Happy Birthday Ben!

Happy Birthday Yesterday Ben! I'm a day late in posting this celebration, but hey, it's better late than never. Yesterday, Lincoln, Levi & I ordered Ben his favorite cookie cake from Great American Cookie Company. We had spent a lot of our craft time the past few days making cards for Daddy. This involved glueing googly eyes, drawing letters & numbers, & all-around scribbling furiously over every piece of the card. It was a fun activity for all of us.

We picked up the cake yesterday afternoon, & drove to Rocketown so we could surprise Ben. I had been in contact with Ben's co-worker, Mary Virginia, & the plan was that we would come into RCKTWN at the tail-end of their staff meeting while all the staffers were there, so we could all celebrate & sing Happy Birthday to him. On the way there, Lincoln had been practicing what he was going to say. It went a little something like this: "Surprise! Happy Birthday Daddy! Now blow out all your candles!" He was literally sprinting into the building while Levi & I tried to keep up (me actually lugging that horrendous infant carrier which by now he's totally grown out of). Everyone was still in the meeting, all seated around each other, going about the daily business of having a staff meeting. In bursts Lincoln---full speed, full volume, & full enthusiasm. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY! HERE'S YOUR CARD! HERE'S YOUR PRESENT! SURPRISE! HI EVERYBODY!" It was a sweet time of Ben introducing us to all the part-time staff, seeing some of the kids there, & having cake together. Lincoln enjoyed every minute of it, & it was torture getting him to leave.

Then last night I made Ben's favorite dinner & we watched the Olympics. What a great night that was for the USA. Woosh.
Happy Birthday Baby.
xo

some random things

It's been almost a week since I've posted anything, sorry about that. Levi has been fighting a nasty cold, & this morning I woke up feeling crummy too. Lovely & fun. I'm sure Lincoln will get it in the next few days, so it will be an all-skate.
We've been watching the Olympics, going to the JumpZone, & having craft time at our house lately. This afternoon Lincoln told me I was driving him insane. OMG, seriously. True story. I really need to start editing.

I watched the new episode of Intervention last night & nearly threw up all over my couch. It was about a girl named Allison who was addicted to inhalants. This chick would inhale 10-12 dusters per day. Yes, per day, I said. Dusters are those sprays that get out all of the dust in your computer keyboard. She would literally sit in her apartment & inhale all day long. I'm not kidding when I say my stomach started tumbling & the nausea set in. It was almost like as she was inhaling the chemical, my mind would play tricks on me & think the chemicals were going into my lungs. I had to hold my breath while watching her inhale. You think I'm kidding, but if you saw this episode, you would be right there with me in my imagination. Thank goodness she got sober, or else that would've been even more unsettling.

In other news, we were shopping at Publix this afternoon & Keith, the cashier, checked us out. Lincoln has to ask for a balloon nearly every time we check out, and today was no different. As Keith was checking out our items, Lincoln said, "Hi Keith. How's your day? How you doin'?" It was like Lincoln was BFF with Keith. Keith replied, "Doing good, Lincoln." Lincoln says, "Keith, can I have a blue balloon please?" Keith says, "Sure, no problem....here you go." Lincoln: "Oh Keith! Thank you so much, see ya later. Have a good day!" What a trip. I tell ya, every day he seems to learn something brand new that cracks me up. He's way into pretend play these days & having conversations with inanimate objects, but that's an entirely different post altogether. Be looking forward to that gem in the near future.

Oh, and here's one last random thing. It is officially Fall in our house. What I mean is, I have already decorated for the fall season. Crazy, you say? Perhaps. Do I care? Not one bit. The past 2 mornings have been somewhat crisp outside, feeling somewhat fall-ish, so it totally moved me into the season. It looks really pretty in the house & it smells like autumn, which always puts me in a good mood. My friend Lindsay said to me, "You know that August is considered the dog-days of summer, right? You are insane in the membrane." So so true.
Ben walked in from work last night, looked around, & said, "Oh no. You did it. It's so early." He's a trooper. But really, how can someone not like fall? It's near impossible if you ask me. So if you're tired of the humid heat & going to the pool almost every day (I'm over it), then feel free to come over to the Fall Frenzy on Wolverton Drive. We can sit on the couch, look at the fall colors, smell the harvest candles, & sip a cup of harvest brew.

August Be Gone,

Responsibility Chart

We have been working on responsibility in our home recently. I found this great Responsibility Chart at Train Up A Child last week, & it has been working wonders with Lincoln. If he does a certain chore or responsibility, he gets a "sticker" (as he calls it, but it's really a magnet) that goes on "Lincoln's Chart". The first thing we did that pertained to the chart was getting himself dressed. Lincoln has never wanted to try dressing himself. He has always said, "I can't do it, I just can't do it." He would get so frustrated with himself if he put both feet in the same pant hole, or if he put his arm through the neck hole of the shirt. I sat down with him & explained the whole magnet/sticker chart concept. While I sat down, I gave him his big boy pants, his shorts, & a pair of socks. I took the same items & pretended to put them on myself, simply to show him how to step into the shorts, how to put the socks on correctly, etc. He stared at me while I did it, focusing intently on how I did it, & I could tell he was concentrating very hard. I said, "OK, your turn." He immediately said, "I'm gonna try, Momma. I'll try." He took his big boy pants, & slipped each foot into the correct hole, stood up & pulled them up! What a victory! The same thing happened with his shorts & then with his socks. The socks took a little extra time for obvious reasons, but nevertheless, they went on successfully! I about let the whole neighborhood know by the volume of my hollering & whooping from my excitement. He immediately jumped up & said, "A sticker! On my chart!" We ran down the stairs, both so happy about what had just transpired. He chose a magnet, & we put it on the correct day & that was that. He was triumphant, so proud of himself. It was a very sweet & important moment where I thought, "This will work. This created positive results. He truly understands this concept." As a mom, I'm constantly in a trial-and-error frame of mind. With this chart, I felt a huge sense of relief, like "Ok, this trial was not an error; it was a success." It was a barrier that was crossed by Lincoln with understanding & excitement.

The past several days, Lincoln has earned 14 other magnets for doing things such as clearing his plate from the table, putting his clothes in the laundry, apologizing for something he did wrong, or showing respect for others' belongings. This morning he got his 15th magnet. 15 is our magic number. Once he gets 15 magnets, he gets to choose a toy he wants to buy. He told me he wants to go back to Train Up A Child & choose a new train for his train set. We're both excited for this.

Here's a couple more pictures of the chart & the proud boy:




That's all for now!
Go be responsible people,

I was gone for just four little days...

And here are some pictures while I was in Florida. What's that saying? Oh right. "When Mom's away, the mice will play."


This is a Bumbo, for those of you who are wondering. A Bumbo is a seat that Levi should be sitting in. Yep...it's on Lincoln's head.



And what the?!? I came home to find this in our garage. Ben still hasn't told me exactly what this is, but the words 'soapbox derby' come to mind:




Here's a shot of our kitchen after Ben claimed he "cleaned for like 3 hours but just couldn't get it picked up..." Gimme a break. Notice the baby on top of the table:



But hey, let's be honest. The important thing is that the boys were still alive & the house was still standing. Thank you sweet Ben for taking care of the curtain climbers.
Have a good weekend everybody!

Scoot on over, Alicia.

Y'all have probably heard this girl before, but I just recently found her on youtube. Her name is Esmee & she's 18 years old. She's got a voice that kicks, & her rendition of "No One" just might be better than Alicia's. Check it out:



xo

The New Blog!

Well friends, here's the new & improved blog o'mine in all her glory. Cool, right?! Here's a shout-out to my friend Jennisa for giving me the lift. Her link is at the bottom of my screen on the right side if you want to check out her website/blog. She can do some amazing things, so if you're in the business of needing a make-over, Jennisa can do it.

I just got back from singing in a wedding in Clearwater Beach, Florida over the weekend. Ben's mom was supposed to come take care of the boys so Ben & I could have a little time away from the kids & have a mini-vacation. But unfortunately, Sherry got pneumonia & was highly contagious so she couldn't come. Which meant that Ben had to tend to the boys all by himself for 4 whole days while I flew to Florida & laid out by the pool. Poor Ben. Good thing: he got a taste of what I do every day with all the sweet moments interspersed with all the nightmare-ish moments. Bad thing: we couldn't spend the weekend together & I missed my boys like crazy. The wedding was beautiful & the food was unreal good. But I'm super happy to be back home.

Here's something we can talk about right quick. Two shows that I'm addicted to: a) Hopkins; and b) Intervention. Hopkins is a six-part documentary telling the stories of Johns Hopkins University medical staff. I cry at every single episode. It comes on Thursday nights at 9pm. Try & catch one if you can.
And Intervention, OMG! My friend Melissa Snider got me hooked on it, which ironically, is a show about addiction. Which I'm addicted to. Ben loves it too, & we managed to watch 4 episodes in 24 hours last weekend. It's heart-breaking, hopeful, disastrous, victorious & devastating. That's a glowing review, I know. Watching addicts walk daily with their addictions, confronting their fears & family, & then making the decision to get help. Or not making the decision to get help, depending on which episode you're watching. You're gonna wanna set your DVRs to record the next one.

You guys have a good week; I'll be posting pictures of the family soon.
I'm out--

Weeble-Wobble Levi

Here's the cupcake sitting up! OK, ok, it's a little weeble-wobbley, but it's still sitting up, nevertheless. I had to get him set up with my legs around him first, then I took away my legs from him & he was able to sit up a little bit on his own before tipping over. I got this all on my camera, so here we go. I'll narrate it for you:

He starts out in between my feet:


TA-DA!!

Hey, hey, hey! Look at me! I'm sittin up by myself!

Ruh-Roh! I'm getting a little shaky...

Hello...someone...anyone...help please...

Oh, here I go, I'm a goner...

...and...on my belly again! This is my favorite position anyway...


Thought y'all might like that play-by-play. Lincoln thought it was hilarious. We had a big time cheering L-Train on. Lincoln kept saying, "Yea, L-Train! Good job L-Train!" That's Lincoln's nickname for Levi, BTW. So cute.
Talk to you guys soon.

things are looking up

Thanks to the people who posted comments on my last post. I got a lot of good advice! We have quickly realized that ignoring Lincoln's meltdown phrases, "I can't want to!", "No shoes!", "No talking!" is the way to go. He says these things & then immediately looks at me, wondering what sort of reaction I will have. So when I don't say anything or react to it, he goes on about his business. It's a slippery slope, I tell ya. When is it too much, when is it not enough? Who knows? But I do know that every day is a new day. It's a comforting & peaceful feeling knowing that the morning brings new things. If the day sucks, then I just look ahead to the next day to try something else with it. So it's a new day & a new idea.

Levi is doing wonderfully, sleeping & eating like a champ. He sat up on his own for approximately 5 seconds yesterday. He started laughing & then fell over. Mmm, I wonder where he gets that from? (me)

Lincoln is doing great too. Today is the last day of his swim lessons this week & then next week we'll start again. He is loving it & also loving his teacher, Ryan. I think it's very helpful for him to have a male teacher, too. He has been doing better every single day with learning how to swim!

That's all for now, friends. Hope y'all have a good weekend & I'll try to post new pics of the boys soon.
xoxo

a hard place

I believe Lincoln is realizing that Levi is here to stay. The past 2 weeks have been sort of a train wreck. I don't know if it's because Lincoln is nearly 3 1/2 years old, or if he is wanting Levi to go back to the hospital...but whatever it is, it's a hard place around our home. He is always wanting to do the very opposite of what I say. Do you want lunch? No lunch! Do you want a movie? No movie! We have been reacting to his outbursts of "No!" with time-outs & occasional spankings. However, I am beginning to think that ignoring it may be the best course of action at this point. I think Lincoln is seeing Levi's personality come alive, seeing Levi laugh, & seeing me & Ben smile because of these developments. This, I believe, is making Lincoln feel jealous & somewhat lesser of a son. It is so emotionally draining for me to be consistent with every sort of disciplinary action I take with him. If I don't follow through with something I say, then he picks up on it & remembers it. This causes a lot of pressure on me as a mom. The good thing in this situation is the fact that Lincoln is not being mean or harmful to Levi in any way. He still loves on him, still plays with him, & still loves being around him & talking to him. It is me & Ben that he is being defiant with. Please pray for me that I will not lose it during my days with Lincoln, that I will take each moment as it comes, & that I will know how to handle this phase.
I read this psalm today & thought of the difficult place I'm in. Maybe it will help you too, if you are in a hard place:

"Hear my voice when I call, O Lord;
be merciful to me and answer me.
My heart says of you, "Seek his face!"
Your face, Lord, I will seek.
You have been my helper."
--Psalm 27:7-10

Better days to come,
xoxo

Happy 4th of July!

Happy Birthday, America! Those were Lincoln's words the entire day of the 4th. He carried a balloon around with the American flag on it, singing the Happy Birthday song. What a cutie. We had a parade around our neighborhood in McKay's Mill where all the kiddos decorated their bikes, scooters, power wheels, & rode around the neighborhood behind the local fire engine. Unfortunately, it rained the entire time but it was fun nevertheless! Lincoln thought the fire truck was super cool as the ladder went all the way up. Levi squealed the entire way through the parade, feeling the rain drip down on him & seeing all the people. We grilled out later that afternoon & then had some friends over to the house. Here are some pictures of our 4th:

Getting ready to leave for the parade in the hood:


Here Lincoln is with Ben, excited for the parade to begin...he also has his vote in for the new Sheriff (see political sticker).


Here he is, enjoying his Power Wheels decorated with American flag fans...what a hoot.





We hope your July 4th was just as festive & fun as ours was. We had a blast being a family of four & doing the all-American thing. Parades & grilling out...how much more American can you get?!?
until we talk again...