Post (Memorial Day) Weekend

This post is brought to you by the letter B.

a Baby:

(with a Bald guy)

Blueberry Baking:

(and eating)

Blueberries again (in final cake-form):

(aka more blueberry eating)

A Baby on his Belly

Boards:

(operation sandbox: part one)

a Baby (and a toddler and a daddy) on a Blanket:

Brooklyn:

(in a rare, quiet moment)

Buddies:

(or: a Baby pulling a Baby) (okay, not actually Babies, but I swear they were just yesterday)

a Baby in his Bed:

Book sharing:

(another rare, quiet moment)

a Baby in a Big Bed:

Bathtime:

(no, the water is not polluted...our latest craze is not bubbles, but food coloring in the tub)

And a Birthday.

(Happy birthday, dad!)

A Quick Story (or: the Helpfulness of Toddlers)

The other morning, I ran upstairs with Caden to change his diaper, leaving Brooklyn playing in the living room and Nolan in his bouncy chair in the kitchen where he'd been keeping me company while I did the dishes.

As I was changing Caden's diaper, I heard Nolan start to fuss.  A little, then a little louder. Then I heard a pitter-patter of toddler feet.  Back and forth.  Back and forth.  Back and forth. The fussing stopped.  I didn't think too much of it until I came back down the steps to find:

This is bewildering.

What just happened to me?

Imma try to eat this thing by my face.

Oh yes, those helpful pitter-pattering toddler feet went back and forth, back and forth, back and forth to bring Nolan every baby toy they could find, including Sophie the Giraffe, a Nuby teething ring, and a crinkly-sounding elephant toy.  Plus a blanket, for good measure. Everything a baby might need.  And, apparently, it worked.

Or at least distracted Nolan enough in the confusion of suddenly being covered in toys to tide him over until I could get his own diaper changed.

Post Weekend

Sometimes when I post photos, I laugh to myself, because while they can look just so, I know that the minute just before had toddlers in tears over a toy, and the photo op was quickly brought to an end due to yet another diaper explosion.  But that photo (or two or three)?  It does reflect a perfect moment, even amidst the chaos.  A small moment, maybe the only really great moment in our entire day.  Because believe me, I am not taking pictures when the 2-year olds are whining and the baby is crying and the kitchen is a mess. I see posts that detail the how and why everyone's lives look so "perfect" online, but I don't think they ever really get to the heart of the matter...

When the 2-year olds are whining, the baby is crying and the kitchen is a mess...I've got WORK TO DO, people.  Placate the toddlers, feed the baby, attempt to bring order to the kitchen.  Taking a picture?  Ain't nobody got time for that.  I'm actively NOT taking a picture or even thinking about taking a picture when the twins are fighting or the diaper (and baby, and clothes, and surrounding area) are getting washed down.  (You're welcome.)

In other words, life is anything but as idyllic as it seems in one little photo.

Except these ones.  These ones are good.  This whole weekend was pretty darn wonderful.  

Minus the waking before 6:00 am part.  If you follow me on Facebook, you already know that I could have done without that.  

Also minus the opening the recently-purchased package of ravioli last night to find it covered in mold (um...ew) and having to call an audible at the last minute to get dinner (the rest of which was already in progress) on the table.  Could have done without that part, too.

(I was really, really looking forward to that spinach and cheese ravioli, dammit.)

(Nolan doesn't like all the attention too much.  *sarcasm alert*)

Want to keep a couple of toddlers busy for awhile?

Give 'em a bucket of water and a couple of paint brushes.  (These foam ones are great for toddlers.)  Then let them go to town as they "paint" everything with the water.  Sit back, relax, and take a sip of the adult beverage of your choice.  (Coffee.  This time it was coffee.  C'mon, they were up before 6 am...we were outside "painting" before it was even 9:00,  aka the time I may or may not have even been awake on the weekends before having kids.)

Also: chalk.

I might be biased, but isn't this just about the cutest (just-turned) 3-month old that you ever did see?

Aka Mr. You Told the Internet that I Sleep Through the Night So Now I Haven't Done That for the Past Two Nights in a Row.  Ha!

Thanks, dude.

More sibbling snuggles.  Though not of the before-6 am variety.

C'mon, Nolan has an actual outfit on.  This had to be 7 am at least.

And, to officially inaugurate that it finally feels like summer...

the pool!

Nolan Three Months

Life Lately

This stupid bird keeps flying into our patio door.

By "keeps flying into" I mean literally well over 100 times today over the course of a few hours.  A near-constant staccato repetition of a light "bump...bump-bump...bump" as his beak or whatever hits the window over and over and over again.  It's (*sarcasm alert*) not annoying (or mildly terrifying) at all!

I texted my dad about psycho-attack-bird, and he said the bird is defending his territory. He sees his reflection and thinks it's another bird so he tries to attack it.  This makes way more sense than my own two theories which were 1) maybe he's trying to eat bugs (which are plentiful around here, but are non-existant on the non-screen side of the patio door, which is where he keeps dive-bombing) or 2) he doesn't see the glass?  Maybe?  (entirely implausible since I have TWO TODDLERS and the patio door is anything but clean.  The sticky hand prints should be a dead giveaway that there's a DOOR HERE, dummy.).  Whatever the case, he's sure showing that other bird who's boss.

Other non-bird related things going on around here:

Choo-choos have taken over our front hallway.

The train table?  Fuggedaboutit.  That's old news.  We'll do just fine right here.  Please watch your step.

Couch reading:

Reading anywhere, really.  Lots and lots of reading.  And both of the twins have suddenly developed the ability to sit still and pay attention to long stories.  Current favorites, which I grew up with, are the Berenstain Bears.  And by "I grew up with" I mean "I  owned pretty much every single one of the Berenstain Bears books ever written".

I posted on Facebook yesterday that I wasn't quite sure how this would end:

I'm happy to report that it ended just like this:

Which was especially nice after dealing all day with a baby who refused to nap for more than 20-minute stretches, a little girl who only napped for an hour, toddlers who refused (i.e. threw on the floor) a lunch that they specifically requested, and not one, not two, but THREE poop-splosions (two infant, one toddler), resulting in two butt-in-the-sink baths, a few changes of clothes for both mommy and baby, and the laundering of clothing, blankets, diaper covers, and the Boppy.

From now on, we'll just take them outside and hose 'em down.

Though that may not work so well for the infant.

 

I lied.  I have more bird-related news:

Specifically, the frantic waving of "Hi!  Hi Daddy Bird!  HELLO!!!"  I'm surprised we haven't scared off every bird in the neighborhood, actually.

We've entered the most-of-the-photos-of-the-baby-are-laying-down-on-a-blanket stage:

Also, as seen above, the "nom-nom-I've-realized-I-have-hands-and-they-are-tasty" stage, and (not shown) the SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT STAGE.  WHUT???  Like ALL THE WAY THROUGH.  As in 7 or 8:00 at night STRAIGHT until 6:00ish the next morning.  Do you know HOW LONG it took Caden and Brooklyn to do that?  At ALL???

In other words, in case there were any lingering doubts: yes.  He is DEFINITELY a keeper.