I just need a reminder or two...

I just wanted to remind myself that it's aaalllllll worth it. So I'm posting a cute picture of my two sweet boys smiling at the camera at the same time. Tank is sweetly reaching toward the big brother he idolizes, and not getting punched for it. Sunshine is showing off those gorgeous dimples and both boys are CLEAN because they've just had a bath.. their hair is combed.. teeth are brushed.. and it's almost bedtime.

*sigh*

I'll just sit in this moment for awhile I think.

Yeah... that's nice.

The "aaalllllll" that I'm referring to, by the way, isn't just the complaining when his socks don't fit right, or the screaming when he doesn't get what he wants, or the beating up of one another over a stupid toy. I'm trying not to think about that part yet. I'm talking about the one who I will affectionately call "Newbie" until further notice. Sunshine and Tank don't know it yet, but they're in for a little surprise this fall. Bond and I knew about it.. Newbie isn't that kind of surprise, for goodness sake. But, we don't know if Newbie is a boy or a girl.. and we won't until this fall when Newbie is born. So that's why Newbie is the name.

So. The "aaalllllll" is in fact, the pregnancy of course!!!

My body is on strike, or maybe it's working overtime. And it's laughable. I guess this is just what happens when you're baking yet another child.

Pregnancy is funny. Everything takes forever the first time. You're not wearing granny undies two sizes too big until Week 35. But by the third time around, I think someone down there picks up a megaphone around Week 4 and starts pep-talking..

"Okay people!! We're back in baby-bearing business! You know the drill. SPREAD OUT! That's right! Lefts.. a little further please! We don't want to be uneven. Rights.. good good. Let's do this fast people. No point in waiting till the last minute! Pubic bone.. you're gonna bruise a lot sooner this time around.. just hold your ground! Don't give in!"

Luckily....

I have something that first-timers don't have...



Yeah baby... *drool*

I'm just kidding. First-timers can have donuts too. :) They will definitely help your hips widen.. just.. not in the right way.

But what I have that they don't have... is this:

Reminder #1



And Reminder #2



:)

Heck yah. It's definitely aaalllllll worth it!

Model Material

So, tomorrow came like, a week late. I do have another job you know. ;) BUT - Without further ado, HEEEeeeeeeerrrrrrrrre's Tank!!!



He saw me snapping away at Sunshine and totally wanted in on the action. He ran around the couch, stood up straight against it, and promptly said "Cheese!"

*Snap snap!* *Snap!*


Nice smile kid!


Ah... and the posing begins. Now give me a little tongue. Something cute...


No no.. no. That's too much. A little less tongue.


Okay uhm. Better! Yes.. definitely better. Let's uh... let's get away from the tongue thing now.


OH YEAH! THERE we go! Now you got it kid!! Gimme more of that!! Now you're workin' it!!

Hey, Kid... Kid???



I see. You're distracted. Fine.. fine. Watch Thomas. What do I care, anyway?

Fish Face

So Sunshine has had a cough for 6 weeks or so now... he just finished his 2-week run of antibiotics this morning and the cough is still here. We're back on the nebulizer 3 times a day, and the morning and night sessions last FOR-E-VER. I thought I'd show you the many faces of Sunshine during the 20 minute time period he's stuck on the couch "being a fish."


Ah.. he's smiling! That's nice. Thanks for smiling, Dear!


Oh, okay... the TV has caught his attention. He's forgotten that mom has the camera.


Now he's playing with the steam type stuff that comes out of it.




You get that medicine steam, kid!! Catch it!


Uh oh. It's been too long.. we're getting tired of being a fish. We're whining and making other sounds that might earn some empathy. See that white stuff in there? That's foam. That's what happens when you put 2 medicines in there and then shake it around. It also means it's going to take longer to finish the treatment.


Tank looks on with concern...


.. but he's over it quickly. Thomas is WAAAAY more interesting.


And Sunshine turns his worried glance back toward Thomas.. still whimpering.

Before Tank noticed Sunshine in distress, he was posing for me. I'll post about that tomorrow.

Toilet Doom

I have a love-hate relationship with my toilet.

I love my toilet because it's essential to civilized living. I guess a hole in the ground would work too.

It's not the toilet, I guess that I hate so much. It's the water in it.

My children. My sweet, darling, beautiful, perfect children. They really love the toilet water. Not to drink, I don't think. But to "fix" their hair.

I think that's really gross.

I'd shut them out of the bathroom forever. But then I'd be stuck changing diapers forever.

And I think that's really gross too.

So, unfortunately. I'm stuck.

PS - Don't mind my dirty toilet.

Extreme Makeover: Blog Edition

It's time.

I've been wanting to blog for a while now. It wasn't until my friend started her blog using code names, that I realized I can spill my thoughts online for friends and family to read and keep my identity safe from... whoever's out there to get me.. too.

In all reality, I think I'm pretty invisible anyway. But you'll be seeing some changes over the next few days. Weeks. However long it takes me to get it the way I like it. :)
I'll be going through my previous posts (all like.. 20 of them) and erasing our real names etc.

Hope you enjoy the process!

MTA: Oh, and by the way.. I'm not completely happy with some of the blog-names on here. So, I might be changing those... like.. when the right name pops up. I had a horrible time naming Tank.. I renamed him like.. 3 or 4 times while he was in-utero. Thank goodness I found The Name before he was born!!

Conversations with an Almost-4-Year-Old

I had a really good conversation with Sunshine today.
Just after 8pm I went downstairs where the kids had been watching Blues Clues.. (I know, I'm such a good mom, letting Blue and Steve or Joe babysit my babies.. and borrowing more videos from the library than books. You can chastise me later.. or maybe this makes up for it a little bit.)

So anyway.

Sunshine was mad because it was bedtime and he wanted to watch Blue. He complained all the way upstairs, while his younger sibling Tank was happy as a clam. By the way, it makes no sense to me why a 2-year-old would be any happier about going to bed than an almost 4-year-old.. but.. whatever. I don't make the rules. Well.. actually I do.. but not those rules. Those rules are made by 2-year-olds and almost-4-year-olds.. and I used to be them.. but I'm not now.. so I'm sure the rules have changed.

So. Anyway.

Sunshine was complaining that he didn't want to go to bed.. moping all the way to his room. Once he finished going potty he climbed into bed and said..

"I don't want to talk about God."

"What?"

"I don't want to talk about God," he repeated.

"Why not?"

"I want God to leave my heart."

I finished tucking Tank in and went over to Sunshine's bed and sat down. "Now why would you want that?"

"So He can't see me anymore."

"Oh, well.. God will see you no matter where He is."

"He will?"

"Yup."

"Why?" 'Why' has been the question word of the day today. I'm guessing it will continue to be the question word of the day for a long time. But at least this time I had a decent answer for it.

"Because God loves you."

"He does?"

"Yup. You know how I love you very very much?"

"Uh huh."

"Well, God loves you even more."

"Why?"

"Because He made you!"

"He did?!" Sunshine's face lit up and he smiled. His whole mood changed.

"Yes He did!"

"Jesus loves me too!"

"Yes!" I agreed.

"But Judas is a bad guy and he's going to get me." We talked a little bit about how Jesus died last week.. reading out of our kids storybook bible. One of the stories was about how Judas betrayed Jesus. So now Sunshine is talking a lot about how Judas is a bad guy.

And I said, "No, he's not. Judas can't get you."

"Why not?"

"Because God's in your heart. And God protects you."

"Oh. And Jesus protects me too!"

"That's right!"

"I love you Mom." ... *heart melts*

"I love you too, Sunshine. Night night."

"Goodnight Mom!"