This morning did not start off well. I woke up at 4:30 with a migraine, which proceeded to last about 12 hours. Yuck 🙁
Jake worked from home today and took care of the boys so I could rest. (I sure have a wonderful husband!) At one point during the morning, Jake brought me something for my migraine along with my water bottle, leaving the boys downstairs. When he went back down to the living room he saw this:
The boys were saying a prayer for their mommy to get better. Talk about making my heart melt! Jake said Shecklet #1 was leading Shecklet #2 in a combination prayer of the Our Father and Angel of God (which Shecklet #1 has recently been singing with his classmates at preschool.) Their prayers must have been heard; I’m feeling much better this evening. The plan for the week is that we have no plans. Our calendar has been cleared and the goal is to rest up and hopefully recover by week’s end.
Shecklet #2 must have known the Twins are closing in on the end of the season and hoping for a trip to the playoffs. This afternoon, he donned the Twinkies hat in support of their efforts, taking after big brother Shecklet #1, who started the hat trend by sporting the Rocky Mountain National Park hat from Grandma Patti & Grandpa Dave. Speaking of Grandma, she called to talk to Shecklet #1 today. They chatted about what he did in school this morning. Very cute!
I also just had to post this pic of Shecklet #1. His eyes are this crazy gold/green color and the shirt he wore today really brought them to life.
Jake and I both went to the U of M, so naturally, we’re Gopher fans. However, it seems that Jake’s sister, Stacie, would like to see our boys wearing red & black instead of maroon & gold. Shecklet #1 has been asking to wear his “Badger socks” for months (probably since we stopped wearing socks for the summer.) With today’s temps in the 50’s, I figured today he could bring Bucky out of summer retirement. Shecklet #2 naturally followed suit.
Here’s the kids’ feet all decked out in their Wisconsin footwear. We miss you Auntie Stacie!
A recent trip to Sam’s Club replenished our stash of size 3’s and wet wipes. I threw the packages on top of the clean laundry I was already hauling upstairs and let the boys help me unload everything in their room. They had so much fun playing, building, crashing in to, and moving the compact & semi-cushy “blocks.” When we finished putting away their clean clothes, we switched rooms and the diapers & wipes came along with us. Here are a couple of shots of the boys building and destroying a “road.” I love how Shecklet #1’s creative juices are flowing so much lately and how Shecklet #2 mimics his brother’s every move.
We started the day off with mass at St. John’s. Nana & Papa (my parents) showed up and surprised us. I love seeing the boys’ expressions when they see any of their grandparents. It’s always pure joy. Since we had more adults than kids, we kept Shecklet #2 with us instead of having him play in the nursery. The boys did really well. I wonder if they were on extra-good behavior for their grandparents…
Our house was full of lovely women and super cute kids this afternoon. We figured out that today’s group was a mix of 1st, 2nd & 3rd cousins from my mom’s side of the family. It was really nice to be able to spend time with all of them today. Shecklet #1 and Shecklet #2 enjoyed showing off for the group. It’s so funny what the two of them will do to entertain others when they’re in the spotlight.
While Shecklet #2 was napping this afternoon (after our guests departed,) Shecklet #1 helped me put together brownies for an impromptu dinner at our friends’ house. He cracked the eggs (with just a little help :)), stirred the batter, and scooped it from the bowl to the pan. He is really big into helping lately. I wish I could bottle some of his enthusiasm and have it on hand for when he gets older.
The day ended the way it normally does, but with a small, sweet little twist. We said bedtime prayers with the boys like we always do and I picked up Shecklet #2 and held him while Jake rocked a little while with Nolan. Nolan asked me to sing a song for him. (This has become part of the nighttime routine along with having his back scratched.) So I sang “Jesus Loves Me,” and he joined me like he usually does. Next, he asked me to sing the song he calls “Daisy” or “bicycle built for two.” Well tonight, instead of waiting for me to start the song and join me, he sang the song himself – and remembered most of the lyrics, too! It was so sweet to hear his little voice. He sure loves music!
The thing I dislike the most about being a parent is having to discipline. I hate being the bad guy. I wish someone would invent a fool-proof way to get my kids to listen to what I’ve asked them to do (or not do) and have them follow through.
Today Shecklet #1 was having a overly-whiny afternoon, so I told him he would be taking a nap. No tantrum was thrown when I said it was time to head upstairs (which was positive) but the little guy refused to stay in bed. This tends to happen when he naps, so I’ve been having him sleep in our bed instead of his so at least Shecklet #2 has a chance to get a good nap in. I swear I went back upstairs to check on him a half dozen times. A few times he was just sitting up on our bed, so I had him lay back down. But at one point I walked in to find the lamps on and clean socks, that were previously in the laundry basket, strewn all over the room. Apparently I missed the memo that nap time meant throw the laundry everywhere. At this point, I had to follow through with the consequence for not napping that we had talked about – no afternoon trip to the park. I don’t know who was more disappointed, him or me. It hurt to have to say we weren’t going, especially when he turned on the waterworks, but I knew I had to remain firm. I’m hoping that one of these days, something will click in that little 3-year-old head of his and he’ll understand that his actions have consequences. Until then, we get to keep working on the meaning of cause and effect.
The boys and I spent time in the backyard this afternoon. They got to play with squirt bottles while I gave the lawn a quick once-over with the lawnmower. (It was my attempt to keep the mosquitoes at bay – they seem to really love my kids.) As you can see from the pictures, Shecklet #1 has the correct form down pat. Shecklet #2 on the other hand is still learning how to manage the squirter. Actually, maybe the direction of his bottle is intentional. He figured out that he can actually squirt the water into his mouth if it’s pointed this way. Smart boy!
This evening, “Auntie Lissa” (this is how Shecklet #1 says Auntie Larissa) came over so Jake and I could attend a meeting at our church. We’re part of a small group of people who meet once a month with a seminarian friend from the St. Paul Seminary to discuss a topic of our friend’s choice. The overall goal of the meetings is to give our friend a chance to discuss parish and family life from the laity’s perspective. Tonight’s topic was a re-visitation of last year’s first meeting topic, “graces we have received over the course of the summer.” I couldn’t help but reflect back on how much our family and friends have supported us through prayer this summer and what a huge blessing that has been to our family. We know that the peace we have felt throughout recent difficult situations is an answer to the prayers being said on our behalf.
