My Peeps!

My mom and Jake left us yesterday after a five day visit in Texas. As always, we had so much fun and replenished the memory bucket until next time. We all went to an Astros game together on Saturday evening. My mom splurged on some really great tickets and we had a blast! We haven't taken Lyla or Max to a baseball game in a couple years, so it was fun to see how much they have evolved compared to our last experience. I had the realization it's getting easier to plan adventures as our kids become more and more flexible as they grow older. There was once a time we had to plan activities to revolve around the schedule of these little munchkins, but it seems we are finally moving away from that. It's fun having "big" kids!

I suppose I can't give Max the big kid title quite yet, considering we did have a crisis situation at the very end of the ball game. As he melted into a puddle of hysterical sadness on the floor of the public restroom, I imagined all the diseases he had to be contracting and begged him to hold on a little longer. There was no saving him. It was already too late. So, I decided to relocate him outdoors to a grassy area and give him some space to release all that emotion. I just stood there and waved at strangers as they passed by. "Oh, hi. Yes. That's my child. His apparent exorcism was taking place near the toilet just minutes ago, so believe me this is much better for us. Carry on." Anyway, like I said, it seems we are moving away from planning around their schedules, but I guess we aren't out of the woods quite yet. It was late and the game was almost over, so I'll give him that --- but I can't wait to tell him this story when he's older. It was an award winning performance.

We had more fun times including foot spa night by Lyla, endless shopping, swimming time, football and taco day, Top Golf, and my mom was also able to visit our school. I can never decide whether to call it school or work since it's both, so in this instance it's school. Anyway, it was nice to give her a glimpse of our new daily schedule and the kids enjoyed showing off their classrooms. She even read a story to Max's class. It was adorable! 

My mom is such an amazing grandma and I'm so grateful my kiddos were able to absorb some of her loving energy for a few days. Lyla's Barbie collection has been gathering dust for the past couple months, but I think Lyla remembered how good Grandma is at playing Barbies because the moment she arrived it was game on. I really enjoy my mom's Barbie technique because she bounces back and forth between full on dedication to the never ending game and bringing Barbie into real life scenarios, such as Barbie has to blow dry her hair, make the bed, pour some coffee --- then she returns to Lyla's script. Ha! It's pretty great.

As for little brother Jake, he is an excellent uncle. My heart explodes every time I watch him interact with Lyla and Max. I can't even explain the reasoning, but he has exceeded any expectation I ever had for all the silly uncle-ing abilities I made up in my head. He is the best brother and I'm so lucky my kids get to call him their uncle. My favorite Jake rant from this trip was a surprisingly convincing argument about how real water bottle companies in this country are selling us water that doesn't even hydrate our bodies. Yes folks, non-hydrating h2o. I was giggling, but feeling somewhat skeptical after his lengthy speech. However, knowing it would push his buttons, I claimed this conspiracy theory was nothing more than a first world problem and told him he sounded like a "spoiled millennial." He said, "If by that comment you mean I think for myself, then I'll take that as a compliment." Haha! I love him. He is a riot. I think it's obvious how much I love teasing my brother, but I can't help it. It's been the easiest form of entertainment in my life for the past 24 years. However, as much as I love to harass him about practically everything, I hope he also knows how much I admire his wisdom and overall outlook on life. He will always be one of my favorites, cynicism and all.

I miss them already. I dropped them off at the airport and cried like a baby, because that's what I always do. I wish I could keep them here forever. I know some people may think I'm nuts, but I really think our culture made a wrong turn having families separate from each other as soon as we emerge into adulthood. Why do we do that? Where did all this pressure come from? I think we should reside in the same house, perhaps build a small village, and keep the happy times going forever and ever. I want less stuff and more people. And I'm reminded of this every time I have to say goodbye. 

It's Sumpthin

It was a few months ago when Max uttered the phrase "it's something" or "it's sump-thin" if you're speaking in Max dialect. I was getting him dressed one day when I noticed one of my favorite t-shirts of his was becoming too small. I said something along the lines of, "aw man, this shirt is getting too small." That's when he looked at me with the most puzzled look on his face and said, "it's sumpthin." Yep. He was right about that, it's sumpthin. 

He's continued to say this in different scenarios, including when we were out to eat recently. He ordered mac and cheese --- surprise surprise --- and they brought him out a fork instead of a spoon. Max typically manages a spoon easier than a fork, so Kirk told him he would request one when the waiter returned to our table. Max looked at Kirk and said, "it's sumpthin." Haha! It's turned into our family motto of sorts and we say it anytime life doesn't necessarily go our way, but it's still tolerable. The optimism is seriously appreciated, Max.

It's important to shrug your shoulders a little when saying it in order to get the full effect.

*half smile* "it's sumpthin" *shoulder shrug* 

Lyla & Max started playing school when we get home from school. <-- ironic. Lyla is typically the teacher and I was laughing as she started clapping her hands while announcing it was story time. Max followed her prompts and Lyla offered him a small snack as long as he promised to sit criss-cross-apple-sauce. It's a funny dynamic between them that I'm enjoying while it lasts. I can still remember playing school with my little brother and it was always so satisfying having him willingly obey my demands. I see the exact same behavior in my sweet Lyla girl. The big sister syndrome is fierce.

ALSO, Max's first soccer game was a success. We are so grateful of our good friend Kurt for coaching at last minute due to the YMCA slacking in the organizational department. Kurt did a great job of herding those little rascals in the right direction, not to mention the kiddos were so grateful of having a professional soccer player coach their game. :) If you haven't already viewed my amazing, academy nominated feature film, you can do so by clicking here -----> soccer video.

LOVELOVELOVE

Lyla and Max are enjoying school and despite them being in separate classes, they have remained best friends. For the most part, they really don't get to see each other during school hours. They aren't reunited until after school when all classes combine into one big group for extended care. Typically they only play in extended care for 15-20 minutes while I wrap up my day and get ready to go home, but it's just long enough to give the extended care teacher a glimpse into the special bond they share. 

The extended care teacher stopped me one afternoon specifically to tell me how much she admires Lyla and Max. She told me she has never witnessed siblings who take care of each other the way they do. They always embrace with a big hug after school and continue to play together until it's time to go home. She said Lyla is very protective over Max and is constantly looking after him. It made my heart happy. The reality is they fight just as hard as they love, but apparently they save that for home and protect each other out in the real world. It's pure goodness. 

That same day Lyla and Max were sitting at the kitchen counter as I cooked dinner. I heard Lyla say to Max, "Do you want to get married?" I couldn't control my laughter, so Lyla looked up at me and said, "Mom, I didn't mean right now. I mean when we grow up." Haha! These are the moments of motherhood I love the most. 

We were preparing to leave for school this morning when Lyla greeted me in the kitchen. She was wearing a dress paired with one tie dye green sock and one white sock with a heart on it. I complimented her dress choice, but suggested she return to her bedroom to pick out a pair of matching socks. I was certain she had more options available. She protested this request. I continued to encourage her to change her mind. Then she said one thing that instantly won the battle. She said, "Mom, it doesn't matter what my socks look like. The most important thing is the love in my heart." The "love in your heart" phrase is something I say to my kids quite often, but I'm grateful she reminded me of my own philosophy. And from that moment forward I supported the decision of the mismatching socks. The life lessons in parenting and childhood are continuously interchangeable.

This is our after school couch cuddle session, 

which has been known to last anywhere from thirty minutes to two hours. Ha!

Max: Soccer Practice Day One

As previously stated, Lyla started a ballet class a couple weeks ago and Max has been eager to start soccer ever since. He felt very left out the first week we dropped Lyla off at ballet. No matter how I laid it out for him, he simply had no understanding that I have zero control over the start dates of these activities, so I consoled his sadness with ice cream like a good mother. After weeks of asking and begging about playing soccer, the day finally arrived. Max was giddy with excitement. However, his glazed eyes after school made it obvious a nap needed to be first priority upon arriving home. He resisted, per the usual, but eventually surrendered to his siesta. 

I think we are slowly phasing out naps all together, because typically when I enforce nap time it has a negative impact on bed time. It's a matter of picking your poison --- surviving the 5pm witching hour or battling the hour long bedtime negotiations. They are equally as evil, in my opinion. Anyway, nap time was necessary today because 1. Monday's are hard and 2. He needed enough stamina to last him through his first soccer practice. Well. The hours passed and Max kept snoozing, so I eventually had to pack up the soccer gear and load him up in the car in a half-awake fog. He was furious over it. 

He screamed the entire way to the soccer field. It was super delightful. I am completely aware it's uncool to wake someone from a nap, but I felt he was being slightly dramatic. Especially considering he was so excited for soccer only hours before. Anyway, that's just life with little people. He exclaimed he no longer wanted to play soccer whatsoever and demanded we go back home. I had flashbacks of Lyla playing soccer and was fully convinced we were on the road to a repeat experience. We sat in the parking lot watching the other kids as they arrived. I explained to Max that we needed to go introduce himself and meet his teammates then if he still wanted to leave after that, we could do so. He still was not happy with me, but he agreed to the terms after a ten minute snack sesh in the car. Food is happiness. Oh crap. I consoled his sadness with food once again, this might be a problem. 

We finally ventured onto the field and Max immediately reverted back to his normal self. He was noticing all the other kids and pointing out all the soccer gear. I was relieved. He headed right out to the field and followed instruction seemingly well. Victory! And not to mention, he is the cutest little soccer dude ever! I'm excited to watch his progress over the next several weeks. 

Most parents, me included, were openly applauding their children and giving them direction during practice, but I was laughing as Lyla was screaming at Max louder than any other parent out there. "NO HANDS MAX. I SAID NO HANDS!" I had to remind her to chill out a couple times, although I was still laughing inside my head. I guess she thinks she is the soccer expert after that one time she "played" soccer. She's hilarious.

I really did feel bad about waking this sweet baby...

Meltdown phase replaced by curiosity.... 

aaaaand it's go time!