. Everything a country girl needs.  I just need a horse.  I can get that too." 




She told me the other night, "I'm going to get a snack.  I'm feeling a little snacky." 



She's always using new words.  We watched a movie and she said, "That guy is fearless!"  


She is an amazing little girl.  She blesses our lives and our home with laughter, craziness, sweetness, and a lot of sass.  

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Opening Day 2013

After last year's rainy Opening Day rally, where we spent the day at the Science Center instead of celebrating at Kiener Plaza, we were excited for NICE weather this year!! 

Because I am a crazy person and a friend asked if I could watch her kiddos that day, I said, "Sure, we'll take them to the Opening Day rally with us."  Five kids five and under in a crowded outdoor celebration made for a few crazy moments, but all in all it was a fun day!! 


Jack had to have the scary doll in the picture. 

The kids danced to the band's music. 



 Jack was a rockstar dancing with this guy! 





They did the baseball pitch game, got their faces painted by a lady named "Sugar Mama", and ran around at The Arch. 

 



















It's SO fun being downtown on Opening Day!!




Friday, April 19, 2013

The Kids Day O' Fun

Jack is OBSESSED with all things superheroes. So, back in March, Mark wanted to take him to Comic Con when they came to St. Louis.  

There happened to be a circus in St. Louis at the same time, so I took Kate. 

It was so fun to spend time with just her. 

Mark and Jack left earlier in the day.  



Mark texted me this picture about 20 minutes after they left. Ha!



All of these are iphone pictures, so they are blurry (both of our cameras on our phones aren't very good... mine is because of a nameless 3 year old that put my phone in the toilet and there is still some moisture in there... I'm due for an upgrade, but getting to the AT&T store has been pushed back multiple times on my to-do list).  






Jack and Batman

Later in the day, Kate and I went to Pasta House (her favorite).  I let her have a Coke, which she thought was like the coolest thing ever. 







She got to ride an elephant at the circus and then we enjoyed a great show.







We were greeted in the parking lot with a flat tire, so we had to wait for my roadside assistance to send someone to change our tire.  A bummer way to end the night, but Kate just slept in the back seat while we waited.  

I love having one on one time with each of the kids!