Ready, Set, SLEEP!

I'm picking up a Little Tikes Racecar Toddler Bed today! I got it off craigslist for $20! I'm so excited!!! WHOO HOO!!!!!

Car "Wash"

Benjamin can be so helpful---most of the time. He likes to throw things away, including his sippy cup and whatever else he can find. I think that is where my bluetooth wound up. The other day he decided I wasn't doing a good enough job washing toys and dishes so he decided to help. Unknown to me, Benjamin put some cars, spoons and other toys in the toilet. My darling Jasmine fished all this out of the toilet.

All but one truck. One truck. One truck that clogged the toilet. And not just clogged it, but clogged it after someone had "done their business". Oh, and this was the guest bathroom. When did I discover this? Right before I left Saturday night to meet Brad. Right when I was showing a couple from our church how I had re-decorated the bathroom. Fun. I tried to plunge the toilet. No luck. I cleaned up the floor and declared the bathroom "out of order".

Yesterday we attacked the toilet. Brad had to take the thing off the floor and outside before we could get the truck out. Brad tried using the snake and we couldn't get it. He tried putting his hand in. He could touch it, but couldn't get it. I tried putting my hand in. I had no luck period. Brad tried again and a "rock" came out. But it wasn't a rock. Brad discovered that after he picked it up. EWWW!!!! Then Jasmine came out and we bribed her to see if she could get the truck. Jasmine saved the day.

The truck is out. The toilet is unclogged, but not in use yet. Hopefully tonight we will have a fully functional toilet again.

They are growing up!

This picture was taken at a friend's wedding. I was just going to take it of the girls, but

Gabe came and jumped in. It was kinda funny, and I'm impressed that it turned out as well as it did. =)

Crib to Floor....

Making the transition from the crib to the “big boy” bed is something that saddens me deeply with Benjamin. Knowing that he is my last baby I feel like the longer he is in the crib then the longer he is still my baby. Yes, I know strange, but so true. I’ve been very hesitant about this whole endeavor until yesterday.

Justin was up and I was lying on the couch downstairs. I was tired and my head hurt. I heard Justin go upstairs and then I heard him playing with Benjamin. Not a big deal. Benjamin was still in his crib and I was cool with that. Apparently they had other ideas. I heard this loud THUMP followed by cries. I ran up the stairs and there was Justin and Benjamin on the floor. Justin (44 lbs) stood on top of this milk crate thing and I’m guessing as soon as Benjamin (34 lbs) cleared the crib rail they both went down.

I of course overreacted. No one was hurt and my brain failed to realize that Justin was scared of what had happened. Stupid me. He ran and hid behind the chair in Benjamin’s room and was crying. So, I had to pull him out and love on him and let him know that I wasn’t mad; I was just scared that they could have gotten hurt.

Which leads me on to say….I’m looking for a toddler bed or something to get Benjamin closer to the floor and prevent my “little helper” from getting himself or his little brother hurt. =)

KaPow!

I’ve decided that sibling rivalry has started in our house. Who am I kidding? It started a LONG time ago. Gabe and Justin fight constantly. That’s how they show each other love.

We had loaded the kids up in the truck Sunday after church and we were saying our goodbyes when Jasmine and Gabe emerged from the truck. Gabe had blood gushing down his face. I thought, “Oh no.” Brad took Gabe in church to get him cleaned up and I went to the truck to figure out what happened. I’m still unclear of exactly what went down, but I got enough out of them.

Justin threw a cup in the backseat and Gabe tried to give it back to him. Justin told Gabe to keep the cup, he didn’t want it. Gabe kept trying to push it at him and Justin kept resisting. Justin screamed at Gabe and told him “LEAVE ME ALOOOONNNNEEEE!!!!” And Gabe knew that was his chance to push once more, so he did. That is when Justin climbed into the backseat and started physically fighting with his brother. Then Justin punched Gabe in the nose. And there you have Gabe’s bloody nose.

The kids kept pointing out that as soon as Justin saw what he did he was apologizing. My theory….he knew he was in trouble so he had to apologize. But maybe, he did realize what he had done and honestly felt bad. Either way, it didn’t matter. He never should have punched his brother in the nose.

After this whole incident I went and bought Bringing up Boys by James Dobson. I’m hoping that it will shed some light onto my boys’ relationships with each other and how I should deal with them! I also started re-reading The New Dare to Discipline by Dobson and I’m looking for The Strong-Willed Child by Dobson too. I thought I had The Strong-Willed Child, but I can’t find it anywhere. I figure I’ll read the other 2 first…I can’t read 3 at one time anyhow!

All this to say PRAY FOR ME!!! =)

This all happened on Tuesday, July 17.

Haeley was spending the night at her friends house. WHOO HOO!!! I was sleepy that morning and was catnapping on the couch when I decided I needed to get up and get myself awake and ready. SO the other four kids were watching a movie I figured I could run upstairs, get dressed, throw my makeup on and all that jazz. Apparently Justin had other ideas. I had not been upstairs for 10 minutes when Gabe came in the room.

"Mommy, Justin dumped powder in the playroom. And he pooped behind the couch and I think he peed on the floor too."

I wanted to scream, cry, throw something---you name it I wanted to do it.

I went downstairs and sure enough, Justin had dumped a whole container of powder on the floor. He had pooped behind the couch and peed behind the couch. BUT he had also dumped a good 3-4 bottles of water on the floor. There was a trail of water from the front bathroom into the playroom. I was so mad!!!! I popped his bottom and sent him to his room. Then I cleaned up the poop and pee and went outside to cool off for a couple minutes.

When I came back in the house Justin was screaming his head off. He put toothpaste on his penis. AND in case you didn't know this, toothpaste on a penis burns. As terrible as this sounds, I felt strangely vindicated by the fact that he was in pain. I even laughed inside. I'm a bad mom.

So I got him cleaned up and we all loaded up in the truck to go get some lunch because I needed out of the house. I figured the rest of the mess could wait till I got back. I drove till the boys fell asleep and then carried them in and laid them down after we got home. Benjamin just had on his diaper and a t-shirt. Yes, that is an important piece of info.

The boys are sleeping and I *finally* got the playroom cleaned. I just needed to run my steam cleaner. And of course things can't be easy. I couldn't find the piece I needed to allow me to not use the hose but the regular upright way. (I hope that made sense.) I had all the kids helping me look for the piece. Justin came downstairs and says,
"Mommy, I found Benjamin and he has lots of poopies."

I thought, "OH NO!!!!" I ran upstairs into Benjamin's room and there he sat in all his glory. Poop painted on his legs, on the crib, the wall, and the floor too. I don't think he went back to sleep after I laid him down because I actually had to soak him in water before I was able to scrub all the nastiness off of him.

It then took me another 30 minutes to clean his room. And to make matters worse I still can't find the piece to my steam cleaner or my bluetooth.

Penguins

"Mommy I poopied."

"...Justin...where?"

"In here." He points to his underwear as he smiles.

"Justin, it's not funny. You are too big to be doing that."

"I poopied a penguin."

"WHAT?!?!"

And then he proceeded to pull a McDonalds Happy Meal Penguin out of his underwear. Only my son.

Not again......

Since Justin turned 3 in December he has been sitting with us in the evening service at church. Some nights are better than others, but we manage. So last night Justin had no desire to be in church. He wanted to go to Cubbies, but Cubbies is over. We are sitting there and he's not listening and Brad took him out to give him some "attention." I had to get up and close the double doors because the bathrooms echo and everyone could hear Justin protesting loudly. They came back in and Justin sat down with me. After all of 2 minutes he wanted to start getting up and not sitting and listening....Brad was running the sound and we were sitting in front of him. He came over and put his hand on Justin's shoulder to guide him back to the sound booth. Thinking he was going to get some more "attention" Justin says "Oh, not again!"
I laughed quietly.

As the service was ending the plates were passed for the tithe and offering---usual stuff. Then, Justin picked up Gabe's baseball cap and starts passing it down the pew telling everyone, "Put your money in here for me."

As he already is passing the "plate" it leads me to this question....Will I have a Preacher or a Comedian?

Insult of the Day

Yesterday Gabe came to me upset. Justin had called him "Dummy Dummy Dot Com Head".
I had to hold my tongue. At least Justin has the 21st century lingo down. :)

That's all.