What would I do without Gresham...

This post was originally going to be labeled "2-year-old for Sale" but I thought better of it.

Oh, Gresham. What am I going to do with you?

This week was Jordan's first week to be employed full-time since Owen was born. We are very thankful! And even more thankful that Friday is the first payday!

The kids and I had a tough week. I went back to school, so I was adjusting to life with all three of them, plus working again too. This year I am teaching two afternoons each week.

Gresham decided to pull out all the stops in honor of mom's busy week.

On Monday, we ran up to school to finish up some last minute details. Gresham and Aidan ran in the halls and slapped and fought. The secretary closed her door while we were out in the hall because she could not hear on the phone with my children there.

On Tuesday, Gresham threw a fit over wearing a pull-up. He wanted to wear a diaper.

Mom: You are wearing a pull-up.
Gresham: I don't want to!
Mom: You really should be using the potty. That's what big boys do. Can you imagine if Daddy threw a fit about wanting to wear a diaper???? Does Dad do that?
Gresham: No
Mom: Why not?
Gresham: Because it is not safe to do.
Mom: (thinking to herself) This is a pointless conversation...

On Thursday, he threw a fit because he wanted to eat oatmeal squares cereal out of the new box rather than use up the box that was already open. He spent 20 minutes fighting it until he finally obeyed and ate his now very mushy cereal.

On Friday, he accidently spilled a bowl of cereal and milk while playing with his imaginary bow and arrow at the table. The mess got on a couple of our school books (no harm done, though). While I cleaned that up, I sent him to wash his hands. When I went to check on him, I discovered that he had filled up the sink to overflowing with soapy water. I went to get a towel, and when I came back, he had pumped hand soap into his hair and was rubbing it in with a soggy wet baby hairbrush.

My friend Christy was telling me today about babysitting a couple of boys this week and how boys can be "inconvenient children." That describes him very well! He is stubborn and needs a lot of discipline, but many of his messes come from boy energy and curiosity. He isn't meaning to cause trouble, but the consequences of his explorations are very inconvenient for me!!!

6 more weeks until he turns 3! But he will never be 2 ever again... I'll miss the 2 year old voice and the ways he pronounces things and the little chubby body.

Time to go wake him up from his nap because it's after 4:30 p.m... I'm bracing myself for the tantrum...

My 3 Sons

Go away!

So, door-to-door solicitors have never been my favorite. That's why I talked my husband into quitting his job as one after 3 days of knocking on doors and zero dollars earned. (I do think he could have been successful, but it wasn't worth it... but that's not the point of this story...)

Today someone knocked on the door and rang the bell simultaneously. Usually, when the doorbell rings, Aidan screams, "I'LL GET IT!!!!!" so that any solicitor who might be there now knows that we are for sure at home. I have instructed both boys not to answer the door until I have checked to see who is there, but that doesn't stop them from making a lot of noise! So today I looked out the peephole and saw two girls, probably around age 18, who were dressed rather indecently. I wouldn't have answered, but as I was looking out they were ringing/knocking again, so I answered, half-expecting to find some emergency like a car striking a child in front of our house or something. Instead it went like this:

Them: I knew someone was home!
Me: Uh-huh
Them: Hi, I'm - wait, are you the lady of the house?
Me: Yes
Them: Gosh, you're YOUNG! Anway, I was just over talking to your neighbor, so and so, and...
Me: Goodbye!
Them: Wow, that was rude!

I'm not answering the door for people we don't know anymore!

It goes by so fast...

3 weeks

7 weeks

13 weeks - what a happy baby!

My silly silly Gresham

Yesterday I went to go get Gresham up from his nap. I sat down on his bed and he sat up. He looked at the open door and said in a very self-reassuring voice, "You opened my door, Mom. A dinosaur did NOT open it to come in and roar at me."

Then, later Jordan asked him to go get some socks from his dresser. He responded by telling Dad there was a monster in his room. Jordan said, "Well just tell the monster to let you in because you need to get some socks." Gresham went to the edge of the hall and called out, "Monster! Let me in, I need some socks!"

My favorite things that he says right now are sentences like this: "I want to read the book that I want to read." Or, while we were out one day, "After my lunch I want to go to the fountain that I want to go to."

He brings a lot of entertainment to our home!

Twelve Weeks Old

Gresham holding Owen lasted just long enough to snap this picture...

Twelve weeks old today! What a big boy!

Owen actually smiles quite a bit, but usually stops as soon as he sees the camera. He is totally distracted by looking at the camera... we'll keep trying to get a good picture!

Videos!

I love it when babies first discover their hands!

Here is Owen conversing with Daddy.

Things that we discuss at our house and in the van...

* Whether excavators park for the night with their buckets extended, or curled up close to the machine. The consensus is that it must depend on what project they are doing and where they are parked.
* Where construction workers go when they are done working.
* Whether today is a construction day or not.
* What hawks/cows/goats/other animals we see are thinking.
* Where that firetruck is going.
* Why the school buses are out since it's summer.
* Why that car has it's turn signal on, since it doesn't appear to be in a turn lane (Aidan is the biggest back seat drvier ever!)
* Which park we would like to visit next.