Conner saw a van like ours and said it sounds just like our car. Then Carter chimed in and said the skin on it is the same. ??? Crazy boys!!!!

Seat Belt

Okay, didn't want to forget this for some reason. Okay, we all know Carter likes to scream at me. Well, when we get in the car, the boys do their own seatbelts. They have been able to buckle themselves in since last summer. No problems. Well, Carter was really good about it for a while, then started getting really frustrated with the seatbelt. It was always either too tight or too loose. I would be buckled and in reverse and Carter would scream at the top of his lungs for me to come fix it. If I kept going, he would kick and scream and pretty much torture the rest of us in the car. So I stop and get out and fix it. He also does this and gets himself overly worked up if I start backing out of the driveway before his seatbelt is completely buckled. He has to be "just so" in his seat before I am allowed to move the car. I just can't make any sense of it. I've tried the ignore trick on him so many times and he is like the energizer bunny and just keep going and going.

Broken Heart

Why am I deciding now to start blogging again, you ask? Well, lately I have really felt like the boys have really grown up right before my eyes. I don't know when exactly they turned into little men. Seems like yesterday they were running me in circles and teaming up against me ALL DAY LONG. Well, they still do this at times, but it is much easier to handle now that they are much more communiticative. I am really struggling with life right now. I want so much to just run away and live a life in the forest with Andy and our boys. I feel like I am so busy that I am overlooking what is most important, and I HATE this feeling. I am trying to make the most of each moment, but it isn't working out well. Here's why...

Maybe a day or two ago, I told Carter that I loved him and he mumbled something along the lines of "I don't love you." I assumed he was mad at me for making them go to sleep, because this happened at bed time or nap time, can't remember which one. I brushed it off and didn't think much of it. Tonight, he was sitting on my lap on the back porch so I could cut his fingernails. I was talking to him and told him I love him, and he told me that he didn't love me. We talked some more about how God gave him to me and I love him more than anything and it makes me sad to hear him say he doesn't love me, etc. He continued by telling me repeatedly that he doesn't love me and proceeded to list the people he does love (by the way, the only people to make the list were Nana, Daddy, Becky, and Grandma). He was very adament that he didn't love me. I asked him if I was a good mommy or a bad mommy and he said I was a bad mommy. I asked him why, which he went in circles and said because he doesn't love me. I never really got a reason out of him. Although his only answer to ANY "why" question is "because."

So all night I have felt absolutely crushed. I hope it is a phase of somekind, I really feel like I've messed him up somehow or I haven't been there for him enough. I really need to make time for just Carter and Mommy, because we don't do that as much as we should.

I think it is a good time to tell my Carter story for today. I picked them up from VBS at Idlewild. Carter and Conner both had paper bags with their projects setting outside their classroom and a pretty large sheriff hat. We went out to find their "stuff" and Conner found his instantly. Carter saw his projects, but threw a fit because he said it didn't "spell his name." He knows his name and can spell it just fine, so I don't know why he was so insistant that it wasn't his name. So I finally convinced him that it was his stuff. Then he noticed that one of the sequins on the hat was coming unglued. I tried to tell him it was okay and he started screaming about how it was broken. I told him (and showed him) to put the sequin in his bag and we would use our glue at home to glue it back. He started screaming about no glue at home or something. Just mean and ugly yelling. He then wanted me to carry everything and I told him no because I had other things in my hands already and still had to pick up Canyon and how he is big enough to carry his own stuff, etc. Well, the fit started again and he is literally screaming crying for me to hold everything. Stupidly, I hold it just to get him to get up and walk with us to get Canyon. (Keep in mind Conner has been happily standing with me hold his stuff this entire five minutes.) So then as we continue down the hall, Carter starts to throw a fit to hold my hand, which are both FULL of my stuff and his stuff. He starts yelling and screaming at me about how he has to hold my hand. I explain to him how I can't hold his had because both hands are full and he doesn't even act like he is listening. He is pulling on my arm and finally gets ahold of my pinky. (Another sidenote, Carter is the kid who almost NEVER will hold my hand. He will if we are in a parking lot because that is a rule, but never just to hold my hand.) So I have a screaming kid attached to me while I am trying to pick up Canyon from class. So we proceed to leave and Carter insists on holding my pinky the whole way to the car. About the time we get outside, his poor little hand is all sweaty from clasping my pinky so tightly and it starts to slip off. So he then starts to throw a fit because his hand is sliding off. Now, it is completely obvious to me that he is pulling his hand down off my pinky on purpose, over and over again, just to have a reason to scream. Of course this was quite amusing, so I start cracking up. Now I am feeding the fire and he screams all the way to the car and about the first five minutes we were in the car. He was screaming at his brothers about something, and he was screaming at me to turn the movie on, which I didn't.

Carter, I love you more than you will ever know.

Lord, please give me the strengh to raise this child. Give me the wisdom to make the right decisions in dicipline. Just please give me the guidance I need. Please.

More...

So today we were outside clipping fingernails and Carter says something about the clouds. Then he says "God made them". I thought is was the sweetest thing!!!

A couple of days ago, Canyon told Nana "Mommy bought me some Cookie Crisp because it was on sale AND she had a coupon for it." So funny!!! He doesn't ask for things at the store, he just asks if I have a coupon or if it is on sale. He's learning young!!! So funny!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Little Personalities...

A couple of weeks ago I bought the boys these little wooden boxes at Michaels and told them if they got 3 smiley faces they could paint them. Well, since Conner drew smiley faces all over the chart I decided since they had been pretty good that it was time. In a last ditch effort to get the boys to eat their peas, I told them if they ate ONE pea, they could paint their treasure box after dinner. My little eater, Conner, didn't mind and just gobbled all the peas. Carter was reluctant, but did eat his pea. Canyon was happy to eat his pea, but apparently his tastebuds didn't agree. He ran to the bathroom and threw up! UGH!!! Anyways, everyone got to paint their treasure boxes!!!

We used acrylic paint, and I knew I was going to have to hover to make sure they didn't paint anything or each other. Well, as I was watching them so intently, I learned a lot about them!

Canyon - I always knew he stuck his tongue out to concentrate, so this was nothing new. It is almost like he can't concentrate without sticking his tongue out though. He was very meticulous with his design and had to cover every single spot. He was very insistent on painting the inside as well.

Carter - Carter didn't need much time to paint his treasure box. Of course he used alot of pink, but he used the other colors as well. He didn't seem to notice that there were spots he didn't cover with paint, the spots his brothers worked so hard to avoid. Carter also does this funny wiggle thing with his tongue while he is working. He just puckers his lips a bit and wiggles his tongue side to side. Funny boy.

Conner - He is the one that really surprised me with his attention to detail. Conner sat there for at least 15 minutes longer than both brothers. And for a 3 year old, I was impressed. He worked very hard and put a lot of thought into his choices of color. Of course, I bought green just for him and he used a lot of green! While I watched his face, he seemed VERY focused and very serious. He did none of the other weird things with his tongue like his brothers.

That's NOT Chapstick!!!!

Okay, so this is how I found Conner...

He totally was using the glue stick he found as chapstick. UGH!!! No telling how much glue he ingested!!! My boys.

(Please ignore the lasagna mess all over him!)

Airshow

Here are some pictures when we took the boys to the airshow back in April. They loved it so much, but Conner was asleep when the Thunderbirds took the sky!

And this is Conner during the LOUD Thunderbirds. I was cracking up!!!

I had to...

Okay, this is something that I probably shouldn't be posting, but it is too funny not to post. I want to remember this for sure.

So Andy was giving the kids a bath tonight and he noticed Canyon playing with his "berries", and he proceeded to tell Andy that he feels something in there, what is in there??? So Andy tells him that they are his testicles. So Canyon's response is "you mean like it the same as Squidward's last name - testicles?" (For those of you who don't watch Spongebob as much as we do, Squidward's last name is Tentacles!!!)

Chick-fil-a

So we have been going to Chick-fil-a family night on Tuesday night. They do face painting, which we did for the first time a couple of weeks ago. First night, they didn't really know what to expect, but Canyon got a PINK and red glittery butterfly on his arm. And the twins both got red spiderman. Here's those pictures...

So tonight, we went again. Canyon had said he wanted either a flower or another butterfly, but decided on a zebra when the time came. The zebra was on his arm. Conner went next, and he wanted GREEN spiderman. Whatever, the lady who does it is super nice and said no problem. Well, then Carter's turn. And she shows him the colors and he wants a pink spiderman. He was very insistent on pink. UGH!!! So we had a pink and green spiderman at chick-fil-a and at Publix. I'm sure people thought I was abusing my poor child.

Anyways, so the funny thing was that Canyon came home and said he didn't want to get his face painted because his friends at school "wouldn't know his name with his face painted". What?? It was too funny!!!!!!

Real Quick...

Couple of things I sooooo didn't want to forget...

1.) Conner and Carter have been doing an amazing job with potty training. They go in the bathroom and do everything themselves, then Conner will just come and bring his undies and pants to have us put them back on him. Carter is so independent that he will get his pants back on himself, whether they are on correctly or not, even if we are there to help him. Oh, and they are sitters, so they take their pants all the way off every single time. UGH!!!!! Anywho... now to the funny part. They still haven't been going number two in the potty, only a couple of times actually. Well, we got some of the CARS race cars to reward them with hoping that would work, but it didn't. Both boys will tell you that they get a new race car when they do the deed, but they still wouldn't do it. So Conner did get one yesterday (YAY!), and daddy got a few more cars out of his prize stash and they were so excited. Conner wanted the Mario Andretti car so bad that he ran in a went number two in the potty right then!!! Andy and I about fell over. It was so funny and so exciting!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So we will see how long it lasts, or how big the collection of race cars gets before this whole process is over. And Canyon felt extremely left out, so he is earning race cars by keeping his room and the toy room clean. If he can do it, I'll keep us well stocked in race cars, that's for sure. Mommy needs a little help in the cleaning department.

2.) I bought a couple of dresses at Marshall's the other day and I was trying them on for my mom while the boys were in the bathtub. I walked in wearing one of the dresses and Conner said that mommy looks like a princess like grandma! I thought it was the sweetest thing ever. I had to call Grandma right away!!! Too sweet!!!!!

Spring Soccer 2009

So Canyon is playing soccer again this spring. Thank goodness, this is the first season he actually has PLAYED soccer. He is the big kid on the team now and he's really running around to get the ball and he's pretty good at kicking it down the field and into the goal. He misses the goal some too, but he's doing much better. Oh, and it also cracks me up because he doesn't really "get" the team part of it. He doesn't care who he is taking the ball from, but since we told him that he has to go and get the ball, that is exactly what he does. I feel bad for the other kids, but it is hilarious. He has been the kid picking flowers the past couple of seasons, so I guess it is his time.

The twins are also doing much better. I dreaded taking them to soccer games in the previous seasons, because they both would take off in opposite directions, and I never got to watch the game. But they are finally doing much better and just playing around where I am sitting and staying out of trouble, for the most part. In the fall, they will all 3 be on the same team since Canyon will still be 4 and the twins will be 3. Can't wait to see that!!!

Here's a few pictures...

Here's the pre-game huddle. They are pointing to the goal they will kick towards. This is only a minor problem. :-)

I wanted him to wear his sweatband headband thing, but he only wore if for like 30 seconds.

Snack time is everyone's favorite...

Crazy Daisy!!!

Well, a few friends came over for dinner and to play a while back. Andrea brought the crazy daisy, which is basically a big flower that squrits water everywhere, and before we knew it, we had a backyard full of children running around in their underwear! It was a sight, so I thought I'd add the pictures for everyone to enjoy...

And the video of Ollie... (Ollie is funny, but the kids are way more funny)

Daddy's Birthday at Magic Kingdom

Since Andy got in free for his birthday, we decided to go to Magic Kingdom for the day. Pretty soon we will start having to pay for all five of us, so might as well go while we can! The boys had a great time and loved the trains (including the monorail, tram, the people mover in tomorrowland, etc.). It was a really great time and Canyon thinks that his daddy had the best birthday ever!!!!! (Remember when we had daddy's birthday at Disney World?)

Oh, and I didn't charge the camera, so it died early in the day...UGH!!!!

Kids Say...

While I'm thinking about it, I wanted to post a few of the funny things the boys have said lately.



Canyon

-I gave him some chocolate candy in the car and he had chocolate all over his hands. I made a comment about how I had no napkins or wipes to clean him up and he just said "Don't worry Mommy, I can just taste it off!" I thought it was the cutest thing!

-The other night, he was laying with me in bed. I was reading The Chocolate War, which has a character named Carter. I pointed to the name Carter and ask him what it said and he said Conner first, then Carter. I continued reading, and he pointed out a question mark. He said something about how he found a "mystery" and it has "a c with a line and a polka dot". I thought it was too funny. I asked him where he learned this and he quickly said Mickey Mouse (the mystery mouskatool is a question mark).

Conner

-The boys both have their "tee-tee". They both got attached to these "uncute" little bear blankie things that were once yellow. They have carried them around since they were little bity. So Carter has started chewing on his, which Conner hates when he picks up Carter's wet tee-tee, and Carter usually gets them both wet and nasty. So I've had to wash them as much as possible. Every time they come out of the dryer, it is a big deal, and Conner will smell it over and over and say "tastes good"!

More to come...

No Training Wheels!

I had to get this on today so Nana and Granny could see how great Canyon did on his bike. We have been encouraging him to try to ride without his training wheels and he has been very against it. Well, today he wanted to take the training wheels off, so daddy did. A couple of neighbor boys were outside playing with him, and he was having so much fun I don't think he realized that he was doing it! But he just rode and rode and rode all afternoon and had the greatest time and had the biggest smile on his face! So sweet!!!!

Treasure Island

A few weeks ago, we went to the beach with Johnna, Aubrie, Papaw, Granny, and Nana. It was pretty chilly, so we didn't bring our swim trunks, just the sand toys.

Didn't take long for everyone to get wet... (the water was FREEZING, but Johnna got in because she said it was warm-crazy Kentucky people!!)

Canyon's pants wouldn't stay up...

Aubrie digging in the sand...

We all dug holes in the sand and tried to build some sand castles. Carter and Conner mostly just wanted to step on the sand castles.

And afterwards, we tried to get everyone dressed, but Carter just wanted to run away!!! He didn't care who saw, either...

ICE! at Gaylord Palms

Today we all went to ICE! at Gaylord Palms in Orlando. Our wonderful friends, Steve and Emily, gave us tickets to ICE! for Christmas and we decided to make a family day of it since my cousin Johnna and her daughter Aubrie were in town from Kentucky. So, my family of five, my mom, my papaw and granny, and Johnna and Aubrie all went to Central Florida to spend the day in a brisk 9 degree ice exhibit.

An ice cave...

Johnna went down the ice slide!

Conner and Carter went down the slide, too. They layed down flat on their backs. It was too funny! Too bad my SLOW camera didn't get it.

Not sure who this is??

This was a neat little ice tunnel.

Conner loved Santa, I thought he looked a bit scary...

So cute in his little parka!

Conner loved this -- NEMO!!!!

Conner was all about posing for pictures. Where is Carter you ask?? Probably somewhere screaming for Nana to hold him.

Johnna and Aubrie...

A family of snowmen...

Bundling everyone up...

There's Carter! With Nana, of course.

Conner and Carter would have preferred to watch the FREE train display...

Canyon and Aubrie. She's more than 2 years older than he is!!! Canyon loves playing with her!

The boys...

Hot Cocoa for everyone!!!

Also, my granny fell while we were walking through ICE! and hit her face on a rail. Please say a prayer for her that won't get any worse.

Good Night!!!