Driving&Smiling

Two weekends ago we went to Tsunami on the Square. We met the Ben of the Na-Boys and Montana and her parents as well. Everyone did their own thing, but hung out together.

Tsunami is a performing arts festival held annually on the Courthouse lawn. The festival begins with a parade. The remainder of the day, there are different acts performing. There are people singing, doing skits, playing music. You see jugglers and mimes and dancers. Behind the big stage is the Kid's Zone. A funky little event, but so perfect for the little ones. It was a beautiful day.
At one point our local High School drummers came over and played for the little ones. I felt like part of our community. And I loved it. I felt proud. I love our town. I love that we are part of our town.

Mackenzie took a little bit of time to get her confidence up, but she was up at the stage, working on joining in, shyly raising her hand. She saw, wanted and got a fairy skirt and wings. Once she got those on, her confidence grew. And grew. Then came the gymnasts from the Y. My little Mackenzie was all over that! She stood in line. On her own. Wanting to flip. And flip she did. Twice! It was unbelievable and wonderful.

Zachy just took it all in. He had a blank stare, but he was lovin' it. Lovin' all the action. I could see the neurons in his brain synapsing all over. It was crazy. Such an easy soul he is. People smile when they walk by him. They can't help it.

Our day ended with some ice cream. A perfect day it was.

After we got home, I drove the grocery store. I realized I was smiling. Driving and smiling.

And here's why...

I love our town. I love my family.

M'sFirstWatch

But Jordan has a watch...

And so it begins. Already at three. This wasn't the first time and is far from the last. But, yes, Mackenzie had to get a watch.

She did. A :Pink watch. Tinkerbelle watch. A Pink Tinkerbelle watch.

She loves her watch.

Every time we do anything now, she checks her watch to make sure it's 'time.' Sometimes it is, sometimes I have to wait  just two more minutes. The other day she woke me up and pointed at her watch: It's time for you to wake up Momma. My watch says so. Awhile later she woke up Dad. Same thing.

She wore her watch to school. I sure hope Saiger likes my watch. Maybe she will have to go to Walmart and get a Tinkerbelle watch like me.

I'm sure Saiger's mom will thank me later.

Yep, very proud she is of her watch. She wears it all day, checks it all day, keeps it on her nightstand next to her at night, in a safe place. Makes sure it's there first thing in the morning. Repeat.

And all for $6.95!

6.25.11Love&Lies

6.25.11 was a big day for the Zachy. He said his first...

I love you.

Melt my MommaHeart.

I am not sure he knew exactly what he was saying or exactly what it means, but he said it.

With a smile.

So, he knows it's something good.

And that's what matters.

He had another first on 6.25.11. I do believe he told his first dishonesty.

The NV-boys were over playing. He loves having boys around to play with. He follows them around. Does what they're doing. Very clearly enjoys hanging with the big boys and doing boy things.

Then I smelled something.

Zachy, did you poo?

No, no poo.

He had. He just didn't want to stop playing. Silly little guy.

I had to smile. Even if it was about poo.

There you have it. 6.25.11. Two Zachy firsts in one day.

A day of Love&Lies.

Doesn't get better than that now, does it?

MyLittleBoySunshine

Zachy was trying to ride the trike yesterday. He fell off. Dad brought him in crying. I tried to comfort him, but he'd have none of it. We went back outside to investigate. He wiggled, frantically trying to get down. I let him down and he got right back on. Right back on the trike that he'd gotten twisted under just minutes earlier. And fell again. But got right back. GoZachyGo!

Get him on the tottrike, he really goes.



The boy is determined.  He's independent and when he wants something or is really interested, he's unstoppable and focused. Leave him for a second, and who knows what you'll come back to.

This weekend we went to Tsunami on the Square, a performing arts festival at the courthouse. He was really focused....not too sure on what though.

And would randomly wander off.

And then he discovered lemonade.

Last night we went to the store right before bedtime, just he and I. Mackenzie got a bit upset, which I am sure he understood. And liked. He was so darn cute during the drive and in the store. I tend to go off alone more often with Mackenzie these days, which is why I think he got such a kick out of it.

On the way home, I started singing You Are My Sunshine, which usually he sings along too, but, instead, he said No Sunshine! as he laughed. He can tell me to stop, yet he is, and will always be, My Little Boy Sunshine.

SleepTightMackenzie

Saturday night Mackenzie very definitely stated that she is ready to sleep in her room, by herself. Just as soon as Dad puts her bed together. Sunday, Dad put her bed together.

Afterwards she was so excited. She got on her bed. Told everyone she wanted to be alone in her room. On her bed. She told Dad she was proud of him for putting her bed together and said Thank You. She pondered over what she might want to put in the different drawers.

Come bedtime, I laid down with her. She made a nervous comment or two. Suggested that perhaps I could sleep on her rug. Or in her bed for that matter. She wanted the light on. But she fell asleep despite herself. In her bed.

I don't know yet if she'll make it all night. But tonight I am proud of her. She's three years and ten months. I was sure she would cosleep until she left home. Just kidding. Yet, cosleeping has sure I sit here been her nature.

I'm not going to lie. I feel a little teary. I will be nothing more than excited for her and proud of her whether she makes it all night, an hour or five. Still, she often wakes me up by saying I love you Momma. And that I will miss.

Sleep tight my precious little girl! Momma loves you too. Like absolute crazy and so much more than you will ever know.

FotoFriday6.17.11on6.18.11

Another Saturday FotoFriday, but at least I'm doing it this week. I am determined to get back to blogging on a regular basis. The kids change so much, so fast and these are their memories.

Here are a few recent photos...

Mackenzie showing off her BBQ Chicken Pasta Bake.

Running from the hose...

Holding Buddy hostage...

oh, I mean playing Birthday Party and Buddy is the guest of honor.

Playing Play House...

Zoo pictures from this week...

Betty&Veronica checking out Mr. Peacock.

It was a hot day.

Zachy's kicking back and taking care of the drinks.

Cooling down...

But someone was not so sure...

Snack break...ahhh shade!

Helping Momma.

My favorite little Princess Boy, in his Thomas PJ-shirt, of course.

We also had great fun at Go Bananas this week, but Momma forgot the camera AND I can't seem to get the photos off my phone. But, really, it was fun!

TotpreschoolHappenings

Just a few cute totpreschool happenings to get down on 'paper.' So, bullet points seem to be the way to do it, especially with how busy our days have been. Busy = Good! Things are good.

• Zachy is in a baaaddddd sleep phase. Involving lots of screaming. Need I say more?
• The other day, before leaving for a birthday party, Mackenzie yelled out: Let's rock and roll to the party!
• At naptime the other day I put Rufus in Zach's room. It helped. Tried again at bedtime. No luck.
• Zachy loves to sing songs before bed. It's so dang sweet.
• Mackenzie has been quite the 'helper' lately. Always looking for jobs to do. Until a tv show comes she likes. Then she takes a little rest.
• We've had a series of mishaps this morning, resulting in Mackenzie using the word issue a lot.
• I can't play. I'm working.
• Mackenzie said Zachy was 'melting down.' Spoken from personal experience.
• Mom and Dad have the same phone, slightly different colors. Zachy knows and when he sees them will them back to their rightful owner. Herego, phone.
• When we are getting ready to go somewhere, I usually yell out, Let's G-O...GO! or 1, 2, 3 Let's DO-IT! Mackenzie now says the whole things along with me and Zachy will yell out either the GO! part or the DO-IT! part. It's cute. Trust me.
• Zachy gets this crazy manic thing going where he runs to the bed in the playroom, gets on it, jumps and then bangs his head into the pillows. Laughs. And does it all again. And again.
• When I don't let Mackenzie have something, she will look at me with big eyes and say, Just say oh-kay!
• One day Zachy had a new kind of diaper, with Mickey and Minnie. He looked at them, pointed and yelled CATE! Asked her Mom and, sure enough, Cate wears 'em. Perceptive little guy.
• Yesterday Mackenzie suggested we go to play at Tess's house. I think she tried to get what she wanted by suggesting that I go play with my friend, who just happens to be Ari's mom.
• Zachy combines two words a lot now. Most of his combinations contain the word no, mine or both.
• Sometimes when she wakes up in the morning, almost always first, Mackenzie wakes me up by saying, I love you, Momma. Is that an awesome way to wake up, or what?

Busy weekend. Tsunami on the Square today and tomorrow is Father's Day. Looking forward to funFunFUN.

Zachy'sFavoriteThings

It's been awhile since we've gone over favorite things. Zachy, in particular, has gotten very particular about 'things.' He has definite preferences. And, is very vocal about them. Especially if they are disrupted.

In no particular order...

• Thomas the Train. He lovesLovesLOVES Thomas. Before he even saw the cartoon. And even more since.
• Accordingly, he loves his Thomas the Train pajamas. He wants to wear no others.
• Of course, this all means he loves his Thomas the Train 'train toy.'
• Soy beans.
• Bell peppers, raw.
• Ham.
• His pillow pets - all THREE (two big and one small). When he gets up from sleeping, he throws them all out of his crib and then wants them moved to whatever room he's going to be in next. It's a lot of work.
• Barney AND the Wiggles. Oh my. Say what you want. I know there are much 'cooler' shows out there, but if you really need a toddler under the age of two to be entertained, those'll do it.
• His Momma. Right now he's in a total Momma phase. As a result, I am back to doing things pretty much with one hand.
• Sand. Dirt. Water. Mud.
• Running and falling down.
• Being tickled. I can hear his laugh and see his face. Purejoy.
• Playing ball.
• Ashamed, but not just milk, he really wants Chocolate Milk and makes his wants known. Loudly. Clearly.
• Last but definitely not least...Gunky. Still important. Still Number One. And, still as Gunky as the name implies.

Betty&Veronica

Mackenzie seems to have a BFF, Miss Ari. Miss Ari was born in December, about four and half months after Mackenzie. They have essentially 'grown up' together.

Yesterday we went to the zoo. They ran around in their bathing suits. It was absolutely adorable. They ran away from us, as usual. This could be a problem when they are teenagers.

I think the wonderful thing about watching them together, is that their relationship seems strangely easy, especially given that they are three. Neither of them seems to dominate. They both take the lead at different times. Together I see them figure out boundaries and how to problem solve through their conflicting needs or wants. In many ways, they are quite different. But I think perhaps, at this point in time, they compliment one another very comfortably.

It's been fun watching their friendship evolve.  Now that we live in town, they get to get together much more frequently. Momma Tess has named them Betty&Veronica. Who knows what will happen as they get older, but for now, they are two peas in a pod. For sure.

MyCrazyKids

Today concludes the kid's summerbreakathon. While I already confessed that today was not the best of days, it wasn't bad either. Just didn't go as planned.

That said, the kids were pretty funny today. When they start to play off of one another, it's a riot.

Mackenzie spent a lot of the day treating Zach as her own live baby doll. For the most part, he played along. Quite well. She dressed him. Tried to change his diaper. Took him on a walk in the stroller. Fed him. Her own live baby.  Seemed to work, for the most part.

When they weren't playing MommyM and BabyZ, they were getting into trouble. Zachy really seems to like when Mackenzie shows him how to get away with things.

After I got out of my two minute shower, I noticed it was quiet. I called out and heard nothing back. I find them in the kitchen, standing with the refrigerator door open, eating random things. Mackenzie's response? I didn't do it, Zachy did. Did you see me with your eyes? I know better, Zachy doesn't.

Nice try. She does that a lot these days. Blames things on other people. Zachy. Stuffed animals. Pretend babies. People who are nowhere to be found. The age of mistruths has officially begun.

For the record, I do feed them. You wouldn't think so. Later in the day they started to eat dog food. Seriously. The thing is, half the time they won't eat what I make. Something tells me the last five sentences are going to come back to haunt me someday.

Then there was the bathroom incident. Again, quiet kids. I find them in the bathroom. Putting lotion on. Mackenzie starts to lecture me, tells me I can't be in their house and to go away. Zach starts to laugh and chimes in, pushes me and says Go! Go! Next thing you know they're brushing their teeth.

I have no control. They are two months away from two and three and I have no control.

But they do make me laugh.

Yes they do, my crazy kids.

And, I love them.

VeryVERY much.

InTheWeeds

You guys kicked your Mom's butt today. Seriously. I'm not sure what happened, but I felt like I was in a waitressing nightmare. I waitressed for about eight or nine years, so I recall those well.

They go something like this:

A table comes in, they can't seem to order anything but keep you there. A few more tables come in. You go to the computer, it's not working. You've forgotten all the codes. More tables come in. Nobody knows what they want. Food is up. Drinks are up. You're totally in the weeds.

That's how today was.

My POA (Plan-of-attack) was to do some morning chores. Not many. Just get things in order and put away a load of laundry. Then lunch time, then Zachy naptime/Mackenzie tv time, Momma exercise time. And then hopefully a mellow afternoon, maybe take an afternoon nature walk, which Mackenzie really wanted to do.

I never did get chores done in the morning. I kept trying to clean the kitchen, but somehow it got messier and messier. Zach's nap, well...that was a disaster. Forty-five minutes maybe. I kept thinking he'd fall back asleep, so I let him cry. Nope. Painful.

No real nap means no time to wrap up the morning chores, which never really got started since I couldn't even manage to manage the kitchen.

No afternoon nature walk.

I felt sad. I felt like I let Mackenzie down, who really wanted to go on an adventure walk and I let Zach cry a little longer than I wanted because I just kept hoping he'd fall back asleep. Hard to get things done while holding him.

The day wasn't terrible. I'll write about that in a follow up post. Right now.

But I do have to say that all I really wanted to do was put away one load of laundry. Tonight, I walked in Zach's room and there it was. Still waiting to be put away.

Definitely, a day spent in the weeds.

Random tidbits. Yet again. I'll get in a real groove again. I promise I will.

• Out of nowhere, Mackenzie asked When I was in your tummy, did I make you have to potty a lot?
• Zachy now asks for Choco Milk. I'm so proud.
• Last night I told him he couldn't have any 'Choco-Milk' and so he asked Ju? Surprised by his resourcefulness, I repeated back to him Juice? Please by what he believed to be success, he very definitively said Yah! He didn't get either. I have my limits. Sometimes.
• Mackenzie's new phrase: That's really strange. Sounds cute out the mouth of a 3 year old. She also regularly says: That's cool and Just a few (as in minutes, but shortened) and Freak out. Totlingo cracks me up.
• Life was a little easier before Zachy realized he should have equal rights.
• After preschool one day, Mackenzie said Jordan h. said I sing the ABCs really fast & Jordan S. said I can't play with Teddy because only she can.
• Mad at me one day, Mackenzie yelled: This is a poopy mommy day. I hope nobody play with you all day! Five minutes later we were good.
• Where's the phone? I need to call dad. I lost it. No you didn't. You can use my pretend phone. Love her world.
• Zachy solicits Mackenzie when he wants to do something mischievous. Partners in crime. Already.
• Zachy is totally into his 'toots.' And poop.
• Yesterdeay Zachy wanted to watch Barney and brought me an Iron Maiden DVD.
• Mackenzie gets mad at Zachy now and will tell him Zach.a.ry, you're so mean!
• My job is that I go to Preschool to play while Mommy Daddy go to work.
• Mackenzie got a haircut today by an actual 'haircut leader.' It was per her request. Really I think it was a stall tactic to stay out longer. Worked for me because in my effort to cut it, I had butchered it.
• The 'haircut leader' gave both kids a mini chocolate. Zachy had it all over him by the time we got home. Even he, I think, was mortified.
• Zachy loves to run through the house naked before bath. He's so funny and adorable it's unbelievable.
• Mackenzie totally helped me make BBQ chicken pasta bake. Totally.
• Last week we went to the zoo. There was a Kindergarten class there. Mackenzie got wet. She got upset until I told her she could take her dress off when we got to the car. She then walked ahead, very fast and loudly said I going to drive home naked! Cracked up the group of Kindergarten teachers she walked by as she yelled it.

FotoFriday6.3.11

I think, I think, I think I can get back on track somewhat. We're settling in just fine. Actually, if anything, it's difficult to be as consistent as I'd like because we've been out having so much fun! Five days out of seven this week have included friend fun. How awesomely incredible is that?

This week we made a new friend, Sophia. She's five and the daughter of our Realtor.  They came over Sunday and the girls got along fabulously. The kids played with Caleb and Ben twice. Ari and Cate cam over yesterday and today we went to the zoo with Montana.

Can you say: Fun week!

Ari tried to take Mackenzie home with her in the van. Betty and Veronica. Cate and Zach are...figuring one another out. After the Ari/Cate playdate, Zachy didn't nap. Oh and Mackenzie had woken up at 4:45am. About 5pm, I was on the couch, one kid on each side, both fast asleep.

Good times! Here are some photos from this week. A day early, but I work tomorrow (kids are out of 'school' this week, so I took one day off and work my other day tomorrow). Not everything is included because the camera was broken for most of the week.

Coloring. Note the pretty view outside our window.

Playing train on his crib.

Dancing to Barney.

I caved...I let him have a cup. And he didn't treat it like a science experiment!

Yay Zachy!

From the Zoo....

You know life has been full of fun when you find Miss Mackenzie like this...