T-Ball Time Wordless Wednesday 6/12/13 #WW

My lil T-Ball cutie

T-Ball is always more fun with friends!

First hit of the season!

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Just Bryan Being Bryan

My kid is a goofball.  That is all!

Cat Nap Wordless Wednesday w/Linky #WW

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Kitty Love Wordless Wednesday w/Linky 1-9-13 #WW

Lucky

cuddles

Bryan with Rocky

Rocky

Timmy with Rocky

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Christmas Fun w/Linky Wordless Wednesday #WW

We had a great Christmas with lots of gifts and time with family!

The boys got COAL (technically it was chocolate) and that's really what they deserved after their behavior the last week.

But they still got all this too...

Timmy is IN LOVE with his Kindle Fire!!

Everyone (young and not so young) loved the Perplexus(es) the boys got!  

(I didn't even know there are three different ones now)

And they each got a super soft and squishy stuffed animal.  Bryan's is almost as big as he is.

Bryan and I piled the stuffed animals together and snuggled. Until I brought out the phone for some photos...then it got all goofy....

 Hope you had a great Christmas too!!!

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Can You Feel The Love Tonight? Wordless Wednesday 12-19-12 #WW

Is it wrong that I simply appreciated the honesty in this card from my 9 year old to my 4 year old?  He ended up crying cuz he got in trouble with Dad and he was just going for the humorous card approach.

Link up your Wordless (ish) Wednesday post so I can stop by!

Football Fever

 This weekend was the first game that my son's team wore their pink socks in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  I'd say his grandma was smiling down on him, even though he was benched for the first quarter because of issues at school and attitude with me.  But he and the rest of the defense rocked, completely shutting out the other team 0-20.  Pretty impressive considering their opponent held the possession for almost the entire first quarter. And at one point in the fourth quarter they were at the 9 yard line with a first down.  In four attempts they weren't able to get past the 1/2 yard mark!!!  Timmy had several really good tackles. 

 And my littlest buddy is turning into a great cheering partner.  For a little guy, he has some good lungs.  I can't imagine where he gets it. (I may have thought I'd be losing my voice for the second time this season.)

But would it be wrong to say that possibly the best part of the game was that it was played in a town an hour away from us where they are lucky enough to have a Sonic?  Celebratory Sonic was pretty darn tasty even if it was a little chilly out!

When It All Comes Crashing Down

OK, technically nothing came crashing down...but crashing WAS involved.  I don't think I have mentioned it directly here but just over two weeks ago my husband moved out. We'd had the talk a while and he made the decision weeks ago but it all came to a head one night and he left abruptly. 
He had talked to the boys previously to let them know he planned to leave but we fought and he left after they were asleep one night.  Johnny was actually away at camp when it happened and the other boys told him in the car before I had the chance to properly sit him down and talk.  He is my super emotional one and while he has yet to talk about it at all...he is lashing out. A LOT!

Last night was no exception.  When I went to pick them up after work he told me that he hadn't had lunch.  He'd refused lunch saying he wasn't hungry. But in the car on the way to T-Ball he repeatedly whined that he was....STARVING.  So I took out a few dollars so he could run in to the rec center and get a snack but as he got out of the car something happened and he punched Bryan, 4...HARD.  So I took back the money and told him he wouldn't die in the 45 minutes it would take for the game.  He went ballistic.  He tried punching me. Then took of his shoes and chucked them at my car.  Picked one up and beat on the hood of my car with it.  He yelled, screamed and beat on the bleachers with a stick.  He made the rounds back to try to hit and kick me again.  All the while I'm trying to keep the other boys (and others as they arrived) out of harms way AND get the team ready for the game since I'm the assistant coach and the other coach was stuck at a meeting for work.  As the game started, he collected rocks and threw them at me whenever I was within reach.

As the game wrapped up, Timmy had planned to go to his friends house for a bit and they invited all the boys over. When I told them Johnny could NOT go because of his behavior he flipped out again.  I was able to get him into the car, though not without some resistance.  But he continued screaming, telling me he hated me and that I was 'the worst.'  As I made my way down the road he began screaming at and punching his brother.

The stress of the last hour or so overwhelmed me and for just a brief moment I was not able to think clearly enough to safely drive...that's all it took.  One quick loss of clarity and I crashed my car directly into the side of an SUV.  Thankfully, no one was hurt. Though my car is badly damaged and the SUV will need some work. 

Our friends were not far behind us and pulled over to check on us.  I lost it there on the side of the street. Every bit of the stress of the last two weeks poured down my cheeks.  I LOVE my kids. I will do ANYTHING for them and I know they are going through a horrible change in their lives but I was not at all prepared for the amount of anger that would be hurled at me, the one left to handle them alone.  I have been proud of how we've managed up to this point.  The fighting between the boys has increased and their defiance with me has as well, but for the most part I FELT like I was holding it together. Getting up everyone morning and being more productive than I have in a long time.  But standing there looking at my broken car, I realized how completely broken I really feel.

In the hours following the accident I was flooded with love from my friends.  The one who was with us, took the boys to her house for several hours so I could deal with the police, then the insurance then just unwind for a bit and take a shower as the soreness set in.  Another friend brought over Ibuprofen as there was none in our house and my car was undrivable.  Another stopped by to talk to me and make sure I was OK after hearing how I'd broken down on the side of the road and assured me that I NEEDED to let them help me more.  She told me that she'd seen some positive changes in the boys in just the last couple weeks and that this accident was just a small hiccup.Another friend called and suggested that maybe this was God's not so subtle way of bringing me to the point that I could no longer refuse to admit that I need help.   To humble me and allow me to let in those who love and care about the boys and I.   And many many more texted and left comments on my facebook page.  This morning after the tow truck took my banged up car away, the boys and I were picked up and taken to pick up a rental car.

Today I feel battered and bruised, more emotionally than physically.  But I am overwhelmed by the amount of love that has been shown to me in the last 24 hours.  This really was the last thing I needed but I am so grateful for all the support I have!!  I know that it is because of the people in our lives that I will be able to pick up, move on and continue to make a better life for the boys and I.

Lil Slugger Wordless Wednesday {Linky}

Monday was Bryan's first T-Ball game.  He didn't want to even go but ended up loving it!!

Wordless Wednesday, Play Ball! {Linky}

Here's my newest lil ball player at his very first T-Ball practice!

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Sesame Street LIVE: Elmos Super Heros

Elmo and my little Elmo Fan. 

That little cutie pie over there...the one that ISN'T furry, he can be a real maniac, but for the most part is a very patient little man who regularly spends hours each week sitting somewhere while his brothers do their thing.  So I was exstatic when I won tickets to see Sesame Street LIVE Elmo's Super Heros.  I knew he'd enjoy the show.  But I didn't expect him to be so totally engrossed in it, to be thanking my multiple times a day for taking him, even days after the show.

I think it was partly do to knowing it was something special, for him, that he brothers had to sit through.  (Though truth be told they didn't hate it at all. But sshh don't tell their friends that.) But mostly I think it was because it was just a really fun show. We have been our fair share of productions over the last few years and as far as those targeted specifically for preschoolers, this was the highest quality I've seen.  The set was amazing, the sound was perfect.  The show as just terrific.

It didn't hurt that the helped create a fabulous atmosphere from the moment you enter the door with fun scenes to take photos in, to a coloring table and a small show area where the cast performed a few songs before the auditorium doors opened.

He kept mentioning a scary purple monster.  It wasn't until after I saw this shot that it occurred to me that THIS was what he was talking about.  He is NOT a fan of the Count's laugh...even when his dad does it! LOL

The stage before the show started.

Elmo is by fan Bryan's favorite but he loved bumbling Super Grover too, and Grover is MY personal favorite Sesame Street resident.

There were so many different scenes.  The staging was awesome.  The story was engaging for my four year old.  But it also had a tiny little one (maybe a year old if that) in the row in front of us dancing on her mom's lap like crazy!

I won these tickets but was not required in anyway to share with my readers about the show. I just genuinely thought it was a great show that made for some fun photos to share. If you want to find out more about a Sesame Street Live production near you visit the site here.

Reading, Wordless Wednesday 4-25-12 LINKY

My boys love reading...they also LOVE the library. 

Timmy reading to Bryan THROUGH the Foozie puppet.  My heart melts!

Johnny reading Horrible Harry, which he finished before we made it back home with the book.

Haircuts

The boys have been politely declining hair cuts for a couple weeks. But since the younger two aren't too into keeping clean and combed and the oldest one...well he just simply doesn't have hair that works in a long 'do, it was TIME. But as things often go, a whole family of haircuts wasn't in the budget this week. So a homegrown buzz cut for every one it was. Some tears were shed, some bribes were made, but in the end everyone looked oh so much cuter. Don't ya think?

Before:

After:

Bryan, 4                                                 Johnny, 8                                           Timmy, 9

Wordless Wednesday, 10/12/11 My Beautiful Family {linky}

 Sorry for being so photo heavy this week but I wanted to share ALL of my favorite photos from our recently family shoot with www.photosbyaimee.com.  I am so in love with them, it's too hard to chose just one or two.  If you have a favorite, let me know in the comments!