Welcome Home

Does anything make you feel better than your child rushing into your arms after a long day apart? Today I pulled into Grandma H.'s subdivision to pick up the boys. Grandma and Ryan were taking a walk, so I waved as I drove past. Ryan cried, "Mama!" then took off down the sidewalk towards the house as fast as his little legs would carry him. I love it!

That's New!

Being a parent means you are always in for some kind of surprise. Sometimes it's not the best kind of surprise, like when we caught Ryan standing on the arm of the couch while watching t.v. Other times, it's the kind of surprise that makes you happy.

This morning on the way to Grandma and Grandpa P.'s, Wesley was pretending to be Cooper the Cat. Yes, Cooper is back and we can't get rid of him. I can't believe I once mourned what I thought was his passing. Anyhow, Wesley said, "Mom, you have 97 cats in your car going to Grandpa's." I agreed that it FELT like I had 97 cats in car. "And you have three cats at home," he continued. No argument there. "That means you have 100 cats!" Wesley proudly announced.

I had no idea he could do that kind of math. Surprise!

Good Old Fashioned Entertainment

Anyone who knows me fairly well knows that I adore musicals and that I have a special place in my heart for old movie musicals. Give me a rainy day, a bowl of popcorn and a Judy Garland or Gene Kelly movie marathon and I'm a very happy woman.

Singin' in the Rain (one of my top three movies of all time) was on TV Sunday night. I didn't figure either of the boys would be all that interested in it, but Wesley really surprised me. He LOVED the song "Make Em' Laugh" and asked me to rewind it so he could watch it three times! Even Ryan laughed out loud as we watched it.

Wesley also asked me to rewind the song "Beautiful Girl" a couple of times too. My favorite moment was when he said, "Wow Mom, look at all those girls. They sure are beautiful!"

Last night Wesley did his own song and dance routine. It took me a minute to figure out that he was trying to mimic Donald O'Connor in the "Make Em' Laugh" routine. Wesley was even trying to sing as much as he could remember of the song! I loved it!

I'm actually toying with the idea of taking him to see "Cats" in November. What do you think?

Not Me Monday

I did not allow Ryan to chug some of my coffee before I left him with Grandma and Grandpa H. That would have been cruel to his grandparents. And even if I did do that, I know Ryan didn't say "YUMMY!" after each sip.

I know I didn't tear up and get goosebumps when Ryan made the sign for "bat" at the zoo when we were standing in front of the bats. Nope. Not me!

There is no way Ryan colored on the wall at Uncle Kirk and Aunt Susan's with a dark gray crayon. It just couldn't have happened!

I did not eat myself sick on cookie dough when I was making cookies for Wesley's preschool art show. I would never do that.

Weekend Wrap Up

It's been another busy busy weekend for the W. family. Fun, but busy!

Yesterday we went to Uncle Kirk and Aunt Susan's to watch the OSU Spring Game. Poor Aunt Susan wasn't feel quite up to par, but she really wanted the gang to come over. She had the kitchen table set up with tons of stickers and little toys for the boys, which kept them happy and busy for quite a while.


When those things got old, Aunt Sus took Wesley upstairs to her art room. There they worked on some pictures and a special early Mother's Day gift for me - a sweet photo album, decorated by Wesley.

While Wesley and Sus were getting their creative juices flowing, Ryan was working his muscles. He found a little foam football and would walk up the stairs, throw it over the half wall, say "football", then come down into the great room to retrieve the ball and do it all over again. He has a REALLY good arm too! A couple of times we were pretty sure someone was helping him, but no one was.

Ryan lulled us into a false sense of security with his football skills though. We got so accustomed to him going up and down the stairs and playing with the football, that none of us noticed when he got really quiet. And anyone with children knows that "really quiet" usually means "big trouble." Sure enough. Ryan has gotten a dark gray crayon out of the art room and was very happily scribbling on Uncle Kirk and Aunt Susan's white wall! ACK! And you wonder why we don't go out very often! They were very sweet about it, but I was MORTIFIED! We left as soon as the game was over (and before our children could destroy anything else) and spent a quiet evening at home.

Today was the annual art show/open house/silent auction at the preschool Wesley goes to. Let's just say the family was VERY well represented. All his grandparents were there, as well as Aunt Cathy, Sho and Kei. Wesley was happy to show everyone his classroom and his art work when we got there.

Of course, one E. arrived it was all over for Wesley. E. is Wesley's best buddy/girlfriend at preschool. According to Wesley's teachers the two of the are inseparable at school and watching them today, I believe it. They held hands, they sat together at the magic show, the played in the rumpus room together. It was adorable!

After we left the preschool we went to Target. Wesley was allowed to pick something out of the dollar area as a reward for being so good all day. He picked out a pack of stickers because he wanted to use them to make a card for E. He has spent the last hour at the table with this stickers decorating a card that says, "I love E." He is so excited to give it to her on Tuesday. Isn't preschool love sweet?

The Truth Comes Out

I've always known that Wesley has a soft spot in his heart for his Grandma H., but now I know why. This conversation took place as we were leaving her house yesterday.

Wesley: I didn't get to have rainbow ice cream with chocolate chips today. (Note: he has recently discovered Graeter's Black Raspberry Chip ice cream and is in love with it.)

Mommy: Well, you don't get to have ice cream every day. It's a sometimes treat.

Wesley: But it was treat day.

Mommy: Sorry, Bud. Not every day can be treat day.

Wesley: Well, it is at Grandmas!

A New Chapter

Now that the school year is starting to wind down, we have signed Wesley up for a few classes at the community center. He started his sports class on Tuesday and his swim class started today. Wesley seems to be having a great time in his classes, but I am having a really hard time letting go. It's just one more aspect of his life that I am not involved in. Grandma H. takes Wesley to his classes, just like she takes him to preschool. I get a report back when I call. And while I'm thrilled that he is getting the chance to do these things, I'm a little sad and jealous too. There's this whole new aspect of his life that I am just not involved in. Yes, it's healthy. Yes, it's good for him. Yes, this is only the tip of the iceberg of things he'll be doing without me. But it brings home the fact that my little boy isn't as little as he used to be and that's just hard.

Wonderful Day

I have had the best day off today! The boys and I met Grandpa P. at the zoo this morning and I can't remember the last time I had such a nice zoo trip. The weather was perfect, it wasn't too crowded and we weren't on any kind of time frame at all. We took our time and looked a whatever we wanted to. The boys were on their best behavior and did a great job staying with us and listening. Of course, the best part of the day was when Ryan got to the bat exhibit and actually signed the word "bat"! I knew all those Signing Time DVDs that Wesley had been watching would rub off on them.

Top it all off with lunch out, a trip to Pink Moon Cupcake Bakery and a nap on the couch with Ryan and the cat and I've had a perfect day!

Super Brothers

Marc Brown (author of the Arthur books) is quoted as saying/writing "Sometimes being a brother is even better than being a superhero." I don't know about that, but I do know that sometimes it can take superhuman resolve to get along with your brother. Wesley and Ryan have been doing a fantastic job with that lately! Most evening the boys will play something together. It might be pulling the cushions off the couch to jump on them, or chasing each other around the dining room, but it's together and they don't fight.

I've been pretty impressed with the self control and ingenuity Wesley has shown with some things related to Ryan. Like stickers. Wesley and Ryan both got stickers for Easter. Wesley immediately asked for some paper and used up every single sticker he had. Two weeks later, he has no stickers, but Ryan still has some. I won't let Wesley use Ryan's stickers, so he has come up with an alternative plan. He'll sit with Ryan and take the stickers off the backing for his little brother, then hand Ryan the sticker. It actually works remarkably well and keeps them both entertained.

Then we get the more typical brother interactions like we had yesterday. Ryan went into Wesley's room with me when it was time to get ready in the morning. I pulled two shirts out of the closet and held them up so Wesley could choose one. Ryan immediately pointed to the shirt on the left. Wesley turned to Ryan and said, "No Ryan! I get to pick!" He turned back to the shirts and before he could make a decision, Ryan pointed to the one on the left again. Wesley yelled, "Ryan! Stop!," then turned back to the shirts. Once again Ryan pointed to the one on the left before Wesley could choose. "Ryan!" Wesley yelled, "You don't get to wear these shirts! I do!" I told Wesley to please pick a shirt. He looked at them for a second, then picked the one on the left!

Later that same morning we were driving to Grandma and Grandpa P.'s. The sun was shining brightly and Wesley asked for his sunglasses. He put them on and then Ryan started whining for his sunglasses too. I handed them back to Ryan, knowing he wouldn't be able to get them on by himself. Sure enough, Wesley started hollering "Ryan! They're upside down! Turn them over! NO! Turn them over!" I asked Wesley to please stop yelling at his brother. "But Mom, Ryan doesn't know how to put his sunglasses on and I'm teaching him." I didn't hold out much hope that yelling at Ryan would teach him how to put his sunglasses on, but since I was driving down the freeway, there wasn't much I could do about it.

Another minute of yelling passed before I looked in the rear view mirror. There was Ryan, sitting with his sunglasses on correctly! "Mom! Ryan put his glasses on!" Wesley exclaimed. Then he turned to Ryan and said, "Good job buddy! Gimme a high five!" and they slapped hands across their car seat. Maybe there is something to that superhero thing after all.

Not Me Monday

I did not eat a piece of pie for breakfast and lick the plate clean. And I certainly didn't do it in front of the boys!

There's no way I told Duane that "blond" and "wand" didn't rhyme. Betcha can't guess what color my hair is.

I didn't spend 10 minutes at the store looking for seedless raspberry jam and when I got home, realize that I bough seedless STRAWBERRY.

My feelings were not the slightest bit hurt after discovering that Wesley prefers the light up Spiderman shoes that Grandma bought him to the red, white, black and silver ones that I picked out for him.

I know I didn't miss my boys terribly all weekend since I worked Saturday, went out with Duane Saturday night and worked on Sunday. And even if it were true, I know I didn't think about them all the time at work and wondered what they were doing. And I know the last hour of my Sunday shift didn't drag on and on while I waited to see them again.

Something Smells Funny

Duane and I had a date night last night. We went out to dinner and saw a movie that wasn't based on a kids book and wasn't animated. Who cares if we were home before 10:00? We had a great time!

Anyhow, Grandma and Grandpa H. watched the kids while we were out. We we came home they gave us the rundown of the night. Apparently Wesley had a new bedtime stalling technique that he put into play last night. He waited until he was properly tucked in and then asked where Bear was. He and Grandma looked in his room, but it wasn't there. Then Grandma went downstairs to look, but couldn't find it. The result of this was that Wesley got to get out of bed and "look" for his bear. Although Grandma and Grandpa said is very obviously a fake bear hunt. Wesley acted like he was looking before making a beeline behind the couch to retrieve Bear. Sounds like a staged disappearance to me!

However, the funny part of this story took place before Grandma let Wesley go downstairs to look for Bear. The extra bear that Uncle Kirk brought to our house the night of the lost bear at the zoo was sitting in Wesley's room. Grandma handed it to him and asked if he could sleep with that bear. Some of you may not know that Wesley kind of rubs/sucks on the tag of his bear. Over the years that action has caused the bear, and the tag especially, to kind of smell no matter how many times we wash it. Hence, the name, Stinky Bear.

When Grandma gave the other bear to Wesley, the first thing he did was flip the bear over and examine it's tag. After a moment he held the bear up to Grandma and said, "Grandma, smell that tag! That is NOT my bear!"

Kinda Sorta Mommy Guilt

As I write this, a friend of mine from the library is either in labor or has had her baby. It got me thinking about how much I love my boys and how much I love being a mommy. It also got me thinking about Mommy Guilt - usually in the form of things I wish I did better for my kids. Here's the short list of my Mommy Guilt things.

My kids watch a lot of TV. I know they watch a lot of TV. And Ryan watches stuff we didn't let Wesley until he was much older.

My kids don't attend story time at (any) library. I have pretty much been guilty about that since the day Wesley was born. This is a little known secret among librarians, but librarians kids rarely attend story time. Why? Because their mommies or daddies are the ones doing the story times and are at work when story times are offered.

I don't read to the boys as much as I should. Duane does the bedtime routine and the bedtime books. And I don't like to "read" I Spy books to Wesley because they don't give me a chance to sell the story by being goofy. Plus some of those suckers are really hard.

My kids drink juice. When Wesley was a baby we gave him very little juice and the juice we did give him was heavily watered down. Now they both get straight juice a couple times a day. So their teeth will rot and fall out. We do try to give them V8 Fusion as much as possible.

They also drink chocolate milk. Wesley is allowed to have 2 a day, then he has to switch to white milk, water or juice. And he does choose water and white milk sometimes. I hope Ryan will do the same.

My kids eat a lot of junk. I do try to limit it and Ryan eats a wider variety of healthy food than Wesley, but they still eat junk. They both have a sweet tooth, LOVE chips (although we try to buy baked) and could eat their weight in cheez-its. I didn't make my own baby food when they were really little and although they both got breast milk, it was from a bottle.

I let Wesley go to bed with me at least 2-3 times a week. I know it won't last and I want to take advantage of the snuggle time for as long as possible. Besides, Ryan isn't much a snuggler.

I don't do the whole bedtime routine with the boys. Duane puts them to bed and I let him because I am guaranteed some "me time" while they are upstairs.

Does it count as Mommy Guilt if you don't feel all that guilty about it most of the time?

Checkmate!

Our nephew Sho is learning to play chess. Duane will sometimes play with him in order to give him some practice. Looks like Ryan wants in on the action.

You Call That a Camp Out?

Monday night I went to bed a bit later than usual - 11:00 instead of my normal 9:30. When I reached the top of the stairs I had to hold in a small shriek. There, in the hallway, was Wesley lying face down, surrounded by his stuffed animals. I woke him and asked why he was sleeping in the hallway. He groggily replied, "I'm tired of sleeping inside. I wanted to sleep outside."

Do Not Take Food from the Animals

I have made no secret of the fact that Ryan is my "good eater." He'll try almost anything and is VERY insistent about trying some things. He's fascinated by baby carrots, but until the other night, he had never successfully gotten a bite of one. He wants to eat almonds and pistachios, but if you break them into little pieces, he screams and refused to eat them - and I'm not about to give him a whole nut!

Ryan is also a bit of a grazer. Grandpa H. jokes that Ryan only eats one meal a day - starting when he wakes up and ending when he goes to bed! It's true too. Ryan never puts away a lot of food at once, but he's always eating.

I've gotten in the habit of giving Ryan something little to eat while I'm getting Wesley ready in the mornings. I guess if you were a Hobbit, you'd call this "first breakfast." Ryan usually has some Cheerios, or whole grain puffs, or part of a Pop Tart. Yesterday I gave him a little bag of chocolate graham crackers. Okay, I know that isn't the healthiest way to start the day, but let's be honest, we all indulge in coffee cake, donuts, or a sweet roll now and then.

Anyhow, it was time for us to leave the house and Ryan wasn't quite done with first breakfast, so he carried it outside with him. All was going well until he decided to try to open the bag a little wider. Not wanting to deal with the fit that would follow when he managed to break the bag and his crackers went all over the ground, I rushed over, took the bag from him and began to walk towards the van.

I don't know how to describe what happened next except to say that all heck broke loose! Ryan let out this rather unearthly scream - it actually sounded like a cross between a banshee one of those Ringwraiths from the Lord of the Rings movies. He flew at me with a speed I didn't know he possessed, arms flailing! For a split second I actually feared for my life. Alright, maybe that's a bit of exaggeration, but I did fear for my ankles - he could have kicked me! I have never seen anything like it outside of the animal kingdom. Luckily I was able to capture the wild beast, put him in his car seat, then pacify him with the remaining crackers.

Nothing like a wild toddler attack to get your heart pumping in the morning!

Not Me Monday

I did not laugh LOUDLY at the video of my toddler falling on his face after going down the slide. What kind of mom would that make me?

There's no way I bribed Wesley with fruit snacks so he'd clean his brother's room. And there's certainly no way he fell for it!

I did not give Ryan a regular cup (not a sippy cup) of water, only to watch him spill it as he was climbing onto the couch. And I know I didn't then give him a second cup of water, only to watch him repeat the process.

I Know There's a Punchline There Somewhere....

Parenting is filled with joy, excitement, angst, frustration and even tears. But some days it just feels like you are trapped in a bad comedy routine. Take this morning's conversation with Wesley.

Mom: What would you like for breakfast, Wesley?

Wesley: Chocolate chip pancakes!

Mom: I'm sorry, hon. We don't have chocolate chip pancakes. We have little plain ones though.

Wesley: How about you make some plain pancakes and put chocolate chips in them?

Mom: I would do that, but I'm pretty sure we're out of chocolate chips too.

Wesley: Ok. I'll just have some chocolate chips in a little bowl.

ARGH!!!!!!

Where's Ryan?

Ryan woke up in a great mood this morning. He was a totally happy baby. In fact, he was in such a good mood that he wanted to play "hide and seek". Unfortunately, he doesn't exactly get the concept of hiding.

Hummmmm.....where could that baby be?

Long Way to Go

Ryan will HATE this story when he's older.

Ryan isn't close to actually being ready to potty train, but we did the old potty out a few weeks ago. Right now we are just sitting him on it once a twice a day so he'll get used to it. This morning I took him into the bathroom, sat him on the potty, and waited for a few minutes. When he was done sitting we walked back into his room. I went to the closet to pick out his clothes and he climbed up on his bed (crib converted to a day bed) to wait. I don't think he was sitting there more than 45 seconds before he peed. The look on his face was priceless! Kind of a "How did THAT happen" face! Luckily crib mattresses are waterproof so all we had to do was change the top sheet. Something tells me it will be awhile before we made actual strides on potty training.

Wesley's Menagerie

Whoo-hoo! I can't believe I spelled "menagerie" correctly!

Anyhow, if you are a frequent reader of this blog, or if you've ever met Wesley, you know that he always has at least one stuffed animal with him. Bear/Carr is his best buddy by far, but other animals fall in and out of favor. Right now a stuffed cat named "Fiona." She's been hanging around for a couple of months. On Easter Wesley got a little stuffed Dalmatian he named "Dot." Since then, Carr, Fiona and Dot go everywhere with him.

This morning we were getting ready to leave the house and couldn't find Fiona and Dot. We looked upstairs and downstairs and all over. I didn't remember seeing them the night before, so I called Duane at work to see if they were in his car. Sure enough, that's where they were.

When I told Wesley that Fiona and Dot went to work with Daddy, he asked if we could go see Duane at work. I told him no, that I was taking him to Grandma’s because I had to go to work too. Wesley thought for a minute then said, "Maybe Grandma could take me to Daddy's work." I told him that Dot and Fiona would be just fine with Daddy until we all got home tonight.

“Don’t Grandma and Grandpa know how to get to Daddy’s work?" Wesley asked rhetorically," "Cause they could learn!"

Luckily Wesley survived the day without Dot and Fiona, but he sure was happy to see them when we got home!

Way to Stick the Landing

Grandpa P. is great about sending me pictures and videos of the boys while I'm at work. It really helps me not miss them so much. Here's what he sent me today. Is it wrong that I laughed? Click the play button to find out!

Spring Evenings

We've had a stretch of absolutely amazing weather the last few days. It's supposed to end pretty soon, so we've spent the last couple of evenings in the (incredibly small and pathetic) backyard with the boys. What's there to do in a backyard the size of a postage stamp?

You can watch your brother dance around like a nut.

You can graffiti the walls.

You can graffiti the walls some more.

You can pose with a big purple ball.

You can see how fast a big ball will roll down the slide.

You can go down the slide head first and face plant into the grass.

You and your brother can gang up on Daddy and throw balls at him.

You can check out the view!

Short Stories

Ryan now has a basketball hoop to play with at Grandma and Grandpa P.'s and spent a good chunk of the day perfecting the Baby Slam Dunk! Why do I foresee lots of little league games in my future?

Ryan seems to have an aversion to short sleeves. He always tries to pull his short sleeves down to cover his whole arm. Yesterday he refused to take his jacket off all day, probably because I had dressed him short sleeves. Let me tell you, what was one NASTY jacket by bedtime.

When I picked the boys up at Grandma and Grandpa P.'s yesterday, they were both playing in the driveway. Ryan walked over to me, took my keys and tried to use them to open Grandma's car!

Not Me Monday

I was not incredibly happy when Wesley informed me that he liked the outfit I was wearing. I mean, who takes fashion advice from a four year old?

There was not a little part of me that was hoping Wesley cold would cause him to lose his voice.

I know I didn't put a can of fruit away - in the medicine cabinet. That would have been a bad sign of something or other.

Easter Photo Update

Lost and Found

NOTE: The "Lost and Found" of this post does not refer to either of the boys. They are fine, were not lost and this story does have a happy ending.

Last night we decided to take advantage of the gorgeous weather and head out to the zoo for the special event. It seems like half of central Ohio had the same idea, because I don't believe I've ever seen the zoo so crowded. We made our way into the parking lot, and loaded the boys in the stroller. Wesley decided to leave Bear in the car and tossed him on his seat - a decision I encouraged whole-heartedly because the last thing we wanted to do was lose Bear in that crowd.

We had a fabulous time at the zoo despite the crowds. Wesley was on his very best behavior. Ryan toddled around grinning. Sho and Kei really helped take care of the younger boys. That's what my post was going to be about. I was going to include lots of pictures and it would have been a great post, but then something else happened.

Around 8:00 we made our way back to the cars. I'd say 97% of the people who had been at the zoo were leaving at this time and once again the parking lot was a madhouse. We kind of forgot where we parked, so once we reached the general area Duane and Ryan went once way, while Wesley and I went the other. Duane found the car first, called my cell phone and loaded Ryan into the car while I made my way to them. We got Wesley buckled in, put the stroller away and pulled into the obscenely long line of cars. We caught a break and made it out of the parking lot and onto the main roads much quicker than we anticipated. We cranked some music for the kids and told Wesley what a great job he had done.

We were about 2 miles away from the zoo when Wesley said, "Where's Bear?" Now I clearly remembered that we left Bear on Wesley's seat, so we pulled into a strip mall parking lot and opened the back doors to get Bear for Wesley - only Bear wasn't there. We checked under every seat in the van and while we found a couple of really disgusting long missing sippy cups, two balls, and other miscellaneous debris, there was no Bear. We checked the diaper bag, the stroller, under the kids tushies - no Bear. ACK!!!

There was no choice but to head back to the (now closed) zoo. I wasn't even sure we'd be able to get into the parking lot, but we made it in. The line of cars leaving was almost gone and there were still a few stragglers in the lot. We figured that Ryan must have tossed Bear out of the van while he and Duane had been waiting for me and Wesley. We began to circle the part of the lot where we had parked. We flipped the brights on and circled for a good 20 minutes. We talked to people in the lot but there was no Bear. Wesley wasn't freaking out nearly as much as I thought he would, but he did keep saying things like "I hope no one took him home," and " He's my best buddy," and "Maybe he went home to wait for us there."

Duane drove up as close to the zoo entrance as he could and I prayed I'd be able to get inside to talk to someone in Lost and Found. I also made a quick call to Uncle Kirk who inherited Not So Stinky Bear (a new, clean version of Wesley's bear) a couple of years ago. I asked Kirk to please please please drive to our house and leave Not So Stinky on our back porch. I knew it wouldn't be the same, but figured it might help.

I made my way into the zoo and was fortunate enough to find someone in Lost and Found. I explained what we believe happened to Bear. No one had turned him in, but I was assured that the parking lot was cleaned first thing each morning and lots of lost items were turned in then. I was given a direct number to call in the morning and left a phone number where we could be reached if he showed up in the meantime.

I left the zoo and walked back to the van feeling physically sick. Somehow my mind was turning this into me letting Wesley down. I hated the fact that his 'best buddy' was lost. I got back in the van and told Wesley that we'd check with the zoo again in the morning. We explained that Uncle Kirk was bringing another bear that Wesley could use until the real Bear came home.

I tried to settle in my seat and keep from throwing up. Duane said, "I just want to make one more loop." We circled the lot one more time, then headed to same exit we used when we left the zoo before. As we turned onto the main road, Duane pointed and said, "What's that?" There, lying in the middle of one of five lanes, was Bear!!!! The best we can figure is that one of us put him on top of the van when we were getting the kids in the car and he fell off as we were driving.

I hopped out of the car and grabbed him. He was dirty and had probably been run over a few times, but he was really not much worse for the wear. I couldn't help it, I started to cry - no sob - in relief. I called Uncle Kirk and Aunt Susan only to discover that Kirk had left in such a rush to make things better for Wesley that he left his cell phone at home. I told Aunt Susan the saga and she said she'd tell Kirk as soon as he got home. We told Wesley that Bear would need a bath, but that it could wait until the morning.

As we were driving and Wesley was hugging Bear, Duane turned to me and said, "You know, when you were in the zoo, I asked my dad for help and right after I did that, I thought 'Retrace your steps exactly.' I think we had some help - and he's probably having a good laugh about it." Duane's dad passed away about 20 years ago. I never had the honor of meeting him, but from what I know of him and his family, he was an amazing man. I have no doubt that he helped us find Bear last night. And as I crawled under the covers with Wesley and one really dirty Bear, I said thank you to Grandpa W. Duane turned out the lights and said, "I told him that too."

Eggs to Dye For

We dyed Easter eggs with the boys tonight and here are things I've learned

1. Maroon carpet is a VERY good thing.
2. An entire cup of egg dye does not go very far when you have a one year old.
3. Every sticker in the package really can fit on one egg
4. I end up with WAY less eggs than I started with
5. Green dye is not easily removed from one's skin and will leave your toddler resembling the Incredible Hulk

Note the VERY green hand here.