At the Ball Field

That's where we'll be if anybody needs us.

I knew this day would come. We've put it off through pregnancy, infancy, moving, building, moving again...as long as we possibly could. And now, it's time. We're at the ball field. Almost every day of the week. Well, I should say, Kris is at the ball field. I'm mostly home with Susanna and whoever else doesn't want to go that day.

Luke, you are so fun to watch out there. You are strong and sturdy, confident and brave. You dive after every ball and catch most of them. You swing wisely, taking instruction from your coach, taking the misses in stride. When you connect, it's a solid base hit most every time. You hustle. You focus. You excel. And you love every second. As I think on how you play ball, I can truthfully say that is just how you do life. It's fun to watch you do life too.

Eli, this is the first time you've played on your own team without Luke. I have been so proud of you, how you've been determined to practice and improve. You have the most graceful and natural throw and swing. When you swing the bat, it looks like you were born with a bat in your hand. That's a gift. I feel confident this will be your season of excellence. Not only because you'll get hits and make catches, but because you have such a great attitude about working hard and so much humility. You are a team player in every sense of the word, both on the field and at home.

Both of you boys bring me so much joy. I couldn't be more proud of you.

Star Wars Invasion

Because my two oldest boys have never been into dressing up except for when they know everyone else is going to be dressed up as well, I try to be very economical when it comes to Halloween costumes. (Translation: I'm cheap.)  This year Amazon.com has been my best friend for Christmas gifts and, alas, for Halloween costumes. The boys are thrilled and I can check it off my list.

I give you...Boba Fett and Jango Fett. No idea who they are? Neither did I.  Here, if you're curious.

Homemade Laundry Detergent

I've seen recipes for natural laundry detergent before, heard people talk about how they made theirs and contemplated making my own for a while.  I'm sure you know as well as I do that the natural laundry detergent at the stores is ridiculously expensive.  And I'm also sure you've heard or read from at least one source why the natural options are better and how the other kind is going to damage your children or the world or whatever.  I'll spare you the details.

I finally got the motivation to go for it.  I used this recipe for the liquid laundry detergent.  I feel sure that making the powder laundry detergent would be far less messy, but I just figured if I was going to do it I wanted to maximize my savings.  Probably, I would make it in the bathtub next time (with the exception of the stove top part, of course), even though it wasn't horribly messy, just wet.

This was one of the things on my Mother's Day wish list, so I had good helpers.

Luke and Eli thought it was a lot of fun.  I think it made us all feel a little like pioneers (or maybe Pilgrims, since Luke already thinks I was one back before he was born).

After using this for almost a week, I like it.  I haven't seen any negatives yet, even after washing a really dirty, stinky, little (and big) boy load.  Here are a few tips I would give:
1. Mix it up in the bathtub.
2. Pour it into jugs in the bathtub or outside.
3. Gather your gallon containers before making your batch. (That might be a "duh" for some people, but it was not for me, and we have had a covered 5 gallon bucket sitting in our garage for a week now as a result.)
4. If you're intimidated by 5 gallons, cut it in half.  

I'm not planning on making my own soap or candles, but this was worth the time and effort.

Lunchtime Laughter

Yesterday at lunch, in the span of five minutes, I had these two converstions:

Luke: "Mom, so, did you live like the Pilgrims did?  You know, churning butter and making all your own stuff?"
Me: "Umm...how old do you think I am?  Go ask Grandma and Papa that question.  They're way older than I am." :)

And then,

Eli: "Mom!  You're a cow!  You have milk in your body!" (With a pointed glance at my chest area.)
Me: Speechless

I've posted before that Luke and Eli often end up in strange positions while they're sleeping. Last night did not disappoint.  Kris said he went in there because he heard someone pass gas so loud he thought they were still awake.  I shudder to think which one of them did the passing...

We all got a great laugh out of this when Kris showed us the pictures this morning.  Even Eli.  While Luke and I would have both been embarrassed, Eli's always up for being the butt of a great joke.  (Sorry, I couldn't help myself.)

Happy Wednesday!

Puppy Dogs

We always check on the boys, give them a kiss, before we go to bed at night.  They are often in amusing positions, holding hands, cradling each other's heads, Eli's foot in Luke's face or Luke's finger in Eli's ear.  This night was no exception.

I remember shortly after Eli was born a mom of two teen boys in our church telling me that her boys were like puppy dogs, always moving and many times rolling around on the floor together.  I can say the same thing.

I love my little puppy dogs.

Back Before I Was Famous

I told Kris I needed to post something, but I have very little time and no motivation.  But I think that's because I like to have pictures to go along with my posts, and these days I do not even have one free finger for a camera.  Judah requires both my hands, eyes, and ears, all twenty of my fingers and toes, every muscle in my back and just about every ounce of my concentration these days.  He is so two.

We have this conversation often:

Me: "Judah, look at Mama.  Do you need a spanking?"
Judah: "Yesh."

He doesn't get nearly as many as he needs because he is so unbelievably cute.  And he knows it.

We have had some fun things going on lately.  Things I'm actually very sad about not having pictures of, but I guess we'll all have to use our imaginations.

About a month ago I took Luke downtown to open auditions for a movie, Ring the Bell, that is being filmed in Deland.  I figured it would be a fun experience.  He's pretty comfortable around people he doesn't know well, always up for a new experience, interested in new people.  He walked in the audition room and, apparently, forgot to bring his personality with him.  He never smiled, didn't talk.  It was pitiful.  We walked out of the audition and he said, "I really hope they call me."  I felt a rock in the pit of my stomach because I could really hear the hope in his voice, but I witnessed the audition and knew he had not exactly shown his best side.  Imagine our surprise when we got home last Sunday night and had a message on the answering machine that they wanted us to come be extras in the movie the next day!

Eli wasn't about to be left out, so he and Luke and I spent from nine in the morning to five fifteen that afternoon shooting a picnic scene at a local church.  It was a long, fun day.  So, if they don't completely cut the scene that we were in, you might see us in the background playing "Rock, Paper, Scissors" on a picnic blanket while Steven Curtis Chapman and the main character have a conversation.  Let me just say that you will see about five seconds of "Rock, Paper, Scissors", but I assure you that there were hours of "Rock, Paper, Scissors" played, a few tears, just as many bribes and at least one vow to never take my four year old to a day long movie shoot again...In case we really do end up being famous and have the chance to be in another movie.

I'll keep everyone posted about whether we actually make the cut or not!

Chalk Paint

I'm trying desperately to keep these boys entertained.  Cheaply.  I don't know how I never came up with this idea myself, but it was a hit!

Eli was way more interested in crushing the chalk than actually painting.  Come to think of it, I don't know that he ever really painted.

 Does Luke look hot?  Trust me, I looked much hotter.  And not the good kind of hot.

 Just a few of our creations.

We had to clean up right after this picture since Judah woke up from his nap. Upon seeing all the excitement, he immediately started wreaking havoc.  It was fun while it lasted.

A Butterfly Experience

For Christmas, Raeanna gave the boys a butterfly garden.  It came with a coupon for caterpillars that we "grew" in our garden.  The boys (and I) loved it!  I'm finally getting around to posting this, even though we did this in February.

Our baby caterpillars.  Every single day you could see them getting fatter.

 Once they got fat enough they went into their chrysalises.

 They grew for about ten days...

 And then became beautiful butterflies!

 Once it warmed up a bit, we released them in our yard.

A (bit long) video of us watching one of the butterflies coming out of its cocoon.  It's been since February, so it's crazy to see how much Luke has grown up in four months!

Who Says Men Aren't Observant?

A conversation with my boys after picking them up from school today...

Luke: So, Mama, where did that shirt come from?
Eli: Yeah, is it new?
Me: I've had it for a long time, I just don't wear it that much.  Do you like it?
Eli: Yeah!
Luke: Yeah, it looks like it would be perfect for Valentine's Day!

I felt like I had just been hanging out with my girl friends.  How funny!

Luke and Eli's School Christmas Program

Luke and Eli had their Christmas program at school last night.  They sang songs for us and then, more importantly, we ate cookies.  I cry every single time my children perform.  If I didn't know that I was one of the many weeping mothers I might wonder if I had a hormone imbalance.  But I recognize that this is what happens when we become mothers.  Any time one of our offspring look unbearably cute, we smile, our chins wobble and then we weep.  It's inevitable. 

This was only Eli's second time in front of the large crowd.  This is what he thinks of performing for the masses (Eli is in blue):

Luke, on the other hand, is a seasoned veteran (Luke is in pink, next to the tallest girl in the school.  I told him to choose his place in line more wisely next time.  She made him look like a peanut.) 

Weekend in Georgia

Daddy's 60th birthday was on the 9th and we spent the weekend in Georgia to help him celebrate.  He knew we were all coming in to town, but he had no idea that there was a surprise party planned for him.  It was lots of fun to celebrate his life and what he means to all his friends and family.  We are blessed that he belongs to us!

We also had lots of fun in the gorgeous weather and playing with cousins.

Look at all those teeth! Trust me, he knows how to use them.

The boys stayed in a half nude state all weekend.

Eddie was a good sport about all the attention he received and even helped the boys run off some of their energy.

Luke loves his "big" cousins and hung out with them as much as possible.

Quotable Quotes

Judah and Eli have had the crud, so Eli hasn't been able to go to school this week.  First off...man!  You get used to having just one child around a couple mornings a week pretty quickly.  Second off, poor Eli.  He loves school and hasn't been thrilled about missing.  This morning I checked his nose to see how it was looking.  It was still runny, so I said, "Bummer, your nose is still running."  Quickly grasping what that meant for his school status, he said, "They have tissues at my school, Mom."  Smart little three year old.

I wrote about Eli being a copy cat here.  It sometimes frustrates Luke.  Okay, it really frustrates Luke.  Like, to the point that he whispers what he wants for breakfast so Eli can't hear and copy it.  Last night he whispered in Kris' ear that he wanted a piece of candy after dinner.  Eli, with his super hero hearing, comes sprinting into the kitchen, "I want a piece of candy tooooooo!"  Luke threw his hands up in the air and said, "For goodness sake, Eli!"

My MOPS group will be filling boxes for Operation Christmas Child again this year.  Luke was filling out a questionnaire that goes in the box so the child who receives the box can correspond with him.  I was explaining to him that the box will go to a little boy or girl in another continent like Africa, Asia, Europe, etc. and then that child might write him a letter. To which he declared, "I want a pretty girl from Africa!  Because I like pretty girls a lot."

Silly Sock Day

All these dress up days are brand new to me since we started in the middle of the year last year.  Both Luke and Eli had Silly Sock Day today in honor of the letter S.  We had fun decorating Luke's baseball socks (hope he doesn't need those again any time soon), and surprisingly, there were no arguments over having to share one of each sock. 

First Day of School

Luke and Eli started school this week. Luke's first day was yesterday. He was absolutely ready and barely noticed when I left. Eli started today since he'll be going Monday, Wednesday, Friday. We got a few pictures.

Eli definitely noticed when I left. He asked me to stay with him and got a little teary. I have to confess that I got a little teary myself. He was sitting in the teacher's helper's lap sucking his thumb when I peaked back in to hand his teacher something. I know he'll have a great time. I know I will be fine too. We'll both just have to adjust.

Copy Cats and Black Eyes

Every morning I have the same conversation with Eli.

"Eli, what do you want for breakfast?"
"What's Wuke having?"
"I don't know. What do you want? Do you want cereal?"
"Is Wuke having cereal?"
"Okay, fine. You're having cereal. Do you want milk?"
"Is Wuke having milk?"

One of these days I will learn not to ask. Anyway, Eli is not the only copycat in our house.

Maybe he figures he looks just like him, why not be exactly like him too? Baby, you could do a lot worse than being just like your daddy. I think it's great.

This past Saturday we went to a birthday party for Kris' cousin's little girl. It was absolutely the most fun little kid party I've ever been to. All of Kris' cousins were in town, for one. But there was also great food, a popcorn machine, a snow cone machine and an 18 foot water slide. It was like a carnival minus all the sketchy people. It was definitely against our better judgement to let our three year old go on the water slide, but once he went down the first time, there was no stopping him. That is, until he collided with his cousin's face. Thankfully, the eye is the only damage. He's proud of his black eye, and we're just grateful he's not brain damaged.

Bowling Playdate

Luke was out of school MLK Day and the day after (which was just long enough for me to wonder what the heck I'm going to do this summer!), so on Tuesday we went on a bowling playdate with some friends. It was a hit, and we are very ready to go back!

This was right before I realized Eli had a fever, poor fella.

The kid ramps were perfect for Eli, but Luke didn't think he needed them.

He even got a spare or two!

Great group of girls!

Fishing

One of the many things Kris and the boys have done together recently...