***

Bubble baths have become a common occurrence at our house. The fun of it all makes the getting-clean part more bearable, I guess.

Bath time is one of the few times during the day that our family seems to slow down and just relax together. No chores, no rush, no technology interfering with our time together. Perhaps that is why bath time is also the silliest time of day…plenty of attention focused on the little comedian in our family.

Where he gets his ideas we may never know. But we do know one thing for certain…he is HILARIOUS.

***

Check out some other folks doing Project 52: Lucas & Mahina; Shawna at StyleBerry; Wicked Kate; WokAbout

If you are participating in this year’s Project 52, leave me a comment and let me know…I’d love to link up with you!

***

Recycling day is a particular favorite around here. It’s the one day a month Beau is allowed to “rummage through the trash,” and for a kid who loves dumping stuff out, that’s heaven! And right now, sorting and matching similar items is particularly fun.

Almost-two is an age proving to be chock-full of lessons. For all of us. More and more of Beau’s stubbornness is beginning to show, and as his parents, our job is to shape that strong will into a trait that will be productive and serve him well later in life, rather than hinder him.

The hard part is allowing our children to be who God created THEM to be, not who He created us to be. So many times, parents get caught up in trying to make their kids more like themselves.

I’m learning (through a kid who is stubborn like me, but otherwise different from me) that the God-given traits of our children are to be molded and polished, not stifled. While “negative” mindsets (like anger and selfishness) need to be trained, even they can be helpful, productive emotions in the right scenario.

So, we’re starting with the recycling bin. We’re both learning that even something that’s normally off-limits is perfectly acceptable (and even helpful) in the right context.

***

Check out some other folks doing Project 52: Lucas & Mahina; Shawna at StyleBerry; Wicked Kate; WokAbout

If you are participating in this year’s Project 52, leave me a comment and let me know…I’d love to link up with you!

***

Beau (on the floor) and his cousin Logan (on the car) are quite the pair when it comes to “projects.” Sometimes they fight over tools, sometimes they make a plan together and take turns executing that plan.

I imagine this trend will continue for years. They are “fixing” a toy car now, but it wouldn’t surprise me if, when they are sixteen, they are under the hood of a real car, trying to get it running so they can go for a joy ride. Hopefully by then they’ll know better than to use a drill on the steering wheel.

***

Check out some other folks doing Project 52: Lucas & Mahina; Shawna at StyleBerry; Wicked Kate; WokAbout

If you are participating in this year’s Project 52, leave me a comment and let me know…I’d love to link up with you!

***

Our boy has figured out how to make block towers!!

If he’s anything like his cousins, this new skill is just the beginning of a love affair with LEGOS that will last for years. Hallelujah! Now he can keep himself occupied for more than 5 minutes at a time!

***

Check out some other folks doing Project 52: Lucas & Mahina; Shawna at StyleBerry; Wicked Kate; WokAbout

If you are participating in this year’s Project 52, leave me a comment and let me know…I’d love to link up with you!

***

As I’ve mentioned before, our kid is a climber. So, we have been anxiously awaiting the day when he would discover how to get out of his crib. It was this past Tuesday. I was making breakfast and he just walked into the room like it was nothing new.

And I knew life as we knew it was over.

Perhaps it’s silly to try and reason with a toddler, but Beau understands a lot, so I sat him down and explained, “I know you can get out of your bed and I’m sure you think that’s really cool. But if you want to be big and strong like Daddy, you need to get lots of rest. So when it’s night-night time or time to rest after lunch, you need to stay in your bed.”

And he didn’t climb out at naptime.

When Daddy tucked him in that night, Beau popped into the living room 5 minutes later and held out his arms as if to say, “Look, Daddy! I can get out!” My husband said when he returned Beau to bed, it was almost as if our little boy just wanted to show off his new trick. Beau stayed in bed the rest of the night.

The past two mornings, I’ve heard his little feet pitter-patter across the kitchen floor on the way to our master bedroom. But he just crawls in bed and we doze a while longer. We’ve been doing that for months now, and I have to admit, him coming to me sure beats having to drag myself out of our warm bed and walk across the house half-asleep!

***

Check out some other folks doing Project 52: Lucas & Mahina; Shawna at StyleBerry; Wicked Kate; WokAbout

If you are participating in this year’s Project 52, leave me a comment and let me know…I’d love to link up with you!

***

Boys love tools. From 1 to 99, boys of all ages turn into Tim-the-tool-man-Taylor whenever there are drills and wrenches and screwdrivers in sight. Especially if they have power. Our son has a set of plastic tools, but he prefers the real thing whenever we’ll allow it (read: outside and away from anything that could be zapped, shattered, crushed, or gouged).

His Home-Depot-orange cordless drill is a particular favorite, and he can be found “fixing” everything from the porch railing to the dining room chairs. He loves working outside and in another year or two, Daddy’s going to have a really good helper on his hands…and this helper will work for animal crackers!

***

Check out some other folks doing Project 52: Lucas & Mahina; Shawna at StyleBerry; Wicked Kate; WokAbout

If you are participating in this year’s Project 52, leave me a comment and let me know…I’d love to link up with you!

***

Watching my son interact with his guy friends reminds me that he’s not a baby anymore. It’s bittersweet. On one hand, he doesn’t just snuggle with me and rely on me to do everything for him. On the other hand, now that he can do so much more for himself, I can just enjoy spending time visiting with my mom-friends while our kids run around!

I pray my son will always have a core group of God-centered, rambunctious but kind, polite but courageous guy friends. Camaraderie and friendship are so important, no matter what age we are. We need people that get us. We need people that like the things we like AND can open our minds to things we’ve never even heard of before. We need friends to hold us accountable to our ethics and our dreams. We need people that will teach us to have tough skin but tender hearts.

Since becoming a mom, I’ve consciously set out to build friendships like these. Staying at home can be so isolating…and we moms all seem to think we are the only one who’s lonely. And in our society lonely = loser. NOT TRUE. Lonely just means you are smart enough and brave enough to recognize, “Hey, I need more quality relationships in my life!”

You know the saying, “To have a friend, be a friend”? DO IT. Today. Whether you are a stay-at-home mom or working parent or retiree or college student or cubicle-dweller, reach out to someone. Invite them to lunch. Don’t just say you’re going to get lunch together sometime–SET A DATE. Make it happen.

Sometimes friendships fall in our laps, but more often than not, we have to work for them, especially as we get older and life places more responsibility on our shoulders. And as great as Facebook is for keeping in touch, those ‘relationships’ can never be as rich as the ones where you are in another’s presence. Believe me. I’m striving to practice what I preach in this area of my life. And I’m teaching my son everything I learn.

**stepping down off my soapbox**

***

Check out some other folks doing Project 52: Lucas & Mahina; Shawna at StyleBerry; Wicked Kate; WokAbout

If you are participating in this year’s Project 52, leave me a comment and let me know…I’d love to link up with you!

***

Two-year-old molars are causing all sorts of fits around here (literally, ugh). And our allergies are going crazy. And it’s been in the 80s, despite the fact that it’s only March. So…we’re a houseful of grumps lately.

And what makes you feel better when it’s hot, you’re tired, and your mouth hurts? A popsicle! Last time I tried to give Beau a popsicle to help with teething pain, he took one look at me as if to say, “That is not going to help. It’s cold, and I won’t eat it.”

But now? It’s just what the doctor (Mom) ordered. We both enjoyed a popsicle out on our porch swing the other day. That way, all the drips would be outside where dirt could stick to them and I wouldn’t have to wipe them up! After our treats, little man took a bath. Win-win.

Now, if the local sno-cone stands would just open! THOSE are Mama’s favorite cold treats!

***

Check out some other folks doing Project 52: Lucas & Mahina; Shawna at StyleBerry; Wicked Kate; WokAbout

If you are participating in this year’s Project 52, leave me a comment and let me know…I’d love to link up with you!

My youngest sister had an idea for a book called “Suit Yourself” and she didn’t just tell me about it, she drew up a schematic! Ha!

As you can see, she had a very specific idea in mind for her book. She wanted it to be multi-functional…something for writing and drawing.

So…I bound loose-leaf lined paper:

And, plain white sketching paper.

A special black/white/red inscription was added to the inside paste pages.

Would you believe I was even able to find paper with all four suits on it?!

The spine was covered in black canvas bookbinding paper for extra strength and red satin ribbons were added as a closure.

My sister was very satisfied with the results and by now I am sure the pages are just full of all her other incredible ideas!

Sonny…thanks for asking me to make this for you! It’s so fun to breathe life into someone’s artistic vision!

***

It’s hard to believe that for the first 16 months of Beau’s life, it was a battle to get him to lay down and rest each day. Now, he will just grab some pillows and blankets and “play” rest time (which lasts for all often minutes, tops). So funny.

What’s even funnier is the pre-rest process. He scopes out his spot and drags a blanket and a pillow (or in the case of this photo, three pillows) as if to reserve it. Then, he wanders from room to room, collecting items that he needs in order to relax.

Though you may not know from looking at the pile, he is very discerning when it comes to what deserves to be in his pile. Things are considered and discarded while others are picked up as if they are a no-brainer.

If you’ve ever seen Steve Martin in “The Jerk,” it’s similar to the scene where he lists all the things he can’t live without.

The items that made the cut this time around: three pillows, a blanket from my alma mater, a step stool, a baby doll (snuggling with Beau), a red rubber ball, a plastic rock, a football, a skillet, a monkey cereal bowl, a Carhartt stocking cap, a wrench, a coaster, and the flatware basket out of the dishwasher.

Seriously?! I couldn’t make this stuff up, people! My boy is just too random. And he seems to like it that way.

***

Check out some other folks doing Project 52: Lucas & Mahina; Shawna at StyleBerry; Wicked Kate; WokAbout

If you are participating in this year’s Project 52, leave me a comment and let me know…I’d love to link up with you!