Load "er" Up ...

What does any normal family do on a sunny afternoon when it's 108 outside? Pack up the wagon with lots of yummy food and head off to our friend's house for dinner. I know neither child looks particularly happy to be cooped up in that wagon, that close to each other ... but I know they LOVED it. Because really, you'd be out of your mind not to love traveling on hot pavement, with frozen hamburgers, brownie mix and chips as well as a whole handful of other toys your mom stuffed in to keep you occupied on the 2 minute trek to your friend's house so that you only had a centimeter of wiggle room for your toes. Right?

Those faces just scream ... CAN WE DO IT AGAIN TOMORROW???

Joshua and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day!

 I knew we were off to a bad start when Joshua began practicing a wide array of "sad faces."  

Is that strange he has different sad faces to choose from?  Or that he announces when each new face is coming?  "Show Mom super sad face!"  "Show Mom super sad surprised face!"

This one, for instance, says ... "I'm sad ... but also just the tiniest bit annoyed!"

And then this one ... kind of the sad face mixed with a little "Don't mess with the little guy?"

Or this one ... the one I'll be seeing in a few years when he sees that furry white puppy that he can't live without.  Look at those eyes??

So what's a mom to do when the trash has been kicked over, a foot has been stepped on, milk has found it's way into many crevices on the couch and he's been told not to touch Eli for the ten thousandth time?  

Bust out the colored marshmallows and toothpicks!

Nothing works better to switch up a mood from sad to glad than allowing one's inner marshmallow artistic skills to appear...

Instant transformation!!!

What?

I have a love/hate relationship with the monsoon storms. I love the clouds, the rain, the cooler temps (that last about 10 minutes) ... but I HATE the WIND! Why? In my bigger hair days, I hated the wind for obvious reasons. There was not a "strong hold" hairspray on the market that could keep my locks tame. But since my hair has been cut SUPER short, that really isn't a concern of mine at the moment.

So why would I hate the wind now? Well, every year, we have lost a plant or tree to the crazy winds. I'm no green thumb but I do love a cozy looking garden and get pretty attached to the things that I can keep alive for longer than 3 months.

I was on the phone with Ben earlier and commented on the lightening and the winds. I went outside to check on our new umbrella and saw ... my FAVORITE vine ... laying on its side. Immediately ... PLANT RESCUE CARRIE was on a mission to salvage the wounded greenery. If someone had taken video ... I might have won $10,000 on America's Funniest Videos. Here I am, in Wizard of Oz type winds, trying to move a huge plant that was watered earlier in the day. To make matters worse, I'm trying to keep the plant upright, etc, etc ... I couldn't get it to stay upright with the wind as crazy as it was so brilliant PLANT SAVING CARRIE thought ... I'll take it inside :) Easier said than done. I moved at a snail's pace, could barely get the pot up over the entry, slid it along the tile (yes, I already confessed to Ben ... I left a few small scratches!!), and TA-DA ... my vine was safe and sound. It took a little more love to get it back in its upright and locked position ... but I think it will live!!
Not quite sure how it's going to get back outside ... but I think it looks really nice in the kitchen???

Brown Bear, Brown Bear ...

Grab a cup of tea (or iced coffee), put up your feet and get ready for a SPEEDY rendition of ... Brown Bear, Brown Bear!  Ahh ... the reading teacher in me is SO PROUD!  (Or should I be proud of his superb memory??)

The Musician and The Reader ...

The Musician ... 

The Reader ... 

And their MOM ... 

Who is wondering ... Could they get any closer to the TV?

But really ... their eyesight is not the point.  The point, is that this was taken during the HOUR OF POWER (otherwise known as the time frame between 5-7pm when my usually pleasant and calm - okay ... moderately calm - children turn into CRAZIES) ... and they were close to each other and Joshua was not inflicting bodily harm upon his "whittle E Why!"  YEAH!

The FACE!

When Joshua was 10 or 11 months old ... this was "the face!" You know ... the look that your child makes that just completely represents them! Quiet, sweet ... angelic! And even at two and a half ... we're treated with a trip down memory lane as he still pulls it out of his bag of tricks ... almost on command. (Well ... more like when he's about to get into trouble! Like ... the "Who Me??" look! The "I would never push "E-Why to the ground!" look)

Eli's "face" is hilarious. He's such a combination of Mr. Mellow meets Mr. Stubborn with a side of Mr. Comic Relief. It's almost impossible to capture on film because as soon as he sees a camera ... he smiles. If only I had taken video. It's a process ... working up to making "the face." It starts with him shriveling his nose, inhaling and exhaling quickly ... "snorting" a bit and finally ...

THE FACE!

Next time ... I'm asking for a child with some personality. The two I have are obviously lacking in that category!

Swiper and His Sidekick ...

We affectionately refer to Eli as "Swiper." So much so that he even turns his head and smiles when you say it! "Hey there Swiper!!" If there is a treasure in your hand ... on the floor ... on the corner of the table ... it will be in Eli's hand and in his mouth faster than you can blink.Today, Joshua's lollipop was the target of our little Swiper's gaze. He's not even that sneaky about his moves ... he's just fast. He crawled right over to Joshua, reached up, grabbed the lollipop ...

And the rest ... as they say ... was history!

But before we had a catastrophic meltdown on our hands ... I quickly got Eli a lollipop of his very own. (Have no fear ... it is an organic lollipop and he was told that crawling - while sucking- can be very dangerous!!)

Ahhh ... two happy customers! And after the sugar high ...

Joshua apparently wanted to get in some quality time with his jammie matching bro! Yeah ... somebody looks a little surprised their space has been invaded!

Revenge is sweet! Eli decided to have a good time kicking his intruder ...

Umm ... the kicking isn't working ... he's still HERE!

Somebody is showing signs of frustration ... MELLOW frustration!

"Really, are you just going to stand there and keep taking pictures? Does anyone want to tell him that I'm just a little guy. I have very few things to call my own and I'm not interested in sharing!"

"Okay ... but when I get bigger ... he better watch out!"