Resilience

Hello Friends! We had a wonderful weekend which was made better by the fact that Nicholas came home on Friday with the news that he is "Character Kid" in his class for the month of February. This comes at the perfect time because Nicholas was feeling a little out of sorts with Luke going to Target class and him having to "stay back in regular ole class". According to Nicholas, NO WORK is done in Target--only super cool stuff that regular kids don't have the privilege of joining. Sigh--this is going to be a long rest of the year.

But anyhow, Nicholas was thrilled to get the Character Kid honor and he even got a ribbon and will get to invite someone special to eat on stage with the other Character Kids. So we started asking what his "Character Achievement" was and he was like "what do you mean, Mrs. Collier just picks someone that has been good" and tosses the ribbon at us. Curious, we read his ribbon and it states "Resilience". Ok, really? I mean, I know what it means but how do you attribute that to a 2nd grader?

Bryan was like "So, he just keeps F-ing up but never gives up so she thinks he's resilient?"

Me: "No sweetie, that's Perseverance, he's RESILIENT ".

So I look it up and this is what I got... "Resilience is defined as a dynamic process that individuals exhibit positive behavioral adaptation when they encounter significant adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, or even significant sources of stress.

OK, Wow! I'm not even sure of what to make of this. Adversity? TRAUMA? TRAGEDY AND THREATS???? Holy crap, I think I need to make an appointment to meet with team of teachers, counselors and principals at school. I had no idea that he was having to deal with so much! And what about the other poor children who are NOT resilient? Are they being terrorized? Beaten? Oh the stress! See, clearly I am NOT resilient b/c I do NOT deal with stress very easily.

So needless, to say, we are now proud and worried parents. But as long as Nicholas is happy, then we are!!

PS--I have always informed the boys that they can choose whoever they want to come to "Character Kid Lunch" AS LONG AS IT'S ME!!! I get some perverse satisfaction from sitting up on the stage and waving out to all the children. Seriously, I think I need to find a hobby or a job or something that makes me feel productive. That, my friends, is a whole 'nother post! Until then...

OMG Mommy, something's wrong with your hair...

This is what Luke cried out the other night as I was tucking him in. "Mommy, why is your hair all black? It looks so weird--can you make it go back to normal?" What he was referring to was the fact that I am WAY overdue for a visit to my hair salon. As in, I was suppose to have an appointment a couple of weeks ago but low and behold, we had the ice storm and everything got canceled.

Now let me digress for a moment and be brutally and embarrassingly honest. That's right, you may have guessed it, but I am NOT a true blond. GASP!! Oh the horrors! Well, some of you may know because I had brown hair in high school. In college, I went brown, blond and red (I know right--I was sooooo much more adventurous back then). But I have been blond for many many years now and the boys have never seen me any other way. It's actually pretty humorous because we go out and many people will comment about how much the boys look like me with our blond hair. You see, Bryan's got a full head of hair (lucky duck at 38) but he is starting to go gray and his hair is darkening up in his old age. So whereas he use to be white/blond like two of my boys, he is now a nice dark ash blond. So naturally, everyone thinks that the boys get their hair from ME! And that's how I like it. I tell people all the time "oh yeah, the boys totally take after my side of the family" (my mom is a fake blond too) and Bryan will just stand there rolling his eyes but he stays quiet as he knows better than to correct me when I'm in the middle of a full blown lie. Sooooo, the absolute truth is that the boys get their pretty blond hair from Bryan and not me. Sigh!!!

So anyhow, I am long overdue for a hair appointment. Luke seems to be getting more and more anxious over how it looks (he doesn't do well with change). I don't know why I can't just tell them that Mommy dyes her hair but I think that might freak them out. So instead, I told him that they have really been stressing me out and this is what happens when Mommy's get stressed--their hair totally changes colors. So unless he wants me to grow a rainbow, they'd better get their act together. Ha ha ha, that's right, I don't like to stress my kids out! UNLESS, it benefits me or encourages good behavior. THEN, anything goes.

So, thankfully, tomorrow is my long awaited appointment and all will be well in our household. However, I AM thinking about getting that colored hairspray and showing up at the bus stop today. I know that will really flip Luke out. Hey, what good is having kids unless you can screw with them? I know, bad Mommy! Oh well, but check back with me in 10 years to remind me why all my kids are in therapy!!

What's in a name?!

So last Sunday, I made a new friend at a birthday party and we realized that we both have boys named "Luke". And as it happens every time I meet someone with a kid named Luke, we start comparing notes about how they "are such a Luke". What does this mean? Well, I have found out that by some crazy cosmic way, your child can develop a personality that truly fits his or her name. I swear it's true. If I would have known this before getting pregnant, might I have chosen the same names? Well, yes, but maybe I could have prepared myself better!

You see, MY Luke is seriously one of the most awesome kids I've ever met. Am I saying this with a bit of prejudice? Abso-freakin-lutely--ha ha!!! But really, he's great. Without a doubt, Luke is the funniest kid I know. He is one of those people that can pull a funny quote out of thin air for just about any situation. He is super witty. And loyal. That child is so loyal once he determines that you are his friend. He has so many wonderful qualities!

But, Luke is also the child that usually has me scratching my head, pulling out my hair, and praying daily for strength. From the beginning, everyone has told me how "independent" he is. Isn't that just a nice way of saying "your kiddo doesn't mind!!". Yeah, probably. But he really does have a mind of his own and it's tough reconciling that to the "rules" of society. He's super smart, but he's also pig-headed and sometimes doesn't see that "playing the game" can get him further than stomping his foot and being stubborn about something.

I laugh (yes, I can laugh NOW--not so much THEN) when I think back to Luke being so independent. From age 1 till 2, he would not get dressed without a baseball hat. It didn't matter if he was dressy or casual--he had to have it on. Then from age 2 till about 3 1/2, his shirt HAD to be yellow. I'd be so frustrated... "Lukey, this blue shirt is really cool, come on, give it a try!" "NO"! "Crap, ok, wear your yellow shirt!". Then when he was 3, he dressed like Buzz Lightyear for 6 months straight. By this time, I was pregnant with Jake and couldn't care less, as long as he was actually dressed. We got many stares at the mall and grocery store but I just shrugged and would randomly yell out "ya pick your battles people!".

We also had a doozy of a time at school. At 3 year old Pre-school, I got called to the Catholic Church office on his 3rd week of school. I honestly felt like I was getting called into talk to the nuns. No, they weren't nuns but they were equally as intimidating. "Luke is just not making the best choices and he doesn't seem to want to mind the rules. We can't have him being so disruptive". "Yes, forgive me Father for Luke and I seem to sin all the time!" Uggghh, that was a seriously rough year. Then Pre-K came and I would ask daily "How'd Lukey do today?" Their answer often was "Well, you know Luke". I'd shake my head vigorously and say "uh huh, ok, great, see ya tomorrow" while thinking "what the hell do they mean, 'you know Luke'??? What does that even mean????" We got through Kindergarten with only 2 (or was it 3) visits to the Principal's office. Needless to say, I am on a first name basis, with Liz, our wonderful Principal.

So fast forward to this year. Luke is STILL difficult, still pigheaded, but his teacher is his biggest cheerleader this year in First Grade. She called me a couple of months ago to let me know that she thought that Luke was very intelligent and and that this could explain some of his past behaviour problems. Oh Dear Lord, we have some answers! The child is just smart and doesn't know how to control all of his bursting thoughts and inappropriate behaviours! So every time he climbed up that tall tree after being told not to, or he carved the letter "A" into the tables and walls (yes, true story)--that was just him not being able to control his ambitious self. HA--whatever! But seriously, they did tell me that many behaviors that are exhibited by so called "gifted" children are oftentimes looked upon as negative behaviours. So I am mentally throwing out all my "feelings of guilt" of all the inappropriate things that Luke has done over the years and chalking them up to him just being independent. I wonder how long I can use that as my excuse--"I'm sorry officer but you see, he's just gifted". Hmmmm!

To end this long post about our dynamic Luke, I will say that he got to go to his first day of Target Class yesterday. He came home and screamed "Best Day EVER oh yeah!!" When asked what was the best part, he excitedly told me that his friend Andrew fell face first into bird poop. "True story mommy, he seriously fell face first into bird poop. It was the funniest thing ever!" Ok, not really what I was expecting to hear but I'm so happy he had a great day!

I can't wait to see him grow up. I am so honored to be his Mom and it will definitely be an interesting ride, but I wouldn't change anything about him!

PS--I feel like I need to give a disclaimer that I REALLY do not think that Luke is "gifted". I kid about it b/c those of you who have known Luke for most of his life know some of his antics and this just makes it that much funnier. We've explained to him (and Nicholas, who is NOT in Target but would love to be) that this does not mean that Luke is any smarter, it just means that he learns differently. Thanks for understanding!!! :-)

Whose got Talent?!

Isn't it annoying when you come to ones blog and from the get-go, there is a major "Mommy Brag". So I will apologize in advance, but this is much bigger than just a brag.

Let me digress for a second and say that I was majorly stressing yesterday over the costs of college. Now I know my boys are still pretty young, but there was this obscene website that basically said that you will need about 700 grand to send a few kiddos to college. Sigh! The Bell Boys will never even get to take classes at satellite, online or community college at those astronomical prices. So in thinking about what kind of "trade" my boys could go into, I spotted Luke doing his future occupation.

Now on paper, this isn't going to sound as impressive as it REALLY is, so keep an open mind. Luke was hoola-hooping. See, told ya you wouldn't be impressed. But wait! You see, Luke can hoola hoop while doing ANYTHING. I'm not joking. He can walk and hoola, dance and hoola, eat and hoola. True story, last week (in the snow and ice) our family went walking around the block to get some exercise. Luke hoola-hooped the entire way around the block. People seeing us just gawked--it was quite the site to behold. The only time he let it fall was when he almost slipped on the ice, and once when Nicholas stepped on the back of his foot. Otherwise, he made it while walking the whole way.

But it gets even better. Yesterday, Luke was playing his guitar (the term "playing" is used very loosely) and he picked up the hoola hoop. This is when the epiphany hit me---he can join the circus! Or at the very least, the traveling carnival! And I don't think you have to pay to go to 'Circus School'.

Oh, and I forgot to add that Luke can climb ANYTHING! A light pole, a window frame, anything that is vertical. So I figure, he can climb way up, hoola hoop and sing/play the guitar all at the same time! I mean, who wouldn't pay to see that?

Last night I told him, "Baby, I'm so impressed".

"Why, for my good report card?" (which they got yesterday).

"No, because I've never seen anyone that can hoola hoop as great as you!" I wanted to (but didn't) mention that who cares about good grades--this is what's gonna put the Bell family on the map!

I will add that I am the polar opposite--I cannot for the life of me keep that damn hoola hoop going for more than two seconds. We even have me on video. If I ever get brave enough, I'll post it (but it's very pathetic). I constantly tell Luke "come on, please, teach me how to do it again". I mean, he barely moves and it looks so darn easy and then I look like I am having some sort of convusions or seizure! My parents are better than me, my kids, my husband... I am the very worst! I don't take being in LAST place very easily--second to last I can deal with--but not the very worst! So I will keep practicing and keep seeing what Luke can do at the same time. Maybe balance some bowls on his head while doing the hoola? Maybe juggle knives? Hmmm, I have to figure out what will make him most appealing to the crowds!

Stay tuned!!

Luke doing a "performance". PS--sorry about the streaky windows, the boys Windexed them earlier and I didn't realize what a bad job they did--oops).

Encouraging Creative Genius

My boys are all convinced that they are going to be something really BIG when they grow up! They aren't going to be something boring like Daddy where they have to go to an office every day. They aren't going to be something unimportant like Mommy b/c lets face it, Mommy just gets to stay home and play and really, that's not a JOB--that's called FUN. No, they are going to make it big.

Their creative juices are always going and I really really really try to encourage them. Both Nicholas and Luke are pretty artistic (at least they love to draw and create) and it looks like Jake is following in their footsteps. They love to act out movies and shows and write stories. All great stuff--right?!

Well, NOW, Nicholas has decided that he wants to be a movie maker. He got all these Mario and Luigi characters (dolls) for Christmas and he is obsessed with making videos with them. Problem is, guess who has to be the videographer? Yup, either Bryan or I. And then, after the Oscar worthy movie is made, it must be edited with funny music and little sayings inserted. By the time each project is finished, we get to watch it over and over and ok, I'm just gonna say it--it's excruciating!!



Then there is Luke--my music lover. He desperately wants to be in a rock band. He got one of those annoying Paper Jamz electric guitars for Christmas and I kid you not, he played it for 13 hours straight. Straight! As in, no breaks--one gigantic guitar solo! Oy ve, my head! He also has an acoustic guitar that he loves to strum and strum and strum. It all sounds the same but we are constantly asked to listen to his newest greatest hit.



Now to Jake--Jake has found his creative streak and it seems to be with painting. He's a guy of few words but he likes to chant "paint, paint, paint" until well, you get the idea--until I break down and get out the paints. His masterpieces all kind of look the same and it takes me a good 45 minutes to clean him and all surrounding areas up after he finishes.





So, what's a Mom to do when she can't take anymore of her children's "creative" projects? When she just can't bear to hear another song, film another movie or admire another beautiful painting? The boys have this genius way of turning on the puppy dog eyes and asking "what, you don't like it? Do you think I should quit? Because I thought I was pretty good but if not, maybe I should just quit right now?" "Oh no sweetie, I love that song and all the songs before. It's not bothering me at all. Keep it up (gulp)!"

I am writing this so that in 20 years, when my children are indeed famous, I can look back and take my much deserved credit. Or when we discover that they are NOT ever going to be famous, but the shrinks are all trying to find the deep rooted reason of why I just sit there with glazed eyes while rocking back and forth, they will know where it all began! Either way, I'm taking one for the team!!!

Surviving a break from Facebook?

Facebook...who would have thought that a silly "social media" site could be so darn addictive? When I first signed up, I thought "now this is kind of ridiculous--why in the world would I care what all these people--who, lets face it--I barely know or knew 20+ years ago-- are doing every minute of every day". And yet, I, like millions of other people, find myself signing on numerous times a day to just "check in". I mean, it has just become imperative that I see what everyone is having for dinner tonight. Or that I can congratulate and give a virtual high five to a high school acquaintance whose kid scored 3 soccer goals. And lets face it, who can resist looking at all those adorable kid pictures and even better, the puppy dog pictures! I'm being somewhat facetious but I really DO love looking at everyone's pictures. I am nosy by nature and love to see the cute babies, the newly remodeled house and the awesome Hawaiian vacation pictures.

BUT, like many before me have complained, it is starting to take away time from the family. And I know other people are facing the same issues. One of Nicholas' friends told me the other day that he couldn't go onto their school's 'First in Math' website in the evenings b/c his Mommy was ALWAYS on Facebook and wouldn't let him on the computer--even though his teacher had TOLD them they have to do the math work." After I laughed my butt off and then called my friend (the child's mom) to tell her what he had announced to the whole class, I realized that the kids probably DO see it like this. And just for the record, my friend is an awesome Mom and I know for a fact that she is not always on FB. As a matter of fact, I rarely see that she's on (b/c believe me, I'm on A LOT)!

Several of my friends have decided to "take a break" from FB. I've thought about how liberating that would be. I've tried "cutting back" but it just doesn't work. It's gotten so bad that I find myself thinking in FB status quotes. I literally will have a thought and think hey, that would be a good status. Or I think about what I'm doing in third person. Example, "Carrie is about to get on the treadmill and is so dreading it. Ugghhh." I have actually said "Uggghh" in my head. That's bad. And somewhat pathetic. But when it comes to actually hitting the "deactivate account" button, I feel somewhat nauseous. Again, the word pathetic comes to mind. So, I will have to give it a little more thought before I do anything so final.

So friends, if you see that you have one less friend in the near future, know that it's not because I don't love ya, but I've decided to grow up and have some balls. Ok, slightly dramatic--but you catch my drift. Let's see if that happens!

Boy Drama and Finding Ms. Carrie

Well, here we are, day 3 of the "Snow/Ice In" of 2011 and we are just now starting to all get on each others nerves. Nicholas (newly 8) has been moping around all morning with "nothing to do". Nevermind the hundreds of dollars of Legos that he got for Christmas. Or the Wii and Wii games (as well as X-box and DS) that he has available! Undoubtedly, he is the most deprived child alive. "Mommy, I just don't know why they had to cancel school again today. I like school soooo much better than I like being at home. At school, they don't tell me what to do, nobody tries to fight with me like Luke, nobody wrecks my stuff like Jake and my teacher never tries to hurt my feelings like you do EVERY SINGLE DAY! I'm sorry if this is disrespectful (he always says this right before saying something disrespectful--as if apologizing in advance will keep him out of trouble), but you've become really mean and I just don't think I like this family all that much anymore. Now I'm going upstairs b/c I just can't take it anymore". Seriously???? It takes every bit of control not to yell "oh yeah, well, sometimes *I* don't like this family very much either and I'm totally sick of you too!!" but I just nicely tell him to clear his lunch plate. Luke (knowing exactly how to push his brother's buttons) says "Well, Mommy, I REALLY love this family and I love you and I don't think you are mean at all. I have the best family in the world!" Nicholas: "Shut up Luke, you are just trying to kiss up to Mommy". Me: "Nicholas, we don't say shut up". Nicholas" SEE, this is what I'm talking about--I'm ALWAYS in trouble!" Exit upstairs!

So I guess I need to talk to all those people who have told me for years that having all boys is hard when they are little but just wait until they get a little bit older and we'll see nothing of the drama that girls have! Are you kidding me? I've got plenty of tears and drama here. I asked Bryan "are we sure he wasn't born a girl--b/c I never been this hormonal". I will add that he came down about 20 minutes later (still with the sniffles and tears in his eyes) and told me how sorry he was and that he really does like our family. But that sometimes it just gets too much for him. Ok, understood!

On a completely different note, Bryan told me that even though I started this blog with tales of the boys in mind, that I could sometimes consider jotting down MY own thoughts, opinions, experiences or (gulp) dreams. What do you mean? Like, experiences WITHOUT the boys? A thought that doesn't include one of the kids or if it does, isn't immediately interrupted BY a kid? Honey, I don't even know what you are talking about. He reminded me that I USE to have a pretty interesting life and it didn't include any children's antics! And guess what, my life WAS kind of interesting! In another lifetime, I USE to be an institutional stockbroker--hmmm, well, that WAS pretty interesting. At least it seemed to be to other people. And I use to like tons of different music and go places and do things. It's funny how parents get so into parenting that they completely lose themselves. I mean for goodness sakes, I will go up to school and my name is "Nicholas' Mommy" Or "Luke's Mommy"--I rarely even get the "Ms. Carrie" anymore. Where did Ms. Carrie go? So even though it's a little past New Years, I am going to add yet one more New Years resolution! It's going to be to "Find Ms. Carrie!!". Ok, forget about the Ms. part--just Finding Carrie (naturally, I immediate think of the KIDS movie Finding Nemo--ugghh). But you get my drift! So while the house is somewhat quiet, I'm going to go start on that serial killer book that has been collecting dust on the bookshelf for awhile (did you know that pre-kids, I LOVED reading? Bryan always said he was going to put "Just one more chapter" on my gravestone--ha ha). Haven't had the time or energy to immerse myself into a book but darnit, I'm going to give it a shot! Wish me luck!!!

It's a blizzard out there!

Brrrr Rabbit--it's cold out there! Yes, we live in Georgia and yes, the mention of snow flurries has everyone in town running to the grocery store to stock up on bread, milk, liquor and other essentials. We can't drive in it and even the mere CHANCE of freezing has all the schools closing before the first snowflake even hits the ground. But for once, the weatherman was not exaggerating when he called this "Winter Storm 2011". I haven't had a chance to measure, but I think we got 5, 6, heck, maybe even 7 inches of snow. Now to us southern folks, that's a LOT of snow!

Here's the problem...I don't get quite as excited as everyone else seems to about all the white stuff. Sure, it is beautiful to look at--a virtual white wonderland. But after about 30 seconds, the view loses its allure and I start thinking of what a pain in the butt it's going to be to get the kids in and out of their cold, wet, snowy clothes--only to have to start all over again 30 minutes later. And we most definitely do NOT have the proper snow attire. I keep thinking, why on earth didn't I get the boys some long underwear that fits properly when I was at Target yesterday--or at the very least, get them some galloshes to keep their feet somewhat dry???

Nicholas was the first to want to venture out in the snow. We got him layered as much as possible, and I decided to go completely "ghetto" and wrap his feet in Suran plastic wrap. He's usually a pretty good sport so he just sort of rolled his eyes and let me do it (I knew Luke wouldn't agree quite as easily). We got his soccer cleats on b/c they are leather and maybe will stay dry for 2 minutes longer than his sneakers would and then started scrounging around for a sled. I tried explaining multiple times to the boys that we live in the south, we do not own a sled. "But Mommy, it snowed last March and we didn't have one then either, why didn't you go out and buy one, man, this just stinks!!" I offer a tupperware container lid ("come on mom") and then a pizza pan ("that so did not work last year") and we finally agreed to the top of a plastic storage bin. Ghetto looking--yes! But did it work--heck yeah it did!!

Luke is a strange bird--he will walk around all day in his boxer shorts--even in the dead of winter, and he never seems to get cold. But get him outside in the snow and he is miserable after 20 seconds. So start the whole process of dressing with him (all along he's saying "this doesn't match, no, I don't wanna wear THAT...") and we finally get to the Suran wrap. "No way am I wearing that stuff on my feet!" I just knew he would be difficult. I begged him to give it one try and nobody could even see it under that 14 pairs of socks that I tried to get him to put on. So off they go and I look at my 2 year old--mentally begging him not to want to end his current episode of Curious George in order to join his older bros outside.

Ten minutes later, Luke is standing at the front door, shivering..."I I I am sooooo cold. Please let me inside". Hey--that was 9 minutes longer than I thought he'd make it! So everything in the dryer, hot chocolate in hand and we are taking a break until the next hour, when we get to do it all over again! Yee haw!

PS--everything got soaked and cold except for...drum roll...our ghetto plastic wrapped feet. They were the ONLY thing that stayed dry! Score one for Mom!! Next time, we'll try wrapping our whole body in plastic wrap!


Nicholas all set to slide down our neighbors hill on his container top!
Is it safe to send a 2 year old down an icy hill on a cookie sheet (all alone)? We shall see!
Luke gave up on the "fake sleds" and used his body instead. That boy could fly!
Being the youngest of 3 boys, Jake gets subjected to a lot more than the other two did at his age. He *thinks* flying down the hill and wiping out was fun--it was fun, wasn't it???
Nicholas face planted about 5 seconds after this!
Yes, I'm laughing too at 6'2 foot tall Bryan planting his skinny butt on the cookie sheet! He went surprisingly fast! Next time, we'll throw a little grease on it...
It's cold and time to go home!!

Hello Blog World...

Hi friends! Well, like millions of other people, I've decided to start a blog. Not because I think I have something all that exciting or imperative that I must get out there, but more to journal the fun, annoying, hilarious, frustrating day to day goings on of our family! From the beginning, I've gotten all the comments... "I don't know how you do it", "My, don't you have your hands full" and my personal favorite "sheesh, y'all are a mess". Yup, with two boys just 15 months apart and then a 3rd boy a little further down the line, I must admit, we are "a mess" sometimes. But would I change a thing about it? Heck NO!!! Actually, I'm lying, I would change plenty, but that doesn't mean I love my boys any less!! :-)

My hope for this blog is that I can share my thoughts and stories and one day look back and be thankful because as we all know, it DOES go by way too fast. Even more than that, I want an *accurate" account of things. You see, I come from a family of very gifted story tellers with the all time Queen being my Mother, Shirley. Shirley LOVES to entertain with a good story and the funnier the better. The problem is, it doesn't matter if the events are accurate or not. A little exaggeration--no problem--it just adds "spice". Add some details or totally change the plot--that's ok--it got a good laugh and that's ALL that matters! Unfortunately, her tales always seem to come at the expense of my brother or myself. Like the time that I made all A's in high school and got into the Beta Club. We were all so proud! But instead of bragging to the world, I overheard my mom telling her friend "Carrie is having such a tough time, I mean, we will lucky if she pulls a D". Ummm, what??? She later whispered to me "Her poor son is DUMB, I just didn't want to make his mom feel any worse than she already did". OK--I guess that makes some sense!!! Then the time that she told all of my relatives up North the funny story about how my boyfriend went to jail. Except that I had a nice boyfriend that had never even gotten detention in school. But, she confides, my cousin had a total loser of a boyfriend and we would be so rude to brag about what a nice boyfriend I had. So just roll with the story!! Sigh! Anyhow, I digress...

So can you see where I am going with this?! My brother and I have a running joke about how it is a miracle that we both turned out somewhat "normal" after being raised by such an entertaining mother. With that being said, I do see myself occasionally adding some "flare" to my stories--eeekk, could it be genetic??? BUT, I've promised myself and my boys not to exaggerate (ie LIE about) stories at the expense of my children. Luckily for me, my boys do enough REAL things that entertain that most of the time I haven't had to embellish!

Well, as will most likely be the case with most of my blog entries, I shall end here after being interrupted no less than 18 times. The last time being as Jake, my creative 2 year old, stood in the middle of the living room with an open container of red paint in one hand and the contents of said red paint covering himself from head to toe (as well as the carpet around him). He looked like something out of the horror movie "Carrie". See what I mean--no need to embellish! So, until next time...