Talk to me!

Alrighty, folks.  After 250 posts since I started my blog last June, I've had over 14,300 views of my blog.  That's insane to me.  Really, it's crazy.  And just so we're clear....What's insane to me is the fact that so many people read what I write about my life, not the fact that I've written 250 posts in 7 months (although I can see how some might think that's a little coo coo for cocoa puffs BUT what can I say....I don't want to forget anything!).  I'm dying to know what keeps all of you coming back for more.

So because I talk all the time on here, I'm inviting you to tell me who you are, where you're from, and how you found my little ole blog.  If there's anything else you want to share, like what your favorite post has been out of the 250 so far, please do so.  I'd love to know!  Whether you're someone who has posted a comment before or someone who never has, please do so today.  I can't wait to read your comments!

This blog serves as my family's life journal, and I love having my own little place to document our adventures and day to day life.  Thank you for keeping up with us!

xoxo
Kristi

his first whoopee cushion

I almost titled this post "boys will be boys", but let's be real....girls get a kick out of whoopee cushions too!  That is, if you have a good sense of humor, which has to be near #1 on the list of must have's for a boy mommy.

I recently found a whoopee cushion among our million little toys in a cabinet, I showed Connar how it works, and he's been going around the house tooting ever since.  It's so stinkin' funny!!!

a different kind of photo display

So I had some pictures my mom sent me laying on my desk for the past couple months, just waiting to be used in some way, and I finally did something with them this week!

Using something I remembered from my teaching days, I whipped up a little something for the boys.  I used quart size baggies taped together on the front and back to create a large photo display.  When I taught, I had a much bigger display made out of gallon size baggies that was used for displaying kids' work.  What I love about this is that I can switch out the pictures very easily by sliding them in the back where all the baggies are kept open.  I put it at the boys' height level so they can look at the pictures any time without my help.

As soon as I stuck that baby up on the wall, Parker ran over to it and started pointing to things/people.  Success!

boys and their tents

Both boys were up from naps and playing together when I realized that it was suddenly way too eerily quiet.  Looking in my room, I found this.

I lifted up the blankets at the foot of the bed and found this: 2 boys, 2 iPads, and an airplane.

 

 

Then we modified it by tucking the top portion behind the bed so the weight of the blanket wasn't resting on their heads and tent #2 was born...

I love being a boy mommy.  :)

"You've just been pep-talked."

I dedicate this post to all the important littles in my life (starting with Connar and Parker), the bigger people who used to be the littles in my life (my siblings), my hubby who I happen to think is pretty awesome all around, my pretty cool family, and all my wonderful friends near and far.  I want you to be on the road that leads to awesome.  Let me know how I can help get you there.  I believe in you.  I love you.

Whether you've never seen this video or have seen it multiple times already, I encourage you to take 3 1/2 minutes to watch this.  And in the word's of this super fantastic kid, remember these things every single day:

You're gooder than that.

I'm on your team. 

This is life, people.  That means it's time to do something!

This is your time.

You were made to be awesome.

What will be your Space Jam?  What will you create that will make the world awesome?  Nothing, if you keep sitting there!

It's everybody's duty to give the world a reason to dance.  So get to it.

a lesson in sharing

me: "Can I please have a red gummy bear?"
 
C: "No. Get you own Reese's candy out the cabinet."
 
C proceeds to stuff the remainder of the gummy bears in his mouth for fear that I'm going to steal one.
 
me for about the 5th time: "Will you please share with me? I always share with you."
 
C: "Here," as he takes a green gummy bear out of his mouth and hands it to me.
 
Talton & I were having such a hard time not laughing because he did end up "sharing" that his final comment sent us over the edge...
 
C: "Now I want a Reese's."
  
 
And the gold star for today's lesson goes to Connar for teaching us all that you can share AND barter all at once.
 
To anyone that wants to have a play date with us, I promise, I am working on this sharing thing with him.  Really, I am.  I also promise not to ask him to share food with your child until we have sharing with things that don't get put in your mouth conquered.  :)

Whatever works for you, buddy!

Does this look comfortable to you?

 
He actually stayed like that for a little while, which is amazing to me that he has that arm strength!  This isn't the first time we've found Parker in an odd position while watching a movie.  Apparently it's comfy to him, so I say, whatever works for you, buddy!

car washed & lesson learned

It's so stinkin' cold here in Busan!  Being cooped up indoors for most of last week due to dreary and cold weather, the boys and I really needed to get out for some fresh air and to run some of that boy energy off.

When we woke up Saturday, the sun was shining which was a dramatic difference from the dark weather we'd been seeing for several days prior, so we thought it would be a great idea to take the boys out to the park to play.

The park is basically across the street from Home Plus where we go grocery shopping.  My hubby also wanted to get his car washed while we grocery shopped (how awesome and convenient is it that it's in the actual parking garage?!), so we figured we'd kill three birds with one stone by visiting the park and grocery store while the car got washed.

All was well until we started walking toward the park outside.  Holy moly was it ever cold.  No, it wasn't cold.  It was FREEZING!  The boys were bundled up, so we kept moving forward.  Plus, can you imagine the fits that would've been thrown if we didn't at least step foot in the park for 1 minute after telling them we were going there all morning.

The boys were having a grand old time playing, and they were being such troopers about the weather until...

Don't let Talton's gloveless hands fool you.  His hands were hurting pretty bad from the cold and wind.

 

  

...this happened.

Parker threw a royal fit right there on the playground.  Talton and I were trying to figure out what in the world was going on with him.  Was he upset because I told him no about something?  Did he hurt himself?  Was he mad that I was making him wear gloves?  It was so bad that we packed them up and headed back for Home Plus.....to get the car, not grocery shop.  We thought there was no chance that he was going to calm down enough for us to shop and that we were going to have to go home and try grocery shopping again later that day.  Connar must've been pretty cold too but just wasn't complaining about it, because he didn't say a word when we said it was time to go.

As we started walking back to Home Plus, he was still screaming like crazy, so I took him out of the stroller and snuggled him up close to me as we walked really quickly to get out of the cold and wind.  Low and behold, after we got inside the store and had a minute to warm up, he calmed down.  Poor baby was so darn cold outside, even all bundled up, that he was miserable and didn't know what else to do but cry. 

Talk about feeling bad.  We thought we were doing a good thing by getting them out to play and run around since they hadn't done that in a few days, but man was that not a good call on our part.  We felt so bad.  We made it up to them by offering all the goldfish we had in the diaper bag.  Anddd we did go grocery shopping then and there without a single tear shed.  Yay for the heater inside!

Needless to say, we can't wait for it to warm up around here.  We get a warm day (in the 50's....ha!  If I were still in Houston, I'd be under a blanket INSIDE on a 50 degree day!) every now and then and try to take advantage of those, but I hear it doesn't usually warm up ("warm up around here"=in the 50's or 60's.  :)  ) for another couple months, so wish us luck with trying to keep the boys entertained and trying to think of new ways to get some energy out indoors.

my funny Monkey

Connar is so funny.  Sometimes I look at him and think, "You're only 3.  Where in the world did that come from?"  He makes me belly laugh nearly every day, and then once I start laughing hard, he follows suit, which then turns into a vicious cycle of us cracking up at each other.  To say I love moments like that is an understatement.

I absolutely love all the off the wall stuff he says, almost as much as I love the sincere, straightforward, heartfelt, sweet things that come out of his mouth.  Here's the thing about a 3 year old.  They don't have a filter, so you're going to know exactly how they feel about you.  They tell it like it is.  With all of that in mind, here are some of my favorite things he has said in the past few months.  I apologize if you've already heard one or two of these from me, but I want to be sure to document them here so I don't forget about them as he gets older.  Enjoy!

.........................

"Momma, I wanna get your belly button to make you funny!"
translation: He wanted to tickle my belly button to make me laugh.

"Where do boobies come from?" Geez Louise!

Connar: "Curious George is a keeper, Mommy."
Me: "Yeah, he's funny.  You're a keeper too."
Connar: "Yeah, I am.  I'm a keeper."

Parker purposely dumped out a bucket full of toys, and right on cue Connar goes, "Geez Louise!"  Ha!  He totally got that from me!

To wake Talton and I up in the morning, Connar came in to our room, looked at my alarm clock, and said, “35 25 P for Parker.  Time to wake up!”

After getting off Skype with my mom (his GrammE), Connar asked where she was going.  I told him it was night time there and she was going to bed.  He said, “She’s sweepy and whiney??”  Hmmmm, you think he's been told that he needs to go to sleep for that reason before????  ;)

me: "Connar, it's not time to get up yet. Nap time is not over. Lay back down and close your eyes."
C: "This is not gonna work."
me: "What's not gonna work?"
C: "The nap."
Haaaa!! Good try, kid. :)

I was getting dried snot off Parker's face when I heard: "You two cut it out! You stop scweamin Pawker. You leave him alone Mommy."  You think he’s heard that a time or two himself?

"Ta da! Wook Mommy. They all wined up. They so cool Mommy. These dinosaurs are so cute, Mommy."

 
Here's one from just this morning.  We were sitting on the couch and I heard him say, "There's hair on my ball."  Wondering what in the world this kid is talking about, I turned to see this in his hand.

And yes, there was a strand of hair on it.  :)

I tell him, "Sweet dreams my sweet monkey" every night when I put him to bed.  His response was always, "Sweet dreams my sweet monkey", merely repeating what I had said to him.  Then one night his response surprised me, and he's said it every night ever since.  "Sweet dreams my sweet mommy."  Awwww!  Melt my heart why don't you?!

And I'll wrap up this list with the one that had all of us rolling at the dinner table tonight.
"I have goose butts." (translation: goose bumps)
It was too easy not to repeat it over and over, and once he realized he was saying "butt", he would keep saying it and laughing hysterically.  It was awesome.
 .........................

I try to keep a running record of the things he says, so I'll try to add more lists as time goes on because (1) I don't want to forget these hilarious things and (2) I know you all get a kick out of it too!  I am seriously looking forward to when Parker is old enough to talk and say crazy stuff too.  Two little boys making us laugh constantly?  That.Will.Be.AwEsOMe!  :)

Thank you, God, for this funny Monkey of mine.