Fast as Lightning...

If it can be scaled over, wiggled under, jumped upon, pushed down or run to... this little man is there.

Just as quick as lightning...

I think its aided by his recent obsession with mini crumb donuts... the breakfast of champions.

But much to his Mama's relief... these Super Hero skills don't translate to crawling out of his crib...yet.  Which blows my mind because we do those types of things good and early around these parts.

Nope, Snugs likes to stay tucked in nice and tight...

Like a little bug in a rug.

And that's just fine by me.

Daddy-O's Day...

This is Ryan Gardner.

I like him.

RyGar is one of those boys that makes it just so HARD to be mad at him (and you can trust me on this one... I've tried for a variety of reasons... hormones, the uncanny knack for being absent for nearly all dirty diapers or eating my first nacho from a meticulously prepared plate of the good stuff).  

But it is hands down impossible to feel ill-will when he is in the throws of being a dad
with his darling boys.

What I'm trying to say is I love the guy.  But I Looovvvee him as a Daddy-o.

I didn't expect to feel so googly over Ryan the minute Kaelster took his first breath.  It was like I fell madly in love with my husband all over again and those fresh baby goggles made him the finest specimen to ever walk the earth.  I mean really, seeing our baby in his manly arms made me want to... well - you know, Dax Man did, after all, arrive a mere nine months later... and Acers just a few minutes after that.  

How did this get so R Rated so fast?  

Anywhootie... it still does it to me.  Granted, my kids often get riled up by the biggest boy of the household with his squish ceremonies or his tickle tortures, but who cares?



And they frequently look like one big collective disheveled mess with the ensembles that Papa Bear chooses for them to wear, (or not) but who cares?

And I would probably not have elected to teach my kids to clean fish and deer at such a young age, mostly because of the smell, but who cares?
(OK, I kind of care on that one...) 

The bottom line is they love his kind of love.  And I have learned to just let RyGar be a Dad, which is totally different than being a Mom, and that is just perfect, you know?



Because, rightfully so, my kids think their Dad is the Best.

And that makes me over the moon for my RyGar...

And leaves me counting my lucky stars every night.

Happy Father's Day, Handsome.

You make me feel like I can have it all & then some.

And to my own Daddy-o.  I am so glad you're mine.

And hearing you say things like, "If that isn't a little Amber face," or "He's a little spit fire just like his Mama was," about my own children, just positively blows my mind.  Like, the way I love these little misters of mine is the way you've always loved me, your little miss.  And those full circle realizations take my breath away - and make me steel myself for days to come!  :)

I love you, Papa Bear.

Three has Arrived, Again...

You know, everyone told us, "Oh, Terrible Twos... Grrrr."

Then everyone told us, "Oh no, THREE is the new TWO... Grrr."

And now Kaelster is all nearly four and totally sweet and helpful except for those rare moments when bed time is past... and Daximus wakes up ready to stir up all sorts of trouble every darn day.  He smiles in the morning, downs his chocolate milk, and there it is... that little flicker of mischief.  

Sometimes I think he is just bad for no other reason but the pure love of being three and naughty.  And lets face it... I secretly love it (on most occasions).  Just as I did with his older, blonder brother... The original outlaw at this saloon.  And I'll probably love it just as much with Acey, if I don't kill over dead of orneriness before then.  :)

Look at the glee on his little face?  
"Bwa-Ha-Ha I'm spraying my little brother!"

Let me give you an example of Dax and his sassy ways...

Me:  "Dax, please don't hang on the door knobs." (He has a thing with hanging/dangling/clinging the likes of which I have never seen before.)

Him:  "I'm not hanging... I'm exercising."

Or take this wicked little anecdote... perhaps it will tickle your fancy.

Me:  "Dax, please don't spit in the car.  That's gross."

Him:  "Mommy I'm just making the sound the elephant says."

And last but not least...

Me:  "Dax, Mommy said 'No'.  That means we don't do it."

Him:  "You don't say no to me!  You say, 'OK Daxi' and then you Do IT!"

(You wanna know how much it blows my mind hearing my own words spouted right back at me?  Mind.Blown.)

He knows how to create a rational argument better than most grown adults.  I suppose I don't really have much room to complain, because I myself have been known to be a little toothy, plus, as I mentioned, he just watched three quarters of an entire season of "Surviving Your First Three-Year-Old" courtesy of Kaelster.  And let's just say, he memorized a LOT of his favorite lines from that little comedic sitcom.

 

Oh Dax... Good thing you're cute.  And fast.  And your parents have built up a bit of tolerance... the size of the Great Wall of China.

And sometimes you wear even your little self right out... because we all know that it takes great deal of energy to be such a naughty little three-year-old.

Thank the Good Lord.  :) 

Back Pack Necessities Per a Three-Year-Old...

The other day my Kaelster went to fetch the mail while his brothers were napping & this mama was watering the potted flowers.  He ran into his little buddy across the street who invited him to come play.  He came bounding back to me and told me he was going to go play with his friend so he NEEDED his back pack.  Um... OK?

We went quietly inside to collect his bag and off he went.  When I crossed the street to shepard him home an hour later, I carried his back pack in and he and his brothers went out to the back yard to jump on the trampoline.  And I decided to brave the back pack and see what all this possessive behavior was about....

And in no particular order, I present to you, the contents of said back pack:

A Guy (duh)

Snacks of the Healthy & Junk Variety

A Key

Some Money

A Car or Two

A 1/2 Full Water Bottle (Because obviously that's how it should be looked at)

A Glow Stick Wand with No Glow Left

A Paint Stir Stick

A Play Paint Roller

Some Leaves

A Bouncy Ball

Now, I totally get the water and snacks business... I mean, I am proud to say, I taught him that move.  No one ever wants to fall victim to the hungry or thirsty bit.  And the boy has been a key monger ever since he realized that keys are what make the world go 'round.  No, literally, as soon as he figured out you need a key to make a four-wheeler go, it was all over and all keys everywhere had to be stashed out of sight but not necessarily out of mind.  And I can see the guys, ball and cars for sheer entertainment value.  But do, pretty please, attempt to explain to me the other random items?  And just where is he getting real & play paint supplies?  

All in all, the overarching theme is this:  Our little boy scout is following the motto to a T... "Always Be Prepared."  For what?  We're not sure exactly, because tomorrow he will very carefully and thoughtfully gather his necessities again, some of them the same and some of them different and all very purposefully selected according to the grand plans in that head of his.  Yes, he takes this back-pack shlepping business VERY seriously.  And I, for one, can't wait for days and days of summer encores.

Love you Little Kaelster, the Miniest (& Silliest) Cub Scout of America.

:)

Dirty Deeds...

It would seem there is a theme to Le Blog here in the month of June.

DIRT

And Dirty Desires... I kid, I kid...

This is a family blog so scratch that last part - I'm just in a dirty frame of mind.

Anyway, we're officially gross, you know?  Me included.  You betch your mud balls, I ran the dirty dash with my Soul Sistas, aka, The Dirty Devilettes.  And let me just say... it was a blast.

Mud running + Obstacle Courses... Dude, the guy behind this bright idea is a bit of a genius.  It didn't hurt that there was a 100 foot water slide during the last mile or that the race was held at beautiful Soldier Hollow on a sunny summer day, or that we wallowed like pigs in cool muddy waters just as we were about to get all hot and sweaty.  I mean, for a nasty little race it was freakin' fun.

Am I an annual Dirty Dasher?  Doubt it.  

Let's not push my tendency toward clean livin'.  :)

But chalk one up for me & do not rule out another mud fest in the future, eh?

Maybe next time I'll enlist my trio of little piglets!

Dream Boat...

Some day, this little snuggle-maniac of ours is going to make some girl VERY happy.  He is such an amenable date, I tell you.  Date Dominator, that's what he is.

He'll go anywhere, wrap his soft little hands around your neck, give you the low-down on what is happening outside the car window or in front of you per his perch from the bike, pointing out highlights like dogs and big balls, serenade you with the "Hot Dog" song at the top of his lungs, lean in for out-of-the-blue kisses, and then swim around in the bubble bath with you before chillaxin' like a boss in a diaper eating all the tortilla strips out of your Cafe Rio salad.  

Total Dream Boat.
Not to mention his blue eyes with their tarantula lashes... la la love.

This weekend, the big littles went fishing with Daddy-o per their unabashed and numerous requests.   I had a race to be at in the big ci-Tay, so I kept just the littlest little with me, and, He ATE IT UP.  

All my boys are these angelic creatures when they know they are the solo act on stage, but this one was especially happy to soak in the lime light.  

And this mama of his could eat every single one of those tasty little pink piggies.

I sure lucked out with this Boy!
Oh Geez do I love you little Ace Face!

Dialogue with Dirt...

I think I'm on to the next big thing...

No, seriously, if you have kids who like love LIVE FOR dirt, you'll totally applaud me here.

I am considering installing a disposal in the bath tub.  Because, well, can I just show you, why?

Seriously.... Eeeewwwww.

For a control freak that attempts to manage the unmanageable, this is downright SICKENING.

All that from these little angelic faces - well, and other "parts"... whodda thunkit?  And now you know why lately bath time has actually been bath time followed by a shower... because GADS they're hoarders when it comes to dirt.

And, I mean, I know our days go a bit like this... 

A.M. Park

Mid-Day Back Yard/Sandbox

Early Afternoon Bike Ride

Late Afternoon Creek/Kiddie Pool/Slip n' Slide

P.M. Park

But does it all have to stick to us and follow us on home for dinner and a bath?

It could be an evolution.  Something like, "Get the gross out of your tub with the Insinkerator Excel installed in your family bathroom!  Grinds almost anything.  Gets the crap down the tubes."

You know?!

No?

Well, that's whats happening here in this old head of mine tonight... deep thoughts about unexplored domestic territories... in a black hole, vacuous sort of way.  

  

Aren't you so glad you stopped in to read this blog?  This is where real vision and yards & yards of dirt are purged (obviously).  But fetch, if they aren't the cutest little dirt devils.  :)