Today’s most memorable temper tantrum (so far) was the result of me not allowing Jackson to use “Daddy’s underpants” as a blanket. I’m pretty sure he grabbed them from the basket of dirty clothes, but either way, that was not happening. The 495 clean, actual blankets we have were not suitable to his needs. Cry on, my friend.

Summer sicknesses are the worst. In the winter, we kind of expect to get sick sometimes because of the cold weather and nasty germs. In the summer, we just want to do our thing and enjoy being outdoors. We did not want to get held up by illness, but that’s exactly what happened. All three kids had low grade fevers on Sunday, but seemed to be comfortable with Tylenol, and fine by Monday morning. By Monday evening, when we were getting kids in pajamas, Jackson had a full, raised rash all over his back and belly. We spoke to his on-call pediatrician who was not comfortable with him waiting to be seen in the morning based on the rash and some other symptoms. Off to the after hours urgent care center we went. Jackson was so excited to go to the doctor with just me. It’s very rare that I do anything with just one child, and even more rare when it is one of the twins. They usually hate being separated. This time, Jackson ran over to Joseph, gently grabbed his face in between his little hands, gave him a kiss and said “I going to the doctor to check my belly with Mama. Okay? I be back soon. Okay? Love you. Have fun!” Their little conversation was completely adorable and was much better than two separate temper tantrums.

Since we all know “Immediate Care” isn’t exactly immediate, we spent a few hours there. I had to fill out ten pages of paperwork because even though I had been there with the other two children before, Jackson had never been seen there as a patient. People ask me this a lot too, so let me just answer here: Yes, even since the boys are twins, I have to fill own their own, individual set of forms wherever we go. Jackson happily played on the waiting room floor (gag) and zoomed around the office on the doctor’s rolling stool. Don’t worry, he got washed up and changed as soon as we got home. He made friends with people at the front desk, told a lot of stories, gave high-fives, and even gave his male nurse a big hug! When he was getting tired and had had enough, he told the doctor “Let’s go. I want to go home and see Joseph and Tay Tay now, okay? See you later!” It was cute, but it didn’t make his strep test or exam go any quicker.

We left the office and actually had to go to two different pharmacies. We went to the drive thru at the first one. There were two female pharmacists mixing the medication and getting everything ready. Jackson was getting crabby in the car seat, so I was talking to him and telling him that we’d be done soon / he could have milk when we get home / just a few more minutes. I could see the two women looking at each other. They came closer to the window and said “Um, m’am. We don’t see anyone back there…” They were looking in the middle row at Taylor’s empty car seat and were confused. I assured them that Jackson was in the third row, rear facing, and since my car is so large, it would be difficult for them to see him from where they were. I promised he was back there, and Jackson loudly yelled “hi guys” for reassurance. We laughed about it and they said they were initially a little concerned because they thought I was going crazy. I told them about how Jackson is one of a set of twins and they have an older sister who is only 22 months older than they are. I told them how everyone’s been under the weather and they’ve been up super early, so it’s not beyond me to be going crazy and talking to myself, but I always know where my kids are and that they are safe. I loved that these women were innocently joking with me, but I also knew that they would have called the police on me for negligence or something had they not heard his little voice responding to him, from the way back. When I went to leave, I pulled up just a little bit so they could see him and wave to him from the safety of his seat, in the third row, and they were like “We see him now!” You know what? I could have easily gotten angry that they were judging me or poking their heads where they don’t belong, but I honestly don’t blame them one bit. With all of the news stories about negligent parents these days, I feel it’s better to say something than not. It easily turned into a funny story once they realized I wasn’t actually crazy, but they could have saved a life if there was actually a negligent parent behind the wheel.

Next, we went to CVS, which Jackson affectionately and hilariously refers to as the “ABC Store.” He told everyone we saw that he was in the ABC store with Mama and that brother and sister were home. He missed them, but he was loving this alone time with me. When I went to sign my name for the purchase, Jacks reached out for the pen and said “No no no. Let me do this. I write my name!” He had everyone in there laughing.

Taylor has been so extra sweet and considerate of both boys, but especially Jacks since he doesn’t feel well. She made sure he has his glasses on first thing in the morning, gets them their milk cups, brings them toys and blankets, etc. It’s awesome to watch. The other day, all of them cuddled on the sofa to watch Aladdin for the first time. When the movie was over, T hugged her brothers and said “I just love a happy ending. Don’t you, fellas?” She can not wait for them to wake up from nap time each day and immediately needs to give them hugs. It’s heart melting material.

In case anybody reading this is new to the blog, I can assure you that my kids are not all kittens and rainbows all the time. As I was writing these lovely things, I noticed it was time for lunch, so I asked everyone to go upstairs. Jackson went upstairs, closing the baby gate behind him so Joseph couldn’t possibly follow. Joseph freaked out, and as I was walking over and telling Jackson how that wasn’t nice, Joseph spit right in Jackson’s face (through the slats of the gate) and said “Open the door.” I didn’t even know he knew how to spit like that. They followed this up by actually wrestling and fighting over the exact same yogurt pouch. Somehow, they thought it would be a good idea to do this on the living room sofa, so I’ve been cleaning yogurt up from everywhere. Joseph is also now sporting a beautiful new scratch on his face now. Cheers to nap time!

I am pretty obsessed with this summer, so far. We had another wonderful weekend of fun in the sun. The kids spent so much time in the water (pools, baths, and sprinklers) that I’m surprised their skin isn’t permanently wrinkled. They indulged in way more deserts than they are usually allowed, and enjoyed every bite. They’ve stayed up late to watch movies and eat fruit and corn on the cob. They spent a ton of time playing on playground equipment and just having a good time with each other. It is so much fun to watch them enjoy each other by playing tag and hide and seek. These are such simple things that kids do, but watching the fun through the eyes of your own children is nothing short of magical.

This afternoon, we went to a local grocery store that has a small animal farm / petting zoo out front. We greeted the sheep and chickens with lots of enthusiasm and high hopes for this adventure. When we got near the stationary cow that makes noise, both boys lost it and started screaming and shaking. They were yelling out “No cow! No cow! Go away!” We quickly walked on to the next area, which happened to be real live cows. The kids have seen real cows numerous times before at the Nature Center, but they were not at all interested this time. The giant fake cow ruined it for them. When we went inside later on, the kids were all in one shopping cart and Taylor pushed a button on yet another mechanical cow (that she loves) and Jackson flipped out. I caught part of his fit of screaming on video. I felt badly for him, but it was pretty funny and it will be amusing to show him some day when he’s older. He’s actually already watching it on my phone tonight and laughing at himself. He’s a good sport.

We had ice cream there, before dinner. That was such a big deal for Taylor and she keeps telling me how special it was to do that. It was quite an interesting experience. A woman walked up to us and told us what a beautiful family we had. She said she also had twins that were away at camp and she gifted us with a free ice cream coupon. It was so nice not to be bombarded with “twin questions” for once. As soon as we sat down, Jackson dropped his entire cup of ice cream, face down on the pavement. Joseph dropped his spoon into something nasty on the ground and threw a tantrum when Todd wouldn’t allow him to continue to use it. The replacement spoon just wasn’t right to him. We were in an outside tent-like area, so there were birds loudly chirping and flying overhead. Apparently, they were bugging Taylor more than the rest of us because she looked up and said “Mom! I told those birds to shut up!” Todd and I were both completely flabbergasted. It took a moment for me to compose myself (he was laughing silently and uncontrollably into his shirt for way too long) and discuss what she said and why she is not allowed to say it again. We generally don’t speak like that in front of the kids, but will definitely have to watch our words even more so now. The kids also got a new movie (a Disney one, believe it or not) that we discovered uses a lot of “not kind” words. We discussed it when the words were spoken on screen and reminded her that she is not to repeat them, or she will not get to watch the movie anymore.

With that said, Todd and I are off to round off the weekend of wholesome family fun by watching some more Orange is the New Black. Surely, there won’t be any unkind words on there.

I was looking forward to summertime and Taylor being out of school so much. I figured we’d have a lot of lazy days, and days spent home playing in the sandbox or running through the sprinklers. In actuality, we haven’t stopped and have only become more busy! It’s been fun though. I love having Taylor all to myself and not having to share her with school! We actually took the kids to Cracker Barrel this week because it’s the one thing Taylor requested to celebrate her graduation. She enjoys that place more for the country store than the pancakes, but whatever keeps her happy.

On our walk the other night, we heard wind chimes. Her little face lit up and she said “Mommy! Is that Santa coming? I hear Jingle Bells!” The poor kid was so excited, so I let her down gently and told her Christmas was still a while away. She said “Aww man; I really miss Christmas.” This year should be even more interesting because Santa has to get more creative and sneaky. I only hope that we are all healthy this Christmas. Every year, the boys have croup. It even required a hospital visit at 2am one Christmas morning. We are hoping their preemie lungs are maturing. They sure are giving those little lungs a run for their money with all the *adorable* screaming they do.

Yesterday, we visited Todd and my Dad at work. They work for the same company, but in different departments on different floors. We all visited my dad and then went upstairs to see Todd’s coworkers (and my former coworkers). For those that don’t know, we met at work many years ago. Scandalous. While we were standing around talking and people were interacting with the kids, Taylor ran into someone’s cubicle, jumped on him and said “Hey Brampy. Can I write my name on your computer?” She was so exited to see “him” although it was the wrong guy. She saw the same color blue shirt and the same hair coloring as my dad’s and just went in. She didn’t even think that my dad was downstairs where we just were. Thankfully, the guy was a good sport about it. We all cracked up, and poor Taylor was mortified. I think this was the first time she was actually embarrassed by anything and it was actually adorable. She bounced back quickly and had a great time. The kids had so much fun at the office. They fielded some calls and Taylor made sure to make note of every pony’s birthday in my dad’s calendar for him!

Later in the day, we were getting back in the car. I started to open the garage door, and Jackson, who decided to purposely leave his glasses behind, walked straight into the door. He smacked his forehead hard, bounced back and said “Oww! I have a boo boo!” Taylor looked at him, and without missing a beat she said: “Well Jack, that hurt! I bet you won’t forget to wear your glasses again, will ya?” She’s so fresh, but she was right, so I’ll give her credit.

Aside from growing a few inches and being able to stand on their beds and pull at their window shade (again), the boys have been fairly decent lately. I got a lot of compliments this week from people at work, the grocery store, the hospital, etc. about how well behaved everyone is and how well-spoken and polite Taylor is. Hearing comments like those really makes me a happy Mom. Even with T’s wise ass remarks, I know I’m doing right by her, and am so pleased that other people notice how awesome she is.

Apparently, I spoke too soon. Since I can’t sit down and simply write a blog post, I often have to do it in stages. Since I’ve started this particular post, the boys have gotten a handful of timeouts each, they’ve lost their beloved “dogs” for the day, and they’ve given me new grey hairs. Awesome. I wish I could somehow make the phrase “No, mama!” automatically turn into “Mom, you’re so pretty and we are so lucky to have you.” One day. We just put the boys to bed after an evening of fun in the sun, swimming, and a pizza party. I figured they’d be tired and fall right asleep. Wrong. I heard giggles and since I knew they weren’t telling knock knock jokes in there, I walked in to find them chewing something. They ripped the collar off of Joseph’s stuffed dog and were eating it. I’m thankful I caught them before someone choked on it, but I’d be even more thankful if they would sleep and act like humans.

Happy Father’s Day!

This will be a post of mostly pictures since we are all exhausted from the fresh air and sunshine (rough life), but I had to get something down for today. My kids are so incredibly lucky to have Todd as their father. He is so wonderfully loving with them. They can not wait for him to get home every day, and look forward to the weekend where they can wrap him around their little fingers and just have fun. Seeing him grow from the wonderful man I married into an incredible father has been surreal. I am so lucky that he is my partner in life. We started off the morning by pretty much needing an exorcism for the boys, but just like everything in life, we handled it together and enjoyed the rest of the day.

I know how important it is to grow up with a great dad, and thankfully, mine is pretty fantastic. He’s definitely helped shape me into the person I am today, and I have him to thank for my humor. He may be obsessed with shopping at Walmart and he might have an obsession with delivering me coffee, but hey, everyone has their faults. 🙂 I love you, Dad!

The first picture below is one of my favorites, even though everyone isn’t looking. The kids have a bacon cheeseburger, corn on the cob, and watermelon in the pool.

At Costco today, two women wearing burkas (traditional Muslim head scarves), commented on the boys and how well behaved they were sitting in the shopping cart. They were trying to show their own children that our kids were good examples and they should be more like them. We laughed back and forth and exchanged pleasantries about our children. I told the woman who was leading the conversation that my boys were far from quiet, but they put on a good front in public. We talked about their ages and typical things people with kids talk about when they are greeting each other. We wished each other a good day and carried about our separate shopping trips. We were united in the fact that we were women. We were moms who clearly each loved our children very much. We were humans. Although I am used to being a spectacle when out in public because of the twins and my red-headed beauty, I was not prepared for what I felt today. People were walking past us and glaring. People were looking at the Muslim women with repugnance, and then looking up at me with a hateful look in their eyes. Clearly, I can’t read minds, but some of the looks I received were quite obvious. How could I be conversing with Muslim women after the night club shooting in Orlando? I thought maybe this was me just being overly sensitive, but Todd (who was lucky enough to be on this shopping trip with us) said he noticed it too. I was greatly taken aback by this, and couldn’t help but think, if I was feeling this way, I can not even imagine what the other women, and others like them were feeling. It just was not right.

I am downright sickened by the senseless, cold-blooded shooting in Orlando. It was inexcusable, morbid, and hateful. The actions of one man altered the lives of many families forever. It altered the hearts of the American people. I am truly scared to be raising my children in a world where hate is acted upon in mass shootings. I am a firm believer that hate is taught. It’s not something you are born with. You are not born with a damaged soul and a need to hurt others; that is learned. The shooter was a hateful person, but you know what? Those people that are hating on an entire community of people for the actions of one person are no better. Why do it? Why give the Muslim women in Costco who were shopping with their children awful looks? Why look at me like I am a traitor for being kind to them? It just isn’t right. I want my children to know that they should treat everyone with respect, until it is no longer deserved. You treat people the way you want to be treated. This is kindergarten fundamentals, but many adults still can’t grasp the concept. I think most people would agree that I am a very kind person and respect everyone. That is not to say that I won’t allow you to directly hurt me or my love ones. I won’t take that. But until that point, you respect people.

Everyone has different religious, political, and personal beliefs. That is what makes us great as humans. We are all different, and that’s okay. That’s what makes us unique. We are never going to have an entire population of people agree on everything, but if we could all stop teaching hatred and start embracing differences, maybe the world would be a bit better place to live in. Nobody should be afraid to be who they are. Spread love.

Taylor graduated from her 4 year old class today. They had a beautiful ceremony where the children sang songs and received diplomas.

They had a slide show for the families to see the kids throughout the year, and it was so cute. It was fun to see how much she and her friends have grown. I am honestly in awe of how she is changing every day and maturing into such a fun loving little girl. She is kind, respectful, sweet, and hilarious. She is truly a beautiful person inside and out. I received so many compliments, from both educators and fellow parents, on her disposition, intelligence, constant smilie and her laugh. She is pulling at heart strings everywhere she goes and Todd and I could not be more proud that she is our perfect, tiny human.

At the beginning of the year, I made a sign for her to hold to commemorate the start of the school year. I thought it would be fun to look back and see how things compared, and how much she’s psychically grown. Sure enough, the only thing that changed was the date. She’s still aspiring to be a doctor, and red is still her favorite color!

When the ceremony was over, we went back to Taylor’s classroom to pick her up, take some pictures, and say goodbye to her friends and teacher. We had all bought her flowers and a special graduation balloon, but her brothers each bought (with some help from Daddy) their own single rose to give her. They marched into the room so quickly and presented her with the roses, and hugs and kisses. It happened so quickly that I didn’t even have time to push record on my phone. They were so proud of their sister and couldn’t wait to see her. Taylor’s little face lit up and the classroom was filled with “awwwws.” It was one of my favorite Mom moments of all time. Later on, when I asked her what her favorite part of the day was she said “I loved when my boys gave me special flowers. That was the best.”

Although a family picture wasn’t easy to obtain since we had some unwilling participants, we have some beautiful memories. Every day before school, the kids, the dog and I drive down to the beach to see the birds and look at the water. Today, T wanted to take a quick picture by the water. I happily obliged. I cherish this time with her so much.

After the boys were in bed, she and I took Ranger for a walk. As we walked around the block, she asked me to sing Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World” with her. It was one of the songs the kids sang at their performance today, and it was the most perfect ending to such a special day.

It is only 10am here, and already, I feel like we have had a full day. We haven’t even started Taylor’s school day, and I’m about ready to be done for the week. What are the chances my kids will let me nap and read books all day? Slim; I know.

Not only did Taylor stay up super late last night, but she was up abnormally early this morning and didn’t return to sleep. Thankfully, she’s her usual, happy self – for now. Coincidentally, the boys were up right after her. It’s possible that they heard T’s ponies “talking” and squealing from the next room. When I went in to greet my sweet sons this morning, they met me right at the door and said “Oh no, Mama! My bed has a boo boo! / My bed has a boo boo too!” Apparently, instead of stripping themselves, they decided to strip the beds. Blankets, comforters, sheets, and mattress pads were all removed and thrown about. They made a pile of the bed linens and were jumping off of their beds and into the pile as I was getting clothes out.

After fighting over who got to feed the dog this morning (they both lost; I won), they had vitamins and round one of breakfast. I sent them downstairs as I waited for my coffee to stop brewing. The slow drip of the coffee machine was tantalizing me as I was standing there half awake. As I was waiting in the kitchen, smelling the glorious aroma, I heard a weird sound on the stairs. One small boy was wearing his sister’s way oversized cowgirl boots and was stumbling down the stairs. Luckily, he has a short fall and wasn’t even phased. I went back up to grab my coffee and round two of kids’ breakfast and immediately heard laughter and squealing. I thought to myself: How nice! The three of them are so excited to be with each other right now and are enjoying each other’s company and playing nicely. As soon as I thought it, I knew it had to be false. As I was running down the stairs, I heard “Bye bye poop! Have fun!” I caught Frick and Frack in the downstairs bathroom, playing in the toilet. Opening the downstairs bathroom door (which sticks and is hard to open) is a new skill set they managed to acquire this weekend. Thankfully, I had the foresight to order the six pack of door handle locks way back when, and the door is now secure. My coffee is now cold, my body is under caffeinated, and I have entirely way too much “extra” laundry to do this morning, but Monday is on its way to being over with. That’s one way to look at it, right?

Tickets: $50 (Thanks G & Brampy!)
Food: $30
Our Kids’ Faces: Priceless

We went to a local fair this weekend and had an amazing time. We actually ended up going twice because when we went on Saturday, it down poured half an hour into our fun. My parents met us there, so they helped wrangle the soaking wet boys to the car while Taylor and I made a completely necessary trip across the fair grounds to get cotton candy. We stomped in puddles and danced in the rain. We were so soaked by the time we made it back to the car, it wasn’t even funny. But we had fun! We actually had a blast, and made sure we stopped for a selfie.

Today’s weather was much more agreeable. There were not very many rides this year (as compared to previous years we’ve gone) but the kids still had a blast. They loved the cars, roller coaster, and Super Slide! I was actually shocked that they all did well on the kid roller coaster. Their smiles and laughter were so contagious to everyone around them and will carry Todd and I through another long week.

We splurged on lunch at the fair (burgers and fries) and of course, the biggest hit was the bottled water. All three kids thought that it was the coolest thing to drink out of the bottle, as opposed to cups. They expelled some energy running up and down a hill and playing tag before we left. Of course, we had to stop for more cotton candy on the way out. They are only little once and the sugar rush will eventually wear off. I hope. I’m actually not sure how much cotton candy Jacks consumed because at one point, Todd and I looked over and he was eating the bark off of the tree. Whatever keeps him happy, I guess.

After the kids took pretty great naps, we went outside to play in our new fire hydrant sprinkler. Taylor loved it and got the most use out of it. She was thrilled to be in the water, until she turned into a shivering mess. Joseph would run through, squealing with delight the entire time, and would quickly run away. Jackson barely went near it, but I may have picked him up and run him through a few times. Ranger enjoyed the sunshine and kissing the kids, but he wasn’t about to get near the water.

As we settle in for the night to watch a movie with three freshly bathed kids, I can’t help but be grateful that this is my life. This little family is mine. As crazy as they make me sometimes, they are mine and I love them. I look forward to a summer full of memories!

This morning, Taylor was lying on the sofa resting. She was all snuggled up under her blanket and she had told me that she just wanted to take a short rest. Sure enough, the boys came running down the hall and began to poke her, uncover her, and pull the pillow out from beneath her head. She knew they were just trying to be playful, but she was still irritated, rightfully so. She sat up and yelled at them: “Don’t you know you aren’t supposed to bother someone when they are sleeping. It really isn’t nice and if they are sleeping, they don’t want to play now. Leave me alone!” I was about to interject and remove the boys from the area she was in and simultaneously tell Taylor that they are little and don’t know any better and she shouldn’t be raising her voice at them, but I took a second to think about it. They don’t know better now. They don’t quite understand the notion of personal space, privacy, or decency. But when should they learn? Should I shrug it off because they are two years old and don’t know better? I let her words resonate with them and helped her reiterate to the boys that Taylor is right. You do not touch someone when they are sleeping. Such basic concepts can start to be ingrained at a young age, and they sure will be in this house. I am so proud of Taylor for knowing all of the proper names for her body parts and knowing that nobody is to touch her privates or any part of her body, for that matter. She is four years old, but she has a voice. She will always have a voice.

Just the other day, she came home from school and told me that a friend was touching her hair repeatedly and she really didn’t like it. She did not want the friend’s hands on her face or in her hair. I asked her what she did about it, and she said that she told this friend “No! Please don’t touch me.” She was proud that she was polite and asked nicely, but she said the friend touched her hair again “because she liked how long and red it was.” We again discussed how she is in charge of her own body, and nobody else has rights to it. We discussed the fact that although it’s nice to be polite and that does make us proud, she can, and should, in certain situations, raise her voice, use her own hands to remove someone else’s hands from her body, remove herself from the situation, and ask for help. The other friend touching my daughter’s hair was seemingly such an innocent thing to do, but as soon as Taylor said NO and made it known that she was uncomfortable with it, it needed to stop. This is what we need to be teaching our children. All of them: boys and girls alike. They all need to stand up for themselves early on, and they also need to take responsibility for themselves and their actions at an early age. It starts now.

My children are easily some of the most kind-hearted individuals I know. They are loving and sweet, almost to a fault. My boys are definitely rambunctious, but that in no way means that they are bad kids. I will however, as their mother, take every single teaching opportunity I can to help sculpt them into even better human beings. They will learn personal space. They will learn “no means no” (a phrase that they actually say already). They will learn that they are to be respectful of all humans, no matter what they look like, where they come from, or what other people think of them. As they get older, they will learn about alcohol and drugs. They will understand cause and effect, right from wrong, and will take into account how their actions or words will make others feel. In our house, we currently say “good choice, or not such a good choice?” when they are not acting appropriately.

The case involving the Stanford rapist has been weighing heavily on my mind since it has gained national attention. He admittedly feels badly for what happened, but is not taking responsibly for his actions because he was under the influence of alcohol and was swayed by the college “party culture” around him. Raping an unconscious woman is never okay. Raping anyone in any way is never okay. Blaming alcohol and not being responsible or accountable for your own actions is not okay. This story has literally made my stomach churn. The victim’s letter was so incredibly powerful and blew me away. She is the type of person we need more of in our society: honest, strong, empowering. This poor woman will live with what happened to her forever because of the actions of one terrible, sub-par human-being. I can only hope that she is able to continue to be empowering and embrace life, and all that it has to offer. She clearly has a good head on her shoulders and deserves the best. The rapist’s father was quoted saying: “twenty minutes of action has deeply altered my son’s career forever.” Action? Really? Rape is not action! Call it what it is. Rape. I will always defend my children and be there for them. I get that it’s ingrained in your soul to want to protect your children, but protecting them and helping them is much more than defending their “actions” after the commit a heinous crime, after they ruin another human being’s life, after they’ve cause irreparable damage. It means teaching them right from wrong. I understand everyone parents differently, and I am not usually one to judge how other people raise their children, but I will say this. The Stanford rapist was not raised to be a man. He was raised to think that he was above everyone else, raised to think that rules didn’t apply to him, and raised to think that rape = action. Men and women alike need to start being accountable for their own actions. Just like kids, they need to understand that there are consequences for everything. You do not always get your way, and you do not get to hurt other people. You just don’t. Be responsible. Be thoughtful. Be decent.

Taylor’s class had an ice cream social today for the students, and parents were invited to watch them / see some of their end of the year projects. Their teacher helped the kids make really awesome shirts for them to wear today. They also decorated ice cream bowls that will serve as a memory of their time together in this class. It has been a wonderful year for Taylor. Since she’s such a great big sister, T noticed that her brothers didn’t have any ice cream, so she initially shared her precious cup with them. Anyone who knows Taylor knows that she doesn’t generally share ice cream. She eats it all and asks for more. For her to be sharing with not one brother, but two was awesome. The teacher realized what she was doing and asked if it was okay if she went and grabbed some for the boys, which was very sweet of her. The boys graciously accepted their own ice cream cups and had a blast…until the cups were empty. Joseph had a massive fit and kicked and screamed all the way out of the building. It was well beyond their nap time, so the combination of that and an empty ice cream cup was too much for him to handle. It didn’t help much that there was a downpour as we were entering / exiting the building. The boys and I were all uncomfortable and looked like drowned rats. And yes, they were wearing slippers.

As the boys were having an in-car tantrum this morning, Taylor said “Hey Mama; how come you always have the biggest bottle of water with you everywhere we go?” Well, kid; this watermelon margarita flavored water is the closest thing I can get to legal day drinking with children in tow. I’ll take what I can get.

As I’ve mentioned before, the boys have become terrible with napping lately. This wouldn’t be such a bad thing if they could make it to bedtime without needing an exorcism, but apparently, they still need an afternoon nap to allow them to be mentally stable members of society. Yesterday, they were not having it…at all. They were wrestling and smacking each other. They were kicking their bedroom door and trying to pull the closet doors off. They were taking turns wrapping each other’s head in a blanket and kicking whoever’s head happened to be in there at the time. After multiple attempts of trying to get them to sleep, I quit and we went to CVS to pick up a few things we needed. They thought they were such hot shots sitting in the cart instead of walking or being in the stroller. They proudly held every item we got, and made sure to tell each person in the store exactly what we were purchasing. On the way out, they were perfect gentlemen and insisted on carrying the bags for me. They might be lunatics, but at least they have kind hearts and like helping their Mama!

Tonight, Taylor and I (and her ‘baby Ranger’) went out to drop something off to my mom, once we put the boys to bed. We stopped to get coffee first and had a special “girl’s time.” We drove with the windows down and listened to loud music and just had a blast. It’s so important that she and I get to do special things like that once in a while. When we left, she had already had dessert and brushed her teeth for bedtime, but she may have been cute enough to get a donut while we were out. Don’t tell Todd.