My Secret Identities

When I was a little girl I use to play "Ladies" with my sister and many of our friends. This usually involved purses, jewelry, and old check books. We had famous husbands who were mega billionaires. My dad even stood in as butler / waiter when he was home. We were served white wine (milk) and the finest cavier (total and cheese my dad's invention). We gave servers tips of twenty thousand dollars. Keisha used the broom as her husband and mine was the mop. Unfortunately he didn't become a servant of Jehovah right away due to his long hair. But, when mama bought a sponge mop I shrieked with joy that my husband could get baptized. If any one would have told that little girl she would end up having two little boys who included her in all their "gentlemen" games she wouldn't have believed it. Now I'm Super Woman, Bat Woman, Iron Man Woman, Spider Woman, She Hulk, and the occasional villian. I have numerous powers including but not limited to webs, solar rays, extreme strength, and most days I can fly.
I don't need a purse anymore it's been replaced with armor, shields, and gadgets. I no longer have a butler instead I have a sidekick. No more jewelry, I wear various capes and suits. And now a days when hunger is felt across the room I'm the server. It doesn't tip as well as it use to.
As a little girl my days were filled with what I thought was fun. Now, as a mother its filled with what my boys think is fun and I completely understand why my dad always participated.

Look who's a big boy now!

There is an episode of Seinfield where right before summer begins George loses his job again, and unexpectedly gets a nice severance check. He stands up proudly and exclaims "this will be the summer of George!" Well this is going to be the "summer of Kristi!" Liam is officially potty trained. We had to get through some crying, whining, and a few screaming sessions but, I got myself together and we successfully accomplished the process. Anyone who reads this blog knows Liam has always been a bit of a challenge to me, so because he is actually doing it with no accidents I still get so excited each time. Josh is probably getting tired of hearing how many times a day his son goes to the bathroom. I just can't believe we get to go through this summer without diapers.

Here are a few things I observed along the way. First, why do tightie whities look so adorable on little boys? They sure do lose their cuteness as the years go on. Second, as soon as a boy learns he can aim, he does so everywhere except where he is suppose to. That also loses its cuteness as the years go on. Lastly, I don't understand how going #2 makes kids want to talk so much. I sit there with a smile like any other mother would, because I would rather hear what they have to say than change the diaper of an almost 4 year old.

I am hoping this will prompt me to change the name of this blog but only time will tell that.

An Ode to My Life.

It started with a picture, to see those blue eyes made my heart go boom boom.
After the wedding came the first year then, the delivery room.
So a little boy was born who's eyes would not shut.
His mommy ran on fumes and went putt, putt, putt.
Many tears were shed for the daddy to realize "she needs to be by her family."
We settled in and it didn't take long to see our son does not act normally.
But, our concerns were put on hold because mommy had another one on the way.
To their surprise this little boy for three weeks slept all day.
An active two year old and a sleeping baby, oh but that did not last long.
Mommy looked to daddy and said "with you there is something wrong."
You did not give me children that sleep, they stay awake and eat all day!
Mommy and daddy had to find a way for their marriage in tact to stay.
Somehow they survived this battle,
And made sure they would never have to buy another baby rattle.
Two was more than enough for this pair.
Daddy went to work with a smile and mommy did all the work this was not fair.
Time went by and came many a milestone.
Things were not easy but mommy realized she had to change her tone.
The years have passed by not so fast
Everyday they are thankful the baby days do not last.
They would finally get some kind of break,
Six years is all it would take.
Mommy has heard you are not given more than you can take.
For her that means always being awake.
This mommy is just so happy,
That everyone here uses the toilet to pee pee.

Overall, it Went Well.

After all the stories I have told about our family at the meetings, I was nervous, to say the least about our 2 day assembly. Liam was dressed to the nines well, for a Pierson and Sammy had his usual t-shirt, cargo pants, and shoes with no socks. We got there Saturday just as the session started. After having their morning snack which would be considered some people's lunch and a few "get your finger out of your nose and don't wipe that on anything", it was time for lunch. The excited look on my boys face when we were singing before intermission was priceless. You could tell they were thinking "this wasn't so bad. Now lets get home." So when we went to eat lunch there was still a sparkle in their eyes. But, when we didn't leave it went from priceless to if looks could kill. But despite it all we made it through the day. And when we did arrive home the energy these two had was unbelievable. Josh and I on the other hand thought we would have to pull over at a rest stop on the hour drive home to take a nap. Then Sunday came and we had to bribe with McDonald's to get Sammy out the door. I put my makeup on in the car so we could be on time. When we got to Micky D's Liam said he wanted nothing until he saw my order and then decided he wanted exactly what I got. So trying to be a good mommy (really I was just trying to avoid another meltdown) I gave my breakfast to Liam. We made it on time and as soon as the session started the bagel sandwich Sammy had just didn't hit the spot so off we were again for the morning snack. I feel the need to mention Sammy is terrified of heights. That meant when we went upstairs for lunch he had to be carried down the stairs and since Josh was carrying the bags and Liam the job of holding our 56 lbs 5 yr old was mine. I got to the bottom sweating like I just got out of a sauna because I was wearing my 4 inch boots. It was about this time Josh and I would have welcomed one of our kids having a fever or something that would have led to us having to leave and go home. Of course, this is the one time they were healthy and we made it again through the day. The afternoon consisted of two more snack times and a lot more sweating. On the way home the boys fell asleep and Josh and I talked about how nice our weekend was. For some this may have been a lot to handle for our little family it was a great weekend.

Even Darth Vader has to use the bathroom.

Potty training has begun! Of course when the child who you are trying to train is stubborn, smart, and cries so loud your ears ring its not as exciting as it should be.
We started last week and if he would have used the effort he has put forth to fake cry he could have already mastered it. He doesn't want any praise or recognition for this accomplishment. His famous phrase is "lets not talk about this." Sammy has tried very hard to take on the role of a good big brother and help but his tactic was saying " for crying out loud this is how you do it" while pulling his shorts down to his ankles. For some unknown reason Liam didn't respond well to that. But, even through the stubbornness and fighting he still is doing it. And as our Circuit Assembly approaches we are both relieved and scared to have reached this point. It should be a very interesting weekend.

Catch Up.

It has been such a busy couple of weeks I haven't even had the time to write. So here is a brief overview of what our lives have been like.
Starting with Sammy. We had to go 2 days for testing with the school to see if he qualified for therapy through them. The first day didn't go so well as he wasn't happy about being at a school regardless of what games they wanted to play. But, we got through it and he even opted to forgo a toy and go straight to his "brother" Landon's house. The second time he knew more of what to expect and did a lot better. It did take a little longer considering Sammy had some information he wanted to share with the ladies. Including but not limited to Peter Parker's secret identity is Spider Man, all the Hero Factory toys he has and what purpose they each serve, as well as all the things he could remember about Iron Man. He also informed them that Connor and Landon I quote " have lots and lots of money." I'll have to check those facts but the teachers seemed impressed.
Now, on to Liam. Aunt Garlyn and Cameron were visiting and Garlyn was sure she could get him to go on the potty. Of course he did great for her. He never actually went pee pee but, he did wear underwear and try. As soon as she left for the store he peed all over Keisha's kitchen floor. So we are back to square one with that.
As a family we are trying to make sure everyone has a part in clean up at night so mommy isn't so completely overwhelmed. Last night I asked Sammy and Liam to pick up the play room and Sammy said " we already made the mess why do we have to clean it up too?"  So that pretty much sums up how that is going. Me pointing to exactly what needs to be picked up and exactly where it goes and Liam trying his best to use his smallness to his advantage while hiding from me, and Sammy complaining how many aches and pains cleaning causes him.
I've been asked if I ever wish for a normal day and my response is and always will be "this is my normal.'

Snow Toss

The boys have been talking about having a snow ball fight since last winter. Because we had a late snow this year, the first chance they got they wanted to go out. Josh is smart, funny, and good at what he does. Athletic isn't his strongest quality. Don't get me wrong he will be the first to sign up for a congregation softball game but, he usually isn't the pitcher he is a great out fielder though. Well, it looks like the boys might not only look and act like him but they throw like him too. This picture says it all. Sammy's snow balls came apart as soon as they hit air, Josh almost fell trying to throw his, and Liam aimed low. But the important thing is they had fun and I got a good laugh.