Fly swatting

Fly swatter in hand, I took aim at the fly buzzing around our kitchen. My two-year-old excitedly cheered me on, "Spank him on the bottom, mom!" he said, "Spank him on the bottom!"

Oh boys...

These boys keep my life anything but boring. Here are a few happenings that have peppered the past few weeks.

Mother's Day was extra special this year as we are particularly grateful for my mom and what she means to our family. As the morning dawned Brian and I busily prepared to host my family for lunch that afternoon after church. While working in the kitchen we heard a lot of laughing coming from the stairs. No crying, that's always good, so I wasn't alarmed. After a little while and a few loud thumping sounds I went to check it out. I found the three older boys "sledding" down the stairs, sitting on pillows with their feet tucked into the pillow case, sort of like a toboggan. The stairs are fairly steep, so it made for quite a fun ride. Before putting an end to the fun (before there was crying), I grabbed my camera. It was the perfect (and typical) Mother's Day morning for this mom of boys.

Another recent finding is that one of our boys has a case of arachnophobia. While enjoying a picnic lunch in the backyard, Bryce courteously informed his little brother that there was a spider on him. Carter cried and screamed until mommy came out to brush the spider off. But, this got the wheels turning in older brother's head. Unfortunately for Carter, there have been several "spiders" on him lately, at least according to his older brother, who seems to enjoy watching him writhe in complete panic at the mention of those eight-legged-creatures. I guess that's the fun of having brothers.

I was also reminded a few days ago that I am not an overprotective mom, but rather have a realistic understanding of how boys can make just about anything dangerous. When we moved into our rental house I recall several men rolling their eyes at me when I suggested we not put the bunk beds in front of the window because boys jump off of beds (even though they aren't supposed to, all moms of boys know this occurs) and I didn't want a boy to go through the window. So, a couple of days ago one of our boys called me into his room to "show me something." I walked in and he was sitting on the highest point of the top bunk holding onto the cord from the mini blinds. He then Tarzaned it off the bed and across the window! He was quite proud of this feat and was greatly disappointed that he received a reprimand rather than an applause.

I had to bring our van in for a state inspection not long ago. Because the van (just barely) is still under warranty I brought it back to the dealer where we purchased it. The service center is adjoined to the show room. I am quite used to "looks" whenever I take all four boys out, but this day brought more than the usual glances. You see, waiting to have a car serviced is never ideal with children in tow, particularly four rowdy boys. After receiving word that our van passed inspection I walked with the boys, one in a stroller the other three following behind, up to the counter to pay. It took a minute to fish my wallet out of my purse and hand over the credit card, then as I prepared to sign my name I heard a very loud honking sound directly behind me. If you've ever heard a car honking inside, then you know it is a very loud sound. Of course this got every one's attention in the entire place. I turned around and realized in dismay that it was one of my boys in the car beeping the horn! Ahhhh! I walked over, pulled him out of the car, and told him that there was going to be a certain "consequence" for his poor choice of behavior. Wow, this was a new one I was thinking to myself. This really exemplifies the lack of impulse control preschool age boys have. "Boys will be boys," the woman behind the counter told me. I wasn't exactly sure how I felt about this comment, but I think she was meaning well.

Life is definitely not boring around here, although a little monotony sometimes wouldn't be so bad.

photos of the boys

Davis hangin' out in his stroller.

A common sight these days. Two boys up in a tree.

Mommy and the boys on Mother's Day.

Me and my sister, Susannah, on Mother's Day.

Carter donning his "mad face."

He was perfectly happy at the time but wanted to do a "mad face" for the photo op.

New Shoes!

Little boys typically don't have many pairs of shoes. At least our boys don't. Play shoes, church shoes, and sandals in the summer. So, when Carter got new tennis shoes recently, it was a big deal. He was so excited that he wanted to sleep in them! He slept contentedly all night in his new shoes.