At our wedding, we had guests write down words of advice on little note cards. The plan was to then put those into an album. 6 years later & it still hasn’t happened. While cleaning out my closet today, I came across the envelope of those notes.

Here are some highlights…

Always keep your sense of humor & be grateful for each day together. -Steve & Carol

Don’t ever quit on each other! -Shawn Keilty

Mutual respect! Angry words can be forgiven but they are not easily forgotten. Never get so comfortable with each other that you forget to say I love you. -Mom (Barb)

Continue as you have begun because you guys are awesome together! – Suzie

Love by 1 Corinthians 13. I didn’t get to read it but it holds the secret to life. -Anonymous

Never go to bed mad! -Anonymous (I’m guessing Brandi because the exclamation point is a heart.)

Pick your battles wisely. Don’t fight over dumb stuff like who took out the trash last. If he did the dishes, don’t complain about how he put them away – Just be glad he did the dishes! – Erin

Just remember to respect each other. Matt, #1 rule, LISTEN TO CINDY. – Anonymous

Cindy – I learned that Matt always eats the last cookies or desserts, so always keep some hidden. -Karen

My boys have cute butts. They do. They take after Daddy. Yes, I just said that.

And although I love their little butts, seeing one on the baby monitor while they’re supposed to be napping does not make me smile.

pixelated poop for your protection

This is not a potty chair. Nope. It’s not. It’s their Ikea Egg chair.

I think we’ll stop saying “potty chair” and just go with “potty”. Because clearly there is some confusion.

And since Grandma thinks it’s funny… the rest of the story.

I thought I had it all cleaned up. Until Caden started screaming UH-OH! UH-OH! while pointing at something else. Apparently Adam stepped in the poop and then climbed up onto Noah’s bed… using the fan as a step stool.

The sh*t hit the fan.

Their room smells fantastic now.

Ahh… boys. Gotta love them.

I can’t believe it’s July.

Nothing exciting going on around here except for lots of swimming, backyard barbeques and if that’s not happening, lots of whining about “I’m bored!!!”

I can’t believe it’s been a month since I last posted. Let’s recap the last month, shall we?

This kid…

is suddenly 14 years old, beautiful inside and out, graduated from 8th grade, playing water polo and about to start high school! Huh? What just happened?

And this kid…

finished his first year of preschool, is still always on the go and usually stubborn as a mule (No, I do not know where he gets that… cough cough). But has decided that maybe talking isn’t so bad and hey maybe listening once in awhile isn’t going to kill him either.

And this boy has decided that he’d rather be anywhere other than stuck at home. Hence the scream of “Go bye bye?!” that greets me any time I go anywhere near the door to the garage. We also have lots of testing going on. 3 time-outs in 10 minutes this morning. Really Adam, I am not kidding with the “no hitting your brother” policy! But he’s still not crawling out of his crib so I forgive him.

This boy, this silly clown. Caden has decided that running is for dorks… all the cool kids are skipping everywhere. He’s also decided that he can do everything himself. Every gesture of help is now met with a resounding “NO!” Fun stuff when it takes us 10 minutes to get down the stairs. The fact that he has to stop and have a conversation about every step doesn’t help speed things up. But I guess the snuggles that he’s so into right now make up for all of this.

And this man is gone far too often and missed way too much. He’s also providing a fantastic life for his family and for that we are forever grateful and he is loved more than ever.

Me? I’m tired from trying to keep up with all of them. But oh so happy.

How’s your summer?

We’d rather bake cookies…

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies… recipe here

I don’t think Caden reads my blog.

Click here

My Dearest Caden,

Really? REALLY?!!!

You choose the day before Daddy leaves on a business trip to learn to crawl all the way out of your crib?

I know it’s cute that you’re gathering toys and passing them to Adam (who, by the way, is behaving himself and NOT crawling out). And I know it’s cute that you crawled into bed with Noah last night while he was sleeping.

And I know that you have a very controlled, slow climb that you’re doing. But I’m guessing that it’s just a matter of time before your slow climb becomes a free fall.

And so help me kid, if I have to deal with a middle of the night emergency room trip BY MYSELF… I will not be happy.

And don’t think I won’t call Daddy and tell him what you’re doing just because he’s all the way in Dallas.

SO STOP IT NOW!

Love Mama