Where's the camera?

Yes, the camera disappeared the other day. And after many calls to Betsy to see if I left it there and many looks through the diaper bag, it still wasn't found. Finally, when going to get a diaper, there it was. In the ottoman where all the diapers are. As I was uploading a few pics this morning, this is what I found.

As I'm looking through these photos, I'm wondering where I was during this photo shoot. It appears as though James had the camera and he was very good at capturing what Ryan was doing. Here's the thing. The camera was in my diaper bag. they're not allowed to get into the diaper bag. Other things in the diaper bag that they're not supposed to get. Lip gloss. I obviously didn't know this one was missing.

I guess this is hard proof, that they got into the diaper bag and Ryan got the lip gloss. Not sure where the lip gloss is currently.

Thank You , Erin.

When Chris and Erin were here, Chris made a comment about Erin. He said something about keeping the house tidy but followed it up saying "I know Erin wakes up every morning thinking how happy she is to spend the day with her kids, being a mommy".

What a great thing for a husband to say. A husband who knows that his wife is content staying home with the kids. I can say, that this attitude has been a constant struggle for me. Going from having many satisfying jobs to staying at home, has been a struggle. Let me tell you that leaving my kids full time so I could go to work, is not an option, but staying at home full time has its toll. Anyways, to the point at hand. Alex did ask me if I thought like Erin. I took a bit offense because of course I love my children. But that's not the point is it? The point is where my heart and attitude and mind are each morning. So, I've been trying to make some changes in my heart and do a lot more praying for peace. Peace during disciplining. Peace during yelling. And even peace when Alex comes home and the boys go crazy. No picture here, just the mental image of a mom trying to re-align her thoughts.

Like Mother Like Son

So, our one crab pot produces 4-6 crabs at a time. We would have more, but someone took our other pot. We think the commercial guys just grabbed it when they grabbed theirs. Anyways, we cook up the few we get and then put them in the fridge till I have enough to pick. So, I put the boys up to the bed the other day and brought out the crabs. I made sure they weren't around, because, you know how boys are. Well, they came downstairs to see Alex and there I was, picking crabs. They immediately climbed up on my lap and Ryan went to grab the mallet. So, I showed James how to do it and he did a good job, as you can see. I though Grandpa Boyd would be proud of him....

Very Uncomfortable

I wish i had a picture to go along with this, so I'll try to convey the emotions involved. I was able to go out last night and have dessert and coffee with a friend at Kaminsky's, downtown. We had a great time until they turned up the 'background' music so loud we had to yell at each other. The coffee was decent and the dessert was good. And as Yolande drove me to my car, we got stopped at a red light. One guy, walking across the street, decided to stop in front of our car and do a little Austin Powers strip tease. No, not just for a few seconds, but the entire 2 minutes the light was red. Talk about uncomfortable. All we could do was stare. He didn't seem over-intoxicated or even high. But it left us in a state of shock. So, I share this with no resolution, other than I had really weird dreams last night.

Time with Friends

Our friends, Chris & Erin Wallace and their two children, Cami and Noah, came for a brief visit to Charleston. They're being relocated to Rhode Island and then San Diego, so they are doing an East Coast vacation trip.

They spent 2 nights and 1 day here, and we had a good time. The kids kicked around in the pineapple fountain downtown and we ate at Sticky Fingers. We played cards at night and drank Firefly and margaritas. Alex is real good at making those now. And yes, Olivia decided to finally sleep in a stroller. She's not one for car seats or strollers. That's the only time she'll scream.

Anyways, a cute picture of the girl sleeping.

And the cuteness fades away...

Isn't there a verse in the bible about all things turning to dust?? I remember one time being at the Heisig's house and one of the children broke a plate or something. And Mrs. Heisig very quietly and sincerely made a comment about this will all be gone when the Lord comes back. I think about that often. Mostly when I'm not being quiet and gracious to my children when they break or mess up something. Well, we had another opportunity to practice. James found a blue sharpie outside yesterday and wrote around the whole outside room that's outside the master bedroom. He didn't just pick one spot and do some artwork, but went around the whole thing!! Daddy was not happy, not even remotely. You can imagine why not...seeing as he built this house and knows the labor it will take to remove it and fix it. But, I got to the 'gracious' one who disciplined James and explained to him the problem. I don't think a 3 year old gets the time and effort it will take to fix this...

Ah...the boots

A few visits ago, Alex and I wandered through a Texas pawn shop. We found a great pair of black cowboy boots that I intended to send to one of my nieces. Well, they never got packed up and now, they sort of fit Ryan. Ryan likes to 'dress' up as you can see from other pictures I've posted. He's been known to walk around in my shoes, alex's shoes and James' shoes. He wears headbands and big boy underwear (over his diaper) and anything else he can figure out how to put on. James does this too, but not as extreme. James likes to try on clothes, especially ones that I have in piles to pick through for consignment. Anyways, as we were getting ready to go for a walk, Ryan had to wear the boots. They have heels on them so it's a bit tricky, but he couldn't be dissuaded. So, here they are. James thought it was funny that Ryan was wearing boots.