Category Archives: Holidays

My Life: The Reality Show

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It has been a trying few weeks, to say the least. It all began on our first outing with MOPS on 10/18 when the boys and I met up with some moms and kiddies at Homeland Creamery.

We were ready to spend this crisp fall morning on a Piedmont dairy farm. But once we piled onto the tractor for the hayride, Zeke decided that he didn’t like hayrides: too slow, too full of hay, too many stops and too many rules (read: the one rule of “don’t stand while the tractor is moving”), yet definitely not enough close encounters with cows, blah blah blah.

Zeke (left) & Gabriel place flowers on a Houston family grave.

Unfortunately, Zeke’s complaints had on effect on his otherwise happy bros — such is the challenge of being a mom of multiple kids. Here and there, Gabriel and Houston would be disrespectful or blatantly contrary, but overall, they were pretty content and mannerly. And with Zeke having intermittent respites from the insanity, we survived the playdate fairly unscathed. However, this junket was just a harbinger of the familial struggles to come.

Zeke’s boisterous rebellions continued on into 10/19. Couple that with Houston and Gabe’s fair share of sporadic pre-K mischief, and I was worn out by the time we headed up to Virginia for my sister’s wedding, and a bit frantic for the Thursday-night wedding rehearsal.

Luckily, Lisa and Albert are such a natural, relaxed and loving couple that by the time the Friday-night wedding took place, I had gained some perspective and composure. It was a simple and beautiful ceremony, and I was honored to do the chosen New Testament readings and intercessions. Thanks, y’all, for allowing me to be a part of your awesome wedding!

Big brother shores up the flower decoration efforts.

That’s not to say that Zeke had abandoned challenging parental authority. In fact, he was so insubordinate during his pre-wedding bath that we almost kept him home from the marital festivities. But luckily, the rebellions were infrequent and short-lived.

The Saturday party at my parents’ house served as a catharsis for my ailing mommy soul. Things kicked off when Stephen was awakened at 4 a.m. to help Albert cook the whole pig and decapitated lamb over a charcoal rotisserie set up in the back driveway, got rocking with a bluegrass band and continued on until the wee hours. Families grew stronger and friendships were made.

That glorious Saturday, we rarely saw a perpetually gleeful Houston, who was trekking all over Gramsey and Papa’s property with an always-adventurous Cousin Kara. Gabriel and Zeke had a blast dutifully following the big kids around, and were certainly lavished with tons of attention in between exploits.

By 10/28, Zeke decided it was time to take a bold stand over what he saw as an inequity of toy trains during a playdate at Miss Lorrie’s, as well as vehemently voicing his concerns over the lack of track maintenance. And then this dramatic misbehavior reared its ugly head again en route to the NC Transportation Museum on 10/29, when Zeke decided to have a spaz over a fallen shoe.

The forearm tattoo of Ethan Houston of Johnson City, Tenn.

See, we were taking the whole family to ride the Halloween Train and meet up with some Charlotte friends as part of Gabriel and Zeke’s belated birthday present. So, we thought it would be a proper punishment to let all the kids (less Zeke) ride the train. This didn’t seem to have much effect on him, since he got to participate in all the other choo-choo-centric fun around the museum. Interestingly, he was actually quite well-behaved post-shoe-meltdown.

Then Zeke decided that Halloween was a good day to test boundaries, but on an amplified level. In the midst of ensuing chaos, I figured that I may as well seize the moment and start breaking Zeke of his thumb-sucking habit. After all, he was already being belligerent, so why not go ahead and paint Mavala Stop (the yucky-tasting stuff I had already bought) on his thumb nail?!

Despite our efforts to cut Zeke some slack, he made it abundantly clear that he didn’t want to be a team player or follow by the rules. Let’s just sum it up by saying that we didn’t let Zeke go trick-or-treating on Halloween. Can you imagine how drastic it was that we felt it necessary to have him miss out on the memorable holiday?!

Houston and Gabriel were concerned about Zeke at first, but trick-or-treating with neighborhood friends helped them get over that pretty quickly. They also had no qualms about devouring candy — which Zeke was prohibited to do that night — right in front of their treatless-bro when they returned home from their spooky escapades.

Granny gathers her boys @ the family cemetery entrance.

November has seen a drastically better-behaved Zeke and much happier family unit as a result. However, he has had full-fledge tantrums three out of the first four days of this month. These hysterical fits, which last up to an hour, have all taken place right when Zeke awakes from his nap. And just as quickly as they begin, they end and he is back to being himself … like the flick of switch.

From all the research I’ve done, I’m convinced that the cause of this behavior (which is considered normal in kids his age) is three-fold.

  1. Zeke’s horrible nighttime cough had been keeping him from getting much restful sleep beginning in late October, so I’m sure the fatigue built up to an intolerable level. (Luckily, his asthma meds are finally doing their job and his cough and sleep have improved in the past couple of days.)
  2. Zeke’s normal post-nap ritual of quietly chilling in his crib with fleece blankie and dependable thumb is no longer an option. This is obviously causing him immense grief and frustration.
  3. And breaking the thumb-sucking habit presents both a struggle with gaining independence and learning a new skill: he needs to be a big boy and not use his thumb as a pacifier.

In addition, we’re going to try giving both Zeke and Gabriel an increased feeling of autonomy with upping our potty-training efforts, having the twins use regular (not sippy) cups a lot more often, finally assembling one of our conversion cribs into a toddler bed, and moving bunk beds way up to the top of our to-buy list.

Gabriel & Zeke attend their first Grasshoppers game in August 2011.

Now if we could just break Zeke of his new favorite habit of putting objects in the potty; Gabriel of his penchant for ear-piercing whining; and Houston of his (thankfully) scarce vexation-induced outbursts of “I hate all things and want to die and don’t want to go to heaven,” we’d be all set. Ah, kids.

Believe it or not, before, during and after all this craziness, a lot of cool and memorable stuff has been taking place.

On 10/13, Stephen and I made our mortgage refinance official, locking in 15-year rate of 3.25%, down almost three points from our original contract. We had to take the 3 Amigos to the law office for the paperwork signing and they behaved brilliantly, coloring at one end of the huge, fancy legal table while we tended to our business at the other end.

Stephen and I celebrated our wedding anniversary on 10/14. Eleven years and we haven’t killed each other yet!

Houston chugs lemonade from our 3rd baseline seats.

Gabriel and Zeke’s birthday party took place on 10/15. We had a few Moms Club pals, our neighborhood posse, Granny and Grumps, Miss Jessie and some other friends over for an old-school fall bash, featuring bobbing for apples, a scavenger hunt, pin the tail on the donkey and a pinata. Our double trouble (who actually turned 3 on 10/16) had a blast, as did everyone else.

We wrote messages on the twins’ birthday balloons and released them into the sky on 10/24. The boys beamed with wonder as they watched the balloons ascend to the heavens. It was a creative way to get rid of the balloons, which so often cause fights between my boys.

Gabriel spit toothpaste into the sink for the first time on 10/25. He still hasn’t mastered the technique, but he’s getting there.

We attended Houston’s final t-ball game as a family on 10/26. What a nice way to end such a great season!

We attended the Moms Club Halloween party on 10/27.  The dudes looked so adorable in their homemade costumes (thanks, Miss Jessie). So, yes, there will be a few pics of Zeke dressed up as a pumpkin from this outing, as well as plenty of Houston as ghost and Gabriel as Vader from this party and from Halloween.

Zeke waits patiently to hug the Chick-fil-A cow.

I implemented the new 30-minute mealtime rule on 11/1. That’s how long the kids get to eat and not a second longer. This has made mealtime — which had become a dreadfully arduous task — a much more pleasant and efficient experience for me, and a more mannerly effort for the kids.

We went on our second MOPS outing on 11/2 to Backyard Paradise. The 3 Amigos (namely Zeke) made a much better impression than was made at the dairy farm. The kids loved climbing the huge play systems and bouncing on trampolines; Houston enjoyed spending time with his new buddy, Asher; and I actually got some time to talk with Miss Christie about homeschooling.

The vaccines Gabriel and Zeke got on 11/3 puts them one step closer to being caught up on their schedule. Only two more shots to go before they’re AAP-approved and we can start shopping around for a new pediatrician. Yay!

Gabriel thinks, “Who says you actually have to watch the game?”

What could have been an all-out crazy errand yesterday turned out to be a little less crazy and fun to boot due to my awesome friends. After a playgroup, I dropped the boys off for burgers at Wendy’s with Miss Lorrie, Miss Amy and their kids; took the van across the busy street to get an oil change; battled traffic, the wind and rain during my run back to the restaurant; ate my grub while the boys devoured their desserts; kept the kids occupied with balled-up napkin games and bubblegum-wrapper airplanes till the hour-plus car service was completed.

And going the extra mile, Miss Lorrie gave us a back-of-the-van ride to retrieve our vehicle, breaking the law in an effort to keep us safe and dry. Upon opening up the door to let us unload from the rear of her van, I joked that my life should be a reality show. Perhaps it could be called “It Doesn’t Take a Village, It Takes a Straightjacket” … for the kids, of course, not me. Well, I suppose that’s negotiable.

Click the above shot to check out photos of the family’s baseball outing and the tattoo to see pics from the Houston Family Reunion, both of which took place in August.

Mischief & Merriment

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“Rebecca Dillingham, please come to Child Watch” were the words amplified throughout the Y last week — a page I hadn’t heard since I first started taking them to the Y well over a year ago. Thankfully, no one was hurt. Rather, the 3 Amigos’ naughtiness was in high gear, and the childcare folks were simply overwhelmed with the antics — conduct they sometimes have to deal with from one of the boys, but never all three.

And even after a major talking to and varied punishments, a bedtime Houston said, “I have a secret to tell you.” So, I lean down and hear, “You’re the coolest mommy ever.” What a satisfying way to conclude that trying evening.

Luckily, this trilateral meltdown is an aberration of the dudes’ generally good behavior these days. Of course, they have their moments of misdeeds and impropriety, but overall, things have been hunky dory around the zoo.

I think it’s safe to say that Houston enjoys shooting Kara.

Miss Jessie 

Okay, so our already-beloved nanny kicks major butt! Although she began just a short time ago on 8/22, she is already playing a major role in schooling the boys and helping me maintain my sanity — and doing so in just 12 hours a week!

From her first day of making Play-doh creations, playing with Legos, reading and doing phonics with Houston, to her subsequent days of finger painting, light-saber battles and gun fights, flashcards and puzzles, Miss Jessie is just what the doctor ordered. She is particularly creative – for example, Jessie cooked up a batch of homemade Play-doh and let the boys color their own individually bagged amounts of the compound – so we incorporate arts and crafts in to most days.

Jessie’s presence has helped me already accomplish a few things I’ve been wanting to do with the kids, but didn’t have the time. Things like working on “Hooked On Phonics” with Houston, teaching Gabe and Zeke how to use scissors and glue (their first time was on 8/29 and they were both amazingly patient at learning the task and adept at following through on the activity), and giving Houston the extra time he craves for mastering penmanship.

In the beginning, I had loose lesson plans for our Jessie days. And since then, the two of us decided to have themed weeks by implementing the academic, the artsy and the active around a central idea. This week is all about “autumn” and the changing of the seasons. So, after an outdoor scavenger hunt for fall materials, the boys made a gorgeous leaf-imprint painting.

Ice cream is one of Zeke’s favorites, as is Cousin Meredith.

And this will hopefully tie well into next week’s tackling of “the solar system.” And a few other themes we have on tap are “fire safety,” “music theory” and “speaking Spanish.” Of course, the latter will entail an all-Spanish presentation by Daddy (he’s already nervous) and cooking and eating lots of Mexican food.

Church

The entire family is simply loving our move to Westover Church.  Stephen and I are taking a three-week break from our FOG (Families on the Grow) Sunday-school group to attend the Newcomers Class. We have learned even more about Westover’s philosophy and doctrine — which is just about perfect for us and our beliefs and goals as Christians — as well as discovered even more intimate, smaller-group classes that our church has to offer.

Another move we’re happy about is the “promotion” of the boys in their Sunday-school classes. Houston’s class is about the same level of awesomeness — Bible lesson, crafts, singing, inside play, outdoor fun, etc. — but Gabe and Zeke have made the huge and quite necessary leap from a baby-ish class to a big-boy learning environment, which involves all of what is offered in Houston’s class, but at an age-appropriate level. The twins are far less bored, making for a lot more double and a lot less trouble.

To our surprise, Stephen and Houston made the cover of Westover’s Septembers newsletter. The adorable shot of Daddy swimming with an elated Houston was taken from the church’s father-son campout they attended last month.

Houston does a mean Cookie Monster @ the Children’s Museum.

MOPS 

I also joined Westover’s MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers). It’s an international church-based organization that “equips moms to embrace their mothering instincts” and helps moms to develop “their own parenting styles, while navigating through the myriad of daily mom decisions.”

After just one meeting, I think MOPS will be fantastic. I clicked with all the gals at my table, which we’re assigned to for the duration of the club. And being that MOPS runs through May, all these moms and I should be pretty darn tight by the end of it all. Also, my group consists of moms who live in my neck of the woods, with the hope that this will promote tighter friendships and easier get-togethers.

My little social butterflies seem to enjoy the “Moppets” childcare, which is just a more casual version of their Sunday school lessons, but with some new friendly faces.

Big-boy accomplishments 

In an effort to get the twins accustomed to sleeping in a toddler bed, Jessie and I sometimes let the best-behaved boy nap in Houston’s bed, since big bro does his required “relaxation time” later in the day. Both Gabe and Zeke have pulled it off successfully a time or two, so the goal is that when we finally save up enough dough for bunk beds, the transition from the crib will be a smooth one.

We passed on some of Houston’s too-snug briefs to the twins as to get a handle on the potty training. I told myself I wasn’t going to stress about it till they turned 3, and now that we’re down to less than a month away from Gabe and Zeke’s birthday, Daddy, Jessie, the grandmas and I are in full get-er-done mode. Not only will sprained wrists and thumbs be a thing of the past, but not shelling out the the big bucks for diapers and wipes might even move us up an income bracket — although, in this economy, I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not.

Gabriel feverishly shops for produce & grains @ the museum.

Dental hygiene 

The kids had to go in for their six-month dental exam on Monday. Sure, we had Jessie there to help out, but it was incredible how far the boys have come in overcoming their fear and apprehension of a good teeth cleaning. This is most notable in Houston, who used to be truly terrified of going to Dr. Mike. He even got x-rays this time around, and handled it with grace and bravery. The twins have never experienced quite the level of dentist-phobia as has big bro, but their courageous behavior was quite tenacious, as well.

Dr. Mike did give us a reminder that we’ve got to work on breaking Zeke of his thumb-sucking habit. I wrapped his thumb in an Ace bandage before a nap one day this week, but he quickly removed the attempted cloth repellent. Why would I expect anything less?

However, Zeke has finally mastered the art of spitting out his toothpaste in the sink. We’ve been working on it for six months now, so thank goodness that pea-sized amount of fluoride isn’t getting in to his system anymore. However, we still have a ways to go with Gabe, who still insists on swallowing before doing his humorous version of a hardy spit. We’ll get there.

And yesterday, I began flossing Gabe and Zeke’s teeth, which turned out to be an amazingly easy undertaking. Yay for small miracles!

The museum’s humongous chair is always a hit for the kids.

Mealtime & going potty

I stole a great idea from one of our new guilty-pleasure TV shows, “Nanny 911”: marbles in a jar. The twins earn a “diamond” (read: a colored glass stone) when they go potty when asked, or two diamonds when tell me they have to go before the act takes place in their diaper. Houston earns a stone when he completes a meal without spilling his drink. The boys each have a fancy jar, which they decorated with paint and glued-on embellishments. Once the jar is full, the reward is one-on-one time with Daddy doing an activity of their choosing.

The next was an idea that Jessie built off of mine. I had been telling the boys that kids who aren’t polite during mealtime don’t eat at Chuck E. Cheese. (Yep, a white lie, for sure, but whatever works, right?!) Jessie decided to make a “teamwork” reward poster, where the kids have to earn 30 marks before getting treated to the fun that Chuck has to offer. A mark can only be earned when all three use good manners and don’t potty talk, making this our only good-behavior motivator that isn’t based on the individual.

Also, we purchased sit disks, which a physical therapist suggested we try out, once she found out we were doing pre-K at home and planned on homeschooling, as well. The partially inflated rubber “wiggle seats” are supposed to help active children sit still, which they actually do. So the seats not only help calm academic and crafty activities, but they’ve also made a huge difference at mealtime. Awesome!

Halloween fever

  • “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” is again in daily rotation. The twins laugh hysterically when Snoopy is a “shadow” (read: when he’s sneaking across the French countryside as the WWI flying ace and rising in Linus’ pumpkin patch).
  • The 3 Amigos are way into “Ghost-iz” (ghosts). They have some self-adhesive ones on their bedroom window that we named Scary Mary, Billy Boo and Rotten Boy (this one was Houston’s idea).

Zeke drives the fire truck w/ charisma & confidence.

  • There’s also Big J and Lil’ J: a plastic luminescent jack-o-lantern and his smaller, non-radiant counterpart.
  • And we already have the obligatory real pumpkin, Paulie, who guards the house from ghouls and monsters.
  • Costume update: Houston wanted to be a pirate, but now wants to be a Star Wars storm trooper. Zeke made the leap from wanting to be a cowboy to now wanting dress up like a pumpkin. And Gabe has never faltered: he will be Darth Vader.

Some other fun stuff

  • Stephen and Houston attended another Grasshoppers game on 8/30. Uncle Greg won a party package in a raffle, so they were treated to free admission, free food and box seats.
  • Houston’s t-ball has become a family affair. We have been attending his games and practices as a unit since it’s great fun for all. He is also doing superbly at picking up on the ins and outs of the sport.
  • Granny and Grumps visited Labor Day weekend. Happy belated birthday, Grumps!
  • And Gramsey and Papa stayed over one night last week. Thanks for the curtains!

Note: Please keep Zeke in your prayers because he in the throes of battling a nasty ear infection. Now that he’s medicated, we should get some decent sleep around here tonight.

Photos 

Finally, all the photos from Dina, Kara and Meredith’s June visit are available for your viewing pleasure. (Another “Thanks!” goes out to Cousin Merdy, who captured most of these early-summer memories.) Click the top pic to check out “Barber Park,” the ice-cream shot to see “McDonald’s” and the photo of Gabriel shopping for “Children’s Museum” fun.

What Remains of Spring

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It has been nearly a month since my last blog, a ton has been going on, time is especially tight these days, and we just spent a fun-filled weekend up in the mountains (details in the next blog), during which I snapped almost 80 pictures. So, to avoid getting extremely backlogged with this very part-time writing and photography endeavor, prepare for a chronological read.

5/20: The boys and I attended a GMOM picnic at one of my favorite parks. It was cool hangin’ with so many twins and getting to know all the moms and kids a bit better. There weather was perfect and the boys were well-behaved. Nice evening.

The most recent Clan Dillingham photo taken by our pal Steve w/ Sweeter Image.

5/22: Today was our first visit to Westover Church, a congregation of nearly 4,000 members. Sure, the number qualifies it as a mega-church, but it offers many personal, small-group opportunities. We do love our former small, country church, but Stephen and I have been attending Sunday services pretty regularly for more than four years, and we’re searching for something a bit different, as well as a place that provides more kids’ activities and youth education. So far, so good.

5/28: The family had a fantabulous time kicking off Memorial Day weekend at Miss Lorrie and Mr. Kendal’s house. Haylie and Savanah’s daddy cooked us yummy dogs and burgers, while the kids frolicked in the kiddy pool and bounce house. The evening also featured toasted s’mores, hiking in a field and good adult conversation.

5/29: Memorial Day began with church. We were not quite as as overwhelmed by the enormity of the facility today. We saw our old pal, Jeff, who was a regular at the Townhall meet-ups Stephen and I would frequent in our politically active, pre-parental days. We took this encounter as a good sign that Westover will be just our speed. Since all the boys got good reports from their teachers, we went out for a lunch of Indian cuisine. The kids were adventurous in trying new things and enjoyed flirting with our cute waitress.

Our celebration continued that afternoon and night with the boys first time backyard camping. They helped me gather kindling and then assisted me in building a campfire, while Daddy prepped the grill and food. To pass the time waiting for dinner, the 3 Amigos feasted on ears of raw corn and played with their flashlights on Liberty Loop.

Zeke enjoys munching watermelon & trying out big-boy undies for the first time.

Worn out from the feast, Gabriel was the first to pass out in the tent, and Zeke and Houston fell asleep soon thereafter. I camped out with them and was amazed that there was virtually no waking up throughout the night — just good hard sleep in the great outdoors. Stanley also graced us with his presence, sleeping half in and half out of the tent, with his butt being the “in” part, of course.

I didn’t plan on falling asleep as early as I did, but the boys insisted on my being in the tent, so poor Daddy had to hang out all by himself, although I think he ended up enjoying his alone time, and slumbering on the ground actually did my lower back some good. Grerat night for all.

6/1: Gramsey and Papa spent the night. They brought the boys water guns, and then an always-energetic Gramsey played with them out in the oppressive heat all afternoon. Papa oversaw the whole operation, while frequently escaping to the cooler indoor temps. A wonderful visit all around.

6/2: The dudes and I attended a greatly anticipated playdate at Miss Beth’s — a get-together that had been postponed from earlier sicknesses. The 3 Amigos got along wonderfully with cohorts Matthew and Jonathan. They played tee ball, hung out in the kiddy house, dug in the mulch, toy-mowed the grass and just ran around like little monkeys, before feasting on pizza and then cooling off indoors with cars, trains and Diego.

“Bee-bee-bee-yo-kee!” is probably what Gabe is shouting in this gleeful shot.

6/3: I hosted my first Moms Club playgroup. Luckily, the sunny weather was much milder than it had been earlier in the week — definite good fortune, since my event featured outdoor activities: swimming in our pool, playing with big buckets of water and, of course, exploring on Liberty Loop. The kids all played well together and the moms actually had some time to chit chat. I do believe the playdate was a smashing success.

6/4: I took the boys to the 5th birthday party of Dylan, a kid we know from Moms Club. The mostly outdoor event offered lots of physical fun, like a dinosaur bounce house and a gigantic playset, which featured a sweet tire swing and climbing apparatus. The 3 Amigos had a blast.

6/6: While leaving a doc appointment in the morning, I got into a fender bender when backing out of my parking space. Luckily, the kids weren’t with me and neither I or the other driver got hurt. It was a no-fault collision, so Stephen and I will be out a few bucks if we decide to get our rear driver-side door fixed, but in the grand scheme of things, we feel lucky ’cause it could’ve been much worse.

That afternoon, Houston began swim lessons at the Y. Only he and another kid, Jacob, showed up for the 5-person class. So, it was as if Houston and Jacob got semi-private lessons. Their coach, Miss Bethany, made amazing headway on that initial day of getting the boys comfortable in the water, and Houston and Jacob hit it off as insti-buddies. It was amazing to watch from the bleachers as my first born matures into such a cool, confident little man.

Zeke (seen suspended in mid-air), bros & Haylie celebrate Memorial Day w/ bouncing.

6/8: Let’s start off by saying that I went to the doc three times today — a telling note, to say the least. First, I got some blood work done to check on my cholesterol, and then the boys and I headed to the pediatrician for vaccines for Gabriel and Zeke. Two down, one to go.

While picking up the twins after Houston’s swim lessons, Zeke face-planted into the Child Watch door. At first I wasn’t that concerned, since he and Gabriel fall all the time, but once I saw blood gushing from his head, this mama began to freak. Once the Y folks and I got Zeke a little cleaned up and were able to see his wound, I decided that he probably did need a stitch or two. My original plan was to take Gabriel and Houston home to Daddy, and then I would take Zeke to the doc.

Well, by the time I got the kids loaded in the van, Zeke was acting kind of spacey and weird, so I borrowed a cell phone (yep, in case you didn’t no, I don’t own any type of handheld device), left Stephen a message and rushed off to the urgent care with three famished, exhausted toddlers: quite the perfect storm for parental stress. The 3 Amigos were in ultra-naughty mode, rarely giving me a moment’s peace. Although their intense hyperactivity caused me some angst, I did find solace in the fact that Zeke was exhibiting his normal, hyper behavior even before we saw the doc.

Houston impresses the ladies w/ his hardcore aquatic skills.

Stephen finally called the receptionist about about 1 1/2 hours into my arduous stay at the clinic. By this point, Zeke was already back being examined by the nurse, so I told Stephen not to bother making the trek. Soon thereafter, Zeke’s forehead was successfully glued together, saving him the trauma of localized numbing and a couple stitches. And at end of the procedure and without any urging from Mommy, Zeke said, “Thank you, doc-tuh.” It was quite the heartwarming moment. Sure, they’re a bit wild sometimes, but my boys can also be sweet as pie.

A few weeks back, it seemed as if Zeke had a constant battle going on between naughty and nice, with an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other. His behavior has drastically improved as of late. It’s not perfect, by any means, but it is much more tolerable. I mean, last time I blogged, I had cried pretty much every day that week, and felt frustrated and defeated. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, I have taken back control, regained my confidence (for the moment) and not shed one tear since then. Ah, motherhood … although it is intense and often thankless, it is also the toughest job you’ll ever love.

It is the oft-blogged-about Zeke, though, whose table manners have blown away the competition recently. Houston is always playing with his hands — making them fight each other like good guys vs. bad guys, or dive out of the air like bombs, or crash onto his plate like an exploding grenade, or shoot webs like Spidey, or march across the table like an AT-AT walker, etc. — and Gabriel is, as Granny would say, like a worm a hot ashes: rarely sitting still while eating. Truth is, there’s never a dull moment at mealtime.

Avid outdoorsmen Gabriel (foreground) & Zeke explore the wilds of Miss Lorrie’s backyard.

Gabriel, who thinks he is quite the comedian, likes to happily shout his made-up words, “bee-yo-kee” and “giddons.” The utterances have so persisted, despite Gabe and Zeke’s stellar success with speech therapy, that the words are simply part of the household lexicon with everyone speaking them and using them for any type of description and/or exclamation.

Houston has been a confident the singer for a while now, but the twins are catching up. The 3 Amigos especially love Veggie Tales songs and let it rip whenever they feel so inclined. They are also intent on finally learning and reciting their nightly “Now I lay me down to sleep” prayer and love yelling out prayer requests, such as Gabriel’s recent plea for “Free Comic Book Day.”

Due to a fabulously well-written letter to the Clerk of Courts, I got out of my jury duty … for now.

Click the top photo to see our family photos taken back in March, the solo photo of Houston to view our pre-Memorial Day fun and the melon shot of Gabriel to check out the May pics.