dizzy boys

sometimes it is best not even to ask "why?".  love.

shoe obsessed

to say that maddux is obsessed with the shoes he is wearing in the picture is almost an understatement.  from the time he wakes up, to the time he goes to bed (we have to remind him to take them off for sleeping) he wears his shoes.  on the wrong feet.  if you try to fix them for him, he goes into full on fit mode!  they are too big hand-me-downs from mason (generally we don't pass down shoes but mason did not wear these very much), wearing them on the wrong feet helps him keep them on better.

he is so funny about these shoes.  he was falling asleep in our bed one night (he had taken a nap during the day and was keeping mason awake) and he jumped up, threw back the sheets, took one look at his feet and screamed, "shoes!!," in a panic.  i had to remind him that he was sleeping and did not have his shoes on, they were not lost.  then he remembered that to be true and settled down.

we generally don't wear shoes in the house, but there has been no way to get him not to wear these.  thankfully, (and surprisingly), he doesn't always wear these when we go somewhere.  he will wear other shoes out.

we are hoping that this phase wears out before the shoes do!  love.

quite the production

after running all over yesterday, i decided that we would have a 'fun day' today.  the weather was nice, so we went to the pool for lunch.  (we were going to go yesterday afternoon but mason was just too tired.  i actually asked him to take a nap after lunch.  he told me he was tired but wanted to play downstairs.  i explained that he was going to be too tired for vbs and said, "otay, mommy" and headed off for a 3-4 hour nap.)  manning had a blow out diaper on the way back from vbs last night and the carrier pieces weren't dry yet so we walked to the pool instead of driving. 

with the kids, their gear and lunch, i knew that we would need the wagon in addition to the stroller.  thankfully, madelyn was well rested and willing to pull the wagon to the pool and even let maddux ride.  one of the neighbors drove past and commented that "that looks like quite the production".  yes, i guess we were.  each kid was carrying their noodle and floatation vest, i was pushing a crying manning in the stroller (hoping that he would fall asleep from the walk) and madelyn was pulling the wagon.  i actually wish i had a picture of it.

we had a great time at the pool and were the only ones there.  it was the first time i was really able to go into the pool too (now that i am past the six week mark).  i was pretty excited to be able to cool off too instead of sitting and sweating.  i 'dove' under after already being in up to my waist and got water in both ears!  i have never, ever gotten water in my ears like that!  what was worse was that i couldn't really hear out of my left ear.  oh well.  we had a nice time splashing and 'swimming' while manning slept pool side in the stroller and shade.  when he woke up to nurse everyone got out to eat lunch and warm up in the sun.  we swam a little more when manning was done but he was ready to go home so we packed up our things and headed home.

madelyn pulled the wagon most of the way home too.  i had to take over towards the end because she was just getting "too tired".  maddux got a little too comfortable because he fell asleep.  he also did the worst - pooped in his swimming diaper!   

he did have his hand under his chin to hold his head up but he kept falling over.

those things are impossible to get off without making a mess when a kid poops in them.  i was hoping that we would get home before he did his post-lunch business.  i laid him out on a towel when we got home and ripped the sides of the diaper so that i wouldn't have to try and slide it off.  he was such a mess that i was going to have to take him in the shower.  not a big deal if he was awake but taking him from deep sleep to the shower is not an easy thing, but we got through it.

after everyone was cleaned up, dressed and snacked/nursed, we decided to 'cook' the shrinky-dinks the kids had gotten at vbs.  it has been a long (long) time since i have done shrinky-dinks and i had forgotten how they curl up before flattening out again.  the kids thought that was so much fun and couldn't wait to see whose was going to do what next.  we will be doing these again!

and just because life is never dull with little kids (whether one or four), maddux refused to wear anything most of the afternoon.  he kept ripping off his diaper because he wanted to use the potty.  which is great.  i was actually thinking about doing potty training with him once the kids start school because he has been showing signs of readiness.  but i wasn't planning on starting today right as i was trying to make dinner and rush to vbs.

he did great at getting on the toilet (he refused the little potty and wanted to use the toilet like the big kids) and was really trying to make something happen (picture abs tightening and gas passing).  the problem was that he wouldn't wear a diaper or underwear or anything and i couldn't sit and watch him.  he did pee on mason's bed (he was just standing next to it when he started peeing).  he peed on the bathroom floor (right next to the toilet and on the stool he was standing on to get on the toilet).  and then he found madelyn and mason's stickers from target.

madelyn asked the cashier yesterday for a sticker (she amazingly remembers getting a sticker at target a year ago and tries to ask every time).  the cashier had given her seven.  she kept four (to make a picture for her kindergarten teacher when we go to the meet and greet in two weeks) and gave three to mason.  mason must have left his where maddux could reach them in their room because maddux came out with them in a straight line down the middle of his naked body - including the head of his penis.  he brought it to my attention because the one on his penis stuck a little too well and was hurting when he tried to pull it off.  i laughed, helped him get it off and we put them in the trash can. and then he found madelyn's in her room...

this time i took a picture because every time i took it off his penis he would stick it right back on!

there is just never a dull moment.  and i love it!  i did finally convince him that the nighttime pull-ups were not diapers or underwear and he put them on.  when matt got home before i took madelyn and mason to vbs (he came home early because of my haircut.  i have been taking all four with me to do the drop-off) i wished him luck with a big smile.  lucky for him the kids save the crazy for mommy.  love.

"spit shower"

this weekend matt was buckling mason into his carseat when mason sneezed a big wet one all over him.  matt exclaimed, "gee, mason, thanks for the spit shower!"

madelyn said, "dad!  there is no such thing as a 'spit shower'". and then laughed and laughed like it was the funniest thing she had ever heard.

what made me laugh is that she said it again to herself a few hours later like it was a really great punchline, "spit shower", with some more giggling.  so funny.  love.

anytime, anywhere

i guess maddux is going to be an easy sleeper...

 ...and can even change positions without waking himself up.

he was bouncing and talking away happily for almost an hour and then it got very quiet.  i think he slept like that for close to 30 minutes.  i think all the picture taking is actually what woke him up.  love.