Scrappy-Doo

Ed has started calling Seth "Scrappy-Doo." It's an apt nickname, as we got to feel the wrath of Seth all weekend--always ready for a fight! His personality is coming out in full force. It's partly humorous but mostly terrifying. I'm going to have to learn how to deal with a very headstrong child. He wants what he wants when he wants it. He throws fits, kicks me when I change his diaper, and his latest move--he's hitting.

It's very deliberate, and very defiant, and it cracks me up. At the pool today, he got mad at me for not letting him take the cover off the filter. He kicked his feet and dropped to the ground, and then he got up and walked to the fence and hit the fence. At least it wasn't me! At dinner time, I wouldn't let him sit on my lap while I ate, so he threw a fit and then walked over to William and tried to hit William. But William wasn't paying any attention to him, so then he came back to me and tried to hit me. For now, if he hits, I tell him "No hitting. Hitting hurts." And I make him sit down. I don't know how effective this is. He tried to hit Ed earlier today, and Ed put him in his crib for a minute. Such a temper!

He's also "Scrappy" because he looks like he's gone 10 rounds in a prize fight. He has a scrape on his head, an almost-black eye, and various bruises. I think I've said this before, but he has absolutely no sense of his own limitations.

It hasn't occurred to him that he can't walk downstairs or stand up on chairs or climb onto tables. He's a tough cookie.

Despite the battles we fought with Scrappy, we had a great weekend. I remained productive--finishing laundry, mopping the kitchen floor, cleaning bathroom sinks and toilets, vacuuming the basement, and grocery shopping. In between, we played inside, played outside, and took the boys in their new wagon to the school playground.

William had a crazy busy day today. This morning, I took both boys to the grocery store, Then Ed took William with him to change the oil in the minivan. Then I took both boys shopping with me to Ann Taylor Loft. (I must be insane for taking both boys when I needed to try on clothes!) I'm sure the employees and other shoppers were giving me evil looks, but I could not have cared less. I let Seth out of the stroller in the dressing room to get him to stop shrieking. I realize it was a big mistake as I was half dressed and he and William crawled out from under the door and started peeking under other doors. The saleswoman was not amused. I was! (Well, maybe she was slightly amused!) Anyway, I digress. I got my shirt and pants and got the heck out of there. I treated the boys to some icecream that they got to eat by an outdoor water fountain in the plaza by the store. They both ran around to their hearts content, getting ice cream all over them. And they both fell asleep on the way home. After we got home, Ed took William to the fishing pond in his wagon while Seth finished his nap. And when they got back, I took both boys swimming (by myself!). I don't know how we managed to cram so much into the day, but it was worth it.

This week will be busy--getting myself ready for Girls' Weekend '09 (can't wait!!!) and the boys ready for their weekend with Daddy at Grandma and Grandpa's. I'm glad we had a great weekend. Although I'm really looking forward to getting away, I hate missing weekends with the kids. I have so little time with them as it is. But ultimately, it's good for everyone to get away every once in a while. I just wish I could have a few days with the boys when I get back, to make up for it.

Finished for Friday

I've been wanting to participate in Finished for Friday (hosted by Lit and Laundry) for a while now, but since I'm not very, how shall we say, organized, this post has been eluding me. But here it is! I actually accomplished a few things this week!

1. Wrote and delivered thank-you notes for William's birthday presents. At first, I got William to do a few with me, so I wrote them from his perspective. ("Dear Walter, Thank you for the books. I love Clifford and Thomas, and Mommy read them to me at bedtime. Thank you for coming to my birthday party. Love, William.) He mostly dictated his sentiments. I took a bit of liberty with the phrasing. But after the second note, he lost interest. So I continued writing the notes from his perspective, even though it felt weird. But the point is, they're done!

2. Returned library books ON TIME!!!! This is huge for me. I'm missing the gene that helps people return things in a timely manner. (Never lend me anything--unless it's okay if you never see it again!) So remembering to get the books back, and actually doing it, are big accomplishments.

3. Stuck with the menu plan this week. I forgot to thaw the chicken breasts for tonight's dinner, but I have frozen chicken tenders that thaw quickly, and I can use those instead. This week we had steak, asparagus, and diced potatoes (carried over from last week); salmon and corn on the cobb; turkey enchiladas (kids didn't like them, and neither did Ed); leftovers (kids had mac-n-cheese and broccoli); and tonight I'll make the chicken tenders and some frozen veggie and dinner rolls.

4. Brought lunch to work every day for two weeks! Last week, I made the hamburger cheese noodle bake for dinner on Monday, and then ate the leftovers for lunch every day that week. I was very tired of it by Friday, but I didn't buy lunch at all! This week, I've been eating leftover enchiladas. Again--not very interesting. But nothing went to waste, and I didn't buy lunch all week.

5. Bought train tickets to New York City for 4th of July weekend. I'm so excited about this trip! We're going to see friends who live in Westchester County. This is one of my closest girlfriends, whom I have known since we were 11! She has a five-year-old son and a six-month-old daughter (whom I have never met), and William is going to love riding the train and seeing JE. And I can't wait to see their new house and spend time with them. Yay for summer plans!

6. Also started looking into a possible beach weekend for the family in September. This may or may not happen, but I know the kids will love it if we can swing it. (And so will I!)

7. I actually made progress on the book I've been trying to read: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. I like it, but it's a little too preachy. Maybe that's not fair. She definitely inspires me to buy local and consider what's in season. I looked into a local CSA, but they're very popular in our area, and the ones that deliver directly to your door are already sold out this season and have wait lists for next season. And anyway, I'm sure that so much of it would go to waste in our house. We're not huge vegetable eaters, and I don't think it's realistic to think I'll come up with 5 or 10 recipes for unique ways to make kale or rhubarb, or other out-of-the norm veggies. It's definitely something I'll consider for the future, though. I'd also like to look into buying free-range beef, pork and chicken. But since we don't have an extra freezer right now, that will have to be put off, too. I will, however, make it a point to visit our local farmer's market that sets up on Friday afternoons near my house. It closes at 7:00, which means we'll have to go on our way home from work, which will set us back a bit in the way of a schedule. But some things are worth being flexible for.

So those are my accomplishments for the week. Not bad! I can't say that I'll participate in Finsihed for Friday every Friday, but it feels really good to finally get one in!

Overheard

I want to remember all of the cute things that William mispronounces at this age. I think I already mentioned the "gazebra" instead of "gazebo." This morning, when we walked outside, William said, "Why is it froggy, Mommy?" I laughed as I corrected him, "You mean foggy, William?" I kind of like froggy mornings. Don't you?

Edited to add:

Exhaust is "ka-zaust"
Ignition is "ga-nition" or "re-mition"

Birthday Party Redux

William had a fantastic time at his birthday party. It all went down as planned, and even ended right on time. My mom and MIL and FIL were all Godsends--such a huge help before and during the event. My mom had bought several different toy tractors, and the Little People farm, so we used those as centerpieces on the tables, which was brilliant because the kids played with them throughout the party. We had plenty of drinks and plenty of food. The pizza arrived right on time, and it was excellent. My mom had cut up watermelon and cantaloupe for an awesome fruit salad. My FIL helped set up the tables and chairs in the party room, and then helped break them down when the party was over. My MIL helped watch the boys while we set things up and cleaned up afterwards. And I think most of the families enjoyed the farm. There were lots of babies--calfs, lambs, piglets--and the weather was great.

I didn't get any pictures of William or the other kids on the farm, unfortunately. But Ed did a good job with the camera when we went inside for pizza and cake. So here are the pictures!

The cake:


The cupcakes:
The party:
Singing Happy Birthday:
Enjoying cake:

Of course, like any party, I didn't get to spend as much time with all the guests as I would have liked. But that's par for the course, I guess. All in all, it was a huge success, and William loved it, which was the best part of all.

Party Time

Thanks for all of your comments yesterday. It's nice to know everyone's been there (more or less!). We had a very nice evening, so the day ended positively. Ed got home a little early, we ate dinner outside on the deck, and both boys were in bed by 8:00. Once Seth was down, and William and Ed were happily reading books in William's bed, ("No Daddy--lie down! Lie down right here!") I took off for some late-night errands. William's birthday party is on Saturday, so nothing like waiting until the last minute to get prepared!

Luckily, my mom is coming (my saving grace when it comes to any party planning) and she managed to find John Deere party supplies (plates, napkins, tablecloths) at a party store near her. We're having his party at a local working farm, so the John Deere tractor theme is definitely in order. My mantra for this party, however, has been to keep things simple. It's difficult for my mom to keep things simple though--she's a party planner extraordinaire. She'll tell you it's easy, or no trouble, but she'll offer every kind of beverage under the sun, and she'll get cans and cups and ice--just to please everyone, because, you know, some people don't like drinking out of cans and prefer ice with their drinks. And she'll include five different sides, and appetizers, too, and at least three or four sweets (in addition to the birthday cake!). And we haven't even gotten into the decorating. We're talking centerpieces and flowers and tablecloths. "No trouble at all!" Her parties are awesome, though, and it's hard for me not to plan in the same way. BUT--it stresses me out, and I don't want to be stressed out. Simple is better--simple is better--simple is better.

Sooooo . . .

The party starts at 10:00 a.m., and when kids arrive, we have snack-size bags of goldfish for them and water/juice. From there, it's free time on the farm until 11:30, and then we'll all take a hayride (pulled by an old-fashioned tractor). Following the hayride, we head to the party room for lunch and cake. We're ordering pizza for lunch, which will be delivered directly to the party room. We're bringing watermelon as a side (maybe a melon medley, if my mom has her way), and there will be cake for dessert. For drinks I bought bottled water, Capri Suns 100% juice for the kids, and cans of coke and lemonade for the adults. We'll cool the drinks in a cooler of ice the morning of the party, so they'll be nice and cold for everyone. (No cups, no ice for drinks, no pouring anything.) For decorations, we'll get balloons, and we have tablecloths for the tables. My mom mentioned something about bales of hay and tractors for decorations, so I'm leaving that up to her. I'm making a tractor cake and cupcakes, and after cake, everyone goes home with their party favors. The favors are a green bag with one John Deere fruit snack, a small playdough, and a small thing of bubbles.

Simple enough for you? I got a lot done last night--have all the drinks, the stuff for party favors, the gold fish snacks, and the cake supplies. My mom has the plates, napkins, and tablecloths. Tonight I'll make the cake and cupcakes, to be iced tomorrow night. And tonight I'll go to the grocery store and get a watermelon and maybe a cantaloupe and honeydew. On Friday evening, I'll ice the cake and cupcakes and the plan is for William and Ed to stuff the goody bags. On Saturday morning, we'll have to pick up ice and the balloons.

So that's the plan. When I booked William's party for Memorial Day weekend, I really hesitated, because I figured most of his friends would be out of town. But the farm wasn't available any other weekend, so I went ahead with it. I figured if he had 6 or 7 friends come, that would be a success. Well, there are 12 kids coming, and 17 adults! The weather is supposed to be great--maybe a little on the hot side, but that's okay. Anything's better than rain! The farm is a little bit out-of-the-way, and not many people know about it, so I'm hoping that families will enjoy the chance to do something new and family-oriented. We welcomed siblings, so I think families appreciate that.

I'm kicking myself right now for not thinking to hire a photographer for the day (like Laura did for her twins' party--brilliant!). My mom and MIL and FIL will all be there, but none of them are great with a camera. But hopefully, we'll get some great pictures anyway. So stay tuned!

Deep Breaths

This morning as I drove to work, I had to take a lot of deep, calming breaths. There wasn't any specific incident that precipitated my angst. But the stress of the morning rush just got to me.

Of course, it didn't help that Seth is teething and woke up at 4:45 and didn't go back down for half an hour. And then when he woke up for the day, he spent the whole morning either whining, or clinging to me, or screeching. And instead of feeling empathy or sympathy for him, I was feeling angry and resentful. (Poor Seth!)

And it didn't help that I woke up late, and that I hadn't done much prep work the night before (because Ed didn't get home until 10 p.m.) which meant that I was running around trying to get breakfast prepared and sippy cups ready and my lunch together.

And it didn't help that I was also trying to feed Seth a yogurt drink because I'm out of regular yogurt but I want him to have yogurt because of the thrush, but all he wanted to do was play with the straw (which also made me angry and resentful, which then made me feel bad for feeling that way).

And it didn't help that Ed was just standing around waiting for me because when I get to a certain stress level, I'm incapable of delegating and even though you'd think he'd know by now what needs to be done in the morning, he doesn't do anything unless I ask him to.

And it didn't help that William discovered his portfolio from school, which I brought home last night to look over before our parent-teacher conference today, and spent the whole morning pouring over the pictures and calling out, "Hey look! I'm playing blocks with Annika!" "Mommy, look at me! I was holding marshmallows!" "Hey Mommy! There's you!" I wanted to sit down and look at the portfolio with him, because he was having such a good time remembering and seeing himself and his friends. I felt like that was a lost moment--something I could have shared with him.

So by the time I got in the car with both boys buckled in (Ed finally got to do his usual part in the morning routine by putting my things in the car and getting William's shoes on and getting William in his car seat) and the sippy cups and William's breakfast in their proper places, deep, calming breaths were definitely in order. I hate feeling stressed by a routine that we perform every single day. And I hate feeling stressed when I know there are ways to make it go smoother--from preparing more the night before, being able to delegate to Ed, or getting him to take over more responsibilities (before you get all down on Ed, I'm a bit of a control freak and I don't like the way he performs certain tasks, so that's something I clearly need to get over!), and practicing "serenity now" in the heat of the moment.

Mostly, it makes me feel bad because it becomes so clear to me that I am not good at remaining even-keeled. I lose my temper so easily, and I throw mini-temper tantrums that are so completely uncalled for. It's so embarassing. And the worst part is that my kids witness it all. I hate even admitting this, but this is what motherhood has brought out in me. Before kids, I thought I was a pretty laid-back person. I hardly ever felt stressed about anything. Since I've had kids, though, the high-strung part of my personality has come out in full force! But what I need to remember is that when I'm making a very conscience effort to remain calm, it works. Deep breaths work. Taking one minute to think about how much I love my kids and my husband helps put everythign in perspective. And thinking about what behavior I want to model for my kids can put me to shame and straighten me up right away. Maybe this "confession" will help keep me on the right path, and the part of me that knows better will take over when the other part of me loses control. I hate that part of me--I really do.

Weekend Report--and Menu Plan Monday

We had a really good weekend. We managed to get a lot done, while also spending lots of quality time together--the ideal combination when you're a WOTH mom!

Saturday morning didn't start off so great. After changing the light bulb in my closet, I was trying to reattach the glass cover with these tiny little screws, but apparently, I didn't screw in it correctly and glass cover fell and hit the shelf coming down and shattered into a million pieces. On top of that, I had to take Seth to the doctor because it looked like he had thrush. Ed cleaned up my closet while I got the boys dressed. Then I took Seth to the doctor (and sure enough, he has thrush! How the heck he got it, I have no idea, but such is life.) Meanwhile, Ed took William to Home Depot. Seth napped when we got back from the doctor, so I had time to clean bathrooms and start laundry. Fortunately, the day was looking up.

After lunch, William was not the least bit tired (even though I enforced a 30-minute "quiet time" on him, thinking he'd fall asleep), so Ed took him fishing. I played with Seth and did more laundry and cleaning. When Ed and William got home, Ed cut the grass while I played with the boys outside. After Seth went down for his afternoon nap, William and I played and went to the playground. We met some neighbors there, and one of the kids had a stomp rocket. William had a blast taking turns with the little girl and riding his tricycle around. When Seth woke up, he and Ed came out, and by then, even more neighbors had joined us. The kids played and the grownups talked. We are definitely loving the new neighborhood! On a whim, we decided to go out to eat for dinner. By the time we got back, it was time for nebulizer, bath, books, and bed.

On Sunday morning, I took both boys to the grocery store. Seth fell asleep on the way home and went down for his morning nap. I let William watch videos while I put away groceries, cleaned out the fridge, and cleaned up the kitchen. At 10:30, my friend and her daughter came over for a play date. Katherine is almost 3 and enjoyed playing with William's toys. She was not a big fan of Seth getting all up in her business (she's an only child so far), but she did pretty well. At one point, my friend and I were laughing at some pretty stereotypical role-playing going on. Katherine was inside the playhouse vacuuming, while William had climbed on top of the playhouse and was "fixing the roof" with his power drill. It was pretty funny. After lunch (during which Seth and Katherine ate while William didn't), Katherine and her mom left, and Ed and I decided to take the boys to Gravelly Point to watch the airplanes take off and land at the airport. (Gravelly point is a park on the river, right next to National Airport.) On our way there, both boys fell asleep, so we drove to a nearby deli so Ed could get something to eat, and then went to the park. The boys finally woke up and we enjoyed watching the planes. Unfortunately, it was freezing by the water, so we didn't stay for very long. But it was still fun!

When we got back, William played on his own for about two hours (with everything centered on airplanes, of course!), while Seth alternated between playing with toys and with Ed and me. Meanwhile, I simultaneously made two dinners--one for last night and one for tonight. Woo-hoo for planning ahead! On Saturday night, I spent a lot of time working out this week's menu plan, so I'm hoping we'll have a good week of eating. I've been really bad over the past month in terms of making real dinners and lunch for myself. Ed and I have been doing a lot of scavenging for dinner (I've eaten a lot of cereal!) while the boys have eaten a lot of macaroni and cheese, chicken nuggets, meatballs, and pasta.

So here is this week's menu, including last night:

Sunday:

• Baked chicken tenders (I dredge the tenders in flour mixed with Ranch dressing seasoning, then dip in egg, and then in seasoned bread crumbs.)
• Green Beans
• Stove Top stuffing
  

Monday:

• Beef, Cheese, and Noodle Bake (made with ground turkey breast, instead of beef)
• Salad
• Dinner rolls

Tuesday:

• Garlic Herbed Tilapia Filets (I'm using McCormick's garlic herb seasoning)
  
• Asparagus
• Rice

Wednesday:

• Sirloin steaks (marinated in something--don't know what yet)
  
• corn on the cob
• salad (broccoli for the kids)
• dinner rolls

Thursday:

• Pizza (homemade, using TJ's pizza dough)
  

Friday:

• Spaghetti with Angel Hair pasta
• garlic bread

I'm hoping we can stick to this plan all week. And I'm hoping these are all things that everyone will eat. (Even though Ed doesn't like pasta all that much. Sorry Ed!) I hope to do the spaghetti sauce in the crock pot for Friday, and if the weather is nice on Wednesday, I'll grill the steaks. I might switch up Wednesday and Friday, but we'll see. I'm trying to cut back on the red meat a bit--limit it to two or three times a week max, which is hard for my meat-loving boys. Neither Ed nor William likes casseroles, which makes it difficult when I'm trying to come up with dinners that I can make ahead of time and that require little prep time. And there aren't a lot of things I've cooked in the crock pot that both Ed and William enjoy. We'll see how it goes! It's so tantalizing to see how close we are to eating real family meals together. There are very few things Seth can't eat--yay for that!

So that's it for the weekend round-up. This weekend coming up is William's birthday party. We're having it on Saturday at a local working farm, so hopefully the weather will be nice. I haven't gotten anything ready, so this week will involve some late-night trips to Target and the party store. I probably should have spent some time this past weekend preparing, but then the weekend might not have been nearly as relaxing! And in the end, it will all get done.

Bottle Free!

Two nights ago, I used the last bottle liner for Seth's morning bottle. He's been bottle-free at daycare for at least a month, but I've still been giving him a bottle before bed and in the morning, and on the weekends, I've been giving him a bottle before naps. When I used the last bottle liner, however, I decided not to buy anymore. So last night before bed, I made a sippy cup of formula mixed with milk, and Seth didn't complain one bit. He didn't drink much, but he went right to sleep, as usual. This morning, I made another sippy cup when he woke up, and he drank the whole thing without stopping--no complaints at all. And again tonight before bed, he drank his sippy cup without batting an eye. Woo-hoo! Bye-bye bottles!

I'm hoping, too, that I'm on my last container of formula. I've been mixing milk with his formula, and he seems to be handling it fine. Next week I'll up the milk a bit more, and see how it goes. I'm giddy at the prospect--no more bottles AND no more formula! This means we're even closer to-- *gasp!*--no more diapers! Okay--I'm getting a little ahead of myself. But we're definitely making progress. I washed all the bottles tonight for the last time. Praise be!

Of course, I'm lucky that Seth never developed an attachment to his bottles. His pacifier, though? That's a different story. I think he's getting more attached as he gets older. But I'm not worried. I have no problems with the pacifier--other than keeping track of them! I imagine we'll wean from the pacifier the same way it happened with William--just kind of on accident. All of our "weaning" milestones have happened that way--nursing, bottles, pacifiers, even sleeping to some extent. Well, maybe not by accident, but without any purposeful plan or agenda. I never forced the issue--it just kind of happened. And in hindsight, it happened when everyone was ready. I'm generally a nonconfrontational person, so that's probably why it worked well for me. I assume that had I ever gotten to the point where I couldn't stand something anymore, I would have forced the issue. But maybe not. Regardless, I'm glad things have worked out the way they have.

And speaking of milestones, we're getting closer to potty training with William! Several times in recent days, he's told me that he wants to poop on the potty, but then he chickens out when we actually get to the potty. But that's okay--it's progress! And this morning, he woke up dry and peed in the potty when he got up. That's a first. He often tells me when he's peeing in his diaper, too. All good signs. We might try underwear this weekend and see what happens. I have hope that he'll have his "breakthrough" soon. But of course, I'm not pushing it! (It isn't my nature.)

Happy 3rd Birthday William!

Dear William,

You turned 3 today and my heart is so full of love for you. I think the day was a bit anticlimactic for you, but even at 3, you don't expect much. We almost didn't light the candles and sing "Happy Birthday" tonight, simply because time got away from us and it was getting late. But just before we were ready to read stories, you asked, "Can we light the candles and sing 'Happy Berfday'?" So we headed back downstairs and lit the candles and sang "Happy Berfday" to you. I cut a piece of chocolate cake for you, but you decided you didn't really want it. Maybe tomorrow night!

You caught a cold which turned into wheezing, so you spent the morning with Mommy, taking a trip to see the doctor. You're fine--we just have to work in some extra nebulizer treatments--but to tell you the truth, I'm glad we got that little bit of extra time together, just you and me. Even though you haven't been feeling well, you're still your same sweet, happy self. You were so good for the doctor, as you always are. You're never scared and never shy at the doctor's office. I love that about you.

I love so much about you! You're developing a great sense of humor. Whenever you accidentally hurt yourself or knock something over, you say, "I shouldn't have done that!" You're mimicking Dave from your Real Wheel videos, but I love that you get it--that your delivery is spot on!

I love how you're developing empathy for others, and I love how considerate you are. You are so sweet with Seth (most of the time!) and I can see that you genuinely love him. And I love how you play with your friends, and how you want them to be happy and have a good time.

I love how observant you are. You never miss anything! You ask questions all the time, and I hope you'll always be this way--always wanting to know more, and always reinforcing what you already know.

And I love how you still love trucks and construction equipment and vehicles of all kinds.

You are becoming so independent and so much of a kid now. It almost breaks my heart--almost. Mostly, though, it fills me with pride to see you learn new things, to take joy in learning and experiencing and being, to see you becoming the person that you are.

There is so much that Daddy and I want to give you--confidence, patience, knowledge, strength, peace--but the best we can do is love you with all of our hearts, and we do. You are an amazing little person, and we promise to do our best to nurture you and help you and guide you. Every day, our job gets harder. But every day, our love grows deeper. We are so lucky to have you. I hope you had a wonderful birthday and that you fell asleep feeling secure and happy and loved. I wish that for you every night of your life!

All my love, forever and ever,
Mommy

Two Weeks? It's Been Two Weeks?

I'm not sure how I let two weeks slip by without posting. I know I've been trying to catch up on Lost episodes, and Ed's been trying to figure out why we can't get our wireless router to work, and there have been a lot of nights where I've just been too tired. But two freakin' weeks?

Well, I guess this will be a catch-up post. Here are some of the things we've done over the past two weeks.

• Seth caught a mysterious rash that had no symptoms other than the rash, but it was a virus, and several other kids in the infant room caught it, and some doctors thought it might be a mild strain of coxsackie. Our pediatrician said it wasn't coxsackie, and okayed Seth to return to school right away, but since other doctors suggested the kids stay home for several days, or until the rash went away, you can imagine the brouhaha that it turned into. William caught the rash several days later, so we kept him home Wednesday through Friday.


• I lost my iPhone somewhere between the doctor's office, Subway, and the library. I've been absolutely sick about it, and frustrated that Apple and AT&T don't have a system for making a lost or stolen iPhone unusable by anyone else. They all have serial numbers, so when I call and report my phone lost or stolen, if someone else then tries to activate that phone, why can't they say, "That phone was reported lost or stolen. Please turn it in to the nearest Apple or AT&T store." Even if people don't turn it in, the incentive for stealing one or not turning in a found phone would be nil. Anyway, life without the iPhone sucks!
  


• We went to a "Truck Touch" this past weekend. There were all kinds of vehicles there that kids could sit in and touch and explore, including a fire truck, school bus, police car, front loader, dump truck, garbage truck, UPS truck, pickup truck, motorcycle, and mail truck. William had a ball, and Seth loved the live music.
  
• Seth has turned into a toddler, with all the attitude that that entails. He is very headstrong and wants what he wants when he wants it. He can pitch a mean fit! His latest battle is the car seat. He stiffens up and has a good cry every time I put him in it. Fortunately, his bark is much louder than his bite, and he seems to get over things very quickly. I hope that will always be the case! He's trying really hard to talk, and he's managing to communicate quite well. At daycare, all the kids have to sit down when they drink their milk or eat snack. So if Seth sees something he wants to eat or drink, he'll just sit down. Today we were playing with some neighbors and the little girl had a cracker. Seth saw the cracker and walked over to her and sat down. It was so cute! At the truck touch, he saw someone's sippy cup and he sat right down. Too funny.


• William celebrated his birthday a few days early with the family on Mother's Day. He got this from his grandparents--what an awesome gift!
• Speaking of Mother's Day, I had a fabulous day, spent with the three boys that I love most in this world. We went to Ed's parents and spent the day with family. The boys had a great time and were completely worn out by the time we got home. I had told Ed that I didn't want any gift (and I really didn't), but being the wonderful husband that he is, he got me a new iPhone. I have never felt so underserving of a gift in my entire life. But the sweetest thing he did wasn't the gift itself--it was the fact that he never once got mad at me for losing the phone. He never said, "I knew you were going to lose it," he never called me irresponsible, he never made me feel bad. What a great husband.

Wednesday is William's birthday. I'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around the fact that my first baby is three. He is such a great kid. Today he told Seth that he loved him, and it just about melted my heart. He is sweet and thoughtful and kind and just wants to play and play and play. I love watching his personality unfold and I love being his mother. More to come on Wednesday. I feel like I have so much more to blog about, but this will do for now. Although I took another unintended blogging break, this time it wasn't because I was stressed or overwhelmed or barely surviving, so that's a very good thing. I guess we're in an okay place right now, so for that, I'm thankful!