Conversations with Boys

I will tell you one thing. Having two boys in the house is not dull, nor is it boring, or monotonous.

Every day something pops out of their mouths that  makes me laugh, shake my head in pure wonder of HOW and WHY they think like they do. Little boys are gross. They come by it naturally. No one teaches them to love all bodily functions or laugh about certain body parts. They certainly do not hear that stuff from me, ( I am 90% sure they do not hear it from their dad...but I can not guarantee it, since he is, in fact, a boy)

So, once in awhile I remember to write some of things that have come out of their mouths. Ya know, to document it for future blackmail and embarrassment ;)

 Here are just a few conversations with my boys:

J-“ Mom, are you making broccoli?”

M-“Yes, I was making some for myself, but you can have some”

C- “ Yuck. I hate broccoli. Do I have to eat some.”

M-“ No, as long as you eat all of your salad at dinner.”

J-“ Yes, Colin. You need to eat green food. Green food is good for you. Green food makes you have hairballs in your armpits.”

While playing Skylanders/Superhero something together.

J(in play voice)- " I am going to lock you in in a deep, dark pit that you can never get out of"
C(also in play voice) -" Noooo. I will escape you."
J-" I am going to put in in a dark pit....THIS dark pit!!!" said while lifting up shirt and pointing to his very skinny, pale and completely hairless armpit.
Both boys fall to the floor laughing.


At bedtime, after getting off the phone with their Dad, who was working over night in Chicago.

J-"If I could have any super power, I would be able to reach through the phone and be able to see Dad and give him a big hug good night! Because I miss him and don't like when he is not here."
C-" If I had any super power I would crush stuff, like Crusher (a Skylander Giant, who happens to be Colin's favorite Skylander) I would crush my brother and I would crush this house."


While looking through some of our wedding photos with Jack to prepare for a school assignment, Jack comments on a picture of his dad waiting for me to walk down the aisle.

J-" Look at Dad's face. He looks like aghhh (while making a weird face)"
M-"Why do you think he looks like that? Do you think he was nervous to marry Mommy?"
J-" Yeah. He was probably thinking..I don't want to taste that spit!"
M-" Are you talking about kissing?!?"
J-" Yeah, when you kiss you taste spit."



While this is not a conversation, per se, it is a wonderful look into the minds of little boys.

When Colin is at preschool, he usually chooses to go to the writing center and will create a story. This will include him drawing the actions of the story, writing some of the words and verbalizing the entire story that he made up to his teacher or an aid. I love his stories and look forward to reading them when he comes home.

This was the last story he wrote:

"Once upon a time there were 3 snakes. They saw 2 gorillas and then the 3 snakes attacked the 2 gorillas. Then there was a dragon. And then the 2 gorillas, the snakes and the 1 dragon were fighting. After they were friends.
The End."

So, pretty much regular life here. Fighting and than friends.

It is all slowly starting to make sense, this life with boys.

Remembering...

It doesn't seem possible that one year ago today my sweet grandmother slipped into eternity.

I miss her.

I miss her laugh. I miss her hugs, the smell of her perfume that hung to everything around her.

I miss her notes in the mail, to me, to the kids, to Ryan.

It still seems wrong that she is not here, like a nagging in the back of your mind that something is missing, but you just can't fix it.

While it is easy to sit here and feel sad, a bit lost, a bit mad (I hate cancer. Hate it, hate it, hate it) and wallow in the feelings that are still raw and fresh, it is not what I want this post to be about.

  I really just want to remember. I want to remember all the good.

SO much good.

So much love.

So much happiness and so much laughter.

Those memories are the ones that bring smiles through tears.

Those are on the things that I want to think about.

I want to remember how she was just the best Grandma and the perfect great -grandma to my kids.

She was an example of love and grace and honor.

She was a loving wife and followed my grandpa to Alaska and back in retirement.

She was an active and involved mother.

A giver of her time, her attention and her affections.

She was faithful.

She was strong.

She helped anyone who needed it, prayed for anyone at any time.

Wednesday nights and Sundays would find her at church, serving the children. Loving those who did not get much love at home, being consistent in their lives when few else had.

And that is just a drop in the bucket.

So today, I remember my beautiful Grandma.

I rest in the peace of knowing that she is in Heaven and that I will meet her there one day.

And oh, what a reunion that will be!