it's good to have a brother around.

to lend a helping hand. 

dirt + boys = fun

it has been a working in the yard couple of days around here.

with daddy building our shed, the boys like to play in the dirt.

here they are climbing tall mountain.

and stopping for a moment for a quick pic.

lunch with elmo

so we had a lunch date with elmo this past saturday.

and i think that i was more excited than the boys were. 

hey, they love elmo on tv.

they love all of their elmo toys.

they enjoy elmo books.

they can spot elmo a mile away.

they would enjoy seeing elmo, right?

riiight...

although mucus was curious enough to approach elmo, 

he still looked a bit frightened. 

don'tcha think? 

hey, at least he was brave enough to sit on elmo's lap. 

this was as close as monkey would get. 

a moment.

there's a moment. 

okay, as a mother, there are many moments. 

but there was a particular moment. 

when my little monkey grew out of his baby-ness. 

it came rather suddenly. and probably too quickly. 

i'm sure it had plenty to do with our little mucus coming into our lives

 while you were still so young. 

i mean, monkey, you were only 15 months old 

when you were forced to be a big brother 

and at the same time still be a baby. 

but right before you turned 2, this moment came.

all of a sudden you lost your baby-ness. 

the coos and cries became words. the cuddles grew shorter.

 and you lost your baby smell. c'mon moms, you know the smell. 

and to be honest, when this moment came with monkey, i was okay with it. 

i was ready for your next phase, for i had mucus to care for. 

but now, mucus is losing his baby-ness. 

and i'm not ready. 

but as i've learned, the first rule of mommy-hood is: i can't control everything. 

and so i sit here and relish every ounce of baby-ness mucus has left. 

i hold on to the cuddles just a bit longer. 

i sniff the top of your head inhaling what's left of your baby smell. 

i pinch chubby cheeks and legs for soon i know they will be gone. 

gone will be the days of cradling you in my arms endlessly.

 it's all about the hip action now.

hugs and kisses are dwindling down. 

and soon your words will be convincing me of why you do the things you do.

it's a bittersweet moment.

and i'm not ready for it...

...at all.

bootie!

a little story to share...

while standing in line at trader joe's the other day, my usually shy 3 year old monkey walks up to a lady standing next to us in line. he smacks her butt, yells out 'bootie!' and runs back next to me. 

mortified. beyond belief. 

luckily, the woman thought it was very cute and didn't get too upset. 

but i was completely mortified. i think i would rather he be shy. i'm not quite ready for him to be flirting with older women just yet. 

thank you cindy for sending over a roll of pennies!

find a penny, pick it up

all day long you'll have good luck

a favorite activity. 

putting coins into their piggy bank. 

or kiddie bank as monkey calls it. 

and also a BIG thank you to grandpa dennis

who also brought us some coins while we were in california.

snow...again.

Monkey Sings Barney

i know. 

barney?!? 

but just watch it. 

one great trip...

the first day we were there, mucus was not feeling well. 

he wasn't his usual happy baby self. 

and after a visit from gpa dennis,

we walked to a nearby playground with my youngest sister 

and as you can see, mucus did not have a happy face. 

but monkey and annie hit it off right away. they were inseparable. 

it was like having our own personal nanny. 

and she enjoyed keeping him company.

mucus, on the other hand, not a happy-camper. 

he was feverish and broke out into a rash. 

and after one frantic phone call to my wonderful childhood friend, 

who is also a peds nurse,

she rushed right over with medicine and 

everything else i didn't pack, thermometer, benadryl...

thank goodness for wonderful friends, 

who wouldn't think twice about coming over and lending a hand. 

thank you, thank you - j. 

dance like no one is watching...

took a little trip to Chuck E Cheese's.

and the difference between my two boys could not be more apparent. 

mucus is fearless. he will climb, jump and try anything.

where monkey is perfectly content with a pocketful of tokens 

and riding all the rides where he is in the driver's seat.

spent sunday afternoon at tom's farms. 

i'm so amazed at how much my old little crown town has grown and changed. 

a little carousel ride.

getting to know some of the locals...

spent lots of time with my family.

met up with some old high school buddies.

had lunch with old friends.

ate lots of good 'ole so cal food that i missed so much.

shopped, ate, visited, slept.

and proved to myself that i could handle these crazy boys on a vacation. 

all in all...

a wonderful trip!

thank you grandma!