Report Cards

I have never been more excited to receive a report card than I was today. Today was Israels first Parent/Teacher conference. I really didn't know what to expect and I have been so looking forward to this day. I have been dying to know, what does a 4 year old boy act like when Mommy isn't around?

I got a report much different than I was expecting. Surprisingly very good in an area Israel has always struggled in- Social interaction. Until preschool started in August, Israel would come to my side if another child wanted to play in the same area as him in the park or cower if another child spoke to him. He has been at home with me since day one, only stayed with family when I was away and has always been very shy. He interacted better with adults than children his own age, and I sympathized with him because I was much the same way. Today when I told her about his social anxieties, she was shocked. Apparently, from day one, he has been nothing but a little social butterfly playing with every child in class and never had a problem with any of them. I have definitely seen a transformation in Israel in the last couple of months. He is more confident and assertive. He will tell you exactly how he feels and rarely shies away from a conversation. Still, the park is an issue, and from my previous posts, you can remember that the parking lot drop off situation still brings the drama if he is not walked into school each and every day.
I am so excited to see that he has overcome his fear and had no problem making new friends.

Israel has made huge improvements overall since school started and I am so proud of him and appreciative of the hard work of his wonderful teachers.

Cowboy Baby

Today was Izzy's Cowboy Day at school. Everyone dressed as Cowboys or Cowgirls and they made crafts and had special treats for their Fall Party. Izzy had a blast and loved the theme.

Being a Cowboy is very tiring though and shortly after coming home for the day, he was ready for nap. When he woke up, he put his Cowboy gear back on and said "I LOVE being a Cowboy Mommy!" I told him he was the cutest Cowboy I had ever seen. Look at that picture...how can you resist?

Then came Izzy's quote of the day...

Pointing to his toy gun, he says, " Mommy is this a real gun?" Me-"No, Izzy it is just for pretend." Pointing to his holster, he says, " Mommy is this a real cup holder?" Me- Laughing hysterically, "No, it isn't a cup holder it is a holster for your gun and yes it is real."
Izzy- "Wow Mommy, I can't believe I have a fake gun and a real cup holder. This is the best day ever!"


$2 spent at the Dollar Store is what made this kids entire day. If only everyone was that easy!

I thought it was a magic number

12

That is how many hours of sleep I had last night. I thought I would wake up, jump out of bed singing and ready to start a new day refreshed. 12 is not a magic number. Somehow, I am still completely exhausted. Maybe I need a few consecutive 12's to get that magic cartoon morning. *yawn*

I guess you can't make up for 4 years of sleep deprivation in one night.

I just can't take it anymore!

"I just can't take it anymore!" That is Izzy's famous quote for when he becomes just too overwhelmed in a situation. Well, I had to borrow that line yesterday, I couldn't take one more thing. Let's review what has been going on in our house lately. In the last two weeks, we had the in-laws in town, took the boys on a Branson vacation (minus Hubby), Izzy got sick, grandparents made an unexpected weekend visit, Asher gets sick and becomes and insomniac, Izzy decides he is on Mommy strike, Hubby has had 4 finals which translates into 24/7 studying and then Thursday I wake up unable to breathe, swallow or talk. I had finally gotten both boys well and the first day I would have been able to enjoy them, I can barely function. Hubby had his last final that day and I knew he would be home earlier than normal, but had no idea when. I prayed the entire day, every single minute because I honestly didn't know how I was going to make it. I could barely get Izzy to and from school and luckily Asher is such a good baby that I was able to put him down for his morning nap while Izzy was at school which gave me a little rest. Hubby arrived home at around 12:30 and the minute I saw him, I just started bawling. He looked at me and told me he was taking over and the kids were not to talk or visit with me for the rest of the day and he would take care of everything. There have never been more loving words uttered. He sent me to the Doctor-which is the last place I wanted to be, but I honored his request. Within a couple of minutes, she told me I had Bronchitis and gave me meds and sent me home to rest for a couple of days. Hubby is so smart.

Izzy has had a rough week. Not spending time with Daddy at all for 2 weeks had caught up to him and his lack of obedience was at a level we had never experienced with him. I had told Hubby about a few of the rebellious acts and he said that he would take care of it. By the time I had returned from the Doctor, Izzy had magically transformed back into my sweet, loving Izzy! I don't know what happened while I was gone, but I was so thankful for all of Hubby's help. Izzy apologized again for how he had acted recently and I really needed that. I rested the entire afternoon, being waited on hand and foot by my sweet hubby. He took care of 2 kids, cleaned, vacuumed, cooked and kept the kids on schedule. He is simply AMAZING! By the way, did I mention he did fantastic on all of his finals? I am so proud of him!!!!!!!

This morning I was feeling better, but soon realized it was due to the fantastic night of sleep I had. When I woke up it was 9 a.m. YES NINE! I haven't slept that late in forever. I woke up and realized Hubby had gotten Izzy ready, fed him and taken him to school without waking me. Honestly, there is nothing sweeter than knowing the needs of your mate without a single word spoken. I needed him to sweep in and save me and that is exactly what he did. After the last 2 weeks that he has had and the Astronomical amount of studying and testing he has done, the fact that he was even willing to do a portion of that would have amazed me.

Maybe I am weird, but it is this type of situation and responses that make me feel unbelievably loved. I love romantic gestures, cards, flowers, dates and so on, but picking up all of my duties and banishing me to my room to rest for a couple of days without a single interruption or question really did it for me. Maybe the incoherent bawling was a tip, but I really couldn't take one more minute and I couldn't love Hubby more for loving and taking care of us the last couple of days.

Hubby, I love you so much. I hope you don't plan on going anywhere, because I think you can see, we can't function without you.

I'm so tired of being alone...

This song has been in my head ever since Izzy forced us to take our discipline to a new level tonight. I blame boredom as the culprit, but either way consequences must be had. Izzy has been sick for 5 days now, which means no outside contact, no fun play dates or weekend trips. A whole lot of nothing. Then you add in the whole Asher situation and it makes for a very boring and quiet house.

Izzy is naturally obedient. He always wants to make everyone happy and he is devastated to know if he has hurt someone (especially me). Normally a stern look and an occasional time out does the trick. But the boredom/sickness has upped the stakes at our house and his blatant disregard for my requests had hit the limit. I had heard "Why?" "I don't want to!" "I don't like that food!" "I heard you, but I wasn't a good listener", one too many times this weekend. So I gave a serious warning that had never been uttered before. If he disobeyed one more time, he would not get a time out, but instead, spend the rest of the night in his room where he would have to play by himself and not talk to anyone-only coming out for potty breaks and even eating dinner in his room. Grounded to his room, all alone.

My brother and I were often grounded to our room and that really wasn't the disciplinary action that worked best for me.(Shh, don't tell Mom) I enjoyed alone time. I liked the solace of my room, so no big deal for me. I will do my time in quiet thank you very much. Izzy on the other hand, loves people. He needs to know what is going on all of the time, and makes me recount each day where everyone is: Papa-work, Grandma-work, Daddy-school. Soon after the warning turned into a real punishment when he again chose to do what he wanted to do instead of following direction. So when this consequence left my oh so tired lips, devastation flooded him and the hysterical begging began. I sent him to his room and told him he could play or read quietly and that I would bring his dinner when it was ready. He refused to leave his bed, he probably couldn't because the hyperventilation wasn't allowing enough air for him to move freely. I don't like to see Izzy upset, but sometimes, you have to shake things up. I think time outs had become to easy and he could still see what was going on from the hallway and didn't feel like he was missing out on much. Izzy was probably in his room a total of 45 minutes. In the meantime, my parents both got home and ran to Ashers room to say hello. Izzy heard the commotion and the hysteria went up a level I didn't know existed. He did not like that Asher was getting attention and he was alone, but that was the whole point.

Soon after, he came to his door and begged Daddy if he could apologize to me. I wanted to really make my point, but when I saw his face, I knew I had. He folded his hands together like he was praying and said "Mommy, please please let me be with my family. I am so sorry I was being ugly to you and not being a good listener. I promise, I really really promise I will be my best behavior and never be ugly to you again. PLEAAAAAAAAASSSEEE Mommy, don't make me be all alone anymore.

Cha-Ching! I just found Israels currency!

Izzy and I had a heart to heart and I allowed him to join the rest of the house, but warned that if tonight he continued his behavior he would end up back in his room for the night. He said "Mommy, I won't let that happen." He was totally right. Dinner was amazing. He complimentary, sweet, helpful and made great conversation without interrupting (something we have been working very hard on).

When bedtime rolled around I waited for a possible melt down, but instead I heard "Oh it is time for bed? Ok, I will brush my teeth and go potty." Uh-what? When he was all tucked in he said "Mommy, lets pray together ok, because I want to be on my best behavior all of the time for you. We are best friends and I want to follow the rules." Music to this Mommy's ears. So we prayed together as we always do and he went to bed in complete peace.

Tomorrow he is back at school and I am hoping that brings back some normalcy and cures his boredom. I am quite sure we are going to have a great day tomorrow, he made me a pinky promise.

40 minutes

Sunday night was completely unexpected. Izzy spent the weekend sick with a sore throat and mild drainage, but luckily, no fever. He improved as the weekend progressed and I was hoping it would pass without spreading through the house. I am pretty sure the minute I had that thought is when it did just that. Suddenly on Sunday morning, I felt a raging fire in the back of my throat. Annoying and painful. I fought through it, and tried to be productive by painting the boys bathroom. (It looks cute by the way!) Soon after, it was dinner then bedtime for my cute boys. Everything went as planned and the boys were asleep at 7. I decided that after the crazy 2 weeks I have had, I needed to go to bed early. I have been feeling especially drained lately and the lack of sleep is really starting to show in my patience level. 10:30 came and I was fast asleep. Pretty good since I don't normally go to bed until 1-1:30. Surely, this would be the night I would get rested up and wake up refreshed and ready to start a new week and get back to our regular routine. I was wrong.

In the middle of my severely comatose sleep, I hear the hysterical cries of my youngest. I shoot out of bed completely confused and unable to jump start my brain.
The following is a transcript of my thought process and what happened next.

"OH MY WORD, I am so exhausted! How could the night have gone by so quickly? My muscles ache, my throat feels like I swallowed firecrackers!" I do the normal check. Wet bed? Binky? Arm/leg stuck in crib? (No really that happens.) None of the above applied, so I got a warm bottle of milk to woo him back to sleep. "Hmm, I wonder what time it is? 11:10. WHAT? 11:10, I have only slept for 40 minutes? No wonder I can't feel my legs and my brain wasn't working well enough to screw the lid onto the bottle!" Soon I find myself back in my warm bed and just as I am about to close my tired eyes, the hysterical screams begin again. I tried several things at this point, to no avail. Hubby is in the midst of finals week and not only can he not be subjected to sickness, he needs his rest. Unsure of my next move, I grab my blanket and pillow and crash on Ashers floor. "Surely, my mere presence will calm him and we can both rest easy." Negative. "Maybe if I put him on the floor with me, I can cuddle and pat him back to sleep." Negative. "Hmm...wonder what time it is now? Wow, 3:45 and not a single minute of sleep." That is when the tears came for just a single minute. How can I take care of 2 kids and be sick myself with 40 minutes sleep? During this time, Asher is happy as a clam, but refuses sleep. If he feels himself drifting off, he jolts and starts clapping and singing. Cute, but not so much at 4 a.m. Finally, I resorted to a not so shining mothering moment, when I put him in my bed and turned on the TV where I believe he watched an infomercial about a vacuum for an hour. I didn't sleep, but just closed my eyes and prayed that he would just pass out. That didn't happen. He then decides to try to clap and giggle until he could wake up Daddy. Daddy wasn't amused. He told me to put him in his crib with a basket of toys and just let him play until a decent hour or he passes out. At 7 a.m., I beg Daddy for 2 hours of sleep and then I could (hopefully) function and take over. He obliges my request and I somehow wake up at 8:45 and feel like I can make it through the day. This included taking Asher to urgent care which took several hours and isolation in a respiratory room to find out he has 102.5 fever and a viral infection. I also found out that Asher weighs 30 pounds!!! The amount of Motrin they gave him was surprising and he instantly felt better. I would have never known he could have 140 mg so the visit was well worth the time.

Last night I put the air mattress in Ashers room just in case, but I didn't need it. He slept 15 hours and woke up without a fever. He is running around the house like Monday never happened. Looking back over the day, I think I handled everything pretty well. My only regret is that during bath time right before bed, my patience was thin. I had run out of steam and all of the extra steps to take care of 2 sick kids was wearing on me.

Funny how as a Mom no matter how much time and effort you put into your kids, it is never enough. There is always the guilt that you could have done more and done it better. I have to remind myself, that my kids love me in spite of my imperfections and I just have to do my very best for them every day. I am so blessed that I have such great kids and that Asher didn't have something more serious.

Today we are taking it easy. It is a beautiful day, and I think I might take Izzy outside to play while Asher rests. Sunshine always makes everything better.

Mommy's Favorite Things!

My new favorite thing is simple and inexpensive.

Downy Simple Pleasures Orchid Allure Liquid Fabric Softener.



OH MY WORD, the scent is delightful and I can hardly control the urge to wash my bedding every day! There is nothing better than getting into bed after a long cold day and pulling up warm sheets that smell like fresh flowers.

This little bottle helps the unending chore of laundry to be a little more enjoyable.

Accomplished.

Today was one of those days that I rarely have, but when they come, I can go to bed and truly rest. By 11 a.m., I had made breakfast, taken Izzy to school, ran errands, played and read with Asher, did laundry, cleaned all of the bedrooms, and kitchen, prepped dinner and had the boys lunch on the table ready to go for when I returned with Izzy. Before Noon, I felt like I could spend the rest of the day doing whatever I wanted without guilt of looming chores or duties.

How did I spend the rest of my day? Well, I played with my boys of course! I took a nap while they napped, then we snuggled and told stories when they woke up. Daddy came home early from school and we all just laid in our bed and giggled and talked until dinner. Daddy and Izzy had some special play time that was much needed after our weekend away. They played Castle and read stories. Izzy and Asher took a bubble bath and then headed to bed at 7.

I am a list person. If the day goes on and I am not crossing things off my list, I tend to get anxious and feel like I failed that day. Today made me feel so good, that with just a little organization, I can accomplish all that I need to and I don't need to take away time with my little kiddos to do it.

On a side note:

Izzy spent the afternoon singing "I believe I can Fly" by R.Kelly. This is such an odd song choice to me. Where did he even hear this song? He sang it with such seriousness and conviction that when I realized what he was singing, I couldn't help but bust up in laughter. I have come to 2 conclusions about this. 1) He has watched Space Jam in secret. 2) He has switched his radio station (sleeps with music at night) to 98.1 KUDL. Either way, this gave me a good laugh all afternoon.

Izzy's Quote of the Day

"Mommy, you be the bun, Ashie be the ketchup and I will be the mustard and we can make a snuggle sandwich."- Izzy

Cash City

The boys and I had the most perfect weekend. My parents took us to Branson and Silver Dollar City, which Izzy can't remember and calls it Cash City instead. We left bright and early on Saturday morning and for those of you with little ones, you know how long car rides can induce Motherly stress, but I have walked away from this weekend with a brand new appreciation and pride for my little boys. 5 hours in the car and not a single cry, whine, whimper or complaint. Asher didn't take a nap the entire weekend, woke up early and went to bed late and was completely PERFECT the entire trip. For a baby who is scheduled and still takes 2 naps and is in bed asleep everyday days at 7 (if not earlier), I was a little worried that all of the activity and lack of schedule would reek havoc on his temperment, but he proved me wrong. Then there is my sweet Izzy, who was so excited about literally everything on our vacation that when we exited the tram at SDC he said, "Mommy thank you so much for bringing me here, that was the best ride I have ever been on." SDC was like a whole new world to Izzy. Men dressed as soldiers, funnel cakes, turkey legs, candy shops, roller coasters, and what...a 3 level FOAM BALL PLAY LAND?...his little heart could barely take it! Asher is a total boy and has to carry a hot wheel in one hand and a ball in the other at all times. When we went to the ball play land the look on his face was priceless. We spent hours in this area and he was the happiest I have ever seen him. He is an organizer like his Mommy, so he was so happy to pick up as many balls as he could and put them in the vacuum hoses. I am pretty sure if he had been the only kid in the joint, he would have worked until he passed out trying to put all of those balls in the proper place. Of everything at SDC, my favorite part of the entire trip is when my timid little boy became a big boy right in front of my eyes. Izzy rode his first roller coaster. I couldn't believe it. Anyone who knows Izzy knows what a giant accomplishment that is. He is cautious by nature and enjoys watching other kids take risks. He always says, "I will try it when I am bigger." Well, he finally did. After doing all of the baby rides, I asked if he would go on the roller coaster. He was hesitant at first, but I promised I would sit with him and hold his hand. He agreed and before you knew it we were going up the first big hill and he let go and threw his hands up in the air and screamed and giggled as loud as he could!!! It was such a thrill to see my little guy overcome such a huge fear and actually enjoy doing it. We rode it again, again and again and he made sure we took lots of pictures so he could show all of his friends that he really did it.

While at SDC, we also had the boys take one of those Old Time Photos and they were dressed as cowboys in an old bar. I almost burst into tears it was the cutest thing I had ever seen. They loved every minute of dressing up and it really brought out the inner model in Izzy. He had a million poses and faces, it was hilarious. They did a great job.

While in Branson, we went shopping, go-karting, played arcade games, saw Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, more shopping, lots of eating and 2 days at SDC. My boys were nearly perfect in their behavior and temperment, and even endured a short shopping spree for their winter clothes.

I am always proud of my boys and know how blessed I am to have such well behaved babies, but this weekend proved once again, just how fantastic my kids are. Izzy was so appreciative and loving and Asher just rolled with our crazy vacation schedule. This morning, Izzy told me how he was so excited to go to school to tell his class of our vacation adventures. Then he melted my heart once again by saying "Mommy, I love you so much and I love my Ashie so much he is my best brother and he makes me laugh every time. I love Cash City and I want to go back really fast, but this time with my Daddy because I love my family so much."

This vacation was perfect and gave me such a great opportunity to get out of our home schedule and just have fun 24 hours a day. I have never seen 2 boys laugh as much as mine did this weekend and I am so thankful to have these memories forever.

16 months

Today Asher is 16 months. In the 9 days of this month, he has learned a lot.

1. A signature move. It started when he learned to throw a ball so it is the same gesture, but with lots of attitude and no ball. It sort of reminds me of something Bill Cosby would do. Anyway, he does this move when he wants to make you laugh, when he is frustrated at you, when he can't get something to work, or he doesn't want a certain food. Really this move works for everything and it is funny every time.

2. Conversational babble. He still doesn't talk, but now it is non-stop with the babbling. Somehow, most of his "words" sound like Wow Wow Wubzy. He is so expressive with his face and hand gestures you know exactly what he is trying to say even if everything sounds like this "wow wowowo ohhhhhh wow".

3. Jump. Well, he thinks he can jump, his feet never actually leave the ground. Today he climbed up one stair, turned around, and did the motion like he was jumping, but didn't go anywhere. The signature hand move came quickly after when he couldn't figure out why he was still on the stair.

4. Echo. He has learned that certain rooms produce more echo in your voice. Now when I take the boys to say, the Walmart restroom, you can be certain that is my little Asher saying "WOW" as loud as he can 100 times over.

5. Clean up. Without prompting, he watches me do my chores and starts cleaning along side of me. This is clearly my favorite of his new abilities.

6. Spit. This actually happened today when he overheard someone whistling. He tried to do it, but spit instead. He giggled for at least an hour today while he practiced. =)

7. Fake cry. I was waiting for this one. Izzy used to do this a lot when he would see someone else upset. Now little Asher is an actor as well. As soon as he sees someone crying (picture Izzy), he now tries to distract you by his big brown eyes and a fake sad face and a weird whiny noise. If you are stern with him, it quickly turns to a giggle.

Things I have learned about my little "lovey":

1. He is as stubborn as a mule.

2. Without a doubt, he is the (not sure if this is even a word) snuggliest baby ever.

3. You can not stay mad at this child. His little chubby cheeks and BIG brown eyes, melt away whatever wrong he had committed.

4. FUNNY. He gets it from me.

5. He is his name-Happy and Blessed.

I can't believe how quickly 16 months have passed. I am simply having so much fun with my boys right now. I say this all of the time, but I wish I could stop time and keep them at this age forever. 4 years and 16 months...perfect.

My boys and I leave bright and early tomorrow for our mini vacation with my parents. I am so excited to have this special time with them and make new memories. I am sure I am going to have lots of fun stories to share when I return. Until then, work on your signature move. Really, it works for everything.

OTT

Thanks to my friend Nobody, for this OTT Blog award!

Now for my answers:

1. Where is your cell phone? Stairs
2. Your hair? Ponytail
3. Your mother? kind
4. Your father? energetic
5. Your favorite food? Guacamole
6. Your dream last night? none
7. Your favorite drink? Sweet Tea
8. Your dream/goal? Happiness
9. What room are you in? Bedroom
10. Your hobby? Organizing
11. Your fear? Loss (another child)
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? House
13. Where were you last night? Shopping
14. Something that you aren’t? bored
15. Muffins? banana nut
16. Wish list item? clothes
17. Where did you grow up? KC
18. Last thing you did? phone
19. What are you wearing? cute
20. Your TV? HUGE
21. Your pets? Jack
22. Friends? Tonight!
23. Your life? Blessed
24. Your mood? Excited
25. Missing someone? Judah
26. Vehicle? Acura
27. Something you’re not wearing? Shoes
28. Your favorite store? Gap
29. Your favorite color? Tiffany (blue)
30. When was the last time you laughed? seconds
31. Last time you cried? Morning
32. Your best friend? Hubby
33. One place that I go to over and over? Target
34. One person who emails me regularly? Katie
35. Favorite place to eat? Lambert's!

Izzy's Quote of the Day

Izzy-

"Mommy, Dustin from school didn't cough in his elbow. Can you believe that? I told him, Dustin, if you get me sick from not elbow coughin' I am going to be so angry with you!!!"

I have to say I agree with this. I don't know you Dustin, but I also would prefer you elbow cough. Izzy is taking this whole germ thing very seriously. They have learned about "T zone" (eyes, nose, mouth), and he sings the song "Don't touch the T zone, Don't touch the T zone!" As soon as he walks in the door from school, he washes his hands and counts to 20. I was also told from his teacher he has learned to read a little bit. The first thing he read at school was the antibacterial dispenser...G-E-R-M-X spells Germ X.

This makes a slightly OCD mommy very happy.

It works for me!

Being a Mommy is hard work. I have a great group of Mommy friends and we all share our stories, advice, tips and misses. A good friend of mine recently shared her morning routine horror stories and it made me cringe. The poor Mommy has to be up for work early and drop her daughter off for care before school. Daughter however hates mornings. She refuses to get out of bed delaying by 5 minutes at a time which leads to stressful mornings and leaving in a rush. I am not a morning person, but I refuse to be late and start my day off in a huff.

Here is our morning schedule:

Up at 7-Mommy showers and gets ready first.
7:20-Izzy showers and gets dressed.
7:35-Breakfast.
8:05-Wash hands, brush teeth, shoes and then play time until 8:25 (School is a few blocks away)
8:25-Load up the car
8:30-Lined up in school and happy to start his day!

Now, my friend did not believe that I could have a morning without nagging, complaining, yelling and rushing. Then I told her my secret. Kitchen Timer. I use the kitchen timer for everything. When I serve Izzy breakfast, I put the timer on for 30 minutes. He knows when it beeps, he has to clear the dishes, potty, wash hands, brush teeth, and put shoes on. After the first beep, I put it on again for our second warning of when to leave. When he hears that beep, he grabs his stuff and we head for the door. No rushing, no stress!

Could we sleep in a little bit? Probably. But, if we did, we would be rushing around and I would much rather lose 15 minutes of sleep than start everyday in a mad rush to catch up.

The kitchen timer, comes in very handy. I use it for time outs, to keep us on schedule and for timed play. For instance, if Izzy wants to play online at pbskids.org, I put the timer on. He knows when it beeps, he needs to find something different to play with. No arguments! Or if he has 20 minutes to play before bed, set the timer. It really eliminates so much stress and lessens arguments.

Izzy doesn't have a complete concept of time, but there is something about the timer that lets him know you have a specific amount of time to do this one task, when you hear the beep, move on to the next thing. I have to say, my biggest pet peeve is repeating myself. This one concept has almost eliminated my need to repeat our daily steps.

Before school started, I feared the mornings and it was all for not. Mornings have been a breeze and I have to thank my kitchen timer, it's simple beeps have brought us peace each day.