Amelia on the bars

So proud of sweet Amelia.  She has been working extremely hard this summer on bars!  First video is Amelia doing her pullover back hip circle.

And finally...Amelia's dismount!  Still needs a little work but oh so proud of her!

She became a little frustrated but maybe because I kept saying one more time, one more time!!  Anyhoo, congrats Amelia!!  Hard work pays off:)

We love love.

I was putting Maddox to bed last night and told him I loved him.  He said, "Me too, Mama."  I then asked him, "Do you know what love is?"  He said, "You, Dad, hugs and kisses."  I think that pretty much sums it up.  I am so grateful that at age 2 he understands that we love him so much.  Drew and I try to make sure both kids feel loved every second of every day.  I know that seems so unrealistic, especially when a good portion of my day is spent saying, "pick up your toys, don't hit each other, no jumping on mom's bed, and don't pee in the floor."  (You can guess who this reminder is for.)  But for the most part, I am proud to say that I think we have succeeded in this department....just ask Maddox;)

A boy with a paci

Today while Amelia was at gymnastics, Maddox and I actually caried on a full conversation.  I looked at him and told him that we had to get rid of his paci soon.  I explained that only babies had paicfiers, not big boys."  I asked him, "Are you a baby or a big boy?"  He said "I a boy!"  I said "But big boys don't have pacis, remember?"  He thought for a second and looked at me and said "I a boy with paci!"  I love him!  But seriously, that stupid thing has got to go.

The sweetest kind of love

Here they are yesterday loving the snow....

and today, poor Maddox is sick.  He started running a fever during the night and felt pretty poopy all day.  Amelia could tell he felt bad because he wasn't playing with her at all.  They have fought like cats and dogs the last two weeks so I thought Amelia may enjoy some one on one time with me but she really missed playing with him.  As Drew carried Maddox to bed, Amelia started to cry.  She said she was worried about him and didn't want him to be sick anymore.  At that moment I thought, wow...you guys really love each other.  Even with all the bickering and occasional spitting episodes (thank you, Maddox), you love each other.  I realized I was watching the love grow between a brother and a sister.  And that love, well...it is the sweetest kind of love. 

(Feel better, Maddox...we love you!)

And this is why I love Drew so much

First of all, I love Drew for many reasons!  But his ability to put a positive spin on everything is by far the most attractive thing about him.  Now for the story.....This past weekend I had 2 shows so Drew had to turn into Mr. Mom; something he enjoys and is fully capable of doing.  The kids had a full day of activities and I had left a fairly detailed "to do" list.  I left at 7:30 in the morning and got home at 7:30 that night.  I knew Maddox would be asleep but I thought I may be able to get to tuck Amelia in bed.  So as I hurried through the door, I was knocked down by a horrible smell.  It reminded me of rubber burning.  I immediately threw my bags down and ran to check the space heater.  Everything looked fine so I went upstairs to check Amelia.  The smell upstairs was even worse.  I asked Amelia what had happened.  Her reply "Daddy burned something really bad.  He had to open all the doors and windows."  After getting both kids to sleep, Drew and I were able to talk about the day.  I asked him, "So how was it with both kids for 12 hours by yourself?"  He said "We had a great day!   Oh but I did almost burn the house down."  Excuse me?  Long story short, he tried to clean Maddox's pacis by placing them in boiling water.  He forgot about them and they completely melted causing the smoke detector to go off...(Thank goodness Amelia has been learning about fire safety at school.  Drew said she kept saying." Dad, there is a fire in house.... Dad, there is a fire in the house.)  After scolding him for leaving it on the stove, he filled me in on the rest of the day.  Amelia had cheerleading that morning.  Of course, Drew took Maddox to watch.  It seems that Maddox became obsessed with the water fountain and when Drew finally made him stop messing with it, he threw a fit...in front of the entire gym.  He hit Drew and spit on him, then screamed bloody murder.  Drew eventually had to take him outside.  Later that afternoon, Amelia wanted to take George for a walk (in her grocery cart), so off they went.  Amelia, according to Drew, had a huge meltdown because he wouldn't let her take off her coat.  A huge screaming match right there on the corner of Claridge and Darien...nice!  He said he finally calmed her down but then stepped in dog poop on the way home.  He decided to make coneys for dinner and I could tell he was very excited about trying something new with the kids.  I just didn't have the heart to tell him that they would hate them and he would have to make a "second" dinner.  And, yes, that's exactly what happened.  So to recap, house fire, dog poop, hit in the face, spit at, and 2 temper tantrums.
Now I don't know about most people, but for me, that is a horrible day.  If just one of those things happened, I would have been crying for sure.   Not Drew.  He was completely upbeat and fine....tired, but upbeat.  So yes, I'm convinced that this is why we work so well together.  I am the storm and he is the calm.

Little Man Playing

Maddox is growing up so quickly.  90% of the time, he has a bat, a ball or a club in his hand! 

 

I love God

....and I love these kids.