Farmers

We are officially farmers. I'm not sure we could sustain very long on our harvest, but we did indeed grow at least two edible things...

Delicious

Here is how the kids try out a new restaurant...

Amelia slowly enjoys an ice cream sandwich, savoring each bite....

Everett tightens the straps on his high chair, saddles up next to a giant plate of fried banana pudding, and does work.....

Calendar

Our calendar for the next week looks like this...

Tonight - Amelia had a friend over for a play date
Tomorrow - Packing for our trip
Wednesday - Dinner with friends
Thursday - Drive to Grandma and Grandpa's house
Friday - Drive to Gainesville, FL
Saturday - Watch Amelia be the flower girl as one of my best friends gets married
Sunday - Drive to Orlando, FL
Monday - Take in enough Disney to make Amelia's head explode
Tuesday - Drive home

Wow, when I write it out like that, it almost looks like we have an exciting life.

Camping

I love camping. Well, I love camping except for the bugs, the dirt, the heat, the cold, the hard ground, the wild animals, the wet, the dry, the food, and the oversight of the fact that I work hard so I can afford a hotel room. That said, if you ever find yourself out of ideas for the kids, just set up a tent. You don't have to do anything else. We bought this beauty for a few dollars today and the kids marveled over it like it was the last mosquito net in Africa....

She's Tricky

Every time I think I am getting one over on Amelia, she regroups, and comes back at me. Last night, I made her a pretty sweet deal. I told her for every night she stayed in her bed, or more importantly, stayed out of mine, I'd put one paper dollar in her money jar. Now, keep in mind, she doesn't understand the value of money, but she does know that "paper" money is where the action is. I wasn't entirely hopeful since she has repeatedly told me she is going to sneak into our bed in the middle of the night until she is FIFTEEN years old (and I'm starting to believe her). Well, in our first attempt, she failed miserably as she came to snuggle before midnight. So, tonight I've been trying to pump up her confidence and build some momentum for our deal.  I told her all the things she could buy with her dollar. I told her how proud of her I would be. I even told her to ask Jesus for help during our prayers. I felt I had covered everything. However, the one thing I didn't count on was how sharp she is.  She started her prayers and for a brief moment, I thought I had finally gotten through to her...and then she said this.... "Dear Jesus, please help my mom and dad give me paper money even when I come into their bed..." So, while she did technically ask Jesus for help, she chose to ask him to change me rather than to help her change herself. Savvy.

She's Ready

It is official. Amelia got her letter from school saying she is ready to move up to the TK (the last step before Kindergarten) classroom after this week  Putting aside the fact that I can't believe my little girl has grown so fast, I'm excited about all the new things she is on the brink of learning.  In an effort to make sure she's got everything she needs for school, we considered getting this backpack for her today...

He's Getting It

You may remember a week or two ago when I posted about Everett snuggling next to Amelia to comfort her while she was in Timeout.  Well, times have changed. He appears to now understand what Timeout is all about.  Tonight, when Amelia had to make a brief pit stop in her least favorite corner of the house, instead of comforting her, Ev decided he'd stand right in front of her and scold her by waving his finger at her and saying "NO NO" "NO NO" "NO NO"! I'm not sure it taught her anything, but I sure did enjoy it.

Same, but Different

I was looking back through some of our beach photos and I felt this picture exemplified Amelia and Everett perfectly....They play well together, but she's beautiful and delicate while he's a wild man who runs around in a diaper only because we wouldn't let him be completely naked...

Priorities

Is it bad when it takes your company's IT staff twice as long to copy the files from your machine as it did to copy any other user's files due to the fact that over half of your entire hard drive is filled with pictures of your kids? Yeah, I didn't think so either. I mean, sure it is work property, but a dad has to have priorities.

Continued

Like I said last night....


Amelia may be older, but she still likes to take time to contemplate life while at the ocean...


at 1....

at 2...

at 4....

The More Things Change

The more they stay the same....



Still loves Cheetos and long walks on the beach...

Beach

We are at the beach for a few days...while I'd like to get a blog post up, it isn't going to be easy to squeeze it in between the pool, the ocean, climbing lighthouses, eating, and shopping.

Anything You Can Do....

Amelia has a new 23lb shadow and his name is Everett. She is getting a real taste of the "big sister" life these days. There isn't a thing she does, eats, or laughs at that he doesn't want to do, eat, or laugh at. Meggan and I think it is hilarious. Amelia loves it and hates it depending on the circumstance. Either way, it means twice thework and mess  fun in the kitchen....

Partners in Crime

Yesterday, I heard a commotion coming from another room where Amelia and Everett were playing. Everett came out of the room crying and Amelia came out of the room making excuses. She settled on "I forgot it wasn't okay to push Everett down". So, I settled on "I forgot you don't like sitting in Time Out.". We haven't used Time Out in a while, so I felt like it was going to work...and it was working perfectly....until Everett felt bad for his crying partner in crime and came over to snuggle her....

Shortcake

There is no better way to end a weekend than a delicious helping of strawberry shortcake....whether you eat it like Amelia or simply smash it like Everett....

It Goes Fast

I blinked my eyes and this baby girl....

...turned into this beautiful kid...

...and that kid is big enough to hold and protect her little brother...

...and the old guy who used to push the car....

....has now been replaced by a younger model....

Cone

It's totally normal for your son to try to wear the dog's anti-lick cone around his own neck, right?...Right?

Well, That's Awkward

When you have kids, they will inevitably do things that embarrass you. Sometimes, it is as simple as them acting out in public or saying something rude to/about someone. In these times, you want to kill them because you know everyone assumes this is their normal behavior and you're a terrible parent. Other times, they just do some sort of innocent kid thing because they don't know any better. These generally make you have to fight off your laughter long enough to try to teach them. Well, when you have two kids, your odds of both happening greatly improve...

At a pizza store yesterday -
Nice older lady giving out samples: Would you like to try a slice of our combo pizza?
Amelia (with all the sassy attitude she could muster): I only eat cheese pizza, missy!

Luckily, Meggan was responding at the same time so Amelia's comment only fell on my ears. Where did she even learn to call someone "missy"??? I'm waiting on her to start referring to Everett as "young lad".

At school last week-
Everett had to spend some time in a new class with a new teacher. She has a tattoo on her lower leg.....which he continually tried to wipe off all day because he thought it was dirt.


Amelia was immediately and sternly corrected, Everett was not...because that is hilarious. 

Sick Day

I had to stay home with Everett today since he wasn't quite feeling well enough to go to school. Our day basically consisted of watching Sesame Street, eating Chick-Fil-A, and me rapping Will Smith's Just The Two Of Us to him repeatedly while we sat in the steamy bathroom. In other words I showed him the greatest children's show of all time, fed him the greatest fast food on the planet, and sang him the greatest (and possibly only) father-son parental advice rap song ever written. As you can see, the day wasn't a total waste.

Lesson Learned

There is a simple lesson here...when your big sister offers a helping hand, you accept it...or you pay the consequences...

A Tough Job

Being a parent is hard. Everyone knows this to some extent. However, if you aren't a parent, you know it the way I know giving birth hurts. I can't remember a time in my life where I didn't one day want to have children. I also can't remember a time where I didn't think I'd be a great father.  When I told Meggan I was ready to be a dad, I truly believed it with all my heart. However, four years into this journey I now see I had no idea what it meant to be a great father (I'm learning) and despite my conviction, nobody is ever really ready to be a dad. All the scenarios I played out in my head as "tough parenting moments" essentially boiled down to sitcom fodder and soft serve parental guidance books. In reality, there's no way to know what's coming until it shows up and kicks in your door.  I had no idea I'd have to rush to the emergency room because I was careless enough to drop my precious angel on her head at five weeks old. I didn't know I'd hear the words "the chord is wrapped around his neck" as my son was being born.  I had no idea I'd be faced with a daughter who had a chronic cough for over a year because doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong.  I didn't know I'd have to call 911 in the middle of the night because my baby boy couldn't breathe and was turning colors.  Most recently, I didn't know at only four years old, I'd see my daughter explode into panic over mundane activities like swimming, riding a bike, and driving her Barbie Jeep.  And I didn't know I'd feel overwhelmed with guilt because deep inside I know my lifetime struggle with anxiety is at least partly to blame.  I didn't know any of it. I didn't know the high of loving someone so much that it makes all other love you've felt in your life seem trivial. I also didn't know the low of seeing that someone feel pain, sorrow, or fear. I couldn't have known and neither could anyone else. So, my advice to any prospective parents out there is simple - buy the books and dream the dreams about parenting. They will both help you feel more prepared even if it is just a placebo effect. But, just know that really being a dad (parent) is like riding Space Mountain ... you have butterflies before you take off, there are ups and downs, you can't see the future or even control much of it, it is mostly a ton of fun, but every once in a while, it scares you so badly that you crap your pants a little.

Biker Gang

We took the kids out on their bikes this weekend. It was filled with all the grace and athleticism you would expect from two kids with a combined age of just under six years old. It was also filled with a lot of me yelling "Steer!" and Meggan saying "Keep pedaling!". By the end, we were all disgustingly sweaty and after a few crashes, Amelia basically cried and begged us not to make her ride any more. But hey, at least we got this cute picture in the beginning....

Mouth

Amelia continues to have a sharp tongue...


Yesterday, Amelia was trying to practice writing some words and she kept asking me which letter came next.  Naturally, I was trying to give her all the attention she needed. However, the one time I stopped to ask Meggan a question, I was greeted with this interruption from Amelia....


" Hey, you can talk to my mom any time. Let's get back to business."

Green Thumbs

Meggan and I aren't the best at growing things. As a matter of fact, any plant that comes to our house has a far less than 50% chance of survival.  Luckily, our tiny garden is under the watchful eye of these two natural farmers...

Fireworks

We were lucky enough to spend the Fourth of July enjoying food, drinks, and fireworks with friends. A great time was had by all (until bedtime meltdowns by both Everett and Amelia who were up WAAAAY past bedtime for the second straight night).

Us getting ready to head home...apparently only Amelia knew which camera to look into

All the kids...and Meggan...enjoying the show

Checkup

Mr. Everett had to go in for his checkup this morning. This, of course, meant he had to get a series of shots.  He took those like a man. While I was proud of that, I was even more proud that he is moving into reasonable percentiles....

Height - 50th percentile
Weight - 15th percentile
Head - 45th percentile

So, despite the fact that he still looks short and chubby with a big head...he is apparently none of the three.

Mmmmm, Chocolate

We weren't sure if Everett would really enjoy a chocolate ice cream cone or not. I know that sounds weird, but the kid doesn't do sweets. It was hot outside and we were all having one, so we gave it a try....I'll let the picture speak for the outcome...

Catching Bumblebees

Ev has apparently learned some new songs at school. Here is a glimpse of some of his favorites - I'm Picking Up a Baby Bumblebee and If You're Happy and You Know It...before the camera ran out of memory...