Word Filled Wednesday Matthew 7:13-14

"Brennan go get in bed. " And this is what we find.  Brennan always takes the road less traveled! I'm hoping this characteristic is a blessing, and as he grows he will stay on the "road less traveled".

Complete with a happy crash landing. :)

Goodnight Sweet Boy.

 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.  But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. 

Matthew 7:13-14

Musings from a Mother of Boys: Follow up from the Ingeted Lego

Well, many of you have read our happenings with the ingested Lego. Thank you to those of you who commented and helped to put my worries at bay, and for those of you that have followed up with phone calls or in person inquiring of the outcome of the toy.  If you didn't see that post late last week, you can catch up here. 

You all now know the Lego was swallowed around 8:00 Thursday morning. Well, all day I stayed alert waiting for Brennan to make any notion that he may need to use the restroom. Sure enough, around 6:00, Brennan took off to the restroom where he found his brother. Which, was good for me.. I needed the alert.
Brennan: "Hurry, I need to go poo."
Brother: silence
Brennan:"HURRY!!"

Ah, the moment I had been waiting for all day had come.  (I want to take a moment and place a little side note. Any of you reading this that are not mother's yet... I know that I may sound a little dramatic, but one day you will find yourself, for one reason or another, waiting for your sweet precious to pass a little stink bomb. And the relief you will feel when everything looks normal is well.... good.) So, I'll continue.. the moment came,  I grabbed a trash bag and ran to the bathroom. stretched it over the potty seat and gave Brennan some privacy.  After a few minutes he was finished and low and behold... the Lego was delivered! 

Well,  for those of you who have not dealt with this particular issue... here is my advice on how to find an ingested object in stool.  (Gross, I know... but hey it's a part of motherhood and so I will continue.. if nothing else than to fill your curiosity.)

First, and possibly the trickiest part, catch you child before they have to go potty.  Raise the lid and seat of the potty and spread a trash bag over the inside (as if placing it in a trash can).  Lower the seat and let your little one do the doo.  When finished, remove the bag and tie the top in a knot. (This is the grossest part) Smash on the bag, to determine if the lost object is present.  I opened the bag and used TP to remove the item and sanitize well with bleach. "What? It was a brand new toy... "  Then dispose of the trash bag, OUTSIDE!

Well there you have it! A long day with a happy ending! And yes, Brennan did get his Golden Lego saw (above) back.

Favorite Things Friday

I came across a wonderful blogger , Rachel, at  Finding Joy,

Friday's over at her place are Favorite Things Friday,

A post designed to reminisce over the past week of photos and happenings

 to reflect and share the simple blessings you experienced. I enjoyed it so much, and encourage you to do the same!  Happy Friday, Gals! 

 

Sweet Big Brothers

who look after little brothers and make sure they are supplied fun stories

Silly Pajama Monsters

That won't eat you up but might cuddle you silly!

A natural love of reading.

Will had gone to the library at school

and brought home a new Star Wars book.

He couldn't get enough and ended up reading half the book in one afternoon.

Warriors

with a spirit to take on the world

They remind me of the boys in "Will, the Mighty Warrior"

ImageCredit

 

Gifts full of love for a day dedicated to show love.

Loving 3 little sets of hand prints, melts my heart!

Kind hearts and curious minds.

A new fish always makes it OK to sit on the counter top all day!

His name is B.O. , not what you think..it's actually short for Black & Orange.

Makes me giggle every time I hear it.

4 days later, he still loves to sit and watch his fish.

Where did you find Joy this week? Leave a comment below and them make sure to jump over and link up with Finding Joy!

Musings from a Mother of Boys: The one with the ingested Lego!

"Look Brennan, Mommy found your Lego."
"Thank you, Mommy."
"Your welcome, be careful not to drop it so you can play with it when we get home, OK?"
"OK."

Yes, that was how the conversation went this morning when getting back in the car from dropping my oldest son off at school.  Brennan had just bought a new Lego Ninjago set two day before and had lost a small saw-like weapon on the way home from the store.  Well I found it and Brennan seemed to be a very happy boy, UNTIL...

Driving down to road, I heared gasping, gagging, coughing, and more gagging. I quickly and abruptly pulled over to the shoulder of the road, unbuckled him just in time for him to gag, cough, cry, (All the while me holding it together on the outside and panicking on the inside) and then gulp... the Lego went down. Brennan was breathing (answered prayer).  However... now part from the choking and part from the realization that his BRAND NEW toy was now in his tummy, panic came over his face and he began to clammer up my leg, screaming.  I finally consoled him enough that I felt like I could buckle him in his seat, and we headed home, with one panicky boy and a quite frazzled mommy.  Of all the things we have dealt with, busted heads, broken bones, screws in the nostrils, cuts and bruises... this is our first dealing with ingested toys.  I guess it had to happen sooner or later!  For now, he sleeps.




So I guess we will have Brennan poo in a bag for a few days so hopefully we can make sure the Lego saw passes... Haven't decided if I'll try to clean it up and give it back to him or just throw it away. (I know your probably disgusted that I'm even considering it, but I am. )


Have you guys dealt with ingested money, toys, ... anything foreign?  What did you do? How long did it take to come out? Help a momma out!  Suggestions wanted!

Cade = Cheetah One

I don't think I have ever shared how much the brothers like to play dress up! We have an entire bucket of pirate hats, super hero capes, fake muscles, animal ears & tails, ties, caps... the list goes on and on.

But there is one costume that will always outweight them all... you see, Cade also has a huge interest in Big Cats! Especially cheetahs! Which explains the picture.   I had to capture these pictures to share the wonder and amazment that my sweet boy has for God's creation.  He spends his days, drawing pictures of animals, reading books about animals, and quizzing me on information about animals, I'm learning more and more every day! :)

A little bit about Cheetah One, aka, Cade.   Cheetah One has a Supersuit complete with cape, mask, and ears.  Cheetah One's super powers include, super speed (of course), bravery, kindness, and firecly sharp claws! He also has some(imaginary) friends that come togther to complete his superhero "squad".. Their names are Turtle One, Hippo One, Saber Tooth Tiger One (seen below), and Snake One, each complete with their own set of unique powers.  I love to listen to his stories and imagination run wild, litteraly!

 Cade got his little brother to join him and be a Saber Tooth Tiger One... Isn't this the most ferocious lil thang you have ever seen! :)

Halloween Fun!

I hope everyone had a safe and fun Halloween Night.  Our neighborhood was crawling with cutie pies and spooky creatures last week.  It was fun to get out meet a few more neighbors, run into some sweet friends, and watch the excitement in each of our kids as they went from house to house visiting and hoping for some sweet treats. 

 We have a fun tradition on Halloween.  After the bags are full and we have had our fair share of trick or treating, we head home to dump out all the fun goodies.  After Michael and I look over everything, we let the kids loose.  They have 15-20 minutes to indulge in any treats they want.  I know most of you are thinking, "Seriously! you let your kids eat pure sugar for 20 minutes!"  but hear me out!   I will say for the 3 years we have done this the most candy eaten has been 5 packages.. Honestly, that's not even a full sized candy bar.  Last year, William chose A Piece of Gum... yes for 20 minutes and out of all that sugar, he chose one piece of gum... Anyways, afterwards, the boys choose their 5 favorite pieces of candy to eat later, and the rest of it gets sent to work with Michael. He sets it on the counter for customers and co-workers. He usually brings the basket home a week later empty.  That's right no more candy to loom over, and non thrown out... it is a win-win situation!  What do you do with all that candy?

Here are our sweet boys ready for Trick or Treating!

 The ZooKeeper

 Anakin Skywalker!  (Great job on the costume mom!!)

Superman!

 Ready, Set, EAT!!!

Hope you all had a Happy Halloween!! What did you do?

Wordful Wednesday

Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart.
Psalm 119:110-112

Fun Fall Adventures in South Texas

Did someone say it was fall?  Oh yeah, that was me like everyday since the first day of fall... I forget this is what fall looks like in South Texas...  Here are a few pics from our first week of autumn.

@Texas State Aquarium

Happy Fall Y'all!!  

B is Three

 

Brennan, aka,  B..  turned Three about a month ago!!  I can't believe how fast the last three years have gone by! Brennan makes life interesting.  He never does anything halfway! Brennan doesn't know the meaning of still... or of patience.  He is fast, passionate, and strong willed... which makes parenting tough and a grand adventure.  We are so blessed to have such a blossoming warrior in our family! We love you B!!!

Papa (Michael's dad) got to visit on B's day

Dinner of choice... none other than CHUCK E CHEESE!  Don't you love Brennan's outfit!

Enjoying the spoils of the tickets... Airhead taffy!

Gift time! :)

So serious! :)  He really liked his Bubbles!

And finally Cake time!!!  I love those puffed out cheeks!! :) Strawberry Ice Cream Cake, YUM!

Love you Sweet B!

Experiencing God's Blessings

This morning I was enjoying some cuddle time with my sweet Brennan Bear. And as he settled into his "just right" spot I started thinking about how much he has grown and with his big 3 year old birthday just over (last Wed. ) I go a little sentimental.  Breannan is the typical "baby" of the family.  He is a momma's boy, likes to be the center of attention, and can be as sweetest thing one minute and rotten to the core the next, but either way enjoys every minute of it.

This morning I told him "No More Growing, Ok?"  to which he quickly agreeed, "Ok, Mommy!".  So sweet!  But as much as I want Brennan and all my boys to stay small enough to settle into that "just right" spot, it is so fun to watch them grow and become what God has planned for them to be. I love to see the way they think and process situations.  I love to see them grow as brothers and as young men of God. And will continue to stay focused on that fact! 

Thank you Lord for blessing our lives with these sweet boys! Thank you for allowing us to experience and embrace our rolls as parents to these future warriors.  May they always follow in your ways and grow in stature and favor with you!  Amen

Musings from a Mother of Boys: The one about the Frog.

Oh, to have boys...

I know many of you are in the same boat with me, as a mother of only boys, and boys close in age at that you probably hear comments like this all the time,

With a sad tone "You poor thing. Only Boys?"... "Girls, are so much fun... but boys?"..."Don't you wish one of them were a little girl?"

Come on people? Really?!? You do know my sweet, lovely, energetic, feisty, boys are standing right here! Listening to every horrible inflection in your comment! But, I'm not writing this post to tell you all the "stupid" things that people say, but instead to tell you what an awesome privilege I have to be a mother of only boys, and the fun we have as a "warrior" family. A family of wrestling and rescuing; of laughing and loving; and of competition and compassion.

Today, I want to share one snipet of what it is like to be a Mother of Boys.
 About a month ago, the boys began to find small frogs, about the size of pecans, in our dogs outdoor water dish.  They had obviously gotten stuck in there and were near dead each time. But to no avail my warriors, especially Cade; were all about rescuing the frogs. I mean they were as far as the brothers were concerned "still moving", a little anyways.
First a proper home must be made.  An old leggs pantyhose egg, left out from Easter decor, did the trick.  It was clear on one side  for proper frog viewing, had a small hole for air, always important, and fit nicely into a four year olds hands. After a bit of grass for a bed and a small black beetle, for food or company I'm not sure which, were placed inside the frog was scooted in and the egg was closed. 
The frog was then a member of our family for the next couple of days.  It traveled to the grocery store, our daily walking at the park, the dinner table. You name it the frog, cozy in his egg, was there.
 Let me remind you... this frog was on his death bed when we found him, and more than likely dead 5 minutes after being placed in the egg, but never the less when you shake something enough, no matter how dead it is... it will move or at least slide around. So, Cade was convinced it was still alive. After about 5 days the frog and his egg were forgotten about, and I hadn't thought much about it until....

About a week ago, I sent the boys to clean up their room. In the midst of the noise and disaster, Cade(4years) brought me a treasure he had found in the toys.

I'm not going to grace you all with a picture of this life event, and I know some of you will be grossed out, some will be absolutely disgusted, but for those of you who know our family... well you are probably going to laugh at the complete understand that this is a fairly common event in my home! Cade found the frog! The Legg's Egg had busted open releasing the stiff, dried, skin covered skeleton of a frog from his withered grassy bed.  Cade broght it to me, with a huge smile on his face and said, "Look mom, it's my frog!"  To which with one look said, "Awesome babe, take it to your Daddy!"  I found it laying on my computer the next morning... thanks honey! But that's how we roll in a family full of boys and I love every minute of it.

I would like to wrap this post up by dedicating it to all the frogs, carpet snakes, tadpoles, stink bugs, and anything else that crawls, hops, squirms, or wiggles...past, present, and future. Thank you for the memories! The joy you bring into our lives is clear by the smile that crosses their sweet faces even when you are just a memory.

Awana's Pine Wood Durby

As the school year comes to an end, and sping is knocking on summer's door; I began to look back at what Kindergarten brought to our home and this is one event I apparently overlooked in our memory book/blog.  Back in oh let's say November... yes it's been that long. William and Cade participated in the Pinewood Durby through a local Awana's program.

Michael, William, and Cade all worked together to create the hottest race cars around.
Cade chose blue (left) and William chose red (Middle).  On your mark, get set, GO!!

AND THE WINNER IS....

WILLIAM!!! IN 1st PLACE FOR SPEED

CADE!!! IN 2nd PLACE FOR DESIGN

We are so proud of our little racers! Great Job boys!!

Poor Brennan, had to stay in the stroller the entire time, b/c he couldn't leave the cars alone... Poor guy!  He didn't feel like much of a winner, and made sure everyone around knew it!