Happy Birthday Nightcrawler

Here is one more reason I love the ages the boys are at right now - pretend birthday parties for toys.  Yesterday the boys planned a birthday party for their squinky (toy) Nightcrawler (super hero).  Grandma and Grandpa P. allowed the boys to decorate a room, blew up balloons and even had a special treat for the "party." Grandpa shot a little video and sent it to me at work so I could enjoy the festivities too.

On the way home Wesley told me that Nightcrawler's actually birthday is today, and yesterday was only his party day.  In case you wondered, Wesley says that Nightcrawler turned 32 today. Oh! And the Loki squinky isn't actually lost. The party yesterday was a surprise party and Loki had such a good hiding place that he fell asleep. 

Makes sense to me. I only wish I had gotten some cake .

Not Me Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to http://www.mycharmingkids.net/ to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I have not already created an in-depth packing list, including stuff for me, the boys and including carry-on bags, for a trip that is still a couple of weeks away.

There is no way an entire container of iced coffee leaked in the fridge and flooded everything - and I certainly didn't immediately blame my hubby. That would of have been ridiculous since he doesn't drink coffee and I'm the one who put the container in the fridge.

I am not equally impressed and appalled by the amount of food Wesley has been packing in this past week - 1.5 pork chops at dinner one night, 4 full sized pieces of pizza one night, every morsel of mac -n-cheese along with yogurt from Panera.

I did not let my boys walk along a city bike path without their shirts on. And if I did, I did not spend part of the time worrying that people would wonder what kind of mom I was to let my kids run around half naked.

Weekend Round Up

 It's been yet another busy weekend in the W. house.  It seems like we have a lot of those.

Yesterday was Wesley's last tee ball game. And by "last tee ball game" I mean LAST tee ball game. It's definitely not his sport, but he stuck with it and kept most of his complaining to a minimum. And we have trophy to show for it! Soccer starts in August and I'm hopeful that it will be more his speed.

Today was fairly low key. Well, other than the house showing and baking for one of the cake orders Duane and I have this week. We also took the boys to a park with fountains for awhile. It was mostly a ploy to get them out of the house and away from electronics for part of the afternoon, but it was actually a really nice time.

After splashing around for awhile, we walked along the bike path to the Santa Maria. We didn't go on board today, but it was a nice way for the boys to dry off.

The brothers that drink together....

We went to Grandma and Grandpa H.'s for dinner and after we ate, we walked down the street to pay a surprise visit to one of Wesley's classmates who moved into G&G H.'s neighborhood. She was thrilled to see Wesley. I foresee a lot of after school play dates in their future.

Not Under Arrest

Yesterday I was driving on the freeway, headed to my mom's with the kids. It's a drive we do every day, sometimes a couple of times a day, so I'll admit that I sometime make the drive on autopilot.
As we were driving along, I noticed a VERY large red piece of "danger" tape along the divider, essentially making a big lasso in the wind.

Oh and guess whose lane it was ready to rope?

And guess whose car was heading right towards it?

And guess who could not change lanes because there was a car right next to her?

If you guessed me and mine, you are absolutely correct! Congratulations. Sorry. There's no prize.

I drove into the loop and it ended up caught on my rear view mirror on the drivers side - flapping along behind me like a gigantic danger banner.  I slowed down a bit, rolled down my window and began to pull tape inside.

No real problem, right?

Not to most people, but to Wesley, it was a MAJOR problem. 

"Mom!! What are you doing?" he demanded.

"I'm pulling this danger tape in the window. It got stuck on our car."

"But what if the police see you? It's not yours!"

"Well, no, but it was blowing in the wind and got stuck on my car. I'm just pulling it in so I can throw it away. I'm not doing anything wrong."

"But it's not yours! I hope no police officers see this!" he fretted.

"Wesley, I'm not doing anything wrong."

"Will you have to go to jail?"

"I'm not doing anything wrong."

Still, he persisted, "I'll keep my eyes out for police cars. I really hope they can't see into our car!"

"Wesley, it was trash. I didn't do anything wrong!"

His worry continued until I threw the rather large pile of danger tape away at Grandma and Grandpa's.

The lesson I learned?  If I'm going to carry any illegal substance in my car, make sure Wesley is totally unaware. ;-)

So Sweet

Now that Ryan's birthday has passed, Wesley is fairly consumed with thoughts of his own birthday - particularly with his cake.  He wants to have eleven super heroes on it, but I think I've gotten him talked down to six and I'm shooting for four.  He has also decided he wants a red velvet cake for his birthday.

"You're such a good cook, Mommy," he told me. "You make the best red velvet cake in the world. I bet it's even better than those guys on The Chew make!" 

I love a kid that sweet talks me!

Not Quite Big Foot

At the beginning of summer my mom and I bought Wesley and Ryan some "shoe sandals."

Wesley wears his every day, but unfortunately, we over-estimated Ryan's size and his shoe sandals have been sitting in the foyer for most of the summer. It has also caused a little bit of confusion, as a couple of times Wesley has grabbed the wrong pair of shoes and then wondered aloud how his feet grew so much overnight.

In the last week Ryan has rediscovered his (still too big) shoe sandals and insists on wearing them everywhere. One the way to his grandparents this morning Ryan said, "Thank you so much for getting me these shoes Mommy. I always wanted a pair just like this!"

Guess he doesn't care how well they fit. And just think - he'll be able to wear them next year too!

Happy Birthday Ryan

Four years ago today my little Ryguy was born.

Somehow we've gone from that little bundle above, to this little guy - but he still sleeps the same way.

At four years old, here are some facts about Ryan.

• He wants to do everything by himself.
• He is very excited to start preschool.
• He can be shy around people he doesn't know, but is really the orneriest child around
• He is a very picky eater - unless junk food is involved.
• Speaking of junk food, Ryan loves Chex Mix, Sweet Thai Chili Doritos and anything chocolate.
• Ryan is very into super heroes right now. The Thing is his favorite.
• He loves to play video games or games on my phone - and he's pretty darn good.
• Ryan's favorite shows are Doc McStuffins and American Ninja Warrior. I know, what a combination.
• Although Ryan has never been super dependent on a stuffed toy, he does prefer to sleep with his sports pillow and "white dog"
• Ryan idolizes Wesley
• Ryan's a very physical kid - he runs, kicks, hits and generally plays rougher than Wesley.
• Ryan LOVES cats - a little too much
• I love to listen to him talk. He still says his "L" as a "W" sometimes and he occasionally develops a New York accent.
• He will always be my baby!

Not Me Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to http://www.mycharmingkids.net/ to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I was not proud of myself for earning "kid cred" during Bible school by knowing who "Jake and the Neverland Pirates"and  "Doc McStuffins" were .

I did not tell my son "chocolate tastes better when you aren't crying" in an effort to get him to stop screaming after he bit his tongue while eating a candy bar.

When my youngest picky eater decided to only eat a hot dog bun for lunch, I did not ask him in all seriousness if he wanted ketchup with it.

I did not look out at backs of a sea of early elementary school boys at VBS (all wearing tie-dye shirts and sporting short haircuts and many of them blond and looking very much alike) and suddenly realize I could not pick out my own tie-dye wearing, short haired, blond, early elementary school boy from rest of the pack. Surely that would have been failing some kind of mommy test.

Almost Birthday Party

We've only got a couple of short days until our little Ryguy turns four. Seriously? Four? How does that happen!? 

Because his birthday falls on a Tuesday this year (and when I will be working at night) we had a little family party today. We didn't do anything fancy since we are going on vacation in a few weeks, but it was a nice afternoon.

Duane working on the cake last night

Ryan's cake

Grandma W. and Ryan have a little snuggle

"I am SO going to blow those candles out!"

I love the look on his face as he tackles this gift.

Another picture where I just love the facial expressions

Brothers - can't live without 'em, can't take a picture with 'em

The boys and Uncle Kirk

Ryan tries to mind meld with Sanders

Mommy and Wesley

Ryan Short Story

Last night Ryan was sitting on my bed with me and petting our cat Sadie. 

"I love you, Sadie," Ryan said as he stroked her. Then he leaned down so his ear was by her face. When he sat back up he told me, "Sadie said 'I love you too' in tiny little words." 

I'm not entirely sure that's what she would have said, but we'll go with it. And really, how could you not love this little boy?

picture by the very talented Aunt Susan

Thank Goodness for VBS

Well, today was the last day of VBS. What a great week we had!

Possibly my favorite thing about the week was watching how Ryan grew more and more comfortable with the whole idea of being in a class with kids he didn't really know, with teachers he didn't really know, for several hours. Today he actually stood up and did the motions during the closing song for the first time all week.

After the last song of the day I joined Ryan's group to collect him. He took my hand and said to me, "That was my VBS happy ending!" 

The good feeling about VBS continued as Ryan told me, "I made a thousand friends at VBS."

"A thousand friends?" I asked. "Wow! That's a lot!"

"Well, maybe it was only 100 new friends," he ammended.

Wesley also ended the week on a special note. Every day at snack time (which I assisted in the afternoon) the kids wrote down "God sightings."  God sightings are supposed to be ways you see God in the world around you, but a lot of the younger elementary school kids just draw a picture or write something really basic. All week long Wesley has written "I love God" for his God sighting, but today he did something different and he called me over to his snack table to look at it.

If you look very closely, you will see the words "trust God" in the center of the page. There are a bunch of stars all around, a figure at the top center and a figure on the bottom right. I asked Wesley to tell me about his God sighting and he told me that the figure at the bottom of the page is God. The figure at the top is Isabelle - his 'cousin' who was never born (she died at 26 weeks gestation).  "Isabelle is in Heaven with God and the stars. That's my God sighting," he told me.

And I teared up immediately. What a sweet sensitive boy.

VBS has been especially wonderful this year. We were blessed in so many ways this past week and are so grateful we had this great time together.

Time Flies When You're Having Fun

This week has absolutely flown by! VBS has been so much fun and each day seems to pass more quickly than the last. I'm not the only one who thinks so either. 

Today as we were leaving the church today, I commented to the boys that tomorrow is already the last day of VBS.

"But is it still summer?" Wesley asked.

"Yes, it's still summer," I told him. "You don't start school until after we come back from our vacation, so you still have a few weeks of summer yet."

Wesley thought for a second, then said, "But I thought that in summer the days are long and the nights are short."

"That's right, they are," I answered.

"But VBS days go really fast," he said. "So I wasn't sure,"

Really Lame Post

I have zero energy to post tonight. None. We were late leaving tee-ball because we had to search in the dirt for a lost Bible Buddy that we never did find, it was bath night, I am wiped out from VBS, one of the cats peed on Wesley's bed, my back is killing me and we have a realtor coming tomorrow to talk with us about putting the house on the market again. 

I just want to crawl into a hole and I certainly don't want to blog.

So instead of trying to come up with anything clever to write, I'm going to post a couple of pictures that Aunt Susan took tonight.

I love this picture! I adore Wesley's best buddy and his family and this picture just makes me tear up.

Oh Ry-guy!  How I love that little stinker face.

I promise I'll try to come up with something worth reading in the next day or two.

Quick VBS Update

VBS is keeping us really busy this week, but I wanted to share this cute short story with you. This year's VBS is all about trusting God - no matter how you feel, or who you are. We were driving to church yesterday morning when all of a sudden Ryan piped up from the backseat, "Hey Mom! We can trust God!"  That was pretty cool. Guess he's been listening at VBS after all.

Also pretty cool was when Wesley called me over to his table at snack time. "Mom, it turns out I like jello after all. I never knew that before!"  Forget calling that pretty cool. We'll call either of my children trying a new food a flat out VBS miracle!

First Day of VBS

Yesterday was our first day of VBS. Wesley has been looking forward to it so much - mostly because of the little plastic Bible Buddies they get each day. 

This is the picture that I made him pose for.

This is the picture where he chose the pose.

 

This year is Ryan's first year at VBS. He was super excited about going, but got a little nervous as soon as we got there and left Wesley in the childcare room for the morning Our VBS runs the preschool session in the morning and the school-age session in the afternoon. Since I am working both sessions the boys swap time in the childcare room. Oh! And funny thing about the childcare room. The teenager working in it is a girl who was in my two/three year old classroom at Kindercare back in the day. Wesley totally fell in love with her today. He even pointed at her and mouthed "I love her" to me.

Wow! I Did not mean to go off on a tangent like that! Sorry!

 Anyhow, I ended up sitting with Ryan's class during opening instead of prepping my storytime because Ryan was clinging to me like SaranWrap.  He's never really done anything like this. Yes, he goes to Sunday School, but this was a totally different group of kids and I wasn't going to be just a few feet away like I am during swim class.  By the time his group came into my room for Bible story he was doing fine and his teachers assured me that he had done fine the rest of the time as well.

The boys switched places for the afternoon - Ryan in childcare and Wesley in class. I shook things up a little too and worked the afternoon as a snack helper.  Everything went really well, but by the time 4:00 rolled around and it was time to collect Wesley from closing, Ryan was just done!

Poor guy fell asleep before we had even driven a mile and didn't even hear Wesley and I jammin' along to the VBS CD in the car. We stopped at Target and I laid Ryan down in a cart while I shopped. Little Man never batted an eye.  It's a good thing preschool will only be a half day in the fall.

Possibly the best part of the day was the fact that the boys played really well together all evening because they hadn't seen each other most of the day.  I hope the rest of the week continues to go as well.

Not Me Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to http://www.mycharmingkids.net/ to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I did not find a sleeveless shirt that was so comfortable that I bought it in every color and plan to live in them the rest of the summer.

I was not asked by three year old (not my own) how many tattoos I have. And I was not a little bit embarrassed when I had to admit to said three year old that I am his mommy's lame friend and have zero tattoos.

I did not have to seriously restrain myself from butting in when I overheard two moms I have never met discussing what book to read next.

I did not ask my hubby to go out to the concession stand for me so I wouldn't miss any of the movie - and it certainly wasn't during the previews that I didn't want to miss.

Brave(ish)

We took the boys to see "Brave" tonight. They have seen commercials for it and I know Merida will be all over Walt Disney World when we go next month, so we figured the time was right. And as an added bonus, Aunt Susan was able to go with us. 

Things started out pretty well. Ryan sat down in his seat, looked at the screen and said, "That TV is even bigger than ours!"  They sat well through the previews (even the really weird and kind of scary "Paranorman") and through a mouthful of Nerds candy Ryan announced that it was the best day ever.

"What's making it the best day?" I asked.

"This, right now!" he announced.

Too bad that didn't last. Ryan grew kind of restless during the movie, but once he moved to Daddy's lap, he did alright. Wesley had been looking forward to the movie, but about halfway through it got pretty scary. Scary enough that Wesley was cowering in his seat and burying his face in my arm.

"This isn't real, right?" he asked tearfully.

Even when I assured him that it was all made up and that it would definitely have a happy ending, he was fairly freaked out. 

We made it through the whole movie though and I was right, there was a very happy ending, but to be honest, I expect Wesley to have bad dreams tonight. It won't surprise me in the least if he crawls into our bed.

And Ryan? Well, Ryan told us it was the best movie he had ever seen and thanked Duane profusely for taking him to see it. Guess that sums up the difference between my boys pretty well.

Friends Forever

My dear friend Cheryl and her family have been in town for the last few days for her brother's wedding. Although we weren't able to have a long, extended visit like we did last October, a bunch of us got together for pizza last night. 

Friends for 25 years and counting!

Duane and I sometimes call Taryn our first child. Way back in the day, when Duane and I were friends and that was it, Taryn (aged 2 or 3) thought we should be a couple. She once sat us together on the couch and commanded, "Now kiss!" Smart girl, that one, even then.

Ryan had a total bromance going on with 10 year old Zack. It was complete with beating  Zack up, burping at each other and grossing each other out. Boy heaven.

Zack was pretty good about it though.

A rare moment when neither of them was moving.

Wesley and A. hit it off really well. A. is the daughter of another friend. I smell a playdate in the future.



The gals - Susan, Taryn, Cheryl, me and Kelly.

It was just so great to see everyone for even a little while. I must have really needed it too because today TWO different people told me they saw the pictures and said I looked like I was glowing with happiness. It felt that way. I love my friends and am so lucky to have them in my life.

Planning for the Future

I guess I don't need to worry about what Wesley is going to do when he grows up and how he's going to take care of himself.

First of all, he has his future career all picked out. He's going to a super hero.More specifically, he's going to be the Incredible Hulk. And he won't be lonely whole he's out there fighting crime since his best buddy is also going to be a super hero.

Wesley has living arrangements worked out too. Apparently he and Hawkeye (super hero best friend) will live in a house together and they will sleep in bunk beds. Since the Incredible Hulk is big and heavy,Wesley says he'll sleep in the bottom bunch while Haweye takes the top bunk.

Of course, Hulk will need transportation too. I mean, sometimes you have to commute to fight crime. Wesley has his future car all picked out. Apparently when Wesley grows up to be Hulk he's going to go retro with an old school Volkswagon Beetle. But Wesley/Hulk will have his car painted green with purple flames. Good thing Hulk doesn't need to do undercover work.

Sleepover Success

I guess having Ryan spend the night with Wesley was the secret ingredient. The sleepover with Grandma W. was a rousing success and she returned two happy and tired boys this evening.

The Overnight That Wasn't (Yet)

Last week Wesley and Ryan each received an invitation in the mail, asking them to spend the night at Grandma W.'s house. The boys have wanted to spend the night there for quite a while, but haven't had the chance yet. After talking with Duane, Grandma invited each boy for a different night so they could each have her undivided attention. Wesley got the first night and Ryan got the second.

Wesley and Ryan have been super excited about their sleepovers. On Sunday morning Wesley packed a bag full of toys to take to Grandma W.'s with him. When I got out of the shower Monday morning, I found Wesley at the top of the stairs, wringing his hands and bouncing up and down in excitement. "Tonight's my overnight!" he said.

Duane picked the boys up from Grandma and Grandpa P.'s and made the trip to Grandma W.'s. Wesley was still pretty excited about the whole thing and asked Daddy several times when he was going to leave.  But for some reason, something changed. Apparently Wesley handed Duane a note saying, "Can I go home?" and decided that spending the night at Grandma W.'s without Ryan was NOT a good idea. Duane brought both boys home and Wesley is going to try again tonight with Ryan. "That way Wesley will be happier," Ryan told me.

I'm a little surprised that Wesley changed his mind, but I completely understand. There were many sleepovers when my parents had to come pick me up in the middle of the night. They even had to come get me from a zoo camp out one time. Even when I did make it all night, I was always the first one to have my bag packed, and was anxiously awaiting my parents arriving on the doorstep. So Wesley does come by it honestly. I just hope that having his brother with him makes a difference tonight.

Not Me Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to http://www.mycharmingkids.net/ to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I was not super relieved to get the tweenage stamp of approval by my niece on my new bathing suit.

I did not spend my July 4th night eating chips and salsa and watching fireworks on TV because it was too darn hot to do anything else.

I did not tuck a mini-flashlight in my purse to go to work one night just in case there was a storm and the power would go out while I was the only person on my end of the building. And there is no way I felt ridiculous doing it, but did it anyhow!

Yum Factor

I know I have mentioned before that Ryan is a total and completely junk food junkie.  Whenever I bake something, he's right there asking for taste of the batter, icing or whatever. 

We have friends coming to our house to watch a television show later tonight and I always try to have a little something sweet for us all to enjoy. Since one of our friends doesn't care for chocolate (I know!  I can't believe I am friends with someone who just doesn't care for chocolate!) I try to make something non-chocolate. Today I was looking through the cupboards and decided I'd make Biscoff Krispie Treats for our tv time snack (yes, the link is embedded)

Ryan was very excited about this treat. He loves Krispie Treats and he loves Biscoff, so I knew he'd be in junk food heaven. He actually sat at the table and stared at the pan and waited for them to set up.  When I finally let him have a little taste, he declared it "Biscoff-tastic!" I love it when kids make up words, but Ryan's right. They are totally "Biscoff-tastic."

Now I just have to keep him out of the pan until tonight.

It's HOT!!!

I haven't really mentioned this on the blog, but we are in the midst of a heat wave here in Central Ohio.  The temperatures have topped 100 degrees without factoring in the heat index for the last two days. Basically, all you can do is try to stay cool and not melt into a puddle of goo.

But life doesn't stop just because it's hot out. Wesley still had tee ball this morning. Yep! 90 some odd degrees at 10:30 in the morning and they put a bunch of five and six year olds out on the diamond. Even better, after two innings, the coaches decided to play one more. WHAT!?!?!?  Are they nuts!? Apparently so. I mean when a three year old ignores the playground and says, "It's too hot to play," they really should take the hint.  Wesley did great though. Even with sweat dripping out of his hat and his face turning bright red, he didn't complain at all. I was so proud of him.

And there was light at the end of the tunnel. Today was a birthday party for Wesley's best buddy - and Ryan was invited too. The party wasn't quite how my friend had planned to celebrate her son's birthday, but the place that was going to host the party didn't have power all week and had to cancel. She and her hubby pulled off a first rate shindig though! The boys had a fantastic time playing in the water and with balloons and a pinata. 

We left the party with Wesley proclaiming "Hulk like!" and when we got home Ryan crawled up in my lap and said, "I had so much fun at the party. Thank you for taking us there."  Now that's high praise for a birthday party!

We are going to spend the evening in the house staying cool. I contemplated taking the kids to a movie, but just stepping outside makes sweat break out on your forehead and I can't stand the thought of getting back into a hot car to drive anyplace. Guess we'll brake out the video games and order in tonight.

Pool Boy

Some of you who are regular readers of the blog may have noticed that I haven't mentioned swimming lessons for Wesley this summer. That's because for the first time in his life, I have given up on the idea of swimming lessons. We've just gotten to the point where he can't learn anything else until he learns to put his face in the water - which he refuses to do.

But don't think no lessons equals no time in the pool. Wesley has a little inflatable inner tube and as long as he has that, the boy is fearless in Grandpa and Grandma's pool. He'll go all over the place, kicking and paddling, as long as his safety net is there. And you know what? It's making pool time more enjoyable for everyone!

Getting ready to take the plunge!

Swimming in the big blue sea - I mean pool!

One happy kid!

How Was My Day, You Ask?

Sometimes I think Wesley and I are too close, too much alike. We can annoy each other like no one else and love each other fiercely.  But this is the tail end of a conversation we had today and I think it pretty much sums up how much we can get on each other's last nerve.

Wesley: Don't yell at me, Mom!

Mom: Well, don't sass me!

Wesley (exasperated): If you didn't yell at me I wouldn't sass!

Mom: Well, if you didn't sass me so much, I wouldn't have to yell!

Sigh...I think the teenage years will be very long indeed.

Red, White and Awesome

I had a completely wonderful, fabulous, and amazing Red, White and Boom night! Before I post a bunch of pictures (many happily borrowed from Susan and Pam) I have to say a HUGE thank you to Duane. He helped me prep everything, got the house in order and was the perfect host. We definitely would not have had such a great evening without him. I married an angel, it's that simple.

We had the S. family, Kirk and Susan and Grandpa and Grandma H. over last night for a cookout and to watch the fireworks. It was the perfect night as far as I'm concerned. And since Wesley just came downstairs and informed me that he had the best dream ever and it was all about last night, I'd say it was perfect for him too.

Pre-festivity cat nap

Dinner time!

Popsicles and corn hole

Waiting for the fireworks

May the Force be with you

My favorite part of the night? Well, it's a tie between the moment Danny told me he loved me and when Jack and Danny didn't want to leave. That means they had a great time too, which makes me extra happy!