Gymnastics

Carter flipping around the house again prompted me to say, "That's it Carter your mom is going to sign you up for gymnastics."

"I can't do that mom." Carter said

Mom replies, "Why on earth not?"

"Because gymnastics is only for girls, that is what my friends told me."

"Your friend's are very wrong, go up and shower and then I have some videos to show you."

While he was showering I had pulled up about 10 minutes of YouTube videos on Men's gymnastics. Carter was amazed!! Literally had his mouth hanging open.

Mom then asks, "Carter do you still think that gymnastics is only for girls?"

"NO WAY MOM, thanks for showing me these!"

Then he went upstairs and spent the next 15 minutes doing this. He balances himself for about 5-10 seconds and then would flip over and somersault onto the couch.

I have called the center and we will be starting gymnastics ASAP.

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Time flies when your having fun!

Mason had one of his nights of no sleep last week. Obviously at some point I crash and he has free reign. The gate no longer holds him, he screams all night if I just leave him in his bed, I'm at a loss as to how to take care of this problem of our's. You may be wondering what this picture has to do with Mason's night.
In the morning I came downstairs to find that Mason had done a bit of work on the computer. I normally shut it down before I go to bed, but with Mason waking early I didn't get a chance to finish my nightly routines. Mason had put this picture up on the desktop and I have really loved it all week long. This is Brennan in moldy house when he was 2 weeks old. Carter took this picture without us knowing he was doing it. We found it on his camera disc about 2 months later. I just love this picture so much and I know it never got on here. So here is Brennan when he was I think Brennan and not Hunter or Alma or Thurston or one of the many other names he was given in the beginning.
I can't believe this little baby is going to be two years old in a few months time. That is crazy to me!!

"I'll do it myself!"

Taylor came and got me from upstairs to get her breakfast and when I got downstairs she already had all of this at the table. She just didn't want to pour the milk or juice. This little monkey does this every morning now and loves to do it herself!

Painting

I would love to claim that I am a fabulous mother who went all out for St. Patty's day and that is why there is green paint everywhere. However, that is not the case, we only had green paint left to use. I forced Brennan's hand in that paint and after his shock of slime and gross touching him he loved it.

I didn't need to suggest to Taylor more than once that making handprints might be fun. She loves painting!

Just some thoughts...

This was on Saturday. I told Carter I got to sleep until 8:00am. He went to work making me and Taylor some breakfast and had it waiting for us at the bottom of the stairs. Moments like this one keep you sane for when he is punching someone for standing to close to him.

Taylor was quite pleased that Carter even thought of her for a special breakfast.

Brennan is perched on the couch watching Carter play a Curious George number game. He loves sitting up there and cheers loudly every time Carter does something great. A true supporter of his big brother.

I decided that Mike should finally get his wish and have a picture of me on here. That is about as good as it gets with my short arms trying to take a picture. Brennan now says, "cheese" when he sees the camera.

This was as Brennan was sitting on the couch and I just had a moment of appreciation for tiny feet. Eventually they will become boy/man feet and won't be cute any more. I'm not saying my feet are cute, in fact quite the opposite. However, I just know that this little foot is going to go to so many places, carry him to see so many things, sit him down for lessons of life and lessons in school. This foot is a beautiful creation and I am grateful for it. I am grateful that I was blessed with it in my life.

This week has been hard. Not something major and stressful hard, but small things adding up to make my shoulders heavy, my burden great, and my sanity small. I yelled when I should have remained quiet, I thought the worse of myself over things that I had no control. Most of all, I just felt useless and powerless in things of my life that I would love to take control of. I feel like I should be finding joy in so many things, and I am blind to them right now. These little feet helped me to recongnize that it is okay that I keep forgetting to write people back. It is okay that I can't return a phone call 50% of the time. It is also okay to feel tired and done with the stuff. However, it is not okay to remain that way. Our feet can carry us away from our own burdens and stresses and sometimes we won't need them at all, because we will be carried.

For the love of Chess....

Carter's newest favorite thing. We are learning Chess...and he is good. I'm not great, but for him to compete with me, I think that is pretty good. I don't help him anymore or I'll lose. Fine, he beat me this morning. First game that he has done that. Did I mention we have only played 3 times?

Little Man(again)

Brennan was out in the sunshine today setting up his own little game. He was hard at work and walked up and down his ramp for about 10 minutes before deciding he was done.

Then it was time for dinner. As soon as I was shouting for everyone to come down for dinner Brennan was coming with plates in hand. He set up his plates and climbed up in his chair.

Ink Cartridge anyone??

This is what occurs when Amazon can't ship something to us. Grandpa Mason had an assignment to send us our ink cartridge that wouldn't ship to our address. Well, I think Grandpa had a sweet tooth. That is an Open Imaging Frisbee around Brennan's neck. Chocolate, which is a word that Brennan learned to say perfectly after this day.

Seriously, don't even know what to say about this loot that was sent. Thanks for the ink cartridges and he did warn me not to open this in front of the children.

Random

Oh Taylor. She loves to write, loves to write EVERYWHERE!!! I magic erased 10 Toooooo's(this is how she writes her name) on our walls just downstairs. I will have to go the store and buy more Mr. Clean Magic to remove the upstairs autographs.

Carter has been getting up extremely early most mornings and finds things to do to entertain himself. The other morning he was up and getting some putting in for the day. He was just keeping Dad's golf clubs warm I guess.

What am I thinking???

Mike has been working on his degree and he is doing so great. I loved school, was coveting his going to school and wanted that for myself. I went so far as to study his books just for the fun of it and would sit there while he wrote his posts and did his thing. I would interject my opinion in what he was doing and get so excited for him. After coming up with every excuse of why I could not go to school, I ran out of reasons. So, finally doing the thing that I should have done years ago, I have started my first class in college.( I know, I know, people I have done everything in my own time why not this as well) It is going to be a long road and especially with the kids and everything else. However, I am so excited!! I am thrilled to do something I want to do and have wanted to for 10 years. I am studying Psychology and couldn't be more pleased.