Hurricane Sandy...take me away!

Just when I think I am starting to get a fraction of my life organized, Hurricane Sandy pulls through town. I guess we won't really be getting the hurricane just the tropical storm portion.

This is Florida kid, hurricane or not you're still having your swimming lesson

Whatever, like it matters what the actual wind speed is outside when you are being held hostage in the house by two inmates. All this rain is making Jackson act like a puppy on the first cool day of fall...he's disposition is wild. He was building a train tonight, (yes that's a full size train that he's building in our garage, he does this when he isn't practicing his A-B-Cs) and next thing I know he's crying inconsolably. I just assumed  he finally realized that after he goes to bed we eat all sorts of cake and candy that he didn't know we had. But no...after about 3 minutes of wailing with real tears, I get him to tell me what's wrong...the train tracks fell off the table...that's it. I mean seriously the train tracks fell on the floor. He spends a great deal of his day launching all sorts of things onto the floor and across the house. This train has not been an exception and yet at this moment it was possibly the worst part of his day.

Needs the shades to hide the puffy eyes from all the crying

The other night he lost his mind completely when I put a sock on his right foot. He told me that he did not want that sock on that foot, he wanted it on the other foot...This was a real beauty of a break down. I was laughing so hard, which I generally do not do. I think it's mean to laugh when he is crying but for some reason the irrationality of this just caught me off guard. It was no laughing matter on his side, until I got that evil sock off his right foot and placed it directly onto his left foot where it belonged. Whew, crisis averted.

Perfect! Our junk drawer is now taped open...#RainyDayActivities

The sticker fairy found the trashcan...these were fun to get off

He also managed to explain the difference between a high note and a low note to me. This was done with the auditory aid of farts. He let out a loud whistle and said, "that's a high note momma." So proud of his work and his ability to tell the octave of his butt vibration. I just smiled and said, "sure sounded like a high note to me." What I didn't realize was that our music lesson was not complete. He then lets out a whopper and quickly points out, "that's a real low note!" I guess I never fully appreciated his musical ear, I better look into piano lessons immediately.
I really have been managing to get more done lately. Most days feel like I'm juggling while walking a tight rope in high heels. There really are just not enough hours in many of my days. But I have been consistently getting to the gym and that feels great. Jackson asked me if I took a nap at the gym...I guess the results of my hard work are not lost on him! Working out always makes me want to get into the bed earlier at night, but Luke has explained the importance of my staying up well past my desired bedtime of 10:30. I think his exact words were, "It's October, Sharron. Can you feel it? Are you excited?" If you don't know, it's playoff baseball time and now it's actually the World Series. So we have been up late watching the games and I managed to squeeze in a debate or two.

Here's Luke enjoying the debates

Don't be confused...this is Luke watching game 2 of the World Series...thank goodness I'm still up

Blake gets stronger and cuter everyday...

ready to start stirring some trouble up!

He has started to creep/crawl and now he is getting into Jackson's stuff...oh that just burns him up. I have already started to sound like my mom telling my older brother to just play with me. But Jackson does like to get into the crib with Blake in the morning when they both wake up. Blake likes to roll over onto Jackson and grab a handful of his hair...then Jackson starts screaming and the fun is over...just a preview of the rest of my life!
Well, I could go on and on, but I'm sure you have your own lives to attend to on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram!

Have a wonderful week, stay dry and stay safe...Sharron

Pit - Just realized that Jackson's relatives may really be scarecrows!

Note the uncanny resemblance...that's what you get with family from Kansas

 Peak - Here are the boys, first thing in the morning in Blake's crib!

Just before the screaming begins

Farm Fun...Vaca Part 2

Blake had some 6 month photos taken at the farm...Jackson felt it important to let us know how he felt about us interrupting his cow photographing time.

On our first night in Kansas we get to visit with one of my dearest, longest known friends...Our husbands only allow this to happen for one night, perhaps twice a year with our children supervising. If we were to be on our own, without the spying eyes of little children and with the phone number to a reliable cab we would be at some watering hole for hours gossiping and attempting to charge our bill to the Underhills. It is forever amazing to me that after nearly 30 years of knowing each other but with time and distance against us, we always pick up just where we left off. Its as if we will always just know too much about one another to not be friends. Jackson seemed to take a liking to her daughter this year, he kept trying to feed her his food. I don't know what that's about, apparently he likes a bigger girl. She is only 5 years older (little Cougar)...maybe we will be related one day!

Jackson and Alex...One can dream that he would find a girl so nice

The next day we leave civilization as I know it and head out to the farm.

Here he is...in heaven

I find it amazing that so many people ask me what in the world I will be doing on the farm...it seems I don't look like the farm sort?! The minute I step out of the car the real farmers take one look at me and hope I don't start putting make up on the cows. One year there was a calf in the barn and I wanted to bring it into the house 'cause it was so cold outside. This was not something that even crossed their minds...I have many good ideas like this but no one wants to listen.
Luke, however, is a real farm boy...Sexy, huh! He just hops his little Guess jeans wearing self up into a tractor and takes off. He took me out once to show me how to shoot a gun. As we stood there in the middle of God's country with an arsenal of weapons, I scanned the land for the nearest safe house, I could not see another home in any direction. My mother warned me, "don't let him blow your head off!" Something I had not thought of until we were standing in the middle of no where. I knew then that any of my usual irrational outbursts would be confined to suburbia.
So we are here...we made it...to the farm.

Bonfire and drinking...breakfast on the farm

Side note: I gave Jackson one of our old cameras, this was an attempt to get him to stop taking our camera. In doing so I now have photographic evidence of all the things that Jackson finds interesting. The farm photos are riveting. But it is his artistic expression and we should support it...blah, blah, blah...I'm just glad I don't have to pay to have all this "art" developed.
The farm is where the real fun for Jackson and the real drinking for me begins.

Perhaps the one and only picture that Jackson focused is of me holding a drink!

"The scary owl, I need to get a picture of it Momma!"

You see once securely in the midst of many family members in the middle of no where, there is not much else to do but eat junk, drink and pass the baby around (oh and shoot guns, which I try never to bring up). Jackson of course finds this to be liberating because his helicopter mother decreases her fly-bys. There is no one to kidnap the prince and most of the things that can really cause him bodily harm are too big for him to get onto without an adult. And without a doubt the adults that are on this trip all know how crazy I am that they would never do anything that I would not approve of...hahahaha! Enter the well meaning, nephew spoiling aunt! I hear Jackson ask for some of her drink, she of course says sure...I quickly intervene. Jackson only drinks water, milk, tea and orange juice. He has never had soda, and he has definitely never had diet soda...

Auntie Amanda - one of the top offenders at spoiling our kids...they love her!

Jackson gets to drive a tractor, get fresh eggs from the chicken coup, and play with all the farm cats.

Driving the tractor

He is mooing

He also discovered cheetos...we had a bonfire and there was lots of different food. I find my child running around covered in orange. I ask what have you been eating, he says quickly "Some new chips, we probably should get some." I make him show me the "new chips", there they were...cheetos. I'm not sure who allowed this to happen, but I am certain they were secretly laughing inside when they saw my face.
After our time at the farm, we went back to Kansas City. We had to make sure we made it to a Chiefs game. I graciously bow out of this family outing, I mean I have an infant and it is 40 degrees at game time. No thank you! But Luke decides taking our toddler would be an excellent idea. Jackson made it almost to half time. This is when he started explaining to Luke, 1,000 times in a row, that he wanted to go back to the hotel. Of course, he had cotton candy and likely a piece of candy off the bottom of one of the seats before returning. I guess he had fun...I have many pictures from his camera.

On their way to the Chiefs game...Jackson has a red finger flashlight on...

After all this vacation fun, I need a vacation of my own. This will entail me sitting alone in total silence drinking champagne from a bottle while someone rubs my feet...

Pit: I have a picture of cow poop...this is from Jackson's camera

  Peak: Blake made his first trip to the farm, his immune system is no doubt healthier from this dose of real fresh air.

 I hope you have memorable vacations with your children too...Sharron

Don't Sit Next To That Family - Vaca Part 1

Every year Luke's family makes a trek back to the homeland. This would not be Israel, but rather Kansas. We all pack up and head to his family's farm, where we hang out all day relaxing merely waiting for the yard light to come on...Once the yard light comes on, the drinking may commence. This is a good time and a super easy vacation...What I should have said was this historically was an easy vacation. Enter 2 small terrorists boys, the word easy or relaxing is no longer found in any phrase containing the word vacation. In order for me to wrap my type A brain around packing all the items we might need, I must make lists...many lists. Then the packing turns out to look something like this:

Each day for each kid...labeled and packed

You see forgetting any one item could be detrimental to everyone's good time and may delay my drinking, which is unforgivable. As we walk through the airport, I watch many shutter at the thought that they may perhaps be sitting near us on a plane. It is clear to everyone that these two boys will be kicking the seats in front of them, sneezing without covering their mouths, throwing goldfish, and screaming for most of take off and landing. But to even my surprise they were both really good for most of the flights. This probably led to all around us thinking that I had medicated my kids. Which is completely untrue because in reality I enjoy watching others suffer the way I do at times!

Jackson sitting quietly in his seat...ready to launch this book at any moment

This was however a learning experience for me...First, tell me what makes flight attendants think that giving a 2 year old wings with a sharp pin is a good idea. "Oh here are some wings for his flight, put them in his scrapbook." Thanks they won't be making it his scrapbook, but the back of the lady's head in front of us is looking good. Secondly,  don't even think of changing your childs diaper on the plane. You see, Delta Airlines equips their multimillion dollar planes with one changing table in one of the bathrooms. But don't ask the flight attendants which bathroom that might be because they have no idea. When asked they will just offer you peanuts and ask you to put your seatbelt back on...screw off lady my kid has just had a blowout and I need to get to a flat surface immediately in order to contain this potential disaster. So once I find the appropriate bathroom, I wait in line. Seriously, if you see someone standing on a plane with a 5 month old and a barrel of wipes, use some self control and let them go next for everyones safety. Once in the bathroom I pull down the changing table balance beam. I put my already rolly baby on there and try to get him undressed without a major trauma. Plane of course hits air pocket and I nearly fall out of bathroom door...but all in all we survive. As I come out I get a few dirty looks from other passengers like what was I doing in there for so long...potty training my 5 month old is really going well! Next I learned that the second you get your over tired child asleep the flight attendant will start yelling 7 minutes worth of announcements...honestly who does not know they will be coming down the aisle with the beverage cart and you can purchase beer, wine and alcohol? Of course these announcements are at ear piercing decibels which cause your just slumbering child to bounce up.

Thanks for flying the friendly skies, yes my seat is in the upright position. As we got off the plane, Jackson announced that he had been peeing a lot!
We make it Kansas...Yes Dorothy greeted us at the airport. And amazingly all of our bags make it. I may have just started crying right there if our bags went to Arizona.
 We go to leave the airport and are immediately slapped with the change in climate...hey its Fall in other places in America. When we left Florida the temperature was close to 90. And on arrival to Oz the temperature was a balmy 48. We are used to humidity somewhere around 80% and my skin likes it that way. Kansas seems to be the windiest place on earth and humidity only comes in the form of cold, driving rain. So you can see why I would need so many items for two small people. I myself could have packed one pair of drinking shoes and been happy with the clothes on my back for 4 days.
We finally make it to the farm...to be continued...
Sharron