Random

My mom and dad are on a mission now, and even though we only saw them once a year before they were on their mission, I’m pretty sure my home sick little mommy would appreciate a few more photos of her family…even if we aren’t the ones she is really missing

I thought I’d take a picture of the boys before school on picture day,  so I could have proof 15 years from now, when they are looking at their old school pictures and wondering why I let them get their picture done with a big dirt smudge on their nose, or food spilled on their shirts, that we didn’t…it was all them.  When you left the house you were sparkly and neat.  Join the club of those of us with bad school pictures.  It’s like a rite of passage or something.  In first grade I thought that I was completely able to handle my hair on my own, and upon arriving to school on picture day with my lumpy, crooked pony tail, I was greeted with pity and the question, “Oh no!  Is your mom sick today?”  I told you, a rite of passage.

If only they were always so fond of each other.

 

Now, switching gears…

Last week play group met at a cute little pumpkin farm.  I gave Jo a pep talk, dressed her like a farmer, and still I got the “you must be crazy if you think I’m going to get closer to those smelly goats!”

“Crazy lady! I aint touching nothing that requires an immediate dose of hand sanitizer and a trip to a washing station!  Put me back in the stroller before I get the bird flu or something worse!”

 

Finally,

As was illustrated in the pictures to the farm, Jo has attitude, and she is all grown up.

Notice her highchair in the background.  She started out there, and then very scary-like climbed out and parked herself at the big kid table to eat her pancake.  Nobody puts Josie in the corner.

See what I mean?  One of the big kids.

Poor Jameson wondering, “doesn’t anyone have control over this girl?!”

My sweet Jameson, the answer to that is-- not really.

All Smiles

 

Wowee, look at how happy those kids are!  I must be a spectacular mom!

Yeah right, this is a testament to how resilient they are, the fact that they can be so happy despite their challenged circumstances.  Lately, I feel like I’m banging my head against the wall trying to parent my older boys.  I’m going through a strange transition (at least it is strange for me) where they are getting old enough to think and do more for themselves, so in turn it requires me to relinquish some control—something I am NOT comfortable with.  To illustrate what I mean, when we went for a walk the other day, Isaac yelled out, “Look! there is poop!”   I immediately responded with, “gross! don’t step in it.”  Isaac is five now and knows what poop is, certainly, he understands how undesirable poop on your shoe is, but I couldn’t help but warn him.  As I pondered why I do this, it boiled down to the fact that I feel like if I warn him and then it happens anyway, not my fault!  I told you! as if to wash my hands of the whole mess, but the truth is, whether I warn him or not, and he steps in a pile of poop the only thing I’m washing is the poop off of his shoe.  Constantly telling them things that they already know causes weariness in me and frustration in them.  More than frustration it causes the little stinkers to, dare I say it, rebel a little. 

Some of our most trying conversations sound like this,

Me:  “Will, you need to get your pjs on now and brush your teeth, or else no TV tomorrow.” 

Will responds with: “oh yeah! (I know it already sounds ugly, doesn’t it?) if you take away TV then I’ll just be really loud and rowdy.” 

Gasp.

  Did he just threaten me?!

  Me:  “Oh no you didn’t! (long ugly rant follows)” 

When did this happen?   We are figuring it out, and while we do, I will take comfort in the idea that I still have two small babies who are completely happy with me calling the shots.