This is Dewey...

This is Dewey.

This is Dewey enjoying his new truck.

This is Dewey's truck after Dewey:

• took a wee on the patio
• backed up his truck over the puddle to hide the evidence
• got out and looked under the truck to make sure the spot was, indeed, covered up
• backed up some more to make a final adjustment
• and came inside with an expression that said "WHAT"?

This is me... Imagine me laughing so hard I nearly peed myself. Good thing I didn't, because I don't think backing the minivan into the kitchen is really an option.

Random Thoughts Always Lead to "Poop"

Anyone who knows my kids (and/or reads this blog) understands that the Ducklings are hilarious!!! If they weren't so funny, I would be ready for a straight jacket by now. Just when I'm certain I have totally lost my mind, somebody sticks a "Trix" pebble up their nose, forcing me to focus so I can perform a very tricky "trixotomy" procedure. Delicate surgery is no easy task when you're laughing!

This week Louie used my eye-liner to create fabulous art on the toy room wall. You would think stuff like that would just send me over the edge.... wait.. sometimes it does... but mostly I just have to shake my head and laugh. (and dream about the day when wall art is history and I get to select some creamy, yummy latte-ish color ... sigh) One day! But for now, every wall has a 3-foot high boarder of scribble in crayon, pencil, pen, chalk, dry erase pen, highlighter, eye-liner and lipstick. Oh.. and sticky, chocolate hand prints. Yeah... it's nifty!

Anyway... where was I going with this? Oh yeah... my kids are funny... bla bla bla... lipstick! So, the other day at dinner Dewey made me snort milk with this little prayer.

"Dear Jesus,
pank you dinner and all our bwessings.
And help me go poo poo potty. Amen".

My first thought was "Eeewww... we're having dinner here!" But as I thought about it... while choking on my milk... this prayer completely shut me up. My son is asking JESUS for HELP!!! Aaauuugggghhhhh! I guess I can be patient a little longer! Sigh.

So along those lines... Huey made a very special request of Jesus last night. Apparently he would like Jesus to bring us a big, red dog... like Clifford. Now I'm no expert on dogs, but can you imagine the size of those doggy poops? I've never seen that topic covered on an episode of "Clifford", but I'm guessing it would give me a whole new perspective on my struggles with "poopy boy". Hahaha!

So, what I've learned from these two little prayers is that God has a really great sense of humor. He's gently telling me to be patient a little longer... and thankful my son doesn't have HUGE Clifford sized poops! See.. that's all I needed. Just a little perspective! :o)

Does This Make Me A Soccer Mom?

The boys are attending Jr. Baseball Camp this week. So far they have enjoyed it very much. It's been fun watching them learn to throw, catch, bat, and run the bases. Anyone who has ever watched 3-5 year old baseball understands that it is HILARIOUS! It's so funny to watch 9 preschool aged boys all run for the ball, like it's a race to see who can get it. Then, of course, since EVERYONE is fighting over the ball, there is no one covering first base... and the batter makes a single... EVERY TIME! Actually, when played this way, the game sort of resembles soccer!

Today Huey was introduced to "batting" (with the use of the "T"). I'm not sure if he ever actually made contact with the ball, but he did hit the "T" and the ball tumbled off the pole and rolled about 10 feet. This gave Huey great joy... and filled my heart with pride! "My boy is an athlete", I think to myself. "This is the beginning of what will be a very lucrative career in Major League Baseball". I gaze upon my son with such adoration.... and he looks at me, equally as proud, and says, "MOM... did you see that? Home run! I hit it OUT OF THE PARK!!!" hahahahahhaha.... "yes son, you sure did!" And so it begins....

So, anyway - this is now my role. I have graduated from "chief butt wiper" and am officially a "soccer mom" with the mini van and everything. (Okay... I guess I'm still a butt wiper on occasion. But there is no way I will answer to the title "butt-wiping soccer mom".) Of course, the boys played soccer last week... they hated it and quit after three days... but whatever... I'm still going with "soccer mom".

I am taking my new job as head cheerleader very seriously. I bring the cooler with ice cold water and juice for after practice. I throw in some cheese sticks and grapes for a snack... have the sun-screen and the camp chair ... I cheer and laugh with the other parents... I am doing an excellent job!

However, there have been a few miss-steps along the way. Like yesterday, when we drove 30 minutes to post, piled out of the car and headed for the field in the nick of time only to realize that Dewey was not wearing any shoes. Yep.. in all the commotion of loading the car, preparing breakfast to go, changing a diaper, buckling car-seat belts, etc etc etc... I failed to realize Dewey never did put his shoes on. So I had to think quickly! I took Louie's shoes and gave them to Dewey ... and we all ran to the baseball field. Louie was perfectly happy to be barefoot and Dewey was not the slightest concerned that his shoes were a little snug. Phew... saved by the "mommy tap dance" once again! Hahaha! So maybe that makes my official title "Tap-Dancing-Butt-Wiping-Soccer-Mom... who's kids don't play soccer". :o)

All The Queen's Men

Just thought it would be fun to post a few photos of all my boys over the last couple of years!

All the Queen's Men - 2007

Such a proud Daddy with his three little men!
*Huey: 32 mo. *Dewey: 15 mo. *Louie: 2 mo.
*Army Guy: 492 months

All the Queen's Men - 2008

Triple slide.... perfect!
*Dewey: 27 mo. *Louie: 14 mo. *Huey: 45 mo.
*Army Guy: 504 months
All the Queen's Men - 2009

Daddy is home for Father's Day!
*Dewey: 3 *Louie: 2 *Huey: 4 1/2
*Army Guy: 41 years, 10 months, and 22 days

Happy Birthday Baby!

On July 2 Louie turned two. How can it be that this sweet, sweet, precious baby is now a big kid?

I cannot even comprehend how fast time is flying. Other moms often tell me to just enjoy them now because they will be grown up very soon. And it's so true! That is part of the reason I just follow them with a camera and try to capture the humor in the more aggravating things they do. :o) One day, when I have a perfectly clean house, it will also be very quiet and lonely. So in that perspective... I guess an entire tube of blue toddler toothpaste on the carpet (today's artistic offering from Louie) isn't really so bad.

The following photo was taken at Louie's first party, which was the day before Daddy returned to Iraq from mid-tour leave.

It was also the day that Louie got a buzz cut for the summer. Louie puts up a huge fight in the barber's chair... so mommy had to wait for reinforcements to arrive. It took Daddy and I both to hold him down for the hair cut. Louie was not happy at all... but he seems to be pleased with the result. The good news is, he won't need another haircut for at least 8 months. Yay!

Louie's birthday cake was perfect. At his first party, we all got a cupcake and then we saved the larger cake for the celebration on his actual birthday. Yay Wal-Mart! Genius design!

Louie enjoyed cupcakes again on July 3rd when we celebrated his birthday with friends at the fireworks show. I think he is somewhat confused at all the cupcakes with candles. But hey... what 2-year-old will EVER refuse dessert? He just smiles and goes with it! Ha ha

Louie is a joy... and a complete booger! He provides laughter and frustration; he is curious and inquisitive. Louie needs to understand the world around him and to do this he must touch, taste, climb, draw, create, break, spill and experiment! Those of you who have followed my blog for awhile, know that Louie excels at all of these things. In a nutshell, he is VERY, VERY good at being TWO! And I love him to death.... messes and all!

Happy Birthday my baby boy! Its is a pleasure to be your mommy and I can't wait to see what genius things you do in the future because of your curiosity at an early age! I love you "Biggie".

Daddy Was Here!

June was a busy, wonderful month. Daddy was here for a full two weeks and we had an amazing time. The boys were thrilled to have him around. We were wondering how Louie would react, since he's too little to remember when Army Guy left. But he took to Daddy right away. And boy did those 4 boys have a good time.


Here are a few highlights of daddy's visit:

* We went to the South Carolina Train Museum and took a train ride. The boys got a kick out of that. They also enjoyed walking through old, refurbished trains. It was amazing to see them so interested in museum pieces. These boys just love any train!

* We were blessed with a visit from Grammy. Though her stay was entirely too short, it was really good to see her. The boys always enjoy when grandparents visit.

* Auntie Kelly (with the yellow hair) and all the blond cousins came to visit. It was so good to see them. The boys had a great time with Auntie Kelly and Huey loved playing with Johnny (because Johnny is a "big boy"... he's almost 10!)

* It was amazing timing that Daddy's visit included Father's Day! Yay! Huey and Dewey painted a really cool ceramic airplane... camouflage... orange... of course. (because the U.S. military doesn't have an airplane that will blend well during an inverted sunset fly-over. Brilliantly done boys!)

* Of course the best part of Daddy's visit was just having him here.... just hanging out as a family and enjoying the time. We had lots of lazy days which included wrestling, cuddling and tickling! And I enjoyed watching all four of my boys play and laugh. It was good for the heart.

Army Guy returned to Iraq on June 24th and we have gone back to our "alternate reality". But the good news is we are 2/3 finished with this deployment. Daddy has been gone for one year, and we have only 6 months to go! Yay!

Daddy and Huey during Louie's birthday celebration
(notice the color of cupcake Huey selected?) :o) Daddy and Dewey

Daddy and Louie, the birthday boy.

I Can't Believe I Actually Have to Say This!

I could be wrong... but is it really necessary to verbalize phrases like, "NO!... we do not go pee-pee in the sink."? You'd think that would just be understood. So, when I catch myself actually saying such ridiculously stupid things... I just shake my head and write it down. Below is a list of the more idiotic things I've been forced to say this week.

"No throwing trains over the bridge!"
(this would be the cat-walk over our living room!) So, that's pretty self explanatory right? Well... perhaps I should have been a little more specific. See... I understand that "trains" actually means "every toy you own, in addition to anything you can lift, including your brother". But the ducklings hear "trains" and they think... "so... then I can throw this entire box of Lincoln Logs over the bridge... and maybe all the train TRACKS... as long as no actual trains take a dive". Further... I believe they've actually had a debate over the meaning of the word "train". "Does it include freight cars and passengers cars or are we just talking engines here?"

"NO! You may not go pee-pee on your brother"
I was forced to say this one day when I found Dewey standing in the bathtub... enjoying a good wee on Louie's back, who was happily playing with his tug boat and oblivious to the fact that he was, indeed, being pee'd upon.

"Stop sitting on your brother's head!"Perhaps this is WHY I'm forced to say the stupid things I'm forced to say! Maybe we're getting somewhere here?

"You are not allowed to enter my bedroom for the REST OF YOUR LIVES!"This gem was very loudly spoken (okay.. I screamed it like a raving lunatic) upon the discovery of the ducklings rolling around the room in my comforter and through a pile of Strawberry Quick powder that had been dumped on the carpet in my bedroom. There was strawberry powder wafting in the air and all of the ducklings were covered in a delicious strawberry dust!

"McDonald's is closed today! I know... sad!"
Actually, this might be one of the more brilliant things I've ever said!

"OH ... Look at the clock. The big hand is all the way down. You know what that means..... Yep...BED TIME!"at 5:30pm.... hahahahahaha! Stinks when you can't tell time! (again... another of my more genius phrases!)

"Why? WHY? WWWHHYYYYY???? ... have you painted your entire body with my lipstick?"I've actually lost a total of 6 lipsticks to this sort of artistic expression!

"Mommy is not a jungle gym... and GET OFF ME with that stinky diaper!" can't wait for Army Guy to come home and wrestle with these boys!

"Is there something seriously wrong with you?" This brilliant line of questioning came after a week which included the following:

* 3 strawberry Quick powder "incidents" (yes THREE... on three different days)

* fun with snow angels on a hardwood floor. Except the "snow" in this case was pancake mix.

* a package of Oreo cookie "wafers" discovered with all the cream licked out

* an entire bottle of baby bath soap poured into the sink.... and smeared all over someone's head

* a lovely offering of pine needles thrown onto the kitchen floor as a gift

* lipstick body art (the 6th edition)

* poop art in the bathroom

* the ever favorite cereal dump on the kitchen floor

* a fun game of "lets empty ALL the water from the bathtub onto the bathroom floor"

* a 911 incident because "baby" was missing (found 5 minutes later in the mini-van, having a blast pushing the automatic door button which causes the rear gate to lift and smash into the garage door. ) FUN!

* and an entire gallon of freshly made sun-tea poured onto the kitchen floor because.... HECK, I DON'T KNOW WHY.... That's why I want to have their brains checked out! (yes... ALL of that happened THIS week... and I'm sure there is something I am forgetting!)

Below are a few photos submitted as evidence.

Things That Make You Giggle!

Yesterday was a really busy day. We had lots of errands and we were in the van for a very long time. At some point I verbalized a thought. I didn't realize I had said it out loud until I was well into the following conversation.

ME: "Oh, Mommy has to go pee-pee pretty bad!"

HUEY: "HOLD IT MOMMY!"

ME: "ooohhh... I gotta go....!"

HUEY: "Hold it really, really tight mommy... you can do it!"
ME: "Ok.. I'm trying my best"

DEWEY: "Don't pee-pee pants mommy!"

ME: "OK!"

HUEY: "We should pull over so you can squirt a tree!!!"

ME: "AHAHAHAHAHAHA... (pee a little)... hahahahah......"

Boys are the BEST! And... I'm a little jealous that I'm the only one in the family unable to squirt a tree!

Happy Birthday Dewey

On May 19th, Dewey turned three years old. It's amazing to me how fast three years just flew by. He was just this little bundle with chubby cheeks...

... and now look at him.... a big kid who just cracks me up. He works so hard to keep up with big brother, Huey, and does not want to be grouped with Louie and referred to as "the babies"... he hates it when I say that. He gives me fits with the potty training... but then makes me laugh when he says "I so anry... I not wuv you amore". He's very cuddly, and sweet, sweet, sweet! He's also a major booger! I like to call him "Dewey Jekyll and Dewey Hyde". It fits! But I guess that's just how life is when you're three.

Dewey loves "frawbry milk" (or pink milk), "squirt cheese" on crackers (or.. the squirt cheese he licks from the crackers) and "MaDono's humgers". Tonight, while enjoying an Oreo cookie (or.. the frosting from an Oreo cookie) he asked for "more frosting please" and then was stunned that I could not just deliver more frosting. Ah, the mind of a three-year old. Some other things Dewey enjoys are Mickey Mouse, Thomas the Tank Engine and Blues Clues. Most of all, Dewey likes to spend his days playing trains and must have his Thomas train in his bed before he will even consider sleeping.

To celebrate his birthday, we had a quiet little birthday party complete with the "bouncy house" that grandma sent for Christmas. The boys love it when I pull that out! Dewey enjoyed opening gifts from Mom and Dad, Huey, Auntie Kelli (with the black hair) and grandma. He loves his Mickey Mouse t-shirt and movie and is really looking forward to shopping for a special something with the gift card grandma sent.

Such a big boy... it is a joy to be his mama! And I love watching him grow... though part of me really wants him to stay little a long time! Happy Birthday my sweet Dewey! Mommy and Daddy love you so much!

Me Matey Be Somewhat... Odd!

Just a quick update to the pirate pool story.

The boys still love the pirate pool. Mostly, they love to fire the water cannon and run through the water. When Dewey seemed apprehensive about running through the water, I told him it was just like running in the rain. With the word, "rain", I saw a little light bulb click on above Dewey's head. He said... "I be right back!" The child returned wearing his fleece-lined rain jacket and a wool cap because... you know... he might get wet! He then proceeded to play in the water with no worries! I'm just gonna believe that shows brilliant problem solving skills! :o)

Check out Huey in the background! Such focus and determination in manning the cannon!