I Scream, You Scream

Remember at Ethan's first birthday party, when I had to restrain myself from grabbing all that sugary, artificially flavored pile of carcinogens know as cake and ice cream out of his little hands? Well, things have changed the second time around.


At least he hasn't had cake yet- I still have some standards.

Tuesday

Ethan went to the dentist today and sat through the cleaning like a champ. He is getting his second set of baby molars- ouch. We continued the family fun by going out to lunch afterwards. "I want chiiineeeeese!" Ethan kept shouting from the backseat. Matt tried to sway him with promises of chicken nuggets or ice cream, but Ethan was undeterred. And now I have converted another one to the thrill of the Chinese buffet:

Hope

I'm going to take a break from the regularly scheduled programming of all cute boys, all the time, to talk a little about Barack Obama and his presidential campaign. I have never had enough interest in a particular candidate to get involved in a campaign or even express a strong opinion regarding any past election but this year is different. This year I actually believe that one of the candidates is different, one of these men is ready and willing and able to change the course of this country. For too many years, decisions for the many have been made by the few: the same few wealthy white men who have used their power for their own benefits.

I realize that no one, especially no politician, is perfect. No one is going to agree with another person 100% of the time. But I believe that Barack Obama is in a position to make positive changes for our country and our families. I believe in his message of hope. I believe that he will be able to ensure better healthcare options for us. I believe that he will work hard to encourage more research on and further use of renewable energy resources. I believe that he is a Christian man who is committed to his family, and committed to using his gifts for the good of others.

Barack Obama did not grow up with a trust fund. He does not own 5 houses like John McCain, or oil wells like George Bush, or a construction company rebuilding Iraq like Dick Cheney. He was raised by a single mother and worked as a community organizer to improve conditions of poor neighborhoods. He realized that true social change had to start with legislation, so he returned to law school and then served in the Illinois State Senate before running for the U.S. Senate. His vice-president, Joe Biden, has a son who will be deployed to Iraq in October. Biden's daughter is a social worker. These men understand more about the issues facing our families than any other candidate has in a long, long time.

I've been sitting here for over an hour, tears streaming down my face and onto this keyboard, trying to find the words to express just how deeply I feel about this. (I will have to try again later, because now I've given myself a headache, and I really want to watch the speakers tonight at the DNC.)

Michelle Obama will be speaking at 9:00 CST at the Democratic National Convention. Watch her on PBS or CNN to learn more about the Obama family.

For more information on Barack Obama's positions and plans, please visit http://www.barackobama.com/

To register to vote, go to http://www.rockthevote.com/

And to see a cute baby, stay right where you are:

These Days

Who, me?

Recently, when anyone has asked me how are the boys, I most likely responded with a sigh or a grrrr before launching into a litany of complaints: the screaming, the aversion to sleeping, the pooping, the stubbornness, the screaming, the meltdowns, the messes, and did I mention ALL THE %&!#ING SCREAMING. (And I don't just mean the boys. Poor Matt.) But sometimes, they are so unbelievably sweet.

I was in the kitchen yesterday, washing dishes and listening to the boys play in the living room. "Stop, Evan! I need to work!" Ethan squawked. (Where did he learn that? Ooooh, guilt). "OK, Baby, we can do teamwork," he amended. (Oh, phew). "You hold it right here. You're helping me! What's gonna work? TEEEEAMWORK." I desperately wanted to peek at what they were doing but was reluctant to ruin the moment. I eavesdropped on Evan's happy chatter and Ethan's commentary while I cleaned the whole kitchen by myself. Aaahh.

Every bare patch of dirt is a thrilling treasure for Ethan. "Mom! I need to shoop some dirt here!" "Mom! This is my own garden!" In his own gardens, he digs little holes and sets sticks upright in them. "Look, Mom! Mine flowers are gwowing! And a wadish! And a mato!" he shouts triumphantly. "HEY! THAT'SNOTAWEEDDON'TPICKTHAT!"

I'm only guessing, but I'm pretty sure Evan has gained at least 85 pounds in the last week. He scarfs down his bowl of cereal every morning and then eats several trillion cheerios. He smacks his lips eagerly when someone nearby is eating and mooches whatever he can get his little grabby hands on. (I hate this stage, where I can't eat junk food in front of the baby. Ethan is old enough now that I'll share a little treat with him or explain that he needs to choose food that will help him grow -"Wike my daddy and Paul!"-; but it seems mean to not share with Evan. So I have to snack on stuff that I'm ok with him eating, or sneak the good stuff when he's not around. And he is ALWAYS AROUND. ) One morning, the boys ate an entire cantalope. They'll eat a bunch of bananas the same day I've been to the store. Ethan can eat a whole steak and Evan is getting pretty close. Apparently one area we won't be cutting costs is groceries. I'll have to go back to work when they are teenagers just so I can afford to feed them!

So. Right now, they are both asleep- long lashes resting on peaceful faces, Evan's little smiles and soft sounds, Ethan's long legs sprawled every which way. Twenty minutes ago, the house was filled with screams and protests and I felt like I was drowning. Now, I can't help leaning down to kiss those soft cheeks one more time. Maybe I wouldn't appreciate these quiet moments as much if there weren't so many loud ones in between.

Calamus 2008

Good food, good friends, great day.

Genius

Evan was playing on the floor with the phone, gnawing and gleefully pushing buttons. It rang and he chirped "HI." I swear.

Is it Friday yet?

I don't have any cute stories to post right now because Evan just fell asleep mid-wail and Ethan is still screaming that he doesn't want to stay with me, he WANTS TO GO WITH DADDY, he doesn't want to watch John Deere Action, he is NOT TIRED, I want to NOT WASH MY HAIR, etc. Aaaaah. So glad I have my good buddy, Mike H. Lemonade, here with me. I just figured Matt would appreciate a different photo welcoming all y'all to my humble ablog. (Get it?) (I should not drink and type.)

So here are some pics from our superfun weekend: a trip to Columbus for Zach and Jenna's birthday party and a picnic at the park yesterday with Cindy and Brayden. Also known as the good ol' days.

What is this "choking hazard" you speak of?

I guess I'm sleeping on the couch tonight...

What more could a boy want?

Fast Times

On the long list of Acceptable and Productive Ways to Spend Time in our house, updating this blog seems to fall somewhere between 'Play Guitar Hero with sticks' and 'Fold clothes.' (There are fingers to bite! Meals to prepare! Holes to dig!) So here are a few highlights from the past week:


Evan helped put up sweet corn. He actually got all the husk off that ear by banging it around on the deck. Who knew that strategy was actually useful for something? The weather finally cooled off enough that he could be outside for more than 30 seconds without exploding into a baby-pile of prickly heat.

We went to the pool. It was...awesome. I could live at the pool.

Ethan went to Sunday School all by himself! I was starting to get concerned towards the end that he would be wondering where I was, so Evan and I dashed down to his classroom. He looked up and said "Hey, Mom" nonchalantly. "I got some juice."

We went on a picnic. Evan ate more grass than anything else and Ethan didn't have much time to eat between running around from the slides to the swings to the 'excabator,' but I had a fairly relaxing meal, for once. Sitting in the shade, a slight breeze, happy boys- it was one of those rare, perfect moments when we were all content at the same time.

Amazing Grace

Another sweet, unprompted bedtime prayer:

"Dear Jesus, Dake you for ours fam-ah-yee. Dake you for ours food. Dake you for Jesus. Dake you for Mommy and Daddy. Amen"

He laid his head down, then popped back up: "Dake you for Evan!"