Brotherly Love

I think it was just the other day that I was posting about how much Jackson and Harris loved each other. Ha -- here are pics from a little tiff they had over who got to hold the box of sidewalk chalk. All we could do was laugh and let it play out...
Look who ended up with the box of chalk! And so pleased with himself, too! My little bully...

Sunday at the Beach

The Eglestons were kind enough to invite our cell group and their cell group out to the beach house for dinner on Sunday... it was a great family day! There were 5 families that were able to make it, with a total of 9 children 3 and under, to play at the beach and cook out... it was definitely tag-team parenting with all of the little ones around. The biggest hit of the afternoon was "the hole". The dads and kids just kept digging and digging... when the tide came in and threatened "the hole", everything got moved back further, and the dads scurried to get a new hole started as quickly as possible!
Gregg and Mary Kathryn dig and dig in the big hole.
Two of my boys...
The gracious hosts, DuBose and Nancy, chatting with Emily.
One of the few pictures we have together!
Ashley loved playing in the sand with his dumptruck... what a sweet little cowboy!

Dinner with the kids. We had yummy hamburgers, hot dogs, baked beans, green beans, potato salad, and ice cream sandwiches, popcicles and cookies for dessert... we were way too full afterwards!!
The girls: Clary, me, Emily, and Nancy (missing Dorothy).

Thank you, Eglestons! We had a great time, loved watching the little ones play, and enjoyed catching up with everyone!

QT With Mom & Dad

The Many Shades of My Boys

These boys love a pair of sunglasses!!

Addiction

I have a big problem: peanut butter. I am hooked. I have always loved it, but recently I just can't stop eating it. I eat it on sandwiches, plain or with jelly or with banana. I eat it on bananas. I eat it on CheezIts. The other night I had it with chocolate chips. The worst... I eat it out if the jar with a spoon. I would rather have a peanut butter sandwich than anything else for lunch and dinner right now (I'm a cheap date... I could order off of the children's menu at a restaurant!).

I have tried to just not buy it, but it beckons to me from the shelf at the Pig. It calls to me every time I open the pantry. I have tried to tell myself that it is for the kids, but that isn't true... Jackson doesn't like it (gasp), and Harris is too young to eat it. I just can't control myself around a jar of peanut butter. What am I going to do???

I have at least resorted to buying the reduced-fat kind, but it still has 12 grams of fat per 2 tablespoons. It is sad that all of this running is just going to support my peanut butter habit.

Is there a 12-step program for people like me?

Seeking Potty Training Advice

Ok. So it is going well. Jackson is liking going in the potty, but he needs to be reminded to go. The problem: aiming. He is not getting the fact that he needs to aim downward, and I am having to clean up a mess every time he goes. He is not on the big boy potty yet, just on the little trainer.

Any advice or hints???

Playgroup at the Beach

Yesterday the boys and I headed to the Hood's beach house for playgroup... what a great morning!! There were 7 moms, 1 dad, and 12 children 3 and under. Saying it was a zoo is putting it lightly!! The kids were great, though, and it was good to have the mom time, too. The house, the beach, and the day were all beautiful... it was perfect!

Tending to the babes... Nancy with Baby Mills and Melinda with Baby Anne. It was so nice to have so many moms around, especially since most of us have two little ones. Watching the kids on the beach was a team effort!

Look at these cute brothers!!
The babies sleeping: Mills, Anne, and Rutledge. This tent is great and definitely the way to go with a little one!
Cutie pie Mary Kathryn and mom Dorothy. She is so pretty in pink!
This was Jackson's first trip to the beach this year, and he loved it! He headed straight for the water... no fear. Stephen (Fordham's daddy) was great and played with Jackson in the water while I dealt with Harris. Thanks, Stephen!
The boys (and Stephen) making a sand castle.
The gracious hosts: Nancy (Nancy's mom), Jennie (Nancy's sister) and Nancy. Thank you all so much for having all of us out... we so enjoyed it!!

River Dogs Run Forrest Run 5K

I ran the River Dogs Run Forrest Run 5K on Saturday evening (the River Dogs are our minor league baseball team, owned by Bill Murray). It was kind of a last minute thing... the bright green entry form had been taunting me from the corner of my bulletin board for months, but I never did anything about it. At the end of last week, I had had enough of being sick and not running, so I decided to sign up and do it. (Not a great picture, I know, but I had just finished the race, and I want to be sure to document all of them!!)

It was a small race, maybe about 200 people or so. Again, I wish I had my camera... I think the people-watching is one of my favorite parts of races!! The race had us running by the Citadel and around and through Hampton Park. The end of the race took us around the back of the River Dog's stadium and into the stadium itself, where the baseball players were waiting, cheering us on as we finished.

Considering it was 90 degrees and the only exercise I had the previous week was an eight-minute run and mowing the lawn, I did well... 3.1 miles in 28.20. I had no real goal... this was more or less to see what I could do, and I was pleased. Now I do have a goal for the next one (less than 28 minutes).

Next race: The Floppin' Flounder 5K on Sullivan's Island on June 10th.

Brothers

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this picture... look at how sweet they are!!
These two boys just amaze me... it is so awesome to watch them really become brothers. Yes, I know they have always been brothers, but the bond growing between them is really making them brothers. Does that make sense??? They are interacting more and more... they fight, they play, they hug. It is too cute. When Harris wants a toy that Jackson doesn't want him to have, Jackson will offer another that he doesn't want. Jackson wants all three of us to swing together, and he wants me to push Harris as high as I push him. Jackson gets visibly bothered if we leave the house without Harris. Harris will look for Jackson first thing in the morning. He will follow Jackson around the house trying to play with whatever Jackson is playing with. Jackson will dump his crayons out on the floor, and Harris will pick them up and put them back. It is amazing to watch them... while somedays I can't believe I was crazy enough to have them so close together, pictures like these remind me how much of a good thing it was... they are going to be the best of friends.

Jackson

Just some sweet pictures of Jackson...

Swinging

I love these pictures... in each and every one Harris has a different expression, and they are so funny! Check out his hair, too...

Done

I give up for tonight. I got one post up with a picture, but Blogger is not taking any more. So, I will let them work out whatever kinks are in the system and try again tomorrow. I'm sorry... I have lots of good pictures coming...

Frustrated

I have been trying to update my blog for two days, and for some reason Blogger hasn't been taking my pictures... very frustrating!! So, I am using this one as a test... if it works, I'll have lots more to follow!

Update

It has been a sick week for us. What started with Jackson last Friday is still lingering with Harris over a week later. Jason was in bed for almost three days, and Jackson and Harris have both taken nearly a week to kick it. I hate seeing my family sick (luckily I was over it enough to take care of them in 24 hours!), and I am looking forward to the rest of the summer being a healthy one!

On the potty training front, we have stalled. With everyone being sick, it was just easier to put Jackson back in diapers until we could focus on it again... hopefully this week. We have a goal... the first camp session is in the middle of June, so hopefully Jackson will be able to attend!

I think we are on the upswing again, ready to be outside again!!

Grey's Anatomy Funny

There has been a lot of chatter on my friends' blogs about Grey's Anatomy in the past few days, and I wanted to add this funny to it.

For all of my fellow Grey's lovers...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVGLTfgUBtk

Mother's Day

I know this post is a day late... it was a crazy weekend here and not one that allowed for blogging time! On Friday night, Jackson came down with the tummy bug (again). This one was a doozy, as it took him more or less until today to recover. Yesterday afternoon, Harris came down with it, and last night, it was my turn (what a wonderful Mother's Day gift!!). Poor Jason has it now as I type this...

While there were probably a million and one ways I would rather spend my weekend, it really was ok, and it reminded me that being a mom is so much more than a job... more than being a nurse, a teacher, a chef, a maid, a jungle gym, a police officer. It is a calling, a mission, and a gift from God. As I held my boys this weekend as they were sick or were crying or sleeping, I was totally overwhelmed by how vulnerable they were, how much they needed me, and how much I needed their sweet love.

It was far from the picture-perfect Mother's Day (although I was rewarded with banana-walnut pancakes in bed and some great gifts!), but it was just what I needed to remember exactly what my mission is: to love these two beautiful boys with all my heart.

HE DID IT!!!

I'm not sure if you can see the detail in this picture, but Jackson is playing with his new train, Butch. You may or may not know what that means... almost 6 months ago, we promised Jackson that he could get Butch if he went pee pee in the potty. Well, this morning he did it!!!

We have been talking about it nonstop since yesterday. At the picnic, Miss Rebecca ("My Becca" to Jackson) told Jackson that even Way Way pee pees in the potty, so last night while we were talking about it, Jackson dreamily said "Way Way". I'm wondering if she wasn't his inspiration! So anyway, this morning I had him stripped down in hopes of him figuring things out, but I was doubtful. I was cleaning the kitchen, and he came running to me yelling "Pee pee! Pee pee!", and I just thought he had to go. I took him over to his potty and to my suprise, he had already gone!!! We both started yelling and laughing and jumping up and down. So, the big boy now has Butch (and a pair of big boy pants!).

I am hoping that it is going to go this smoothly for the rest of the weekend, but I know that isn't likely. Doesn't matter, though, as we have finally cleared the first major potty training hurdle.

YAY JACKSON!!!

School's Out

Yesterday was the last day of school for Jackson until August (how sad!). This morning we had the school picnic at Moultrie Playground with all of his schoolmates... Jackson had a great time! It was nice to chat with all of his classmates' moms and to watch Jackson play with his friends and teachers. His favorite spot, though, was the snack table which was full of cupcakes, fruit, donuts and goldfish... there were numerous times I had to pull him away from the table screaming.

Jackson loves school, so I know he will miss it this summer (as will I...). Hopefully we can get him potty trained within the next couple of weeks so he can at least go to camp with some of his friends from school.
Jackson played with his friends Walker, Henry, and John (all seated in the sand). Hugs from Miss Colleeen... she is such a sweet woman. She always had words of love for him along with big hugs. She got teary as she said goodbye to him today...
Miss Way Way has been his teacher for the past two years and has seen him grow the most. I'm not sure what he is going to think when Miss Way Way isn't his teacher next year. When we talk about her with him, he gets this dreamy look in his eyes... he is definitely in love!