He is Risen!

I have to premise this blog post by saying that unfortunately most of my pics were accidentally deleted. Liam grabbed my camera when I wasn't looking and of course, managed to drop it. It's a miracle that it works, but somehow dropping it deleted every pictures I have taken over the past few weeks including Easter egg hunts, our trip to the petting zoo, and checking out our Easter baskets this morning.

This morning we dressed up in our Easter finery and headed out the door to church. We attempted to get pictures first. If you have small children, you know how difficult this can be. It's easy to get frustrated because they just won't cooperate!!! But one of these days, we will have some entertaining photos to look back on.

Kale started out being really sweet with Liam. He wanted to "hold" him. Liam currently weighs more than Kale by about a pound, so watching Kale "hold" Liam was interesting. By the time we got to the above picture, he was done being sweet. In case you can't tell by the look on his face, he is squeezing Liam's hand as hard as he can.

We did manage to get some good ones with just Liam. He is still a sweet, smiley baby (most of the time). I actually took some pictures yesterday (which of course, got deleted), of Liam in time-out. Kris put him in the time-out chair for the first time and he was screaming and crying and throwing a big 'ole fit. Well, of course, I had to capture this "first" on camera. As I went to take his picture, he stopped crying immediately and got a huge grin on his face. As soon as I was finished with my picture taking, he started screaming again. I really wish I had those photos...

He is just the cutest little man. His cheeks are so chubby and he is so squeezeable! I could just sit around and hug him all day, but of course, he won't let me. I did get a rare opportunity to rock him on Saturday though. He has really been giving me a hard time with naps lately. We put him down for his afternoon nap and he fell right to sleep, but woke up about 45 minutes later. I went in and picked him and he put his head on my shoulder and wrapped his chubby little arms around my neck. I sat in the chair and rocked him for almost an hour and a half while he slept. Now I won't be able to do this every nap, but it sure is nice to do every once in awhile. I miss rocking my babies.

Of course, I dressed the boys in matching outfits. They looked quite handsome.

Kale is really asserting his independence these days. Well...who I am kidding? He's been asserting his independence since birth. When we want him to take a picture and he is not interested, he just closes his eyes.

Before church, the boys enjoyed diving into their Easter baskets. They got all kinds of stuff that they didn't need. Kale got some silly string and he and Liam were both literally rolling on the floor when we sprayed Kris with it. They both thought it was so funny to "get dad." Another gift that was a hit, was the jump rope I got Kale from the dollar store. Kris and I both took turns trying to show Kale how to use it. Let's just say we both needed a good laugh.

 

Both sets of grandparents spoiled the boys (as usual)! Grandma and Grandpa Helling sent candy, a book, and a hen that sings a song and lays eggs. Gram Debbie and Poppa David sent a bunny tower that has various compartments that open and hold candy inside. We just got rid of all the candy from Halloween, but now we are restocked!! I took pictures of everything, but of course, they got deleted.

Kale and I dyed Easter eggs after naps, and Liam and Kris played in the living room.

Kale really enjoyed dying the eggs. He mainly liked to roll the eggs around in the container and play in the water.

We did have to hold our egg hunt inside as it rained most of the day today. They boys did get the opportunity to participate in two other Easter egg hunts last week. During the first one, it was snowing (nothing like hunting eggs in the snow) and during the second hunt, Kale was completely uninterested. The place where the hunt was held had a basketball goal, so all he wanted to do was play basketball. Sigh! We went home with one egg.

They did much better upstairs...although they both took frequent breaks to eat the candy inside of the eggs.

We caught Liam eating the candy WITH the foil on several times.

The final product! The eggs actually turned out really good, but it's only because Kale forgot about them and they got super dark.

 

We also had a delicious Easter dinner. I made a soda ham in my crock pot and I have to say, it was one of the best hams I have ever had...very juicy. I highly recommend it!

 

He is risen! Aren't you so glad?  From our family to yours, Happy Easter!

 

My Big Boy

Believe or not, Liam is big enough to sit at the table instead of in the high chair these days. He is very good and doesn't try to get up and run around. But then again, he does love food, so he's not going anywhere as long as there's food on his plate.

 

I was rocking this sweet boy before his nap today....well, I was trying to rock him. He doesn't really cooperate these days. He just too funny sometimes. As I was attempting to rock him, he kept looking at me and smiling his mega-watt smile and giggling. I told him, "It's night-night time, Liam." When I would say that, he would squeeze his eyes shut as tight as he could. The corner of his eyes would wrinkle up, then a few seconds later, he would pop his eyes open and start giggling, and the "game" would begin all over again.

I am not a Terrible Parent

I read this on a blog posting recently and thought it was too wonderful not to repost.
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There are people who say this to me:

“You should enjoy every moment now! They grow up so fast!”
 
I usually smile and give some sort of guffaw, but inside, I secretly want to hold them under water. Just for a minute or so. Just until they panic a little.

If you have friends with small children — especially if your children are now teenagers or if they’re grown – please vow to me right now that you will never say this to them. Not because it’s not true, but because it really, really doesn’t help.
We know it’s true that they grow up too fast. But feeling like I have to enjoy every moment doesn’t feel like a gift, it feels like one more thing that is impossible to do, and right now, that list is way too long. Not every moment is enjoyable as a parent; it wasn’t for you, and it isn’t for me. You just have obviously forgotten. I can forgive you for that. But if you tell me to enjoy every moment one more time, I will need to break up with you.

If you are a parent of small children, you know that there are moments of spectacular delight, and you can’t believe you get to be around these little people. But let me be the one who says the following things out loud:

You are not a terrible parent if you can’t figure out a way for your children to eat as healthy as your friend’s children do. She’s obviously using a bizarre and probably illegal form of hypnotism.

You are not a terrible parent if you yell at your kids sometimes. You have little dictators living in your house. If someone else talked to you like that, they’d be put in prison.

You are not a terrible parent if you can’t figure out how to calmly give them appropriate consequences in real time for every single act of terrorism that they so creatively devise.

You are not a terrible parent if you’d rather be at work.

You are not a terrible parent if you just can’t wait for them to go to bed.

You are not a terrible parent if the sound of their voices sometimes makes you want to drink and never stop.

You’re not a terrible parent.

You’re an actual parent with limits. You cannot do it all. We all need to admit that one of the casualties specific to our information saturated culture is that we have sky-scraper standards for parenting, where we feel like we’re failing horribly if we feed our children chicken nuggets and we let them watch TV in the morning.
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The last two left me laughing because they hit so close to home. Sometimes (more often than not), I can't wait for my boys to go to sleep! And I jokingly (well sometimes not so jokingly....) tell people that there are days I need a cocktail by noon. The constant, "momma, momma, momma" and the screaming--my kids do that a lot, do yours?--can really grate on my nerves.

I go to various mom's events and many of the other moms are talking about the "all organic" diet their children are on, and how juicing really "energizes" them, and the fact that their kids only get "30 minutes of screen time a day." Sometimes, I just want to say to them, "get real." Can anyone live like that all of the time? Let me just say, I thank the good Lord everyday for Curious George. We definitely watch more than 30 minutes a day. And my energy? It comes from a good 'ole fashioned Dr. Pepper!!

My Birthday Weekend

Wine tasting, what fun!!

 For my birthday, my sweet husband whisked me away to a bed and breakfast in Charlottesville, VA. It was wonderful to get away and have a little time to ourselves and away from our children. (As much as I love them, it was well-earned time off.) Our sitter, Briana, watched the boys overnight so we could get away. We enjoyed wine tasting at 3 wineries and then a wonderful dinner at a fancy Italian restaurant.

I had to wear my new green jeans for the occasion. As a St. Patrick's Day baby, I always tell people that it's my favorite holiday.

Kris got me this necklace, which I LOVE!!! As many of  you know (specifically if you are reading my blog), that I use the phrase "immensely blessed" a lot. So, for Kris to think about getting it put on a necklace was very thoughtful. I also got a wonderful in-room massage on Sunday morning and then Kris and I enjoyed a little retail therapy.

The bed and breakfast we stayed at was awesome! This was actually my first bed and breakfast experience. I have always been a little paranoid about going to one because I didn't really care to share common space with other people, but each room had it's own bathroom, so that was nice. We were also in the basement of a very old house, so it was more private than being on one of the top levels. The house had a ton of historical significance and is actually on the historical registry. It was beautifully decorated and the inn keepers were very hospitable. And most importantly, the food was amazing!!

 

All of these pictures are from our iphones. We have both gotten horrible at using the camera, these days. It seems like our phones are always accessible, so we grab those instead. My new personal goal is to get my camera out more often!

If I Only Knew...

 

 

Sometimes I find myself thinking about life before kids and comparing it to life after kids. For instance, before I had kids, I would see kids out in public with dried snot under their noses. I would think, "that is so gross. That mom just doesn't take care of her child!" Ha! If only I knew then what I know now. Some weeks keeping my children snot-free is next to impossible! (Plus, I get tired of fighting with them while trying to wipe their noses.)

Before having kids, I had the illusion that my children would always be impeccably dressed and groomed. Ha! I fight with Kale every day because he only wants to wear sweatpants. I make him wear jeans when he goes to school, but the second he walks in the door he strips and puts on his sweats. Today he wore a pair of red sweat pants and a blue shirt. And we went out in public. I didn't care. It just wasn't worth the fight. Oh, and his hair! Kale has the worse cowlick and I have to work really hard to make it look decent. Even when I fix his hair, it doesn't stay like that for long. If only I knew then...

One other post-mommy lesson I have learned is that kids throw fits and kids are brats sometimes. Before having kids I would see other kids in the store screaming and I would think, "Geez, that parent has no control." I have learned that sometimes kids throw fits in public...and there's nothing you can do but grin and bear it (until you get home that is!). If only I knew then...

Of course, I wouldn't change a second about being a mom. Wait a minute--that's not true. There are a few seconds I would change. :) But there are definitely far more good times than bad ones. Being a mom is a challenge every single day and I have done things I never thought I would, but I have also experienced far more love than I ever thought possible.

Date Night

I went out for dinner with my 3 favorite boys on Sunday. We went to eat Kris' favorite--Mexican food! 

The boys were really good at the restaurant. It's one of best meals we have had out (in terms of behavior)  with both boys. Normally after eating out, I wonder why we even bothered.

 

After dinner, we took the boys out for ice-cream. Liam finally decided he liked ice-cream. As a matter of fact, he couldn't get enough!

All Fired Up

I dressed the boys up in their St. Patty's Day shirts and we went to make a special plate at a pottery place on Tuesday.


Kale and I had to get a few snuggles in before we headed out and while Liam was sleeping.


We went to All Fired Up to make a special platter. The boys' footprints are on it, along with a rainbow and a four-leaf clover. The platter says "Lucky to have you". We get to pick it up this Tuesday. I can't wait to see it.

Bike ride

These guys are just too funny.

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Over the Rainbow Cupcakes

Kale and I made special cupcakes this weekend. For those of you who don't know, I love St. Patrick's Day...because it's my birthday! So these cupcakes are perfect!

We took a white cake mix and mixed all of the ingredients together. Then we put the batter into six separate bowls. We then added food coloring to each bowl. We used red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple.

 

Next, we added a spoonful of each color of batter to the cupcake pans. This took awhile and we got some mammoth cupcakes by the time we put in a spoonful of each color!

When they were done, we put green icing on top and enjoyed our fun, colorful cupcakes! (Moms across the nation are astounded at the amount of food dye my children are consuming when eating one of these cupcakes. I am pretty sure someone from one of my mom's groups might turn me into CPS!)

Making these cupcakes wasn't hard, but gosh, it was messy. It took me forever to do all of the dishes and clean up the kitchen. Not to mention, after the boys tried their cupcakes, there were cupcake remnants all over the floor. Liam was a sweet boy and helped mom clean up the kitchen.

 
He is so funny. He really mimics everything I do. When he was wiping down the chair, he made sure to wipe the seat and the top of the chair just like I do. It's scaring how much he is watching me these days.

All done!

Art Time

It has been rather cold here. So the boys and I have enjoyed some art time inside. Now, let me clarify, art time for me means coloring or playing with Play dough. It is not mean doing some fancy Pinterest project. I wish I could be the kind of organized mom who gets all kinds of creative ideas from Pinterest... But I'm not. Instead of devoting my time surfing the Pinterest site, I am normally cleaning up after these two!


This was the first time that I gave Liam crayons and he really went to work! He colored several pages of his coloring book. He did eat a few of the crayons along the way though.

Liam also did a great job sitting in the chair at the little table.


Kale got a new curious George coloring book at the dollar store. He was in heaven! I figured Liam would try to steal his markers, but he didn't. They actually both colored nicely for about half an hour!


Bear even got in on the fun.


We need to work on putting the crayons back in the box though. When Liam got finished with a crayon, he would just throw it on the floor.


Kale decided it would be a great idea to color his face. Then he decided to do Liam's! Luckily, I caught him in time!