I can only assume my oldest boy is......unique. This week he has managed to do two things that have made me stop and scratch my head. And almost break my butt. I love the boy.... Yesterday he squirted dish soap all over the bathroom floor. When I went in to use said bathroom I almost fell as the floor was slippery. The entire floor. Do you know how hard it is to clean dish soap off of linoleum? Near impossible as once it is wet, it just lathers up. Not only that but as it dries it leaves a nice film as well. Today he decided to glitter the computer room. I have nothing against glitter. I think is serves a purpose in society. But holy night. Not only did he manage to glitter everything, but then he had the pitcher of pink lemonade and manged to spill the. entire. pitcher. Think about it. Picture it with me now: glitter all over the floor with lemonade ON TOP OF THE GLITTER. Um, the lemonade acted as glue. Seriously. Do you know how hard it is to clean sticky glitter...

In short, because you can not keep your kids from hurting. When they fall and get an owie, you can bandage it and make it feel better. It will heal in time. A physical wound just needs time to feel better. But when their heart is hurting? There is only so much you can do. You can hug them and hold them and kiss them and tell them you love them. But you can not bandage up the pain. You can not swoop in and take it away. You have to let them feel it and cry and get it out. As a mom your main purpose is to protect your kids. From hurting. But in the real world there is simply no way to do this all the time. Not only is it impossible, but I fear in the long run it would do your kids a huge disservice to protect them so much. Sheltering. I have learned that when your kids hurt, you hurt too. Even though you are the adult and you understand how life is and you know that sometimes things are for the best, you still hate to see your child hurting. You ache for them. You want to...

I say this a lot. This kid is.....so strange. I have been doing some preschool with Davis. Mostly to keep him out of trouble while Emma is doing school. But also because he was not writing any letters. I was at a loss because Emma learned her letters in preschool. As in one I paid to send her to. And because she seemed interested in learning her letters. Oh. And she is not left handed. I was first not sure how to teach Davis to write because as I said I did not teach Emma. Then, I thought it could not be too hard, right? Wrong. Davis.....marches to a different drum. Actually, I am not sure it is a drum at all that he is hearing. I think it might be some bagpipes or some other different instrument. It may not be an instrument at all. This kid, he is like a puzzle to solve. And he keeps things to himself. For example, he never really drew a lot. He would color and scribble on paper but never really drew any sort of picture. Then one day I notice an animal drawn on the doo...

Well, he started crawling. And every once and a while he will pull himself up to stand. I realize he is ten months old. But really. I was in no hurry. They grow so fast anyways.... Here are some current pictures. I have been playing around with my camera lately. These are some images I have captured in the last few days.... They are handsome men..... I like to stare at them. Mark does not enjoy it so much... First battle wound. Isn't he lovely? He has the longest eye lashes.... It's time for your close up. See? Look at those lashes! Sigh.... Hey dude.... Like how his diaper is hanging out the top of his pants? He rocks the low rise. This was after I told him no. Do you see that ornery grin? Trouble.... How you doin'? Cold weather here. Causing us to lounge most of the day. Fall is on its way. As well as Mr. Xander's first birthday. Where did the year go??? And where did my baby go???

Why yes, that is a song from Free To Be, You and Me. I had the album. As in vinyl. Way back when I was a young girl. Anyway, this is just to post some pictures of my children. Being sisters and brothers. Brothers and sisters. Brothers and brothers. If these photos are any indication of what the future holds......it shall be interesting. You're going down, down, in an earlier round... And sugar you're going down swinging.... You can read to me.... But I will turn the pages... You are not doing it right. What is that at the end of the table? Oh, it is a XANDER MAN!!! Ah yes. The baby crawled today. I am aware that he is almost ten months old so I should not be shocked. But, um, he crawled today. I liked him unable to move. Now, the real fun begins....

We have started the new home school year. Yes I realize I am nuts. No need to point out the obvious people. So far, so good. I am enjoying the more free schooling we have adapted for this year. Fits my personality better. And we all know, if mama ain't happy..... So it goes. Another year to begin. I am not sure what it is about this time of the year. But I like it. The weather is cooler already. It is as if with fall comes a new chapter in life. Or just as the leaves change, so does your view. A new beginning if you will. I hate to admit this out loud, but having the baby hit me harder than I expected. Everyone said that adding number three was seamless. Once you have two, one more is no big deal. Either they lied or I am a freak. Because it kicked my arse. I think I am just now coming out of the baby fog. And it feels good. Do not get me wrong. I love the little guy. But it has not been easy. Mostly on my mind. Which as anyone who knows me can attest to, is...

It is seeing images like the ones that follow that make me swell up inside with love. The bond of my boys. I enjoy watching it blossom. The only thing that makes me a bit sad is not having a sister for Emma. Maybe one day. Otherwise it is the Princess stuck in the sea of Princes. I am not sure what Davis is telling Xander in the third picture. I do love how you can see they have their hands on top of one another. So sweet. My boys.

I am not photogenic. Never have been. I almost detest having my picture taken. I am usually the one who volunteers to take all the pictures. You are safe behind the camera. However, looking through pictures, I realize there are very few pictures of me with my kids. This does upset me. I want pictures of me with the kids. Time is fleeting. I want to remember these moments with them. I want photographic evidence that I did exist with these kids. Yesterday we tried to get ready for church and we were very late. I also had a cake and cookies to take for dessert for lunch and the icing would have melted in the car. We opted to let Xander take a nap and just go straight to Mark's moms for lunch. We were all dressed for church though. I usually dress us to coordinate as much as I can. No idea why. It is a sickness. We were all dressed and ready to go, so I asked Emma and then Mark to snap a few pictures of me with the kids. Here are the best ones. Davis has a hard time be...

For nine months I carried you around in my belly. I saw you for the first time when you were 6 weeks old in my belly. You were a tiny spot then. I saw you again when you were about 13 weeks in my belly. You were a little jumping bean. The last time I saw you in my belly you were about 20 weeks. You did not hold still. For about 25 or so of those weeks I felt you move and dance. You grew and grew and all the time I wondered if you were a boy or a girl. Finally, nine months ago today, I saw your gorgeous little face and met you. Our little Alexander... Time has gone on. Far too fast. Before long you were four weeks old. An entire month passed. My little wise boy. The next thing I knew, I blinked and you were two months old. You began to smile at us. Another month flew by and you were three months old. By now we were rocking cloth diapers. Four months hit us just as quick as the other ones did. You began to love to bounce in your jump a roo. By the time you were five mon...

As a mom you have a tendency to give and give until there is nothing left of yourself. After having a child, I have found that I put myself on the back burner for a time and forget about me. It is easy as a mom to put yourself last. It is not good for your mental health though. When you find yourself walking through Wal-Mart and not wanting to go back home to the leeches that suck the life out of you, you are in a bad place. Mostly joking here.... Kids do suck the life out of you though. I have just had to remind myself how important it is to refuel myself. So while it wears me out, it is worth it. I mean how could you not want to squish these kids? (I mean that in a loving way.)

It had to be done. Mark shoved me out the door last night. It was time he said. So I submitted. (insert laugh here) Sex and the City (the movie) came out on Friday. Most people know that. I watched the entire series, as it aired, on HBO. I found it fascinating, mostly I think because it was so far from what I knew. Thirty something women, looking for love, bonding over Cosmos, in NYC? Wearing fashions that cost as much as my car payment (or more)? Not in my realm of knowledge or experience here. I latched on. Once we got word of a movie, I knew I would have to see it. We go to the movies maybe once a year. I also was aware that taking Mark to this movie would be about as fun as passing kidney stones. I figured I would rent it one day. But last night, after spending our usual Sunday with mother and sister in law and stopping by Hell Mart for a window unit (air conditioner), Mark said, "You should go see that movie. By yourself. Go. " I admit I was taken abac...