Staying Home

Staying home.  I love it.  I have all three boys home with me every single day.  Coop goes to school four mornings a week, but he's home by lunchtime.  (He does stay for lunch usually one day a week, but even then, he's home by 2:30.)  People are often shocked when they find out I don't have Austin in some sort of school or Mother's Day out program a couple of days a week.  I usually hear, "Oh...you have your hands full."  And yes.  Yes, I do have my hands full.  Overflowing a lot of the time, actually.  But, I can't imagine life any other way, really.  Sure, it's hard.  I'm overwhelmed.  I'm exhausted.  I'm tired.  I'm busy.  Really busy.  I've become a professional juggler, and it's amazing what I can do with only one hand, while holding a baby or a two-year-old.  Or heck, both at the same time!  I often smell like spit-up and/or poop.  Yes, poop.  I change a lot of diapers each day...  But, I'm a mom.  A mom of three.  THREE BOYS.  Where we are right now is going to change before I know it.  I try to remind myself of that every day.  I won't have all three home with me everyday.  Cooper starts kindergarten next year, and Austin will start preschool next year.  There will be two mornings a week when it's only Grayson and I ... what am I going to do with myself? 

I'm thankful for being home with them so much.  And thankful I get to capture their lives, their days, their little personalities.  Like...

Cooper setting up his "fireman work boots" with his "fireman overalls" just like real firemen do.  Because, really, you never know when you'll be needed for an emergency.  (They always have their pants tucked into their boots, so when the alarm rings, they quickly get their feet in their boots and pull up the straps to their overalls.  Bam.  Done.  On to the emergency!)

 

And there you have it.  Ready for an emergency.

I also get to see this happy little guy after each nap.  I love that he wakes up happy.  I love that sometimes he'll play in his bed for a good 20 minutes before he's ready to "call" for me.  I love that I get the sweetest hug and kiss from him after I pick him up...each and every time.

 

Thankful for moments like when I capture this sweet little exchange.  (I started taking pics because the light was good.)
Me: Coop, what did you whisper to him?
Coop: I told Grayson that he is the best super hero baby, and I'm glad we have him.

 

I love getting to see little bits of "Austin" around the house.  I remember Coop at this age, and my heart smiles when I see things like these.  I just wish I could be inside Austin's head while he's setting up some of these things.  Curious about his words and thoughts.

His special puppy sleeping on a Bevo pillow in the middle of the playroom.

 Dinos in a "tent" on the brown chair.

 Covering up Mater and Lightening McQueen with his blankies for...naps?

 And this one, I have no idea.  But I love it.  Found it in the middle of his room.

  

Oh, Austin Buddy.  My sweet little Joyful Mess.  My days would not be complete without his joy and without his mess-ness.  Like when he dressed up like Peter Pan, threw a green ball under the tv cabinet, then went running through the house with his flashlight and long yellow bat saying his was going to "save the day!  save the ball!"  And he did.  And he was proud.

I've been waiting for the day when I could push all three on the fort swings.  Talk about a happy heart!  This makes smelling like spit-up/poop worth it.

So, there.  Staying at home might be really tough.  And exhausting.  And sometimes I want to sit in a corner and plug my ears.  But can you imagine if I had missed these fun moments?  If I hadn't been there?  I can't.  Thankful I get to do it all over again tomorrow.  And the next day.  And the next.

Today: 4/23/14 Cooper's Numerous Clothing Changes

Cooper likes to dress the part.  He changes clothes at least twice a day, depending on what he's playing or what "character" he wants to be.  He changes so much that I've had to invent a Clothes Monster.  Rule is: if you don't pick up the clothes after you've changed, the Clothes Monster will pick them up and take them away.  That's a pretty big deal to a boy who likes to have all of his options and all of his fireman and army shirts clean and ready-to-wear at all times.  Today was a great example of Cooper and how he changes "roles."  I wish I had captured each outfit with my camera, but it was also one of those days, well, it was a normal day...  It was busy, and I was doing ten million things at one time all while feeding a baby and changing diapers.  So...  I took mental pictures and enjoyed the hearing stories and watching imagination flow from my sweet 5.5 year old creative one. 

Outfit One
The day started off with Coop wearing camo shorts and a DFD t-shirt (of course) to school.  They went on a field trip to the zoo today, riding the Dart train to and from.  (Super fun!  AND, Philip got to go, too, which Coop loved!) 

Outfit Two
After getting home, he immediately changed into a train conductor outfit: blue athletic pants, a blue t-shirt, a train conductor hat, carried around three train whistles, and asked me to pin his train ticket to his shirt.  He told me stories about being a train conductor while I fed Grayson, and we made train noises and motions trying to get Grayson to copy us.  Then, I began cleaning up our lunch dishes and getting the little ones ready for naps.  Coop ventured over to our big Bevo, and he and Austin began to pretend to put Bevo on a train because he had to go to his ranch so he could take a nap. 

Outfit Three
The next thing I know, Coop comes out in his orange/white sweat pants and a Longhorn shirt, wearing a cowboy hat and his boots.  He was now a Longhorn rancher, ready to get Bevo off the train and take care of all the ranch duties.  He had his pop guns and his new rubber band gun and a camo bag full of "gear."

Outfit Four
As I was reading to Austin at naptime, Coop came running into the room, grabbed a few things, and ran back out.  I noticed he had more clothes in his hands.  When I came out after getting the little ones down for naps, Coop was now dressed as a Longhorn football player and asked if I wanted to go play football.  Well, yes, I did.  So outside we went.  We played catch, he told me about being a football player, showed me how to tackle someone in slow motion, and then he told me about how he needed to go back to his ranch house after the game and he was going to ride a train to get there.  :)

Outfit Five
Little ones wake up, Coop goes back inside to change back into his Longhorn Rancher outfit: orange/white sweat pants, but this time he put on a Longhorn jersey. 

Phew.  I would be exhausted after changing clothes that many times.  But I loved seeing how one clothing change lead to the next which lead to the next which lead to the next, but in the end, they were all linked together.  Love that little boy.  Love his mind.  Love his hugely imaginative, creative self. 

Just a few recent "outfits."

Friday Morning Mowers...Still a Favorite

We've had the same lawn crew for at least five years.  They've always come on Fridays, usually mornings.  And they've always had an audience.  Every couple of years, their audience has grown.  And now, Grayson has joined the viewing party.  Reminds me of this and this.

Today: April 4, 2014

Today I went to the mall with George Washington and a fireman.  And, yes, we did get a lot of attention. 

 We went to the library, checked out seven books about our presidents, the US, and the constitution.  Coop quickly settled in with one after we got back home.

Cowboy Grayson

Grayson loves his big brothers.  L-O-V-E-S them.  Any attention he gets from them, he'll take.  It's getting to the stage where Coop and Austin are "playing" more with Grayson as opposed to just tickling, talking, or shaking a toy in front of him.  They are all interacting together and really engaging Grayson these days, and he is soaking it up.  Plus, between Grayson crawling and Coop carrying Grayson around the house, I never know where I'll find anyone!  On this particular day, I found these two..

 

03.08.2014

Grayson, Playing in Drake's Water Bowl

Why is it that a dog's water bowl is a complete magnet for babies?  Grayson is at the point where he will quietly crawl into the playroom, when he thinks no one is watching him, and race over to Drake's water bowl.  If I try to stop him mid-crawl, he turns around, gives me a huge smile, and tries to crawl faster to the bowl before I reach either him or the bowl first!  Turkey.

Kinda reminds me of this kid...

03.07.2014