Have we been on summer vacation for two weeks?

Really?

I feel like it has flown by.

Here’s a recap – in iPhone pictures, mostly.

*Someone* has been getting dirty. Really dirty. I tell them that dirty = fun, so we’re all good.

We bought a Zoku Quick Pop maker. And we LOVE it.

My dog ate my laptop power cord. I’m not going to say any more about that.

We discovered that we have a chameleon-dragon. He changes colors.

Oh, and that chameleon-dragon? He’s beautiful. Says Petco.

I went to the dentist for a cleaning. The cleaning turned into a root canal, and after I failed to respond to novocain, I ended up with a crazy thing called an intraosseous injection. If you’re brave, click the link. If not, don’t. I warned you. That little trip to the Endodontist put me out for about 5 days. Ugh. This milkshake? I totally deserved it.

I loved my Zoku even more after the surgery. Pudding pops.. yum. (Lesson learned: Pour the pudding in quick before it thickens)

Steve had his own medical issues and somehow got this sliver twig completely embedded in the back of his hand. He asked if I would “dig it out.” I said “no.” Urgent Care was nice enough to give him this souvenir bag. (That’s my thumb in the picture)

Still more Zoku pop making. I’m pouring everything in sight in this thing. You freeze the mold, then it makes ice pops in seven minutes. Seven minutes!

Jack has taken to carrying Billy around like a baby. I think it started when I required Billy to be placed on a towel when in a carpeted room, like the bedrooms. Why? Because lizards don’t give notice when they’re about to poop. He seems to be unfazed by the towel, though. He’s a happy lizard.

Have you heard about the little wildfire we have in Arizona? Yup. Amy and Denise have tornados, and Chelsea and I have wildfires. It’s about 200 miles NE of us, but we see it. And smell it.

As a comparison, here’s a picture taken by my house – before and after. On top of the smoke, can you tell we haven’t had much rain lately?

I found this fun app called WordFoto – a little busy for me, but it’s fun to play with.

Cantaloupe Zoku pops. They’re getting prettier, huh? I love that I can add my own ingredients, and steer clear of the artificial colors and flavors.

When we’re not making ice pops, we have been trying to get Jack to understand that Billy is a pet. Not a doll. Even though he seems to like being bundled up like one. Here Jack is trying to talk me into giving Billy a “train ride” on our barstool. Tell me Billy doesn’t look scared to death.

Which brings us right to this picture. Jack says Billy is smiling. I swear he’s screaming.

Because he’s on a track made for Jack’s Defiants 4×4 cars.

Our summer is boiling down to medical emergencies, beautiful screaming lizards, and homemade ice pops.

It’s a beautiful thing.

Summer Is Here. is property of: Our Crazy Boys

*WARNING: Little eyes that can read should be sent into the other room*

Jack lost his first tooth yesterday!

Those of you who know Jack IRL know that he was trying SO hard to keep the tooth in his mouth until he was 9. That obviously didn’t work so well for him.

This little tooth has been loose – very loose – for over a month now. Jack refused to play with it or wiggle it like other kids do. He wanted to keep it in his mouth forever, which may or may not have something to do with his big brother.

On Friday, it was perpendicular to the other teeth in his mouth. Gross.

On Saturday, it was hanging by a thread. Uck.

On Sunday, we were celebrating Michael’s swim meet success (more on that later tonight, I promise!) at P-cubed* and it fell out when he was chewing a bite of pizza. Yay!

All afternoon, he kept talking about how he wanted to take pictures and show everyone his lost tooth. He smiled big smiles for the rest of the day.

Then came bedtime.

Jack: ”Ummm… I don’t want to put my tooth under my pillow tonight. I want to wait.”

Mom: “Wait for what?”

Jack: “8 months. Or 9 months.”

Mom: “8 or 9 months? Why?”

Jack: “I just do. I want to look at it for a long time before I put it under my pillow.”

We explained that for your first tooth, the tooth fairy lets you keep it. And if you want to keep any other teeth, all you have to do is write her a note and she’ll leave it behind with the money.

He wasn’t budging.

I get it. A little fairy? That collects teeth?? Comes in your room???  And looks under your pillow????

A little scary, I admit.

He was almost in tears. And by then, I was tired. Michael was in his bed (they share a room) telling me how he thinks “you and Dad are the real tooth fairy” and I just wasn’t ready for that talk just yet. I think I’ll let Dad do that one.

So last night, the tooth sat on the bathroom counter. Patiently waiting in it’s cute little tooth container for the night when Jack decides that the strange little woman who collects teeth can finally come into his room.

*codeword for Peter Piper Pizza – What are the codewords you have (or had) to use around your house to keep little ears from eavesdropping?

The Scary Fairy is property of: Our Crazy Boys

Ahhh… Autumn. My favorite time of the year.

Well, it was when I lived in Upstate New York. Here in Southern Arizona, there’s not much of an “Autumn,” per se. It‘s more like “let’s wait for the temps to drop under 100, then in a month or so we might see a few yellow trees.”

To be honest, I’ve been pretty jealous of all of the “Fall posts” popping up in my reader lately.

I miss picking apples and walking around looking at beautiful colored leaves, collecting acorns, and all of the fun craft fairs that are going on during this time of year. But what I really miss the most is the smell of burning leaves. That smell ranks right up there with freshly cut grass from the lawnmower and fresh lilac trees.

Anyway… got a little sidetracked… sorry.

Today we went up to Mt. Lemmon for Oktoberfest, a german festival that reminded me of the festivals that I used to go to with my grandparents when I was little. It was fun to watch the chicken dance (totally thought Jack would get up and do it, but he refused. I know he wanted to.) and listen to the german band that was playing. The kids went up on the ski lift with Dad and Aunt Jen, and they were so excited to be there. It was wonderful wearing jeans and sweatshirts and seeing our breath for the first time in a year. It was a great day.

The best part for me, though? The leaves. Beautiful red and orange trees. Not many, but enough. I was good and didn’t burn any leaves, but the thought did cross my mind.

I could bring them home, get a metal bucket, and burn a few to see if they smell the same…

The second best part was looking through the pictures that I took today. Here they are:

Aunt Jen with the boys

Mom and the boys

Aunt Jen and Jack on their way down from the ski lift ride

Michael and Dad on their way down… notice anything missing?

Yup, a shoe. Michael lost a shoe on the way up the mountain.

I think it’s kind of funny that he didn’t take the other shoe off… just to be safe.

When they got to the bottom, Dad saved the day by hiking back up the hill (in his flip flops) to find the missing shoe. After receiving a little help from passers-by up above, it was found!

Happy October, everyone!

Oh, and in case you’re wondering… less than 2 days until we leave for our Cancun vacation… where the weather forecast for the week is:

Momday: Thunderstorms

Tuesday: Thunderstorms

Wednesday: Thunderstorms

Thursday: Thunderstorms

Friday: Yup, you guessed it… more thunderstorms.

But that’s ok. Because I’ll bet that a “bad” week at the beach is better than a good week in the “real world.”

Right?

Autumn in Tucson is property of: Our Crazy Boys

The boys and I are off for 3 weeks! Yes, you heard that right. While most of you out there in the bloggy world were in the middle of your wonderful fun-filled summer, we were back at school here in our year-round school district. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. Starting in July means that we get 3 weeks off at the end of September. Completely worth it, in my book.

Anyway, with Aunt Jen (a.k.a. The Amazing Babysitter and SIL) on the horizon and our “Mom and Dad only” Cancun trip just a few days after that, we have had a busy start to break. And boy, have I learned a lot so far.

Without further delay:

What did I learn this week?

1. You can clean the house a week before Aunt Jen comes (meaning, it is possible), but it will be messy again the next day. Might as well wait until the last minute to try that one again.

2. It is possible to get through dentist appointments for both kids and Mom in one day… if you have 2 ipod touches to keep the kids (and almost the whole dental office staff) busy. I bet next week, all the hygienists will have one.

3. You can brush and floss several times a day between dentist visits, but when it is time to get your teeth cleaned the dentist will only focus on the new teeth that you have cracked since your last visit… which will lead you to obsess about how much money it will cost to get said teeth repaired before the next visit.

4. Driving down a small two-lane road in back of a pick-up truck whose owners decided to play Jenga with their belongings is a very. stressful. experience. But it will make the kids laugh a little.

5. No matter how stressed out you are, when your 5 year-old yells from the back seat “Mom, that’s the Cox digibal cable car!,” you will be super-proud to be his Mom, and not stressed out anymore.

6. The dog will jump on top of the coffee table to steal a nail file or two.

7. I will never learn to stop leaving my nail files on top of the coffee table for the dog.

8. The week before a vacation, it is impossible to not repeat this to myself (silently) daily “7 more days to Cancun… 6 more days to Cancun…”

9. I am not above getting my kids to behave in Target by bribing them with a “Double Chocolatly Chip Frappuccino” from Starbucks. Split in two, of course – not that that really matters. Come on. I had to use the dressing room!

10. Michael will be instantly “un-jealous” of Jack getting to stay home and run errands with me while Michael is at school the first day that Michael gets to stay home and run errands with Jack and I.

11. Last but definitely not least, it’s totally worth making your kids brush and floss every day when you hear the dentist say “No cavities for either of them – they have beautiful teeth.”

6 more days to Cancun… 6 more days to Cancun…

What I Learned This Week – Fall Break edition is property of: Our Crazy Boys

I have stumbled upon a real money-saver.

Do you want a free sandbox?

No?

Me either.

But I’m going to tell you how to get one – just in case you ever need to know.

Step 1: Enroll your son (must be a son, not a cute dress and sandal wearing daughter) in preschool. *Note: The preschool must have a sand area*

Step 2: Go out and buy a pair of tennis shoes and/or cargo shorts. Cargo shorts are optimal because they have up to 7 pockets!

Step 3: To get the most sand, have your son get in the shower and take his cargo shorts and shoes off as soon as he gets home. If he waits, most of the sand will get all over the house, and how much fun is that?

Step 4: Start saving sand! Before you know it… you’ll have enough saved for your own free sandbox!

You’re welcome.

Free sandbox! is property of: Our Crazy Boys

Yesterday, a friend and I took Jack to the farmer’s market. While we were there, I tried to explain the difference between a farmer’s market and the grocery store. Obviously the message went awry.

At the dinner table:

Mom: “Jack, tell Michael where we went today.”

Jack: “We went to the place where they had lots of tomatoes and a playground and I played.”

Michael: “What else was there?”

Jack: “This cowboy that has cows and he races them. Then he kills them.”

This is where Mom and Dad look at each other with very confused looks on their faces.

Hmmm… crap… what did I say to him?

Mom: “OH! He raises them, not races them. Then, yeah, he kills them so he can sell the meat.”

*I am super proud of my husband right now. When we were done laughing, he said “you know that’s a blog post, right?”*

The fastest hamburger in Arizona is property of: Our Crazy Boys

Just the other day I was thinking to myself “The boys are getting older… I hope they never stop doing things to make me laugh. I would have nothing to blog about!”  Maybe I should have knocked on wood, because this week the hits just keep on coming…

Warning: There may be TMI here in this post, but you’ll get over it. I promise.

2 boys. I have 2 boys. I am outnumbered in my house 3 to 1. Do you know what that always meant to me? It meant that I wouldn’t have to have “the talk” with the boys. Because that’s what Dad is for. Right?

Wrong.

I have purposefully been a little bit “shady” with my answers to the boys about how they got here. Is it the right thing to do? Probably not.  I’m a smart girl. I know better. We taught the boys to call their “parts” a penis. We don’t have them say weiner, Walter, or dooper (uh hmmm…. Mom).

But when I had a 4 year-old (Michael) asking where his new baby brother (Jack) came from, I swear it was SO much easier to look into those little eyes and say “the doctor cut him out of Mommy’s belly.” It was the truth. And Michael never asked where he came from, so I was answering the question that was directed at me. That was my way of not having to say “Yes, Michael, Jack was cut out of my belly, but you came out of my… well, you know… ” I just don’t think he needed to hear that.

Which is how I got myself into this here situation.

Fast forward five years. Sitting at the dinner table. Just me and the boys. Eating.

Michael: “Mom, the doctor cut Jack out of your belly, right?”

Mom: “Yup.”

Michael: “Don’t all babies get cut out of their Mom’s belly? Some of the boys at school say that… ummm…  babies come from… you know…  what we have… down there… but on a girl. What’s that called?”

*Quick break to mention that we have a very strict NO INAPPROPRIATE WORDS AT THE DINNER TABLE rule. After a recent crazy meal where I couldn’t control my boys, penis was added to the list.*

Mom: trying not to choke “A vagina.”

Jack: “Agina? That’s a funny word.”

Michael: “Ewww. So sometimes babies come out of there? How? Why?”

Mom: “Most babies come out of there. The human body is an amazing thing, and that’s just how it works.”

very proud of myself at this point

Michael: “But we got cut out of your belly, right?

Mom: “Yes, Jack was cut out of my belly.” (which has been my standard answer for the last 5 years, even though I am an adult and Ishouldtellthewholetruth)

Michael: “Jack was? But… me? Did I come out of your…”

Mom: “Yes.”

Michael: yelling at this point “Gross! That’s not fair! Jack got cut out of you and I came out of your…”

Jack: “Hahahahahahahahahaha….Michael!”

Michael: “Mom, REALLY?”

That’s about when I had to leave the room, ashamed, because I let my 9 year-old son believe that all babies were born via c-section because it was SO much easier than explaining the “old-fashioned way” hysterically laughing with water coming out of my nose and listening to Jack tease Michael because of the inferior way that he came into this world.

What have I done to my poor children?

The Million Dollar Question is property of: Our Crazy Boys

How was your Sunday? Ours was pretty busy… Here’s a picture recap:

Michael had his first swim meet yesterday. It’s kind of hard to get pictures of him swimming, so you’ll have to settle for my funny moment of the day.

Unbeknownst to me, it’s common practice for young swimmers to have their races written on their arms… so they (and the coaches) know who is supposed to be where at what time.

So, this:

#48 50 FLY H1 L3

would translate to this:

Race number 48, 50 m. butterfly stroke, Heat 1, Lane 3. Easy, huh?

I about lost it when a Mom on our team wrote this on her son’s arm:

If you can’t see it, it says #50 25 Breast…

I turned around and said “Did you just write breast on your 8 year-old’s arm?” because occasionally I act like a 14 year-old boy.

It’s funny until I have to write it on Michael’s during the next meet, right?

After the swim meet, I scurried off to a baby shower for a dear friend. No pictures, sorry.

When I got home, though, I was treated to this:

and this:

and this:

A perfect evening to be outside enjoying the cool (91 degrees!) weather.

That picture is of Jack telling me all about the dead bird that he found in the road .

Did you know that it crunched under the wheel of his scooter? He told me so.

Weekend wrap-up is property of: Our Crazy Boys

Three young boys were alleged to have urinated in public at approximately 3:05 p.m. last Thursday, August 27th.

It was reported that the boys stopped in a “desert-like empty lot” and relieved themselves. When asked why, the boys responded “We had to pee.”

Parents all around struggled to keep a straight face while explaining to the children why it is not ok for 9 and 10 year-old boys to pee on the side of the road… especially when their houses (and working toilets) are less than 1/8 mile away.

Evidence:

Exhibit 1-A

Exhibit 1-B

The children confessed. Without being asked.

The Offenders:

Suspect #1: Found in his kitchen

Suspect #2, still on the run.

Suspect #3, found eating a snack.

These individuals are not considered dangerous, and have served their time.

They fully understand the consequence of their actions, and assure us that it will not happen again.

We hope.

Tucson’s Most Wanted: Kid’s Edition is property of: Our Crazy Boys

Yup. I tried. But there’s just too much cuteness going on here to not say anything about it. Sorry the clip is so long (just under 3 minutes) but to be honest, it may not be long enough for me.  I haven’t stopped laughing yet.

I think I might need a disclaimer or two here…

*Most of this video was taken on a Friday night, before chore day. The state of the playroom was not known to me. Don’t look at it. Look at Jack. Because he’s the REAL star here.

*I don’t know what was up with Jack’s pants in the first part of the video. Sorry for all the grabbing and such. It was too cute to not post.

*I do not let my kids watch MTV. Or VH1. Or Dancing With The Stars. I don’t know where in the world Jack learned his moves. To be honest, I think it might have something to do with big brother who refuses to get in front of the camera.

*If anyone mentions this to Jack, he’ll never let Michael take another video…  So if you like watching them, shhhhhh…..

Click HERE to watch “dancing Jack” in action…

I tried to do a Wordless Wednesday post… is property of: Our Crazy Boys