TV Power

As soon as Aidan was able, he taught himself to use the tv remote. This gave him the power, over his brothers of course, of selecting what shows they were all going to watch. Aidan liked this power. He liked it a lot.

Interestingly, Brennan was never interested in learning how to use the tv or the remotes. He just didn't have any interest. He was perfectly content to have others do it for him when he needed a show put on or the wii set up. I tried to teach him a few times, but he quickly reverted to asking for help.

Until Griffin. Griffin decided he was done asking others to turn on a show. He patiently asked Aidan to show him how he did it. And then before my eyes, my five year old taught himself how to recognize and read the names of his favorite shows so he could be a dvr expert. (This meant the boys were stuck watching a whole lot of Supah Ninjas because Griffy loves his Super Ninjas.)

Once Brennan realized Griffin knew how to use the dvr (and that they had watched the same episode of Supah Ninjas about ten times), he knew he had to step up his game. So, slowly, he also exerted some control over the remote.

But now, Griffin has had a taste of his power of the tv and he has become quite the tv dictator. He rushes to the tv in the morning to grab the remote and ensure that he has final say over what will be watched and when. I often find him wandering the house with the remote in his hand. Once he asked me to keep an eye on it, while he hid it under a pillow so he could go to the bathroom.

It's a tv stand-off. And the five year old is winning. My little power hungry guy.

Puppy Love

Chris and I are convinced that Chewy thinks Brennan is a puppy, just like him. He just seems to treat Brennan a little differently than the other boys. He has also tried to sneak into his bed once or twice for a nice snooze. But of course, if Brennan had his way, Chewy would be a permanent fixture in his bed.

Oh, the puppy love.

Summer Sleep

My boys sleep like the dead in the summer because if the weather is warm, they are here, there and everywhere jumping, running, biking and swimming. During the winter months, I forget about this sleep. This utter exhaustion that overtakes my boys until they are almost begging to go to bed. (Almost, but not quite.) While the sunday snowboarding brings them close to this brand of tired, nothing quite does it like a warm day spent gallivanting under the sun.

We had a summer weekend this weekend. Summer in March. The weather was delectable. Perfectly blue skies with warm sun and birds chirping. The temps were in the 70s in a month when we are fortunate to hit the high 40s without snow flurries. March is normally my least favorite month of the year because it means a month of a little snow, a little rain and chilliness, but this March may go on record as the best ever.

The boys were out to play by 8 am. Basketball, biking, games of soccer in the front yard. There were visits to playgrounds, minnow catching in a neighbor's creek, and long walks with the dog. By the time 5 pm came around, they were all collapsed on the couch with heavy lidded eyes. After dinner was over, they were yawning and looking as if they might take a nap at the table. Each boy was fast asleep, without complaint by 7:30 pm.

Chris and I followed shortly by 9. I guess summer sleep isn't just for the kids. It wipes out the parents too.

Overheard

It was a morning of running around to get a few chores done so we could skip outside and enjoy our summer-like spring. I asked the boys to throw down all the sheets and pillowcases so I could start the wash.

(Yes, instead of laundry chutes (which we have in our house) or laundry baskets (also have about ten of those), I prefer the old school method of gathering and throwing down the open two-story staircase. It works for me. And as an added bonus, it completely freaks the dog out, every single time.)

I hear the boys rustling and hustling upstairs to complete their task as I clean the kitchen. Then I hear Griffin say to Aidan, "This one must be mommy's pillow because it smells just like her."

Aidan is quiet for a second, but I can make out a loud sniffing sound and then he says, "It does smell just like Mommy."

Oh my loves. Too sweet.

Rock Star!

My cousin Nicole stopped over today and asked if she could take the boys for a bike ride around the neighborhood. (Because, yes, it is 70 and sunny in March in Buffalo!) The boys were thrilled. Aidan and Brennan hopped on their bikes and Griffin opted to ride his scooter. Nikki roller bladed next to them.

After Nikki returned them home, I got a text from her a few minutes later.

"It's a good day when you are rollerblading with sunglasses on and your five year old cousin tells you that you look like a rock star."

I think that is the compliment of the highest order from our Griffin. And she is a rock star, you know. Especially to us.

Our Leprechaun

The boys' school has a student presentation night in which projects are displayed for parents to peruse as we all eat ice cream. This year, Brennan's teacher stepped it up a notch with a live performance by the class of a few Irish songs.

The class was all dressed up in green festive gear and looked unbearably cute.

I may be biased, but I think we have the cutest leprechaun of all.

Happy 41!

Spring Fever

Spring sprung yesterday in Whoville. We had sun and blue skies in a month that usually bounces from snowfall to rain. It was unexpected and boosted all of our moods. The boys could barely restrain themselves from jumping out the door to ride bikes, swing, hunt for rocks and play basketball. They stayed outside almost the entirety of the day, just soaking up every last bit of the first signs of spring. (They also insisted on wearing shorts and t-shirts from the moment a smidgen of warm weather was suggested. I think the high today was 55. Not quite shorts weather in any place in the world except Buffalo.)

Today, spring repeated its miracle. After getting Aidan and Brennan off to school, Griffin, Chewy and I took off for a walk around the neighborhood. It was a perfect, quiet walk enjoying the warmth of sunshine on our faces. I felt such sweet joy in our walk as I watched Griffin ride circles on his scooter around me and Chewy. The gift of an unexpected spring day.

It better not snow next week. That's all I'm saying.

Practice Makes Perfect

I was giving Griffin bedtime kisses, when he grabbed my face with his hands, held me closely and looked me in the eye. "Mommy, I do not want you to kiss me. I am going to kiss you now. I need to start practicing for the day I get married and start kissing."

With that, he pursed his lips, closed his eyes and gave me a big ol' smooch.

Sweetness.

Stolen Moments

I love stolen moments with my boys, when I get them all to myself for a minute or two. I find these moments are too often far and in between, but when I capture them, it is like an unexpected gift, uninterrupted time to simply enjoy my child one on one.

I have had two such moments with my Brennan over the last few weeks. We didn't plan them, but in the midst of running errands or carpooling here, there and everywhere, it was just the two of us. We celebrated our first unexpected date with a quick ice cream. Brennan's favorite thing in this world is ice cream. I love how happy a small bowl of ice cream makes him. It's watching pure joy in action.

Our second moment was just ten minutes in a car, in between basketball practices, basketball games and a few errands. We were in waiting mode and entertained ourselves blowing bubbles, bigger and bigger to watch them pop. We both giggled uncontrollably as we chewed our bubble gum and Brennan yelled, "Let's take our picture!"

And so we did. A self portrait of ten minutes soaking up my sweet boy.

Ode to the Rock Star

Chris heard Brennan and Griffin giggling behind a closed bathroom door with sounds of the water running.

(Note to anyone who does not have boys - it is an immediate sign of danger to have any of your children giggling behind closed doors, but add in running water, and well, that's when you really know something's up.)

Chris opens the door and sees both boys standing over the sink, cupping water and running it over their heads. There is water everywhere and the boy are soaked.

"What are you doing?" Chris asks, in exasperation.

Brennan shrugs, looks at Griffin who grins. "We wanted to look like rock stars, you know, with the whole cool slicked back hair."

Chris said he had to leave the room before he bust a gut laughing at the sight of them, with their hair dripping wet and standing up all over the place. My dear sweet boys. Instead of rock stars, they sort of resembled two drowned puppies. But we shall keep them, wet, slicked hair and all. Rock on.

Parental Controls

"Mom, can I watch a movie?" Griffin asks me from the playroom.

"Sure. Let me just finish unloading the groceries and I will get in on for you. Two minutes." I reply.

A minute goes by before Griffin pops his head out of the playroom door and says nonchalantly, "The parental password is 7812 right?"

"What?" I ask, walking towards him.

"For Netflix? Isn't that the code?" He says. I stand in the doorway and watch him expertly entering the code and moving on to select his movie.

I am so glad we opted to put the parental controls on our netflix for the kiddies. It has been a huge deterrent to my five year old. HUGE.

Firsts in February!

The last official day of February break was also a day of firsts for our family. Griffin was off to his first Sabres game with his buddy Ryan, accompanied by the Dads, Chris and PJ. Meanwhile, Aidan and Brennan were off to their very first sleep over with their friends Ellie and Casey.

This left me unexpectedly kid free on a random Friday night. I am grateful for my brother Travis and sister in law Lynda who will entertain me with a night out of chinese food and wine, followed by some shopping. (Poor Trav who had to follow Lynda and I from store to store while he listened to the Sabres game on his phone.)

The boys all loved their night of firsts. Griffin had a riot at his first hockey game - lots of dancing, cheering and eating a whole lot of junk food. He proclaimed that the best part of the game was the ice cream they deliver right to your seat! (It's one of my favorite things about the game too. Kids got good taste.)

Aidan and Brennan returned home looking happy, but oh so sleepy Saturday morning. They pronounced the sleep over a huge success and are already planning the next one. (I have a feeling I get to host the next one. No wine, chinese food or shopping for me. Uh oh.)

I Lived to Tell the Tale

After making our own paper plate tennis rackets, mini-pudding pies, playing a whole lot of balloon tennis and rocking out to loud music for some freeze dancing, it was time for a movie. Ah, popcorn and the silence of six children fully engaged. There is no sweeter sight or sound.

Winter Break!

Ah, winter break. My least favorite time of the year. I honestly feel like the teachers devised a week off in the dead of winter as a form of punishment for the parents. There's nothing like a group of kids stuck inside a house for hours at a time to give you perspective.

Thankfully, my break crew sprang into action once again. Parents helping other parents by taking their kids for a day here or there, so we can all get through it together. I started my week on Monday by taking my friend Angela's son David, along with my three for the day. After a morning of wii, air hockey and nerf battles, we went out to lunch and visited Barnes and Noble for some books.

On Tuesday, Aidan and Brennan were off to David's house while Griffin went to preschool. (God bless all round pre-k that doesn't observe breaks.) They spent the day bowling and eating chicken wings.

On Wednesday, Aidan and Brennan were off to my dear friends Christine and Dylan's house to play. Christine had to work, so Dylan took on Daddy Daycare and entertained the kiddies with wii and burritos at Moe's.

On Thursday, Chris's aunt took the boys for a half day until Chris took over.

And now, we are at Friday, the last day of the winter break. I will entertain six kids at my home for the duration of the day. I am armed with balloons, paper plate crafts, mini pudding pies and a whole lot of patience.

I can also guarantee I will drink wine tonight. Yes, that is a certainty.

Love and Other Things

"Mommy, I love you." Griffin says to me as he puts his head on my shoulder.

"I love you too G," I reply, giving him a squeeze.

He smiles up at me and says softly, "I am going to toot now."

Great. Of Love and Gas. Such is life with boys.

Will You Be My Valentine?

Modern Family - a Primer on Life

I borrowed Season One of Modern Family on DVD from a friend and decided to let the boys watch a few episodes. I figured if it got too inappropriate, I could turn it off or skip over parts. The first and second episode of the series focuses on one of the families, a gay couple, adopting a baby from Vietnam. After several of the characters had used the word "gay" a few times, I paused the DVD.

"Do you guys know what the word gay means?" I asked the boys.

They all shook their heads. I explained that one of the couples, the two men who had adopted a baby, were married and because they were both men, they were considered to be gay.

Aidan looks at me confused, "What? I thought those guys were just two very close friends. They're married?"

"Yes, they are married. " I replied.

"I don't get it." Griffin interjected. "They are two boys and they have a baby. How did they get the baby out of them?"

"Well, the baby didn't come out of either one of them. They adopted the baby." I told him.

"Wait. They bought the baby?" Griffin yelps.

Oh dear lord. It's like we were watching two entirely different tv shows.

It Just Always Happens This Way

Chris wasn't even half-way through his flight to Jackson Hole for his annual guys' ski trip when Griffin started throwing up.

Yes, I must ask, what exactly is it about single mommyhood that makes my children projectile vomit. Because, seriously, every. single. time. I take on my brood alone some one pukes. It is never pretty. It is never clean. And it almost invariably involves me losing a night or two of sleep.

Daddy leaves and we must puke. That is my children's motto.

After the first round of vomiting from G, I tried to convince myself that it was something he ate or maybe his ear infection (yes, he has a double ear infection too. Score!). I like to try and pretend that I don't really know what is coming down the pike, even when, I probably do know. But then Griffin let loose an abundant round of projectile vomiting that kept him frozen in horror and sent a nice steady stream of vomit anywhere and everywhere around the kitchen, including all over the dog's bed.

(Instead of sweeping G up to get him to the bathroom to minimize the damage, I stood watching him transfixed by the sheer amount of liquid streaming from his mouth. I couldn't move. I am not good in a crisis.)

When it was over, I cleaned Griffin up, calmed him down and settled him on the couch with a nice big bucket. I surveyed the damage in the kitchen and then texted Chris:

"Bad news: Griffin just projectile vomited all over dog bed. Worse news: your running sneakers were on the dog bed."

Meanwhile, my other two children were upstairs huddled in their rooms. I have definitely instilled in them a healthy dose of respect for the catchiness of the stomach flu and therefore, they run for the hills at the sign of anyone throwing up. (They do this in school too. I like it.)

We survived G's stomach bug. But instead of being relieved it was over, I spent the next two nights tossing and turning, utterly convinced that any little noise was the sound of one of my other children inevitably throwing up. (But it never happened. KNOCKING ON WOOD and SAYING A PRAYER, amen.)

But now I am tired. Oh, so very tired. I look forward to my husband returning and taking over vomit watch for me. Not that he needs to, of course, because it is guaranteed that if he is home, the children will remain healthy and vomit-free. (KNOCKING ON WOOD and SAYING A PRAYER, amen.)

I Love You More

Whenever you say "I love you" to Griffin, he always replies, "I love you more."

Of course, I have to assure him that no, he does not indeed love me more because "I love him to the moon and back."

He will grin and say with mischief, "But I love you to the moon and back and around the earth to the sun."

He can go at this game of who loves more for as long as it takes, one upping me with his zany creations intended to prove once and for all, that he loves me more.

We were engaged in a who loves who more competition a few days ago over dinner. After a few exchanges, Griffin smiled, laughed and said to me, "Well, I love you more than a toilet seat."

The entire family erupted into laughter. It was just too good. It has quickly become our catch phrase, the last words uttered before bed, the last goodbye, and the last devotion of love before the day begins. "I love you more than a toilet seat." Sweeter words have never been spoken.