Home With Mama II

This past week Alex was away on vacation so I was home with the boys. One great thing about this summer is that when all is said and done we will have had four full weeks of no non-parental-childcare. One week in May when we all went to Virgin Gorda (click here), a week at home in June (click here), this past week of July at home, and another week that we have coming up in August. It is really challenging to maintain my career while also devoting this much time to my bambinos. And the stress and anxiety and pressure sometimes take a toll on me (we had a couple low points this past week -- just read between the lines of this blog and you can see the cracks in the pavement). But I have worked my a** off in order to be at a point in my career where I can even consider doing it this way.... and I'm maximizing on that as much as I can this summer. This post is a sort of random series of snippets from the past week.

As you've probably noticed from the photos on the blog, we're rarely dressing the boys in matching outfits anymore. I had always told myself that when they turned three I was going to try very hard to avoid the cutesy-twinsy-matching-outfit-temptation. I've been more or less successful. But from time to time the boys still insist on wearing the same things. On the day of the photo above they had both wanted to wear overalls. Luckily we still do have a few things that are "match to match!!" (as the boys say), so we do have a few cutesy-twinsy-matching-outfits for when the need arises. On an entirely other note --> cute story: I have taught/trained the boys the following ~~ If I say, "Where are you going to go to college?" They say, "Howard University!" So, we were sitting at the table having lunch. I said, "Owen, where are you going to go to college?" Owen said, "Howard University!" I said, "Kyle, where are you going to go to college?" He said, "Howard University! With my brother!" Suddenly Owen threw up his hands saying "Wait a minute! Wait a minute guys!!! I have a good idea! Mommy say 'where are you going to go to college?'" I said, "O.k. Owen, where are you going to go to college?" He said: "Howard University! With my brother and my mommy!"

The second half of the week was totally thrown off by Owen's sudden intense sickness on Sunday-Monday. We know our life is really in a frenetic-crazy-spiral when we find ourselves having sandwiches (in this case turkey on bagels) and *cosmopolitans* for dinner at 9:30 p.m.

The Day of the Penguins (click) turned into Days of the Penguins. The boys just can't get enough of these silly little pool penguins.

Day of all days!!! Wednesday afternoon Q (click) and his girlfriend Ashley came to our house to visit Kyle and Owen. The boys are in love. With Quadir Carter. They love him more than they love the penguins. After he left I found that he had left this little note for K & O (it says "Hi Kyle & Owen - Lehigh Football - Quadir Carter"). How sweet is this??? Quotes regarding Q ~~ Kyle, at the dinner table: "When I am grown big just like Q I will jump with Q into the swimming pool. I will jump with Q into the big deeper and we will make a big huge splash. And Q will say 'Yay Kyle!' O.k. Mama???" Owen, at bedtime: "Mommy, I love Q. I am so sad that Q left me. I want Q to come see me again. I love him."

Yup! That's my boy! Playing dominoes. He doesn't have "Johnson-McCormick" for a last name for nothin'! Some of you dear readers who have had the privilege of being subjected to dominoes games at our house or my parents' house or my grandparents' house know what a huge deal this is. Yup! We broke out a "new game!!!" (Auntie Sabrina had given this dominoes game to the boys a long time ago and I had kept it hidden away until they were old enough for it). The boys caught on fast and Kyle announced, "I like this new game!" We've been playing dominoes every day since. Yup! That's my boy! Playing dominoes. Preschooler dominoes. But still. Dominoes. All is right with the world.

Last night, on the eve of Alex's return from vacation Kyle and Owen made these for her. It amazes me how much time and care go into something like this when you're three. The boys spent at least a half hour working diligently on these --- finding all of the right letters, sticking the little foam pieces on just so, coloring with markers, etc. They were very excited to give these to Alex this morning. Kyle and Owen are learning (and Braydon and I are continuing to learn) the complexity of bitter-sweet emotions. It is "sad" that mommy will be back to work, and it is "happy" that Alex is coming back. "Happy and sad." All at the same time.