two

Dear sweet baby Davis,

It is with a heavy heart that I put on a smile for the occasion of your second birthday. Sure - I’m thrilled to celebrate you and the special day that you came into our family. It’s just that I can no longer get away with calling you a baby since you are capable of running, jumping, disagreeing and generally escaping me at nearly every turn. You are a little Houdini, indeed. Your charm is undeniable, which is good considering you’ll need it to get out of the predicaments into which your mischievous spirit will find its way.

As a second child, you have introduced us all to a new dynamic as a family of four. You have been such a good little brother for Peter, although he might argue that you knock over his buildings a few too many times. You have taught him about compromise and also how to still love while disagreeing. You are affectionate and love to hug and cuddle. One of your favorite ‘phrases’ is telling people “I love YOU!” You are a tough cookie, Davis. You hang in there with the bigger kids and you love every minute. You are quick-witted, stubborn, and smart – an explosive combination. One of our favorite stories about you is the day you saw another kid push Peter out of the way and you ran from across the room to push him back. You may be quiet at first (or maybe that’s because you’re not a big talker yet), but you are dynamite. Four years ago that kind of attitude would have frightened me but now I can appreciate that spark in our family.

This year holds lots of changes for you but I know you’re up for it. You’re up for anything. This baby in my belly is going to be your best friend and look up to you like you hung the moon, you and Peter. Won’t it be nice to be the big brother for a change?! We just really need to work on the throwing thing – or at least improve your aim.

Happy second birthday, little man. Thank you for your sweet, adventurous spirit and your ubiquitous smile.

I love you,
Mommy

He is part monkey, afterall...

Enough of all this - when can I go back to the ball pit?

Where's Peter?

Honestly, I think Peter had more fun than Davis.  And Davis had a blast.

Puppet show

Davis emerged from the back room on a motorcycle to the tune of "Bad to the Bone"

Peter and his future bride, Bailey :)

Bubble Bliss

i used to be cool

Yes, I go to bed early enough to sleep almost 11 hours at night. Yes, I have become one of "those" people who thinks Coke in the newfangled white cans tastes different. But that's not what I'm talking about. I swallowed a jagged little pill this weekend, folks. Goodbye, twenties...


...and hello, thirties (three years of 'em, anyway).


Every morning when I announce that it's time to go, Peter asks if we get to ride in the minivan. He hasn't quite grasped the idea of our new car, I suppose. What he does grasp? The sliding doors. OBSESSED.

payback is hell

So, where were you at 2:53 this afternoon?

I, friends, was crawling out of a window.

Back story - in a recent text to our parents, I wrote: "Your eldest grandson is in solitary confinement. Lock on the outside of his door and a potty pass when necessary. The little $&;! smuggled five snack (cookie) pouches and a bowl of fruit into his room and stole my iPad from the charger beside my bed. Found him watching a movie with cookie trash all around him and a chocolate mustache. Game on."

Now I admit to a few hormonal outbursts, but this pattern of behavior (and the methods used to reach such ends) breaks umpteen house rules and pushes almost every button I have. I was done. I recognize a door lock is drastic; I was desperate.

Fast forward to today, after enjoying some peaceful quiet-time, I decided to go up and get Peter early. Just before climbing into his bed for a story, he opened his door, locked it and closed it again. Smiling. @&;!

Davis was waking up and I could not get to him. No phone. Couldn't jimmy the top hinge. Couldn't find any small sharp objects (mother of the year) to pick the lock. Peter was full of "ideas" until I banished him to the top bunk to think. I then crawled out of Peter's window - into the snow - without a jacket - and jiggled every doorknob and window. To no avail. I knocked on neighbors' doors to call Hayes. Nobody was home. I crawled back through the window to warm up and attempt to settle Peter, who was both wildly excited by the adventure and a little confused by the crazy woman crawling in and out of the house.

In a last ditch effort, I thought that maybe the contractor's key was still out there. Nope. But I did have the sense to check all the drawers and cabinets on the screened porch and I found a very old key. Unsure if it even belonged to our locks, I held my breath and gave it a turn.

Thank you, sweet Jesus.

Boys were safe and I finally had access to a restroom. Clearly, we will be re-evaluating our "security measures," both inside and out. Not exactly the results we had in mind.

(sigh)

I can laugh now.

auld lang syne = times gone by

Happy 2012!!

So when it's been weeks since my last post, it's hard to know where to begin.  Add Christmas, a new year and two weeks of vacation from school and I'm as lost as someone who hasn't even been here.  Good thing we've taken pictures to document. 

First thing's first:  "I'm going to be a big brother!"

Indeed, Davis is going to claim that dubious title of "middle child."  We are expecting another Bryant in early July, and by most accounts it will either be named "Captain Hook" or "Daddy."  Have I mentioned that we are clueless when it comes to the mere possibility of a girl?! While I am still exhausted 10 minutes after waking, I'm not feeling sick anymore.  I'll take it!  I'm not the spunkiest gal to begin with, so I can function fairly well on low energy.  Add all-day-queasiness and I'm not so adequate a parent.  Glad to enter the second trimester along with a new year!


While the boys have been out of school I have tried my best, especially given my aforementioned energy level, to provide quality adventures to get us out of the house most days.  We have taken advantage of some nice days and played outside, but we have also met friends for playtime and story time at the library.  Frankly, I didn't have room in my bag for the big ol' camera, but trust me.  We went.  We saw.  They tired out. We napped.

We love Saturdays, "because Daddy doesn't go to wook!"

So many of you know that I adore Christmas card time.  I love receiving pictures of all the precious children in our lives and I love sending out cards that capture our family in a moment.  I arranged to have professional pictures taken several weeks early, as it had been pre-Davis the last time we had a family portrait.  Despite a very spirited session, the photographer assured us that she got some great pictures.  Then I found out it would be mid January before I'd see them. 

Whoops.

So off to the backyard we went for a quickie photo shoot.  Yes, bribery and threats were involved.  Here are some outtakes (not all silly - Peter was a dream due to promises of treats!):

The winner - now see what came next...

Always so smiley.  Always up to something.

And then came Christmas.  Quickly.  Peter was of course full of anticipation and questions, so we detected a bit of a cold coming on and gave him some Benadryl before bedtime.  (There was a doctor in the house!) Didn't want a repeat of last year.  We had quite a few laughs as we witnessed the medicine take effect, and before long he was conked out in bed with Davis soon to follow.  Luckily, we didn't have a whole lot to accomplish that night so we all went to bed early.  At 3:43am, we heard footsteps in our room and a little voice exclaim, "Daddy!  Santa came and he brought me the most wonderful bike I could ever have!"

So up we were, and down we went.  He was enamored.  In addition to Santa's bike he received several dress-up costumes and books, a space ship and a space tee-pee... Boopah was up for the morning so the rest of us enjoyed Peter's initial bliss and excused ourselves for a few more winks of sleep.  When Davis woke at 7:20, we did it all over again with much less fanfare.  All he wanted to play with was a new Thomas train.  Reenie ended up opening his presents but it took a while to get him to play with much else.  Even Peter enjoyed most of Davis's presents - and still does!

Trying out the new ride

One excited boy

Over the past week he has practiced in all different conditions, and we finally decided to put the training wheels on to boost his confidence.  He had mastered the balance bike so we thought he'd be okay without them, but he's about a quarter inch too short for a perfect fit.  He's doing really well and we hope to take the "stabilizer legs" off again soon.  At the rate he is growing, it won't be long at all.

So, now it's the first day of 2012.  When Peter and I talked about all the fun things happening this year (turning 5, new baby, summer vacation, etc.), I asked him what he was most excited about.  His response:  playing in the snow.  Old Man Winter, please throw us a bone!

That said, we are readying ourselves for a very special year.  While there will be lots of changes, we are blessed to have the support of such good friends and family. I wish the same for all of you.

And if you see me driving a minivan, please withhold your laughter.  I assure you, I'll be chuckling enough for the lot of us. 

growth spurt

I suppose it is inevitable.  A little person learns to talk and suddenly you hear descriptions of bodily functions and ailments that really don't need further commentary.  Peter caught a quick stomach bug last week and apparently he can't wait to get sick again.  The movies and the cuddling were fun, hence being sick is fun.  Then today he asked me if I remember that time he "throwed up all over the bathroom?"  Yes, dear.  I won't soon forget.  Thankfully he was too sleepy to remember much except the movies. 

So the old appetite took a vacation - the kid would hardly eat anything, even peanut butter and jelly lost its luster.

Now?  We are on Day 4 of "I'm hungry!" every. fifteen. minutes.  He's been complaining of his legs hurting.  I fixed an extra sandwich at lunchtime to have on hand this afternoon when his snacktime appetite kicked in - he ate it directly after his lunch.  So far today - it's 2:30pm -  he's had two breakfasts, two lunches, and a snack.  He sneaked a rather large bowl of fruit into his room a couple of days ago and ate the entire thing (then hung the bowl on his crane hook and left it there to spill all over his books and floor).  The clothes I bought in October are too small. He's grown two inches since August. 

Is this a boy thing or was I really just that freakishly slow to grow?

My legs hurt just thinking about it.

damage control

I have spent the past hour and a half cleaning up after a couple of really bad decisions. Not mine, of course.

First, I walked into Peter's room to find little bits of fur scattered all over his bed and floor. I slowly put it all together - he had given his stuffed panda a haircut. A few chuckles and a pseudo-stern discussion about proper scissor usage later, we cleaned it up together. Fur will be falling for days!

Boys asleep. DVR beckoning. TV remote nowhere to be found. I ransacked the basement three times and searched the usual black holes extra thoroughly. No dice. Not even in the garbage. 45 minutes later, I had to grab something from the car... and there it was. In the dump bucket of Davis's tricycle. Full of water from today's rainfall.

Doesn't bode well for tv tonight, but I dread even more Peter's questions about working the tv at 5:30 am. Last thing he needs is something else for which to blame Davis.

I think I'll just go upstairs and call it a night!

mischief, but not the elvish kind

I have now attempted (unsuccessfully) to publish this post a total of four times since the weekend, so forgive me if my frustration is showing.  I'll try to include the wit I put into efforts 1 and 2 - not sure 3 was very clever either.  Here goes...

Elves.  On the surface it seems brilliant.  Santa sends these little creatures to your home throughout the Christmas season to spy on your kids.  They fly back each night (using magic, of course)  to report on the kids' behavior and the fun lies in finding them each morning.  They can be hiding somewhere or perhaps they've taken the car for a drive through the back yard with the music on full volume.  You just never know where they'll turn up...

Before Thanksgiving, Peter sent a note to Santa asking for two elves - our own Mr. Flapperjinks and a new one named Sam.  I suppose it's true, Mr. Flapperjinks would have his hands full keeping his eyes on Peter.  Davis needed his own.  Thankfully, Santa had a spare Sam to indulge Peter's request. 


The elves arrived on December 1.  Peter found them at 4:30am in a bowl full of marshmallows on the kitchen table.  They had scribbled a note explaining that Nashville was warm-ish so they wanted to take a snowball bath.  "Hope you don't mind."  Mind?  They came bearing a special North Pole breakfast - snow-covered donuts.  Now, my kids aren't starved for treats, people, but you'd have thought they had never had sugar before in their lives.  They were blissfully covered in powdered sugar after fifteen minutes, as was the kitchen table.  So worth it to see the twinkle in their eyes.... ahhh, Christmas.

Fast forward three days.  Countless time-outs (double, triple, and quadruple time-outs), an elf zip-line through the living room, an unfortunate accident involving a baseball bat and a little brother's head, and two very frustrated parents later, the elves didn't come back.  They had seen enough. 

The worst part?  After all the effort Santa put forth to arrange this elf visit, the boys couldn't care less.  How bad a sign is it when Santa and the elves hold no weight over your 4 year old.  We're slightly panicked over here....

Since the elves have left on vacation, we have attempted many times to earn back their trust but to no avail.  I suppose we still have two weeks, right?  Does Santa have a decent return policy? 

With his creation at the class gingerbread house party

So we turn to gingerbread houses.  Our wonderful babysitter Lillian asked if she could do gingerbread houses with the boys last week.  I all but jumped at the chance for someone else to take on that project.   Peter especially took great pride in his work but has had no qualms destroying them, wall by wall, to get a lick of icing or a handful of M&M shingles. 

Hard to choose which is more fun - decorating the houses or eating the decorations.

I've seen mug shots better than this, but you get the vastness of the sprinkles of here

Didn't even bother wiping this guy - straight to the bathtub and he's still covered in red icing

On another note, Peter had his Christmas pageant at school this week.  All the four year olds put on a little musical nativity and it was perhaps the cutest thing I've ever seen.  With the exception of Mary, Joseph and the wise men, all the boys were dressed as shepherds and the girls were dressed as angels.  Now, you may remember that for the past few performances Peter has been less than participatory.  Our expectations were not high in spite of his excitement over his costume.  "Mommy, it has a rope!" Poor boy was devastated to learn that the rope was to be used as a belt and not a leash for sheep.  He sings like a bird at home but has never been one to perform.  Fine.  At least we go, show support and have a cookie.

Forgive the intrusive hair bow and shoulder, but Peter is on the front row, second from the left with red pants and a greenish tunic.  And a rope, of course.

The kid sang. 

The kid smiled while he sang. 

Maybe the elves should come back after all. 

thanks and giving

So to say this post is tardy is more than a minor understatement. I hope that I can retell the past several weeks without forgetting everything noteworthy. Unlikely, but I'll try anyway.

This year's Thanksgiving was to be spent with my family, only not in Louisiana. My aunt and uncle who host the whole clan each year recently acquired a ranch north of Houston. Now, imagine my boys with the following at their disposal: oodles of cousins, oodles of space to run and play, dogs, a tractor, golf cart, four wheeler and a pond that has yet to be filled. Dirt, dirt, dirt.

I had a baby shower to host the weekend before Thanksgiving, so Hayes took the boys to Birmingham Friday night. My first night spent alone since in was pregnant with Peter... it was a treat, to be sure. After the shower, I drove on down to Birmingham so we could leave for Lafayette on Sunday. The trip itself was uneventful but seemed unusually long. Peter was a star traveller as always, while Davis was a little less cooperative. Rain and clouds and simple exhaustion made it a long day, but we survived with several pit stops and more than my daily dose of Coca-Cola.  I stopped at my grandparents' house on the way in and was able to see a few cousins and aunts, not to mention use the potty for the first time in 7  hours.  Oy.

After a busy Monday catching up with a few friends and family members, we loaded up again and headed to Texas on Tuesday.  Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the trip was our sleeping arrangement.  We got to claim one of the family RVs for our little foursome.  Peter would have been content to stay in the motor home all week and test every switch and button.  I was a little nervous about the boys sleeping 3 feet away from each other, but I must admit it was super nice to put the kids down and then go back to the main house so we didn't miss any of the action.  In hindsight, Peter's favorite thing about the trip was the RV.  He even told me that when he grows up to be a policeman, he'll use his police car during the week but he'll buy a motor home (for his wife) to use on Saturdays and Sundays so they can come and visit us and go to church together.  The kid's thinking ahead! 

I spent several weeks before Thanksgiving organizing a friendly family competition, since we'd be thirty-something people with no other place to go.  I think the first (hopefully) annual Z-cathlon was a success, with 14 events (some added on the fly) and a lot of hilarious surprises.  We had all four generations competing on some level in events ranging from staring and speed texting to hula hooping, horseshoes and name that tune.  Beer pong was a cut-throat event whose finals had to be postponed and I know a rematch is inevitable, as I live with one of the finalists.  Cheesy t-shirts, three days and a whole lot of trash talk later, the trophy went home with Marie, my cousin who out-threw several of the men in the football throw. 

Oh, the food.  Fortunately I was only assigned bread for Thanksgiving dinner, as I was floating around with my clipboard and recalculating points on the scoreboard after every event.  My aunts and cousins, and well my turkey-frying uncles too - these people can cook.  Yum. 

If foosball had been an event, Davis would have insisted on playing every game.

Watching the action

Mother vs. daughter arm-wrestling

Pop's winning stare - he seriously broke at least a dozen people with this look

During Name that Tune, "their song" began and so we got a rare performance.  Aren't they so cute?

Two of my favorite people in the whole wide world

Hell on wheels

Uncle Mike, the horseshoes/Cajun golf/washers commissioner, sporting his t-shirt with his bracket drawn on a paper plate

.

Forget all that contest business - there's dirt and worms to deal with

Practicing.  And I'm not kidding.

Two more of my favorite people.

The dance competition was a hoot!

The hostesses with the mostesses and their "trophy"

The great-grands at the starting line of their 50 yard dash - except for Davis, who was probably inside sneaking a cookie.

Team Bryant strategizing for the kids' scavenger hunt

Come Friday, Davis was showing signs of a stomach bug and we needed to start the long trek home.  I am always so sad to leave my family - it's such a rare thing that so many (related) folks can gather without drama or commotion.  Just a whole lotta love.  It's like getting a three day-long hug, and I need that as often as I can get it.

geography

"Mommy, someday will you take me to Paris?"

Nothing would make me happier, Peanut.  

freeze

Every now and again I just sit and watch these two little rascals and wish I could "fasson forward" to a time when I have already taught them how to love and respect each other (and me) without brute force.  Then other times, I wish I could press pause and just soak it in.  In an effort to pause time, I like to document each boy in words that capture their little spirits at this moment.

Peter (aka Monkey See):

Loves very early mornings; cuddling with his Lovey; singing ALONE; reading and spelling (he is my kid!); trick-or-treating; talking back; the top bunk; lollipops; anything starchy, crunchy or fried; ROUTINE; holding/squeezing Davis's hand; movies, circuses, performances; saying blessings and the Lord's Prayer; being the "Busy Bee" for the school day; writing his letters; connecting dots and working through mazes; pumping gas; choosing his own outfits; negotiating; SCHOOL; doing hookup at school (getting dropped off and walking to his classroom solo); his balance bike; saying NO; making mountains out of molehills; television, specifically Disney Junior and PBS Kids; non-fiction (his teacher says he has the most realistic imagination she's seen - he plays games based on science and history such as pretending to be the king of England or an iguanodon dinosaur); making all sorts of faces using very expressive eyes; making guests feel welcome by bringing them a beer upon their arrival - unprompted; dressing up in costume; his horse Joe (our Swiffer); guessing games; showing empathy (I speak from experience!); (positive) recognition; being just the slightest bit quirky

Dislikes authority; hurrying; time out; when Mommy doesn't read his mind from miles away; crowds and noise; Davis's fussing; getting his picture taken; vegetables; the rattlesnakes and ghosts that are apparently taking over his room (Mommy made a special recipe of Shoo Juice)

Davis (aka Monkey Do):
Loves anything outside, especially pointing out airplanes, wind and leaves falling; peekaboo; showering and subsequent squeegeeing; doing whatever Peter does; hugging Chief; eating dog food; lollipops; the top bunk (yikes!); storytime in someone's lap; the time-out stool (as a place to sit anytime); launching food/books/toys; putting things in buckets; flirting; anything related to Thomas the Train; grunting; rawr-ing like a dinosaur; hugs; kicking balls; kissing bo-bos; chasing; dropping books in the car and then whining until they are returned to the book box; getting "shot" with the hair dryer; flushing the toilet; sitting on the potty in a diaper and saying "ssssssss;" eating with utensils but then launching them across the house; visitors; eating sidewalk chalk and crayons; finding Mommy's hidden markers; washing hands;

Dislikes anything resembling the word "no;" anything resembling speech on his part; anything resembling lagging behind; closed doors; anything he sees Peter disliking

b is for...

Brennan!

Uncle Brennan and Aunt Lindsay visited Nashville this weekend and got their fill of some Bryant Boys. Davis hadn't seen his godfather in several months but it took less than two minutes before he had a new best friend. I think Brennan enjoyed a brief break from princesses and ballerinas (he has two girls and another on the way).




Other than the obvious sweet stuff, I think Davis really enjoyed another grown-up to harass about reading Thomas the Train stories. I know I enjoyed the reprieve.

Boo!

Our morning began with a Halloween parade at school. While we waited for Commander Bryant of the Shuttle Nashvegas, Davis the (space) monkey enjoyed some time on the big playground. All by himself.










By the way, this child NEVER carries his tail between his legs. When Peter finally came by, he covered his eyes with his hat so I couldn't see him. Super attitude, kiddo. So I have no good pics of him from Halloween.







Halloween is not my favorite holiday. Mix it with Monday and a really disrespectful four-year-old, and I was ready to call it a day at 4pm. Thank goodness for Aunt Callie coming to the rescue and wrestling my monkeys when I was about to cage them for the evening. We persevered and joined our good friends Rachel, Bob and Katie for some pizza and trick-or-treating.




Davis didn't quite understand the concept of gathering candy and then saving it for later. He wanted each piece right as he received it. We tried distracting him with the plush banana sewn onto his costume but it didn't work. Fortunately he was content to eventually stay in the stroller and eat a lollipop. Rachel and I were content to follow Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman as long as the kids would cooperate. Peter proclaimed trick or treating so much fun and said more than once how much he likes the night. The days are dark by 6 or 6:15 now so he's spending more and more time in the night. We have evaded any major fears of the dark but he has demonstrated an interesting aversion to stinkbugs, tornadoes and rattlesnakes. Don't ask - I don't know either.

There seems to be a couple of Starbursts missing from Davis's stash, which wouldn't be a big deal if we knew where the WRAPPERS ended up. He is such a puppy dog.

Happy Halloween!

So glad this day only comes once a year.