Well, That Didn't Go As I'd Planned...

With Jason leaving for work before the boys wake up (most mornings) and arriving home from work (usually) when they're in their pj's, I finally agreed to accept some help with the boys.  I tried looking at nanny websites but just couldn't stomach the idea of leaving them with someone whom we don't know.

Last week, I had a brainstorm about using the school's after school extended day program.  The boys are enrolled, and today is their first day of extended day.  I thought that I'd be thrilled to have this time for myself.  I've been aching for time alone, a break from the intensity of raising these two munchkins.

And now the day is here, and it's not going as I'd planned.  First, I woke up feeling guilty and sad rather than excited and relieved.  I already missed them, even while they were still in the other room playing.  Then, when I was dropping them off at school, Zach fell out of the car, landing on the wet pavement (it's raining today).  If I thought that I was feeling guilty for leaving them for a long day at school earlier, I feel even more wretched now that Zach literally fell out of the car on his way to school.  Waaaahhh!

Our First Tic

Argh!!!  Yuck!!  I was helping Gabe in the shower tonight when I noticed right away what looked like a new, dark freckle on his back.  When I went to wipe the freckle (hoping that it was a black fuzz), the freckle didn't move.  And then when I touched the freckle, I knew it was a tick.  Argh!!  And Jason's in China!!

Of course, I ran to my bathroom, got the tweezers, and pulled the thing out (it had just started to burrow, so it was a bit hard to get out and then left a red mark on the Bub's back).  Luckily, Gabe said that it didn't hurt (and I think he actually liked being the first boy in the family to get a tic).  I'm very proud of how Gabe handled himself with the tic.

We went for a walk in the woods today with our friends, so it shouldn't surprise me about the tic.  Oh, how I loathe tics.  Yuck!!

He's Got The Whole World In His Hands

We've been listening to a CD with the song, He's Got the Whole World In His Hands, on it.  Being the super smart little guy that he is, Gabe knew right away that the"He" about whom they're singing is God.  We've also been reading a book about Earth and what makes day/night.

After listening to this song the other day in the car, Gabe said, "Mom, maybe it's night when God has his hands covering the Earth."  How sweet?

And then today in the car, when the song came on, Zach asked me to skip the song; Gabe immediately chastised him, informing him that the song is about God.

Sweet boys.

The Good Old Days

It only took over three years, but we FINALLY set up Zach's toy Scout (talking stuffed dog toy that the boys sleep with every night) to say his name, his favorite food, etc.

Last week, Zach kept telling me that his Scout was broken, which usually means that he needs new batteries.  This time, Zach meant that his Scout wasn't saying his name.  Poor Bub.  He finally realized this his Scout dog didn't work the way that it should.  You see, setting it up requires getting on the computer and downloading stuff, and I'm pretty intimidated by all of that.

But.  It was super easy, and I did it this morning!  Zach was over the moon.  He held his Scout by the hands and swung him around in circles, slowly dancing to the new music that I'd uploaded.  And then he thanked me several times for "fixing" his Scout.  Thankfully Jason, who leaves for China in a few minutes, got to witness that super cuteness. 

Gabe, of course, wanted his Scout to have new music, too.  So after I uploaded new music for Gabe's Scout, he listened to the new music for a second and then solemnly commented, "I remember the good old days."  When I asked him what he meant (although I kind of knew where things were going), he added sadly, "I remember when Scout used to play the old music."

Funny little guys.

He/Him

Zach's still figuring out gender pronouns, and I'm loving it.  For example, Jason texted me the other day when I was out with Gabe and it read:

"I miss Mama.  I love him."

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This morning, Zach wanted help with something right when I was doing the dishes.  I asked him if Mommy was able to help him right this minute, and he said:

"No.  He's washing the dishes."

Gahhhhhhhh!!!

Teachers

I've been meaning to blog about this.  Zach seems to think that any adult in authority (aside from familiar moms/dads) is a teacher.

We'll be at a store and he'll hear the loudspeaker and say, "what's that teacher saying, Mom?"  Or we'll be in a museum, library, etc. and the workers are all "teachers".  I think it's super cute.

Baby Cutie

When Gabe saw Baby Cody's picture for the first time, he said, "Mom, I think we should call him 'Baby Cutie'."  Honestly, how sweet is he?