Before and After

This is how my boys would look for every picture if I didn't believe in bribing children!

After the Bribe! It is as good as it gets lately! Oh and there are all our lovely animals and my parents new dog that we were taking care of. That will be a post all its own.

Toothless boy!

With Isaac and John only being 16 months apart, I knew there would come a time that John would do something first. That time has come! John is loosing teeth at a rapid rate. He has lost 4 and has 3 loose at the time of this post.


Isaac will not touch his teeth, no matter how loose they are. He has had to have 2 extracted by his dentist because the big teeth were growing up behind the baby teeth. John on the other hand messes with them until they come out on their own or with a little help.


They have such different personalities and it is so apparent as we are now dealing with loosing teeth.

When they are Dads...

My boys keep me laughing.

Whenever we go to Target they always ask if they can look at the toys. If we have enough time, I usually let them. The reason I let them is very simple. They do not ask for a toy while we are there. They look at them for a while and when I say "lets go", they leave with me. No whining, crying or complaining.

They do it in other ways though...

They wait till we are in the van and the conversation usually goes something like this.

John or Isaac, "Mom, guess what I am going to do when I am a parent."

Me, "What?"

J or I, "When I am a Daddy, I am going to let my kids get whatever they want and they won't even have to save their money."

Me, "Really?"

J or I, "Yes, if they ask for a toy then they can have it. No matter what."

Me, "So, you don't mind if you kids are spoiled brats?"

J or I, " No, they won't be. I will also buy them something even if they don't go to the store with me."

Me, "Well I am glad you don't expect that from Mommy, because that would stress me out."

It is considered torture in some countries

I think my boys would rather play with Barbie's than get their pictures taken.

Don't believe me? Here is my proof...






Finally a "normal" one...

I am raising a bunch of hillbillies

We do not see the inside of restaurants very often. This is one area that we feel we can save a lot of money and I believe we do. Now don't get me wrong. I LOVE to eat out, but I didn't we needed to eat out. That was until yesterday when we went to The Cheesecake Factory.

Yesterday was national cheesecake day or something like that. So,The Cheesecake Factory was selling their yummy cheesecake slices for $1.50. They are usually $7.00 a slice, so that is a HUGE savings. So, me being the fan that I am of Chocolate Peanut Butter cheesecake, I decided a week ago that I would load the boys up and travel 25 minutes to the nearest establishment.

We got there when it opened and were just going to get them to go. I had a cooler filled with ice in the back of the Explorer, so they wouldn't go bad. Well, we soon found out that the deal was only good if you dined there.

So, we got a seat. I am willing to go to great lengths for my cheesecake... I think you can tell. I told the boys when we sat down that we would ONLY be getting water with lemon today because it is not a deal if I am spending $12 on drinks. So they went along, because they had no choice are good boys.

Once we got our drinks I turned my head away from the table for some reason and when I turned my head back around I got NAILED in the face with the straw paper. They have learned from their FATHER how to shoot the straw paper across the table. I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT!

I told them "THIS IS NOT MCDONALD'S"!

Things really didn't calm down after that. They were using napkins as masks, eating lemons and making bets on who could eat the most lemons (John won, just for the record). Disaster with a capital D.

Finally when we got our cheesecakes thing got better... there was no talking.

Not a sound... perfect!

But the amusement was not over... of course not!

By the time John was done eating his cheesecake he had it EVERYWHERE. And when you think I am being overdramatic when I say everywhere... #1 you don't know John #2 you don't know John.

There was not one inch on his face that wasn't covered in whip cream. He had it on his napkin and table. His FORK was even COVERED, all the way to the tip, with whip cream. I didn't have my cell phone on me or there would be a picture to prove my sincerity.

So, as I was sitting there trying to understand why my children were acting this way, I realized something...

If I don't want my kids to be hillbillies we need to go out to eat more. Time to work that into the budget!

Sneaky Boys...

This morning I went into the boys' bathroom to get some toilet paper and this is what greeted me.

I had to laugh. The boys don't get to have soda often, usually only when we have pizza or go out to eat. I guess they like it more than I realized and of course they choose the one with the most caffeine!

Chance of a Lifetime!!!

This spring when the boys played soccer at a local church, the pastor's wife, Sarah, befriended me. We found out that each other recently started blogging, so I have been reading hers ever since.

Sarah asked me yesterday if my boys (Isaac and John) would be interested in singing next Wednesday night with Travis Cottrell? He is an amazing Christian artist and is most well known as the worship leader for Living Proof Ministries with Beth Moore. He also has a blog that I read often. I think you get the point that I am a fan!!

So, he is coming to Indianapolis for the Southern Baptist Convention and my boys are going to sing with him!!!! It took me a while to talk Isaac into it. He is a timid child and doesn't like doing things out of his comfort zone. I explained to him that this is a chance of a lifetime and he'll know other kids there.

Sarah sent me the song this morning and it has been playing nonstop at the Alexander household and will continue to play until next Wednesday. The boys practiced standing still and keeping their hands to themselves (really hard for boys) while learning the song. It is going to be a fun week getting them ready!!

You know it has been a long day when...

You tell your three year old to go get a nighttime pull-up on and he comes down the stairs with it on his head.

Nice.

The paints are now in hiding...

The other day I was feeling guilty that it had been a while since the boys had painted. So I mustered up enough energy one day to break them out and let their creative juices flow.

They were so excited and did very well for the first five minutes. Then they got bored. It is never a good thing when three boys get bored.


This is the reason we don't paint very often.

This calls for a celebration!

Last weekend we noticed that John was putting his hands in his mouth a lot. We continually told him to stop but to no avail. Monte finally looked into his mouth to see if there was something wrong and low in behold the boy had a lose tooth! That explains everything.

John is the type of child to start bad habits quick. He picks his finger nails, so much that they sometimes bleed. When his hair was longer he started twirling it and we eventually had to cut it. Now, his tooth.

Isaac is the opposite. He actually has two big teeth that have broken the skin on the bottom back and the dentist told him to start messing with the baby teeth so they will fall out. He will not and thinks it'll be better to go to the dentist to get them pulled... silly boy!

When we were at the zoo yesterday, John was really messing with the tooth and when I investigated, I found that it wouldn't be long till it comes out. Sure enough when we got home he went straight to the bathroom and didn't emerge until the baby tooth was in his hand! Yes, he is a very determined child.

Even though he our second born he is the first one to lose a tooth. There are only 16months between he and Isaac, so at some point we figured he'd do something first.

So in honor of John and Monte, who had a great review at work, we went to the Japanese steakhouse for dinner. We figured the boys would love the fact that they cook right at the table and there is fire! Josiah was scared of the fire, but he was napless yesterday and that is never a good thing.





John is SO very proud of himself and wanted to be video taped putting the tooth under his pillow last night!

We are proud of you too buddy! Great job.

Soccer and Waterguns...

I did finally take some pictures at soccer on Saturday, but for SOME reason not known to man I can't get them uploaded onto blogger. I have been trying for TWO DAYS! I will keep trying, but until then here is a soccer update.

I took some of John while he was practicing before the game and then forgot to take another one of him. I think it has to do with the fact he scored six goals and was just really into it! He has really surprised us in how well he is doing. We didn't really think our day dreamer would enjoy soccer, but he is so much determination. I didn't realize how intense he could be until this soccer season. It has been neat to see him grow to love the sport. He is now catching up to Isaac with how many soccer shirts he has!

Isaac is still doing well with the game. He absolutely loves the sport. He only scored one goal this past Saturday, but the Saturday before he got three. He is by far one of the smallest kids on the field, but hasn't let that stop him. He has scored on the "bigger kid" many times. One time he scored on a kid with whom he only came up to his chest. Everyone on the sidelines cheered, it was a great moment for him!

Monte has wanted to get the boys "good" water guns for some time now. I had a coupon for Target, so we were able to get them tonight for a good price. Oh, the laughter and screaming that came from our backyard tonight made me smile, BIG! They had a great time getting each other SOAKED. They went through two pair of clothes. I got a few pictures, but they were pretty relentless, even with Mommy holding the camera. So, I had to take cover inside!

COOL DUDES!

I took the boys to get their pictures taken today. I used to be really crazy about the whole professional photography thing. I would take them on their birthday and their half birthday. It had to be on the EXACT day too. Can we say... A-N-A-L?

While we lived in Sheridan my favorite place to go was Target Studios. It wasn't really expensive and they did a good job! When we moved to Avon, I tried the Target Studios here twice and was very disappointed both times, so I haven't been back.

I have been taking the boys to Portrait Innovations and have been very happy with the results. I now only do pictures twice a year, because here they take pictures of everyone together and separate. It is more expensive than Target, but they take 50-100 pictures and you get the pictures back in FIFTEEN minutes rather than 3-4 weeks. I love it.

While we were waiting our fifteen minutes, we walked around the outdoor mall. The boys have been needing sunglasses so we went into The Children's Place. They had sunglasses for $2.50 each. That is amazing deal, so I let the boys pick out their own. Here are their unique styles!


Josiah's favorite color is red, so he choose the red pair. Isaac liked the ones that look like what a pilot would wear. John picked the camo pair! They have such different personalities. They crack me up.

church, state parks and vomit... things that makes a Sunday complete!

Out of the last 8 Saturdays, Monte has worked 7 of them. I think I can speak for both of us when I tell you we are exhausted. So Sundays are reserved for napping and catching up on lost family time and please don't forget the napping!

When Monte got home from work on Saturday, he made the suggestion to spend the afternoon on Sunday at a state park, hiking. He knows I love to get out and do things together, so it was very sweet of him to offer!

His idea of spending time in the great outdoors is to walk a few hundred feet into the woods to a tree stand. Climb up (I have never seen him do this, but it is on the list of things to do before I die). Then sit there for hours on end until he either shoots a deer, gets hungry or it gets too dark. NOW, that defines B-O-R-I-N-G in my book!

This is my idea. Start early in the morning with a backpack and all your days supplies. Drive toward the tallest mountain (or hill if you're in Indiana), find a trail and start walking. Hike till you reach the top of the mountain and feel like you have accomplished something! Then hike back down and make sure you are out before dark. I do not do the outdoors at night with the ground, a tent and no shower.

We have very different views on how to spend out time in the woods. So usually we comprise I win.

After church on Sunday, we loaded everyone up and headed west! We decided to go to Turkey Run which is a little over an hour away. We have only been there once before. When John was an infant.

We picked the shortest hike... comprising in action! It was 1/2 mile and it was wonderful. We had a great time. It took us a while to do it because we let the boys explore and just have a grand ol' time! We then went to the nature center and ended our day on the suspension bridge.

Once home, I ran to CVS to get my free stuff for the week. I had my phone on me, but the battery was dead. So the first thing I heard when I walked through the door, once back home, was, "Couldn't get a hold of you... Josiah threw up."

Oh, what a way to end such a perfect day!

Mud and Boys go together!

We went to our neighborhood park today. It is a little park, but with gas prices the way they are we will be using this park a lot!

John is the type of child that if he sees another kid doing something, he is going to do it too. He will NOT be outplayed at anything. There was a child there today, the same age as John, doing the monkey bars. John has never had interest in the monkey bars before today. So, he goes right after this little boy and makes it across. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED... on the first try! He was very pleased with himself (as was I) and goes off and does other things.

A few minutes later, he finds himself back at the monkey bars. Apparently doing it once successfully was not enough for him. But now he wants to add fancy into his routine. I am not sure exactly what he did, but in a split second I see him flying through the air.

I guess falling out a second story window is not enough for him.

He continues to live on the edge.

He fell into a mixture of mulch, dirt and a lot of rain water. He is fine... just his ego was hurt! I called him my gladiator and all was well.


He went and fought the monkey bars once more! I love my John.

This is what happens when I am not looking and John has the camera.

Egg Dying Tablets are the NEW Sweet Tarts

This morning Isaac brought me a package of egg dying tablets that came with a movie we bought yesterday. He asked me what they were and I told him they're for Easter and I put them by the computer. I didn’t clarify exactly what I meant by Easter and because of what happened next I realized I really should have. Parenting is always a learning process.

I was downstairs folding laundry and Isaac came down the stairs telling me that his mouth tasted weird and he needed a drink. Without looking up I told him he could get some water. He is a pretty dramatic child, so I really didn't think twice about it. When he came back into the living room he was still talking about his mouth tasting gross, so I looked up and there was a green color on the corner of his mouth. I asked him what he ate and he said “nothing.” I could feel my patience quickly slipping away. I told him I knew he had eaten something because of the funky green color on his face then I remembered the conversation we had earlier that day. The egg dying tablets…

I quickly confirmed what I thought was the truth. He had EATEN one of the tablets thinking it was candy. Those things do look a lot like Sweet Tarts. If I would of known this kid was so desperate for candy, I would of taken him to Target to get his fix. My first thought was to call Monte, why on earth I called him first I will never know… can I have a senior moment while in my 30s? I quickly hung up with him once I realized that was a stupid mistake and I got the phone book and looked up poison control.

Thankfully this only the second time I have had to call them. I don’t know how many strikes you get before they make a house visit. I am sure I’ll let you know with having three boys! They told me that what he had ingested was not toxic and he is going to be fine. BIG sigh of relief…

I used this opportunity to really teach Isaac a lesson on stealing and lying.

I asked him, “Isaac what do you think happens to people to lie and steal?”

Isaac, “I don’t know.”

Me, “They go to JAIL Isaac, that is what happens when you take something that is not yours and then don’t tell the truth about it.”

At this point his eyes got really wide. I really think it hit home with him.

Yes, I know I am a mean mom sometimes!