Sharing

I just don't get it....

My husband is a wonderful man, but ever since I've know him (almost 14 years now), he has always refused to share his food with me. When we were dating, I would ask for a bite of his donut and he would tell me no and that I should I get my own. At first, I thought he was kidding, then I realized that he was totally serious. No matter what he was eating, it was always that same response. Initially, I kept trying to talk him into sharing "just a little bite" with me, in hopes that I would succeed - not because I wanted it, but it was more to make a point. After this many years, I have just resigned myself to the fact that this is the way it will always be...or so I thought.

But then recently, my husband started sharing. No, it's not even with me...it's with our son! Every time one of us is eating something, our three year old comes begging. He loves to be a part of everything we do, including eating what we are eating (even if that means having two dinners!) I can't even believe how it is that I can't get anything out of Frank, but yet Michael can just look up at him, give him a little smile, simply ask for a bite and is immediately given whatever he wants. (Ok, I guess I have to admit - I really can't tell him no either. If you had those big browns looking up at you, you probably couldn't deny him!)

Anyway, it's really not a big deal. I just found it very interesting how kids bring a whole new dynamic to the relationship. I love my hubby and he does so many wonderful things for me that I can easily overlook his lack of sharing! :-)

The Shoes

A few weeks ago, a friend and I had gone shopping for shoes for an upcoming wedding that I will be participating in. We came home with two pair. I thought I would try them both on again and make a final decision as to which one I would keep and which one I would return. I had left them in the living room so that I wouldn't forget to make the return right away.

The following day, this is what I found....

I would hope that you would notice those aren't my legs. Mine may be hairy - but not THAT hairy! :-)

I thought I would keep the above individuals' identity a secret for now...I may need some appropriate blackmail material for later!

Sidenote - although I really liked both shoes, we opted for the white ones.

Hold on AJ!!!

I try to rotate the boys' toys regularly so that they don't get bored. I happened to bring this wagon upstairs a few weeks ago thinking that Michael would love to put stuff in it and push/pull it around. It didn't take long before I realized what the "stuff" would end up being. Sure enough...Michael soon told me that he wanted to put AJ inside and AJ was more than happy to comply. So, I figured that it wouldn't hurt, as long as I was there to supervise.

As you can see from the pics, both boys were thrilled with the new arrangement. That is - until AJ decided that he had enough and wanted to get out. Michael wasn't quite done with him yet! At that point, I had to save AJ (thus no pics).

Busy, Busy, Busy

I know it's been forever since I've posted anything. Time seems to have gotten away from us. Frank has been crazy busy trying to keep up with his TWO full time jobs, especially since he was responsible for two events for the youth and helping out at Kids Camp in his usual capacity (games). He did an amazing job with all of them. Over 200 kids attended Stretch (the junior high event that he organized). It was awesome! Kids Camp Big Top (circus theme) followed Stretch and was also a huge success. We had approx 959 children this year. It was unbelievable! Three days later, Frank headed away to Escape (the high school retreat). He took approximately 50 students this year. Another great event - especially when one of the students was baptized at the end of the retreat! You can see videos of all three events if you go here.

The boys and I have been busy as well. Since Michael will be turning three next week (which I totally can't believe), we are starting the transition from Early Intervention to the Intermediate Unit. This means a bunch of new evals and meetings, but most of all the end of his current therapies. He has seen all of these therapists (physical therapist, occupational therapist, speech therapist and a teacher) on a weekly basis for over two years now. I'm getting emotional just typing this. I can't begin to describe how difficult this transition is since we won't be able to continue with this same group of therapists. They have been absolutely amazing. We have developed such a bond with these people. They have been with us and supported us during the most difficult time of our lives. We are all in awe at how far Michael has come, especially considering where he started. He continually amazes us every day.

We were also busy with Kids Camp. Michael had a great time as a member of the Tiny Tumbler team (all fellow 3 year olds). It was here that he saw Ella (his first female admirer). Ella's mother was telling me how she would get a smirk on her face and a twinkle in her eye when she would talk about Michael. How sweet! (Or maybe I shouldn't encourage it!?) Michael is still talking about his favorite memories from Kids Camp - the singing, the clapping, the snacks, the BIG (and I mean REALLY big!) balloon that he got to "hold", the big elephant (50 foot elephant on top of the building), and his friends.

I volunteered to work with the snack team again this year. I love working in this area. We are under a tent (which is a major bonus), working with big tubs of ice (we can easily cool off), out in front of the building (where we can see everything going on outside) and have breaks when the teams are busy with other activities (we can sneak inside and catch some of the drama, music and group time). It's also really nice because I can check on AJ periodically. He was in Babyland this year. He seemed to enjoy his time in there. Every time I peeked in the window, someone was holding him or playing with him. He was very spoiled. I really appreciate the group of volunteers working in there. They did an excellent job!

Anyway, that's a few of the highlights from the last few weeks. There is so much more to share. Hopefully, I'll be able to write more in the next few days.

Below are a few pics from Kids Camp.

Wilson

I like to call this my "Wilson" shot. For those of you wh0 have ever watched 'Home Improvement' - you'll know what I mean!

Stop Biting!!!

Michael has recently taken up biting - unfortunately, it's usually AJ's little hand that's on the receiving end. We are trying to correct this behavior, but in the meantime...poor AJ!


This wonderful photo session ended in tragedy for AJ after Michael bit him!















































As you can see below, poor little AJ got bit yet AGAIN!!!

Anyone have any great suggestions as to how I can break this naughty, little habit?