Vanilla

Nathan is "vanilla".  He likes things to be familiar, predictable, orderly, simple.  He also prefers vanilla ice cream over the "wild" flavors I like.  Evan is more likely to go for the mint chocolate chip, mocha madness, or at least chocolate and coffee flavors.  Nathan is fine with vanilla.  Evan likes to stand up on his bike, put his feet up on the top tube, and ride with one hand - sometimes all at once (much to our disapproval!).  Nathan is content to stay safely on his seat. (Although he did ride through a ditch the other day - on purpose!)  Nathan tests the water before getting into the pool.  Evan does a running jump in the pool without even considering the depth or temperature.  Nathan is a thinker, a strategist, pointing the way.  Evan is a doer, an activist, leading the way (most often, according to Nathan's direction).  I love them both for who they are.  There's no favorite one. They're both highly favored above all the other kids out there.  Truth is, they're both like their mom and I in so many ways. I do, however, prefer Nathan's straight-forward honesty to Evan's sneaky tendencies.  Just a couple days ago, Nathan confessed to Laura, "Mom, sometimes I get the coffee creamer carton out of the fridge and drink some right out of the carton.  It's REALLY GOOD!"  So THAT's where it's been going! 

Oh, and it's "french VANILLA"!

The Streak

One of my favorite songs as a kid was Ray Stevens' "The Streak".  "Oh, yes, they call him the streak... fastest thing on two feet... "  This past Sunday evening, Evan and I had some pool time together while Nathan was playing at a neighbor's house.  After we got out of the pool, we went inside to change into dry clothes.  I helped Evan get dry and sent him to get dressed in his room while I got dressed in mine.  When I came out of my room, Evan was nowhere to be found.  "Evan..." No reply. I checked the bathroom, his room, the kitchen, the backyard, and opened the front door to see his bike next to Nathan's in our neighbor's driveway.  I was just about to head over there when the phone rang.  It was the neighbor.  "Hello?" "Hi, David (muffled laughter in the background)... I just wanted you to know that Evan had come over to visit (snicker) with nothing on but his underwear!  So, I sent him home to get some more clothes."  "Thanks!" I said, as I looked out the door to see him drive up in all his "glory" - with a "what's-the-big-deal" expression on his face. I'd post a pic, but I don't want any weirdo's checking out my son... At least he wasn't naked (this time).

Cowboy Evan

It was a steamy Saturday morning and Evan woke up with something in his craw.  He was itchin' for the rest of us to getty-up with him (although Sat is the ONLY day I can actually sleep in).  Before I could even get out of bed, Evan was standing beside it with a cowboy hat and some boots that looked a lot like some I had deep in my closet. Oh, that's because they WERE.  So... by the time I got to the front of the house, Evan was outside in the driveway, waving howdy to neighbors and passersby in his cowboy hat, surf shirt, jogging shorts and my boots.  Nice.  I called him inside for breakfast, and he took off the hat and boots.  A few minutes later, I grabbed the garb to move it off the table.  "NO, Dad! Don't take my cowboy stuff!" Evan, I'm not taking it - I'm just moving it out of the way.  "But DAD! I'm not done being a cowboy!"  Son, I've got a feeling you're going to be a "cowboy" all your life!

How to Kill the Devil

Nathan comes up with some crazy ideas.  Seriously.  He's always thinking up ideas for machines, gadgets, etc. and often will rummage through the house and build contraptions like the fold-away luggage cart he attached random wires, cables, boxes and toys to.  I asked him what he had and he told me it was his new "machine".  What does it do?  "I don't know yet," was his reply.  Well, on a recent drive, he came up with a new idea...

"Mom, I have an idea for a 'booger-a-thon'!"
A WHAT?!
"A booger-a-thon!  Everybody saves their boogers in a big jar, and when it gets full, we make the Devil eat and and it will kill him!"

The really funny thing is that he was SO serious about it!

Speedy "E"

If you've followed the blog for long (at least since June) you know that the boys learned to ride their bikes without training wheels this summer.  If you paid attention to the pics and video clip, you noticed that Evan's bike was significantly smaller than Nathan and friends.  This worked to provide two issues: First, Evan was always lagging behind the other boys, no matter how fast/hard he pedaled.  Second, a family road trek for a mile or so would leave Evan BEAT!  I told Laura that I suspected Evan would be blowing the other kids away once he got a bike the same size, as he was always working at least twice as hard just TRYING to keep up.  Finally, I had enough of watching him pedal so hard and still lag behind everyone.  SO, we decided not to wait until birthday or Christmas to give him an upgrade.  Saturday, we went to Toys R Us and let him sample and pick out a new bike - same size as Nathan's.  He decided on a blue one and as soon as he hit the street with it, he was SO HAPPY!! The boys rode for awhile with their friend, Charles, and then Evan came inside for a drink...

Hey, pal! How's that new bike working out for you?
It's AWESOME, DADDY! It's MUCH BETTER than my John Deere bike!
Do the other kids like it?
Yeah, but DADDY! - When we were racing our bikes, I BEAT EVERYBODY!!

Ahhh... I KNEW it!  I suspect now I'll hear the older boys complaining that Evan's going too fast as opposed to the complaints of how slow he was all summer!

Gleanings From Summer Vacation

Below are a few of the boys' discoveries on our trip to Florida this Summer...

Boys can get away with peeing on the side of the interstate.

Grandma and Grandad live a LOOOONNNNGGG way from us.

"Mom, it's weird how Grandma and Grandad live together, but Daddy's Mom and Dad don't."

COOL! We've got more COUSINS than we THOUGHT!


The beach is COOL!!

Waves can knock you over and turn you upside down in the surf. :-(

Too much sand in your shorts is irritating.

Sleeping in a hotel is kinda fun!

The boys weren't quite ready for The Journey to Atlantis ride at Sea World.

We saw two Baluga Whales playing, and one of them had this thing he was poking at the other one, and Daddy said we should go check out the other animals, because they needed some time alone.

If you have enough wet-wipes and a change of clothes, you can get ready for bed in the Sea World parking lot - before the drive "home".

Once you decide to do it, you can swim without floaties!

If you stop paddling, you canNOT swim without floaties.

You can get a LOT of free booklets and fliers for FREE at state welcome centers!
(yay. where's the recycle bin?)

Some gas stations have VENDING MACHINES inside the RESTROOM!  Dad said they are "personal hygeine" items - whatever that means.

There's no place like home!

Truth-Teller

Nathan is a realist.  He calls it like he sees it, and that's that.  He hates anything he believes to be unjust, and he will vehemently argue/fight for what he believes to be the truth.  So... he has a tendency to correct others when he feels they are wrong.  They may not be, but if he THINKS they are, well, he's gonna let them know.  Case in point: Evan was recently in a Mommy-mood, where he wanted to be with Mommy, touching Mommy, "MY-Mommy-not-your-Mommy" stuff.  At one point, Evan declared, "When I grow up, I'm gonna MARRY Mommy!!"  Nathan, irritated from Evan's Mommy-itis, quickly informed him, "No you won't! She's gonna be all old and wrinkly by then!"

Used Car Salesman

Nathan has several friends who own Nintendo DS portable game systems.  He wants one, too.  They cost $130 - $170, depending on the model, plus game cartridges.  I'm thinking about birthday, but Nathan's thinking NOW.  I told him we'll have to see what happens for his birthday or Christmas.  He decided to take matters into his own hands.  He's been VERY helpful lately - taking out the trash, cleaning up his room, cleaning the TOILET - all without asking.  Of course, when we commented how helpful he's been, he told us he's working for a big allowance - so he can buy his "DS".  I told him his allowance was a privilege and that his participation in household chores was part of his responsibility as a member of our family.  I would be giving him his usual allowance ($3), and any extra work/pay would have to be negotiated beforehand.  So, after his shower (yes, he prefers to take showers now) one recent evening, he lined up all of his AND EVAN'S remote-controlled cars and trucks along with some non-electric vehicles and began hawking them to the family.  "CARS FOR SALE!!"  "TWO FOR TWO DOLLARS!!"  "GET YOUR CARS FROM NATHAN'S CAR DEALERSHIP!!"  As I went to check on him, Evan was giving him two dollars - to BUY BACK HIS OWN CARS!  When asked what he was doing, Nathan informed me he was selling used cars for DS money. (Reminds me of my brother selling mardi gras beads to the neighbors for a dollar each.)

Short-Distance

The distance from here:

to here:  (1st Day of School, Aug 12, 2010)

just seems WAY TOO SHORT!

Me, TOO!

Well... just as I figured, Evan was not content to just watch his brother and friend ride their bikes - and, two evenings later, he DID IT!  Way to GO, EVAN!!  I'M PROUD OF YOU, MAN!! Short video clip of my Easy Riders below...

Easy Riders

(Events occured June 8, 2010)
Nathan and Evan got bikes a year and a half ago for Christmas.  It was my hope that their training wheels would never be used.  But moms have a way of discouraging such "harsh" introductions to new things.  So, I reluctantly attached them and the boys rode the bikes that way for a year.  One day I decided it was time.  I took off the training wheels and hauled the boys and their bikes to the church parking lot.  It would be a grand occasion!  Nope.  It was a flop.  Nathan cried and Evan tried, but was discouraged by Nathan's fears.  So... we put that on hold.  They got scooters this year for Christmas, and took to them like fish in water.  When I would try to encourage Nathan to get on his bike, he would request that the training wheels be re-attached.  I told him it would be easy, now that he's so good at balancing on a scooter, but he didn't buy it.  He would try once or twice with me holding the back of the seat, and then get scared and stop.  I took off the pedals and lowered the seat all the way - a trick I picked up from a "how to teach bike riding" instructional video online.  The idea is to just let the kid  scoot/coast around and get comfortable balancing on the bike.  Every once in a while, Nathan would do this, but not often.

Then, we got some new neighbors.  Charles is the same age as Nathan - same birth month.  Charles has a bike the same size as Nathan's.  Charles' bike has training wheels.  BUT, the last couple of days, Charles has played at our house and has attempted to ride Evan's smaller bike (with pedals and no training wheels).  Today, he GOT it!  All of a sudden, Charles was zipping around on Evan's bike like a pro!  And the boys stood there and took notice.  An unspoken challenge had just been laid at their feet by their new friend.  As Charles rode around with a big smile and his mom, another neighbor and I all shouted praises, Nathan accepted the challenge.  He came running to me and said, "DAD! I want you to put the pedals back on my bike!"  (Huh?!) "Ok, sure, Pal, let's do it!"  "No, Dad, I don't want you to help me.  I wanna do this myself."  "Ok, Nathan, but I'm here if you need me - YOU CAN DO IT!"  He got on and scooted over to the cul-de-sac where Charles lives.

Meanwhile, Evan had driven into a small drop-off beside the street in the boys' PowerWheels car and needed help getting it out.  I hurried over to help him, and just as we were coming back toward the house, NATHAN PECK came RIDING HIS BIKE out of the cul-de-sac, with a BIG, TOOTHLESS GRIN on his face!!  "NATHAN!!  YOU'RE RIDING YOUR BIKE, DUDE!!  I'M SO PROUD OF YOU!!" "DAD! This is EASY!!"  Charles was still riding Evan's bike around, as several neighbors were now witnessing these young boys becoming BIG boys!  As soon as Evan got the car in the driveway, he jumped out and told me, "Dad, I'm ready to ride MY bike, now."  Though he didn't break free like the other boys (it got dark too fast), he DID ride free from my hand-hold (unknown to him) several times.  I think we'll be ready for family bike rides by Friday!

The Great Pretender

I know some of you are anticipating this post being about Obama from the title, but it's not - sorry.  Nope, this post is about my strong-willed child. The second one. Evan.  You see, he has two major obstacles in his strong-willed way.  The first, is that his Daddy was a strong-willed child and used to play the crying game to get out of stuff, too. So, I know those tricks.  The second is that, although Evan is strong-willed, I am stronger-willed.  Poor kid doesn't stand a chance.  Which is why, after several days of his attempts to manipulate situations in his favor, today was a blow to his scheming ways.

He'd been complaining at bedtime for a couple of nights that his throat hurt.  The complaint only came as he was being tucked in and wanted to sleep in our room.  I simply had him sip water and go to sleep.  Two nights ago, he decided to push the envelope and intentionally wet his bed (which we suspected and he admitted upon interrogation).  Luckily for him at that time, I was in the shower and his mom changed his sheets and clothes and returned him to bed. (I would have let him lie there in his wet glory for half an hour before the change)  Today, I was contacted before noon by the daycare to inform me that Evan had been crying and complaining of a sore throat, hadn't eaten lunch and complained he couldn't sleep at the onset of nap time.  (I know, right? - NAPTIME before NOON?!)  Anyway, I approved giving him some Ibuprofen and proceeded to pick him up early.  Once I checked him out, he quickly perked up!  "How are you feeling, Evan?"  "I feel better now!  Can we go eat somewhere?"  "Sure, we can go eat a sandwich at home."  "But I wanna GO somewhere."  "We ARE going somewhere, son. We're going to the doctor's office."  "WHAT? WHY?!"  "Because you said you were sick and couldn't eat or sleep because of it."  "But I'm not sick anymore - I was only sick at Fisher's (daycare)"

Ahhh... See, what he didn't know was that I suspected this before I picked him up.  (Remember those "good times", Mom?)  I did want to eliminate the outside possibility that any real irritation could be more than his seasonal allergies, so we went to the clinic and had him checked out. The doctor noted some mild post-nasal drainage and possibility of minor throat irritation.  At her offer, I approved a strep test just to be sure and it was negative.  During the visit, as Evan was concerned about getting a shot (I got my co-pay's worth out of this), he confessed that he'd said his throat hurt worse than it did because he didn't like what they were having for lunch and their naptime is too long.  Really.  So, when we left the doctor's office, we did NOT go eat out.  No, we went home, ate a plain, boring sandwich and then he had to take a nap.  A long one.  In fact, I had a hard time waking him up 2-1/2 hours later!

We'll see how much he learned tomorrow...

This Time

Evan has a drinking problem.  He's pretty much guaranteed to spill at least one or more drinks in the course of a day.  It doesn't matter if it's a juice box, Capri Sun bag, open cup, lid-topped, or padlocked sippy cup.  He WILL SPILL!  It's just a matter of when and where.  So... one evening this week, I was in the living room while the boys were (I THOUGHT) creating their latest lego creation at the kitchen table.  All of a sudden, there was the sound of crashing ice and liquid and "Awww, MAN!!" coming from their location.  I bolted into the room and there was a half-empty cup in the middle of a large pool of 7-UP and ice amid a scattered pile of legos, the day's mail and my two sons staring at me in anticipation of the THUNDER they knew was coming.  The fact that Nathan was holding the 7-UP can and looking VERY busted was the first clue that it was NOT Evan, for a change.  But just to make sure I knew, Evan threw up his hands and, with a big smile of surprise, said, "Dad! It wasn't ME this time!"

Marshmallow Mouth

Evan has a sensitive sniffer.  He's always quick to let me know if my breath is less than favorable.  He usually nails me when I kiss him goodnight.  That almost always happens BEFORE I prepare for bed myself.  So, he tells Laura and I, "Ooo... Your breath STINKS!  You need to brush your teeth!"  Well, one recent evening, he was having difficulty falling asleep and wandered into my room just as I was getting into bed.  Knowing he would fall asleep quickly beside me and I could then return him to his bed for the night, I invited him up.  As he snuggled up to me, I turned out the light and stroked his hair a little as I whispered, "I love you, Evan!"  He replied, "Daddy, did you brush your teeth?"  Well, I DID! AND, I flossed and rinsed with Listerine, so I was a little concerned by his asking (and thinking, it's not me - it's YOU, pal!).  "Yes, I did."  His next comment was quite hilarious... "Sometimes, after I brush my teeth, my mouth tastes like marshmallows."  I chuckled and replied, "Really?"  "Yeah... I DON'T LIKE the taste of marshmallows!" 

Note to self: Check the boys' toothpaste flavor!

Love Fest

Nathan and Evan had a surprisingly weird  GOOD day together this past weekend!  It was Saturday, and Laura had gone to work after lunch.  The boys were playing with legos, and Evan decided to work a jigsaw puzzle (he's become very "into" and good at these lately).  He was trying to figure out part of the puzzle when he asked Nathan, "Hey, Nathan! Can you help me with this puzzle?"  Instead of the usual big-brother growl of not wanting to help his little brother, Nathan STOPPED WHAT HE WAS DOING (I KNOW! miRACulous, right?!) and helped Evan with that puzzle and then ANOTHER one.  Afterward, they played together for a couple of hours without fighting and I started wondering if they'd eaten something funny.  It was so PEACEFUL!  I remembered Psalm 133, "How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!" As I thought about that passage, it had much greater depth and wisdom than ever before.  King David KNEW about brothers and their fighting - the man had 13 sons that we know of!  He knew what he was talking about, which is why he concluded the short psalm with, "For there the LORD bestows his blessing, even life forevermore."  Ahhh... if only this love fest could've lasted beyond that small afternoon window of time!

Water Boys

As the boys are taking swimming lessons all week, I thought I'd post some recent pool pics of my little fish... although most of the pics are out of the water...

Awesome Day

It was a day like any other day - hot, humid, frequent arguments between the boys... and I, well, I was just plain tired.  Tired of Evan's whining, tired of customer issue calls on my day off with my family, and just plain physically tired!  But, I got to spend some quality time with the boys while Laura went off to get herself pampered at the salon.  When she returned, we all helped dig up a tree/bush that had died from several winter freezes.  After I chopped the root ball free from the soil and hauled it off to the street, I heard Nathan over my shoulder declare, "Mom! Did you SEE DADDY DO THAT?! He's SUPER STRONG!! That was AWESOME!"

Later, we returned from some errands when I noticed a small dead branch caught in the gutter just over the front door of the house.  I had Nathan hold the bag in my hand while I launched myself to the roof's edge and yanked the branch down.  I'll admit, I was a little surprised I got it on the first try.  Or at all, without a stool or ladder.  But, Nathan just stood there with a big smile and eyes alight with pride as he declared, "DAD! You're AWESOME! That was COOL!  Mom, did you SEE that?!"

One day, a few years from now, none of that will impress my sons, but shhhhh... Allow me to bask in my Awesome Day for a little while longer!

No Hurray for Hollywood

We checked out The Muppet Movie from the library recently, along with some other older videos.  Personally, I never got into the Muppets as a kid, but I figured the boys might enjoy them.  They apparently share my lack of interest in Kermit, Ms. Piggy and company.  We watched, waiting for something funny to happen, and wondered if we should have just enjoyed our popcorn watching paint dry somewhere instead.  For those who have been spared the story, blah blah blah... the Muppets go to Hollywood. So, it was no real surprise when, a week after the viewing, Nathan said (out of nowhere), "Mom, are we ever going to go to Hollywood?"  Laura: "I don't know, honey, why do you ask?"  Nathan: "I don't want to ever go to Hollywood, because I might run into some of those Muppets!!" And, little does he realize just how many "Muppets" there really are in Hollywood!  8D

Nathan's "MySpace"

Driving in the car, I wanted to find a phone number for a local business.  I have a small business-only phone book that I keep in the back pouch of the passenger seat for just such occasions.  When I reached for it, there was no phone book, only several legos, a book, and the most recent kid's meal whatchamathingy.  "Nathan, do you know where the phone book is that was in that pocket?"  "I took it out." "Son, I want to keep that in there for when I need it."  "But, Dad, can't you find another place to keep it?!"  "Nathan.  I have a place for it.  Why did you move it?"  "Because I've got toys in there and some of them are breakable!"  Really.  Needless to say, we had a discussion about having discussions about these sort of things before he just decides on his own how things should be as the world revolves around him.  These are great opportunities to examine the sin of selfishness - for both of us!

Dumb Music

Both of our boys love music. They enjoy a variety of styles, from rock to kid's pop to worship to jazz... Although, I have to admit there are some styles that are just not very common in our home.  Though we will give an occasional listen to some clean hip-hop samplings (Toby Mac, for example), we rarely if ever listen to country music.  Not that there's anything wrong with those who do - we're just rockers and worshipers at heart, so country music has pretty limited air time in our home or car.  That might explain why, when a young girl drove by the house with windows down and cheesy country song blaring out, Nathan made a face and exclaimed, "Man! Why's that girl playing that dumb music so loud?!" 

Rock on, little brother!

Nature Boy

Both of our boys like the outdoors. They both enjoy playing outside, exploring nature and digging in the dirt.  But Nathan is not a fan of bugs.  Or snakes.  He thinks lizards are cool, but he's not that big on trying to catch them.  Evan, on the other hand, is a "hands-on" kind of guy.  He catches lizards, love bugs, roly-polys, june bugs, flowers, snakes... Yes, snakes.  Just this Saturday, the boys were helping me lay down some fresh mulch on top of the flowerbeds when Nathan started yelling, "DADDY!  Come see, QUICK!  Evan's got a snake!!"  I walked over to where they were standing as Evan excitedly held up the skinny little 1-1/2 foot garden snake he'd captured.  "Look, Dad! I found a SNAKE!"  I congratulated him and reminded him not to pick up snakes unless he asks me first because some snakes are poisonous and can hurt us.  We then placed his new friend back under the tree to help keep the bugs away from the flowers.  Unfortunately, Evan's grip on the poor guy had been a little too firm.  I'm trying to instill in my son that he can appreciate nature through observation.  Otherwise, we're going to run out of flowers, lizards and friendly snakes before June!

Snap to it!

Our church had planned a family fun day for today with games and crawfish boil after the service.  The boys were outside checking things out during setup while I was rehearsing with the worship team inside.  A short while later, Evan came into the sanctuary looking upset and made his way to me on stage.  We were between songs and I knelt down to see why he had such a sad face.  He said, "Daddy, I was outside trying to catch a crawfish... and... he snapped my finger! (bwaaaa...) He was so tough as he came all the way inside to tell me what happened, and then collapsed into me with tearful sobs.  I told him I was proud of him for being so brave and pointed out that he wasn't even bleeding (though I knew how much that hurts). I sent him back out with a caution, "Now you know to be careful with those critters!"  I figured he was done with catching any of them, but I was wrong.  He caught one, alright.  He just managed to find one without any claws! 

God made it that way...

Driving down the road, we passed a familiar grassy field.  Nathan pondered, "I wonder why that big field over there is just sitting there with nothing on it..."  Evan shared his wisdom: "Nathan, GOD made it that way... in case we wanna play FOOTBALL!"

Learning to give

We try to instill in our boys a sense of giving. Whether money, time, resources... we believe it is an important value to pass on.  As most of you are aware, brothers sometimes have a hard time sharing with each other, let alone out-right giving to one another.  So, when Nathan approached me with the five dollar bill he had received for his first front-tooth via the Tooth Fairy, I was a bit surprised at his whispered request: "Dad, can I give this five dollars to Evan so he can buy a car like mine?" (Nathan had purchased a small police car with some Christmas money he'd saved a number of weeks ago, while Evan had spent all of his money and could not afford to buy one.)  "It's your money, son," I whispered back, "if you want to give it to your brother, it's your choice."  He stood up tall, walked over to Evan and offered the bill, "Here, Evan.  I want you to have this so you can get a car or truck or bus or something like mine." Evan looked at Nathan, curiously. He looked at the five-dollar bill. "Thanks, Nathan!" he said, as he gave me a "how-'bout-THAT?!" look.  I called Nathan over and gave him a hug. "I'm proud of you, son!  Do you know what giving Evan that money means?"  "What, Dad?" "It means you LOVE your brother!"  As he pulled away, he exclaimed, "NO it doesn't! I just want him to have a car like mine!"

Bye-Bye Baby 2

On Tuesday, Nathan came home from school with one of his front teeth in a bag pinned to his shirt. "How did that come out?" I asked him. "Mrs. Rhoney pulled it out!"

(Toothless Tuesday)

On Wednesday, the boys had just been tucked into bed and lights turned out when there was a knock on the wall between our rooms.  I knew Nathan needed something, because Evan will just appear out of nowhere when he needs something - Nathan knocks on the wall!  Anyway, by the time I got up to go, Evan was coming down the hall... "Daddy! Nathan needs you to come see!" (the urgency in his voice did not alarm me, as I am accustomed to my boys' knack for melodrama)  "What's the problem?"  "Nathan's trying to get his tooth out!"  Envisioning blood all over his pillow and sheets, I hurriedly flipped on their light as I rushed to Nathan.  "What's up, pal?"  "My other tooth is loose and I wanna just pull it out so it doesn't bother me."  And... the whole family congregated in the bathroom for 15 minutes while Nathan, the tooth-wrangler, extracted the bloody little chiclet that had served him well for nearly six years!  Good job, Nathan!

(Wide-Gap Wednesday)

♪M I SS I ♫ Double-S I PP I ♪ Mississippi...♫

A Pictorial of our recent trip...

When in Oxford...

At the Universuhtay...

Where there's water... there's Evan!

Sitting with William Faulkner...

Buffalo Park, Tupelo, MS

Monster-Tire Bus Tour

Feeding the Buffalo... "that one's Psycho"

"Huh! His name is Psycho?"

"No, his name's Fred, but he IS psycho!"

(step back from that buffalo, boys!)

"Joe" Camel. He didn't smoke for us, but he did eat out of Evan's hand!

These guys look related...

When Zebras and Donkeys hang out unsupervised, you get a Zedonk!

Evan feeding goats...

Nathan feeding goats...

Laura feeding a Giraffe...

Nathan feeding himself...

Evan hang-gliding (sort-of)...

Redbuds everywhere...

Bedtime story with Granny...

Bye-Bye, Baby!

It's a sign-o-the-times... Nathan has already lost four of his lower front baby teeth, the last of which was just before Easter.  Today, he came home with a small bag pinned to his shirt containing one of his top front teeth!  He was so proud...  (The tooth fairy might have to pay this boy on an installment plan!)

Speeding a Little Bit

Running late for Home Group...
Trying to get boys to put on their shoes and quit playing...
"BOYS! Get your shoes on - we're already running late and haven't even left yet." 
Nathan: "Dad, if we speed a little bit, we can still make it on time!" 
Where does he GET this stuff from?
(Oh, yeah...)

Get A "Wood"

Visiting Granny and Grandpa in Oxford, the boys enjoyed the up-close nature of their backyard.  The "cabin-in-the-woods" feel of the back deck and wooded area was a new experience for them.  They got to see deer come up to eat and play in the early morning and enjoy the relaxing breeze and view of dogwoods and redbud trees amidst the forest 'scape.  Taking it all in from the deck swing, Nathan informed Laura, "Mom, when we go home, I wanna get a wood in our back yard!"  Sorry, buddy, but it doesn't work that way...

Exercise

One of the parks we visited in Oxford was a converted former golf course with connecting walking/jogging paths and lake among other features.  As we were all walking one of the large paths around the park, some girls jogged past.  Nathan suddenly took off running behind them, with Evan in tow.  I figured they would stop a short distance ahead and come back or just wait on us.  WRONG!  Nathan kept running up a hill and past it, completely out of sight.  Evan stopped at the crest of the hill to look back and then disappeared with Nathan.  They were already a good bit ahead of us, and the lake was over that hill.  So were a number of random strangers.  And their dogs, both big and small.  Some not on leashes.  And the sun was almost completely set.  And the lighting was poor, as the park technically closes at dusk.  So, I ran... I ran so far away... (that's for you Flock of Seagulls fans).  Anyway, I started jogging, expecting to see them just past the crest of the hill.  NOPE!  When I got to the top, I saw them waaaayyyyy..... down past the lake, STILL RUNNING!  AWAY FROM THE LIGHTED AREA, and into a dark trail area behind a cluster of trees.  "NAAAATHAAAN!" I shouted.  Of course he couldn't hear even MY big mouth, because he was so far away.  I finally caught Evan's attention, as he was lagging behind Nathan and he stopped and returned to me.  I caught a glimpse of Nathan coming around the other side of the trees, still running close to the college girls that started this mess.  I headed down an intersecting path, but there was not enough time and with the wind in his face he didn't hear me calling him.  Finally, I lost sight of him in the darkness of night.  With Evan too tired to run with me and my mom and Laura too far back to leave Evan with, I prayed for Nathan's safety and wisdom and walked steadily onward.  Finally, I saw a small figure in the shadowy trail near the parking area ahead of me.  "NATHAN!" "Hey, Dad!"  "WHAT in the WORLD have you been DOING the last 20 minutes, son?!"  "I was running!"  "WHY did you just keep running and running so far away from us?"  "I was EXERCISING!... I LIKE to RUN, Dad!  I wanna run some more!"  Suffice it to say he's now VERY CLEAR that running clear out of our sight is a no-no!

Smoke Free

We were walking into McAlisters in Oxford (the original that started them all!) and there was a sign on the entry door that read, "Smoke Free".  Nathan, who is eager to read everything he sees now, said, "Hey, Dad, they let people smoke in here for free?!"  Good stuff.

Almost There?

Y'know how all those kids in the TV shows (and many real-life kids) always nag their parents on road trips with "are we THERE yet?" Well, I found it kind of impressive that Nathan started into the age-old whining routine with a question that revealed his understanding of the obvious.  I mean, it was obvious that we were not THERE yet because, well, we weren't.  So, he never asked that question.  Rather, he asked, "Dad? Are we ALMOST THERE?"

Easter Dogs

Back on Valentines Day, Laura took the boys to Build-A-Bear and they both made dogs instead of bears.  So, for Easter, she decided to get the dogs some new digs with bunny ears.  We were leaving for North Mississippi right after church, so instead of doing the Easter baskets beforehand, she had them waiting for them in the car when we left... though you can't see them, the dog-bunnies were sitting on candy-filled Easter buckets - a GREAT idea for a 7-hour road trip!! Thanks, honey.

Brothers n Fries

Dark. Late. The smell of Canes' Chicken filled the car. Nathan was the keeper of the box. Though he'd been instructed to wait until we got home, his hunger drove him over the edge and he just couldn't keep his little fingers off of those fries!  I knew what had happened without looking.  The sudden burst of chicken aroma let me know the seal had been broken.  A quick glance in the rear-view mirror confirmed it - Nathan was stuffing several fries in his mouth as the street lights flickered across his guilty-but-worth-it expression.  Evan fussed, "Daddy, I want some fries!"  "Son, I don't have any fries - you need to ask Nathan."  "Nathan! Gimme some fries!" he demanded.  I knew Nathan was not going to give him any with that kind of attitude.  The boys know to ask for things better than that, and Nathan often views himself as Evan's third parent when it comes to teaching right and wrong.  Nathan didn't disappoint, "Evan, 'gimme some fries' is not working for me.  Try asking the right way."  Evan was hungry enough not to fight over methods. "May I please have some fries, Nathan?"  How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!(Ps.133:1

Grandparents' Day

The boys' school held their annual "Grandparents' Day" on April 1st (no relation) and they were very excited.  Evan must have been a little nervous, because he didn't fall asleep until sometime way after ten the night before.  I know this because of several visits to my room before he finally stayed in bed around 10:30.  Everyone was there on time, though, and "Paw-Paw" and "Nana" said the boys were quite impressive with their class songs and individual participation in showcasing their knowledge and skills in the classroom.  After the presentations, the boys got to leave with P & N and ride in "the convertible" - a much anticipated highlight of the day.  They enjoyed a fried shrimp lunch, trip to the Park and ice cream @ Lafayette's landmark Borden's shop.  After several hours of adventure, they headed home to tell me all about it.  Nathan was all smiles...

Evan, as you can see in the pics above/below, was OUT!  (He napped for 2 1/2 hours!)

Nathan insisted he was NOT tired and did not need a nap. 

As I predicted, he was the first to pass out that evening...

Thanks Paw-Paw & Nana for making the boys' day special!

Sanitor Evan

It was time for the weekly vacuum run and as I started in on the kitchen, Evan came running in.  "Daddy! I wanna do it! I wanna do it!"  My first thought was that I needed this to get done quickly and completely and I should do it myself this time.  However, I know that any opportunity to teach the boys responsibility - especially when they're so eager to do it - is a golden moment.  So, I removed the middle section of pipe from the vacuum tube and let him rip.  He cleaned the kitchen, the living room, the hallway AND the bathroom.  If I hadn't told him we were done, he'd be next door cleaning their house right now.  Call him "SANITOR Evan" please - he's worked hard for his title! 

Brutally Honest

We have a tradition of tucking the boys in their bunks and praying with them each night.  Frequently, when I pray with Evan, I kneel next to him (he's on the bottom bunk) and put my face next to his while he snuggles with me as we pray.  Usually, this takes place before Laura and I are ready for bed, as was the case this evening.  I had tucked Nathan in and prayed with him first, then knelt next to Evan.  As I began to pray for him, he turned his head away from me and said, "Oooo, Daddy! Your breath is STINKY!  You need to brush your teeth and then come back and pray with me!"  Now, we had taco salad for dinner and I did sneak a couple oreos afterward, but I was feeling pretty bad that Evan was giving me such a hard time.  I turned my face away from his to finish praying for him without making him sick, when he made another declaration: "Aww, Man!  Daddy, your hair stinks, too!"  This time, I sat up and responded, "Hey, pal! I'm not ready for bed yet, so give me a break!  Besides, there's no reason my hair should stink as bad as you say it does."  "But Dad," he replied, "your hair smells like crackers... or somebody's smelly feet!" MAN!  All I can say is that if anyone at our house knows about getting dirty, it's Evan, so I'm off to take care of some serious personal hygiene issues...

Rock, Paper, Scissors... EVAN style!

For some reason, our dinner conversation moved to the rock, paper, scissors game.  Nathan said he had played it at school before, and that it wasn't a very fun game.  I told him he'd just not played with an RPS Master.  "What's THAT?!" he asked.  "This," I said, as I proceeded to play him in a fierce round of the game.  After we had a few minutes of fun and laughter, Evan said he wanted to play.  I explained to him how to play the game and he joined Nathan and I on our side of the table.  I chose scissors and cut their papers. "I won that one, guys."  Next round, Nathan and I chose rock and Evan had an "unauthorized" entry.  Instead of two fingers for scissors, he had his thumb up and his pointer finger sticking out - like a gun.  Nathan and I looked at each other and then at Evan.  "What's that, Evan?" I asked.  "POW! It's a GUN!"  Yep, guns pretty much take care of rocks!  Who's the RPS Master now?

Praying FOR Tongues

The boys were in the tub when Nathan asked Laura, "Mom, how does our tongue move around like this? (wagging his side to side) And, like this? (curling up the sides to form a tube)" Laura explained that our tongue is a muscle used to talk, taste, etc. The boys both thought that was pretty cool, and they playfully stuck them out at each other with silly faces. As she stepped out of the bathroom to get a towel, Laura said, "Thank God for tongues!" As the door closed behind her, Evan took her literally and prayed, "Thank you, God, for my tongue. In Jesus' Name, Amen!"

They Grow Up So FAST!

That's what everyone says, and it's true! Seems like we just brought him home from the hospital yesterday, and now he's GRADUATING!! Ok, so it's only Kindergarten graduation, but STILL!!

Gone Fishin'

The boys received a Betta fish for their birthday from the Biloxi Pecks. It was a beautiful crown-tailed fish with a nice little tank and everything it needed. They named him Lightnin', after the Cars movie character, and he was a lot of fun to watch. He would play in his tank, come up to the boys when they got close and even "moon-walk" with fins in full display. Then he got sick after Christmas and by the time we realized he needed help it was too late. Laura was the most saddened, followed by me. We felt we let poor Lightnin' down by not recognizing his illness and helping him sooner. The boys' biggest problem was deciding who gets to flush him - so I did it and they waved by. Before the toilet tank refilled, they were planning a trip to get Lightnin' II. So, after a few days we began our search. Y'know, there are a lot of ugly Betta fish out there! The struggle to find as handsome a fish as Lightnin' made his loss more disappointing. So, we decided to pass on Bettas and get a 10-gallon tank with several fish. We got all the gear, picked out some fish and set it all up. Two lyre-tailed mollies (an orange one called Flame and a dalmation named Blue), two tiger-barbs (Hotty and Toddy), and two serpae tetras (Bucky and Lucky) fit the bill for starters. We followed the fish shop's instructions and they were all doing great. Blue was the bigger fish and he was also the biggest eater (and pooper - just ask the boys). Flame was the most active, and the other guys seemed to enjoy the company of their immediate relatives as they swam around in pairs. Less than 48 hours into the new deal, Blue turned belly-up and face-down. Within a week, ick attacked the rest and they were all gone! A month later, and we've finally got the tank cycled and three healthy replacement survivors - 2 Dalios (sp?) named Phineas & Ferb along with a black molly named Blue. New arrivals soon!

Cost-Cutting Advice

We'd had a hurried week, with hectic schedules and out-sourced meal preparation and I needed to put the brakes on the eating out. I had picked up the boys from school and they wanted to know where we were going. "Home" was an unacceptable answer - they wanted to go "somewhere"!

"Not tonight, boys, we've been going all week and we need some home time - your fish are missing you."

"But, Dad, what are we gonna eat for dinner? We don't want to eat anything at home!"

"Boys, we've been eating out a lot lately, and we're eating at home tonight."

"Why, Dad? We like to eat out!"

"Eating out costs a lot more than eating at home, so we're eating at home."

Nathan: "Hey Dad, I've got an idea! We can just go through the drive thru and then eat it at home!"

(Someone HELP - my son is thinking like a Democrat!)

No Tears for Daddy

Trying to get the boys to the car for school, Evan stopped at the door to kiss Laura goodbye. He turned toward the car and hesitated. (NO, not that look! DON'T turn back around!) But he did - he got that look - the one that says, "I don't want to leave Mommy today." The one that means a struggle is coming. The look that betrays a deep longing in the heart of a child to just go back inside and snuggle with his mother for the rest of the morning. (Aww MAN! Not today!) I ran to the door to scoop up the deserter as he ran inside the house and grabbed Laura's leg. "I wanna stay with YOU, Mommy!" (kiss, hug, prying, crying, fighting to strap him into his seat as he showers me with warm tears and snot)...
Why does traffic back up more on the days you're running a few minutes late with a child in the backseat whining, "I want Mommy" for 20 minutes straight? Funny, though, as soon as we pulled onto the school drive, the crying stopped, the backpacks went on, hugs and kisses for me and then, "bye, Dad" from each as they jumped right out and headed to class without a hitch. Amazing. Thank you, God! (Wait a minute! No tears for ME?!)

Hand-Me-Down SLAYER

Evan's birth came at a great time, economically speaking, because he was born the same month as Nathan (two years later). So the hand-me-down deal has been golden! Now, Nathan gave some wear and tear to his clothes, but most have lasted well enough to serve both boys. Let me just say that it's a good thing we don't need many of them a third time, because Evan is a "the buck stops with me" kind of boy. While we have sent some clothes on to their cousin, Blake, I'm sure most of them will be "play" clothes. Evan is a slayer of hand-me-downs. He eliminates the possibilities of even his new clothes being passed on - usually within the first two wearings. Paint, mud, markers, tears, food... if you want to know what Evan was into on any given day, all you have to do is look at his clothes. I love that he is a "grab life by the horns" kind of kid. But when you live like that, you have to expect a higher turnover rate in clothing!

All I want for Christmas '09

After much thought and planning, sending out various idea lists and securing all of the intended items, the boys popped off with a last minute "I really want" request. A scooter? Where did that come from? They had apparently enjoyed the new discovery at a friends' party over a late December weekend and knew they had to have their own. Thankfully, it was one of the simple twenty dollar kind. Toys R Us had them on sale and they each got a Razor scooter along with the other Christmas gifts. Who knew that those scooters alone could have saved us a lot of hassle if we'd only given only them? I mean, they like their microphones and PA setup, the playset rockwall and the various gifts from family. But the one item they have spent more time with/on is their scooters! Amazingly, as nervous as Nathan had been about riding his bike before without training wheels, he is already performing tricks and stunts on his scooter. Thankfully Evan can't get my truck tailgate down to ramp off of the bed, but I won't let him take his scooter in the backyard unsupervised because I KNOW he's probably dying to ride it down the slide!