Valentine's Day 2017

This year we started the day with a little pink awesomeness...and biscuits & gravy.  I didn't make the gravy pink, because let's face it, that's just gross.

Robert pulled a stunt reminiscent of Atascadero days (that'll be about about 19 years ago...)  A giant heart made out of balloons.  

We had a couple of nice little snacks...

This year I did a little something different.  I made 12 cards for Robert and a set of 12 for the kids.  In each of the cards was a different date for the month.  None of them are very big and none of them cost very much money.  The kids' dates are all family dates, things like going to a movie, having a picnic, visiting a museum or going on a hike.  Roberts include mostly similar types of things including a couple of fancier dates like a nice dinner out or a weekend trip.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Silly Talk & Random Pics

It's time to write down all those silly little comments that I've been texting myself over the last sixth months.  (It's the only way I remember anything these days!)

One day when Robert joined us for lunch, I put the food down on the table and by the time I sat down, I realized that the two little boys had scooched right next to Robert so they could be close to him while they ate.  I felt really lonely way over on my side of the table.  I'm thinking that maybe I stink or something.

A few weeks ago we finally started getting a few warm days.  One of those, we took everyone out for a picnic at the park.  It wasn't quite windy enough to get the kite up...but definitely windy enough to give it a try.

Emmett couldn't seem to get close enough to Rob, but that didn't stop him from trying.

 Jason was telling me a story.  In it he said, "And then I Toilet Ported!"  instead of teleported.  Hee hee.

Jason often becomes a little professor when he talks.  Just now, we walked up to me and said.  "There are many, many ways to say I love you.  You can do this (holds up hand in sign language saying I love you.)  That means I love you.  You can do this. (holds up hands in the shape of a heart) That means I love you.  You can do this. (Gives a hug and a kiss on my leg)  That means I love you.  Oh, yeah.  And you can say, "I love you!"  There are many ways to say I love you." (He ends with a knowing smile and a few encouraging nods to the head.)

Not all of my moments with my little boys are charming.  One morning, as I was eating breakfast, Jason got behind me on my chair.  At first it was sweet.  He has playing with my hair and giving my little hugs.  Then, suddenly, he sucked in a deep breath followed by an exaggerated, "Oooooohhh."  Running his fingers over the top of my head, he said, "Momma!  I see your head.  You don't have any hair here!!"  Then, since he wasn't getting anything but a sad shrug from he, he yelled over to his brother.  "Emmett!  Come Here.  I got a problem.  Oh!  I will show you something."  Emmett wiggles his little body next to his brother, making the small area of the chair I"m allowed to sit on, even smaller.  Once he has a good view of the top of my skull, Jason continues, "Look! There's here is hair...and here is no hair!"  (Em giggles)  Jason is now the authority, "Momma's hair doesn't grow!.  And look over...it is OLD hair!!!"  Because I'm used to living in a house of brutal honesty, I just shrugged and kept eating my cereal.  But, truthfully, I could use a little less of it.

The little boys have lots of spontaneous conversations on our drive back and forth picking up/dropping off the big kids at school.  Here's one of them.  Jason "When I have girl babies I will name them Rainbow and Flowers and when I have boy babies I will name them Jason and Emmett."  Emmett, "When I had babies and I will name them College and Jason and Rainbow and Flower."  Then, decided that if those names were good enough for his future children, they were good enough for his toes.

Another random car conversation between the little boys.
Jason - "Emmett.  will you marry me?"
emmett (very enthusiastically) - YES!
When I told them that they couldn't get married because they were already brothers, they were so happy that they could already stick together, forever.

Last car conversation.  Emmett spend his time trying to copy and one-up his big brother.  As we passed a construction lot, Jason said, "I want to be a builder when I grow up."  Emmett, "I want to be a builder!"  Me, "They call those guys construction workers."  Jason, "I want to be a construction worker!"  Emmett, "I want to baa bob the builder and a fireman!"  Jason thought it over for a while and decided, "I want to be the boss of a worker!"  Emmett chimed in, "I want to be the boss of a worker AND the boss of a fireman!"

Emmett is a bit of a tough kid.  He's a bit of stinker.  He knows how to instigate arguments with Jason and refuses to stop no matter what I say to him.  One day he was following Jason around saying, "Nah, nah, nah, nah..."  Emmett wasn't yelling it or screaming it...just sticking to Jason like glue and chanting it.  Annoying, right?  Well, it had Jason in hysterics trying to make him stop.  I went over there and tried to persuade him to stop it myself.  All I got was an uninterrupted stream of "Nah, nah, nah, nah..."  I threatened to put him in time out in his room.  Emmett kept it going, "Nah, nah, nah, nah..." Nothing I did was going to make him even blink.  I took him upstairs.  He didn't take a breath.  "Nah, Nah, Nah..."  I put him in his room.  No reaction.  Nothing but, "Nah, nah, nah, nah...."  I closed the door and heard a persistent, if muffled, "Nah, nah, nah..."  I"m telling you.  This kid is the most stubborn little thing I've ever met.  Period.

Another time that Emmett got in trouble with Jason, I put him on time-out on the stairs.  He screamed bloody-murder and when he finally slowed down a little, I went over there to ask him if he was sorry for hurting his brother.  Emmett knows he can't go play until he apologizes, but on the other hand, he really hates to lose.  Under his breath he muttered, "Well.  I'm a little sorry.  BUT, I'm not a LOT sorry!"  I knew what he was doing but, and don't judge me, I took that lame apology and ran with it.  "Well, son, a little sorry is still a sorry.  I win."  I like to win too.

Jason ran over to me in a panic, "Hurry.  I don't want to forget where my heart is!  I laid down and feel my heart beeping.  Right here."  He points to his chest and I put my ear to his chest so I can reassure him that he didn't forget where his heart was.

When Jason got in trouble the other day, he drew this picture to show me just how he felt.

Jason- don't erupt me (interrupt)

Another time, when Jason got mad at his little brother, he said, "I wish emmett was never in your belly and never came out and never was here."  We're not too dramatic around here, don't you think?

Once, when Emmett was looking at a picture of the three big kids holding baby Jason, he decided that he needed more babies and that I needed to make them for him.  When I told him how hard it was to make a baby, he came back with a confident, "Well, Mama, you just have to use your imagination to make more babies!"  He was sure I could come up with a good plan if I just thought a little harder.  :)

At the grocery store the little boys were in the cart and both decided they both needed to go to the bathroom at the same time.  Exasperated I asked if them if they couldn't just hold it for a minute.  Jason stood up in the cart and yelled,  "No.  My penis is holding my penis!"  This is immediately, like everything else Jason says, repeated loudly by Emmett.  It quickly becomes a chant as I hurry to the other side of the store to the bathrooms.  The more I shushed them, the louder it got.  It reminded me of the time I was in Target with the big three, when they were little.  Alaina had just realized that she didn't have her bear, Jamima, and started screaming, "Where is my vagina!?  I can't find my vagina!!!"  (Yes I know, poorly chosen name for a bear)   Good thing for me, I stopped getting embarrassed years ago.

Alaina was home sick the other day and so the four of us had a happy meal, to cheer her up.

It's amazing just how much the little boys talk about and miss Bella.  Jason was telling Emmett how sad he was that she was gone.  Emmett kissed his hand a few times and blew on it, saying, "Look.  I'm blowing kisses to Bella up in heaven!"

This boy wasn't going to wait for the shake to get into the cups.

Silly kid.

 Robert and Emmett have a special little relationship.    It borders a little on co-dependence, but, you know, in a cute way.  :)  Emmett insists on sitting right next to Robert every time we sit down to eat.  But, sitting close isn't enough.  Emmett usually has to be touching Robert all during the meal.  Usually it will be enough to hold on to his arm, but often, even that isn't close enough.  Emmett will pull Robert close and hold him in a bit of a death-grip.  You'd think that Robert wouldn't put up with that kind of behavior too long, but he loves it as much as Emmett does.  He's an enabler.  Instead of pulling away, he stays in the most contorted positions and eats with his left hand as long as his back will take it.  Over the last couple months, I've taken a picture or two just so I could show Robert how silly this has gotten.  Instead of convincing him to stop indulging his little mini-me, I think I may have just encouraged him to continue.  Either way, here is little trove of evidence:

This choke-hold was so cute, I took two pictures.  Hee hee.

So...that's not normal, right?  I don't think either one of those boys cares.  It's their little thing...we'll just see how cute it is when it's a teenage boy holding on with a death grip.