Tag Archives: siblings

faith, food, mommyhood, random thoughts, siblings

Currently

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Hey, Monday! I can’t believe you’re here again… especially since you started with a bang before 7am – yikes! An early rising baby makes for an early morning workout, so I feel like I’ve had my entire day already and it’s just afternoon.

Anyway, I’m linking up with Becky at Choose Happy like I do every week. Join us! Comment with what you’re up to! I really do want to know. 

As for me, I’m…

Drinking || a fancy new drink that Hubby and I adapted from a old summer favorite. A salty dog, typically grapefruit juice and gin or vodka (I’m a gin gal) and a salted rim, is a wonderfully refreshing summer cocktail. I’ve never much cared about a salted rim, but I dig the gin and grapefruit juice combo. So this summer, to take it to the next level, Hubby and I have been muddling fresh basil (from our garden, so we have an endless supply) into the freshly-squeezed juice, and adding a little sparkling water for a nice bubbly finish. It needs a name; any suggestions?!

Watching || the blossoming friendship between my eldest two babes. They still henpeck each other and fight over toys, but they’re getting kinder and better at playing together. And I’m all over here like, “It’s happening! It’s finally happening! They’re friends!”

They really like making that face right now.

Enjoying || time where EK spent her weekend at the lake with her grandparents, and Hubby and I treated the boys on their own all weekend! EK had a blast with her grandparents and two of her girl cousins, and Hubby and I had a nice, easy time with the boys. An all-around success!

an obvious first stop: GELATO!

Celebrating || another baby boy in our friend group! I attended a sweet shower on Saturday, and also got some snuggles with my baby niece while I was at it!

Mourning || the senseless loss of lives in Orlando. I’ve been pointedly silent about it, because I just don’t have a constructive thing to say yet. But I will say this: love wins. When there is a tragedy like this, more hate is not the response. No, we can’t get back the fallen. But we can love their loved ones, and even harder, love the enemy. We don’t have to place blame or name any enemies to start loving on one and all. 

How do you feel?

What’s your summer shaping up to be?

mommyhood, siblings, things toddlers say

Things Toddlers Say

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Happy Tuesday, folks! I won’t lie – on Sunday, I was a little worried that I had nothing (literally nothing) to put in this post. It was a very busy week of me not being with the kids as much as usual (between work and play, there was lots of childcare involved) so I was worried I hadn’t spent enough time hearing what they’d said to fill a post up. But alas, any time I worry about that, they always amaze me with the ridiculousness that comes out of their mouths. So here it is, this week’s humor! 

 I came into EK’s room and saw this: 
It’s basically a bunch of leaves/weeds/buds off a tree in our yard that she at some point brought inside. And then sorta ground into the carpet. It’s even a little funnier because of the toy vacuum sitting next to it like she’d tried to clean it up with that.

There’s a good close up so you know how tiny the pieces were. The only way she explained it to me was that she was having “a really fancy tea party”. Apparently that required natural decorations in the form of pollen. Obviously I made her clean it up. With the REAL vacuum.

Some friends came to pick me up to go to an out of town wedding, and EK shared with them this memory: One time, I came up the stairs when I was supposed to be in bed, and you saw me sand you said, “Hey!” Did you remember that?

J, any time I give him anything or put a piece of clothing/shoe on him: This is El’ Kate’s! (It must stem from her telling him all day long, “Hey! That’s mine!”) I have to reassure him that some things belong to just him.

The other night, EK and J spent the whole dinnertime shouting the word “tattoo” and giggling. I guess it sounded funny to them. (Addendum: they were very tired.)

Hubby has just this week been showing the kids Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, and EK keeps singing the “Won’t you be my neighbor?” song. I hadn’t watched it, and thought somehow she had been seeing Mister Rogers. Then I cried because I missed him and cried because Daniel Tiger totally ripped him off.

  
These snowballs have been relabeled “core memories”. Word is still out on whether they are joyful, sad, etc. (This is funnier if you’ve seen Inside Out.)

J: I want some space! I want some space!
Me: What, buddy?
J: I want some space!
Me, realizing he’s pointing to a deck of cards: Oh! You want to play spades.
I guess we do play a lot of spades.

Overheard from the other room…

EK: He tried to chew on my dress!

J is obsessed with two things right now: spiders and “stupid bugs”. Every dark speck or piece of lint anywhere is automatically either a spider or a “stupid bug”. One morning, he kept talking about a fly (which was a new one) and I assumed he meant the fruit flies we always have this time of year with the windows open a lot. I told him to get it and smash it, which overjoyed him. I figured he wouldn’t be able to, and if he did, well, that’s one less fly and we’d wash his hands. He came back with a dead stink bug on the back of a book he’d smashed it with. I was equal parts impressed and grossed out. We had a little teachable moment on stink bugs, how they smell really bad and we don’t touch them. Now, he’s obsessed with “stupid stink bugs”. At least he learned their proper name?

J: I see a bug on the table!

EK: It’s okay, honey. There are no flies or bugs on the table. 

And just because I never post on this post about D, here’s a little funny. He is OBSESSED with the vacuum. He probably thinks it’s the coolest toy ever, because Mommy uses it every single day.

faith, food, holidays, home, mommyhood, siblings

Currently

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Happy Monday! This week I’m linking up with Becky at Choose Happy and our other friends to bring you another Currently! I hope you’ll comment or link up with us and let us know what you’re up to right now!IMG_0614

Recovering || from the stomach bug. I guess it’s going around, and I had it on Saturday. I was supposed to be going to a wedding that night and was in no shape to do so! All things considered, it could’ve been much worse, but who likes the stomach bug anyway? Basically, I drank a lot of ginger ale.

Celebrating || St. Patrick’s Day! Normally we have a big weekend event we go to, where Hubby’s Irish band plays, but it didn’t happen this year. So we have a small thing we are doing on Thursday after I get the kids from school. I’m excited to keep celebrating, even if it isn’t the normal thing. Good news: Hubby is still playing!

This is when we were at the pub a couple of weeks ago… D was already wearing his swag!

Loving || having the windows open! Specifically, this window in my bedroom. The tree outside is covered in blooms! I know it’s a short-lived thing, but I love it. And I’m not allergic to it, so it’s even better!

  
Watching || my boys interact. They’re so funny, and they love each other. J can’t wait for D to be a little more rough and tumble… I have to pull him off of D a lot, haha. But D tries to follow him around, and it’s adorable.  And just this morning, D tried to pull up on the couch and it almost worked – so it won’t be long!

D is now a professional crawler.

Photographing || meals. EK keeps asking me to take a picture while she’s eating, or pictures of the boys taking bites, so I have a camera roll full of eating. Ha!




 

This one is my favorite.

This Currently reminds me that it’s often possible to take immense pleasure in simple things, like brother love and only one person in your family getting the stomach bug. What a wonderful life I am blessed with, and what a generous God has provided and entrusted this family to me!

mommyhood, siblings, things toddlers say

Things Toddlers Say

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Hey y’all! Happy Tuesday! I don’t know about you, but yesterday was the most underwhelming snow day there ever was. We sledded approximately four times, and the ground was showing through. It was a huge disappointment, especially considering how cold it still was. Anyway, here’s a bit of humor from our week! 

 Me to Hubby: I’ve got rehearsal tonight.
EK: I’m going to really miss you while you’re at horsell tonight.

Me: Stop! I’ve got a cramp in my foot!
J: You gotta crap in your foot?

EK: Does J have school today?
Me: Yes, you both have school, and I have work today.
EK: And Daddy has work to clean up the kitchen?
Dying.

I found EK’s sippy cup in her underwear drawer in her room. When I asked her about it, she just said she needed somewhere to put it.

EK, trying to play pretend: J, you’re going to be my sister.
J: I not a sister. I Joseph!!

Every time I turn on Disney’s Robinhood (the animated one), J says, “The Jungle!” which is what he calls Jungle Book. I suppose talking animals all seem the same to him.

EK: Look, Mommy! I’m gonna do something so cool!
I’m pretty sure this isn’t what it’s made to do.

J: Mommy! I’m a princess! 
Oh yes, of course. That’s a beautiful dress, J.

EK: I have a baby in my tummy!
Hubby: Oh yeah? Who’s the father?

Ek’s Sofia figurine was in the middle of the floor, and Hubby stepped on it. He exclaims, “Agh! Sofia the worst!” So naturally, I launched into a rousing rendition of that song from Robinhood that all the animals sing: “Too late to be known as John the First, he’s sure to be known as John the Worst! A pox on the phony king of England!” Except I sang, “She’d like to be known as Sofia the First, but she will be known as Sofia the Worst!” J burst out laughing (he had just woken from his nap), and I asked him if he thought it was funny. He got really serious, and said, “No!” as if he was upset I had offended Sofia.

Overheard while my big kids were playing together…
EK: We can do it! I know we can!
She’s such an encourager.

As J chases EK around the kitchen…
EK: Daddy! Help! Can you save your baby squirrel from my mean old Joseph?!

So what are you kids saying these days?

mommyhood, siblings, things toddlers say

Things Toddlers Say

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Hey Tuesday! I can’t believe it’s here again already. Hope your week is off to a good start! It’s pajama day at school for the kids, so hopefully they come home talking about everyone’s jams and how they had pancakes for snack. Anyway, here’s the good stuff! We’ve got a whole lot of one-liners this week. 

 Because J really likes food…

J: I want da cumbers!!! (Cucumbers.)

J: Can I have da yogit now? (Yogurt.)

J: I want some more ‘cado! (Avocado.)

J: Ew! That’s dagusting! (Disgusting, obviously.)

Anytime J is singing a song and you join in, he says, “No! It’s my tuwn!”

EK, showing me a fake phone: Mom! Look at this one! It’s my dad laughing, with his tongue sticking out!

J, pointing to a turtle: Look mommy! It’s a toodle!

Me: Come sit with me!
EK: I have to put my panties on first!

EK, eating a Girl Scout Lemonade cookie, but not knowing the name of the cookie: This has got lemonade in it!

After I put raspberries on her plate…
EK: Thank you, chef!
Me: That was easy.

EK: My soft taco won’t let me pick it up!

EK: Would you get that boo-boo off for me?
Me: What boo-boo?
EK: The one on my lip!

Every time he rides on my back…
J: Hold tight, Mommy!

Lauren: Who is coming for your birthday?
EK: Santa Claus.

EK: Want some lispick on? (She means lipstick. She was actually holding lip gloss. But what really is the difference?)

Me: Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo!
EK: Bitty body boo!

And just to further prove that he learns things from EK, when we were swinging the other day, J said, “Look mommy! I’m pumping my legs!” Cue my baffled face.

What are you kids talking about these days?

mommyhood, siblings, things toddlers say

Things Toddlers Say – the Extended Version

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Happy Tuesday, y’all! I don’t know if you can tell by the picture below, but we’ve had a… crazy week. These guys are getting more hilarious by the day, and I’m so excited each week to share this insight into my life with you. Thanks for reading and sharing!

EK: What is this place?
Aunt Holly: It’s my house!
EK: I don’t like it at other people’s houses. But I like it at this house.
Holly: Well, that’s a big compliment.

Me, with the bedtime routine: What was your favorite part today?
J: I saw mine Sesley!
Me: Aww, seeing Wesley? (His uncle)
J: And I saw mine Holly!
Me: And seeing Holly? (Aunt)
J: And I saw my best frenn! (aka his cousin Finley)
Heart. Melted. Cousin love.

Me: Want some Mac and cheese?
EK: Sure!
J: Sure, too!
I had already asked J and he had said, “No. I didn’t like that anymurr.”

My nephew Henry was born last week, and he is SO cute!
Me: I think we are going to meet Henry today!
EK: Aw yay! Do we get to meet Mimi, too?!
Me: No, not yet. (She is due in March, but all babies arrive at the same time, obviously.)

Outside on the swing set…
J: I schwinging, Mommy! I schwinging like El Kate!

After a hectic evening of loud play with family, EK’s grandma felt like she hadn’t seen very much of her throughout the evening.
Grandma: Can you say one nice or kind thing to me before you go?
EK: (after thinking) I love God.
Grandma: Well, I suppose that’s a very nice thing to say!

J, on the phone with Annie: Look at the trucks! I got an owl swaddle! I got a Batman blanket! I wanna hold Annie’s phone (meaning: hold the phone while he talks to Annie)! Did you talk to El Kate? I needa see El Kate now!
This was all while showing the phone around the room, as if it was on FaceTime (it wasn’t), and chattering away without letting Annie even speak.
 Referring to the picture above, J: I wanna put it on the Christmas tree now!
Me: That’s not an ornament, buddy. Not everything that has a string goes on the tree.
Yes, the tree is still up. Don’t hate.

At dinner, we were talking about who liked which princesses…
Andrea: Do you like Anna?
EK: No.
Andrea: Well, who is your favorite princess?
EK: Me!
Me: Touché.

J, getting tickled: No more tickles, Andree! You trouble!

EK, having (an extremely healthy) breakfast at Krispy Kreme: There’s donuts everywhere! They’re taking a ride! (on the conveyor belt)

EK (“Reading” the sign at Krispy Kreme): That sign says “donut store”.

J was splashing a lot in the tub…
EK, petting his face: Easy… easy boy!
Hubby: He’s not a horse.

Mom brag: I heard J counting his steps as he came up the stairs the other day. He didn’t miss one.

We have a book called “The Busy Little Train”. Each page adds another animal on to the train, and it says what number of them there are on the train. It’s a rhyming book, too, so EK can always predict what thing it says next. They love this stupid book. Anyway, tonight (Monday) we read it, and EVERY SINGLE TIME I paused for them to say the number, J happily said, “TWOOOOOOO!” Every. Single. Time.

Well, there are my highlights! What have your kids been up to?

mommyhood, siblings, things toddlers say

Things Toddlers Say 

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Hey y’all! Happy Tuesday – before Thanksgiving! I hope you all get a few days respite and time with your family this week!

I’ve noticed that what I’m writing each week is getting a little more conversational. Even J is getting to be a big boy (and did you see he’s in his big boy bed now?!) with the way he talks. It’s getting good, folks. Enjoy!

Me: It’s raining today, so let’s put your boots on.
J: No, I don’t wan’ wear ma boops!
Me: Okay, well let’s just get dressed.
(Puts all the other clothes on.)
J: Mom! I wan’ wear ma boops!
Just act like it was his idea.

For J, when he gets in trouble, he sits in time out. And apparently I’ve been speaking too harshly, or else he knows just how to dramatize it. Sometimes, randomly, he’ll shout, “Time out!” and point to the hallway (where our time out spot is) and not crack a single smile. I don’t necessarily feel like I shout it, or say it without explanation, but he gets the point.

Overheard from the other room…
EK: Hop in there, Joe Joe!
J: Okay!
EK: We’ve got to get to home!
J: Okay!
EK: Come on, Bing Bong!
Hubby, coming into the room: Do you know what they’re doing? It took me a while to figure out… They’re playing “Inside Out”.
Me: And of course, J is Bing Bong (the imaginary cotton candy-elephant-cat).

Instead of asking for eggs like he normally does, J has started calling them eggies. A little throwback, perhaps?

EK: Mama! Here’s your bootiful bracelet!

Hartley: They have really good collard greens here.
Me: Are they spicy?
J: Are you spicy?
Me: Hahahaha!

Me: Hey, where did you put the cream cheese?
EK: On the counter, next to the knife block and the coffee maker.   Me: Very astute. You also just used several words I didn’t know you knew.

Annie, upon giving EK a Lindor truffle: Did that taste really good?
EK:Yeah!
Annie: What did it taste like?
EK: A bird in my mouth!

J: Mom! Look!
Me: What is it?
J: A that!
Me: A what?
J: A fire truck!
It was a yellow car.

Driving home from the store, we had a case of wine in the back seat…
(Loud clinking)
EK: Be quiet, wines!

Are your kids funny, too? I want to hear what they say!

mommyhood, siblings, things toddlers say

Things Toddlers Say

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Happy Tuesday!

EK, over dinner: When will Necie be here?
Me: At Thanksgiving, in two weeks!
EK: Yay! (Turns to J:) Necie will be here in two weeks!
J: Yay!
EK: Jenn Jenn comes on Tuesday with Necie in four-five-teens. Hey! What’s Annie gonna be for Halloween?
Me: Well, Halloween is already over…
EK clearly confused.

EK, looking at a pot of boiling bolognese: Daddy! Your dinner is blowing bubbles!

EK, talking about our friends…
What she tried to say: They have a doggy named Bella!
What we heard: They have half a donkey named Fella!

Helping EK wash her hands…
Me: Did you get some soap?
EK: Yeah, I got mucher.
Me: ….do you mean a lot?
EK: Yeah, lots…

We have a set of four boats in the tub, yellow, green, blue and pink…
Me, to J: What color is this one?
EK: Yeddow!
Me: I’m asking Joseph! Okay buddy, what color is this one?
J: Green!
Me: What color’s this one?
J: Blee-you! (Because one syllable for “blue” just isn’t enough.)
Me: What color is this one?
J: Ella Kate’s!
Me: Well, I guess she does always get the pink stuff…

EK and I were drawing our family. We got to my mom, and EK says this…
EK: Necie has skinny hair.
Me: We usually say short hair…

EK’s new favorite game is bingo…
EK: Hey friends! It’s bango time!

EK’s new names for Hubby: Father, Poppy, Papa, Pop Pop. I think she thinks he’s a grandfather now.

J: I poopy! I sticky!
Thank goodness I know he means stinky and not sticky. 

If you aren’t familiar with Sofia the First, she wears an amulet. We have a Disney junior bingo game that is all pictures, and the amulet is one of the spaces. EK keeps saying “amble-it” and it cracks me up!

What are you kiddos saying? Anything particularly funny this week?

mommyhood, things toddlers say

Things Toddlers Say

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Happy Tuesday, y’all! Thanks for stopping by every Tuesday for a little bit of humor! Here are the funnies from this week…

he woke up like this…

EK: There’s grape juice on the table!

(Spoiler: It’s wine.)

J puts raspberries on his index fingers, drums the table, singing…
J: We drum, drum all day! We drum, drum all day!

Me: Have you seen the Bumbo?
Hubby: No
Me: EK, could you help me find the blue chair that D sits in?
EK: Okay! (Runs off… Back a minute later.) I couldn’t find it anywhere!
Me: I’ll help you look!
EK: We can figure it out together!
Adorable.

J calls strawberries “strawbabies” and I will never correct it. It’s too hilarious.

J’s current obsession: trucks. He’s moved on from trains to shouting out that he sees a “truck” any time we see a truck, construction vehicle of any kind (we’re working on that), or tractor (working on that, too).

Halloween evening, hanging out at the firepit at our friends’ house…
J: I got a dick!
Me: What?!
J, holding up a stick: I got a dick!
Cue everyone asking him what he’s holding for the rest of the night.

Thankful Thursday #1:
Me: What are you thankful for? Like, what are you glad you have?
EK: Davis. And Joe Joe, and Mama and Ryan. And Ella Kate!
It’s like she knows me. ❤

When the word of the day is “trust”…
Hubby: Can you put your arms through the straps? (Of the car seat)
EK: No
Hubby: I need to trust that you’ll help me keep you safe.
EK: You trusted Ping, why am I any different?
Me: (dying at the Mulan jokes)

A little later, at naptime…
EK: You only gave me a little bit of milk in there!
Me: Well you haven’t been drinking it, so I didn’t want it to be wasted.
EK: You have to trust me!
Me: I do not think that means what you think it means…

What are your little guys saying?

books, food, food, home, mommyhood, random thoughts, siblings, Uncategorized

Currently

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Folks, I’m feeling pretty silly that I missed a week of Currently. So hopefully this one will be stellar enough to make up for it! Here’s a bit about what’s been going on since my last Currently. I’m linking up like always with Becky at Choose Happy!!

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Reading || About That Fling by Tawna Fenske. It popped up on an ad on my Kindle, it was on sale, and it sounded like a good beach-type read. It was! There was nothing really incredible about it, but it’s a great romance with a love triangle and a little akwardness to round it all out, haha. It was fairly easy to read and I plowed right through it, which is my favorite thing about a book I’m really enjoying. I just (finally) downloaded The Girl on the Train so I’m excited to start it! 

 Excited || for fall TV to start back! I’m always really glad to start back up with the shows that stop for the summer – even though thank goodness for Netflix to get me through! I’ll be watching Modern Family, New Girl, Grimm, and Once Upon a Time. Anything else I should add to my queue?

Enjoying || spending time with my big kids. Now that they’re both in school a couple/few days a week (9-noon) and the fact that lunch and naps take up most of the afternoon, I’m trying to spend more intentional time with them. They’re also thriving now that they’ve got some time away from each other. There have been some sweet moments (organic moments, even!) of togetherness in the past couple of weeks, and I love it. I’ve also added a cute thing to EK’s bedtime routine. I ask her what her favorite part of the day was, and I share mine, and we talk about them. Sometimes she even extends the conversation to something she didn’t like, and we can talk about that, too. I don’t like to talk about the negative part too much, but sometimes it opens up good conversation. It’s been really nice to get to know each other better in this way. 

   
Cleaning || up after my son all day every day. Y’all, J is like a tasmanian devil, a whirling dervish… he wrecks SO MUCH without really even trying. In one day, he’d locked himself into two rooms (and our door locks don’t unlock easily) so we took the doorknobs off the two rooms, and behind one of the doors, he was pouring my (favorite) dark grey nail polish on the floor! I’d like to say I didn’t get mad, but I did. I totally checked out; I handed Hubby the nail polish remover and told him to leave as much of the floor finish as he could. It doesn’t look too bad, but I was just surprised J could be so destructive in a matter of two minutes – what a huge parenting fail. I don’t know how to do a better job teaching him what not to touch, where not to go, what things to be careful with. I know it’s just “a boy thing” but I need him to calm it down. Phew!

Baking || pumpkin muffins! I’m going to do two recipes… this one from Wellness Mama and this one from the Barefoot Cook. Hopefully they turn out well! Hooray for triple naps and baking!

What are you up to currently? Have any pumpkin recipes you love? Anything else fall-related you’re doing?