Life is Beautiful...

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

The Love of a Child

Today was pretty uneventful, but it was productive. The boys and I made a trip to the grocery store together and, although it was brutally hot, we made it in and out pretty easily and hey, we accomplished our daily goal to get out of the house.

I'm feeling introspective this evening, so instead of writing about the mundane things we did around the house today, I'll write more about what's on my mind, or rather I should say who's on my mind. Ben.

I never believed my parents when my brother and I would ask them which of us they loved more. They always said they loved us equally. Some days I thought they loved me more and some days I thought they loved my brother more. It wasn't until I became a parent to more than one child that I believed it was possible to love your children equally, but to also appreciate their differences.

Ben is my sensitive child. From the day he was born, he's always been a bit more serious than your average kid. Even as an infant, he didn't smile much and always seemed to be in a tizzy about something. As a toddler, he had a frightening habit of banging his head on the floor or any other hard surface and screaming at the top of his lungs to show his frustration. I remember worrying about how he was going to survive in this world. He seemed too tender and too vulnerable to be able to deal with life's blows.

As Ben grew and started pre-school, he began to change little by little, but still maintain his sensitive nature. He became very social and really enjoyed other children his age. I noticed that, for the most part, he lacked the aggressiveness that some little boys experience as they are learning to be social. He was easily led and happily followed and mimicked other kids. If someone pushed him or took something away from him, he seemed to defer to them. He wasn't a wimp. He didn't come crying to me about it. He just seemed okay with others taking the lead.

I remember when I was about to deliver Rex. I was worried, secretly, that Rex would take center stage as the cute, tiny baby and that my feelings for Ben might change after I had a cuddly infant again. I'm embarrassed to admit that I worried about that. But I'm a champion at having irrational fears, so... It turns out that my fears were unfounded. For some reason, Ben and I have grown closer since Rex was born. He helps me by bringing me diapers and bottles and toys for Rex. When I am trying to hide my frustration with a crying baby, he gives me the most unexpected and needed hugs. When I'm so tired I can't move, but still have to clean the kitchen, do the laundry, or get dinner on the table, he wraps those tiny arms around my waist and says, "I love you, Mama". There is nothing that lifts my spirits more than when Ben says he loves me or thanks him for making him a peanut butter sandwich or tells me "Great job, Mama!" when I water the flowers on the deck.

Most days, he follows me around like a little duckling following his Mama duck. You'd think it would drive me nuts and there are rare moments that it does. But I love it more often than not. We are bonded.

It's funny. When I was pregnant with Ben, I remember thinking there was no way I could love another child as much as I loved Vanessa. Turns out there's more room in this mother's heart for the boundless love of this child. I love life's surprises.

Monday, June 22, 2009

One Fine Day

I awoke this morning to Nugget gazing up at me from the crook of my arm with the most precious smile on his face and those big, beautiful brown eyes just twinkling. I have no idea how he ended up in bed with me. I don't remember anything after going to sleep last night after a long and exhausting weekend. I think what actually woke me was Ben's voice:

Ben: Mama?

Me: Mmmm...[grumble...snort]

Ben: Are we going to see Kaitwyn today?

Me: Uh...yeah.

When I opened my eyes, Ben was fully dressed.

Me: Hey! You dressed yourself!

Ben: Yep!

I was so proud of my big boy. His sandals were on the optional way (I just can't bring myself to say he put them on the wrong feet), but the shorts and shirt were on the traditional way (right-side out and tags in back).

Normally, I'm up before both boys, so I knew it had to be late. I looked at the clock and it said 10:30 a.m. Yikes! Valerie and I had discussed getting together with the kids today, so I hurried and called her over my first cup of coffee. Fortunately, she hadn't even had her first cup of coffee, so we had some time to get ready.

We met up with Valerie and Kaitlyn at the Katy Mills Mall play area. The kids played and Rex and I sang and danced to the music coming out of the loud speakers. Rex is quite the dancer, all shimmy, shake, and chub. Before Valerie and Kaitlyn arrived, I got a caramel frappucino at Starbuck's and in between dance numbers with Rex, had an epiphany: Frozen + Cappucino= Frappucino. Eureka. Don't ask me why that's important. It just reminded me of a moment when my friend, Laurie, discovered that chicken fried steak was not actually chicken.

After we [me] were sick of the play area, we went to the food court and indulged in a disgusting meal of Burger King. I got some kind of Chicken Ranch Cheddar sandwich thingy and it was not near as exciting as the picture. We rode the carousel and of course, I forgot my blasted camera, so there are no precious pictures of the kids. Rex LOVED the carousel and Ben loved riding the horse. I think Rex is going to be my little adventurer.

After hitting Bed Bath & Beyond for some tarts and a bed tray at a steal of a price thanks to my coupons, we headed home. While the boys rested, I did finally talk with the customer service manager at Bassett. Before I called, I said a prayer that God would give me the right words to handle the situation. I started out okay, but when the manager became non-committal and was underwhelmed by my dissatisfying experience so far with Bassett, I did get a little more firm and told her what we expected in terms of a resolution. She's supposed to call on Wednesday with an update. I'm praying for the best outcome. All I want is for Bassett to do right by us and to be fair.

Tonight was about as perfect as it could be. Mike came home at a reasonable hour, the boys were both in good spirits and everyone was ready for bed at a decent time. The boys are fast asleep and, even though I spend every day and every one of their waking hours with them, I miss my beautiful boys. :-)

A Fabulous Weekend!

This weekend was incredibly busy, but extremely fun! It was full of great times with family and friends. My Premier Designs jewelry party was a smashing success and a great time was had by all! I laid out a tremendous brunch spread, if I do say so myself (!), of southwestern quiche, kolaches, spinach salad, muffins, fruit, turtle brownies, juices, sodas, and coffee. Kelly, the Premier Designs jewelry lady (and someone who's quickly becoming a friend), did a fabulous job of showcasing all of the gorgeous jewelry. I can't accessorize to save my life, but I'm learning! I couldn't believe all the beautiful jewelry there was to choose from. It was great!

After the party, Jennifer stuck around and we were able to spend some special time together with Ben and Mike. She watched the "Ben movie", as Ben calls it, which is a beautiful DVD of all the pictures of Ben from this last school year. It's such a wonderful slideshow set to music and it brings tears to my eyes every time. His teacher, Miss Wendy, put it together and I will be forever grateful to her for her generosity and dedication.

Ben and Mike played together after that and Jen and I were able to spend some time talking about life and what has been going on with us both. It is one of my most favorite things to do. Jennifer is a rare gem and a most extraordinary friend.

Sunday was wonderful. I tried very hard to be super-wife and take care of both boys AND make Mike a Father's Day breakfast. Um, impossible. I did get breakfast made, but he ended up handling the boys more than I'd have liked. He laughed it off and said this is what fathers do and that he loved it. *Sigh* I love him.

Mike opened his gifts and loved the Willowtree figurine that Rex "gave" him. It is of a man holding and gazing at a baby. I added it to our collection and it looks so beautiful with all the others.

Vanessa also wrote Mike a beautiful and touching card that really made him feel special. I am so grateful that they are close and that Mike is able to be there for her.

Mid-afternoon, Mike's parents, my wonderful in-laws came over for a late lunch/early dinner. We ordered out for Chinese and it was fantastic. After we ate, the men opened more Father's Day gifts and we spent some time together playing with the boys. We discussed going to Disney World sometime next spring together as a family, perhaps doing a Disney cruise. We all got so excited talking about it. We looked at the Disney World website and Ben watched videos of the different parks over and over again. It would be so magical for Ben and Rex. I can't wait to see if we can make it happen.

After the Disney discussion, Mike, John, and Ben went outside with Ben's little golf clubs. Belinda and Rex looked on from inside the kitchen while golfing lessons ensued.

PaPa showed Ben how to hold the club.

Daddy helped Ben with his swing!

Once Ben came inside, he was really tired and very hot. Not conducive to an already overly-exhausted little boy. He wanted to take a picture with our camera and was pouting when I tried to get a shot of him with NaNa and Nugget.

So I promised him he could take some pictures after I got a good picture of him smiling with NaNa and Rex. Silliness took over!

Finally, I got a nice shot of all of them!

After more playing, laughing, and frivolity, John and Belinda headed home. As if they didn't have the oppotunity to get sick of us already, next weekend is John's birthday and we're taking him to Pappadeaux Saturday night for dinner! Seafood fondue, here we come!

Mike and I are lying in bed, me blogging (of course) and he, reading the last of the Sunday paper. He expressed to me a few minutes ago how special his day was. As amazing of a father as he is, I'm so grateful we were able to give him half the joy today that he gives us daily. Life is most certainly beautiful...

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Friday Happenings

Wow, is it late. I'm having my Premier Designs jewelry party tomorrow morning and have been prepping all day today. It's going to be fun and I'm really excited!

Today was a neat day. Jennifer called the other day and wanted to know if she could take Ben to see the new Pixar movie, "Up" today. I thought that would be really cool for Ben, knowing how crazy he is about Jennifer, not to mention his love of popcorn and BIG movie theaters! So we got him all amped up about the movie Thursday night. The first thing he said this morning was, "Jennifer's coming and we're going to see 'Up'!" He got dressed and I helped him brush his teeth, go potty, and get his water bottle. Jen showed up and did me the honor of holding and snuggling Rex while I got the carseat in her car. NaNa showed up just in time to say goodbye to Ben and take over with Rex while I dashed out to run errands for the party.

While I was at Best Buy, Jen called and said that both she and Ben found "Up" to be a bit of a snore and could she take him to lunch. Wow! My big boy had a lunch date! I told her of course and they went to Chili's. He told me all about his burger that he had at lunch when he got home.

Jennifer is a wonderful friend and I can't tell you how special it was for me that she and Ben got to steal away and spend some special time together. That kind of sweet gesture doesn't occur to a lot of people. But Jennifer is special. :D

When I got home from running errands, Belinda, Mike's mom, told me that Rex had napped the whole time I was gone and was an angel. Why doesn't he do that for me?! God bless Belinda. She enabled me to run my errands without having to drag 2 kidlets, who'd rather be with their NaNa anyway, with me. It was wonderful to be able to jump in and out of the car quickly and get some things done.

From about 4:30 on, I worked on prepping for the party. When Mike got home, he brought me a vanilla latte from Starbucks (my favorite!). He's such a kind and caring husband. I love his little acts of love.

Mike hung the new blinds in the dining room and we finally bid farewell to the chewed up blinds we've been sporting for a couple of years now. I swear, it looked like a serial killer or a wild animal lived here with those blinds hanging in the window. Oy.

Mike and I worked throughout the night and finally we're bathed/showered and ready for bed. I'm excited about my party tomorrow. It will be good to visit with great friends, eat, and look at cool jewelry!

Night, all!

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Out & About!

Today turned out to be a really busy, but fun day! I got up, had my coffee, got dressed, and put on my make up before the boys rose for the day. We had breakfast together and Rex enjoyed a bowl of rice cereal while Ben munched a peanut butter sandwich.

After breakfast, we hit the post office, the cleaners, and the pet store for dog food. Then I decided to take the boys walking at Katy Mills mall. I resolved to walk 3 times around the mall (3 miles) and only got around once before veering into Ann Taylor Loft to snatch up a cute shirt that was on sale. While there, Rex started screaming bloody murder which, unfortunately, did not speed up the sales clerk one bit.

After leaving Ann Taylor, I sprinted, pushing the stroller like a maniac, to the play area. Ben ran and frolicked with the other kids while I fed Rex. I ran into a couple of my mom friends, Lindsay and Jessica and got to chat with them while Ben played. Lindsay and I have been trying to make plans to get together for months and voila! We got to catch up at the mall.

After we got home, Rex took a solid nap and I got to wrap up loose ends around the house in preparation for my jewelry party on Saturday while Ben had quiet time in his room.

When Mike got home, we had dinner and relaxed for a bit before bathtime ensued. I got Ben and I out of the way and then Mike gave Rex a good scrubbing.

Ben tried his hand and brushing his own teeth, something we don't let him do too often, but he did a pretty darn good job tonight!

Here's Rex all snuggled up in the towel Aunt Laurie gave him. I wish you could experience how wonderful he smells after his baby lotion massage.

Ben took it upon himself to fix Rex's unruly hair.

All in all, a wonderful day was had by all!

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

In a Slump

Not much to report today, but I'm trying to post something daily, so I thought I'd report that there's not much to report.

It was a bit of a dreary day. I got out of bed with the best of intentions to go somewhere. Rex's morning nap once again put a damper on plans. So we stayed indoors and didn't do much. It was a bit depressing, I have to confess. These are the dog days of summer and the heat, the bugs, the burning grass, it's all enough to bum me out.

I'm in the process of setting some small goals for myself. I realize that staying in day after day is not conducive to my well being. I need to be out and about with the boys and living. Ben also needs to play and be active and well, if Rex misses his morning nap once in a while, I guess he'll sleep that much more soundly in the afternoon. At least that's been my experience with him in the past.

So tomorrow, the goal is to get up and go to the Y. Even if all I do is sit and read a book in the lobby, we will all be out and doing something. Bassett is coming to look at the sectional tomorrow and I'm nervous about that. I'm going to pray for guidance in the best way to handle that situation.

So that's it. Not much else to share. Good night!

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Mommies Need Playdates Too...

Our good friend, Selene, invited us over to play today. She has two handsome sons, Gavin and Joey, and was also watching a little boy named Bobby while his mom was at work. She ordered the most fabulous Hawaiian pizza from Domino's and we ate, talked, and the boys played until they were worn out! Rex had so much fun watching the big boys play. I can tell he is ready to toddle after them once he starts walking!

Ben got to play with the coolest toy Gavin and Joey have. It's a Geo-Trax airport and I was even impressed with how neat this thing was. Once Ben and Rex are rooming together and we turn the nursery into a playroom, we've got to get one of those!

Selene is one of those moms I really admire. She can put together a Geo-Trax structure in the blink of an eye, make lunch for 4 active boys while juggling sippy cups, and snuggling a baby all in rapid succession. And she seems to enjoy it all. She's also one of those moms you can confess your "bad mom" moments to and then not feel so bad because she lets you know you're not alone.

It was a fun, fun day for me and the boys. God bless Selene!