Happy "Balentime's" Day!

Some things are just meant to be. This year's celebration of Valentine's Weekend sure seems to be one of those things.

The planning started back before Christmas. Since we spent LAST Valentine's Day at the UK / USC game in Lexington, I thought it'd be appropriate to give Jeremy tickets to see the Tarheels on or around THIS Valentine's Day. As it turns out, the Heels were playing Pitt in Chapel Hill on 2/14, so a visit to Stub Hub and a reservation at the Carolina Inn later, Jeremy's Christmas gift was squared away - and with it, our plans for Valentine's Day.

Upon further investigation, however, it came to my attention that, not only did the Heels play in Chapel Hill on 2/14, BUT THE CATS PLAYED IN COLUMBIA ON 2/13.

What ever have we done to deserve this kind of serendipity?!?

So after dropping the boys at the Pressleys' Saturday morning, Jeremy set off for what was just about as perfect a Valentine's Weekend as two rabid basketball fans can have. Add to that the facts that both of our teams delivered blow-out wins AND that we got to visit with my friend Wex's family while in Chapel Hill, and our time away was absolutely PERFECT.

I'd planned that we'd celebrate with the boys on the Monday that we got back into town. Friday before we left, though, I got the bug to go ahead and do it (because what ELSE did we have to do that day?!).

I called Jeremy with an impromptu lunch invite and then loaded up the boys to go buy their daddy and grandparents some tiny surprises.

The first stop on our shopping excursion was to Mast's General. We got Jeremy a Yeti cup and the Pressleys some of their favorite penny candies. I'd told the boys before we went in that we were NOT there to buy for them (though I DID sneak some treats that they didn't know about), so, while they could look, they could NOT take anything home, and they did great, which made me VERY proud.

While we were at Jeremy's office before
lunch, one of his clients gave the boys
these little solar-powered statues that
they LOVED. 

JONES: "You wub dat Stooby Stoo card? It's just for you!" 

Jones kept telling us, "Happy Balentime's Day!"

Freddie is JUST now getting to where he
really likes to read. He's always been one
to listen while running around as
I'd read, but he's beginning to want to
sit and follow along, which is awesome.

Saturday morning, Jones popped out of bed, knowing he was going to Nan and Pop's for the weekend. The first thing he said when I walked into his room was, "You come back?" Assured that yes, I was coming back, Jones did great, though he did tell me, "I just need you," moments before we walked out to head to Columbia. Freddie is starting to show separation anxiety all of a sudden, so he cried when we left, but it didn't last long, thankfully. 

We got to Columbia about an hour before tip-off, which is exactly the way I like to do it. My parents and my sister's family joined us, though, in place of Lizzie Gray, who was playing in a volleyball tournament, Camden brought two of his basketball teammates. 

The game was AMAZING - an instant classic, if you ask me, and I've already re-watched it ... more than once ... since being home. While we were there, we had several people texting us pictures of seeing us on tv, which absolutely THRILLED my niece Lila and made me wish my face weren't so fat. 

Daddy forgot his glasses at home and ended
up wearing his prescription shades through
some of the game. Cue the
Ronnie Millsap jokes. 

In the history of 16 year olds, there has
NEVER ... and I mean NEVER ...
been a better one than my Cammy "DooDoo."
Also, notice Paytie Einstein's photo bomb,
which he pointed out to me after the game.

Bobo just got braces last week. I'm thinking why he's
not showing his teeth, though they look great on him.

We first stayed at the Carolina Inn when we went to the Kentucky / North Carolina game in 2013. Jones had just turned one, and I was nine months pregnant with Freddie. Jeremy and I decided then and there that we wanted to come back one day WITHOUT kids, so spending Saturday nite, just the two of us, was a dream come true.  Of course, we spent part of our time there planning to take BOTH boys back next season, but still ... we love it there.

We'd planned to meet my friend Wex with her husband and son there for brunch on Sunday, but when we asked for a reservation upon arrival, we were told they were all booked up. Huh?! So we ended up meeting them at the Carolina Coffee Shop on Franklin Street, which was actually awesome - and served Jeremy the best hot chocolate I have EVER tasted.

Our Stub Hub seats were awesome - section 217 about five rows up - and  we had a bucket of popcorn that probably could've fed our entire row ... IF we'd been willing to share. 

During brunch, Jeremy ordered hot chocolate, which was
AMAZING ... but, apparently, HOT.
According to Jeremy, it "burned my goozle!"
Whatever the heck THAT is ...

On the drive home, we were surprised to hit snow in Greensboro. It lasted until about Statesville, so we didn't get back to the Pressleys' until 9. The boys waited up for us, and the welcome we got from them when we walked in the door let us know that they had missed THEIR Valentines as much as we had missed ours, so while it was so, so nice to go away for a day, it was every bit as nice to get home to our beloved buddies. 

"High-fiiiiiiiiive"

My dad taught JoJo the same thing he taught me and Sissy and then Sissy's kids and now mine.  Ever since, he plays it ALL.THE.TIME.

I'm not entirely sure Jones completely understands the rules (as you'll see in the videos below), but he sure does enjoy the game.

Hymn of the Month

We're on our second of the Bible Verse Card Hymns of the Month. This month is B - "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." Acts 16:31.

Convos with JoJo

On Wednesday nites, we have to take two cars to church, so tonite, after loading the boys in the car, Jeremy said to them, "I'll race ya home!" Jones answered, "We gonna beat you, Dada, in your new beeg car(t - for some reason, he always adds a t)."

At the next stoplight, Jeremy pulled up beside us, and then, he SMOKED us in the turn. When he did, Jones said, "We haffa catch 'im! KA-CHOW! (like Lightnin' McQueen)."

(For the record, Jeremy won. Also, for the record, as I strapped Jones in his carseat, he told me, "I missed you!")

When we got home, Freddie disobeyed, so Jeremy went to deal with that, while I took the opportunity to review the importance of obedience with Jones.

"What happens when you disobey?" I asked.

Jones responded matter-of-factly and as if he were trying to clear up a misunderstanding. "NOT me," he said. "I not disobey. Freddie did, NOT me."

Ohhhhhh. Okay, Buddy. I gotcha.

Blame Game

A couple of years ago, Jeremy recommended that he and I should start putting puzzles together. I liked the idea, so I bought him a puzzle for his birthday that year (2014); it's been in its box in the garage ever since.

On Monday, though, the boys and I went to the Pressleys. Mrs. Pressley and Dolly were finishing up a puzzle Mrs. Pressley had been working on over the snowy weekend, and I thought, "That looks like it'd be really fun!" So that nite, I bought up our card table and broke open the box of our 1,000 piece pastime.

We spent three hours, hard at work. Where we'd spend a typical nite in chairs on opposite sides of the room, mindlessly watching ESPN or flipping through various news feeds on our phones, on Monday, we actually talked. I think it was some of the best conversation we've had in a long time, so we decided to keep up our puzzle-building.

Tuesday nite, we did more of the same. By the time we went to bed, the puzzle was almost 75% finished. Then came Wednesday morning. I built a barrier around the card table, thinking it - plus my repeated admonitions to NOT TOUCH THE PUZZLE - would keep the boys away from it while I took a shower.

That's what I get for thinking.

Not long after I'd gone back to the bathroom, I heard a sound that sound painfully similar to puzzle pieces being shaken in a box. I rushed back in to the den. My suspicions were confirmed.

There, on the floor, were all 1,000 pieces - smashed, just like mine and Jeremy's plans to frame the finished puzzle for hanging in the boys' remodeled playroom. The boys were playing in the cardboard shrapnel.

After dealing with their disobedience, I made them pick up all of the pieces. I then put the full box back on the table to test the boys when I went back to finish my shower.

They failed the test.

Not two minutes later, I heard Jones cackling an evil kind of cackle, and I knew what had happened. This pattern played out three time in all before they finally did as they were told and LEFT THE BOX ALONE.

When I got Freddie up from his nap, though, the first thing he said was, "Where puzzle go?" I said, "You broke it!"

After that, he studied me hard for at least ten seconds, looking at me with a very concerned look before saying, "JoJo did it."

Sure, he did.

Lacing Shoe Blues

In spite of the wonderful news about Freddie's blessedly excellent health (thank You, Lord!), today ended with much frustration that included but was not limited to Freddie's whining almost the entire time I made him play in the playroom and Jones's telling me I couldn't take away his piano bench, because it's his.

For the record, I DID take the bench away, and afterwards, Jones and I had a LOOOOONNNNGGGGGG talk about who owns the things in this house and to whom they are very kindly lent. I'm thinking he'll get "lent" that bench again about the time he's ready to start taking lessons.

ANYWAY, as a way to flush a frustrating day, I'm focusing only these few adorable (in my opinion) anecdotes:

1) This one isn't so much an anecdote as it's a picture. Jones threw up twice overnite (he and I both have had tender tummies of late), and he was VERY sleepy this morning, so he asked if he could cuckle on the couch. Of course, I put him on it. He hadn't been laying there for long when Freddie asked if he could sit beside him, so there they were, both cuckled up, watching "The Clubhouse." It was super cute.

2) We bought Jones this headlamp for Christmas. He hasn't really paid much attention to it. In fact, I haven't seen him play with it at all. You can imagine my surprise, then, when he popped his head through the playroom doorway, saying, "Ribbit! Ribbit" as that meant-for-his-forehead lamp covered his nose.

Of course, when I tried to get a picture of it, he wasn't cooperative, but at least, you get the gist.

3) I've alluded to Freddie's foot fetish. Baby Brother loves him some shoes. That's why I got him this lacing shoe, thinking he could PLAY with it.

Well, today, while I was addressing Jones's "you can't take it from me; it's mine" statement and the fact that, when asked if he pitched a fit when I took the bench away, he said, "No. Not me. The baby did, the baby called 'Brother,'" I heard Freddie crying from the playroom.

"Mama! Hole!" ("Help!"), he said.

So I went in to the playroom to find "the baby called 'Brother'" not PLAYING with his lacing shoe but WEARING it and unable to get it off (thus, the crying).

Behold.

 So THOSE are the things I want to remember about today - though there are other parts I'm not sure I'm able to forget.

Healthy Freckle

Very, very happy to report that, according to today's two-year check-up, Freddie Bear is fit as a fiddle!

Here are the stats:

26.5 lbs. (42nd %tile)
33.25" (13th %tile)
20.25" head circumference (99th %tile)

For comparison's sake (because this kind of stuff absolutely fascinates me), at the same appointment, Jones was:

26 lbs. (39th %tile)
35" (64th %tile)
19.75" head circumference (90th %tile)

We have now graduated from check ups every 3 or 6 months to every year. In thinking about that today, all I could say was, "THAT happened fast."

I am SO grateful for the gifts of my healthy sons!