27 Months - Naked

I just sat down to type this and wondered what I should title it when I looked over and saw you standing in front of the TV wearing, um, nothing. I have no clue where your clothes went because not 10 seconds ago we were in your room making your bed and you were fully clothed. But it works perfectly for the title of this because you have probably been naked, or at least only partially dressed, for the majority of this month and I blame the fact that you are potty training, and the fact that it is hot here! Potty training is going ok... you especially liked it when we were camping!


You had a blast camping and you were probably the only one who thought it was a fantastic success. It definitely wasn't easy camping with two kids but you loved it. You got to go fishing with your dad with your fishing pole, you dug in the dirt and the ashes from an old fire, you went on little hikes with mom and you helped us put trash in the fire by loading it up in your big Tonka truck. I took you for a little 4-wheeler ride when your dad and Tess were taking a nap in the trailer and your helmet was so heavy you ended up leaning your head on my arm as we were driving back. It was funny and pretty cute. Then we went for a walk and I gave you a stale roll to rip up and throw to the squirrels. You watched me rip up mine but you decided that wasn't the way to go and you just chucked the whole thing into the bushes. The squirrels probably liked your way a lot better than mine!

The other night you were kind of grumpy and your dad came home and was talking to you and he asked if you loved him and you said no. Well that made your dad upset so I asked you the same question and of course you told me no too. So the next morning after your dad had left for work I asked you the same questions and again you told me you didn't love us. So I asked you if you wanted new parents. You looked at me with a very concerned look on your face, put your arms up like you were shrugging your shoulders and said "I'm not sure?" It was so funny. I don't know where you learned that phrase but you use it a lot lately and it is always at the funniest times.

We went and hung out with Aunt Lisa a couple days ago and showed her just how fun life with 2 kids can be. You were kind of grumpy (do I sense a trend?) and started throwing a fit rolling around on her floor so she got down and started doing the same thing. She started asking you if she was bugging you but you just kept going. Later that night when your dad got home he took you for a ride in the truck and asked if you had seen Aunt Lisa that day. Your answer went something like this... "Yeah. She bugs me." Your dad laughed and laughed and when he told me the story I had to fill him in on why Aunt Lisa bugs you. While you may be grumpy a lot of the time, you are dang funny the rest of the time!

I bought you some cream for your scar and told you it was your "special makeup" since you like to get into my makeup when I am getting ready. You disappeared for a little too long one day and were a little too quiet and this is what I found when I went looking for you. Apparently you thought if a little bit of "makeup" was a good thing, then a LOT must be even better.

Your favorite thing to do lately is to watch me make dinner. You are quite the helper! You love to watch the pots boil and when they steam you say "oooh, it's making FIRE!"

And as if we needed any more proof that you and your dad are 2 peas in a pod this would be it. Your dad gets mad when I make cookies or brownies and (gasp!) clean the bowl out with the spatula! Don't I know that not only am I supposed to leave those bits the spoon can't get but also intentionally leave EXTRA batter or dough in there for you? Yeah, you were a fan of the cookie dough on this beater if you can't tell.

On a sad note this month, your great-uncle Marty passed away from cancer and I think what makes me the saddest of all is that you will most likely only vaguely remember him. See, I think he kind of took a liking to you! Every time we visted him and your great-aunt Jean you always walked away with something new. A cool semi-truck, a set of western movies, and even a cool little bike on your birthday. You played catch with him a couple times and he told you that he would love to help teach you how to play football someday. He would have really gotten a kick out of telling you stories about when my cousin David played - I think his favorite story of all was when he got one of his friends to call him and pretend to be a recruiter! I know how hard his struggle with cancer was but every time we were around he was happy and excited to see you. We will definitely miss him.

You did something this month that I doubt I will ever forget. It wasn't that serious but boy, it made me wonder how I will ever raise the 2 of you to adulthood. I think for now I won't worry about the long-term and just be happy to survive from one day to the next. Being home continues to be a huge learning curve and you both continue to teach me more about life than I ever could have hoped to learn on my own. I thank you, but at the same time wouldn't mind if you gave me a break from all this learning once in a while.

Love you chubs,

Mom