A Big Day for G

I was made for three-day weekends. We need more of them, yes?

Our long weekend began with an Aggie win on Saturday. WHOOP! Our Ags looked pretty good, and we're hopeful for the rest of the season.

It was an evening game, and we didn't make it home until 2am. I'm pretty sure the Lord intended for me to be in bed by 10pm every night, so I'm not sure how I made it through that long drive home without turning into a pumpkin.

But our precious children allowed us to sleep in until 9am Sunday. Aren't they just so sweet?

I can't say that I felt rested, but we lounged around all day to make up for it.

Yes, we skipped church because of an Aggie game. The Lord understands. I hope. But I did watch our service online, so I do feel better about that.

And we did go to the evening service. I don't need to justify myself with you, but I'm not sure why the past 5 sentences make me feel better.

Anyway....

Rick and I declared today, Labor Day, the BIG day for Garrett. It was the day to learn to ride his bike without training wheels. Enough of this standstill already.

He started with Daddy's help, and he was off and rolling within ten minutes.
A little race with Liam encouraged him to pedal faster.
He did have one bad spill that included tears, but we encouraged him to get back on and try again. We're so proud to say that he was starting, stopping, and braking by himself by lunch!

Notice I didn't add 'turning' to his abilities. He needs to build his confidence in that way, but he'll get there.

He spent the afternoon at the piano. He is our most musically-gifted child. He has taught himself to play "Silent Night" and "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" by ear without any of our help.

He took interest in learning to play the Beatles' "Obladi Oblada" this afternoon. He asked Daddy to help him, so the two of them worked on it until G could play it.
It took quite a bit of concentration of the mind and contortion of the lips.
But he did it!
And we're so proud of our baby.

A Beautiful Day

Today is a day I want to remember. Actually, not the whole day. I don't want to remember that or that.

But I want to remember this.

The little boys and I were running errands, which isn't always the most exciting way to spend our day. But all three of us were in great spirits due to the perfect weather. Bright sunshine, no wind, temp in the 50s.

Our last errand was to get my car washed. I chose a new car wash, where there are lots of bells and whistles as your car gets pushed along for its bath. In the backseat, Jack and Garrett hooped and hollered, loving every minute of it. "What's that?" "That's cool!" "This is fun!" "Let's do this again tomorrow!"

After the wash, I rolled down our windows and turned up the Beach Boys CD for our ride home. Again, more hooping and hollering from the backseat. "Weeee!" "Come on a safari with me!"

At the red light, I turned around to laugh at my boys. I said, "You guys crack me up! What's so great about this day?" They answered with more laughter.

Yes, let's do this again tomorrow. Come on a safari with me, boys. Love, Mommy.

Retro Factory

Do you remember this shirt?
And how I asked where I can find another? Now that warm weather is here and summer is around the corner, that shirt has been retired. Garrett and I shed a few tears as I put it away.

But one of my readers has saved the day! (Hi, Pat!) She found the Retro Factory. If you love the Beatles and need t-shirts for you and your kids, then let me tell you, you are set!

Or if you prefer Billy Idol or The Cars or whatever classic band, then head on over to the Retro Factory. (Did I just call The Cars classic? Ahem.)

I'm betting this will be Garrett's favorite. And if we ever get a fourth child, he or she will need this.

My mother will protest a baby girl wearing a black Beatles onesie, but guess what? Black is very slimming, and a baby girl will need to learn that important fact early in life.

For all you classic TV lovers, Retro Factory also has shirts for many TV shows. I plan to order this for myself:
This post is not sponsored by Retro Factory, but if they want to sponsor us, we'll take 5 t-shirts. I'll get our sizes to you pronto.

It's an Easter Story

How was your long weekend? If you didn't have a long weekend, how was your weekend? I am so glad that Rick's company allows him Good Friday.

Typically, three-day weekends will find us on the road, but there isn't something right about leaving town on Easter weekend with the love we have for our home church. Instead, we took the long weekend to stay home and relax. We've been going and coming so much lately that I might oughtta check my battery to make sure it's the Energizer brand.

When we got up Friday morning, it was a bit chillier than we had expected, so we had to hang out inside for a bit. Garrett asked Daddy to play some music with him.
They played the Beatles, of course, along with some Beach Boys.

And before long, the other two boys grabbed some spoons and added some glorious-sounding drums.
After two minutes, Jack lost interest and the other two began dancing in the window seat. That would be the window seat in our kitchen eating area. The same window seat that my mom is trying to talk me into adding curtains and a cushion. I know I need curtains, but Mom, see why we can't add a cushion:
That might hinder the boys' stage act. And it is an act up there.

When Garrett finished his Paul McCartney rendition, he bowed and said, "Thank you" just like the Beatles say at the end of "Obladi Oblada".
Let's not leave my fourth child out of this:
Between pictures, I had to wrestle that Kong out of his mouth. His love language is quality time.

Once it warmed up outside, I sent the boys to the backyard to play ball. I was able to clean my house in its entirety while those stinky boys ran around outside.

Rick knows to keep everyone out of my way when I'm in cleaning mode. "Boys, look out! She's got that look in her eye. Get back!"

Here's a pretty typical glimpse into my backyard these days:
We're going to have our own league some day.

Later in the day, I had this hair-brained idea. Because I knew Easter Sunday was going to be rainy, I thought it would be a great idea to get the family dressed in their Easter clothes and take pictures before the humidity hit my hair and my mood. Rick was reluctant, but he agreed, knowing that our Sundays are just too crazy to add a photo session into the mix. Plus, he won't miss an opportunity to play with our new camera.

He probably had second thoughts, when he heard me disciplining some unnamed, unclothed children for "messin' around for the thirteenth time in the last 5 minutes!" Ahem.

I tried to keep my cool, but I can only take so much burpin', fartin', and general cuttin' up when it's time to "git busy and git dressed", dadgumit! (I don't say dadgumit in front of my boys, by the way. But I love to think it.)

After I got my little men dressed, I set off to dress myself while Rick got the tripod set up. There was a little more messin' around, but it didn't involve grotesque bodily functions, so I let them good enough alone.
They did eventually settle down for some good shots.
Aren't they cute?! It's a mighty fine event for them to wear ties, but let me tell you what's more impressive than ironed shirts, slacks, and ties...shirts being tucked in! We don't take time for shirt tucking around these parts.

Shoot, those boys hardly have time for snapping and zipping pants, so tucking in shirts is like pulling teeth! But they do clean up real nice, yes'm.

(Could anyone tell me why Jack's tie is so much shorter than anyone else's?! Of course, I didn't notice that in the store when I tried it on him not once but twice!)

The Daddy cleans up real nice, too. Shooey!
The Mommy and the men:
The family:
I suppose I should take the time to crop the fireplace's gas keyhole thing out of that picture. Nah. Just pretend it's not there.

I'd say that's a pretty good photo shoot, especially considering we came from, how shall I say this delicately?, a gaseous dressing area.

The rest of the weekend was spent with some extended family. Rick took some pictures of our nephews that I might share later, but right now, I need to get moving around here. I've got a snoring child on one shoulder and a begging dog on the other.

What should I do first? Wake the snorer or play with the beggar?

By the way, I had hoped to make this post a little more spiritual, being that we just celebrated Jesus' resurrection and all. But how do I fit that in with flatulents? A better blogger could pull that off, but me...? Not so much. So, happy belated Easter, y'all. Because, you know what? Jesus lives!

P.S. While I was spellchecking this post, the snorer just burped. In his sleep. On my shoulder. Not once. Not twice. But THREE times! I kid you not. I'm definitely waking him up NOW! Only the Lord knows what else he could do while napping on my shoulder!

Paul McCartney's Look Alike

I came upstairs to assist in brushing teeth this morning to find this:
That would be Garrett oohing and ahhing over his hair.

For several months, he has said that he wants his hair to "look like the Beatles." And I've tried explaining to him that his hair is curly and the Beatles' are not. Try as I might, there is no convincing him.

After Christmas, I told him that he could start growing his hair out on one condition: that he would allow me to comb and moisturize his locks every day. He has been very compliant about it and will even remind me to help him with it if I forget.

As I combed it out this morning, he giggled and continued to ooh and ahh. I giggled at him and asked, "Why is this so funny today?" He said, "Because my hair! It looks like the Beatles!"

I just about peed my pants. After I could take in enough air to speak again, I asked, "Which Beatle do you look like?" With all sincerity he said, "Paul McCartney."
"You are so right, G. Paul McCartney you are."

Guess what he had to say about that:
(Notice he's wearing his Beatles shirt. I have to keep that shirt clean, because if his Aggie jerseys are dirty, then his Beatles' shirt is next best. What will I do when he outgrows that t-shirt? I bought it at Target for Liam two years ago and have never seen another one. If you've seen any Beatles' T's for kids, please tell me where in my comments!)

Yes, I Still Blog

I would really like to know how some of you bloggers post every single day?! It's not that I can't think of topics; I have plenty of ideas in my head.

It's the time. Where in the world do you people find the time to post daily?! Please do share.

Anyway, I have put my to-do list away tonight and am allowing myself time to blog.

What have we been up to? Well, thank you for asking!

Pretty much the usual...schooling, eating, sleeping...you know...life. But here are some recent photos. In case my boys ever ask why they don't have scrapbooks (yea, right!), I need to have a photo dump on here every once in a while.

Jackson has suddenly taken an interest in puzzles and was quite proud to have put this one together all by himself a few days ago.
No, the ensemble would not be complete without the hat.

Garrett has loved puzzles for quite some time. When he saw me take Jack's picture above, he hurriedly picked out a puzzle to complete for himself. He is quite proud of the fact that he is working on 60-piece puzzles these days.
I say, "Who cares about the puzzle? Look at that cute pose that I did not have to encourage!"

When the weather is nice, we head to the park to shoot off rockets.
I don't know where my brother found that rocket, but it is the best entertainment ever!

The boys even take turns without fighting. Because if they're not shooting off the rocket, then they watch how high the others' are flying.
Then, Liam does the jig.
Notice he's not wearing his glasses. That would be because all three boys have broken their glasses in the last three weeks. Good times, I tell you.

Some boys have to take timeouts at the park.
But Mommy loves to take pictures of the pouty face. It's a pitiful sight.

And some boys beg Mommy to play baseball.
I oblige most of the time, but not today, sweet boy.

When Daddy is home, we beg him to have a Beatles jam session.
Do you think the Beatles ever had a jam session around the Saturday morning breakfast table? In their pjs? With their Mac revealing their chords?

No? Bummer, because it's a rockin' good time.

Perhaps much of my blogging time is put into keeping this child clothed:
That child is sporting the fourth pair of jeans I've bought him in less than a month, because he wears the knees out in no time. I finally caved and added patches to the insides of those jeans. Maybe he'll wear those for a full month.

When we're not adhering patches to jeans, we're having Preston spend the night and trying to teach him that strawberries and other such yummy foods are our friends.
We try to be a good influence.

And we even dress up for church.
Perhaps this post was a bit random. Maybe it was really a post to appease my mother. Yes, Mom, I do still blog, and I have been taking pictures of the boys regularly.

Concert in the Garden

On Friday night, we took the boys to Fort Worth for Concert in the Garden's Classical Mystery Tour. Are you wondering what the heck I'm talking about? Okay, so every summer, the Fort Worth Botanic Garden hosts concerts with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. (Are you wondering how many times I can type Forth Worth?) Each night is a different theme with different musicians being accompanied by the orchestra. We chose this past Friday because they were featuring the Classical Mystery Tour, meaning the band plays The Beatles. The Beatles, people!

When Rick and I went on our first date in 1998, he mentioned that he likes The Beatles, and I knew in that instant that he was the man for me! Once we became parents, we immediately introduced each one of our boys to John, Paul, George and Ringo. Well, not in person, but you know what I mean.

Anyway, now that our boys are 5 and 3, they request The Beatles by song title every time we get in the car. Liam always wants "Hey Jude" or "Hello Goodbye". Garrett usually wants "Honey Pie" or "Hard Day's Night". Jack doesn't have a particular favorite, but he typically marches to the beat of his own drum. He can, however, sing most of the words right along with Liam and Garrett.

So, when we found out the garden concerts were featuring "our Beatles", we knew we had to take the boys. By the way, are you wondering how The Beatles and the symphony go hand in hand? Well, I checked with Paul, and he was fine with it, really. Yoko wasn't available for comment, but I think that's better for everyone involved. (If you aren't familiar with all of these names I'm throwing around, you clearly stumbled across the wrong blog. Hi, my name is Ami, and I heart the Beatles, and I'm raising my boy to carry "their Beatles" in their hearts right along with Jesus.)

We arrived about an hour early, long before the sun was ready to quit for the day. We ate a picnic dinner, and then we broke out the bubbles to entertain the boys. Liam hearts bubbles, probably as much as The Beatles, but we'll keep working on him.

The instant the music started, Garrett, our musician at heart, had his eyes glued to the stage. He didn't want us singing along with the band, nor did he want me taking his picture.
Now, Jack on the other hand... I must tell you what he did. Shortly after the music began, he was sitting in a lawn chair. Perhaps I've never mentioned this, but Jack is a klutz. There's no better way to explain it. If there's something to trip over, Jack will do the honors. If there isn't anything to trip over, there is always his own foot. Anyway, Jack's in a chair, and I warned him that he needed to sit still. Yea, right. Twenty seconds later, I hear a bunch of commotion next to me. When I glanced to my left, Jack's chair was turned on its back, and Jack was on his back laughing hysterically. Thankfully, he has a great sense of humor and loved the attention of all the people gasping and then laughing right along with him. I fought the urge to grab my camera, but it was certainly a Kodak moment. I was just afraid what CPS might think when one of the audience members reported me for neglect in the name of bloggable photography.

Anyway, he had to sit in my lap from thence forward.
After intermission, we took the boys to a more open area so that could get down, I mean dance.

Jack and his windmills. Actually, I think he was playing drums with his glow sticks.
Garrett stepping in tune:
Liam is truly blessed with those black dance genes. I'm glad somebody is.
While the boys were dancing, I had shed a tear or two. That's how deeply I feel about those Beatles. Actually, I did shed a tear or two, but it's because of this.... Eight years ago, Rick and I went to hear 1964 The Tribute, a phenomenal Beatles band that you must go see if ever they come to your town. As we were watching this band perform in 2000, I saw a daddy and his little girl dancing to "Yellow Submarine". I remember this moment very clearly. He held her on his shoulders, and they both grooved and sang every word. And I remember thinking, "Ahh, I really want kids! And I really want to teach them good music!" Rick and I were in the thick of our infertility, so my heart ached at that moment. Fast forward to 2008, there I was with my husband and three boys, and we were all singing and dancing to The Beatles. I am blessed indeed!

The concert ended with fireworks and "Hey Jude". The crowd sang "Na na na nanana, nanana, hey Jude". My heart swelled!

The next morning, the boys got up talking about the concert. They talked excitedly about their favorite parts. Liam loved "Hey Jude". Garrett loved "Hard Day's Night" but was disappointed that "Honey Pie" was not played. When I asked Jack what he enjoyed, he said, "No not the music. The fireworks!" Yes, those fireworks were pretty cool.

The symphony, fireworks, and The Beatles...I think John, Paul, George and Ringo would be pleased.

You Look So...

While riding along in the car the other day, I had the Jayhawks playing in the background. I love the Jayhawks!

"You Look So Young" was playing. Jack and Garrett were chattering about this and that, apparently oblivious to the music. But Liam was riding along quietly. About halfway through the song, he asked, "Mommy, they singing 'you look so yum'?"

"No, baby. It's 'you look so young'. But you can sing it however you like!"

Jayhawks' fans...what's your favorite song? If you have another band that reminds you of the Jayhawks, tell me about them, too.

Prayers Please

Garrett threw up several times last night. Although he perked up this morning, he's not doing very well this afternoon. Please pray for him to get well and for the health of the rest of us. Thanks!

Look, Mom, I Won Something!

I am interrupting what should be a Friday Funny for a very important announcement...I'm a winner!!!

"I never win anything, ever!" We all hear people say it all the time, don't we? For me, it's 100% true! I cannot, for the life of me, remember winning anything in all of my life. Until today!

Boomama has been raving about Monk & Neagle's new CD titled "The Twenty-First Time" due out in September. Their record label had sent her a prereleased copy to review, and because she gave such a fantastic review, they wanted her to help them give away 100 prereleased copies.

Boomama let us all know that we could sign in at noon on Thursday in order to become one of the first 100. Well, I just couldn't pass me up this opportunity, oh no! At 12 noon, I clicked here and won myself one of those highly-acclaimed CDs. And I did a little dance right there in front of my laptop.

I feel like a celebrity having won an Emmy. I am stoked! And then I ask myself, "Self, why do I feel like a celebrity over this win?!" Oh, that's right, because most of my life centers around three preschoolers.