The Elusive Olderous-Brothercis

Me and Russ a few years back.

Okay, okay...so this is all supposed to be about what is going on in Alex and Abby's lives, but hey, sometimes I'm really pressed for info for this blog. How many times can you blog about poopy diapers and temper tantrums, right? So this little number is dedicated to my long-lost bro, Russell. Or as he put it, my elusive Olderous-Brothercis (like the elusive bigfoot...somewhere out there, but hard to find). I have four brothers, in case you were wondering. Three full bloods (Jake, Jeremy, & Aaron) and one half blood (Russell). But honestly, does blood really matter these days? I think not because I have other 'brothers from other mothers' too and love them as well. (A story for another day, perhaps) So long story short, I'm the oldest of the full bloods (if I must use that term again) and I was closest to my long-lost bro because I knew him the longest. I believe if it were not for his collection of old Star Wars toys, I may never have grown nearly as fond of the movies as I am today. He moved to another state awhile back, but I get to see him from time to time. I haven't got to hear from him in quite a while, but always find myself wondering just what he might be up to these days. Well, I just happen to be a member of one of those 'find friends and family' websites. I won't admit which one it is, but yes...I have fallen prey to, like millions of others, the insanity of these websites. Apparently EVERYONE is on there. Okay, so not everyone, but pretty dang close! I got the notion one boring evening that my long-lost brother might just be floating around on there too. I looked him up and, WA-LAH! Instant reconnection! I am proud to say that I found him. I have a lot of great memories of us growing up. I miss him a lot and am thrilled to be back in contact again! So this is for you, brother dearest: "Ha ha ha! I found you! Welcome back bro!"

Note the red hair. Must be from Dad's side of the family. :-)

Chompers Cometh!

Finally! Whew...the wait is finally over. Miss Abby finally got another tooth.Left Lateral incisor, to be precise. She got her first two bottom teeth forever ago and has finally, after a much anticipated wait, gotten a third tooth. 14 months old, this girl is, and she still must gum her every meal. Honestly, I don't know how she eats as much as she does with two scrawny little teeth. She out eats Alex at nearly every meal! Anyhow, it may be the shortest blog I've written to date, but hey...now you know the rest of the story.

The Life & Death of an Imaginary Friend

Perhaps you have all read my past post where I mentioned Alex's imaginary friend. Well, in case you aren't aware, he has this imaginary friend that he frequently talks to. His name is Floppy. "What, pray tell, is Floppy?" you ask. Floppy is a lady bug that he carries around with him in his pocket. Sometimes Floppy is carried around with him in the mornings and other times he is just a little sidekick that Alex enjoys carrying a conversation with when he having some quiet playtime. It's very cute. He has even carried the little guy...or gal...up to me and asked me to hold it or pet it. The best part is seeing him gently carry this fragile little pretend friend around in his small cupped hand. He is so tender with it. I have absolutely no idea what ever sparked Floppy's creation. Who can unravel the mysteries of a two-year old's mind. Not I, that is for sure. Perhaps you are now asking me, "So Jessica, why is the blog titled, the life and death of an imaginary friend?" For that answer, I will share a conversation with you to the best of my blogging ability (sorry, no video for this one folks. It was one of those random moments of life experiences.)

We were outside enjoying a moment of family time and Alex seemed bored so I asked turned to him and asked, "So Alex, how is Floppy doing today? Where is he right now?"
Alex shrugged and looked down at his pockets. As he stared at his obviously empty pockets, he said "I don't know."
I asked, "Is he riding in your pocket again?" Alex nodded and reached into his pockets. Floppy never showed and he told me so with another shrug of his tiny shoulders. So I offered to search his pockets for the elusive bug and he agreed happily. I searched both of his pockets and pulled Floppy out saying, "Hey! I found him...is this Floppy?"
Alex smiled and said, "Yeah! Hi Floppy!" He took Floppy from my hand and held him in his palm gently. He asked Floppy a question that I couldn't hear and then without hesitation looked up at me and then threw floppy on the ground. I was shocked at his sudden change of attitude towards his little buddy. So I told him, "Be careful so you don't smash him with your foot."
Alex then proceeded to jump on poor helpless Floppy. I laughed in spite of myself and asked him, "Why did you smash Floppy?"
He looked up to me, shrugged once more and said, "Because he's mine!"

Now, I have no idea why all this took place but it was funny to see. So I offered to bury Floppy in the sand and Alex agreed. As soon as we buried him, the kid promptly unburied the bug and put him back in his pocket after saying something to the resurrected lady bug. No idea what his little whispered conversation was, but in the end, it was cute to see. Strange, yes...but cute. So Floppy has been created, killed and brought back to life. Ah...the life and times of an imaginary lady bug.

Pocket Monkey

Kids seem to get the strangest obsessions as they grow. It seems like it changes every day too. As Alex has grown, he has now become quite the little character. He is constantly pretending things. Lately he has taken to a new 'imaginary friend'. I'm not sure it is really a friend, but that is the best thing I can call it. He will walk around with his palm facing up like he is caring something every so gently. It fools me quite often. Sometimes I really do think he is carrying something. When you ask him what he is carrying he will tell you that it is his lady bug named Floppy. But there is obviously no bug there. He actually will wake up in the mornings and come out of his room carrying his imaginary bug. It's cute. One of the other things that has developed, is his awareness of pockets. He loves love LOVES his pockets. True to little boy nature, he puts everything he can find into his pockets. Sometimes I find things that I have absolutely no idea what it is or where on Earth he got it. Rocks, twigs, pennies, bottle caps, bits of trash, plastic chunks...the list goes on. The funny part of this is that I never remember to check his pockets before I do laundry. So it has become part of my normal routine to check the washer/dryer after laundry is done and see what I can find floating haphazardly in the bottom of the machine. Each laundry day makes for yet another handful of surprises. I've even found a dollar bill and an old cellphone in there. I took a picture of one of my 'hauls'. It makes me smile when I see those random knick-knacks in the washer. I'll be interested to see what I'll find in there when Abby discovers pockets. I have a feeling she will follow every so closely in her brother's footsteps when it comes to this. It's only a matter of time before my laundry treasure hunt doubles in size from two pocket monkeys.

This is what I found after just own load of laundry. Funny thing...the dinosaur has been through the wash at least three times now. It must be a favorite.

Pickles the Bunny

I'd like to introduce you to the newest member of our family...

Pickles.

Isn't she adorable? I must admit that Alex picked a fine looking little bunny. This past weekend we all piled into the mini van and headed out into the country to pick a bunny. She is a holland mini-lop and will grow to a whopping four pounds. Okay, so whopping was a stretch for words. She's going to be a small one, but that is better all around. At first, I had the notion that she might become an indoor rabbit. You've heard of people doing that, right? Well, those people are complete nutters. In case you weren't aware of this little tidbit, rabbits are stinky little critters. Their pee smells like ammonia and they poop more than a newborn human. They pretty much leave a perfect trail of constant poop behind them when the hop along. It's disgusting. It's even more disgusting when your one year old wants to follow the bunny around so she can pick up the 'present's' and put them in her mouth. (Seriously, I'm compiling a list of disgusting things Abby eats) Anyhow, she came to live in a small cage in the house until we can get a hutch built for her outside. No indoor bunnies for his family. To say the least, Alex is smitten with Pickles. Abby adores her and wants to hold her all the time (not good for poor Pickles). Unfortunately the smell got to be too much for our tiny house and Pickles had to go live at Aunt Mandy's house with thier new bunny (Pickles litter mate) Nacho. Click here to meet Nacho. Alex was devastated to leave her there, but in the end I explained it all and he was fine with the idea of building her a hutch. Hopefully all will go well and we can get a hutch built soon so Pickles can come home. We miss her furry little face already.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Happy Birthday Mom! Today my mom turns...ah ha! I bet you thought I'd be cruel enough to reveal her true age. Not a chance peeps, so don't ask. It wouldn't be lady like, ya know what I mean? I hope you have a super great birthday.

Actually, there is pretty much no question whether she will have a good birthday. She will. Do you want to know why? Because...yes folks...another woman got bitten by the Twilight bug. And that woman is my very own mother dearest. And for her birthday she will spend the evening engrossed in the series. I gave her the first book for mother's day and she was slow to start, but alas, she has become just as addicted as the rest of us Twilighters. It's pretty funny because she was set on the fact that it would just be another book. A good book, she was not hesitant to admit, but just a book, nonetheless. One book, one movie, and and one obsession later, she has joined us on the dark side of temptation. He he he...I have turned her into a monster. She even bought the second book before I could get it for her. She also now proudly owns the movie. How do I know she is 100% hooked? Because she has told me she will be seeing New Moon in the theatre. This may not seem like good proof to you, but look folks. She doesn't see movies in the theatre. So that's sayin' something. Good for you mom! You'll be joining me on my second viewing of it come November. She has sped through Eclipse and has almost finished and will be probably knocking down my door tonight to borrow the last book. So once again, Happy Birthday Mom! Go treat yourself and get some more reading in. Love you!

A Phlog (Photo Blog)

Yes, I made that word up. Phlog is not a word. Actually, come to think of it, it might actually be a term these days. Seems like most words that don't seem real are actually words that people know by heart. But I'm not hip to the text/internet lingo. So for your enjoyment, I have some photos to share. I have been slacking in that department, I must admit. So kick back and enjoy the phlog.

We got to go to my parents' house for Memorial Day and my mom's Daisies fill the whole front yard. The kids had a blast picking them.

Alex and Wesley really are great buddies. But I'm still not sure Wesley is diggin' the whole hug scene. He's still gettin' used to crazy Alex with his lack of respect for personal space.

This is funny. Alex loves this video about firetrucks that we check out constantly at the library. So one day he decided to get dressed in his fire gear. He has on a fire hat, fire coat, fire boots, and fire gloves. He told me this as he put each item on. He searched, but couldn't mangage to find a fire mask.

We got to enjoy the three day weekend with a little 'fishing' with my Mom and Dad. Actually, there was no fishing for me or the kids. I wanted to, but chasing them around and herding them away from the constant attempts to jump in the water kept me too busy. But my parents caught some good catfish (sorry you weren't there Ben).

Alex and Grandpa

Abby and Grandma

A moment of future torture, forever captured on film. One day I will bring this photo out to torture them when they are older. Cute though, eh?