{The Good And The Bad}

I am sure you can read in between the lines of my recent posts...lately, Luke has been difficult.  Very difficult.  The whining (OMG...the whining), the tantrums, the sensitivity, the pushing of other kids, the trouble sharing.  It has really been challenging to handle him at times.  But along with the bad, there have been wonderful moments.  Amazing moments.

A few nights ago, I was giving Luke a bath.  When washing his hair, I pour water over his head twice and then have a towel ready to blot his eyes to get all the water out.  That night was no different, so after I toweled his eyes off, he looks at me and says "thank you mama" with the biggest smile.  And kept right on playing.  It doesn't seem like much, but as his mother it was a moment I don't think I will ever forget. At least I hope I don't.

Because I love this kid.

They don't call them the Terrible Twos for nothing.  I pray every night for the energy to handle him and what this age brings.  But, although easy to be overshadowed by the challenges, this age has brought a lot of positives.  And I try to remember that as well.  His communication.  The way he can tell me what he wants.  How he can say almost all of his ABC's and how he has now started to count.  How he tells Ben "night night baby" before heading off to bed unpromted.  How he looks at the little horse on his polo shorts and starts "neighing".  How his whole face brightens up when he sees a school bus.  How he now asks for his friends by name and gets ecstatic when he gets to play with them.  How he gives kisses.  How he loves singing "daddy daddy bo baddy, banana fanana fo fatty" with everyone's names he knows.

It really is an incredible age.  The good and the bad. 

I am trying to remember what my mom tells me when I am struggling.  "Children are a work in progress".  We are working.  We are progressing.  And as time is marching on, we seem to be figuring out our new normal and hoping that each day brings more good than bad. 

{Working Out}

My new workout routine...

Carrying Ben and my sweet niece Molly!

{Parents of the Year}

What does it take to get Luke a haircut?

TWO lollipops and a cookie...and he still screamed his head off.

Parents. Of. The. Year.

{Yard Work}

The boys in this house love them some yard work!  Chat loves spring time because he gets out there with Luke and they start fixing the flowerbeds, watering all the shrubs and getting the grass back to its beautiful green.  I love that Chat and Luke do it together and that Chat shows Luke how to work hard at something and how workin' hard pays off.  Luke loves being outside and getting dirty, so it works! 

Ben lounged on his nap nanny and enjoyed sittin' with his mama while we watched the big boys....

Chat and Luke did the dirty work....

 It is pretty much impossible to get the hose out of Luke's hands once he gets ahold of it...

Therefore we do have a few of these moments....gotta love a 2 year old!

But we do have a few sweet brother moments that make up for the not-so-good moments!

{Ham Bone}

Well another eventful night with Ben waking up several times.  I am very tired, but how can I get upset at this cutie patootie??

Ben seems to be getting cuter and BIGGER by the day!  I weighed him yesterday and at a little over 3 months he is weighing close to 19 lbs.  Due to his big size, he is getting quite a few nicknames -- ham bone, porky, big Ben, pudge and many more!  He has rolls and cheeks like you wouldn't believe.  I know one day he will be long and lean just like Luke has turned out to be, so I am trying to soak in the pudge while I can. 

{In The Night}

Every night I go to sleep not quite sure of what it will bring.  Will Ben sleep 8 glorious hours?  Or will he wake up with a fever like Saturday night?  Will Luke randomly cry out due to a bad dream or those darn 2 year mollars that are still making their way in?  Or maybe, just maybe, will we not hear a peep from him until 7 am?

I close my eyes usually around 11:00 every night with these very worries.  What is tonight going to bring?  And then they follow by a promise I tell myself: One day I will get sleep.  I am thinking around the year 2030 when Ben is 18 and out of the house. Then I try to think: Don't wish this time away just because you are tired.  It is my mantra right now.
 

So how is Ben sleeping?  Hmmm, we seem to be regressing again.  Last night...

8:30 pm - Bedtime for Luke
9:00 pm - Bedtime for Ben
11:00 pm - Bedtime for mommy
2:30 am - Ben crying
2:35 am - Go to Ben and nurse him back to sleep
2:55 am - I finally fall back asleep
3:30 am - *Chirp*, the smoke alarm in our bedroom is chirping due to low battery and dog Trudy begins panic attack
4:00 am - Since we have never changed the battery in this house before, it took us (Chat) awhile to figure it out how to even open the darn thing, so it was quite a while to get back to sleep
4:30 am - Ben crying
4:35 am - Go to Ben and nurse him back to sleep since I haven't quite figured out how to get him to sleep without doing this
5:00 am - I finally fall back asleep
5:57 am - Chat's alarm goes off
6:10 am - Ben crying...

...And so on and so on.  I am not quite sure why he is now waking up 3 times a night.  I know it is not hunger, especially after that 2:30 am feeding.  We are still swaddling him, but I am thinking we need to stop here in the next 2 weeks which scares the heck out of me.  I am worried about letting him cry too long until we deswaddle since he is in a straight jacket and because Luke is right down the hall stirring at any noise even with a sound machine. 

*Sigh*

I just wish I knew what was making him regress.  I wish I knew what to do going forward to improve his sleeping.  It is so easy to tell someone else what they should do, it is something else to know yourself.

{Road Trip: Galveston}

With Chat's grandmother here, we have been very busy.  Busier than usual.  At least I feel like we have since I have been so tired lately.  So for my documentation pleasure, here are some of our adventures with Eva!

Last Wednesday and Thursday, we took Eva and the boys down to Galveston.  First stop...the railroad museum.  Right up Luke's alley right?  Well, not so much.  He did enjoy it, but most of it was more for adults.  It was just about old trains and getting to walk through them. 

So here are lots of pictures.  Pictures of Chat, Luke and old trains.  They are cuties.

What?!?  There was a train table at the museum and nobody told Luke?!?  Well he found it and it was the highlight of the museum.  Did I mention we have a train table at home?  And that it is actually cooler than this one.  Guess he didn't have enough of it at home because this is what he got the biggest kick out of.  Toddlers!

After the train, we ate at Shrimp N Stuff and then headed down to my family's bay house.  Luke went down for a nap once we got there and the rest of us drank wine spritzers (because that is what you drink at the bay during the day) and played gin.  It actually was the most relaxing time I have had in a while.  I loved it.

Oh and don't worry.  Ben played gin as well.  I think he had a great hand here.

We woke up to an overcast morning so we headed down to the beach to see the waves and play in the sand.  Luke did great until we got obsessed with having our shoes off.  Then we wanted them on.  Then off.  And so on...

 Oh, and I was there too!  I rarely get in any pictures of me and the boys.  I am working on it.

{St. Patrick's Day 2012}

I am exhausted.

In a good way though.  Having two kids is so tiring, especially when you are breastfeeding one who eats all the time and who also inconventiently still does not sleep through the night and the other one is throwing tantrums at every turn.  But it is still oh so good.  Very good.

Today was spent running errands, making cake balls (amazing, you must try), going to a buddy's 2nd birthday party and ending it with a family St. Patty's Day party.  All in all, a good day.

But I am tired.

So here are my two boys on this green holiday in pictures until I have the energy to write more.

Sugar cookies with green icing are da' bomb

Somone bites his bottom lip all the time now.  I find it very cute.

{Rodeo 2012}

It's rodeo time here in Houston again!  I love the rodeo, but more for the fun kid activities versus the live performances.  This year we went with Chat's stepdad, wife and grandmother (who is in from Oregon!).  Luke loved it this year since he now knows all the fun animal noises (mooo, baaah, you get the picture). Other than a few meltdowns here and there, overall it was a pleasant experience.  Score one for the parents.

Ben joined the fun too and insisted that we carry him (all 18+ pounds of him) around the grounds versus hanging out in his very comfy stroller.  We took turns, but lets just say, my arms are a burnin'.  Guess he thought I needed a work out.  Thank you Ben. 

We are off to Galveston for a night with Chat's grandma, so I am busy getting ready, so here is the rodeo in pictures...

Watching the chicks hatch

Hello Mr. Chicken

LOVING the petting zoo (Luke's favorite)!

Having fun on all the John Deere equipment

Riding a zebra on the carousel

Mooooo!

Bahhhh!

Petting the rabbits

Milking a "cow"

Things that were not a hit -- riding one of the rides at the carnival (wait in line for 10 minutes and cue freak-out when trying to put him on it), a pony ride (don't even think about it), and attempting to try to take his sippy cup away from him. 

Thing that was a major hit -- funnel cake!  Like mother, like son.

{Painting With A 2 Year Old}

Finger painting gone very wrong....

So guess where Luke ended up....

{Transportation Day}

Today a few of our friends invited us to Transportation Day at their church/school.  What a clever idea!  They had all sorts of cars, a motorcycle, a helicopter, a fire truck, race cars and even horses.  I thought Luke would be totally in to it so we decided to join our friends! 

Hmmmm...not so much. 

Luke LOVED the horses, but there were no trains (how do you explain to a 2 year old that you can't just bring a train and plop it down in a parking lot).  Sadly, Luke had a hard time accepting that there were no trains there, so we just went and spent a lot of time with the horses...

He is such an animal lover.  Any maybe I coaxed him in a car or two...

This guy is wearing me out!