A Little Elbow Grease

The boys are all about helping... Usually it's helping themselves to making a bigger mess, but every once in a while, they pitch in and get things done.  It's so refreshing when they tackle a little project; they're proud of themselves and I'm happy just that things are gettin' done up in here!  This weekend, we tackled their bedroom.  It needed a good vacuuming and the cups of milk that accompany them to bed were piling up.  I think some sort of a happy little circumstance happened where they had the attention and desire to be helpful and I had the patience to let them.

These pictures crack me up, they really did do a good job and now that I know that they can do a good job when they want to, it's surely something that I will be having them do more often.

And I couldn't resist reminding everyone of another time when the boys were showing off their vacuuming skills, albeit when they were much younger and not as skilled with the vacuum and it was really more work for me... But at any rate, they were cute and working together and it was freakin' cute, so eat it up. 

Wanted: A Baby Sister

Not too long after we told the boys that they were going to have a sibling, the gender talk started.  My husband was firmly in the boy camp- thought it was a boy and wanted a boy.  I, on the other hand, thought that it was a girl and said I wanted either a boy or a girl... but I won't lie now, I really wanted a girl.  As most things went in our household at the time, I figured I would be outnumbered in the wish-upon-a-baby-boy-star, but surprisingly that wasn't the case; the boys really wanted a baby sister.  Obviously, there's nothing that we could have done at that point to grant their wish, but they were the first two people I thought of when we learned it was a girl; her big brothers were going to be happy.

So far, they love having a sister and it probably has a lot to do with the fact that she's great.  On the rare occasion that she cries for longer than 30 seconds, one of them comforts her by saying, "I'm here Sissy, don't cry."  I realize that this kindness and concern may only last for another few years, and eventually they may become the cause of her tears, but for now I'm sincerely in love with their love for her.  They are much more gentle with her than with anything else in the whole world.  When they talk to her, they both use a soothing, higher pitched voice.  They, above all else, show me that they love her and that's all that I've ever really wanted, love for my children.

This week, I've been nearly ready to put her in her crib.  (I know, I know; that beautiful nursery that I'm so proud of hasn't gotten any real use...) We've been hanging out more in her room and she's spending little periods of time in her crib to grow accustomed to it, but when all is not well and Sissy is done with the crib, her brothers come rushing in and soothe her and tell her not to cry.  And she stops and watches them and then everything is right in the world again.

Fall Photo Shoot 2013

For several years, we've taken the time to document our children outdoors during a beautiful time of year.  This year, we headed out to a chic landscaping store, because we had a gift card, and I happened to grab our nice camera; while it certainly didn't start off being our Fall Photo Shoot 2013 that's totally where it ended... and I'm thrilled.

And keep an eye out for Arden's blue car, which managed to sneak into quite a few pictures.

My Valentine's

I spent a few days thinking up a cute idea of what to do for the boys' Valentine's cards for our family and friends... and here's what I ended coming up with.  The boys had a good time and the cards were a hit, so everyone was happy.


The front of the card/email text said:  guess who stole your heart?

Family, Dirt Roads & Tree Houses

Watching any urban dwellers getting to stretch their legs in the great outdoors is always heartwarming, but when it's my kids, it's damn near exhilarating.  This weekend, we had the opportunity to visit my cousin and her family who live in a real log cabin- it was awesome.  The boys had a great time running down dirt roads and I got to experience something my parents told me about all too often- trusting that the older cousins will look after the younger ones.  The homemade tree house proved to be a nice family bonding experience as little ones were looked after by older ones while ascending and descending the ladder as a nervous Mama looked on.

We don't get to spend nearly enough moments together with my cousin who lives about an hour and half away, but each time we do, I feel rejuvenated and grateful that despite the distance, our family always has an authentically good time.

Cheers to family, dirt roads and homemade tree houses.

The Politician and The Rock Star

I think every parent at one time or another tries to project their child into the future and take a guess at what they will become; I do the exact same thing.  The boys had their picture day at school recently and before they left, I made them get pictures for me; it was a picture before picture day thing, I'm pretty sure that all parents love to do this, right?  (It's kind of like if you ever had someone coming into clean your house, you always clean up first, right?)  The pictures turned out okay, but it was what I realized after I took them that made them more meaningful.  I'm calling this picture the The Politician and The Rock Star.

Arden, of course, is the Politician and Cullen will forever be the Rock Star.  It's more than just how they look in their school gear, it's the legendary personalities that these two groups of people tend to have.  Rock Stars are loud and boisterous (try getting Jagger to sit for a picture) and that's my Cullen, he's 100% rock and roll. And Arden, well he's quiet and unassuming, but don't mistake this for weakness, he runs the show and up in here; he's got the power.

Happy Picture Day 2012.

Brothers: We Share Everything

As a person who had two siblings, I distinctly recall when I got chicken pox (remember when that still existed?) and my Mom making my sister drink and eat after me to ensure that she got it; she never did.  So it was just lil' ol' me suffering with a case of the itchies and a permanent scar on my forehead.  Well, now that I'm a parent of siblings, I can pretty much guarantee that when one of my boys is sick, the other one is almost  certainly going to follow right along.  As was the case just recently when we went through our yearly bout of gastroenteritis- or as I like to call it, "quick, grab a bowl!"

The worst part though, is that I get it too.  This year, I'm pretty sure that I brought it on myself.  At like the fifth day I was marveling to someone that I hadn't gotten it yet, but that "I'd like to lose 5 pounds by the weekend, so it wouldn't be terrible if I did get it."  Low and behold, the next day, I got it.  And for the record, it was terrible.

But life goes on and we are all on the mend now; next year, I'm sure we will go through the same thing and those few days will be barfy and gross and I will be happy when we're all done with it.  Because even though I go on (and on and on) about how close I want these two Brothers to be, I don't want them to be this close.

It only takes one lick of each others' lollipop and boom, they're both barfing up a storm.

Big Brother, Little Brother

Being an older sibling has it's perks, false claims that younger brothers and sisters are adopted, top the list, but it also comes with responsibility.  Being the oldest, is an entirely different "bag" so to speak.  Us oldest children are top dog in many ways, but in others, we miss out.  My whole life, I wanted an older brother, I'm not exactly sure why, but after seeing my boys, I know why- because older brothers are kind of the best.

I call each of my boys, "Brother."  If there's an apology to be had, it's said to Brother or a toy to be shared, it's with Brother; I've tried to teach my sons that they are brother's first and I hope that's a mentality that translates throughout their lives.

Having the opportunity to see this relationship develop is certainly one of the most important experiences of my life and I'm reminded every day that it's happening with the help of my influence and in ways in which i could never influence; it's instinct with these two.  It's why at 2:00 am, Arden is pointing upstairs to have Cullen come down and join us for some late night Olympics watching or why Cullen runs screaming through the house after a mall-trip with Poppy for his, "Brother!"; because they have this bond, one that makes everything just a little more special.

So, it's no surprise that we've reached the stage where the Little Brother wants to do everything that the Big Brother does, sometimes to Big Brother's delight, but most often not.  As a older sibling, I can tell Cullen, the Big Brother, that this is probably never going to change, Arden's going to want to be like you and that's a good thing.  I'm not saying this in a huberous, narsasistic type way, I mean it in a organically innocent way, and it goes back and forth.

I am well aware that family cannot be chosen, although, mine has always been a blessing, so it's magical to watch essentially two strangers bound only by genetics create this friendship that transcends almost everything in their world in order to become the best of friends.  For Arden- I'm eternally grateful that he has a big brother as kind and loving as Cullen.  And for Cullen- I'm forever comforted by the fact that he has a brother who will support him and kick ass and take names on his behalf.

Brothers

I've done several posts about the relationship that Cullen and Arden have now and I've also elaborated on the type of friendship I hope that they will have in the future here, here, here, here, and here.  As anyone who's ever had a sibling or have children who are siblings knows, the dymanic is ever evolving and can change literally second-by-second.

These days, the boys are in the "passive aggressive sharing" phase, which is when you have a toy and you "share" it by throwing it at your brother's head while screaming, "here Brother!  Look, Mom, I'm sharing!"  This weekend, I was able to capture a little interaction that I'd like to call, Brother's Sharing.

"Can I have the ball?

"Maybe... are Mom and Dad looking?"

I know where you think this is going... and it's not, but that sometimes happens too.
"Here's the ball..."

"But you're going to have to chase after it.  Look, Mom, I just shared!"

A Little Bit of Morning Magic

Every night, before we go to bed, Jim and I ask one another to share our favorite parts of our day.  Both of us make it a point to share a moment or interaction that we've had with one another and with each of the boys.  Well today, the best part of the day is this picture.  

This moment in time.

It started off simple enough, I wanted to share a picture of Cullen's new haircut-- perhaps this is the reason I've found myself so reflective lately, this haircut signaled the end of an era.  He now has less hair than he did when he was born and that make me sad.-- and it turned into an impromptu photo shoot.  

The lighting was just right and they were both cooperative. 

It was like a little bit of morning magic unfolded.

For a second, it was just the three of us standing in this little whirlwind of screeching, happiness;

the screeching being courtesy of Arden.

Amazing.

It's Not Real Yet, But One Day It Will Be

I've thought countless times about the future; specifically, about how I want the boys to be friends and best friends if possible.  Then I realize that this means they are going to be getting into all sorts of trouble, more than they do right now and that's hard to believe.  A few weekends ago, I got a momentary glimpse of that future and thought, "One day, this will happen, only it'll be for real," and I've got to admit, I'm scared shitless for that day.

But then I think, what a balanced set of brothers they are-- Cullen's always jumping, smashing and dancing, while Arden sits back, observes and quietly swoops in; it makes me certain that they're going to be all right.  And that maybe they'll have too much fun sometimes, (hey, who hasn't?) but when it gets real crazy, my Little Arden will make sure that Brother stays in check.

A Helping Hand

Sometimes when your little brother drops his lollipop and starts to cry, you lick the dirt off and say, "here, Brother!" and hand it back to him.

But when Brother decides to drop it 5 more times and your parents aren't looking, you get tired of handing it back, so you stick it in his hair.  There, now it will not be dropped.