He Cracks Me Up!!!

We won't even discus this outfit!!

This morning, I was trying to convince Ian to wear a certain combination of clothing. He had already picked out a t-shirt, and was looking at shorts. I told him to wear the jean shorts with the pockets because girls really like those. (And he really likes girls!) He put them on and asked me what I was going to wear. I said I could wear an Ohio State shirt like his. He thought that was fine and I should put on jean shorts with pockets.

Because: "The girls really like those."
OMG!!! It's going to be one of those days. He just cracks me up sometimes.

Funny Moments

Funny moment number 1:

It is true: Things you say or do will come back to bite you in the butt!


Example: Ian and I have a tug of war over control issues. He likes to try to make me come to him. So, he will lay in the yard, screaming, waiting for me to come get him. I don't know why he thinks this will work. IT NEVER HAS!!!! I continue to sit in my seat and tell him that when he is finished he can come to me. If he throws a fit in the house, I tell him what room I will be in and to come find me when he is finished.


So, how does this bite me in the butt? Well, this evening, while on the computer, he comes in and tells me "Mama, I be in the other room, you come find me when you finish." I just about peed my pants trying not to let him hear me laughing.



Funny moment number 2:

Yesterday afternoon, Ian actually took a nap! When he woke up, he was not in a good mood. (And that is the understatement of the century!) He was whiny, crying, clingy, etc. I left him in the middle of my bed because I had to go to the bathroom. And, I hear him say " Go away tears, go away. No tears, go away!" Too funny. I guess sometimes you just have to talk yourself out of that bad mood.



Funny moment number 3:


The other day, I was working on something in the kitchen. Ian was in the family room playing with his train set. Or so I thought... All of a sudden I realized that it was really quiet, which is never a good sign. I headed for the family room just as Ian headed into the kitchen. We met in the doorway when he pronounced "I did it my ownself!" He was covered in a VERY thick layer of sunscreen. (Which he pronounces "sunscream") Needless to say, he will not burn for the next 20
or so years thanks to that application! I had to remove it using my hand like a putty knife.


Funny moment number 4:

I took Ian into the bathroom at Target the other day while we were out shopping. He promptly asked me where my 'peepee' was. I told him I didn't have one. (Huge mistake!) He then asked if he could see. At which point the woman in the next stall started chuckling. I totally failed Parenting 101 on this one and went with the avoidance technique. I told him we were in a hurry and we could discuss this later at home. Thank God, he said ok!!

A moment when the story defines life:


The day of Ian's birthday party, I discovered that one of his fish was dead. Great! I can't tell him this on the day of his party! I can't explain this, we haven't discussed death. I can't do this! I just can't! So, thinking very quickly I took the "Nemo" defense. I asked him what he does when he doesn't feel good. Well, of course, he wants his Mommy. So, Fiona the fish, doesn't feel good and wants her Mommy. And, did he remember that Nemo went down the drain and found his father in the ocean. Yes, he remembered that. So, I "chased" the fish around the tank, scooped it up, deposited it in the toilet and he flushed telling her "Find your Mommy and feel better, Fiona."

Yes, Griffey and Mel, I know I am going to hell for that one. That's what they told me when I explained what I thought to be a pretty good story for a spur of the moment thing. Somedays I am paving my way to hell at warp speed with gold bricks and somedays I am paving my way slowly with regular bricks. That day was a gold brick day at top speed!

Personally, I think that it was a great spur of the moment story. (Maybe they are just jealous?!?!) Afterward I'm thinking "maybe I got this parenting thing figured out" , then I remember the Target bathroom incident. And, I realize that I am winging this parenting thing, while praying that I don't warp his little mind too much. Afterall, I think that is about all any parent can ask for in this crazy world. The worst part: You don't know how you did for years. It's a long term experiment and I don't like to wait that long!

Baby Blues

So where did he get those blue eyes?

My eyes are green. They were blue when I was a child. They slowly turned green. (I say slowly because my first driver's license said they were blue. But that was a few years ago! hahaha) Now, they are a green/blue, not hazel (like my Mother's) which has more gold tones in it. Mark's eyes are also green and very similar to the color of mine. He says they have been that way since he was a small child.

So where did he get those eyes?

That would be from Nana.
Mark's mother had very blue eyes. Gotta love genetics! Amazing how the blue skipped from Grandmother to Grandson. I remember the class in school where we learned all about how the genes combine/work, but it still amazes me.


Yes, I Photo*shopped this picture. (Softened the edges and removed color.) But his eyes really are that color in the right light with the right colors around him. And, no he is not sunburned. He had just gotten out of the pool and he was not happy about it one bit. So, he was cold, shivering actually, and mad (crying if the truth be told) and had just gotten a vigorous toweling off after a lot of exercise. Getting out of the pool, unless it is his idea, is like a death sentence to him!

A huge thank you to Uncle Keith who took this amazing picture! (He took several really good shots. You will be seeing some in the next few days.) We enjoyed your visit and hope that we can get together next week with both you and Sherry.

Shoes and Chocolate

Strange title for a post, unless you know Ian. Shoes and chocolate are two of his favorite things on earth! I am not kidding. The boy takes both very seriously as you can see from the above photo.

As for the shoes, he doesn't care if they are his shoes, my shoes, Mark's shoes, etc. He will put them on and walk in them to the best of his ability. And, I have to say he is pretty good at walking in my heels! Not only does he like to wear my shoes, he loves to go shoe shopping. Sam and I recently took him to Marshalls. He spent a huge amount of time in the shoe aisle (trying everything on) and we had to drag him out to continue thru the store! I managed to get out of the store by buying him just one pair of shoes. I guess the love of shoes is genetic!

The chocolate is a whole other obsession. The boy loves chocolate in any form he can get his skinny little fingers on! In the above photo, the chocolate of choice was an Or*eo cookie. (I keep them out of sight and very high in a cabinet he can't climb!) Now I personally love the chocolate peanut butter combo. Ian, not so much. He eats the top layer of chocolate off the peanut butter cup and hands me the thin layer from the bottom with the remaining peanut butter. Ask what his favorite cake is: Happy Cake!! That's chocolate cake for you mere mortals! The chocolate eggs were the first to go from the Easter basket. M&*M's are the method we use to get him to do things for us! (Yes, I know it's wrong to bribe your child with food, but it motivates him like nothing else.) I think the chocolate thing is genetic too. What do you think Grandma? (Grandma is a self-confessed chocoholic!)

Happy Father's Day!!

Mark is in the UAE for this Father's Day. We miss him a lot. We did get to talk a couple of times today. Thank God for Sky*pe!

Ian and I hosted a small cookout and spashfest in the backyard. Ian and Anson had a lot of fun sliding into the pools, running around like loons and playing ball. We all had a great time watching them. I had a great time squirting my brother with the water gun too!! And, I am pretty sure he enjoyed drenching me as well.

To all the great Dads out there:

I hope you had a wonderful day filled with all the things you like to do and all the people you love.

Happy Father's Day

Ian's Birthday

I am too lazy to put these pictures in the correct order!

These are pictures from Ian's birthday on June 12th. We had a pretty laid back sort of day. Ian and I had our usual time in the morning. (He wakes up and we have breakfast followed by a few games on the computer and talking. He has become really good at holding a conversation. Good enough that I am now letting him answer the phone when a telemarketer calls. He has run off quite a few annoying calls!! hehehe) The afternoon was spent having quiet time on my bed with Alex and Zach. We have 'quiet time' now because we no longer have naptime. Have I mentioned how unhappy I am about losing the naptime?!?!? It stinks! So, to keep my sanity, I have come up with quiet time. And, this keeps Mommy from wanting to drink excessively. LOL After quiet time, we headed off to his favorite Mexican restaurant. Dinner was followed up with an Ian Pop, which is better known as a 'Slurpy'.

Eating "Fried Ice Cream" after being sung to by the entire wait staff.

Hanging out with Zach and Spencer while Aunt Beth tried not to get knocked over by the hat.


I think this was a 'pull my finger' moment. God help us!!


Being goofy!

Daddy waiting on his food.

Now there's something you don't see every day!!

Stuffing in the beans and rice with a little 'green stuff' mixed in.

Green stuff is guacamole, but Ian can't pronounce guacamole!

Zach fighting off the effects of the hot sauce. The boys were trying to kill each other with hot sauce!

Hanging with 'his boys' in my bed watching a movie during quiet time.

Spending time with Mommy in the morning.

More Birthday Party Pics

Nanny, Sam, Liz, Katie and Ryan enjoying the deck and each other's company.

Kieren, Sarah and Danielle with Grandpa R standing guard

Andy and Cullen playing catch.

Cullen had a ball game later that day so we was getting warmed up.


Ronda and Brian enjoying some fried chicken.
(And the rest of the bean/corn salsa!!!)



Amy, Jason, Grandma Debbi and Grandpa Dave.
(Ian has adopted Amy's parents as honorary grandparents too.)

The "Swip and Swide".

Jake getting ready to slide.

Zach, Beth, Ian and David waiting for their turn.

Papaw relaxing in the shade.

Grandma and Grandma R, no doubt discussing the grandchildren.

Uncle Eldon and Pops probably talking 'shop'.

Ian and Jake trying to concentrate on eating lunch before the water fun began.

Uncle Dave (with glasses) helping decorate the cake the night before the party.

Ian calls him Uncle Dave with glasses so that we can distinguish between the Uncle Davids in his life.

Ian's 3rd Birthday Party

Last Saturday, we had Ian's third birthday party. It has become our annual picnic for friends and family. We had loads of good food, great company and tired kiddos from playing in the water all afternoon. It was a huge amount of fun as always. Thank you to everyone who came and helped make Ian's birthday special!




He looks like he is about ready to dive into the cake!


Cutting his Thomas the Tank Engine cake.
Each year I make him a cake and buy another cake for everyone else. This year, Ian generously shared his cake. (That has not been the case the last 2 years!)

Sarah with a face full of cake!
I love the cheesy "cake" grin!

Danielle kicking back with some watermelon.
Sitting like that would kill my knees!

Asking for Prayers

My wonderful friend, Katie, needs your prayers. Not only is she experiencing a major medical issue, she and her hubby are stressed beyond breaking over an employment issue. So, please keep her and her family in your prayers for the next few days.

Remember: Through God all things are possible.

Happy 3rd Birthday Ian!!!

I can hardly believe that you turned 3 today! We were just finishing dinner, when I looked at my phone for the time. I realized that 3 years ago at that time, I was just getting that horrible epidural! Which meant that you were only minutes from arriving in this world. And now, you are running (never walking!) around, still climbing like a monkey and keeping us on our toes every minute of every day. What a difference 3 years makes!


In the recovery room.

Actually sitting down and still for just a moment at 1 year old.

Waking up as a 2 year old!

A big 3 year old!!!

As always, we took Ian to his favorite Mexican restaurant for dinner. The waiters all sang to him after placing this huge hat on his head. What changed this year? He didn't cry when they sang!!

Happy Birthday Ian!!!

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

P.S. We also need to wish David and Chrissy a Happy Anniversary!! We love you and hope you have a wonderful vacation!

Ian Cracks Himself Up!!

Ian's newest trick is pinching his nose to make a snorting sound. And that sounds makes him crack up! It's pretty funny to watch too.

Letter to a Friend

Dear Friend,

I am humbled by your courage. I want you to know how much I admire your actions this week. I can only guess at the courage it took to do what you did yesterday. I think it was more courage than I could have shown even though I have more life experience.

You took a horrid situation and turned it into an amazing show of strength. You took your power back from those that would have stolen it. You proved that your life will be as you say, not what someone else forces upon you. As long as you continue down that path, the possibilities for your life are endless. Follow your heart, for it will always lead you to do the right thing.

You made the world a safer place yesterday. It had to be the hardest thing you have ever done. I pray that it is the hardest thing you will have do for the rest of you life. My heart aches for you and what you are going through. But, my heart soared today knowing that you took control of the situation.

I thank you for trusting me enough to share your story. That in its self took a fortitude of strength that some people will never achieve. Know that I will always be here for you. You are amazing and I am proud of you beyond measure.

Love,
H


For everyone else:

I am sorry I cannot relate the story that pertains to this letter. Please don’t ask me. I will forever protect the privacy of this person and this story. Just know that there are people in this world who will hurt you, but you CAN take the power away from them by doing the right thing. The right thing may be hardest thing you will ever do, but it is possible. It is possible.

Getting Married

This is the conversation that I overheard this afternoon:

Ian: "No! Don't get married!"
Daddy: "Why not?"
Ian: "Cuz, I'm gonna marry her."
Daddy: "Who?"
Ian: "I'm gonna marry Mommy!"
Daddy: "Oh."
Ian: "Or Santa Claus!"

Me: Well, it was good until he added Santa! LOL