They know each other well!

A funny thing just happened.

The boys were playing hide and seek, and not fighting, which is a miracle, but not the funny thing...

Kevin helped Ben find a really great hiding place, and the boys had a super hard time finding him. So they stopped looking for Ben, and started looking for a musical birthday card Kevin got yesterday. It took us a minute to piece together why they switched gears suddenly. We heard bits of conversation regarding how Ben LOVED the card and he would go to it. At first, we thought, they were going to look for him near the card. As it turns out, they used it to lure Ben out of his hiding place. And it totally worked!

Life With BIG Boys

On the topic of my kids are entirely too big:

Today, Eric and Mark made a "pile of stupid creatures" that they deemed ridiculous for us to still own and told me they needed to be sent to charity.  Ben then proceeded to vehemently disagree with this decree, by removing all of the stuffed animals from the bags in which they were enclosed.  So much for purging. I have to admit the thought of less stuff upstairs was appealing for a small moment.

Used to, we'd assign Eric and Mark the task of unloading the dishwasher.  Now when I tell the two of them to do this job, Eric says "I got it Mom. I don't need help."  They really are good helpers now when they want to be.  I just have to find the right motivation. 

Even the small ones are showing signs of growing up. Zack  has lost two teeth, and Ben is really excited about starting Pre K in two weeks. (Oh, I'm ready.. but I'm still not sure how that happened!)

Life with big boys is interesting! It's challenging in all new ways.  Easier in some, harder in others.

Some days, my biggest challenge is just to let go that little bit.  I am fiercely protective, and  yet, I sense that at 8 and 9, Eric and Mark are kind of ready to do things like play out front without me (gulp.)  Obviously, there are parameters.  They know not to leave the cul de sac (thank GOODNESS for the cul de sac!!)  Now the trick is explaining to Zack and Ben why they are stuck with Mom, or on the patio to play. 

We will get down the whole big kid routine, I am certain. Then things will change again, and we will adjust again.   For now, I'm thoroughly enjoying watching them grow.  Let's just not talk about Eric starting 4th grade in a few weeks. 

The Here and Now

Realizing, that I never posted about the second half of our vacation... the part where we went to Oklahoma and visited the fam... I have to move on.  Even though there is so much else I've meant to sit down and write about, the current situation dictates I bypass it all and tell you what is happening right this very moment. With a well meaning, but probably not very likely promise I'll get to all that other stuff added in.

Right now, Kevin is at a second sleep study to see if a CPAP machine will help his sleep issues, and hopefully, maybe end the scary nighttime episodes where he bolts upright, gasping for air, leaving me to wonder if I need to call 9-1-1.  It doesn't happen often, but often enough to where he finally went to the doctor about it.  After years of gentle suggestion by yours truly... but I digress.

Tonight... my children, who go to bed relatively easily on most nights (probably because our summertime schedule is exhausting) had issues.  Tonight, Mark wondered if he could stay up and keep me company. The answer is, "No, Mommy is very tired and wants to relax and be alone." Translated into "No, Mommy is very tired and wants to watch The Real Housewives of New Jersey that she has recorded since Daddy is way above such trivial nonsensical television viewing."    Zachary's comforter was in Mark's room downstairs, so I tried to pull off a switch-a-roo and put a crocheted blanket his Auntie Sarah had given him when he was born to cover him.  He was NOT amused and cried "But, Mommy, it has holes in it!"  So I threw a sheet on him and said I'd bring up his comforter.  Ben, he sobbed, because "I want a sheet that isn't cut!!"  Do you want to venture a guess into why his sheet might be cut?  Because he cut it with scissors. And yet, it warranted huge tears and breathless sobbing.  Make a note, that Eric had no issues, other than requesting an extra hug. He's so, so big and wonderful!

I have to make it very clear that none of this would have been an issue had Kevin been home.  Even though I always tuck them in, and it isn't like he is mean... so I just don't get it.

While I've been typing this, things have settled down, thankfully. I just hope I don't have any squirmy little visitors in my bed tonight to kick me in the ribs.  For now, though, I have a date with bad tv.

Vacation!

This year our vacation was extra special because for the first time Kevin's brother and family came out to see us the week before and we did all sorts of amazing things and then went on to Oklahoma together. As always, there is way to much to tell in one blog post, however I shall try in a very abbreviated manner to accomplish exactly that. 

Day One:  Brian, Sarah, Alex, Sydney, and Lauren arrive. We celebrate a belated birthday (Uncle Brian) and relax.
Day Two: We travel south to outrun the rain and go to Stump Pass Beach.

Day Three: We were having another really rainy day, so we headed over to Kennedy Space Center, where we had all sorts of fun looking at rockets.  Right up my boys' alley!

Day Four:  Mid morning we headed for the sponge docks, in Tarpon Springs.  This is one of my favorite things to do. We wandered around, shopped, and had some great Greek food for lunch. 

*This is the last of the pictures I have uploaded for the moment. More to come later.

Day Five:  Everyone was ready for another beach day, so we headed to Honeymoon Island.  Kevin and Brian went out on the boat with Alex and Eric while the rest of us played in the water and the sand.  I don't care how long I live here, I can not get tired of the beach.  It's just a perfect way to relax and have fun.

Day Six:  Both vans (theirs and ours) needed an oil change, so Sarah and I went to take care of that.  It was supposed to be a few hours and ended up being four, so we hung out at home while we waited, and went to see Cars 2 after we (finally) got them back. 

Day Seven:  We took a picnic to Phillipe Park  and the kids played until we decided to come home and let them go to the pool.  Also, we had to pack to head to Oklahoma to continue our fun there.  The pool was short lived, as a rain storm moved through about 10 minutes after we got there.
 
I realize that this post is getting long.  So, despite my intent to wrap it all up in one post, I will continue this tomorrow. 

Let's Take a Stroll

I just read a few of my earlier blog posts... going years back some of them and it seems high time for a stroll down memory lane. 

First, for Shanna... do you remember this trip?  Our kids were so little!!  It makes me miss you guys!  (Not that I don't already miss you! Thank goodness for blogging and facebook!)

24 Things to do on a campout.

Next are a few that had me shocked... shocked I tell you... at how crazy things could get in my home. It's not always easy now, mind you, but a few years ago... it was TOUGH! 

A few things I forgot last night - We were on vacation at my mom and dad's house.  

Behavior

What's that?

I have to say, (and watch me jinx it right here) that this summer has been fun so far! Exhausting, but fun.  Sure, we've had our stumbles, but overall, compared to those times up there, I've got this handled!

Culinary Adventures

The other day at the library, Mark found a treasure trove of cookbooks. "How to Cook the xxx Way," he picked Russian, Italian, Spanish, Indian, Korean, Spanish, and French.  I've been in a bit of a dinner rut, so we picked a recipe we had all of the ingredients for, and ended up making Chicken Kiev, and Honey Cake out of the Russian book.

Mark chopped almonds for the honey cake (under close supervision of course,) and mixed the batter entirely by himself. He also helped me by pounding the chicken (fun!) and despite being a little skeeved by touching the raw chicken (you and me both dude!) he dipped one in the egg mixture, and then the bread crumbs. 

Because of Ben's allergies, I made another batch using brown rice crumbs and our handy dandy egg replacer.  It wasn't QUITE the same, but it definitely got eaten! Everybody loved this dish, but then again, who wouldn't love fried chicken with butter and garlic rolled inside. 

Speaking of which, I'm noticing lots of these recipes from other cultures are fried.  What's up with that? Not good for the weight loss endeavors. However, I feel like the value of the boys cooking with me, and learning about other places makes it worth it.

Next up on the agenda, is Korean food, which sounded daunting at first, but after closely inspecting the recipes I don't think it will be that difficult.

Anxiety

I've noticed that certain circumstances cause me anxiety. One of these situations is when I have to drive while pulling a trailer.  I've done it exactly twice.  Once when we brought our wood flooring home to install, and then again on Monday when I had to go pick up a new mattress for Mark's room (and to double as a guest bed.)  I thought I'd be fine this second time, since I'd done it before and all worked out fine.  However, I was just as much of a wreck as before. 

I didn't really realize that my nerves were outwardly visible until I heard Mark sighing, and generally making fretting noises.  I asked him what was wrong, and the gist of it was that he was nervous about the trailer flying open.  See, not what I was worried about at all.  Detaching from the car, yes... me making a silly mistake and crashing into someone... yes.  But not that it would fly open. 

Mark and I had a good chat about letting grown ups do the worrying about grown up things, and talking about stuff with me when he feels nervous.  I'm disappointed with myself that my anxieties rubbed off on him, in this situation among others.