weekly picture post

I have gotten a bit lazy with my picture taking, so I apologize for the poor quality of these photos.

On Tuesday morning I watched a friend's daughters for a few hours. They are good girls, but three toddlers and a baby keep you on your toes. Will has really been enjoying having friends over lately, which is a nice change. He still has his moments. I'm learning that I have to hide his "drum and sticks" if kids are coming over because they are his most prized possession and he just doesn't have the emotional maturity to share them. Yet.

"Daddy, can we watch the Green Team?" --Will John

I don't know if there are many questions Will could ask that would make Anthony more pleased than this one. In this photo they are watching the Celtics on the laptop. Will now routinely asks to watch the Celtics and Red Sox in last ditch attempts to stay up a little bit later because he has discovered his Dad has a soft spot for watching sports with his boy.

Thursday was surprisingly cool, so we are wearing jackets in this picture. I took the kids to the park and Will agreed to go down the slide only if Lauren and I would go too. It seemed like a reasonable request, but I didn't realize that going down on my lap was also part of the bargain. I have yet to master the group selfie, and this isn't my most flattering angle, but I like the smile on Will's face, so it wins for photo of the day.

I finally got around to mopping our kitchen floor. It has been on my to-do list for over a week. Yuck. For those of you who have been to my home, the floors are swept daily, but a good mopping was in order. Lauren sat in her high chair and observed my work and didn't appear to be very impressed. Good thing our Sunday School lesson included a section about teaching your children the value of hard work. Someday, Lauren, the kitchen floor and it's grime can all be yours.

Saturday during nap time I walked over to the pool and hung out with my sister Laura for a few hours. It was so nice to just relax at the pool. The sun was shining, and it was pleasantly warm, not oppressively hot like Kansas summers can sometimes be. I had a good book to read, fun sista to chat with, and no kids to watch.

We got a piano a few weeks ago and we've really been enjoying having it in our home. Both of our kids like it when we play primary songs. Playing the piano is an almost fool-proof way of getting Lauren to stop crying. On a totally different note, doesn't Lauren just blend into TJ's shirt?

We took away Will's pacifier. They've shared some good times, but their relationship had run its course. At least, that's how TJ and I feel. Will has actually been okay about not having the actual pacifier, but he has had a much harder time falling asleep. This is him, on my bed, after crying for an hour and a half at nap time. I finally got him out of bed and told him he could lay on my bed with me if he was quiet and looked at a book. He was not quiet and he did not just look at his book. I got chumped. But it was hard to get too mad when he kept saying, "I like you so much, Mommy, I like you. Sweet dreams," over and over. I guess I just like to be liked. In all of this, we have discovered that Will does much better with a (long) going to bed ritual and that I need to grow a backbone ASAP.