(I tend to get waaay more pics of Jack than I do Brody and Wade...B and W's reports are more detailed and explain all of the activities that they are learning about and what they focus on.)
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Mid-week School pics
(I tend to get waaay more pics of Jack than I do Brody and Wade...B and W's reports are more detailed and explain all of the activities that they are learning about and what they focus on.)
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
The days are long, but the years are short...
They never stop. Ever. Not even when they accidentally ram into a toy/wall/table/brother and fall over. They just get up and continue along on their rampage of crazy. They're like those self-propelled vacuum cleaners -- once they hit an obstacle, they just spin around and keep going.
And the talking. Oh, the talking. They demand all of my attention and require every ounce patience and understanding and mediation skills I have to offer. When I think I have nothing left to give, I dig into my reserves and pull out another smile.
Just an example, to show it never stops.
2am...on a Tuesday
I hear Jack on the monitor. I reach over, turn it to silent and roll back over. I can still see the glowing red light, showing me that he is still making noise and is not letting up. Todd is peacefully sleeping, or at least pretending to be. I roll back over and the light is no longer flickering, but blaring. I turn on the video and see him standing up in his crib and pointing. I crawl out of bed, find my way to his room and stand outside his door, to listen to what he is saying..."Momma. Daddy. BB. Wade. HHeeelllpppppppppppppppp." He repeats this over and over until I finally open the door, he stops crying immediately, points to the ground where he has apparently thrown his stock of noonies (paci's), looks at me dead pan in the eyes, "Momma. Help. My noonies." All while doing the whole sign language sign for help. Seriously??
And it is like they all get together when Todd and I are sleeping, and all plan to act crazy at the same time, for the same length of time, just to keep us on our toes. It is like they cannot say ANYTHING without whining. Everything is a fight– what I pick for them to wear, what’s for dinner or what the temperature happens to be. Everything. It’s exhausting! Brody has started rolling his eyes, Wade is always fending for his toy or life from said brothers and Jack cannot stand it if I am out of his eyesight. And do not even get me started on the whole sharing thing. Jack flat out doesn't believe in sharing , but rather hitting, until his older brothers just have to give him their toy.
It's kind of like these toddler rules that someone once shared with me. It was definitely written about JackJack...
TODDLER’S RULES
1- If I want it, it's mine
2- If it's in my hand, it's mine
3- If I can take it away from you, it's mine
4- If I had it a little while ago, it's mine
5- If it's mine, it must never appear to be yours in any way
6- If we are building something together, all the pieces are mine
7- If it just looks like mine, it's mine
8- If I think it's mine, it's mine
9- If I give it to you and change my mind later, it's mine
10- Once it's mine it will never belong to anyone else, no matter what
On a positive note, I do look forward to seeing their brotherhood as time goes on. Holding each other up. Standing side by side in pictures at graduations and weddings. Handsome, strong, unique and glorious individuals that I am absolutely positive I will be proud of. I am happy that they will always have each other, and I hope that they form bonds so strong over the next 18 years that will last them forever, and get them through every good and bad moment that comes along in their lives. Get in trouble together. Figure it all out together. This I can see and I can smile at.
Through all of our struggles and timeouts, there is a home filled with love, where every single morning, yes, every single morning, all three boys climb up in our big bed, and for about 30 minutes, there is peace and tranquility. They really are sweet boys, just born with a lot of energy. We get 3 times the kisses each day, 3 times the “I love you"”, 3 times the bear hugs, 3 times as many cuddles. I know these days are numbered, where Todd and I are the center of their universe and it is going to become much more difficult as they turn into teenagers, but sometimes, venting makes it all better. And, if history repeats itself, once I blog about a problem, it generally resolves itself. And this time, I am praying it does!
Monday, April 8, 2013
Lots of this and that
...As well as multiple trips to different parks, a trip to the lake, bike rides and we even broke out the slip-n-slide! The boys also helped us completely clean out the garage, wash the van and with yard work. But, the most anticipated event over the weekend was Brody and Wade's first soccer game! I was expecting to see a bunch of little bodies running around in a "swarm" up and down the field, but we were all pleasantly surprised! (As they are in the Youth league ages 4-6, you could tell who was new and who was returning!) Brody took hold of the ball immediately and kicked it the whole way down the field before I could even get my seat adjusted! Wade probably enjoyed the first 15 minutes of the game, until he realized that he was not going to get a turn to be the goalie...the most coveted position on the team :) Poor guy began to pout and went and sat on the bench for the remainder of the game! Hey little man...this is a lesson that things do not always go your way. I felt bad for him, but at the same time, Todd and I were frustrated because he basically gave up, did not participate in the second half of the game, all because he didn't get what he wanted. I know he is only 4 1/2 and it will take him time to push forward when the going gets tough...but it still broke my heart... On the other hand, Brody loved every single second and never took his eye off of the ball! Coach Phillip, (who wore a tie by the way..."keeping it classy" is his motto....)put B in a spot and the kid blocked almost every ball that came his way. Every time he would block a pass or a goal attempt, he would shoot the thumbs up sign to our little cheering section and we would all do it back to him! He was serious about his 1st soccer game and truly enjoyed it!! I hope that Wade will stick it out next week and that Brody will remain enthusiastic...
Way to go Harrell boys on your very first soccer game! Go team Home Instead Senior Care, who Coach Phillip nicknamed "The Zoo", because they are all a bunch of little animals!! And a thank you to our cheering section, Nana & Gator and Pop's & Donna...the boys were so excited to have you all there :)
Sweet number 11 and sweet number 10 with Coach Phillip!
...and, of course, when you do all of that, you also do lots of this....Yes, Wade has his hand in a toy bucket while he sleeps. Dude has to protect his stuff from his brothers, even in his sleep!! hehehe
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
A few school pics!
Playing dress up!
And showing how strong he is, how he can squeeze!, and a little art project for good measure :)
Here is Brody using his fingertips to create a flower using a variety of stamp pad colors...
And Wade practicing his letters and coloring skills!
Easter weekend at Grandmothers!
When we arrived, the boys needed to let off some energy from our 4 hour road trip. What better way than to start off a weekend with a good old fashioned game of Hide-n-seek in Grandmothers huge backyard...Do you see Todd hiding in the tree? I nearly died when I finally spotted him. There he was, just standing up in the middle of a tree!
Easter Egg Hunt at school!
Jack had a blast on his first real hunt. After he realized that the eggs were filled with goodies, he immediately stopped hunting and began snacking :) His favorite were the goldfish! It was wonderful watching him interact with his little classmates. He was always sharing his snacks, helping them find eggs and giving hugs to everyone!
Then, out came the bigger kiddos...the ones that are competitive and filled with so much excitement that they can hardly contain themselves!
Wade doesn't like candy, but enjoyed collecting as many eggs as he could! I think he ate one sucker and gave the rest to his brothers. (Lucky kids!) He kept coming up to me every couple of minutes to show me how many he had collected. He was so proud! (I still cannot scrub off that darn tattoo on his cheek!!!! The sucker will not come off!)
B-man was flying all over the place, grinning and laughing the whole time. He wanted as much loot as possible! Seriously, every single time I looked his way, he was darting from one spot to the next...
A great time was had by all! I love their school so much!
Later that evening, we just relaxed, the boys munched on pizza and we all went to sleep that night, excited to leave for Great Grandmothers the next morning...
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