"Bunk Beds"

He was the mastermind.

She was the guinea pig.

Then he tried it out.

Ah, yes.  This is the way it works--bunk beds.

Breakfast on the Banister

Is there really any other way to enjoy dry cereal?

Blowing Bubbles, Biking Backward...

HOT!!!

The other day it hit 100 degrees--100! That's a lot around here. You Texas and OK friends and family may be yawning, but all I can say is, just add humidity and 100 degrees is a different beast. At least in the southwest you can count on a breeze.

So, what do you do on an oppressively hot day? Water, of course. Actually, these pictures were taken on a day that was more 80-something. The driveway wasn't broiling, just a bit sizzily (pretend it's a real word), but I thought that I would mention the HOT day because I was feeling chatty and the universal language of chatty has a couple of staples--weather is one of them, so I went there.

While I was spray painting the front porch wicker furniture, the younger boys were having a grand time in the sprinkler. Every once in a while they would break from jumping on the sopping wet trampoline or sliding on the slippery grass to toast themselves on the driveway. If you've never done this, it's a must. Of course you have done this. I don't know a child in America that hasn't. If you have girls, they make water angels (like snow angels). But if you have boys, well--butt prints. That's what they delight in--butt prints. They also just like to lay there and get warm.












My wonderful "helper"! They used the empty spray cans to help me paint.

Mom and Dad's Visit and a Bike Ride

I am way behind in posting about our lives. Mom and dad came about two weeks ago and helped us tackle projects around the house. We played and worked and had a wonderful time.









My dad has taught all my kids how to ride a bike. Sinatra was no exception. He was so ready that dad never even had to run behind. He just started him and watched. By the end of the day the kid was even turning and starting by himself from the curb.









Mom snuggled with Sugar between coats of paint.

Sinatra Turns 5

Sinatra turned five on April 6th. He kept asking me how many fingers he was away from his birthday. We have been counting down from about 25 days and using all our fingers and toes to make the number of days left. Finally, we got down to one hand and he didn't need help from there. It was so fun to count down with him.



His own Nerf gun!



Cash in a card!

This birthday was the first time that it has been a really big deal to him. We had to have friends, a car cake, a remote control monster truck and a fishing pole. Between our friends and us we fulfilled every wish.



His cars cake.


On top of all the rest, we visited the local zoo at the natural science center just to see the tigers. Shakespeare had a Lego robotics class there that day, so it was one stop for two kids. Top that off with a happy meal at McDonald's (Sinatra's favorite) and you have a superb birthday.



Notice the tiger in the background.



And here he is smiling at the meerkats.

Happy birthday, little man!

Sinatra isn't "Free" Any More

Now he's 4 years old! On April 6th we celebrated his birthday. It coincided with our last day of homeschool group, so it was quite the day. We ended up at his favorite place in the world, McDonalds!



Gem and Shakespeare and I grabbed some presents and bought a cake while Jon took Popcorn and the Birthday Boy on an extra long golf cart ride around the campus. Then our troop descended on Mickey D's. We showed up at 7pm and no one was in the play place. We almost had the place to ourselves. What a treat for our little guy.



He loved blowing out the candles and was thrilled with his Mickey Mouse balloon, but the best part, of course, was the presents. Ripped right through them.



Everything he opened had something to do with wheels. Cars, trucks, and other manly vehicles. He is such a delight!



4--a wonderful age!

According to Popcorn

After taking a trip to the pet store with their Dad, Popcorn and Sinatra (but mostly Popcorn) reported in:

Popcorn: Hey, Mom, guess what? Guess what, Mom? Mom, Mom, Mom, guess what? Guess what?

Mom: What?

Popcorn: Ummm, umm, umm, we saw... Guess what we saw at the pet store?

Mom: Animals?

Popcorn: Yeah. And guess what my favorite was?

Mom: A mouse? A rabbit? A bird?

Popcorn: No, a Chiwawa.

Mom: They look like a rat. You really like those?

Popcorn: Yeah, I want one. But I don't want that fighter dog--the big fighter dog what always fights.

Mom: You mean a Boxer?

Popcorn: Yeah.

Sinatra: I want an Enchawawa, Mom.

Popcorn: They don't shed, Mom, and they don't look like a rat.

Three Days and Counting

Well, Sinatra has finally arrived: number four is potty trained! Can you see me doing a happy dance!?!!! Congratulate me!!! What a perfect Christmas present. Merry Christmas to me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Believe me, it deserves that many exclamation points. Three days, no accidents. Hark, me thinks I hear angels singing. What relief (pun completely intended).

Timmy Goes!

Yes, we have a potty song. We've sung it so many times that everyone joins in when he has a little triumph. He expects a celebration with presents and candles and cake. This time we only had ice cream. This is one small detriment from having "uped" the anti so many times over the last 7 months. But the party is no big deal to me. Believe me, I feel like celebrating much more than anyone else in the house when he does his business where he should. It was a lovely night for a party! Congratulations, Sinatra (and me).

Poo-poo Party!

Well, this post is a repeat. Yep. He did it in the potty then followed up in his pants. The only thing that isn't repeated is that we were quicker with the party. We lit a candle on the week old cake and sang a song and he blew out the candle. Yes, I actually let the kids eat the dry thing--not the candle, the cake. Don't judge me: there wasn't mold or anything. He also got to choose a prize--an Elmo stamp. He stamped all of our hands, the table, a piece of paper, the neighbor, and Lord knows what else.



We're gettin' there. At least he's telling me some of the time. He has stayed dry for three days. Maybe they have a 12 step program for toddlers.

Poo-poo Party...

This week I joined Facebook. If you visited me there in the last day you already know the punchline to this update. For the rest of you...

We've been potty training Sinatra for five months now. He has finally reached the point that he will pee in the toilet every time, but number two has been a different story. We've encouraged, rewarded, cajoled, bribed and downright begged the little booger, but nothin' doing.

I've promised him all sorts of things: a toy school bus, bubble gum, a ride on a golf cart at the campus, and even a toy gator to ride around the yard. But the thing that he really attached to was something that I did not really mean to offer. One day as he sat there trying I sarcastically commented, "We're going to have a party when you poo-poo in the potty, Bud." Yep, he wants a party.

He has been in big boy underwear for two weeks now and has made messes once a day faithfully. But yesterday we had a breakthrough. He finally did it! After running to the toilet off and on for a few hours he made a tiny deposit. We put him to bed and 10 min. later he made another tiny contribution to the world of the toilet trained. Then he fell asleep. At 12:30 AM the kid came into our room and woke me up so he could finish his business. I've never been happier to be awakened in the night. He immediately looked up at me with a beaming face and asked, "I get party now, Mom?" It was with much difficulty that I got him back to bed. He had his heart set on a candle on the top of a cake.

This morning we baked a cake and iced and decorated it. We let him pick a place to eat--McDonalds. We went there for lunch, planning to come home and celebrate. Guess what he did at McDonalds. Pooped his pants. The poo-poo party was postponed.

We went to Target this evening and raided the dollar aisle for prizes. Every time he goes he gets to pick one. I pray he does it tomorrow so we can celebrate with cake and presents!

Indiana Jones

Tonight at dinner the kids were talking about how the monkey gets poisoned in the first Indiana Jones movie. We talked about it for awhile, along with some wonderful dinner conversation about how a butcher cuts up meat. Thankfully, the meal was almost over. During our chat, 3 year old Sinatra was prattling on about something. Eventually, I tuned in to what he was saying..."Grandpa Jones poison the monkey. Yeah, he do it."

Indiana Jones! My parents live in Indiana--ha!

Sinatra Needed Some Attention

He needed some attention so we went outside and I took pictures. It's so nice to have a camera that can capture his expressions that are so him. Pardon the number of shots. I'm having fun with my new toy and love everything that comes out of the little black contraption. He liked being my guinea pig. I got lots of hugs and smooches during our little photo shoot.



He wanted to use his "cute" shovel (anything that is small is "cute"). He's making piles of pine needles--his castles.













This last one is just classic Sinatra.

Being Three

The thrills of being three years old are many. Here are just a few:

Playing trains at Mr. Charley's house.



A drink from a water fountain at the park.



A trip down the curly slide.



Eating the entire bowl of ice cream in a huge bite.



Playing with Daddy.



Done for the day.