Overheard during "The 50 Greatest Home Runs"

My dad gave us a VHS tape called "The 50 Greatest Home Runs." The boys love watching it. Here are some bits a pieces of the conversation during the viewing:

• Was that hit in the World Serious??
• The Giants? They were playing football on TV at Uncle Denny's house. For the Super Bowl.
  
• Number three! That's Babe Ruth!
  
• Mickey? Like Mickey Mouse? Mickey Mouse Clubhouse? (after Kevin explained that it was Mantle who hit a home run.)
• I don't know those guys. I know Babe Ruth, but I don't know those guys (after seeing a few home runs hit in the 1980s).
  
• That's Ken Griffey, Jr. and Ken Griffey, Jr.'s daddy.
• Spwended Spwenter?
• Didn't you go to that game? (A Cubs game that happened two years ago--half of Lou's lifetime.)
• STRAWberry?! Why his name is Strawberry?
  

Mystery Poop Box

I entered a new realm of parenting mis-adventures when Ben started getting the hang of potty training. At this same time Charlie was getting 5 teeth in and also began crawling (i.e. getting into everything his eye could see). And then I decided to trade in the oldest boy for a yellow lab. Or my oldest boy started acting like a puppy.

Getting Louie to have a BM on the potty has not been easy, but now that Ben is getting all the attention he's taking dumps in his underpants. He's almost four, so this is not an easy thing to stomach. And it doesn't bother him all that much. It seems as though I'm the only one affected by this.

My mom tells her friends at Pilates class about it and the one who also has boys had a fool-proof plan: make a Mystery Poop Box. Buy dollar toys, let them see when they go in, but then they can't see anything inside again until they poop. This is not working. Whatever is lower than "fool" I am it. I got some really good stuff, too. The Deals dollar store in Dillonvale has an incredible variety of $1 toys. There's Diego stickers, a rubber baseball, toy horses, a set of bases/home plate/pitcher's mound, and other little trinkets. I also splurged and got $5 Thomas and Percy trains from Toys 'R Us thinking that would be what make this problem end.

No such luck. I'm thinking maybe she called it the "Magic Poop Box" and that is what made them go. Any advice? Feel free to try out this idea. I've found that things that have absolutely no effect in my household works perfectly for others.

Friday Morning Roundup

Breakfast at our house.

Charlie sporting his new addition, a soul patch. Not liking the prunes so much, but it makes for a wonderful fashion statement.

Should have taken this picture horizontal-ways. Ben tends to scare everyone who crosses his path. He's a combination Spiderman and tiger.

And Charlie's got some beaver blood in him. He doesn't like the prunes so he chews on the table!

Extra, Extra, Read All About It!!!

**CHARLIE STARTED CRAWLING TODAY!**

Yes, the little brother was tired of not being able to catch up with his brothers without assistance and was quoted as saying, "Man, why did I wait so long?"

Fun Weekend!

Friday night we started a new tradition. My family pretty much spent every waking moment with a family that lived two doors down as we were growing up. As time passed and we became adults we saw each other less and less.

Well, it took a Roger Bacon stag and a few beers for Jeff and Billy to decide that we need to start making a point of getting together more often (Whaa?), and so the Monthly Traveling Party began at Jeff & Damara's house. It was great that we all got to hang out and the boys played in Lexi's new playroom...sort of. (I'll take pictures next month.)

Saturday was more of a day for Mommy and Daddy. The boys spent the night at Grandma & Grandpa while we celebrated Stephanie's 30th.

Annie, Steph, Carrie & Missy

And on Sunday we had our annual field trip to Jungle Jim's! Kevin made his specialty--calimari. Here are the photos from back at Mom & Dad's where everyone cooked up their purchases.

Lou & Ben helping Uncle Hog. They love cooking.

One of the more interesting dishes--squid salad.

Aunt Joanie & the boys.

Losing our minds

Kevin is supposed to come home today and boy, are we in need of another dynamic to this household. I think we're losing our minds being with just the four of us. Or maybe I'm losing my mind and the boys are feeding off of it.

Charlie woke up for good at 5:30am after repeated attempts to get him back asleep. Louie & Benny came down and the craziness started. Lou was upset that Ben dumped all the crayons out of the crayon bucket, but he tells me this while he is wearing the bucket on his head. When I point this out, he acts as though this is startling information.

With the crayon bucket is the Reds headband that Uncle Billy gave him for his first birthday. He'll be four next month.

After instigating trouble, Ben sits on the couch refusing to acknowledge me yet he is peering at me from the corner of his eye.

Charlie, the three-tooth-snot-nosed baby who is entertained by his wacko brothers.

Ben's Game

When Lou goes to school you never know what Ben's going to want to do (as long as I'm not forcing him to run errands for the entire 2 1/2 hours). This particular day he was eating grapes when decided to teach me this game that he's played "forever."

It goes like this: you can set up grapes in any formation on the table you want. Then you flick the remaining grapes at them (kind of like marbles, but truth be told I'm not exactly sure how you play marbles).

This is the baseball field formation.

This is where he's showing how fragile the game pieces can be by breaking it in half.

This is the lined up formation.

Game over!