Current Status

We've all gotten used to Spencer's eye patch - so much so that it actually catches us off-guard when we go somewhere new and someone comments on it. We all kind of do a double take thinking "huh, of course he has a patch, nothing new there".

The newest status in our household is that the boys both seem to be extra wild. N shows it through being very active and cutting up more. (And don't even mention how vamped up S gets as a result of his brother cutting up!) S has been showing it by being aggressive in a testing sort of way. He pushes, climbs on, leans into, rams and head butts J & I - he does it once, we tell him to please not to do that (and typically indicate that there will be a consequence, something along the lines of we will stop doing what we've been doing with him if he continues his actions). So what does he do - he does it again. And then when we stop doing what we've been doing with him, he completely looses it. Carries on for minutes, lots of tears and even now the "you hurt my feelings". We don't give in so not sure why this continues so. The other head-scratching thing is that he typically does these behaviors when we are hanging out and spending time with him so it isn't an attention sort of thing. Maybe it is that he is too overwhelmed with excitement, emotion from us hanging out with him. Maybe he is just testing us. Whatever it is it is darn frustrating. I really feel like an ineffective parent.

On a happier note, we've been playing my (sadly not too filled up) IPOD when the boys are playing inside. When we've reached God Bless America by Celine Deon (I added that one for the July 4th bike parade), S asks us to play it over and over and over. It really is such a pretty song - he has such a strong preference for women's voices when it comes to singing/songs. The other song of choice has been James Brown's Living in America - they love to "dance" to it by bouncing around on the couch, jumping to the ottoman, to the chaise and then back to the couch. It does add a little pizazz to an otherwise quiet afternoon.

Dinner: (picnic in the park because it was free children's concert night) egg salad sandwiches, carrot sticks, green beans, grapes, left over pancakes, peaches and then a bag of mixed nuts/raisins our friend brought out of which the boys couldn't keep their hands out of the bag

Activity: Lego's, "dancing" (see above), and picnic/concert/park

Book: Mooncake