Disney Live!

For the past few holidays and birthdays, Jeremy and I have been trying to give "experiences" instead of a lot of gifts. If you could see the current state of the playroom, you'd know why. The LAST thing Jones and Freddie need is more of ANYTHING. That's why Jeremy's primary Christmas gift was a weekend in Chapel Hill and why Mom and Daddy gave Freddie four tickets to Disney Live for his second birthday.

Yesterday was the big day.

We went to church and then drove to Greenville immediately after. The boys were telling us which characters they were going to see as we drove (among those on Freddie's list were "Scooby" and "Pete," neither of whom were there, of course). After their naps, we headed out ...

... but not before Pop played a little "Give me five / on the side / on the pinky / you're a stinky" with the boys.

As soon as Jones saw the Bi-Lo Center, he called it the "the Clubhouse." Thankfully, he wasn't at all disappointed - in fact, he didn't even seem to notice - when it was nothing AT ALL like "the Clubhouse." I'm also thankful that neither boy showed any interest whatsoever in the $12 half bags of popcorn or the $30 light up swords. We weren't planning to buy either, but the fact that they didn't ask meant that there was no reason to explain why their $2 Dollar Store foam swords would do just as well as that light-up one that won't work in a week, anyway.

All in all, the boys did really, REALLY well. Jones stayed in his seat, watching intently the entire time. Freddie popped out of his seat mid-way through the first act, but he just paced the concrete aisle in front of our four seats and wasn't disruptive at all. At one point, he slid out of his seat and into Jones's. "I sit JoJo seat," he told me once he'd parked his tiny hiney beside his brother's. It was PRECIOUS. Their cohabitation didn't last long, of course, before Freddie was back up, but it sure was sweet while it lasted.

Oh, and I brought the boys' mouse ears, just in case they wanted to wear them. Freddie put his on at Mom's before the show, but Jones didn't want his. Then, just after the show started, Jones said to me, "I need my Mickey hat!" Thank goodness I'd brought it into the arena! I love his sense of "needing" his Mickey hat.

After the show, we ate  at Atlanta Bread Company. The boys shared a "cheese sammy" and broccoli and cheese soup. As usual, one ate most all of one (Jones ate the sammy, Freddie the soup), while the other ate most all of the other. At one point, though, Freddie pointed to Jeremy's Cuban sandwich, so Jeremy gave him a bite. He then ended up eating half of that, too.

It was a wonderful family outing - and definitely confirmed our decision to pursue "experiences" as gifts rather than things (when we can).

love my three boys,
sitting here before the show

Lighting (and angles) made it really
hard to get a good shot,
but I love this one, anyway!

If you try, you can see Freddie
laughing and clapping here.

This is one of my favorite
pictures ever!

None of these of me and the boys are great of any of us.
Still, I'm so grateful Jeremy took them,
so Jones and Freddie will always know that I was there, too!

Those sideways ears kill me. I love them! 

Earlier Today

I try - though I most often fail - to document
"every day life" instead of just special events.

Seems like lately, I don't even get around to posting about the special events; nonetheless, it's always been my intent that the boys can look back at this blog and see what life was like when it was just them and me, hanging out at home, waiting on Daddy to get off work or wishing we lived closer to a Target.

In that spirit, these are some pictures from this morning. It snowed a little (barely even a dusting, though, as soon as Jones saw it this morning, he said, "Where's my shovel?!") overnight, and though the sun is out now, I have zero motivation to get dressed and go out, so we've been playing in the den - eating biscuits, watching "Barn House Barney" (Barney Goes to the Farm), and jumping in a giant pile of massive animals.

Oh, and don't forget the "mow-ie." Jones brought this one - a Christmas gift - home from Mom and Daddy's yesterday. He's been mowing the den all morning. In fact, one time when he saw the scant snow on the ground, he said to me, "It's snowing! It's snowing! I can't cut da grass. Da snow is on da ground."

Of course.

The boys are also starting to show signs of kindness to each other. They are few and far between, but still, since their very existence is such a step up from the super selfish place we've been, I'm cherishing every single instance.

For example, late last week, Freddie was whining about something in the playroom, and Jones politely said, "Freddie, we have to be KIND." Yesterday, Jones was running around Mom's kitchen and fell on his head. HARD. As I sat on their stairway, consoling him, Freddie climbed up to the step where Jones and I were sitting and leaned in to kiss his big brother's forehead. It was precious.

Then, this morning, Freddie was playing with the mo-wie. Jeremy said something about it, and Jones matter-of-factly said, "It's not my turn. It's Freddie's turn." PROGRESS!

Finally, they're starting to say to each other, "Do you need a hand, Buddy?" when their brother is on the ground. Today, Freddie was on the floor, and Jones was holding Woody. He walked over to Freddie and said, "Do you need some help?" He then held out Woody's plastic hand to Freddie and helped his brother stand up.

I don't want to overstate this - for every show of kindness, there are still about a thousand smacks and swipes - but still. This is the little bit of progress I thought I'd never see, so I am THRILLED with it.

Lastly, the boys had eaten their first biscuits when Jones asked for another. I was only too happy to oblige, knowing that, if the six remaining biscuits sat on the counter all day, the likelihood was high that I'd finish them off myself. We had this VERBATIM exchange (documented it immediately afterwards, so as not to forget how it went):

ME: Jones, please bring me your plate.
JONES: Here you go, Ma'am.
ME: Thank you, Sir.
JONES: Did you just call me "Sir"?
ME: Yes, I did.
JONES (not bratty, just matter of factly): You must call me "JoJo," not "Sir JoJo," just "JoJo," the BOY, the BABY.

Whatever you say, Son.

This is a terrible selfie of both me AND Jones,
but I'm sharing it, because it's one of about
two times that I've thought he looks like me.
YAY!

Spring Fever

Jones is on the final size of red Keds.
I am already mourning their loss.

Spring has sprung. Or at least, March has given us a taste of Spring that April has been known to temporarily revoke. Still, we are enjoying shorts weather while we can.

The boys and I stopped on our way in to Greenville last week to play at a park in TR. While Jones, not surprisingly, didn't want to slide down the giant slide, Freddie DID. I was so proud of his bravery. At the same time, I was so nervous to watch my two year old stand by himself twenty feet off the ground. I didn't let on, though - just stood there, smiling, clapping, and snapping pictures (see below).

My little boy is "all grows up."

"Airplanes! Airplanes!

So is my BIGGEST boy - Camden (and Payton, too, I just don't have any fresh pictures of him with the boys) is an INCREDIBLE playmate for the boys. On this particular day, he pulled their bikes to the top of Mom and Daddy's driveway and let them go. And then, he and Jones ran around with their arms behind them, saying, "AIRPLANES! AIRPLANES!

I could never have anticipated what buddies Sissy's kids would be to my boys, but I am so grateful.

I'm also really looking forward to this summer. The boys are so much more active and fun that's it's sure to be a super one.

(The pictures below are from three different days - thus the different outfits - but I'm pretty sure they're all from the same week!)

Jones has learned how to pedal!
Though he still does a lot of foot powering,
he CAN pedal, which is a milestone
I wasn't sure we'd ever achieve!

We were playing catch this day,
and then, he randomly put the ball on
the ground and kicked it. This,
of course, made me VERY nervous
that we may have a soccer player
on our hands. Please, no ... 

This is JoJo praying when he
heard a firetruck going by.

Freddie not only steals my tea,
but he also eats my "sal-dy" (salad).

Jones always wants Freddie to give him
a ride in the flatbed of his pick up.
Freddie HATES it when Jones
does it, because then it's too heavy
for Freddie to pedal. 

Dollar Store foam swords