The Winding Down of Another Year

So it's 11pm on the final night of 2013, and there a few things I need to transfer from brain to paper (or computer screen) so I don't forget.

1. I don't know if it's left-over Christmas magic or what, but over the last few days, the boys have been getting along and playing together marvelously. It's so fun to see them chasing each other, squealing together, and laughing at each other.

2. Getting a free appliance is a pretty sweet deal, but getting to keep the BOX it came in is even sweeter!! Oh, how the boys love a good box. Need a remedy for the rainy day crazies? Try a box. It entertains for hours!

3. It's not even January 1st yet, but I'm already trying to get back to exercising. I took a major vacation from healthy eating (or really healthy everything) during the holidays. So in an effort to get back into the groove, I've tried to do a workout dvd in the afternoons. Yesterday and today, it proved to be pretty difficult. Not just because I'm horribly out of shape, but mainly because my two "helpers" won't leave me alone long enough to complete a jumping jack on my own. And forget any ab exercises. The minute I get on the floor, both boys are on top of me. On to the next exercise strategy...


4. Yesterday, Jackson Bird jumped into my bed at the end of naptime. He snuggled down next to me and said, "Momma, I just love you so much."
I responded, "Oh Buddy, I love you too!! I love you even more than chocolate ice cream!"
He giggled, sat up, looked me in the eyes, and said, "Wow, Momma. That's a serious deal for you!"


I've had the privilege to be a Mom for 4 years now. And at the near-close of the year 2013, I would like to say that being Mom to these crazy-sweet two little boys is the most frustrating, smile-causing, difficult, joy-generating, challenging, special-moment-rendering, exhausting, yet life-giving thing I have ever done. I love them more than words can say, and I can't wait to see what adventures next year holds!

Our Christmas Morning

At about 8:30am Christmas morning, these 2 charming little boys were ready to see what gifts had been left under the tree!

We were all surprised to see that Santa had left stockings filled with a few small treasures, and had left the boys cameras! Jackson got a real VTech camera (with which he now runs his new business - JBP - Jackson Bird Paparazzi) and Levi got a play Mickey Mouse camera (which is clearly not anywhere close to cool as compared to big brother's. What a flop. Way to go, Santa!).

While Jackson couldn't open gifts fast enough, I had trouble getting Levi excited about anything except breakfast. All he wanted to do was drink his milk, eat his cereal, and be left alone.

Jackson opened a Transformer fire station, complete with firemen figurines and transformer action figures, a Mickey Mouse sing-a-long book with microphone, a Bass Pro Shop t-shirt, and a Duck Dynasty marshmallow launching gun. (What was I thinking on the last one, there??)

And still, while we opened gifts, Levi continued eating. I tried to entice him with a gift a time or two, and I was rewarded with a grunt and a swat.

 

 So while little Scrooge ate and Bird played, Jacin and I opened gifts. Jacin got some Gordon Central Warriors pants & sweatshirt, a lunch thermos to take left-over soup on the go, and a new shirt and vest from Bass Pro Shop. I got a new charm for my Mom necklace and a new iPod!

(INSERT HERE pic of Mom & Dad opening gifts... oh wait. It doesn't exist. Mom was behind the camera TAKING all the pictures.)

Finally, Jacin persuaded Levi to employ the "one-handed opening" technique to remove the wrapping paper from his presents. To master this technique, one must always hold tightly to his sippy cup with one hand while utilizing the other hand to carefully remove wrapping paper. At no point should one use both hands. Simultaneously utilizing both hands to open gifts might cause a delay in consuming one's breakfast. 

Levi wasn't especially thrilled with any of his own presents. He was much more interested in his breakfast and in anything that his big brother might be playing with. In retrospect, we should have let Jackson open Levi's gifts. Then maybe Levi might have wanted them.

The final present was a play welding helmet and torch for Jackson from his Daddy. Bird was THRILLED! 

And as soon as Jacin, Jackson, and I finished gifts and sat down to eat breakfast, little brother moved in, stole the welding equipment, and hid behind the houseplant playing. Figures.

All the gifts (and breakfast) aside, we are so blessed in many ways. Happy Birthday, Jesus! And Merry Christmas from our family to yours.

Naptime Secrets

Bird's naps are getting shorter and shorter. Earlier this year, he would nap for 2 to 3 hours every day. His sleep time has gradually decreased, until now he usually only sleeps for 30 minutes or so during naptime. Now when he gets up, he comes to find me and we snuggle and watch cartoons for a while.

Today, it was a rainy Sunday afternoon, and I was hoping for a L O N G nap. It didn't happen. About 30 minutes into naptime, Bird came in, crawled into bed with me and stated, "I just can't sleep. I don't like naps." I told him he could cuddle with me for a while.

After a few minutes of dozing (me) and chatting (him), I realized that he had brought his headlamp with him to my bed. He strapped it onto his head, dove under the covers, and started "working" under the sheets.

One time he popped up, grabbed my hand, and with headlamp bouncing as his head bobbed excitedly, Bird told me something that struck me as profound.

"Momma, let me tell you a secret. Do you know what happens to shadows when you shine light on them? They disappear! Them shadows disappear!"

For some reason, shadows bother Bird. Especially at night or in the dark. So he was pretty excited about his shadow-busting discovery. Pretty sure he'll wear his headlamp to bed from now on.

And let me also say that I'm so thankful for a Savior that brings light to a dark world and shines into the shadows of our lives, just like a headlamp under the dark covers.

Words of Wisdom

It's no secret that Jackson Bird is a talker. And lately, his words seem wiser than his 3 years. Here are a few quick examples:

1. Mom, do you know who these guys are? (pointing to a picture of the 3 wise men in a nativity book) And don't say wisemen, either. They're the MAGI!!
I'm not quite sure where he heard and learned this word, but I was a bit stunned.

2. Momma, I'm not eating this ice cream. It's frozen, and I say No! (He then points to the ice cream and sternly speaks to it) And don't talk back to me! I said NO for frozen!
I have no idea why Bird was so emphatically against frozen ice cream, but I was impressed with his strict tone of voice and the brief, no nonsense chat he held with the ice cream. Wow. Where did he pick that up? Must have had a run in  (or 2) with a strong disciplinarian! 

3. Momma, do you know what this duck is for here? (pointing to a stuffed toy duck he's put in the middle of the kitchen floor) It's a decoy, and it's here to attract the real ducks. So be quiet please, unless of course you need to quack.
Aside from noticing that Bird loves giving directions, likes to "hunt" in the house, and chooses to use phrases like "of course" in his regular, day-to-day chatter, let's focus on the fact that my 3 year old just explained the word DECOY to me. Really? REALLY?

4. (The pest control man came today to spray for ants. Bird followed him around "spraying" with the spray gun he had built earlier out of legos and talking to him) Sir, you don't have to spray in that back bedroom. I sprayed for ants earlier, and me 'n Wevi checked it. It's all clear.
Not sure which reassured the Pest Man more - Bird's DIY lego spray gun, or the head's up that Big Brother and "Wevi" had already taken care of things. Either way, why pay the Pest Guy when I have such good help at home? :)

The Thankful Thingy

Last year, Jacin and I made a Thankful Tree with Jackson (Levi was there, but still a baby-baby). We collected twigs from the yard, cut out leaves from construction paper, and wrote down things we were thankful for. Here's a pic from last November:

This year, I was ready to do the same thing, thus making it a tradition. (Right? I mean if you do it for more than 1 year in a row, it qualifies as a tradition?) I got out the mason jar, filled it with acorns, and was intending to find some twigs later in the day. It never happened. The jar only sat on the buffet table for a grand total of 3 hours because Levi pulled it down about every 20 minutes. I quickly decided that we would have to make an alteration to the Thankful Tree tradition. So... this year we did a Thankful Garland. Over the past few days, Jacin has had trouble remembering the word garland, so he calls it our "Thankful Thingy."

I hot-glued a line of twine across our mantle, then printed leaf outlines on various patterned scrapbook paper. I had the leaf papers laminated before cutting them out (that way we'll be able to write on them with dry erase marker and use them again and again for years to come! TRADITION, remember?). Then we gathered together as a family, brainstormed things we were thankful for, wrote the ideas on leaves, and pinned them on the twine with tiny clothespins.

Admittedly, I was hoping this experience would be a type of kumbaya moment where we bonded as a family and really spent time digging deep and expressing heartfelt thanks to God. It didn't happen. Here's what DID happen:  Jackson scrambled around the den hauling chairs and blankets in, trying to build a fort while shouting out random things he was thankful.  Meanwhile, Levi toddled in circles swinging rubber caterpillars around like nunchucks.

Caterpillar Nunchucks

Nunchucks stolen and fort building in progress

Not really a kumbaya moment. But I was impressed that the 1st thing Bird gave thanks for was "God because He made us and died on that cross for us." (I'm a proud Momma!!)

Other things on Jackson's "thankful list":
hot dogs and waffles (cause that's basically all he eats)
jeans and boots (cause that's really all he wears)
legs for running and tools for building (cause that's all he does)
Wevi (AKA his brother Levi)
cocounts and leaves (he calls acorns coconuts - not sure why)
helicopters and planes (?? not sure where that one came from)

Jackson was also in charge of helping us think what Levi might be thankful for. Bird suggested:
Mickey Mouse (Levi LOVES to watch Mickey Mouse)
His paci (seemingly a permanent fixture in the kid's mouth)
Snoopy (his stuffed animal sleep snuggly friend)
Food - all types (cause, unlike his brother, Levi eats ANYTHING & EVERYTHING)
Me! (of course Levi would be thankful for his older brother, despite the MANY things suffered at his hands)

Among many other things, Jacin and I added leaves to our Thankful Thingy representing our thankfulness for our busy little boys, coffee, naptime, and Jesus.

3rd Annual Burns' PCB Vacation

This year was the 3rd year Jacin's parents have graciously taken us on a fall week-long vacation to Panama City Beach, Florida. Just like the previous 2 years, this year's beach trip was awesome!

Everybody went, and by that I mean Granny & PawPaw (Jacin's parents), Uncle Jared & Aunta Yaya (Jacin's brother & sister), and our little family of 4.

It was great to get away and be together. And for me, it was truly a time of rest and relaxation. For everyone else... well, you'll just have to ask them. Let me explain:

Somehow, when I signed up for stay-at-home motherhood, I didn't realize that I was accepting a job with no off hours. You see, stay-at-home moms never clock out. The work day doesn't begin and end. The job of mom is perpetual and never-ending, in more ways than one. In some jobs, you have specific office hours and then leave for the day. Not so with motherhood. In the work-a-day world, you might get a lunch or coffee break every now and then when you can gather your thoughts or spend time with a friend. Not so for a stay-at-home mom. For many employees, a big job perk is working with fun and creative adults. Adults? At home, you're working with (sometimes )fun and (potentially dangerous) creative KIDS. Big difference. And the deadlines and to-do lists some may have in the office? Forget it. Although stay-at-home moms may check off some things on their own to-do list, those things never really have a definite ending. (Even when you empty the dishwasher or fold and put away clean clothes, there will ALWAYS be dirty dishes or clothes awaiting you.) So you get my point. Motherhood is a 24/7 job that is cyclical and constant.

So back to vacation... taking a family trip means, first of all, that I have other ADULTS to talk to during the day!! Second, taking a family vacation means that I have other adults to HELP ME entertain and take care of the wahoos! What's not to like about this situation? And (let me just brag a bit here...) every single day of our PCB vacation last week, my precious hubster got the boys up, took them downstairs, and fed them while I slept in until 8:30 or 9am!!! At meal times, other family members besides myself helped feed the boys meals. On the beach, the boys had so many playmates and snugglers that they hardly needed me! And the last night of our week there, Granny & PawPaw took the boys while Jacin and I went out to eat by ourselves!! This was a week when I was truly free to relax (while Jackson shot everything that moved and Levi ate anything that didn't).

Now, Jacin, on the other hand, may not have experienced the same level of relaxation. Several times I heard him mumble, "Gosh! It's too much work to take 2 kids down to the beach!" And I do understand how sunscreening 2 wild things can be a bit tiring. And Granny & PawPaw? I am completely confident that they thoroughly enjoyed their time with the grandboys. But, I'm equally sure they're wishing they had some additional time off to recover from the week of "vacation" with us.

All in all, it was a great trip. The weather was great, and the company even better. I'm so thankful for the many blessings we get to partake of through God's generosity to our families.

And have I mentioned that I love my 2 little buddies?!

Even without a vacation, I would never trade my stay-at-home moments with my 2 littles for anything in the world.

Daddy Said I Could!

A few nights ago, we were all in the kitchen cleaning up from dinner. No sooner had I noticed Bird's absence than he came swaggering back into the kitchen, zipping the fly of his jeans as he walked.

"Guess what?" he said proudly.
"What?" I asked, with great trepidation.
"I just pee-peed. And you know where I did it?"
"Where?" I asked, stealing a side glance at Jacin.
"In the shower," he said, smiling.
"In the shower? Why did you do that?" I asked, with a sense of partial relief, realizing that the chosen location could have been much worse.
"Daddy told me I could!" Bird answered, nodding his head and pointing at Jacin.

I looked over at Jacin, who was standing with his mouth open, mumbling, "uhhh, when did I say that?"

I felt the need to help remind him.
"You guys were bathing in our shower the other day. Did you happen to tell him then that he could pee in the shower?" I asked Jacin.

Jacin rubbed his head, tried to look confused, and then smiled.
"Oh. Yeah, I guess I did."

I turned back to Bird. "Buddy, I think what Daddy meant to tell you was that he thinks it's ok for you to pee down the shower drain only when you are already in the shower rinsing off." Then I turned to Jacin. "Is that what you meant?"

Jacin nodded wordlessly, and I turned back to Bird.
"And what Daddy forgot to say is that he will now take over responsibility for cleaning the showers."

This actually worked out quite well for me, because I despise cleaning the bathrooms.