The sleeping situation solved...

For many months, longer than we can remember or are willing to admit, we have been battling with Claire about bedtime. She did not want to go to bed when the boys did and she definitely would not go in her crib. We found our options were to either rock her to sleep for hours on end, which she still sometimes woke up from, or just let her "hang out" until we were ready to go to bed. In most cases, by then she was ready to crash. As you can imagine, we created a bedtime monster...and then to make matters worse, she started going to bed with us instead of her own bed because we were more desperate for sleep than she was!

After our spring break vacation week, we decided it was time to re-train the bedtime monster. After several failed attempts at SuperNanny solutions and stuck body parts in the gate at her door, we stumbled into an alternative solution.

Night 1: Brady upset by Claire being upset led to Daddy laying down with both of them in Brady's bed. They both went to sleep shortly after.

Day 2: Chris and I remembered that we did not have these bedtime battles with the boys when they transitioned to the big kid bed. Perhaps, the bottom bunk bed is magical!!

Night 2: Musical bed game began!! We asked Brady to go sleep in our bed, so that we could give Claire his bed temporarily. Claire only required a parent to lay down with her for about 10-15 minutes. After a couple hours, the music started back up for the kids to be moved to their proper bed.

Night 3-8: Musical beds is a nightly game with great success! Chris and I gained our evenings back!!

Night 9 forward: The game has changed. Brady has now decided that he will sleep on the top bunk with his brother and Claire can use his bed. For 3 nights now, they are all going to bed in the same bedroom at the same time and sleeping through the entire night.

Chris and I love the new sleeping situation! I have also officially concluded that Brady's bed is indeed a magic bed! As an added note, I find it quite interesting that here we are motivated to find a 4 bedroom home so that they each have their own bedroom and they have all piled in one room together! It's really sweet now, but I am sure it will change as they get older!

Connor's Girlfriend

Apparently for Connor, time does make the heart grow fonder. Last summer, Connor and another girl from summer school "claimed" each other as girlfriend and boyfriend. It was very cute to hear the reports from Brady and friends at school about the reported hand-holdings and several of the boys were on a hunt for their own girlfriend. At one point, there was even wedding plans being developed (for 20 years from now of course).  At the end of the summer, they had to part ways for the new school year and did not see each other again until December. During that time, Connor reported that she was still his girlfriend to Brady and apparently classmates.  When he finally saw her after a few months went by, he was very quick to remind her of their relationship.  Young love...so cute!

Over the last few months, they have had the opportunity to see each other more often during some fun activities and also for ice skating lessons. They are so cute together...I enjoy watching them grow up together and I hope they will be friends for a long time.

Reunion time...breakfast with Santa

How sweet that he chose this picture for his Christmas project!

Ice Skating fun!

Roller Skating Fun

IceMen Game

Be Creative, but Specific

When it comes to chores, the boys aren't quite to the age where they are begging for chores for allowance money in return. They really only have one set chore right now as part of their role in the household and that is to gather one laundry hamper each on Friday night. Anything beyond that requires a creative pitch or issuance of a challenge. Apparently, it also includes being very specific...

One evening, I gave the boys an empty laundry basket and asked the boys to go on a scavenger hunt to collect towels for laundry and find out how many they could find. Next time, I need to be specific that the hunt was for DIRTY towels, not clean towels. Brady returned with a fully-loaded laundry basket of neatly folded, still stacked towels from the linen cabinet ready to collect his prize for the MOST towels collected.

Shoes, Shoes, Shoes

Claire loves shoes...she will be found on a regular basis raiding the mudroom or someone's closet for the latest shoes to meet her fancy! She has tried out a pair of shoes from each family member with mommy's heels or Brady's boots being her favorite. It is so cute watching her march through the house with a "look at me" attitude!

Decisions, decisions

I can do this mommy without your help!

Runway model!

And we frequently find Brady like this...sporting one sock!  Why...we don't know!!

Why would we work for free? Show me the money!

Apparently, my boys don't work for free...what's up with that?

A conversation on the way to school:

Connor: "We haven't collected any money for doing our jobs"

Me: "Because you haven't done any jobs lately" (I don't count laundry as a job as that is their assigned household chore)

Connor: "Because you have to pay us and tell us what the job is"

Connor and Brady went on to throw out ideas for jobs, including the request for a BIG job that they can share the money on. They also said they wanted to save their money for a toy and hopefully the toy doesn't cost everything they have in their bank, so that they can still have some savings.

I guess it is time for Chris and I to come up with some jobs...and start handing over the quarters or dollars. I wonder what the going rate for child labor is these days?

From the mouths of preschoolers....

Here are a few stories to share....

5/1

Connor said to me "Babies are hard to take care of - you just never know what they want". Ha Ha....half the time I don't know what the preschoolers who know how to talk want (of course their list of wants are much longer)!

5/3

One evening, Connor asked me what the drops are that we put in Claire's bottle. After I told him they were gas drops, he responded "Well, they aren't working as she farted on me the whole time I was feeding her."

5/6

Connor and Brady have already planned their honeymoons. Connor is taking his wife to Australia while Brady is taking his wife on a multi-continent trip to Italy (South America, Africa, then Europe). I wonder if they would take me with them??

5/8

Why is my kid always planning for adulthood? First Connor has his honeymoon planned and now he has picked out his college roommate (Carac). Hopefully college comes first...

5/12

Question from Connor: "How do you say no to someone that asks you to marry them that you don't want to marry? No thank you, No way, or No I don't". I then had to explain that usually the answer is yes because a couple date for awhile first and then he asked how daddy asked me to marry him and how I knew his name. Why am I explaining dating and marriage to my 5 yr old and did someone already ask him?

5/16

Genuine smiles, sometimes instant satisfaction when cuddled, and cooing from Claire...makes all the other "stuff" that goes with a newborn totally worth it!

5/17

What are the chances that this morning's routine will work when I return to work??? All three kids up and dressed by 6:30 and ready to go on time. It helped that we used Claire as motivation for the boys...Connor took care of Claire while we got dressed. So it is all up to Claire to hold off until morning for her feeding.

5/18

As we are serving dinner and the boys are complaining (as usual), Connor said "Can we just do like at school and be a cold luncher?" Uh no....we can never get our kids to eat anything different or healthier!

5/20

Yummy breakfast for dinner which guarantees everyone happily eats and a hilarious game of Riddley Riddley Ree. ESPECIALLY when Brady's guess for the color silver was daddy's hair! Daddy was speechless and was actually referring to something other than his hair. Now we know what color Brady thinks daddy's hair is!

He won't stop talking....

It has been almost two months since Connor became roommates with Brady and moved to the top bunk. For a couple weeks, Connor has been complaining that Brady won't stop talking when he is trying to go to sleep. We assumed this was when they were first tucked into bed and have told them that is the best part about sharing a room with your sibling - you get to visit for a few more minutes before you go to sleep.

After experiencing a few late night visits from Brady this week, we now know what Connor was referring to. BRADY TALKS IN HIS SLEEP! Actually, he doesn't just talk in his sleep - he counts (21, 22, 23, etc.), he laughs and giggles hysterically, and he talks to people. I think he gets his dream patterns from his mommy, where he is probably reliving his days through his dreams.

Sorry Connor...daddy said that is pretty annoying. I wouldn't know since I am a talker also and I also sleep very deeply!

Age...it's not always fair!

As many of you know, Brady wants to be a big boy! He gets very frustrated when anyone, especially Connor, refers to him as little even if he is being called the little brother or being told he is too little for something. He wants to be considered big in every way! The latest obsession is age and when he will "catch up" with Connor. Yesterday, I heard the following conversation in the car between Connor and Brady. Connor was trying to drive a point home to Brady....

"Brady, I will ALWAYS be older than you. When you turn 4, I will be 5. When you turn 5, I will be 6. When you turn 6, I will be 7. When you turn 7, I will be 8. (this continued until about the age of 12). I will always be the big brother and be older than you because I was born first. Mommy had me first. I will always be your big brother."

Brady responded with "BUT, you are 4 and I will be 4 on my next birthday".

Connor was then quick to say "BUT when you turn 4, I will already be 5. I turn 5, then Carac, then Brody, then Jackson, then Jesse....and then you turn 4."

Brady apparently doesn't think it is fair that he will never be able to catch up to Connor in age. However, once Connor started saying he would always be bigger I had to correct him that one day Brady could catch up to him and be bigger in size.

Today, Brady has been pointing out that he will turn 4 on his next birthday and then turn 5 (like there isn't going to be a year in between there). He has also been very excited to point out that he will be older than the baby and that he will be 4 before the baby is even 1 years old. I think he may be catching on now....

As you can see from the picture, this desire to be 5 goes back several months - the picture was from February!

My Goofy Boys and their underwear

Every time I turn around, Connor and Brady are stripping down to their underwear (they would probably go all the way if I hadn't put a rule down somewhere along the way). It's like it is some prerequisite for being at home and playing games together. I constantly hear "Wait, we can't keep playing clothed, this game requires underwear only". I was even banned one time from playing in the office with them unless I was willing to get down to my panties - no thanks, guess I will pass this time.

Tonight, there was a new game and boy did we get some good footage for the future wives of our dear boys. They stripped down to their undies and then proceeded to take turns bending over into a V formation while the other popped a beach ball off the bottom. They felt like they got extra points if they managed to bounce it hard enough to hit twice....once on the bottom and then came right back to hit again.

On a side note, they do a pretty good job of taking their stripped clothes into the laundry room or hamper in their bathroom. Not always as I have found the occasional sock or shirt left somewhere random, but usually.

One Time...

Connor starts all his stories with One Time...

I would always add One Time at Band Camp (which totally annoyed him). He asked me one day why I always did that and I told him that it reminded me of a movie.

Now he starts all stories with One Time at Band Camp (he-he)...one day (when he is older) he will watch the movie and have an ah-ha moment.

The "Twins" Dressed Themselves

The boys have been working on getting dressed by themselves and have their proudest moments when they are dressed before we get out of bed. This morning, they showed up in our bedroom to show us that they had dressed themselves and were dressed like twins. Yes, we do have duplicates of some outfits, but not for that reason! Aren't they so cute!

Toddler Artwork

Gotta love toddler artwork..luckily, Connor can tell us what he "intended" this drawing to be so we aren't left to our own imaginations. Can you guess what it is??

The guesses I received from friends were "Mommy and Daddy", "Two Cars at Demolition Derby", "Orange Dog getting hit by a Blue Buffalo". The final answer is....

A blue whale and a yellow school bus. Not sure why those two belong in a picture together....

Mommy's a Girl...and yes, she has b**bs

At the theatre last night for Connor's School Play, Brady was moving from lap to lap. At one point, he was on mommy's lap trying to get comfortable. He leaned back and was not happy...he turned around investigating what was preventing him from being comfortable.

B: What is in your shirt mommy? I can't lean back.

M: Nothing is in my shirt Brady.

B: Yes, there is something in your shirt. Pat Pat...let me look. Oh, it's your B**BS!

Yes, Mommy does have those, have always had those, and they have always been there when you are sitting on my lap. I looked over at Mimi who was cracking up...not sure who else nearby heard the exchange.

Are they trying to tell me something?

I was going through some stacks of papers the other day when I came across some of my birthday cards from family. I had to go back through the stack a couple times when I realized that I had not ONE, not TWO, but THREE of the same birthday cards. Upon further examination, I realized that all three cards were from Debbie, my mother-in-law and Ross for my birthday in 2005, 2006, and 2007. I could not wait to point this out to her!

Now, pay close attention to the front of the card..."You must be a Genius...great wisdom and unmatched intelligence". Why thank you Debbie! Of course, Ross claims he must have gotten a bargain deal at Sam's Club.

By the way, the inside says "...you married into this family".

My Kids say the Darndest Things

I like to accumulate quotes and funny conversations that we have with the boys or overhear between the two of them. Following are a few of them that I thought were funny.

Recent Quotes from Connor:

"You can play with me, but you have to know the answers"

"It's like a slumber party at the hotel" (trip to St. Louis)

"We have lots of grandparents, cousins, neighbors, and friends. That's a lot of people, but that's okay because we love them all."

"The pictures on the box mean that you have to buy them separately." (As he was referring to other parts of a toy that were not included)

"I am missing something - do you know what I am missing - it usually sits right next to the plate". (He was hinting to us that he was missing a drink)

"Brady - you're not supposed to fight with me. That makes me sad." (Brady's response was that they weren't fighting, he just wanted the toy back.)

"Let me see what time it is (as he grabbed his watch). It's 11 o'clock which means it's time for you to stop being grumpy." (Said to Brady during one of Brady's fits).

"What did he say? I don't know what he said. I don't understand" (talking about Brady)

"You don't have to get so upset - it's just a puzzle. You have to calm down and be nice." (Said to Brady)

"You have to ask to be excused from the dinner table when you are done eating. That's what big boys do." (Thank you Montessori)

"Mom, why was Brady grumpy this morning. He was okay last night. I will have to ask him when we get home tonight." (By the way, he did ask Brady later that night)

Recent quotes from Brady:

"Mommy, you made me cry. That wasn't nice."

"I need more - (after giving him more) - that's not more".

"I need to spank Connor on the butt" (this is said a lot when Connor is aggravating him)

"Connor - you are mean to me"

"Connor - you need to teach me."

"Mommy - daddy's not home yet - who's going to make my dinner". Of course, this was funny because my boys already know that I don't cook. However, Brady's concern was that he needed to eat dinner before he could eat his sucker."

The other night we were driving by the new restaurant, Grand Traverse Pie Company. I mentioned that we needed to go eat there sometime. Brady asked what they had and when I responded food, he said "I like food". This was said very excitedly (actually - he was delirious).

"My Mommy Doesn't Cook"

On Sunday night, we were at my mom's house for dinner. While my mom was making dinner, Connor decided to strike up a conversation. He asked grandma if she was cooking dinner and then commented that his daddy cooks dinner. My mother, knowing the answer to this already, asked if his mommy cooks. He said, very seriosly, "No because she burns herself when she cooks. She does sometimes use that (as he points to the microwave)."

A few weeks ago, Brady received a sucker from school. I told him that he couldn't have it until after he ate dinner. We arrived home and as we pulled into the garage, he realized that daddy was not home yet. His immediate comment was "Daddy's not home - who's going to cook my dinner?"

Yes, I will admit it, I don't do any cooking. Not even my fair share - I have opted for laundry and bill-paying duty instead. Something with more then 2 steps or 2 ingredients makes my head spin. Hearing my friends talk about trying new recipes just doesn't excite me, except for the possibility of trying the results or passing the recipe on to hubby. My co-workers have even witnessed my lack of comfort in the kitchen - I have been officially signed up for chips and soda duty for all future food pitch-ins.

I want to believe that we are preparing the boys to be a great husband to their future wife by not following the typical stereotypical roles. Perhaps one day, I will find my way into the kitchen and dabble in making a yummy dessert. Anything else just doesn't sound worth it! The picture below was taken by hubby when he found me in the kitchen operating an appliance - he couldn't resist due to his shock and concern that it would be awhile before it happens again.

Tinkerbell...Really?

Okay, for many months I have hoped for a time when my boys would be interested in movies. Any attempt to watch a movie has been short due to attention span, too much of a plot to follow, or too scary (Jungle Book and Lion King fell into this category). I never understood how they can watch cartoons on Saturday morning for 2-3 hours, but their attention span faded 20 minutes into a movie.

Well, the day has come that they have watched a full length movie from beginning to end! Yeah - now I can start thinking about family movie nights, taking them to the movie theatre, and let's not forgot the possible 2 hour break to get other things done. The movie of choice - Tinkerbell! They have watched and requested this movie at least 4-5 times in the last 2 weeks. I did manage to sneak in Madagascar and Polar Express, but Tinkerbell is the #1 choice and the only one that they actually sit for without interruptions.

At a Christmas dinner, a friend of mine was telling us about how her 4 year old watches hours and hours of baseball, football, and hockey. He can name the teams, give play by play commentary, and knows the penalties in the game. I made the announcement "My boys watch Tinkerbell...it's because they think the fairies are hot!".

Teenager attitude early or just a preview?

Connor and Brady are giving us a glimpse of what teenager attitude will look like with their new favorite phrases.

Connor has decided to end the majority of his statements or respond to our questions with "whatever". Imagine this being said in a smart alleck tone as opposed to being an answer to the question of what do you want for dinner. I have identified who one of the influences to this word were - daddy! Daddy has been caught on occasion responding to mommy's questions this way. Daddy now has some reform work to do!

Brady's new phrase is "I know that". The majority of time this is said as a statement that he knew something we just told him. It has came off a few times as smart alleck also in that we just told him something he already knew and we wasted our time telling him again. Well then!

Gotta love the personalities that are developing!

Let's Stick to the Routine - I want to know what's next!

Connor has always been a little fanatic about the routine and knowing what the order of events will be. About the time we started the nightly routine, he would usually recite what it was as sort of a confirmation that we weren't going to mix it up - Bath, Cookies, TV show, Book, Bed. Apparently, he finds comfort in this area as it allowed him to transition more comfortably at Montessori also. Ms. Beth said that once he knew how the day would play out, he was like "Okay - I'm good now".

Connor has now started extending the routine beyond a couple hours of time. On Friday mornings, he will recite what will happen from Friday morning all the way until Monday morning. It's so funny that he finds this important - "we go to school today, then tonight we start the weekend with mommy and daddy, this weekend we are going to do _____, then Sunday night I got to bed and when I wake up it will be time to go to school again (lots of enthusiasm here)". Talk about fast-forwarding the weekend....

Brady has started picking up this "trait" also. On the way home from school, he recites what will happen when he gets home. Usually I have to change the order because he tries to force a snack/dessert in there before dinner.

Let the Games begin..

The brother to brother competition has gotten fierce lately. Daily occurrences...aggravating the other with the taunting..luckily we aren't to the wrestling stage (yet).

Connor:

"I'm not a baby like Brady...I don't wear diapers. I go on the big boy potty. I wear underwear."

"I'm not throwing a fit like Brady."

" I get to go to bed after my brother."

Brady:

"I'm getting out of the tub like you told me to. Not Connor."

"Mommy's holding me..na na!"

"I let Mommy help me. Not you."

And it continues..."I got chocolate milk." "Well, I got apple juice." Both think there is some superiority of theirs over the other. It is hilarious how they create competition out of simple things like the drink they have.

Connor also carries the games over to daddy - withholding information until he knows he has won. He suggested McDonald's to daddy last night for dinner and daddy thought it sounded like a good idea so he didn't have to cook. Connor waited until burger was in hand before announcing that he got to have McDonald's for lunch AND for dinner. (Daycare had a McDonald's picnic). He then said "It's okay daddy - I had chicken nuggets for lunch."