Birthday season is upon us

Let the tantrums begin!



Jacob's birthday is coming up in a few weeks. Nico's birthday comes up two weeks later. It's a tricky dance. No matter how much I tell Nico that awesomeness will be his on his birthday it sometimes hasn't turned out that well.

The above picture is of Jacob's 5th birthday party at the park in Chicago.  A (Benjamin) lifetime ago, by the way.  Thanks again Mardee for lighting that unlightable windswept candle so that I could restrain Nico from going all Hulk on the festivities.

Here's hoping for a tear-free season!  Happy birthdaying!

Nothing says special memories like the phrase "Picture Dump"

And yet, here we are dumping pictures and trying to tease out some special memories at the same time.  Mainly here are a few things I just need to share, despite my rusty blogging skills. 

1.  Ben's "smile" for the camera.  Is it a smile?  Jury's still out, but it's darling.

2.  And consistent!  (Excuse the food-filled mouth...)

A note about Jacob: this week he pulled his card in school for the first time ever.  He felt really bad and come to find out it was the Spanish teacher who had him pull it for basically a misunderstanding.  I tried to explain to him that his day to day teacher wouldn't have had him pull his card (which she herself told me) and that the Spanish teacher just doesn't know him well enough to know he's not a trouble maker (at school, anyway). 

Jacob seemed comforted by that and said, "Yeah, she totally doesn't know me.  She keeps calling me (phonetic-ish spelling) Ha-cobe!"  I felt bad breaking it to him that that's how you say Jacob in Spanish.  Sad to deflate his healing ego a little bit.  And really sad he didn't know that's how you say his name.  I mean, it's April man! 

3.  People often comment on our having 3 boys and I often say that we've specialized.  I am coming to see how right I am.  Boy stuff reigns around here.  I only wish I felt our specialization was really making me a rock star mom. 

To further explain, I also often say (or at least feel) that I have three pots on the stove. 

One is simmering.

One is boiling.

One is boiling over.

Also true, never truer than lately, and proof positive that I am not "specializing" in a way that brings the kind of tantrum-free, all potties always flushed success I crave.  Sigh.

Cute kids, tho.

4.  I pretty much only put the helmet on him because it looks cute. 

5.  Box fun!  Real smiles!  Woot woo!

6.  Box fun with a snack of frozen peas!  (Jacob is weird.)

I totally asked them to punch fists in the air, if it weren't for Benjo's total emotional commitment to it it would look too lame to post.  Ah the innocence of toddler-hood!

7.  Yeah, we tried general conference yet again with kids.  I scoured the internet (5 minutes on pinterest) for tips for keeping kids interested.  It all said to buy candy.  Lots of it.  And that was pretty much it!  Candy and a few print outs.  Which means I ate a lot of candy that weekend.  Seriously, what's with Nico?!

8.  We made "grilled cheese sandwiches" out of pound cake and orange frosting for April fool's.  I felt like the best mom ever!!! 

Nico took a bite and didn't comment on the fact that his grilled cheeser tasted like cake.  He rather rolled his eyes back into his head and said, "This is so dad gum good!"

9.  Jacob got this out of the treasure box at his school.  It's sort of a harmonica-ish thing in lip shape.  Ben is in love.  And yes, it is incredibly unsanitary.

10.  No words.

11.  Ben sipping from a straw is a favorite image of mine.  I will leave you with that and his crazy, crazy, mad, mad, mad hair.

On my tombstone it will read:

"It's not a competition!"

All day, every day.  Please boys, just believe me.  It's not a competition to brush teeth, get dressed, get in the car, arrive at any given destination, and so on and so on and so on and so on and so flipping on!

They're killing me slowly with every race/fight/tantrum/victory dance and yet they're still just as cute as buttons. 


(These pics were taken in the old house...I'd forgotten about these pictures and about how bad that house was.  So so grateful to have moved.  Oh just so so grateful!)

You can't make this stuff up

I came downstairs from putting Benjamin down for a nap one day and this is what I found.  From top to bottom.  Would that the house had been more tidy when they spontaneously decided to do something so darling and blog worthy.  Alas...

Jacob often wants Nicholas to play chess.  Nicholas often wants Jacob to play trains.  They make deals that one will play the other person's activity for a specified amount of time and then they'll swap activities.

It usually ends with Nicholas losing his queen in 3 moves and then running away from the table screaming.  Then Jacob, desperate for a partner, says, "OK, OK" and puts the queen back while warning him that he needs to be more careful.  The agreement usually dissolves after 3 more moves because, as Nicholas so artfully puts it, "this is taking for long".  Crying, anger, and promises from mom to play with Jacob are the only things that will put it aright.  

Greatest picture ever?

Matt thinks so.  I think it's more like EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE!  Either way I love it.

Except for the mountains of books and toys on the floor.  I got fed up a la Mama Bear and almost threw all of their toys away.  Our compromise was to pack some things away and to institute a post-dinner clean up.  EVERY DAY OF THEIR LIFE!

I like these guys.  They are funny guys.  So says El Guapo and so says I.  (That line often comes to mind as I deal with my own little 3 amigos.)

One of these things is not like the other things

It's getting hard to ignore how much these two look alike:



























And how much this guy doesn't.














Amazing. I love my little Nico face. Even if he is up to 10 tantrums a day.

It's sort of like Jacob in his kindergarten class. Just look for the kid who blends in perfectly with the hay.














(I realize that lately all I seem to be able to do is post old pictures of the boys, but the feeling that time is racing by/playing tricks on me/slipping through my fingers is ever present these days. I promise to get current again. Until then, indulge me!)

Something I Want to Remember

Tonight we needed to quickly go down to the lobby to meet a friend. Benjamin was asleep and so the big boys and I went down. I had already put them to bed, so they were extra excited to leave bed and come with me.

When we got to the lobby Jacob turned to Nicholas and said, "Let's run around in big circles!" and Nico said, "Sure!" And run around in big circles they did. Laughing and smiling all the way.

Those two speak the same language. It's fun (and I'd be lying if I didn't say also challenging) to listen to the natives each day.

Here are some snaps of that brotherly togetherness from May in Alabama.













Sweaty (and sweet) brotherly togetherness.













And if you're interested in that Benji-boy, I promise to post more about him this week. He's my giggling, smiling, rolling, and backward scooting babe. He is also being initiated into his big brothers' tribe and, judging by the smiles he only saves for them, I think he likes it. (Heaven help me!)