My Little Balls Of Bat-Sh*t Crazy...Er, I Mean Sunshine

So much to say and so little time (I have to finish an assignment before bedtime and it's already 10:00pm!). This week has been a little insane. My parents are in Hawaii and that means not only am I insanely jealous (someone please tell my Dad to stop sending me pictures of himself laying in a hammock on the beach!) but I have to try to work from home two days a week WITH the kids running around.

As you might guess, I didn't get much work done those two days. But they were amazing in an "I'm so overwhelmed and trying to do way too much and my kids are little devils" kind of way. Honestly through, that's my favorite kind of way. The images of me chasing after Ryan in the grocery store with barefooted Jacob insisting on pushing the grocery cart and ramming into nearly every object in the store is still way too vivid to be a mere memory. Ryan absolutely hates to be strapped into the grocery cart so before every shopping trip, I have to decide between two evils: let him scream and cry in the seat or chase after him as I wildly try to grab items off the shelf and fling them into my cart. I usually choose the latter.

I finally caught up with Ryan (with Jacob banging into things loudly behind me) and he was NOT happy to be held. I finished my shopping by trying to direct the cart with one hand and using my other arm to wrap around Ryan's abdomen, his head and feet dangling freely at my waist. Since he was freed of his cart-pushing duties, Jacob decided to stop every stranger we saw to announce one of three things: (1) he can snap his fingers, (2) he can count to 100, and (3) he is wearing "invisible" shoes.

Oh yeah, that reminds me of the time we went to the Mayor's office last week. Jacob (again!) had forgotten his shoes at home and was forced to walk the halls barefoot. We met the Mayor and instead of cooly masking his barefootedness, he pointed to his feet and shouted, "LOOK, I'm wearing invisible shoes!" At least he made the Mayor laugh.

Back to my story...We got to the check-out counter and Jacob insisted on helping me unload the cart. This meant that I had to hand him each item, one by one, so he could place each one on the conveyor belt. As I was doing this, I was trying to keep Ryan from emptying all the shelves of candy bars. At one point, he managed to get all the Snickers bars on the floor before I could intervene. I finally got both kids loaded up along with all the groceries and I pulled out of my parking spot only to discover that my milk was sitting there on the pavement of the parking lot. This is why it is a good thing that my children are loud and boisterous. If they weren't, I would surely forget them somewhere, much like that gallon of milk! In case you are wondering, yes, I went back to get it.

One of Ryan's many tantrums

 

 

Jacob had soccer camp this week at a nearby Christian church, on top of everything else. I absolutely love watching him interact with new kids and adults. He talks to people so freely and without reservation. Within two minutes he had made at least three new friends. As I watched him play with the other kids and the coaches, he would occasionally check to make sure I was still there, beam like a crazy person, and wave wildly at me.

Kindergartners at soccer camp is probably the most hilarious thing I've seen in a LONG time. There was a lot of waiting in line for their turn to participate in certain activities. Well, we all know how well boys do with waiting. When I turned to check on Jacob, I saw him waiting in line and instigating a game of slap tackle with the other boys. When the coach walked by to ask them to stop, Jacob began to kick dirt into the air. When the coach walked by again and asked them to pay attention, Jacob and his two new friends formed a huddle and began chatting.... which then turned into another game of slap tackle. I don't blame them. Don't these coaches know that 4 and 5 year old cannot wait in a line for more than five minutes?

At the end, the boys got to keep their soccer balls. Jacob was quick to announce to all his coaches that he had named his ball "Leo."

 

Ryan also had fun watching Jacob at soccer camp. He met a new friend and tried to impress her by bringing her handfuls of rocks. She was a good sport and pretended to be genuinely thrilled by them. Knowing Ryan would be tempted by all the soccer balls, I brough him his own ball to play with. He kicked it and tossed it around in the grass and would occasionally walk up to me, flash a broad grin, and give me a sloppy wet kiss on my legs or arms, just to remind me that I belong to him.

Sharing rocks

 

Ryan's idea of heaven

 

After soccer camp, I piled the kids into the car. As I watched them sitting in their carseats, smiling from the day's excitement, and chattering back and forth with each other, I felt as if there was sunshine in chest. Just knowing we were altogether, safe, and satisfied from a busy-but-hectic day was enough to make my entire day.

Although I didn't get much actual work done (which required me to stay late on my non-work-from-home days), I got to work on my laptop on my bed with tired Ry-Guy leaning his head on my shoulder. As I drafted status reports and answers to complaints, he placed his hand on my arm and affectionately ran his fingernails across my skin (something he has done since he was a tiny baby). Jacob was playing happily in the next room and eating a lunch I had prepared for him. As I sat there trying to type and trying to concentrate, I was just so dang happy.

Things are not always easy or fun or the way that I wish they were, but these two little men completely fill my life with goodness and are sources of my joy. They are often the bright spots on my hard and exhausting days, even if they are also the source of the exhaustion. Just being around them is happiness to me. Even when they are grumpy or whiny and I have to set them in my lap and just hold them in silence for a while.