Just Being Boys

On Wednesday, the boys and I went to Great Grandpa's farm. I was helping him figure out some things on his computer, which meant that Grandpa J was left to keep an eye on them. When he became a Grandpa he lost all desire to keep kids in line. Why does that happen?

We had a very busy day on Wednesday. There really wasn't any down time for the boys and they were getting pretty tired by the time that we got there. That was the first big strike against me!

Grandpa J took them down to the lake and then showed them all of the ducks and other animals. They were really excited, and when they came back into the house they were wound up. They were also eating sugary Dots candy by the handful.

Three tired boys + an exciting outing + lots of sugar = chaos

They were being so crazy. I had to keep getting after them while we were all sitting around talking. They wouldn't straighten up, so finally I had to really lay into them. Really who wants to be around wild boys like that? I certainly didn't want to claim them as mine at that point.

When I went back to talking to Grandpa, though, he was laughing! It certainly wasn't what I was expecting. He said that he raised four boys of his own and he knows how they are. My Pop also said that he remembers his mom just throwing her hands up in defeat a lot of times--which is exactly where I find myself at more often than I'd like.

It's always good to be around someone who understands how boys are, even if I don't want my boys to "just be boys" in the crazy, wild sort of way. Certainly not when we're around other people!

Field Trip to the Optometrist

The other day Lucas, Henry, and Ben went to get their eyes checked by Uncle Brad, and it was the coolest thing ever!

Lucas, especially, walked in the door and talked non-stop about everything they got to see. He was really excited about getting his pupils dilated. He kept showing me how huge his eyes were!

They were telling me about all of the other cool things they got to do. Honestly I didn't really hear any of it because I had so many people talking to me at once--including Ben!

Who would have guessed a trip to the Optometrist would be so fun!

No Bed for Henry

Despite my bribes for a campout in the basement, Henry keeps hiding food under his bed.

His current favorite is ice cream bars and brown sugar.

We have tried locking up every door and cabinet in the kitchen--that is why he has now resorted to brown sugar--but now we have decided to try eliminating his hiding places. I don't know why he won't just eat the food at the counter. He knows he doesn't get in trouble, even if it's food he isn't suppose to have.

Henry is now sleeping in Josh's room--Josh happily is sleeping in the bunk beds with Lucas! Henry doesn't have matresses, but he has a nice pile of blankets--he really does usually sleep on the floor even when he actually has a bed, so I don't feel too bad.

I went to check on him during nap time and he had made his bed in a wooden boat of Josh's. It didn't look very comfortable.

Ben and I are already regretting having wild Josh in a room with a ladder and I'm not sure if not having a bed will really stop Henry. We'll give it a week and see how things go.

For now I'm sure Henry is enjoying the "Wall O' Josh" that is in his new bedroom!

In the Dog House

Henry just can't seem to stay out of trouble. This week has been especially bad for him.

He is such an outgoing, chatty, friendly, and a genuinely nice kid, but he just has so much trouble controlling his naughty behavior. He's my boy at both ends of the spectrum--naughty and nice.

He doesn't really do bad things, just naughty. The thing that makes me so crazy, though, is that typical punishments just don't seem to get through to him. In most cases the punishment seems to be totally worth the crime.

I've been trying to think outside the box with him. I haven't quite come up with the right solution. The best thing seems to be when he misses out on an outing or something "big", but then I feel like he gets left out a lot. I'm thinking that I need to start a reward chart for everyday that he doesn't sneak food into his room--that's by far his most common offense and it's often with ice cream, or cottage cheese, or something equally gross and messy.

I try to keep telling myself that one day I will look back on this and laugh, but while I'm actually dealing with it, it is making me crazy. I noticed my first gray hair when I was pregnant with him--I think it was a sign of what was to come.

He really is a super great kid--he just makes me want to pull out my hair at least once a day. I need to figure out a way to channel that part of his personality for good!

Lemonade for Sale

Gretchen had a garage sale over the last couple of days. The kids got to try their hand at entrepreneurship.

Everyone seemed to sort of have unofficial jobs. Gillian was the head boss. Lucas took care of the financial aspect of it. Henry earned his keep by being the head salesman. Josh Oliver and Olivia were sort of greeters--cute, chatty girls and boys with black eyes really bring in the crowds!

They started off Thursday by selling Krispy Kreme doughnuts. They tried their darnedest to get people to buy them, but I think they ended up eating way, way more than what they sold! Who would have guessed so many garage-sellers were such dedicated dieters?

The next day they had a lemonade stand. They had better luck selling that, although I'm pretty sure they also drank way more of it than what they sold, or should I say drank and spilled more.

We've decided that Henry is indeed a born salesman. It was a real crack up to watch him in action.

There was one girl who was about 8 who told Henry she didn't want any lemonade. He disappeared for a minute and came back with a full glass of lemonade. He walked up to her like he was the coolest guy at the party and said, "See I told you we had some lemonade." Then he took a long sip and said, "Are you sure you don't want some?" It was all very slick! She didn't give in right away, but by the time she left she had a glass in her hand!

Henry even stayed behind when Ben and I took the other kids to Cici's to eat. He wanted to stay with the lemonade stand--he was dedicated! While we were gone he apparently started pouring glass for people before he even asked if they wanted some. Really how can you say no to a cute kid who already has a glass ready for you? It was a good approach.

By the end of the day on Friday, Henry, Olivia, and Josh had made such a mess with the lemonade that they didn't get to sell anything on Saturday. Plus, they were all cranky messes so none of us really wanted to deal with them, let alone them trying to sell things.

It was a good garage sale. Gretchen made a killing and I think Linda did pretty good too. I was just happy to get rid of some of my stuff--the money is just bonus.

Our Date

Today Ben and I had a date of sorts.

We cleaned the garage!

My Aunt Michele asked if the boys could come over to play and the garage has been begging to be cleaned for a long time, so we got busy!

We got everything moved and swept. We got rid of a lot of stuff and we scrubbed everything clean. We found one very disgusting cooler that had empty cans in it from probably two years ago. Seriously, why would that get put on a shelf to ferment?

It took us three exhausting hours, but we have a really clean garage, well except for a few things, and Ben and I got to spend good quality time together, minus the kids. Really it was a lot of fun!

Our dates usually consist of getting the kids to bed early, ordering in food, and watching all of our favorite shows, so this one really spiced things up for us!

Plus is there anything hotter than a boy who cleans?

Accident Prone

Josh Oliver fell off of a bench at Gigi and Grandpa J's yesterday.

He now has a very swollen cheek along with a bruise on his lower eyelid and his cheek.

He also still has a mark by his left eye where he hit a popcorn tin at the very beginning of April.. The scar by his mouth is looking a lot better though.

He looks pretty rough!

UPDATE:

When Josh woke up from his nap (about 6 hours after this picture) his whole bottom lid was a dark purple and even more swollen. He also now has yellow nasties coming out of both eyes. I have been assured he hasn't broken his face in any way, but it's absolutely disgusting! Sadly I think it will look even worse in the morning.

We may not have very many pictures of Sweet Joshers for the next several weeks until his terrible eye returns to normal. Frankly I'm not sure how he is even going to be able to leave the house!