herding cats...

Getting more than three two year olds to do anything together is like hearding cats. So, when CJ's teachers at his school told me his class was going to be in the Christmas program, I was shocked. Here's all of them...

They only have music on Monday's, so his music teacher and his two classroom teachers did a great job getting them ready. What's even more impressive is that only 11 kiddos are there on a given day, so I don't know how they got them to stand there for two songs, ring their bells and sing all together.

CJ did great. They sang Jingle Bells and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. During Jingle Bells, he just sang, "Jingle Bells. Jingle Bells. All de Way." Over and over. It was hilarious. But he did a great job of shaking his bells and singing. He was pretty proud of himself.

We attempted to get a good family picture with Scott in his uniform, but this was the best we could do. It was 1:15 by this time. We were all hungry, the boys were tired, and there were kids and parents everywhere. Not bad considering, but it's not as great as I was hoping. :)

I've been really impressed with CJ's school. They are so sweet and he loves going. This year he's only going two days a week, but I think he would go every day if I would let him!

whatever works...

If you've ever met Will, or read this blog, you know Will is hands down the happiest baby ever. Friends say it. Neighbors say it. His teachers at church say it. Strangers in the grocery store say it.

Sooooo, when he gets upset, I confess I don't really know what to do. CJ was a little (maybe a lot) cranky, and I could calm him down easily. But when Will gets upset, I feel incompetent. The other day he woke up too early from his nap and was inconsolable. All I could come up with was to stick this bowl to his head to distract him. He thought it was hilarious. I felt like a horrible mom, but he loved it...

And when it would fall off, he would try to put it back on...

They are also really good for chewing on...

CJ, unwilling to be left out of the fun, also wanted a bowl stuck to his head...

And when it would fall off, he would say, "Peas put it back up dere mommy," with this sweet smile. How could I say no?

perfect fall day...

It had been wayyy too long since these two have seen each other. Anna Grace's mama and I purposefully put these two in different schools so they would get a little time apart. The downside though has been that the only day they both have off school is Fridays, and with all the traveling we have been doing, we have missed our sweet friends. 

We went the Farmhouse to celebrate Ezra turning one (don't talk to much about that though because it means Will is almost one too, and that's not ok with me), and had lots of fun on a perfect fall day. CJ got to run around and be crazy, there was pumpkin painting, games with candy, and lots of good conversation.

CJ requested to eat his cupcake here. He said, "My want eat up dere all by myself."

I don't think he would have let anyone else up there except one special little girl. And he even shared his cupcake with her.

Will wanted to get down soooo bad, but the ground was too cold and damp for him to crawl around on. He was a trooper, and I think he had fun too...

EAT...

This guy may only be in the 4th percentile for weight, but man can he eat. A lot of days, he out eats CJ and me combined! Yesterday morning, he ate half my eggs, a container of yogurt, half my toast with nutella, and still wanted more. CJ was done so he ate all his eggs and his half slice of nutella toast. Think he was done? nope. Then he ate about a 1/2 cup full of grapes. And this was also after he already had a bottle! He was a happy (and finally full) boy...

pick up poop...

Oh my great goodness, I can't believe I forgot to post these this summer. 

Granddad and Grandpa Dick were here for Thanksgiving and were more than happy to play outside with the boys. CJ diligently ran around the yard pointing out all of Connor's poop for them. And that made us remember to tell them this story...

When Scott mows the grass, CJ is a great helper. Before they start, they always pick up the dog poop. CJ holds the bag, Scott dons a super thick rubber glove, and they are a great team. One day, Scott asked CJ what they needed to do before they mowed. CJ said, "Pick up poop." He ran to the back yard, and Scott went to get a bag and his glove from the garage. When Scott got to the backyard, here's what he found. He was laughing so hard I heard him inside over the shower...

CJ was so proud he did it all by himself. 

teamwork...

CJ steers for Will and Will provides the power. Not a bad arrangement. :)

will...

is so handsome...

so happy...

so busy...

and so loved by his big brother.

hard...

This past week was hard. Scott was in the field and I've had sick boys. Will, just got a common virus... nothing bad. CJ on the other hand ended up in respiratory distress, was on a slew of medication, but is good now. 

Seeing CJ that sick and not being able to help him was hard. Having to hold him as he got two steroid shots and two antibiotic shots was hard. Having to hold him through countless breathing treatments was hard. Not being able to help Will rest was hard. Seeing him not smiley and knowing he hurt was hard. Hard, hard, hard...

But you know what, being a parent is hard. But you know what makes it worth it... getting to parent these two! They make all the hard moments worth it. And as I reflect on what I am thankful for, these guys are definitely at the top of my list. :)

confession and the farm...

I know I've needed to blog. But for some reason, I haven't wanted to. I guess it has felt like a chore and not a joy like it used to. I love the record of things we do. I love to look back. 

I hate to go through the 300 pictures I took at the farm. Really. 300. Have you ever tried to take pictures of kiddos once they can move? Have you ever tried to take pictures of two moving kids? It's not easy. Thus, I take a lot of pictures. My strategy is that if you take enough, surely you will get at least one decent one. Sometimes it works, sometimes you still get CJ frowning and Will crawling away.

But I digress. I've had a change of attitude, and here is our FUN day at the farm. 

It is actually a working farm, and I loved the cotton. It reminds me of going to church out in the country with my Nanny and Granddaddy when I was little. It reminds me of field trips in elementary school. Good memories.

What made the day even more fun was we got to spend it with Jake! We weren't in Tennessee a long time, and we tried to spend a lot of time visiting Nanny the Great, so we didn't get to see Jake nearly enough. Next time these two train lovers will have to meet at the train museum.

Here's a look at the little walkway with different stations in the different little barns...

You (the kids) got to ride tractors to harvest crops...

Pick apples...

Pick potatoes...

Pick tomatoes...

Milk a cow...

As the kids walked on the path, they collected all the little items in a small basket. CJ loved sorting them all back into the big baskets. These are the moments I know he's mine!

And just in case you were worried Will didn't get enough attention. Don't worry, Aunt Carla made sure he was loved. :)

These guys had fun playing in the cotton trailer....

CJ ran up to the top and kept calling, "Come on Jake! Come on Jake!" When they both got all the way to the top, they smiled BIG and laughed. Then CJ jumped all the way back down.

There was an old barn with animals. CJ, Jake, Becky, Jake's mama, and Aunt Carla all climbed up to the loft. I looked back down to see what Will was doing, and I almost passed out. He loved this goat (check out his climbing area!). His little feet get going when he gets excited, and I thought he was going to power his way over the fence. It was hilarious. My mom could barely control all 17 pounds of him.

The boys had a blast up in the loft. We tried to take a picture because they are just so cute, but like I said earlier, taking pictures of kids, much less two, isn't easy. So here's the best I got. :)

Then it was off to play on the tire maze and then play with pumpkins!

Here's another perfect example of taking pictures of kids. This was honestly the best picture we could get of the grandmas and grandsons. Jake would not turn around because he was getting another pumpkin. CJ was throwing a pumpkin. Will was so wiggly that Gran had him upside down. And you know what... I love this picture. It makes me smile, because kids aren't perfect and smiley. They are free spirits. And this captures it perfectly.

Can you believe the fun goes on? They had this cute "horse" set up. CJ though it was awesome. 

If I'm completely honest... I'm annoyingly scared of heights. They had a cool slide made from some farm piping. It was steep. You could see through the stairs. I held on to CJ as we climbed the first few times because I was so scared. Him, not a bit scared. Being a boy mama is good for me.

Check out the JOY!!! He was a little unsure the first time at the top. When he got to the bottom, he said, "Do dat aahhh-gain!" with the biggest smile possible on his little face. It was priceless.

And if that wasn't enough fun, instead of sandboxes, they had a corn box. Totally a great alternative to sand. It doesn't get stuck in your hair. You don't find it in your pockets. It doesn't hurt when it gets in your eyes. I would totally do this in my backyard. CJ had a great time.

We had such a fun day. I can't wait to go back. I love that we get to do stuff like this with family. That's what makes it even better.