St. Ann's Fair

Today we enjoyed a few carnival rides and the boys got their faces painted for the first time. It was a nice time of year to support a local catholic church and let the boys have some fun, too. We rode the ferris wheel and Blaine was sure he could see the entire world. Ahhh, remember the days when that was the big time? We also went down a 3 story slide that was super fast and let the boys go through a large outdoor pirate fun house. Good times had by all... I'm sure we won't be able to avoid it next year!

All My Fault

Last night Braylon was using some 'stall' tactics near bedtime. Nothing new, really. Truth be told, I didn't prioritize reading books to him like 1) usual and 2) we're supposed to for school. I was going to just skip a night and not worry too much about it. Well after Braylon's bedtime I got him headed in the right direction. Here's how that conversation went.

Braylon: "Mom, you need to read me some books."
Me: "Not tonight, It's late."
Braylon: "But if I don't read my teacher will get mad."
Me: "It's ok for one night."
Braylon: "No really, Mom, we have to read."
Me: "No really, it's time for bed."
Braylon: "Ok, but if the teacher asks I'm telling her it's your fault."

And I'm sure he would have, too. Brandon saved the day and read a couple short books after Braylon tucked in.

Terrible Threes

Thankfully I have already mostly forgotten that stage when Braylon was three and he had a little attitude from the dark side. Unfortunately, I'm afraid that Blaine is now in that most un-fun stage. Tonight at dinner, for example, I had made burritos. Now, he had eaten burritos last night at Rosas and it was his favorite meal. But not tonight. He was convinced he didn't like burritos anymore. With a wave of his hand and a smug look on his face he said, "No. I do not like these." It was the manner of which he dismissed it that was most irritating. In true "Green Eggs and Ham" fashion, we finally convinced him that he would like it (of course, we also said he didn't have a choice). Then later he had another wave of the hand when he smashed my toes with his foot - Wave of the hand, "I'm sorry..." Somehow I'm losing the insincerity in his voice by typing this.

We have our work cut out for us, no doubt. But like Braylon's time at this age, this too shall pass.

No Problem!

On the way home from dinner yesterday, both boys rode in the jeep with Brandon. Brandon said he was singing one of his favorite songs "No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problem" by Kenny Chesney just to be funny with the boys.

I don't believe the boys had heard this song before. Brandon got to the part where he was singing, "No Shirt....No Shoes...." and before he could say the other part, Blaine chimed in with, "No pants..."

Scary Shoe Store

Today at the shoe store, Blaine was getting fitted for new school shoes. The nice woman who was helping him said, "I think the 10s are a little too big. I'm going to go get some 9 1/2s."

Blaine, misunderstanding what the woman had said, looked at her with big, serious eyes and said, "Why are you going to get a knife?"

Rite of Passage

Today was a big day at our house. Braylon was visited by the Tooth Fairy last night and awoke to $2 under his pillow! As I was flossing Braylon's teeth last night I noticed one of his front lower teeth was extremely loose. Daddy yanked and that was the end of that.

I know it's cliche, but boy, do they grow up fast! I remember vividly awaiting for that very tooth to come in back when Braylon was just a drooly faced baby. My baby is growing up!

New Album - Go Fish

For all you parents of young children - Check out Gofish.com to check out their new album, "Party Like a Preschooler." If you pre-order by Sept 15 you get an autographed copy of the cd.

Are you ready for some Football?

This time of year is football madness at our house. Not from me, mind you, but with 3 boys vs. 1 girl I have a feeling I'd better find some level of conformity or I'll grow miserable every fall. Earlier today Blaine was watching some 'ball' with Brandon and asked, "Are they playing a game of some kind?" And so it begins.

Crickey!

This week marks the two year anniversary of The Crocodile Hunter's tragic end in the Australian ocean. How or why do I know this? Because he is probably my favorite celebrity of all time. Brandon thinks I'm pretty kooky because I loved his documentaries, loved following his various reality shows and followed the coverage of his death pretty closely. Even recorded the public funeral service. I may be one nutty fan, but I was drawn to his charisma and humor. His shows were among the very few things I'll sit and watch on tv. Still missing him!

Music Lovers

That about sums up our household in a nutshell. Music lovers. Yup. I thought it was exclusive to the eldest three Hamiltons, but nope. Tonight I took Blaine to see Brandon's band practice while Braylon had children's program at church. I feel guilty putting Blaine into nursery after he's been at school away from me all day. Soooo, while waiting for Braylon to get done we enjoyed some music. Blaine sat there for the first half quietly listening and bobbing his head, singing along when he knew the words. I was very proud of him. Of course, then he released his 3 year old self and played/jumped around the second half of practice. But it was neat to see the love for music written in his face. Very cool.

Happy Birthday Blaine!

Today our baby turns 3! We celebrated last Friday by taking him and several church friends to Chuck E. Cheese Pizza. They all had a blast! It's hard to believe that we've only had him 3 years, but in another sense it seems like the last 3 years have gone by so fast. Such is what I hear from other parents, too.

What a blessing Blaine Caleb has been to us with his gentle nature and loving heart. Happy Birthday, son!