Spider Monkey

When D was born, he had a head full of hair... the same hair that never had an end.. it continued onto his face down to his eyebrows in the form of dark peach fuzz... at that point, I called him my spider monkey.

2 years later... me calling him spider monkey has a totally different meaning.

I can't get past his playing with his poop phase..
yesterday consisted of a monkey bath because of him smearing his poop all over himself.

This morning when I woke with G, I heard D talkin' in the monitor... I heard the words "Poop all gone" over and over.

What first popped into my head made me gag...

"Did he just eat his poop?... great, another call to poison control."

Thankfully he hadn't.. he just took it all out of his diaper via the back of the pants and shoved it all between the bed and the wall...

Nice.

I would love for him to really get past this stage.

You have to decide...

*If you want to see a house update, scroll down.. I posted an update late yesterday afternoon.

I take pics of the boys around their birthdays and I usually choose 1 of each to blow up and hang on the wall.

You have to help me pick:
choose 1 of these 3 for D

1.)

2.)

3.)



Now G... again choose 1 of the 3.
*he was being soooo uncooperative.

1.)

2.)

3.)

Poor little buddy

So, for the past couple of weeks, D has been extremely fussy... and he is now 2, we are trying to get him out of the "WAHHHHHH" mode and get him to express his frustrations with words.
He throws fits and just being whiney.

He now goes in the corner if he wants to whine. He can come out when he dries it up.

You might think this is harsh... but he whining and crying about NOTHING have become constant.

We don't deal with fits.. so throw it in the corner by yourself!!

And it stops him pretty quick.

Now, this week, he has been fussy more than usual... and he won't stop... and I didn't get it at all... he was living in the corner.
Even with the unusually messy diapers and the very low grade temp he started running, I figured his sinuses were getting to him.

Then when the small burping up of milk came... I just hoped he wasn't getting that stomach bug going around.

then I was talking to my mom... and I realized, everyone else sees my kids as babies still... I guess I don't...

Because I never thought about the fact that he could be cutting his 2 year, very painful, make you feel like crap, molars.

He is.

I feel like a heel.

2 have just popped through and the others are working on it.

Sorry little buddy.. I suck.
I guess I just need to always see you as a itty bitty baby.

CHOP CHOP

*For those of you who tried to create a photo book, it seems some are having trouble with the code not taking. I do think it has to deal with you having an account. I am very sorry for any inconvenience this has caused.*

I am tired and don't feel like writing a whole lot today.

I could write about time out for the fussy youngest come to find out, he was being that way for a reason and I had no idea... now I feel big ole guilt.
or
I could write about "tookin' a take" part duex that occurred very early this morning...

But you just get a pic of the boys new trick.






* I could not possibly stage D like I did G.. he is so random.

He is really gettin' there

You all have read G's antics...

I have a feeling D's stories are on their way.

As I am fixing the boys a snack, I heard a weird noise... needing to be checked out type, but for some reason I froze in a 'what is that.. let's figure this out' mindset and as I am listening in a mind panic, I was not moving.. just standing trying to figure it out in my head...

then I saw it.

D... on the bar... emptying my new cracked open Pepsi all over the couch and new floor...

Oh.. he so totally got in trouble and he heard about it the entire 10 minutes it took me to wipe up and get the 'stickiness' off the floor.

He is turning into G and that just might kill me.

Random

The boys wanted to show off their skills... total white boy/no dancin' skills... but overall, their skills.

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Anyone who knows my family well enough knows, our animals/pets are like our children. We hurt when they hurt and we mourn them. And when one decides to run away from home, it hurts us all.
Please pray that Shadow, my brother's little buddy, decides to come back home. He has been missing for 10 days now and my brother is absolutely heartbroken. He has visited shelters, every neighbor around the neighborhood, handed our flyers, offered rewards... he is at a loss.
I am honestly surprise no one has seen a 30 lb black cat running around the neighborhood. I think someone has taken him in and won't give him up. I hope he comes back.

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See.. no one can doubt we spoil our 4 legged babies too.


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OH, and the boys totally dug my strawberry cream cheese on wheat Ritz crackers...



I plan to address the new night light and sleepign with G in the next couple of days.

Movie Friday

Every Friday we have movie Friday where the boys can watch movies all day long... they don't get to during the week, so we leave the "learning" for Monday thru Thursday and being lazy and watching movies on Friday..
Of course it keeps them occupied, so I get to get some stuff done... Playing with my juicer has taken up most of the morning as I made Strawberry Balsamico and Strawberry cream cheese.
I have never seen so many mason jars in my fridge.


Of course, every now and then D will come look at me with the look, and I have to say "Everyone knows who you are..." and he says "woooooo-deeee". THANK YOU very much Toy Story 2.

J worked from home all day yesterday... he is official now, and it went surprisingly well. The boys really are doing ok with it.
This is what his new lunch break looks like on Fridays...


Enjoy your weekend..
I am going back to being lazy for the day... or making some more stuff.. haven't decided.

8 mouths to feed

You know people, I adore every living creature in this house. The four legged babies I have are still my babies, even after little humans. Sometimes though, the day gets hard making sure the 2 cats get fed once a day, the 2 dogs get fed 2 times a day, the 2 itty bitty humans get fed 3 square and 2 snacks, then us big ones get at least 3 good meals. There are some days when I feel like all I am doing is feeding, watering.. whatever.
I use to have it harder when G was into his whole "lets eat the dogs food and drink their water stage."

Unfortunately too, that is when Sasha was going through the whole "I have diagnosed Giardia stage" too. But that is another post for another day.

But now.. oh now, I have a precious baby that is willing to help...

Thank you sweet boy.. I am sure Pluto appreciates you as much as you do me.

Lots of Things

First off, I hope everyone had a great Christmas! We did. Santa was wonderful to us all this year!
Oh, you want an update on how G reacted when he saw the train table Santa brought him??
He walked into the living room, opened his arms up as wide as can be and yelled out with a gasp "TRAIN!"

We won't go into how much that deceptiveness scares to bajeebees out of me.

Christmas was great and it was fun seeing the boys react to Santa's presents.





G has figured out clothes boxes already and tends to toss them with a 'clothes' sigh.
We will have to work on that.
But they had a great Christmas and was spoiled as usual.
So were J and I.


Also, my only baby girl in this house, had a birthday yesterday. Sasha was the first of her litter born Dec. 29th 6 years ago. 8 weeks later, she was J's Valentine's present for our first Valentines as a married couple. I hate to think that she is over middle aged for her breed, eventhough she still acts like a pup. I love her very much and can't wait to spend another 6 years with her.


We went and watched Marley and Me on Christmas Day.
I bawled like a big fat baby, and came home and hugged my pups... then cried some more.
Then I thanked God for giving us these pups to help teach the boys things a good dog can. Responsibility, empathy, gentleness, playfulness, boundaries... and so much more.
I recommend seeing it... I still liked the book better, but the movie was wonderful.

That makes it all so much better

With D and G both going through this "OMGAREYOUKIDDINGMERIGHTNOW, HAVEYOULOSTYOURMIND" stages at the same time...

Things can get somewhat.. frazzled with me.

There are days I know J just dreads to come home.. not knowing what the day has brought me and subsequently brought him at the end of his "JOB" (I so channeled Bill Engvall there... "you know what happened at THIS house today while you were at your so called "JOB")... hehe

But I digress.

I see it in J's face sometimes when things I consider, little, happened and he goes all daddy Kung Fu on whatever it is. Like last night, I know the dogs are hovering around the table during supper.. I mean, they are use to the boys feeding them various things they don't want.
The only thing my picky eater G wanted last night for dinner was his bread... and he insisted on going to the living room with J (since he was done eating) and all he wanted to take was his bread... he got down off the chair, clutching his bread, and wham
there was a dog in his face
bread in dogs face
dog assumed he was being fed bread
dog ate bread
G threw a tantrum
J screamed
"PHOENIX.YOUUUUU.BASTARD! GET OUTSIDE, NOW (whack) NOW! OUTSIDE."
dog went outside yet satisfied with a bite of bread
J continues to mumble
"taking a babies bread.. that is just wrong"

I laughed my butt off.
J didn't appreciate it.

But to me, it was a little thing.

During the day, most of it is revolved around putting kids in the corner, listening to fits, fights, and then NOT sleeping in the monitor. By the end of the day, my nerves are shot, my attitude is not too perky, and just a run to Walgreens is like a dream vacation.

Today started like one in the same.
On one of the many rounds of corner time, I get the boys out of the corner and they have to listen to why they were put there and tell me they won't do it again and give me a hug and a kiss while I tell them how much I love them.

One instance today got me.
I was getting G out of the corner
"Do you know why you got in trouble?"
"YEP!"
"Because you got up on the cabinet, didn't you. That is a nono! If you get on the cabinet again, you will go back to the corner. Do you understand?"
"Stand"
before I get "I love you baby with all my heart" out of my mouth, he starts to hug me and whispers in my ear..
"Loe you mommy"

It has made for the best day.

Calling all Plumbers: The Second Coming

I don't have it dictated in this blog, but earlier this year, we had to have a plumber come out to get our toliet unstopped.
THAT time it turned out that the little pee pee cup that is on the front of a potty chair for little boys, had been removed and flushed. The plumber had to take off the toliet to be able to remove it... not bad, it only cost us $138.00.

Fast forward to yesterday.
G has been pretty adament about not letting ME in the bathroom when he goes. It is not a big deal... he does a good job and very very rarely he forgets to "tuck" and soaks the bathroom. But, he will let D in there. I guess it is because I am girl or something.
Well, after a certain bathroom break, I just knew they were now playing because they had been in there an awful long time. I go in there and G is just flushing flushing away and nothing is going away and he is getting ticked. I see D standing in the corner and just knew in my heart that D had put something in the toliet when G was peeing and now.. it is stuck.
I plunged a few times, nothing
I stuck a wire hanger down there and could not really feel anything.
I feared the worse: A ball, the perfect size, is stuck and they are going to have to sell me new pipes or a new toliet.

I called the plumber. He said coming out to unstick a toy out of a toliet is a pretty common occurance.
"have you tried a toliet lock"
"yep, we had one on the last time we called you.. it obviously didn't help and plus, my oldest needs complete access to the toliet"
"Is he autistic?"
"no, why"
"Parents of autistic children are my biggest customers. The autistic children are bad about wanting to see their toy go round and round. Once they discover it, it is hard to stop them."
"I have a feeling my youngest did it behind my oldest bad... He is just hard headed."

This time they had to take the toliet off again... and found it... the culprit, the object to show fault... when they called me to come see, I grabbed D because I knew it was going to have to be a lesson right then...

We go and see. My reaction:

"GAV.IN.BRAD.LEY!!!"
"GAVIN... GET IN HERE NOW!!!"

Apparently he had flushed his underwear.

100% in front of the plumbers.
"Gavin.. Did you flush your underwear."
"YEP!"
"THAT is a no-no. You know better than that."
"Wet. wearwear wet."
"What do you do with your underwear if you don't want to wear then anymore??"
*He came and grabbed them and put them in the dirty clothes hamper
"Don't you ever flush anything down the potty except for toliet paper!!! Do you understand me."
"stand"
"Look what you have made these men do by flushing your underwear. We don't want to ever do that again.. right?"
"yea ma'am"

He was 100% embrassed and humiliated and I hope it does the job.
Another $138.00



I went and gave D some big and loving hugs and kisses because he was secretly the one being blamed... apparently just an innocent bystander.
I do feel bad for that.

HEEE-larious!!

So I don't blog about a recent pedi appointment, because I don't want to get started...

you get some randoms things that are being said... *I see you roll your eyes* and no, not more cuss words.

While watching The Jungle Book the other day, I got this commentary:

G:"MOWWWGI, WHERES YOU? BALOO NO FIND YOU."
*Dear Mowgli, Baloo can't find you and would like to know where you are*

G:"OH NO!!! OH NO!!! NO KA NO KA!!"
D:"OHNO!OHNO!"
*Oh Kaa, please don't hurt poor Mowgli*

G and D:"hooohooohooohooo"
*I like to make monkey sounds and dance when the monkeys dance*

G and D:"MARSH MARSH 2 4"
*How fun to watch the elephants march. I would like to march with them*

G:"OH NO!!! MOWGI SAD!!"
D:"OHNO!OHNO!!"
*In a sad turn of events, it looks as if Mowgli has lost his best friend Baloo*

G and D:"YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYEA!!! BLUE!!!YYYYYYYYYEA!"
*Alas, Baloo was just injuried and now Baloo and Mowgli are happy*

At this point they lose interest and my world become somewhat quiet again.
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G: MAAAAAMA, D poop
Me: Oh really, is that what he is holding?
G: NO D, NO!! *as D is chasing him around the house with said poop in hand
D: ooy, ooy. Poop. stinks
G: OOOOOY
Me: I am changing it fellas.

D: Mommy snack
Me: No D, you just had (insert any meal here)
D: MOOOOOOMMMMMMMEEEEEEEEEEE, snack peas
Me: D, it is not time, you have 1 hour til snack time.
D: WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

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D: Mommy, Baaba?
Me: lets find it.. it's right here.
D: NO BAA.BA
Me: What?
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G: Dada wook?
D: Dada wook!
Me: yep
G: yep
Me: IT IS YES, NOT YEP!! yes ma'am
G: *looking very puzzled

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G: My go Pops hows
Me: Uh, no baby, that is too far to drive today, that is Nashville.
G: My go
Me: D can't go
G: NO, D go Ka-Ka hows
Me: Pops and Ka-Ka houses are the same thing
G: My go
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Me: Are your friends coming over tonight?
G: YEA!!!
D: fends
Me: yea, what are your friends names? Jackson? Julie?
G: ju-ee
D: YEA!!
Me: And Jackson?
G: Ju-ee
D: YEA!!

I cut their hair and lets play a game.

With G, we did the whole at 1 year, mohawk it til his 2nd b-day and then we were going to let it grow until his 3rd and lets see how long it gets...
So with D, we mohawked him at 1 year and have just been let it all go...

Until this weekend. I broke down and cut it.
J woke up and didn't see G's curls anymore...


I think he will miss them... J that is.
I only cut the mohawk off of D, but it looks like he has a buzz cut.
With G, I only cut off the back... he has like a reverse mullet... party in the front, business in the back...
looks like a little skater baby..
so cute..




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WHERE'S WALDO
now can we find G?


yea... I am surprised I am not gray yet.

The half years

You know, I have read alot lately that the half years (1 1/2, 2 1/2...) are the trouble times during a tots years. Whether it be a growing spurt mentally, physically, or emotionally.
D and G are totally in this together... D is getting through his 1 1/2 year spurt while G is full fledge into his 2 1/2 year spurt... and eventhough I want to nurture and be supportive while they go through this difficult learning experience...

I also want to yank their little tails into a knot.

It is killing me and it starts at 4am.

Somedays

There are days when G shows me something in him that is so special and caring. He has such a nuturing side and I just know that his heart is so filled with love. Those days I just want to tell everyone how sweet and kind and caring my baby boy is. Even when I have to whisper all morning because he has put his sippy cup down for a nap and insisted that I keep my voice down... My admiration for his caring side grows because "AWWW"....



Then there are days like today.
He has pinned D on D's belly
He has pulled down his underwear
And he insists that he is going to "Pee D's back"


Poor D.

I ain't feeling that great today

thinking I might be coming down with a cold.
thinking I should have gotten out last night and gotten Zicam like J told me to.
thinking I ought to be at the store right now getting medi like I know I need to.
Instead, I will post this.

10 reasons I love being a mom. (Only 10. hum...)
(I stole this from Tracy)

1)The amazing first minutes


2)Cries so cute you can't help but laugh


3)First baby smiles


4)Watching the discovery of tub farts


5)Being the one that brings them comfort when they feel their worst


6)Watching them accomplish a feat.... and laughing


7)First Birthdays


8)Dressing them in what *I* want them to wear!


9)Allowing my heart to grow and grow


and last but not least

10)Knowing that the 2 I love the most, probably love each other the most

Zoo Boo

We went to our local zoo last night where they had their annual ZooBoo. Stations for children to trick or treat, magic shows, a dance pavallon, rides, and a costume contest. We had no intention of entering this.. but when I asked G if he wanted to and that he would have to put his hood up, he immediately did and wanted to walk on stage then.
It was cute. We didn't win and that is fine. We did oh and ah the crowd though. They got a kick out of seeing them. I don't have pics of them standing on the stage.. I will have to get them later.

Here is a Halloween teaser though.

I just HAVE to have this

Ok, so a little back story. Most people know, our boys got their name from famous singers. GAVIN Rossdale because 1) he is hot (my reasoning) and 2) he has a hot wife (J's reasoning). I mean, who graduated in the 90's and didn't listen to Bush? Sixteen Stone is on my iPod as we speak/type.
and
Bob DYLAN because J won't succumb to me calling him Corgan... but also because look at this man whose name is not actually Bob Dylan. He has done a tremendous amount of stuff in his life. Some not good, but some really amazing things. Just click on the name about and read... I am not going to word for word repeat Wikipedia, but he is like I imagined D would be in the womb.. heart of gold, talents insurmountable, and all with the firecracker attitude to push every envelope he came across... all of this while making history.

Boy.. I must of had a sixth sense...

Anyways, back to the reason for the post.
I want THIS. "May you grow up to be righteous. May you grow up to be true."
It will go straight into his "time capsule" and given to him when I feel he is old enough to care for it... like 20something and married... so I can actually entrust it to his wife.

Maybe I also out to try to find all the Rolling Stone covers that they were both on.. buy them and include them in the time capsule too... hum...

Flu shots

Well, today is flu shot day for the boys. When it comes to flu shots for the old people in this house, the opinions and reactions vary. J can get a flu shot and be just fine. He gets one every year and I don't think he would go a single year without one. I, on the other hand, got the first I can remember back in 2003. I prepped before by taking Tylenol and everything they tell you to do. I was sick as a dog within 24 hours. Of course, when you are preggo, they "really suggest/make you" get a flu shot. I did with D and G and was sick until they were born and could actually take something strong to rid myself of the illness. I hate flu shots and will NOT get one unless I am pregnant. Period.

Now, how will my little men handle it? Hopefully it won't bother them, like their dad. Last year, they just slept for a day and I fed them Tylenol to try to ensure them not getting too sick.

They might have to go get a free McDonald's ice cream after this visit.. shhhh don't tell dada..

How do you handle flu shots? Do you get them?

How can the potty be so cute?

Potty training G... or G potty training himself has been interesting. Frustrating and exciting and well, an experience in itself. But I have, for the most part, let him do what he wants. He has walked around this house all summer completely naked and pottying when he wants and peeing in the floor when he wants. I was reluctant to scold him for 'having an accident' in the floor.. then it hit me one day.. HE KNOWS BETTER DADGUMIT!
So one day I saw him sit there, realize he was about to pee by grabbing himself, then he just let it flow in the floor... well, I told him that was bad, and he knew better and he spent a little time in the corner. I put on big boy underwear and he said "no pee on Manny!" I told him he was right, he is not to pee pee on Handy Manny and he needs to go to the potty when he needs to pee pee.

From that point on, he has worn his big boy pants every moment except naps and night night. He was doing so well, we ventured out to the store and out to eat with underwears and he has had NO accidents when we have been out *knock on wood*. In the past few weeks we have had just a few accidents around the house, but we were not making any leeway from those accidents.

So this week we started a smiley face chart. It includes getting smiley faces when you pee in the potty, poop in the potty, tell mommy you have to go to the potty, flush the potty and wash hands. Now we get big ugly X's when we have an accident but nice big smiley faces that G calls "momma faces" when we do good. The past 2 days, we have received 2 X's. One for having a poopy accident, and one for not washing our hands.

This chart has made him so excited and when Dada gets home, G is so excited to show Dada what he did that day. The smiley faces have him so excited.

DOWNSIDE:
D wants in on this smiley face action and there ain't NO way I am trying to potty train a 19 month old!