Andy Man

Just a little post about Andy and some big steps lately. 

Andy is still a wild one.  Both boys are, really.  But Andy can be....difficult...at best.  God love him, he just marches to his own little drummer!

He can be so so sweet and so so kind...when he wants to be.  

And that's what I have learned about Andy lately-- he will do whatever it is that he needs to do/you want him to do when HE is ready to do it.  There is no pushing this kid.  There is no encouraging this kid to try something new.  It has to be HIS idea and he has to decide to do it in HIS time.  

This can be extremely frustrating for his momma.  Like for example this summer when he decided he no longer knew how to swim.  He had been swimming just fine months before in Mexico, but all of a sudden he forgot how...?

He soooo wanted to play soccer this year.  Begged to play.  The first day of practice, he sobbed that he didn't want to go. SOBBED. I forced him to do it and he was pretty miserable (or I should say WE were all miserable watching him) the whole practice. 

Fast forward to now and he has decided he actually loves soccer-- and can't wait to play it.  He loves practices and plays in the games-- and actually does stuff like score and pass the ball to team mates! He is so fun to watch play because he really enjoys it and is out there smiling the whole time.  It just had to be HIS choice to want to play. 

Cal has tennis lessons every Thursday afternoon.  Andy usually watches and/or plays in the dirt while Cal plays.  He has had zero interest in wanting to play tennis so I, of course, wasn't going to even ask him if he wanted to play. This past week he told me while we were watching Cal that he really wanted to play tennis.  If I have learned anything about Andy, it's to act quickly while the willingness is there-- don't give him too much time to think about what he's doing.  I asked the instructor if they had room for one more, even though he was only 3 (the age requirement is 4...), and they agreed to let him give it a shot, just to see if he would be able to follow directions and do what they asked of him. 

 Well, he loved it! He has really good hand eye coordination and loved whacking the tar out of the ball! He and Cal shared a racquet for this lesson, but I have already gotten one for Andy because he asks every single day if he can play tennis. He LOVES it! He plays in the driveway everyday after school and wants to go to clinic every afternoon.  HE decided he wanted to try it and now he loves it!

This past weekend, Andy had a FIT when it was time to go into the UNC game.  He did not want to go! He thinks games are scary and loud and blah blah blah.  He was terrified and shaking.  When we finally talked him into going in...you guessed it: he loved it!

He had the best time sitting with his Gramma and eating all the fun treats in the Blue Zone.  Look at that smile... hard to believe he was screaming hysterically about 4 minutes prior.

This kid is going to cause me to go grey early, but I kinda like that he beats to his own drummer.  He is going to keep us on our toes, that's for sure, but he has more personality than he knows what to do with...and that's a great characteristic if you ask me.  

We were at Cal's swim practice this week and Andy looked up at me and said, "I am ready to take swim lessons, mommy." And that was that. I literally begged and pleaded with this brat little boy to learn to swim this summer (since he suddenly forgot....) and he refused.  Flat out refused.  Then on a random Sunday afternoon he decided he was ready.  In true Andy fashion, it has to be HIS idea on HIS time.  When will I learn that? So, just like with the tennis, I acted quickly, before he could change his mind, and talked to a woman about lessons.  We will see how those go...

One more bit about Andy... I have learned I can NOT compare brothers.  It isn't fair to either kid.  Just because Cal was doing _____ at this age doesn't mean that Andy will be too.  They are totally different in their personalities and that is something we have to remember daily.  Cal had his alphabet memorized (able to identify letters) at age two.  Andy has about half of the alphabet memorized now and doesn't care a thing about learning the rest.  Not a thing! But that is just part of what makes these two so different. And what makes life so fun. And frustrating at times...but fun most of the time!

And, just because I have to keep a sense of humor, this cracked me up... if you are on instagram, this is my favorite account:

 

Weekend Update

I have SO much to catch up on on this blog...life has been crazy lately and when I have a spare second, I am too tired to blog! But this week I am going to work on that....

Here is a look at our weekend!

Friday after school, my dad came and picked up the boys to take them for ice cream.  He is starting a tradition of taking each kid on their birthday for a special ice cream treat! Of course, he couldn't take Cal without taking Andy... it would have been ugly! They were so excited when he pulled up.

He bought a UNC jersey for each one and gave it to them on the back of the truck.  haha

After ice cream, the boys were tired and snuggled up on my bed while I was getting ready.  We were heading to the country club for kids club!

They had a really neat putt putt course set up and the boys had a blast..but were exhausted when we came home.  Both wanted me to carry them and both cried when I said I couldn't carry both at the same time.  I have started taking pictures when they are crying over ridiculous stuff....makes them stop crying immediately! ha!

Saturday morning, we were up early! We were going to Carolina's football game, but had to stop at soccer first! Cal LOVES soccer, just like he always has, and now Andy is starting to love it too.  They both get really into it! Both boys scored multiple goals- I think Andy had three (but if you ask him, it was 10) and I think Cal had around 8...? Either way- they had a great time and were loving playing! Makes me happy to see them happy!

We left the game and went to meet my parents; we were riding with them to the stadium because they have a great parking spot.  We changed the boys out of their soccer gear and into their football gear (#boymom) and we were off to the tailgate!

Chris and his fam walked by so we got pics with all the grandkids... this might be my parents' Christmas card! (actually, mine is blurry because I had something on my lens, but there is a good one floating around)

We all had fun playing before the game started

Andy was not too excited about going into the game.  He worries about fireworks and noise and being scared.  He panicked when we went in, but ended up being totally fine and loving it.  Of course.

Cal spotted Owen in the Blue Zone and had a great time watching the game with him!

Andy parked it at one of the high tables and watched the game and ate everything in sight.  

 Cal sat with Owen for a little bit using the ear phones to listen to it all... (Cal just ate a spiderman Popsicle and his lips are proof!)

Andy and Grandma had a great time at the game! Love their smiles!

Chris got his kids in the blue zone too and these two sat next to each other talking nonstop! They love each other so much!

Jackson and Cal sat with Grandpa...I think they were all pretty happy to watch the game from those seats.  Jackson and Cal went inside after this and tackled each other over and over again.  I am sure everyone inside was thrilled to have two boys playing tackle football in there....

After the game, we all went over to mom's house to have a fire and play in the side yard.  Bruce had been in his crate all morning so he was excited to run free! He had a chew toy and laid in the sun so happy.  We set up the bounce house for the kids and they all took off their socks and shoes and had a blast jumping away!

 Bruce was enjoying some non-leash time.  He was running around, but was being so good- we were keeping a close eye on him.  I saw him snatch a few socks from the kids, but I grabbed them from him each time.  One of the times I went to get the sock from him, I grabbed his collar and he turned his head and swallowed it.  I literally watched the sock go down.  I didn't think it would be that big of a deal- I have a friend whose dog eats (and passes) socks every single day.  We called the vet and they said it was a very big deal because his little intestines aren't developed enough to pass the sock and the chance of obstruction was really high.  So Eddie headed to the doggie ER while I put the boys to bed.  Of course I was a worried hot mess.  They gave him stuff to make him throw up...and told us if he didn't throw up, we could plan on surgery.  Well, THANKFULLY, he threw up one sock, which was great...and then he walked into the room and threw up again...and THREE more socks came out.  Four socks total.  Seriously, Bruce???

SO SO thankfully he threw them all up! SO scary! He had medicine to make him sleepy so he came home and went straight to bed.

We woke up on Sunday morning and I went to the grocery store for the week-- it was great to go kidless and get everything I needed for the week! They had these amazing dog beds on sale at Harris Teeter-- they were only $16... which is soooo much cheaper than I could buy in a pet store! So I got a new little bed for Bruce to have in the kitchen.  He LOVES it.

He was groggy for a lot of Sunday-- and he was perfectly content to hang out on his new bed. 

While Bruce rested, I cleaned and got out my Halloween decorations.  I am such a dork.  I decorate for fall in September, add Halloween to it in October and then add Thanksgiving stuff in November.  See? Total dork. 

More resting....

Sunday afternoon, Cal had swim practice.  I asked him last week if he was ready to stop tennis after this session and he said he really liked it and didn't want to stop.  I asked him if he wanted to stop swimming after this session and he said he really liked it and didn't want to stop.  He likes to be busy!

Andy was very into watching this practice-- he and I sit on the side during practices-- and even said at the end that he is ready for swim lessons-- which is HUGE! He hasn't been wanting lessons EVER so the fact that he wants to now is a big deal.  It just has to be his idea....!!!! I bathed the boys at the gym where the practice is and we headed home!

The kids went to bed and I went to clean up the playroom, but decided to lay on the floor instead.  Momma was tired!

Here's to another busy and action-packed week!

 

Our week

My last weekend update, I wrote about Cal not feeling great.  Well, I put the boys to bed Sunday night and had already decided I would keep Cal home with me on Monday.  I had to teach popup, but he could sit in the corner of the room and not bother any one.  At 9:30, Andy cried out and when I went in there, he was burning up.  I took his temp- 102- and determined that no one would be going to school Monday! I got my class covered and decided to lay low for a day with the boys.

Except, the boys would have Advil, the temperatures would drop instantly and they were WILD and ready to play! They felt great!!! It was so frustrating! I mean, I don't want anyone to be sick...but if you are well enough to be playing like crazy, you should be in school....but you had a fever less than 24 hours ago!

Anyway.  We went for a stroller ride and then ran some errands... we went to the grocery store together and actually had fun there- haha. 

Monday was the last day of summer; Tuesday was the first day of FALL! We celebrated by making some orange cupcakes... (I was trying hard to come up with things to entertain these two!)

They LOVED getting to sit on the counters and help me pour the batter.  

After baking cupcakes, we needed to head back out.  Cal's passport expired when he turned 5 so we had to go through the process of getting him another one.  And let me tell you: it is SUCH A PAIN to get a passport for a kid!!!! We had to make an appointment and since Eddie wouldn't be able to be at the appointment (he has been traveling a bunch this month) (and both parents must be present), we had to have a notarized form saying I had Eddie's permission to get our son a passport.  Phew! So we headed to dad's office because his assistant is a notary.  Dad wasn't there, so we took some pictures to send to him... 

Then Andy found some oooolllllldddd glasses of Dad's- hahahaha

After leaving his office, we went to the UPS store to have Cal's passport pictures taken.  You are no longer allowed to smile in your picture-- apparently they know no one is smiling when they wait in those custom lines.... I was cracking up and Cal couldn't hold a straight face.  The first attempt he had the cutest little smirk, but the guy said it was not serious enough and his head was too tilted.  Really.  Seriously? Yes. Seriously.  So I had to go stand on the other side of the store to keep him from smiling and this is what we got.....

We came home after the errands and while I got dinner ready, Andy got really quiet....and then this...

 He had had a HUGE meltdown leaving the UPS store.  It was ugly.  He was worn out.  His sleeping totally sucked this week.  I mean, it always sucks, but it has extra-sucked this week.  He is napping almost every day because he is SO tired from being up all night.

Tuesday, both boys were all better and we all headed to school: them to their classes and me to mine! We all had great days and headed home after school.  I told the boys they could have the cupcakes we made on Monday.  Cal devoured his. 

 And then he went upstairs to play football guys.  He could play with these for hours and hours. It's pretty amazing...

Andy, still exhausted, took a killer nap.  KILLER NAP. 

 He's so funny- one minutes he's wide awake and chatting away, and then the next he's really quiet and I look to find his sound asleep.  When I say the nights have been rough, I am not lying.  (sigh)

I had to wake him up to head to soccer practice.  It was cold.  Like, much colder than we all thought it would be.  And it was sort of misting.  We were all wearing fleeces and were still cold...Andy sat with me for most of practice since he was still trying to wake up, but then he ran out to play one of the games. 

I taught my popup class Tuesday night outside and I was worried it would be freezing out there, but of course we warmed up quickly!

Eddie left to go out of town Wednesday morning before everyone woke up.  While I got everyone ready for school, Andy played some beyblades....I could hear him shouting around the house "3...2.....1...let 'er rip!!!!"

Had to take a pic of Hank playing football too... he loves to lie on these fields-- go figure! ha

It was a rainy morning and we all had our hoods up-- the boys thought it was too funny not to take a picture on our way in to school...

After a workout, I ran home to get Bruce for a vet appointment.  Puppies go to the vet A LOT! Who knew??? I didn't remember doing this with Hank all the time! Bruce was trying to make an escape....

He was much happier in my lap... I sent this picture to Eddie who commented that Bruce wouldn't be able to sit in my lap much longer-- so true!

After school we had an appointment at the passport office..always something, I swear!! It was cold and rainy and the last thing we wanted to do was go there, but we went and got that checked off the list! Cal walked in the door and immediately started playing football guys again.  Think he's obsessed? He has started running actual plays now.  It's funny to listen to him play.

 Andy fell asleep again on the couch and Cal wanted to play as closely to me as he could.  He wanted me to sit on the floor and play with him, but I really needed a shower-- I suggested he bring the football guys into the tub so Bruce couldn't get them and he could play while I showered.  He couldn't get the field just right and FREAKED OUT. He was not happy! He tried to set the field up on my bed, but the guys wouldn't stand up.  He FREAKED OUT. 

It's hard being five, apparently! As soon as I got dressed, we sat in the hall and played.  I had to put Bruce in his crate for a bit to keep him from eating the players, but it was worth it to have some time with just Cal.

Wednesday night I had to watch the Big Brother Finale....love that show! love love love!

Thursday morning started with some snuggles for Hankers... he is such a good pup. We definitely don't take him for granted!

 I caught him in mid-yawn...looks like he is about to bite Cal-- but he would never! haha

Thursday we all went to school (and had great days!) and then we went to tennis. Soccer was canceled because of all the rain we've had. Cal likes to walk up from the courts to the playground and we meet him there.  I let them play for a few minutes before heading to dinner to meet daddy who just got back in town!!  Cal found a nice spot to hang out...

Friday morning I took this little guy out- he found a ball and was so happy carrying it around. Love that sweet face.  Eddie had an early morning flight to head to the west coast for another trip so it was just me and the boys getting ready to go!

We headed down the road to school and Cal grabbed his baseball cap to wear in to school.  I had to stop him before we walked in because I thought he looked so cute...

This whole week, Popup workout has been celebrating turning ONE! It's been going on for a whole year and it's been awesome.  Friday's class was a FREE class and we had a great turnout- we took a picture after class...several people had already left, but this was a good number of the people!

After picking the boys up, I came home and unloaded the dishwasher-- Bruce was so helpful!

Andy, once again, crashed hard.  Can you tell it's been a rough week by all the naps he took?! I had to wake him up from this one after three hours....

We went to the club Friday night and the kids did Kids Club.  I had a great time eating with friends and relaxing a little.  Eddie isn't getting home until Monday evening so I soaked up the few hours with the boys in kids club-- and they had a blast too!

When we got home, Andy wanted me to hold him- he wanted a hug.  I can't turn that down- ever- so I piked him up for a little love.  Cal said "that's a great shot, let me take a picture!" (think he's my kid???) so he took my phone and took this picture (and about 67 just like it)

 Then of course, Andy wanted to take a turn with the camera....

 I can't believe how big they look in my arms.  When did that happen?? I read this article this week....I just want to soak them up while I can.  You really never know when you put them down if that will be the last time you ever pick them up.  Such a great read!

And, I saw this on my instagram feed and it made me laugh.  I have stupid immature potty humor. 

xo