3 possible titles for this series of photos:
What boys consider fun...
I wish I had Colten's metabolism
and
My boys have serious farmer tans

No Rhyme or Reason

when Jack was a baby,
I could put him in his snowsuit,
and lay him on the floor,
and he wouldn't move an inch...
he wouldn't even attempt to right himself.
he could.
but for some reason the snowsuit confused him, and he would just lay there.
super convenient for me.
I could pack up the diaper bag, organize the snacks and whatever else the older boys (2 and 6) needed....while my mover and shaker was still.
however...
Colten would never let Jack just remain helpless on his back.
the minute he noticed,
he would "flip" him...
so that the smallest man could go again.
cute huh?
I love the second to last photo...they look so tickled with themselves.

They still have a very sweet, sometimes tumultuous, relationship.
I'm so, so glad they are close in age...and can share these childhood moments together.
Every night I have to say
"Boys...no more talking. Go. To. Sleep!"
many, many times...
Sometimes,
Colin will say...
"Shhhh-hh...let them talk. I think it's sweet."
I do too,
but then you try getting them up in the morning.

*A few more random things on my mind*
(yes even more random than that photo series of my boys from 7 years ago)

1. It's been rain rain rainy here.
Which I like actually...the rain is nice
but,
the school pick-up situation...
not so nice.
We literally live behind Jack's school.
there is a BIG field that separates us...
School ends at 2:50.
The parent (car) pick-up line starts forming at 2:10!
I kid you not...and it wraps around the loop, into the street, and beyond...
Ridiculous.
So. Jack walks home.
Only when it's raining....
I have to make a decision whether or not to go pick him up...
obviously before 2:10...
Monday it had rained in the morning,
and then sort of cleared,
weather.com said 0% chance of precipitation.
decision = let him walk.
Kid you not.
2:50 exactly...the sky opened up, and the rain didn't just come down....
it poured down.
So, I cursed weather.com (that still said 0%)
grabbed an umbrella, put on my rainboots....
and headed out across the field.
I get to my shiny bright son...
who looked at me with all the seriousness in the world...
and said "What the crap Mom?!? You couldn't just drive over to pick me up?"
Angelic really.
It stopped raining midway back across the field...
I was still laughing at his expression and "what the crap" when I got in bed that night....

2. I had forgotten until Gabby's comment on my last post about the Sonic cups...
Colten was notorious for punching holes in the bottom of the FULL cups when he was little.
I can't count the number of times he drenched himself (and his carseat, and the car) in technicolor slushies...
Hysterical that he is still mangling the stupid foam cups....

3. Mother's Day.
Open letter to the folks that organized a soccer tournament, AND a baseball tournament in two DIFFERENT cities Mother's Day weekend....I am not happy with any of you.
Colin, Jared and Colten are going to be in Little Rock that weekend.
Jack and I will be here.
Makes me want to cry.

Just a few from this weekend....

*disclaimer. the story below is true. I however do not eat hot dogs anymore. especially not cold ones.
the boys do occasionally eat the "good ones"...I find them disgusting...

Before the game.
I fixed the boys hot dogs in the microwave.
"You want to hear something gross? When I was little I ate these right out of the fridge....cold! Gross, huh?"
Jack "But when you got electricity, did you cook them?"

Sorry, too funny not to share.
when I got electricity....sheesh.
Off to game #2.
Hopefully Jack hits like yesterday...
he got a homerun,
and I forgot my camera.
(yes. after I just blogged about it...go figure)

There have been a large amount of bad haircut photo requests.
I will get some photos this weekend of the big and the little...
in all their new haircut glorious-ness...
but in the meantime,
here is one I snapped yesterday,
you can kind of see Jared's hair...
doesn't look too bad in this pic...hmmm.
Actually, the overwhelming response to Jared's hair at school was positive.
(whew. middle school is hard enough, so this was a good thing)
who knew.
Apparently the "Jim Carrey in Dumb and Dumber" look is in here.
I kid, I kid....(kind of)
J's hair has grown on me.
I can see his eyes now, which I like...
and his lovely face.
Jack on the other hand came home from school crying on Monday because the kids in his class said he looked
"more like a girl"...
I like that one can look more,
or less,
like a girl.
it's good to qualify the girl-ness.
poor Jack. Also, please note that light fixture will be changing when the tax refund arrives...
When we were looking at houses here we saw so many with horrific light fixtures,
so when Colin bought this house (without me having seen it)
that was one of the first questions I asked him.
"Does it have ugly light fixtures?"
his reply. "No"...
Apparently he did not understand the question.

this photo is for Aunt Gabby:because we love her, and she asked for a snap of Oley in his green sweatshirt....

Jack has a baseball tournament this weekend.
The email from the coach yesterday listed 3 games...
and I thought to myself "hey, that's not too bad"
the email today added 2 more to that tally...
So if there was any question about it...
I will in fact be at the ball field ALL weekend long.
(Maybe I'll remember to take some photos this time?!?)

Please note that you know you are a mom to boys when on the way to school
the following conversation doesn't even phase you...
me "Just be sure you're listening to your teacher"
Jared "I was. We were just playing with a dead squirrel"...

happy weekend!

Tuesdays game 12-1 Good guys.
much better than the haircut stats....
and seriously, have you ever seen such a cute little catcher?
Actually that wasn't Tuesday's game....it was a pre-haircut game.
I kept saying how cute Jack was...and Jack kept explaining that he didn't catch all the balls.
I guess when you are the catcher, being cute is not the most important thing. (?!?)

A couple Sundays ago we went to a local Mexican restaurant for dinner.
they had some balloon guy there, making balloon creations for the kids.
true to their nature...
Colten was horrified. Jack was mesmerized.
Jack then also wanted know how to make them. He's very much a "figure-it-out" sort of guy.
I found a clearance balloon animal kit at Barnes and Noble last week, and he's been working on them since. (very hard for little hands...and big ones actually)
Please note however, he is still a boy...and the most popular thing to do with the balloons?
You guessed it.... Adorable.

I woke up Tuesday morning to find a sick Jared.
totally threw me, because he's never sick.
So we dropped off Jack at school and headed to the walk-in clinic.
We were the only ones there...
which thrilled me because I figured it would just take a few minutes.
We got our "room"...
and we waited...
and waited...
and waited.
an hour later the doctor appeared.
looked the big boy over.
and said.
"I think it's bronchitis, but if you want a chest x-ray we can do one"
me - "If you don't think he needs one I don't"
doc - "I'm going to prescribe an antibiotic, is there one you prefer?"
me - "I can't remember the last time he took an antibiotic, so whichever one you think is best"
doc - "I was thinking a z-pack. Is that ok?"
me -"thats fine"
doc - "I was thinking about prescribing a cough medicine, would that be ok?"
me - "that would be great. thanks"
here is my thought. next time, he can just leave a signed prescription pad IN the exam room.
I knew he'd need something, so I'll just randomly pick an antibiotic, and we can be out of there in like 10mins.
Much more efficient, and since he felt the need to ask my opinion on everything anyway....
I think it's perfect.
What I really need is a homeopathic doctor.
I think that's a giant request for here....but it would be nice.

this weekend we were 0-2 on the haircuts.
hoping the score tonight at Jack's baseball game is more favorable....

the Short but Long of it...

Jack is getting his haircut tomorrow.
He wants it "short but long and with no bangs"...
I'm sorry....what does that even mean?!?
So I found the above photo...
"Kind of like this Jack?"
"Umm...I don't know. Maybe, but without the bangs."
If anyone can link me to a photo of a hairstyle
that the hairstylist might possibly understand....
please do, because I'm at a loss.
we just really do not want a repeat of this.
Jared is also getting his cut...and that never seems to go well....
so. it should be an interesting weekend.
Enjoy yours!
We are hoping for a rainless baseball and soccer filled one.

The zoo trip was fun.
It was a little chilly, but sunny....and I'll always take a little chilly over 104degrees and sweaty.
Jack was ridiculously excited about going and having mom AND dad there.
Pretty big deal to get to have the daddy along.
The school had an hour long "class" at the zoo....that involved petting snakes and chinchillas.
And passing things around the room- snake skin, bones, bird feathers, and an owl's foot.
Hello?! Do I look like an eight year old boy? ewwwwww....
Jack however loved it.
I loved that when the zoologist asked something about the bird that belonged to the feather she was holding,
one little boy answered with "We shoot them"...
ha.

Also as an added bonus, we "found" a Jimmy John's that I didn't know existed in Memphis.
I guess sometimes my husbands "short-cuts" (that take an extra 30mins) pay off....
Sadly, I don't think I can convince him that an hour each way for a sub is happening tonight.

I love watching Jack work on his "cWards" (chords)
I love listening to him play Sweet Home Alabama and the Star-Spangled Banner
(over-and-over-and-over again)
I love that Colten likes wearing crazy clothes.
I love that the green sweatshirt with the lightening bolts I found on clearance made his day yesterday. (and that he's wearing it today...and he looks adorable)
I love that Jared was so excited about the video they saw at youth group that he talked about it non-stop for almost an hour. (this video)
I love that Colin is taking off work tomorrow to go on the field trip to the Memphis zoo with me.(and Jack's class)
I loved watching both Bedtime Stories and Slumdog Millionaire this weekend....

I do not love that the teachers have made Colten so nervous about the dumb benchmark tests that I'm now nervous for him.
I do not love that my boys can not brush their teeth in the morning without getting toothpaste all over themselves and the bathroom.
I do not love the bus driver deciding to come 5 minutes early every morning for the past week.
(5mins in the morning = 1 hour in normal time)
I do not love being told I'm "past child bearing age" by my father.
(3 weeks ago...not that I'm fixating on that or anything)
I do not love my obnoxiously long hair.
(I'm with Jack "I wish my hair could be short when I have to wash it and dry and brush it, and then long again when that's done!")
I do not love that I made three pies and rice krispie treats while trying to lose weight?!
(what in the world was i thinking)

Baby don't you cry, gonna make a pie, gonna make a pie with a heart in the middle. Baby don't be blue, gonna make for you, gonna make a pie with a heart in the middle. Gonna make a pie from heaven above, gonna be filled with strawberry love. Baby don't you cry, gonna make a pie, and hold you forever in the middle of my heart.

Jared is ridiculously tan.
(I know...right?! It's April?!)
Those pies were yummy.
(Even though there was no rhubarb to be had)
Easter was really nice.
I meant to post Saturday.
(Whoops)
and Sunday.
(uh-oh)
Obviously that didn't happen.

today

the house smells delicious.
someone should come up with a homemade roll scented candle. seriously...

For the record I much prefer when he brings me home dandelions...

Too frustrated with Jared today to post anything requiring much thought...

It does makes me a little giddy that Karen Russell is now shooting with a Nikon.
Someday I hope to take this class, and now I won't feel like I should have gotten a Cannon...
happy happy.
She is truly my most favorite photographer...

What else.
Last night I sat and watched the coldest baseball game I've ever had to sit outside and watch. I think Jack felt the same way, and considering he was out playing and not huddled under a blanket, he probably has more whining rights.
The 70 degrees to 30 degrees to 70 degrees is still something I'm adjusting to.
note: baseball is much more enjoyable to watch when it's 70degrees.

Back to the doctor tomorrow. Hoping someone will figure out what is going on with my knee.
I'm not a knee expert, but I'm sort of an expert when it comes to my knee....and something is wrong. Let's just hope the doctor-man doesn't tell me to take advil, or I might lose my mind.

Planning Easter dinner. It's a yummy one. Of course the boys are most excited about Jello eggs.
Got to love that. Still can't decide on dessert...hmm....

Forgot to mention the big red truck's name is Roxy. Sort of an ode to the coast we are missing so much...Of course Jared added LaFawnduh (thank you Napoleon Dynamite) so her full name would be Roxann LaFawnduh....aka Roxy.

Off to the store...
I must remember to buy some white eggs....
the brown ones we normally get don't so much work for egg dying.
Not so much at all.

They're like 4-foot whirling dervishes...

Well.
I took very few photos actually.
None great, or even good really.
Way to go me.
I got into watching the game.
and the fence around the ball field was very unforgiving in my attempts at photo taking...

here is Coley listening to the Beastie Boys. looking very disgusted.
the other team was chanting
"Batter batter what's the matter...can't you hit the balllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll....."
(imagine the word ball going on for a good 2-3 minutes in high pitched little boy voices....I'm not sure Licensed to Ill was drowning it out completely.)
Jared looking furry and texting.
and ooooooooooh my goodness.....the small one in the dugout. Looking so ridiculously cute it's painful. Hey! bend those knees Jack. Yes. He desperately needs a haircut...but I could definitely tell which red shirt was my son.The team started off a little slow. I think they forgot they were suppose to hit the ball the first game. They rallied though and everyone was hitting by game two.
They won games 2 and 3.
Which meant two more games on Sunday...
They ended up playing the team that beat them the first game, and they won that game 17-6.
(what a difference hitting the ball makes)
They got third overall... pretty good for their first tournament.
And can I just tell you what a blessing it is to have a great coach?
A coach that makes the boys feel good about what they do well....
and helps them learn from their mistakes.
Watching the other coaches just reaffirmed my feelings about our coach.
The other team from our town was there, and their coach is Jack's coach from last year....
think Will Ferrell in Kicking and Screaming (when he's crazed and wearing the tiger striped warm-up screaming at the boys...not at the end when he's nice again)

I leaned over to Colin and said "We really got lucky, David is really good coach"
Colin replied with "David is really good person"...
how true.

Wild Thing...I think I love you.

Tomorrow Jack has a baseball tournament.
I'm pretty excited to see the boys play, and it's suppose to be 70s and sunny.
I'm hoping to get lots of great photos...or at least lots of photos.

Colten has a request-
He has been collecting state quarters on a map that hangs in his room, and has found all the quarters, except Florida. Florida is playing hard to get.
If anyone finds a "Florida" quarter we would gladly send you a little something in exchange for said quarter.
We really can't find a FL quarter....we've been looking forEVer....

and two quotes for today------------>
Coley: "I would like to play the drums. Is that a possibility?" oooooooh boy....

The littles and I watched the Where the Wild Things Are trailer this weekend...
and of course read the book afterwards.
When I finished reading Coley, being very literal, said
"Well... that's going to be a short movie..."
ha.

Happy Weekend.

*** I've been gone because our computer was a little sick, it's better now...thank goodness!***It's April.
and for the first time in 3years,
we aren't some place new.
I am not sure if this is a good thing, or a bad thing. I guess time will tell....

conversations from this morning: (for Colin who had to go into work early)
"Jack go put on the socks I laid out for you."
"I don't recall seeing any socks."

Cole: "I'll have some of that Gorilla Munch cereal you got."
Jack: "Can I try some of yours?"
"yeah... here..."
Me: "Jack do you want that?"
Jack: "No..it's stale."
"It's not stale, I just opened the box."
"Well, it tastes stale."
"It's just crunchy because it's healthy."
"Eating stale cereal is not healthy."
"It's not stale!"
"It sure tastes stale."
Cole: "Yeah it does"...
(after getting Jack something else)
Me: "Do you at least want to read the box while you eat?"
Jack: "Ok....(pause) Ohhhh...that's why it tastes so bad...it's organic."

Jack really wears his shoes. those were 6months old. they look like they're 90.
I wish my shoes looked more like that...
muddy
falling apart
holey
frayed shoelaces
a sign of being happy I think. a sign of really enjoying life...

What I've been thinking about lately:

My friend Kari who is preparing to run a marathon in Paris on Sunday.
A marathon.
In Paris.
How amazing is that? How amazing is she? I'm just completely inspired by her. My dear friend that I've known since I was Jack's age. Makes me teary eyed thinking about what she's doing...
and it also motivates the heck out of me.
Seriously, what excuse do I have not to get on the treadmill for a measly 30 minutes?
I bet her shoes look like Jacks.
Go Kari! My heart and prayers will be flying to you on Sunday. I love you friend.

An email from a woman I went to college with and reconnected on FB with:
"...I'd say something trite like: So, are you workin' on your Art, hey?" But, perusing your profile I see that your life is art and grace, and that you don't fail to capture and rejoice over a single solitary moment."
how beautiful.
how I hope that my life is art and grace.
how I aspire to just that.

Another email from my MIL after returning from a family member's funeral:
"His best friend spoke followed by Dick Hamilton, a former pastor who was quite eloquent. What touched me was his saying that Frank lived his life with such gratitude. Having had cancer, hip and knee replacements, congestive heart failure, Frank lived life knowing about the day's precious gifts. Dick said he lived life as a "thank you."
That surely was Frank.
Always kind, remarkably gracious, thinking only of the other person.
What a lovely perspective:
Life as a thank you."
Life as a thank you. We should all live like that.

and sweet Baby Stellan has been on my mind.
very much on my mind.