Team Cross

Haircuts and Hoses

This morning we went to the store.  Cody is now becoming VERY difficult to keep happy there.  He tries to grab things off the shelves, he yells, he kicks Tyler, etc.  Everything is fine until his snack runs out, and that happens quickly because he eats like his father-fast.  Anyway, the rest of the day went really great.  Austin called at lunch and he was having another awesome day at camp.  Scott said the only trouble he is causing is that he is cutting in line, and occasionally gets in mini wrestling matches with the other boys in his group.  They all do that though...they have trouble keeping their hands to themselves!  This afternoon after naptime, I gave Cody and Tyler a haircut and then let them play in the pool.  They had a really good time, and although Tyler is not much of a pool fan, I let the water trickle out of the hose and gave it to him, and he LOVED it.  He was intrigued by the water coming out of the hose!  Of course, there was massive meltdowns when Cody became interested in the hose as well (watch the video at the end-you will get a very small taste of Tyler's temper ).  After I got them dressed, I decided to put them in the jog stroller and go for a jog!  Jogging WITH the stroller is at least 5 times harder than without.  Geez!  I was exhausted!  It was overcast all day, and the temp read only 87!  WHAT?!  That is just for today though...we will be back up to 100 tomorrow...

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Brother Bonding

This morning Scott had his first day of the second session of basketball camp.  After the last session that Austin refused to attend or participate in, Scott and I decided that this time, Austin would just ride with Scott to camp from the get-go, instead of me taking him up later.  Like I mentioned before, we don't want to make him to things he doesn't want to do, BUT, sometimes kids need to be pushed a little to TRY things, and THEN decide whether or not they like it.  Austin argued about it some this morning, and whined A LOT.  Of course, we are in a very whiney stage (the high-pitched voice is almost all I hear from him lately) anyway.  Well, Scott had to go, and Austin was lallygagging and whining, so just Scott hopped up and said goodbye, then left and got in his car.  Austin, shoeless at this point because he was arguing about shoes at the time, looked at me stunned, then started crying.  So, with that, I told him that he better grab his darn shoes and run after his daddy's car or his chance was over!  He did run out, and luckily, Scott wasn't out of the driveway yet.  Scott called me at 9:30, and I thought this was going to be the "come and get him because he's miserable" call, but it wasn't!  Scott said that Austin was participating and having fun!  He called again at 10:30, and told me to not come pick him up at lunch!  At lunch time, Austin called and said he was having fun at camp, made some friends, and didn't want to come home, but wanted to stay there!  YAY YIPPEE HOORAY!  Thank goodness we pushed him just a little.  Anyway, while Austin was hoopin', Cody and Tyler were bonding.  We stayed at home all day, and they really had fun.  There were a few screaming-swatting-crying moments, but other than that, Cody and Tyler were actually affectionate with each other and it was adorable.  Tyler would just crawl up to Cody and put his head on his arm.  Cody would give him a kiss and Tyler would crawl off...it was so cute!  I got pictures of them on the couch after their afternoon nap.  Cody asked to watch Buzz, and they sat on the couch together for a while before Cody moved because Tyler was messing with him.  Austin made it the ENTIRE day...9-5 at camp!  He came home happy and HUNGRY and is fast asleep now.

Here is a picture of what JUST Cody did to our living room during Tyler's morning nap:



Tyler starting to mess with Cody, and Cody starting to get annoyed:

Cody moving away from Tyler...look at Tyler with his legs crossed!  He looks so big!

A Swim at the Lake

This morning Scott made pancakes and then we all laid around trying to figure out what to do.  We thought we might go to a sprinkler park, but it wasn't going to work out because the one we wanted to go to wasn't going to open until noon.  At this point, it was only 9:30, and the boys were getting RESTLESS.  We knew we had to do SOMETHING, and QUICK.  So, I got online and started looking at our local lakes.  Ever since Austin went to that adventure camp, we have been tossing around the idea of taking a trip to the lake to swim and picnic.  Well, today was the day.  I decided we would go to Lynn Creek Park at Joe Pool Lake.  It is about 25 minutes away, and according to the website, they had tables, restrooms, a playground, a beach, and plenty of shallow water.  It was $10 a car, and it didn't take long for us to find an empty table in the shade and close enough to the water!  We got there around 11.  We swam for a while, Austin and Scott threw the football, Tyler floated in his baby float, and Cody swam around and dug in the sand.  There was a huge party going on and they had some great music playing as well (Michael Jackson).  We ate some lunch and swam a little more, then left around 2.  The boys had a great time!  Tyler fell asleep on the way home so he didn't take a nap when we got home, but Cody and Austin slept for over 2 hours, and we actually had to wake Cody up for dinner!  Scott grilled burgers tonight, I made a salad, some mint tea, and some homemade mint ice cream (Austin didn't like it and just wanted a popsicle), and we had a movie night in our pjs!  Tyler went to bed at 7, and Austin and Cody went to bed around 8:30 after Ice Age 2 was over.  We had a great day!
 

Love, Hate and WWF

That is how I would describe the relationship between my three boys lately.  There is no in between.  Cody and Tyler have been playing together great lately, until something bad happens, and then Tyler lunges at Cody bearing his teeth, and Cody smacks him in the face.  Result: 2 screaming boys.  Austin and Cody do the same thing.  Cody cries when Austin goes somewhere without him, Austin begs me to let him wake Cody up from nap so he can play with him, and the next thing I know, Austin is getting sent to his room and Cody to timeout after beating the crap out of each other.  And for a first today, Austin and Tyler went at it...of course, Austin won and got in trouble, but Tyler put up a fair fight.  At Cody and Tyler's pediatrician appointment on Tuesday ( I need to blog about that!), Dr. Nussbaum tried her best to give Tyler his check up and have a conversation with me, while Austin and Cody literally ROLLED around on the floor WWF-style.  No kidding.  Good thing about Dr. Nussbaum is she had 4 kids, her first 3 being boys, and just could care less about the mass chaos my boys create when we walk through the door...in fact, she told me she likes it because it reminds her of her boys!  Anyway, today was a little crazy, which was a good thing because at least we weren't bored for long.  This morning I dropped Austin off at the rec and drove to Sally Beauty Supply to purchase what I heard was the best anti-nail biting polish.  Austin is still biting his nails and we are trying everything to get him to stop.  After that I went back to the rec to drop Cody off, and Tyler and I ran into Babiesrus for diapers since I had forgotten to order them online and we were running low.  I went back and picked up Austin and Cody and headed home for lunch.  After nap time was over, we headed to Whole Foods and then to Target.  Both were short trips.  Austin did AWESOME in Whole Foods and helped me by pushing a mini cart while I had the other 2 in the double stroller.  They do not have the massive carts like Target, so if I have all the boys, that trip is always a little difficult.  Austin followed instructions and didn't run me or anyone else over, so that was a good thing!  For dinner we had stuffed shells and salad.  I want to watch a movie tonight, but Scott is still on his jog with Jeremy and it is nearly 9, so I don't think it is gonna happen! Pictures are of Cody and Tyler playing together, Austin's ocean class artwork and Cody's artwork!

It is freakin' hot.

Good grief I should of made scrambled eggs on the sidewalk today.  It was ridiculously hot.  For starting out as a mild summer, it sure has turned out to be steamy.  Austin had his rec classes this morning and I went to Half Price Books to sell some books.  Geez, I got nothin'.  Sometimes I go and hit the jackpot, and others, a measly $2 like today.  Oh well. That will pay for a snocone (which I should've gotten but didn't).  After lunch the door guy came over again to check out our storm door that was installed last week.  We thought it looked crooked. Turns out the actual opening for our door is crooked, not the door.  The door is level.  Our door opening, however, is a half-inch higher on the right than the left.  Whatever!  I am NOT SURPRISED!  The rest of the afternoon was 'whatever'.  Tyler didn't lay down for a nap at the same time as Cody because he fell asleep in the car for about 20 minutes and it messed him up.  So, Cody napped from about 12:30 to 3:30, and Tyler napped from 2:45 to 5.  Between all that I planted lantanas around the tree, watched a little tv with Austin, played, cleaned the kitchen, and folded laundry.  Right before dinner, some serious dark clouds showed up, the wind whipped into action, and thunder and lightning started in...WHAT?!  Out of no where!  We got a heck of a storm...sideways rain and all!  We had scrambled eggs for dinner with turkey sausage, then the boys played.  Scott, Austin and Cody threw the football.  Scott taught Cody how to find the laces and hold it right, and the kid can throw!  Austin throws some bullets already, and he and Cody should be tossing the football around together soon.  Tyler has figured out how to climb on the trampoline, and when he gets up on it he 'jumps', which means he kind of stomps his feet, and he thinks this is hilarious and that he is so big!
 

Toy Rotation!

This morning we got ready and headed to Target.  It was a short trip and went well.  I have learned that if I give each kid their own snack, there is no hitting, slapping, biting, kicking and arguing.  The size of the snack depends on the size of the grocery list.  Ha!  All 3 boys took a nap today which was great, and I was able to get a few little things done quickly. Ahhhhh.  I love it when that happens.  This afternoon, I rotated their toys out, and it amazes me how much they play with them after I do that!  It is like Christmas! Each boy went off with their own toy and the house was actually quiet for a long period of time.  It was strange!
 
This is a picture of Austin's attempt to play with his piano in peace!

Today Cody picked up his toolbox, gave me, Austin and Tyler kisses, and then walked towards the garage saying, "Goodbye!  Goodbye!  Love you!  Love you!"...I guess he was going off to work?!

Tyler's serious bedhead after nap!

Austin's toy of choice.

Cody's toy of choice.

Tyler's toy of choice.

Father's Day Weekend

Let's just say that this weekend wasn't that great for me, so I am going to focus on the positive:

I am married to a man who has turned out to be a wonderful, loving, caring, attentive father.  I have to admit that there were times when I was skeptical about how Scott would be with children.  He has blown any and all expectations and doubts that I ever had, out of the water.  The bar was set high for me because I had such a great dad, and I had always hoped that I could find someone that loved our kids as much as my dad loves me and my sister.  I couldn't ask for a better father for my boys, and they are lucky for that.  Not all fathers care so much about their kids, and can meet the demands and conquer the obstacles thrown their way in this crazy world of parenthood.  My man can.  So, Happy Father's Day Scott.  You are a good one, and I love you more for it.

Scott and His Kindle

A few weeks ago, Scott purchased the Amazon Kindle for himself for Father's Day.  He absolutely LOVES IT.  Here we are, 2 weeks later, and he received his replacement Kindle yesterday in the mail.  Tuesday morning, while putting Cody in his carseat, Scott put the Kindle on top of his car...and drove off with it there.  It fell off while he was turning out of our neighborhood.  Luckily, Scott got a warranty on the thing, and it covers ONE, just ONE boo boo like that.  They over-nighted him a new one...so there is his freebee!  This morning, I got online and ordered him an additional Father's Day gift: a hard cover for his Kindle, and a hard case to put it in.  There.  That should cover it...literally!

LONG Day

Today seemed to go on and on and on.  The morning started out great.  We got ready and went to the rec center for Austin's classes.  I took the jogging stroller and the boys to the park and jogged, and then let Cody play on the playground for a while before going back to pick Austin up.  We got home and did the lunch-nap thing, and I proceeded to do a ton of little things, mostly outside.  I picked dead flowers, put things away in the garage, swept our entryway, cleaned the storm doors, hung a hook for our mosquito lamp in the back, unscrewed an old broken hook from our fence, folded laundry...I can't even remember what else.  Austin happily watched Star Wars during all of this.  Tyler woke up first, and Cody slept forever.  After Cody woke up though, things got harry around here.  Austin and Cody just fought and fought and wouldn't stop.  They were slapping each other, spitting at each other, yelling and screaming at each other.  It was crazy!  All I did for 2 hours was break up fights, put Austin in his room and put Cody in timeout.  Luckily, Tyler kept himself occupied and away from the action.  While I was making dinner, he tore up the kitchen by emptying all the ziploc bags and tupperware.  At one point though, he finally figured out how to put the coins his piggy toy, and it was so cute!  Tyler was so focused, and grinned or giggled everytime he got one in.  After dinner, Scott and Austin mowed the lawn, and Cody and Tyler played in the back.  Cody was a happy camper because he had the entire pool to himself, and Tyler actually took a dip because I had put water in it and it was there all day, so it was nice and warm!  Here are some great pictures, including ones of our new doors, which, by the way, Lowe's is sending someone to look at because there are some things wrong with the way it was installed...nothing that can't be fixed though! Oh, and there is a video of Tyler and his little piggy at the end!
 

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Already feeling like a chauffeur.

This morning I got up and ready for the day because it was going to be a busy one.  I got everyone ready and then dropped off Austin and Cody at school.  Cody did a little better today, but still cried.  Tyler and I went home and I put him down for his morning nap then got on the eliptical.  Angela called and I had a much needed talk with her, then Tyler woke up, I fed him lunch, and we hit the road again.  We picked up Austin from school, drove to his speech therapy appointment, went to the store, went back to school to pick Cody up, and finally came home!  I felt like I was carting kids where they needed to be all day, but I wasn't stressed about it, just on a mission!  Austin's first appointment went great.  Although he had to really focus after 15 minutes, he stuck with it!  I could tell all he wanted to do was get up and take a few laps around the room!  Anyway, when we got home the guy was already in our driveway to install both doors for the back.  I was so excited, and man, so was Austin...he loves an installation.  I put Cody and Tyler down for a nap, and Austin pulled up a chair in the kitchen as close as he could possibly get to the door.  The guy's name was Paul.  He was 22, and had 5 brothers and 3 sisters!  I asked if he liked kids because he was SO PATIENT with Austin, and really humored him.  Everytime we have someone come over to install or fix something, Austin follows them around and asks TONS of questions.  I can always tell when these guys have had enough,and usually have to tell Austin to leave them alone and let them work.  But Paul was playing along, and actually seemed to enjoy Austin's company!  He wasn't getting irritated at all!  He even asked Austin to help him by opening the door for him when he was carrying things in, or throwing away trash.  It was great!  Our evening was capped off with scrambled eggs and veggies for dinner, and of course, a swim in the baby pool.  I will take pics of our door tomorrow!