Silly boys....

Most of the time, I'm really happy to be the mom of 2 healthy, active little boys.  So many people tell me that rough housing boys are better than the drama that comes with little girls. 

But as the boys are getting older, this mom feels left out.

The other day, I tried playing cars with Lincoln, but he is used to playing cars with Daddy.  Daddy is more creative talking about going to the diner for lunch, and getting donuts at the grocery store.  Even Brian told me I wasn't doing it right.

Last night after bath, the boys were good so they got to color for their "fun time".  Jackson was drawing letters and telling me what they were, but once Brian picked up a crayon, Mommy didn't exist.  The boys were fighting trying to help Daddy color his picture.

Now, they are creating their own little secret phrases. 

• I was putting Lincoln to bed the other night, and I straightened his pillow.  He very quickly gave me the business, insisting he wanted it like a rectangle!  Luckily, I turned his pillow just right to accomodate his request. 
• There is something else about blueberries that they talk about at night - I still haven't figured that one out, but it makes both the boys laugh and laugh!
• And this morning on the way to daycare, we were talking about letters and animals, and Jackson asked Brian what a dog says.  Brian barked like a dog - and the barking and laughing continued for the whole 10 minute drive!

Don't worry - I still get lots of hugs, kisses and "I love you's" from my boys, but I am a bit jealous that Brian is able to channel is inner boy and connect on a different level.  Guess I need to learn to be more silly and just join in!

Reflecting....

I met Brian just over 11 years ago.  We worked together for 5 months before we really talked or interacted much.  But once we went on our first date, it was all history.

Brian was in his early 20's when his dad passed away.  For most of our dating relationship, I didn't really know much about his dad.  Brian talked about time he spent with his Grandma Hart, but didn't really talk about his memories of his dad often.  When I would ask him about his dad, he would laugh and say he has a bad memory, and I partially felt like maybe it was too painful for Brian to talk about.

Over the years, I've heard different stories about Joe from Uncle John and I've learned a lot from visits with cousin Steve too.  From those interactions, I have come to realize that Brian just needs some prompting to remember things about his dad - which was something I didn't think I could do.

However, I was wrong.  I gave Brian the biggest prompt possible - 2 little guys.  Each day of interacting with Lincoln and Jackson brings more childhood memories for Brian.  He talks about his dad and growing up more now than he ever has. 

This has been the greatest gift imaginable.  Although I never had the pleasure to meet Joe, I feel like I know him.  I see him almost every day, when my husband plays with our sons.  His interests and passions were instilled in Brian, and Brian is now passing those traditions down to our boys.  We listen to the Reds on the radio, watch the games on TV, and are looking forward to taking the boys to many games in the future.  The boys also love being outdoors and helping daddy do yard work.  They are definitely country boys! 

So, thank you God for blessing us with these amazing little boys.  Although they will never know Grandma and Grandpa Hart personally, they are helping to keep their memories alive for Brian forever.




 

Being a mom of twin 3 year olds

Wow - people asked me when the boys turned 2 if I was ready for the terrible 2's.  Well, if the 2's were terrible, the 3's are TERRIFYING!

There are so many good things about them being 3:

• they can talk and communicate and tell us what hurts, what happened at school, etc.
• they are more independent and can dress themselves
• they can entertain themselves most of the time

The flip side of it is:

• you never know for sure if what they are telling you is the truth or not
• although they can do things themselves, they don't always do it when you ask them
• they still crave our attention, usually when we just need a few minutes to ourselves

We definitely have our good days and bad days.

Recently, I started noting the things that I seem to repeat OVER AND OVER AND OVER.  I really should get a fancy machine, tape record these sayings, then just push the button when it's appropriate.

Examples:

1. One at a time - This phrase applies to so many things....how to eat our snack/breakfast/dinner;  how to go up the stair steps (the boys have seen daddy take the stairs 2 at a time);  taking turns washing our hands;  trying to put our pants on (ok - this is one LEG at a time);  when both of them are trying to ask or tell me something;  how many books we can pick out to read - I could go on and on!
2. Do you have to go potty? - yes, now that we are potty trained, we still need to prompt them to ensure we don't have any accidents
3. Did you hear me? - this one is frustrating, as I know they can hear me, they just aren't listening
4. Please stop touching your weiner - oh the fun of boys!
5. Let's go get in the van - I bet I say this at least 5 times each weekday morning
6. Sit down - like #1, this one applies to so many things....getting in their car seats;  eating dinner;  when they are standing on the couch, etc.

There is one phrase that I also say a lot too, but I'm not going to record this one.  It has too much meaning to simply just record it and play it over and over....

I love you!

April 2013 Special dates

Birthdays:

• April 1 - Barb Miller, Bowen Reed turns 3
• April 5 - Jennifer Ginter turns 41
• April 10 - Lyn Willinger turns 36, Steve Ginter turns 43
• April 11 - Lori Hart turns 25
• April 13 - Alex Tallarigo turns ONE!
• April 18 - Marcy (Bruner) Wyldes turns 38
• April 22 - Tyler Lentz turns 25

Anniversaries:

• April 22 - Joe and Rachelle Young - 18 years
• April 22 - Nick and Jenny Tallarigo - 7 years