The Longest Short Camping Trip

Its our first morning home since our little camping trip, and can I just say, I LOVE MY KEURIG! Best invention EVER! I'm a liiiiiiittle(understatement) sleepy today so that instant cup of caffeine is very appreciated and will most likely be followed up with another.  But, anyway! The trip. AMAZING! It really was. We just did a simple and short little trip of 2 nights not knowing if that would be too much, or just enough time for our 3.5 year old, our 1 year old and our 10 month puppy on their first ever camping trip. Turns out it was plenty of time(ahem). Two nights made for the longest short camping trip I've ever been on. It was also one of the best I've ever been on.

We enjoyed our stay at Stampede Reservoir and will definitely be going back. My sister in law and her family have camped there for the last 13 years and I can see why! Its beautiful. It feels like you're up in the woods but without the worry of a cute little family of black bears ransacking your stuff. It's also very dog friendly which was a plus. We obviously want to take Lola with us whenever we go, but finding a place that allows dogs in your campsite AND on a trail, in a picnic area, on a beach, or near water is pretty challenging. I mean, I totally can see why there are those rules (as the campers across from us at the water kept their pit off leash and allowed it to start fights with other dogs) but it still makes it a little tricky. So now we know (while we continue finding new places) that we can always just head to Truckee with the dog and not have to sweat it. Now as I type this I'm wondering how I went from never wanting a dog to only camping at places that allow our dog to camp with us. Then I blogged about it? Oh my. 

The drive was a breeze and we got there right after lunch so both boys had already eaten and Owen had slept in the car. I was afraid that setting everything up would be difficult with both boys getting in the way and needing/wanting our attention. HA. Thank you nature for babysitting our boys!

2 Minutes after getting out of the car:

"We're here! lets take a picture of how excited Owen is with all this dirt around.."

 

5 minutes after getting out of the car:

"wook, ma! I can jut pee on dis huge twee!"

Yay! It didn't take all afternoon for Daddy and Mommy to set up camp! And daddy didn't throw the tent up a tree, and mommy didn't say one bad word. SO FAR SO GOOD. 

Happy Campers!

30 minutes into our weekend:

"wook ma! I jut standing by my tent." So cute right? Especially our little garden that we brought with us? Our little garden that Owen ate for his afternoon snack. 

This is about the time that my inner mush unleashed and I felt like I'd explode. I mean look at this picture. My family. Camping, on vacation, just us. I was having flashbacks of dating Kyle when we talked about having a family together that we'd take camping some day. I have around 15 other pictures JUST LIKE THIS ONE because I went into mushy must. record. every. second. mode. But really, this was one of those moments that made me stop and really soak in the moment. We are overwhelmingly blessed.

So we survived our first day and it was really easy. The boys devoured their dinner, and Kyle got a fire going early so we could make s'mores and get the kids bathed (where there's a will, or should I say collapsible water jug and rubber made shoe box, there's a way.) before it got dark and they freaked out. 

Daddy read Peter Rabbit to the boys. So precious! Just melted my heart. For 30 seconds that is, until both boys turned in opposite directions and found something better to do. Does Myth Busters make a picture book? That might work better for next time..

One of my mom's favorite memories as a kid was having Jiffy popcorn while camping. She sent us off with some and Joey was BLOWN AWAY. He could not believe this little flat "tennis wacket thing" blew up and was filled with buttery popcorn. 

I, of course, was freaking out inside. "if a kernel gets stuck in his throat we are screwed. Why would you send popcorn with kids to the middle of nowhere. ITS A PERFECT CHOKING FOOD!" hahaha Thank you, Nonni! It was one of Joey's favorite parts of the trip. Like Nonni, like grandson.

Joey: "Hey dad, can we make s'mores now?"

Kyle: "s'more what?"

Joey: "ya killin' me smalls!!!"

That's my boy.

Both boys slept soundly all night. I know, I watched them. While I didn't sleep. Okay, I slept a little bit here and there in between visits from deer (one of THE coolest parts about Stampede R) and Lola's bathroom breaks. Then at 5:30am the awesome bird that lived in the tree above our tent started to chirp. It woke Owen up who then started to mimic the bird AT THE TOP OF HIS LUNGS. Then he saw his daddy's head peeking out of the sleeping bags and started saying "daa daaaaa" AT THE TOP OF HIS LUNGS. It was Sunday morning and the campsite was packed. Greeeaaat. My kids are going to wake everyone up at 5:30 and we will be hated! Oh but wait, Ya'll were up until 1am with your drinking shenanigans.. Sing away Owen!!! Not really. We did our best to keep the boys contained and quiet in the tent until 7am before letting them free, and they both did fantastic. Kyle and I took turns whining into our pillows about it but WE SURVIVED! 

ahh. Nothing like bacon for breakfast... 

The boys loved it!

..and Mommy still got to wash dishes. Just like at home. How special.

...there were even time outs, just like at home. How special.

 And then there were morning walks, cheesy kisses and obligatory morning photos...

We even let out our gangsta side and broke some rules. We didn't just take things out of the Tahoe National Forest, we painted them first, and THEN we brought them home. 

It warmed up quickly and we hiked down to the water.

Kyle: "see babe, you do have a daughter! She's just a little hairy." Sorry, my dog is not my child. But they don't call 'em mans best friend for no reason! I'll be honest, I LOVED swimming with Lola. What a blast...

So of course, here comes the other obligatory picture. The beach shot. 

me: Joey, put your arm around Owen and say "cheese" so mommy can take your picture!

1st try.

2nd try.

3rd times a charm?? Not quite. 

me: Ok, no happy beach picture. It's cool. Mommy is gonna take Owen back to camp for a nap.

He was asleep before we got off of the 10 minute trail back..

I. Did. Not. Mind.  

Kyle and I even managed to have some quiet time while the boys played together. We weren't expecting to use the comfy camping chairs we had packed. We planned on just starring at them while chasing the kids. What a pleasant surprise!

This is my hot husband.^^

This messy face led to one crazy, worn out fit that must have been contagious because Joey came down with the same thing. So we "bathed" them and tossed them into the tent with a beach ball (thanks Auntie Kerri) and zipped them up. They LOVED it! So did daddy as we got to spend even more time relaxing together.

We ended the day with s'mores again then went for a long walk before bed. They loved looking in bushes and under rocks with their flash lights

The boys literally fell asleep within minutes that night. Kyle and I enjoyed a long quiet camp fire together. Awesome little date.

His and Hers S'mores

The next morning we woke up to light rain on the tent and were aware that there was a storm quickly moving in so we packed up, enjoyed one last walk, then headed home. It was a fabulous trip! We are already planning our next camping adventure and it makes us so excited that the boys enjoyed it so much. They were very happy to be home though. Joey couldn't wait to play Skate3 on the PS3 and Owen pulled out just about every toy we own. Kyle even walked through the door with dinner and sunflowers. He thanked me for getting us there and making it a great trip. What a guy!! 

Now for that second cup of coffee....

In Between Facebook Posts

Someone said it again,

"Your kids make me want to have kids of my own."

Aw, how sweet. Thank you! I'm glad they have restored your faith in the idea of raising a family. Honestly, its a compliment and I appreciate it. Its a lot of work to have kids and I always feel a bit relieved when someone tells me they enjoy my boys. It feels better than if someone were to say they didn't like my boys.. right? duh. BUT. behind the appreciation of that compliment, I always wonder in the back of my mind if my boys make people want to have kids because they really think the idea of parenting is amazing? Or if its because they want a small human that speaks like Yoda, who is anti gluten, in love with the Foo Fighters, or roars and growls at you instead of simply answering with a "no." Most people know my children best through my Facebook account since I'm on there daily. Its almost completely become nothing more than quotes by and pictures of my cute boys. But that is where my concern comes from... or conviction I guess.

Watch out, things are about to get real up in hea!

Ok so facebook. Take it or leave it, everyone has opinions on it. I've chosen to keep it. I like being able to stay updated on my friends and family's lives. I have also been told by a number of people, including a dear friend who had passed away just days after telling me, "please keep posting the funny things Joey says. He just makes my day." No pressure or anything. I start to stress when he hasn't said a single funny thing in days. ha. But really, they light up my world and I can't help but share it with people. You know like the scene in Elf when Buddy runs into his dads office after an amazing first date shouting, "I'm in love, I'M IN LOVE and I DON'T care who knows it!!" Exactly, Buddy. I feel you on that one. Hence the endless amount of pictures of the same two kids. Over. and over.  The unfortunate part about facebook however, is that you have the ability to put whatever you'd like on it. You pick the picture of yourself that everyone sees, and you choose what to say in your status. What I mean is, its easy to not be 100% honest. So is that why people love my kids so much? Cause I'm hearing how great they are but I'm feeling desperate for a quiet day with out one single fit, tantrum or wasted half of sandwich. We are becoming a world where you know people best by what you see on their facebook page or instagram. We are becoming less social because of social media. Why get together over coffee to catch up when you can snoop through status comments, and tagged photos. Besides, whats to catch up on? I already know that you had mexican for dinner friday, went to the DMV Tuesday and are hating the weather. The same applies to MY facebook and my boys. I'm afraid of slipping into that world of facebook users that appear peachy and pleasant when in reality, their life is crashing around them.

Now don't get me wrong. I could see how this looks like I can't stand my kids. Or I can't stand my life. WRONG. That's not it whatsoever. My boys are MY LIFE. They are proof that God exists, that love is real, that you can be blessed when you least deserve it. There is a reason that my every facebook update, instagram picture and conversation outside of my phone apps revolve around my boys. I'm obsessed with them and couldn't be happier as their mamma. But I want to make sure I'm TRANSPARENT in how I live my life. No secrets, no fake anything. I do believe I have THE most amazing kids in the world, duh! but in between the hilarious things Joey says or adorable way Owen eats are the craziest fits in the world. Ok maybe not the world but by 7pm it feels that way. I sometimes dread telling Joey that its nap time because I don't want to hear the whining that immediately is forced when he hears the "na" in nap. Just the other day I was in tears bathing the boys. Sitting in a puddle that they had happily splashed onto the floor after I had just cleaned the bathroom. When Kyle asked why I was crying, I admitted that I wasn't sure if I was crying because they are growing up and I won't have another baby ever again, or if its because the two babies I already had were making me lose my mind. That is a real tension, just ask the closest mom to you. Now, after all that you might see a cute butt picture on Facebook of Owen toddling around post bath and tears. How cute and bubbly without the extra update on the previous 15 minutes. Or our adorable camping adventure in the backyard this last week. HELLO I seriously LOVED it! I'm still giddy over it and how cute and fun it was with our boys. But I never mentioned the fact that at 11:15pm, 4 hours and 15 minutes past their bedtime, I was unfolding and setting up a portable crib in a tiny tent in the dark trying to get Owen to stop climbing on Joey so they'd go to sleep. If I post a cute picture of me and Kyle together, chances are we didn't get into an argument that day. If I didn't post one, chances are we didn't get into an argument that day either, but how would you know? (marriage isn't easy? what?) The point is, there is A LOT of life being lived in between social media updates and I do NOT want to make anyone think our life is anything other than what it is: normal, crazy, awesome, hectic, hard, scary, frustrating, amazing, funny etc. I like to keep things real. My mother cringes at my honesty from time to time, and I am trying to learn how to be honest with grace but it doesn't come naturally to me. All the more reason why I want to be more careful with my online posts and apologize if I've ever made someone feel like I wasn't being honest especially if it comes down to a decision like having kids.
"but Kelly Wieder's kids just pose and smile in pictures and they do cute stuff like sleep with their thumb in their mouth.. why isn't my baby sleeping so well?" Uh, because ITS A HUMAN CHILD and THEY DON'T SLEEP WELL. Right? I hope this is making sense. Like I said earlier, my kids are THE coolest kids IN. THE. WORLD. (all my facebook friends know it. ha ha) and they make me happier than anything else.. but they are still very real, normal kids who poop and not always in a diaper or toilet. They puke on you, they scream and cry, they throw stuff and not just fits. They are the biggest challenge I've ever faced but they are the greatest joy I could ever imagine. I will do my best to make sure I'm working toward being transparent. I want to make sure people know that although the things Joey says, or the outrageously cute picture of Owen ALWAYS melts my heart, the before and after isn't always picture worthy.

If you're still thinking, "having kids would be off the hook" just know that you're right, it is. But you will find yourself eating apple sauce and fishy crackers for lunch one day while your son is screaming and crying because his older brother threw his toy out of frustration from not being able to unbutton his pants to pee.

Ciao!

Training Fido

I debated taking Lola, our dog, to her last obedience class as I was feeling very tired today. I knew that she'd pass her test, but that I wouldn't be signing her up for the next class, so why bother going? But the thought of Joey seeing his dog in a graduation cap was enough to make me put my laziness aside and make it happen. He would absolutely love it.

We walked into Petsmart and Joey walked right over to the classroom.

"I gonna open da doow fo you guys, k mom?"

"Ok bud.."

I followed behind with Lola and watched as he walked right through the door, his hands on his hips as if he owned the place.

"Hi, I Joey. My doggy is Wowa. She gonna take her test."

He walked over and climbed up onto a stool and sat down. He glanced over to see the other dog in class sitting with his owner.

"Oh! Dats a nice doggy. I weally wike him."

"Thank you, his name is (we'll say)Fido" said the woman.

Class started and Lola passed the first 3 parts within the first minutes of class. She was not trying to, just got lucky while anxiously waiting for me to give her a treat. The dog across from us was not having as easy of a time.

"DOWN FIDO!" the woman firmly said.

The dog did not move.

"FIDO, LAY DOWN!

Her voice was rising and she was instantly frustrated. The old boxer sat comfortably to one side, his eyes barely opened. He was not interested in being there this evening.

"FIDO!!! dang it, you love to lay down. JUST LAY DOWN! FIDO!!!!"

The woman began to shout and pull at the dogs legs in an attempt to get him to slide forward onto his belly. Her face turned bright red as she pulled with all her might. Still, old Fido did not budge.

Joey looked over to me and cocked his head to the side and gave me his disapproving face.

"Dat doggy jut being naughty. He jut not waying down."

"You're right about that. He is being very stubborn tonight," the woman told Joey. Now, she is very flustered, bright red and breaking a sweat. She stands up over the dog and begins to place all of her weight onto the dogs back.

"FIDO, YOU LAY DOWN RIGHT NOW!!!"

Joey sits straight up watching the argument between owner and dog take place and has had enough. He begins to interrupt at the sight of her pushing onto the dog.

"Wait! Dats not how you do it!! You jut say, DOWN and go wike dis wit you fingers(he gives the hand signal for 'lay down' in classic, robotic form) and den he ways down. Wike dis! (he gives the hand signal again) and tew him DOWN and den he wiw jut do it wike Wowa!"

The woman looks up at Joey, her mouth drops open. She seems unsure of what to say or do, but is quickly distracted again by Fido. I look over to see the instructor with the same look on her face. Her head tilted to the side, jaw opened and eyes as big as ever just starring at Joey.

Yes. That is my son. Yes, he just corrected an adult. I am so so sorry. Please forgive him! And also, IF YOU WOULD JUST GIVE THE HAND SIGNAL AND CALMLY TELL FIDO TO LAY DOWN HE WILL PROBABLY DO IT. Of course, I said none of this as my jaw was also dropped open and I was unsure of whether I should be proud or completely humiliated.

Joey was quite irritated at this point, and very clearly unhappy with Fido's behavior. He looked at me again, this time with a shrug of his shoulders and his little chubby hands lifted palm up into the air,

"I don'know ma. He jut not gonna wisten. He jut a naughty, naughty doggy."

The instructor choked on a laugh and asked us to begin the rest of our test, which thankfully had to take place throughout the store.

When we got back to the training room, the instructor congratulated us on helping Lola pass her test. Joey smiled very proudly and patted Lola on the head. He excitedly tried to help place the graduation cap on Lola's furry head and waved her certificate of completion all around. When the graduation cap would no longer stay on Lola, Joey decided he'd just hold her certificate over her head instead.

"You jut my good doggy, Wowa... Mom, I wike habbing a doggy named, Wowa."

And yes, Fido eventually laid down and passed his test also :)

Its Just Spilled Milk

"mom. hey moooom. mommy."

"hmm"

"mommy. It morning time. You hapt to wake up."

"mmmOkay bud. mmmhold on one sec."

"EW! Mom. You bweat is NASTY! You hapt to bwush you teeth so I don't smell it."

(Thinking to myself, little boy, have you checked your own breathe before whispering loudly into my face at 6:15 straight out of bed this morning?)
"I know it is. I'll brush them for you, don't worry. Now speak kindly please."

"I am peaking kind, but you bweat is nasty so I'm tewwing you to bwush you teeth."

"Joey, go potty and I'll get you your breakfast, ok?"

"but mooooommy!!! I don't wanna go potty!! (as he marches in place quickly)"

"You need to go. We always go when we first wake up. Please go potty and I'll meet you in the kitchen."

(Stomping away fussing loudly)
"I jut don't wanna go potty and you jut hapt to bwush you nasty teet!!"


Well good morning. Mommy's not on vacation anymore! I walk out to the front room where the dog is barking loudly with legs crossed in her kennel. This is what I get for not setting my alarm, I think to myself. Mornings go much more smoothly when I'm awake and ready for my small, dependant humans to start their day. When I decide to try and sleep in, or just put myself first in general, my kids suffer for it because I'm just focused on myself.  I get frustrated and impatient when met with early morning sleepiness when I myself am still asleep. One of these days I'll fully realize that being a stay at home mom is my job. When I hit snooze on the alarm and I'm late for work, its going to cause the day to get off to a rocky start. On this day, it definitely did.

I got Joey his breakfast and it was waiting at his place on the dining room table. The whining from the bedroom moments before had traveled down the hall and into the kitchen. It then traveled from the kitchen into the dining room where it spilled soggy Rice Crispies onto the chair and floor beneath it. After breakfast it skipped over to the front room and finally quieted down.

I grabbed my coffee and sat down on the couch next to my boy. He was watching his favorite tv show and looked up to see me next to him.

"hey mom? I jut wanna cuddle wit you."

I put my arm out and he wiggled himself under my arm and tightly into my side. He melted right in like he was part of me again. He reached his tiny little hand over to hold mine.

"you can jut hode my hand, okay?"

I sat and held him close, enjoying this very rare moment that we were sharing together.

Later that afternoon, I watched as footage of the horrific bombing at the Boston Marathon was shown repeatedly on the news. People's lives changed forever in a single moment. I kept hearing the numbers repeating, 3 dead, 140+ injured. It was later that I read the unbelievable news that one of the 3 people who lost their life was an 8 year old boy. His father had just completed the race, his mother suffered a brain injury and his younger sister lost her leg. My mind cannot begin to comprehend the chaos that  this one family has endured, let alone all of the people involved. Its horrific. Little Martin will never return home with his family, as well as the other 2 people who lost their lives.

As a parent, you can't help but watch these stories and think of your own children. My Joey. If I were to lose my boy today, what would our last moments together be? Would I be short with him and impatient? Frustrated over, literally, spilled milk? I know better, we all do. Life is short, its fragile. We all know this, but keeping that in mind at all times is a challenge to me. I get caught up in stinky breath, accidents, temper tantrums, and more. I get tired and want a break, I put myself first. I think, I want to sleep in, or take a long and quiet morning shower. But truthfully more than anything, I want my baby boys to know that Mommy loves them more than anything else in the world. I have to be better at showing that to each of them. Jumping out of bed and having a teeth brushing party, making clean up at breakfast a game, whatever it is. Each moment needs to be treated as if it were one of the very last that we'll share together.

                                                                 .        .       .

May God bring peace and comfort to the family of Martin Richard, and healing to his mother and sister. May He also bring peace and comfort to each and every person injured, and forever changed by Monday's events. I pray that I, we, will all learn, from watching so much heartache unfold in hundreds of lives at the Boston Marathon, to not take our loved ones for granted.

Da Supwise

Last Friday:

I left to go out of town to celebrate my moms birthday, leaving Kyle with the boys.
me: I'm gonna miss you guys!
Kyle: you'll have fun, and we're going to go birthday shopping for mom, right boys??

Saturday:

Kyle showed his mom the coffee maker that he bought me as a birthday surprise. Joey overheard them talking, and shouted from his bed,

Joey: you got mom a coffee makew??
Kyle: yes, but you can't tell her. Its a surprise for her birthday.
Joey: I gonna teww her.
Kyle: no, you're not. You have to keep it a secret until her birthday.
Joey: Nope! I gonna teww mom!!
Kyle: go to sleep.
Joey: I GONNA TEWW HER!!!

Between then and today, Kyle begged me not to ask Joey about my gift, hoping that he wouldn't bring it up himself and knowing that if I reminded him, he'd spill the beans.

I woke up this morning to the dog whining to go out. I stumbled out to the front room where it was dark and noticed a bright blue glow in the kitchen. My eyes were foggy and I couldn't see what it was. I let the dog out, flipped on the light and there it was!! MY KEURIG!! It had a bright red bow on it, and two cards sat in front of it reading, "mom" and "Kelly Anne." I ran back to the bedroom, jumped onto the bed, bounced over Joey who had climbed into my spot and landed on Kyle waking him up. I have been begging (truthfully, nagging) for a Keurig for months and months. I'm afraid this gift was more of a "get her to shut up" gift than anything, but I'll take it! Even my mom had plans of getting me one. (maybe I'll start nagging more? It seemed to work..)

I looked at Joey and asked,

Me: Joey! You got mommy a new coffee maker?!

He looked up from the iphone he was playing on, his little jaw dropped open, and stared at me with a panicked face.  Like, how could she know this? what do I say? uh.. uh..... He didn't miss a beat.

Joey: I can't teww you. Sowwy, it a supwise.
Me: no, its not anymore, daddy put my new coffee maker in the kitchen for me to find. I even saw the letter you wrote me yesterday!

He let out a very loud and relieved laugh, paired with a large smile from ear to ear.

Joey: Oh yes yes!! We went to da bet buy tore wit Auntie Kaywa and she wet me wook at da bideo games and daddy got you da coffee makew and he said, "no tewwing mommy" so I didn't teww you dats what you got! and now you can hab da coffee aw da times!

I am a bit nervous that our 3 year old is so good at keeping a secret. I have felt some relief over it since he's apologized all day for not telling me sooner. What a love he is. And my husband?? What a guy!!

Little Black Shirt

We walked hand in hand, laughing, flirting, and goofing off. We were very newly married and bursting with excitement for our future as husband and wife. Surrounded by bright red walls, we walked through each isle one at a time. Target has always been one of our favorite places to go on a date(clearly, we are the simple type). Kyle would find a random item on a shelf.. maybe a women's hat and throw it on, look at me with a smirk, and with a high pitched voice say, "seriously, like, omg. I seriously like, need this hat. omg my life isn't complete without it." I'd bust out laughing until I found something also. I'd ask Kyle, "babe, can we buy this? its perfect!! the most beautiful painting I've ever seen! we NEED it!" He'd look over to see me holding a wall mirror and smiling seductively into it.
 Believe it or not, we have always enjoyed these trips to target more than any fancy or pricey date we've ever been on. Mostly cause it doesn't matter where we are, the focus is each other. Not whats around us.. Unless of course, we are shopping at Target. haha On this particular trip, we were walking past the baby clothing department and there it was. It hung on a tiny, white hanger. A simple black t-shirt with guitar necks and microphones on it. My new husband was still in college, getting his Bachelors in Sound Engineering. He lived, ate, slept, breathed music. Everything we did related to a song or instrument. I grabbed the t-shirt and insisted that we buy it. He quickly gave me a panicked look, like he was thinking, please don't bring up kids, please don't bring up kids.. We may not have had any plans to start a family any time soon, but that didn't mean we couldn't grab this t shirt for the future. After all, it had actual microphones on it! our future baby would know how talented his or her daddy was at recording music. Kyle asked what we'll do with it if we have a girl? I explained that a little bit of pink ribbon and a button or two and it would be little girl friendly in a second. We bought the shirt, and I tucked it away in a drawer for a future child. 

Today I pulled the same shirt out of Owens drawer. I pulled it over his blonde curls and slipped his chubby arms through the sleeves. I carried him out to the front room where Kyle saw him, picked him up and recognized his tshirt. He kissed him and commented on how cute he looked multiple times. Joey asked to see brothers shirt and I explained that he had worn it when he was little too. He found that to be very special. (my mushiness is continuing down the family line! bwa ha ha)

Tomorrow is our 5th wedding anniversary. 5th! Amazing whats gone on in 5 years.. I remember our "plan" when we got married was to start trying to have a baby when we got to our 5th year of marriage. I would have never imagined already having our two boys by now but even more so, I can't imagine not having them. What a beautiful, not easy, but very beautiful life Kyle and I have been given. We still love target dates, baskin robbins dates, and bike ride dates. They are even better now when we can take our little boys with us. When I look at my youngest boy in that little black shirt, when I think of his older brother being little and wearing it also, when I look at my handsome husband who I love dearly, I can't help but feel so humbled and blessed. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, that I could have done to deserve such a family.  I am so very thankful to God for the life he's blessed me with as their wife and momma.

A Visit With Poppie

me: how was your nap, bud?
Joey: good. Can we go to Nonni's house now?
me: yup! Nonni and Poppie will be home and they are bringing your other Poppie with them!
Joey: what udder Poppie?
me: your Poppie's daddy.
Joey: Oh! oh.. you mean, Nana's Poppie?
me: Yup! He's coming to have dinner with us. Cool, huh?!
Joey: mm. No he jut doesn't hapt to come to dinner.
me: Joe, thats not nice. Poppie will be very happy to see you.
Joey: no, dat okay ma, he dudn't hab his Nana wit him. We jut gonna hab dinner wit Nonni and my wegular Poppie.

I tried to change the conversation, understanding that even at 3 years old, Joey can sense the absence of his Nana. At a young age, he is aware and uncomfortable with how sad it is to not have her with us anymore...

Poppie: Oh, I think I'll sit here by you Joey, how does that sound?
Joey: Oh yeah, yeah. ...uh, Poppie? Where you Nana at?
Poppie: well, she's not here tonight..
Joey: But why she no here? Oh! Dats wight, she in heaben, huh Poppie?
Poppie: Yes, she is.

I panic when Joey is around Poppie for this very reason. I can see how hard it is for my Poppie to answer him, and to talk about Nana. I feel like each time its upsetting him over and over. My kids the one that won't stop asking where Nana is, every time he sees Poppie without her. Sometimes I wish he were the type to not notice, not think anything of it. To look past the situation and just be focused on silly things. But, that's not Joey. He is sensitive. He's observant. He likes predictability and repetitiveness. He loves his family and he can see that his Poppie isn't the same without his Nana.

Jedut In Da Cage

This morning was especially quiet. It was a late night for all of us last night and Owen and Daddy were still asleep. Joey sat down at the head of the table with his blue blanket and stuffed Blue's Clues dog. The morning sun was glaring through the living room window behind him, filling the room with orange hues and shining right through his golden hair all tossed messily on his sleepy little head. I prepared his cereal and my coffee, and I sat down with him. We had our morning Bible reading which led to a discussion on Easter. I can't wait to celebrate this holiday with him. Last year when we colored Easter eggs, he kept asking for crayons. I tried to explain that you put the eggs in the colored water I had in front of him, but he knew coloring only as waxy crayolas on a clean surface. My sweet, literal boy. He clearly remembers last year so he has been waiting anxiously for it this year.

Me: so bud, do you know what Easter is?
Joey: Yeah! It net week!
Me: you're right, it IS next week. But do you know what happened on Easter?
Joey: oh yeah yeah. Jedut died on da cwoss.
Me: thats true, he did that right before Easter.. and then what happened?
Joey: he taked all my nasty tuff aways and dey put him in da cage..
Me: yeah he wanted to take away our sins so that we all get to go to heaven
Joey: yeah wike Catie Wosie goed to heaben..
Me: thats right! and then after 3 days in his grave, do you know what happened to Jesus?
Joey: mm.. he waked up! and he was wike, GRRMMMM (he shoves his hands forward and up like he was throwing something heavy) and he twowed dat big doow out of da way and got out of his cage
Mom: man, you got it Joe. Thats why we have Easter, because Jesus woke up from the dead so we get to be really happy about it and celebrate together
Joey: yeah, uh huh! but 'top saying "dead," it 'cares me.
Me: ok I won't say it anymore.
Joey: you funny ma
Me: no you're funny!! What color eggs are we gonna make?
Joey: jut da bwue ones and da gween ones and da Eater bunny jut gonna bwing me wike, tons of tings.
Me: he is?
Joey: yeah! wike, a kateboard, and wittle toy piwate, and cany!

A New Bwog

Welcome to the Wieder Boy's blog. I am the proud momma who will be writing this blog. I am the sleepy momma, impatient momma, honest, controlling, silly, overwhelmed, lucky, happy, confused, and over all blessed momma, to Joseph Alan and Owen Anthony. These boys are my life, my everything.

This blog as been asked about, suggested and waited for by a handful of people cause, lets keep it real, the boys are just that cool (yes, I get to brag on my blog about my kids. If this bothers you, I wouldn't suggest following my instagram account). So while they nap and that darn clock ticks away ( I swear it ticks faster when they are sleeping, and slows down when they are awake) I will get this puppy going. My husband suggested I start things off with a disclaimer. I'm not sure if he's scared of my public honesty of what really goes on in a house with 2 boys, 1 dog and a crazy mom all day, or if he's concerned that readers might want 2 boys, 1 dog and turn into a crazy mom one day. So, to make him happy, I'll go with this:

The intentions of this blog are to bring a smile to your face and maybe even a laugh. It is a very open, straight-forward, and truthful look into my life as a stay at home mom and the boy's life as adorable rugrats. It is not a 'How To' guide for motherhood 'cause I have no idea what I'm doing other than just doing what works for OUR family. It is not a 'How To' guide for little boys 'cause they know EXACTLY what they're doing and little boys shouldn't be so mischievous. I(we) will not be held responsible for pregnancies, pet adoptions, markers on the wall, burnt dinners, laundry piles or temper tantrums. We have enough of that to deal with here.

(can you tell I have no idea how to write a disclaimer?)


Now, as Joey would say, "wet da bwogging begin!"

Enjoy!