The Guise...

RyGar has become masterful at a new art form. He doesn't put a brush to canvas or sculpt clay between his hands... oh no, he has perfected the art of doing things "under the guise" of doing it for his boys.

I've mentioned the fact that the babies each have their own pair of snow skis that they'll be breaking in this winter and that they will be taking their Father and Sons trips to Alaska for fishing expeditions before they reach the ripe old age of five ... and now here's the latest... Ry is looking into purchasing a motorbike so he can refine his skills before it is time to "teach the boys the ins and outs of riding".

(You heard it right, Arron, RyGar will be biking with you soon.)

The truth is... I kind of love it. I know that we still report their ages in months (thus they are still babies and won't be riding in any BMX expos anytime soon) but I think it is adorable that my big boy pretends to do all his favorite things for and in behalf of his little boys.

And while we're being honest... I do it too. I feign to begrudgingly make homemade ice cream or walk to the park or go for a bike ride... all the while smiling from ear-to-ear that I get to fill my days with simple tom-boy pleasures.

Like Breakfast Picnics in the Living Room...

So, as long as we can get away with it and our little men continue to burst into giggles because of this or that which we do "for them" we'll keep it up. Because our house has a little Never Never Land effect going on right now and Ry and I concur with Peter Pan who said, "I am just not young enough to know everything."

Teach us little Guys...

:)

Three Weeks...

Here I am with three weeks to go in this pregnancy and I look like a puff-a-lump. And the thing is - I can't really bring myself to complain too loudly because twice now, my body has done the most miraculous and amazing of all things - grow life.

And there was definitely a span of time that I thought this miracle would never take place for me and now we're about to greet our third baby boy in mere days. And this one, well, let's just say he has already learned from the best... he is ACTIVE. I'm at the point where I can see a foot pop out on my side between my ribs and my hip bone or I'll get a nice left hook across the equator of my tummy. Seriously, if it weren't so miraculous, it would be a little bit "Rosemary's Baby".

The boys and the Big Man and I have been busy making sure everything around here is all ready for our new little man. While I stocked the nursery with the tiniest version of clothes, and Ry lifted the crib mattress, our baby-loves made merry in the nursery next door.

Seriously - check out the air that Kaelster can catch. Now you know why he has been moved to a bed. It was only a matter of time before the little jumping bean hurdled the railings.

And Dax-Man just watches and guffaws, sneakily taking notes on "how to jump the crib railing". It's only a matter of time.

When I walked in to take a picture of our two little giggling hyenas, this is what I got.

"What? We weren't doing anything...."

Uh Huh.

We've also grown fond of the only three male accessories known to human kind (at least those that are legal in this household). Hats, Shoes and Sunglasses. Here we are at the breakfast table fully decked out in our hats, shoes and PJs/Diaper. For some reason it is most important to throw on your hat when you're practically naked. In fact, it is apparently next to impossible to eat the first meal of the day without your full, dapper get up. Strange little bugs.

So, as we wrap up summer, we're recovering from our first stuffy noses of the season and scratching a few more "to-do's" off of our never ending list. And squeezing in some summer must-do's like a ball game - where both boys gave the mascot an exorbitant number of fives and "bones" and sticky little sucker kisses. And then they sat on the edge of their seats clapping and cheering with the crowd at the appropriate times. When did they get so big and how do they already know proper baseball fan etiquette?

And when, pray-tell, did the little duo get exposed to Barney and become enraptured with the big purple dinosaur? Heaven Help Us.

Anyway, ready or not, there will soon be another post on this little blog-o-sphere of ours about a new little man on the block. I can't believe it. How did we all get so dang lucky 'round here?

:)

The Help...

I jumped on the old band wagon and read the book, "The Help".

I totally loved it. Every little minute of it was entertaining and I highly recommend it -- even though it is all the rage right now. I tend to wait until all the hype is over to join in with the lemmings on things like new books and movies, which is a sure sign of a little stubborn streak. And I wonder where my kids get it?

I still don't know if I'll see the movie because Skeeter and Mae Mo and Aibileen are all perfect creatures in my head and I hate when Hollywood miscasts according to my ideal image.

Anyway, two things happened to me while I was reading this book:

1. I started talking to my babies in a southern accent. No lie, I would say stuff like, "You Mama's Good Boy aren't you..." As I was snuggling with one of my little bugs. Or, "We gonna get you in the tub cuz you all a mess."

What the crud is that about? None of my family is from the south but I picked up on it like an embarrassing little mocking bird.

2. I became a baking machine while I was reading. I created two batches of zucchini bread, cookies, my favorite dessert (named Sex in a Pan, for the record) and then I BOUGHT some Costco croissants... (Law knows I ain't gonna be baking no croissants). All that talk of fine foods and award winning pie and caramel cake turned me into a sorry white version of Martha Stewart.

So there you have it. Some random information on a Wednesday afternoon about a truly great book. Go beg, borrow or steal it today and let the baking bonanza begin. :)

Where the Wild Things Are...

I loved this book when I was little.

And I'm quite sure the little men will love it too.

But I really love that this weekend, the wild things were all at my house. Here are Wyatt, Kael, Dax and Sophie, our little animal kingdom, after a raucous morning at the splash park.

Little wild bunch.

Love that there has been an explosion of wild babies on both sides of our family tree.

"Let the Wild Rumpus Start!"

Cram Session...

I am officially cramming.

For several reasons, really.

• I'm trying to cram all of summer into this, the last month of our favorite season.
• I'm trying to cram in all the fun stuff I feel I need to do with my two "big" boys before the seasons change and they are joined by a third boy... tiny and new.
• I'm trying to cram in some time with an amazing friend who is visiting from Texas.
• And I'm trying to cram my boobs into my bra and out of my damp swim suit underneath the flimsy cover of my dress.

How is that for a lot of information?

Stay Classy San Diego. :)

And even though all this cramming means babies go without naps and later fling themselves down on the pavement to emphasize the point that they are totally exhausted - it is worth it... And that is saying a lot.

We had a major cram session today at a private pool courtesy of my sassy Texas friend, Mary and her sweet family. They let us slip and slide and splash and exercise our little gills 'til our hearts were content. And I've decided that a swimming retreat is fantastic, carefree and whimsical for the little water babies we tote along with us. But it is nothing but work, sweat and hyper-attention for their adoring, safety-conscious mamas. That must be akin to what it feels like to be on the President's security team during a public outing... all senses on, all muscles engaged. You know? I swear the only thing I was missing was the ear bud to converse with fellow agents... and the dark suit (of a different variety).

But alas, we made it.

And we loved it.

And we only had minor cases of "swimming burps" due to some swallowed pool water.

To which the boys prompted exclaimed, "ME!" which is, "Excuse Me", for those of you not in the know.

And now my prized possessions are already tucked in for a long night's sleep and here I sit reviewing pictures of them in their matching PJs literally running on fumes until finally, their tanks were totally depleted.

Cram session over.

Our Daddy-o is also feeling his slice of summer turn into a sliver. So he is off for a quick golf retreat with some friends and we are kissing him goodnight via pictures of "DaDa" on the wall. We adore him, that Daddy-o of ours... And all of his boyish charm.

And me and the little mini duo of charmers like infusing our days with all the life and energy we can cram into our 24-hours. So tomorrow we'll be up and at 'em, enjoying the kaleidoscope skies of summer and looking for an encore.

Happy Weekend!

Remember When...

... I posted about having the two little men in the same bedroom?

Yeah. That isn't happening.

They live in separate rooms again. And they love it. Thus, we love it.

And we are fortunate to be able to provide each of them with their own personal space.

Turns out Kaelster didn't struggle at all with transitioning to a bed, but he DID struggle with not wanting to flaunt his freedom when his little brother, Daximus, had none. So... We went ahead and sacrificed yet another room and another closet for our growing lawn care crew... worth every minute and deep knee bend.

Plus - Kael is in love with his room full of "CAWS" or as we like to call them, cars.

Crappy Picture - Cute Wall Decor...

The Best DI Find - Ever. Elbows were involved, but I won.

Dax Man now lives in the "Country Star Room" aka the blue nursery, that was once Kael's and it is totally fitting for the little dude with the amazing star-worthy hair and an inclination for rhythm and music.

And not a single binkie has been utilized in the walls of this room - that's right, Dax Man kicked the habit without much of a struggle at all and since then the little trickster has been talking up a storm. It's like he was just waiting for his mouth to be empty to share his wealth of knowledge with us.

He loves his new room too - can't ya tell?

And little belly baby will end up in the "Construction Room" aka the green nursery, which was once the home of newborn Daximus and, pardon our dust, is still "under design construction" by mama. It is the warmest of the three rooms for some reason. It also offers the biggest dresser which is needed thanks to two brothers' worth of hand-me-downs.

And I admit to being a little obsessed with the littlest of details when organizing my babies' rooms; but really, there is something special about the space you create for your kids. Though nothing is fancy or worthy of a page in the Pottery Barn magazine, these are the places where our little men rest their heads at night and that deserves some thought and effort. And the more their little personalities show themselves, the more we can tailor and tweak to make it just right... like Goldilocks. :) Keeping in mind, of course, that all they really want to do is get their "Shoos" on and high tail it "Out-Seed" for a bike ride.

Here is an audible sigh of relief as yet another "to do" item is crossed off my list. Ryan tells me he hates it when I "get like this" and then he followed up with... "The new baby probably won't be living in the storage room so why the burning need to clean it?"

I simply don't know.

But lets focus on the cute rooms and the cleanliness that is abounding.

Sheesh.

Overseas & Sunday Ramblings...

RyGar has to make another trip overseas.

I want to go too. But I'm thinking that might not work this time around.

Mostly considering the Doc has scheduled our inducement for September 20th.

And Ry gets home from Europe right around the 16th.

I've turned into such a pansy... no flying for hours over an ocean

when delivery is a full four days away?

Total Wuss.

A little memory of our last trip to Paris... who am I kidding... our only trip to Paris together.

And the only city that Ry will dress up to go out to dinner because otherwise they won't serve him.

I'll make it up to you, lova boy... when we book our trip to the black sand beaches of Tahiti in a couple (or dozens) of months from now. No seriously - I'll be BUCKETS of fun and will come prepared with all your favorite travel snacks and games and of course, Moi.

Until then, Hans Solo, you'll have to go it alone.

Unlike me this weekend.

We did nothing and everything all at once - together. The babies rode on their first carousel and loved it and we stopped in to visit the bookstore. We did some cleaning, yard work, BBQ, a Mexican Restaurant, church, a Red Box, some decorating in Big K's new room and naps. Sigh.

And someone handsome hand-delivered flowers to me after a quick emergency trip to the grocery store tonight for milk. I'll pretend they're from a little corner flower shop on the streets of Paris next to a crepe stand.

Because that is what you do when you get delirious on a Sunday evening.

:)

Shop Shoppin'

Someone has been shopping online.

And for once, it isn't me!

(No I reserve my shopping for in person outings.

Hello, Ikea is serving free kids meals for the next couple of weeks - so why not?)

Anywho... when the FedEx man delivered a couple of oversized boxes to my porch, I thought for sure that our mighty hunter had ordered a new gun, new hunting boots, new fishing tackle... something of that nature. And when I opened them up... I melted.

And so did this little Texas fan.

Behold, the cutest damn things you will ever see...

Baby snow skis.

All shopping sins are forgiven for obvious reasons.

Suddenly my online shopper is my hero.

And yes, we've only been walking around here for months now,

but why not bring home something adorably frivolous in the form of two pair of teeny, tiny Rossignols??

I'm not wishing away summer or anything - but,

See ya soon, Sundance. :)

And in Other News...

We have totally been "Frequent Posers" this past month. In addition to the "Little Boys G" photog session, my parents required family pictures with Grandma's El Camino as part of our 4th of July festivities. It was muggy and humid and the poor photographer was working double time to get all the cute little kiddos to grin or at least to not grimace. It turned out pretty dang cute and totally Americana... especially if you're a motor head. :)

And TA-DA - we got one too! We officially have a new family picture that is completely up-to-date.... until September. At which point we'll do it all over again.

:)

As a side note... this is the SECOND time I have been fat and prego in the family picture. I'm beginning to develop a complex. BUT, on the plus side, I think we've figured out what causes this.

Lastly, we have a few, nay, a LOT of Kaelster's two-year-old pictures to share with you (I love me a good mid-sentence nay). And our little modest model is stoked... can't you tell?

The photographer was phenomenal and just walked, nay, RAN around throwing rocks and kicking dirt with our little manly man.

He loved it. Well... most of it. And these pictures capture his personality

(and his chubby anatomy) perfectly.

Let's say it together, shall we.... "Bend and Snap."

Which is exactly what we'll do at another milestone photo shoot just around the bend.

Breaking Bad...

Perhaps I spoke a bit too soon.

This whole breaking bad habits and forming new good ones... let me be honest... it sucks.

Here I am 24-hours later of "Operation Kael in a Bed and Dax without a Bink" and I admit to being tempted earlier today by the thought of tossing back a Tylenol PM, as I tossed both of them into one crib with a handful of binkies and blankies and shutting the door to cower under my own covers - but alas, I resisted. For one whole nap. Mother of the year right here. :)

Here's what went down. Initial glee and the appropriate sounds of glee at being in the same room (same as last night) followed by screaming from Dax who was watching his brother sprint from one cool attraction to another; like a basket full of shoes (which was promptly emptied) to a dresser full of drawers (also emptied in record time) while he sadly had to watch on the sidelines from the confines of a crib. And finally silence. Dreamy silence.

And then full on belly laughs from Kael. More silence from Dax. More guffaws of sheer joy from the big guy. Nadda from Dax Man.

Enter Mom... aka the Enemy.

To find the littlest Super Hero buried in a heap of wipes and diapers at the bottom of his crib with just a few little piggies sticking out to give me the assurance that he was actually still there. Slumbering soundly - blissfully unaware of his brother's shenanigans.

Sigh.

Anyway, the first step to making a change is admitting you have a problem; which neither of the little men are willing to do, so I'm taking that step for them. The second part of solving any equation is to enlist the booming, loving, yet firm voice of Dad the very MOMENT movement is detected on the other side of the door. And so far tonight - so good. Again. One hour down and no movement or drama. They are back in my good graces (for the time being) and RyGar is officially a knight in shining armor.

All I can say is it is a good thing they're cute and they better be PERFECT little angels during their teen years... and then send their patient parents on a trip to Fiji.

For those of you keeping score...

Parents = 2

Babies = 1

Pray for us friends of cyber land.

Pray for us. :)

Little Super Heroes...

My little men are kind of fantastic.

I'm sure your kids/nieces & nephews/grand babies/pets are too - but for real...

Mine are little Super Heroes.

Guess who is sleeping in a big boy bed tonight without any drama?

(Thus far... knock on wood.)

The way I had it painted in my little ole' head was BAD.

Which, by the way, might be the key to success in life.

And Dax-Man is sleeping in Kaelster's old crib in the same room without a binkie. Actually, without his usual THREE binkies, one for his pucker and two for each little paw.

And again... no drama? I'm amazed.

They are awesome.

They are big.

I am happy and sad.

Anyone want a really cute, practically new crib in just another couple of months when they'll both be in their beds?

Oh wait, I think that is illegal at this point.

What if I gifted it to you and you signed an indemnification agreement?

:) That sounded kind of smart. I myself am even impressed with my lingo.

On the list this week... to buy yet another identical bed for baby boy three who will be out of his crib in mere moments it seems.

Soon I'll have three little busters all lined in a row in one great big room...

With a telephone and a red balloon.

Name that book :)

Little Boys G...

Grandpa G had all his Grand Baby Boys here this past week...

(Except for Baby Boy Bun in the Oven).

So, obviously a photo shoot with Grandpa Great G was in order.

BUT... and this is a huge but...

there are three two-year-olds, two one-year-olds

and just one polite young man in the mix.

Cue Photo Drama at its finest.

I could post a million out takes - but I'll spare you.

Just know it was hilarity... plain and simple.

BOY oh BOY.