My PSA for the day

Seriously, to all you parents...well moms in particular.....who have children who nap on a regular and consistent basis to say the age of three and beyond, you should regularly make offerings to the nap gods and goddesses.

I am blessed to have 2 healthy and relatively happy little boys but SERIOUSLY they are missing the nap gene. Luke has not napped all week and will probably be done for good at right around 2. and trust me it isn't like I am looking to put my feet up with a good book. I need to do more glamorous things like call the dentist and fold laundry without constant interaction.

On a positive happy note, Jon and I are going to dinner with Holly and Todd tonight...no children, no sippy cups, no screaming, no whining. And yes, we will be asking to be seated as far away from other children as humanly possible in the restaurant. :)

Gardening "with" the boys

The first of our tomatoes was ripe to pick so we did after I had to stake all of the tomato plants because they outgrew our the original stakes and cages. The little green heirloom fell off so we shall see if it will ripen in the house!

As a side note, I am sure some of you more seasoned veterans will simply laugh at this, but never ask your husband or significant other to do a chore/task they have absolutely no vested interest in whatsoever. I have asked my loving husband to do this for weeks now and decided today it had to be done. I don't really have one of those "Happy Wife, Happy Life" husbands...hence why "we" still don't have our vasectomy and Luke is 20 months old on the 4th of July....so I have decided that unless he has some personal stake in the task, wifey is going to be doing it.

As I am outside in the 100 degree heat with my very helpful and non-whining children, I realize that my husband, who thinks that tomatoes are gross and in some sort of "unfinished larvae state" has no interest in whether they live or die! Lesson learned.

Luke's New Elmo Jammies

Luke in his new Elmo pajama pants!

Luke has a new found love of all things Elmo. He had no official Elmo attire and of course when Evan as this age he was 12 sizes larger. I bought him some Elmo jammies and he is SO happy. He decided to wear them yesterday for nap, but wanted to go without the shirt. Both boys like to be like Dad in this respect. Jon is shirtless May-September, I kid you not. Sometimes they have to ask him to put it on at the office...but I digress.

Luke the little devil!

I just wanted to make sure I paid fair treatment to Luke's mischievous...well, evil;)....doings and not just Evan's mischievous ways!

This morning while I was in the bathroom for a total of 3 minutes, Luke opened a full can of coffee and spilled it in the lazy susan cabinet, the kitchen floor and the family room. While I was calmly explaining to him why this wasn't a good idea, I asked why he did it: "It funny".

Quite the comedian. I would have gotten a pic but since the dogs were lapping up dry coffee, I thought I should get it cleaned up as quickly as possible.

Everyone always asks if the mornings Evan is in school are more laid back...not anymore!:)

In other news it is 100 degrees here and our time on dry land has been outweighed by our time in the water today.

Happy Birthday Uncle Matt!

Cheers to you! Hope you are a having a wild time somewhere!;)

Happy Father's Day Jon!

We had a very lovely Father's Day weekend! Jon had no specific requests besides enchiladas (see picture above) for dinner on Sunday night.

We spent lots of time in the pool to keep cool. Our friends gave Luke a pair of waterwings and he is happily "swimming" right along with everyone else. Evan is getting really good at swimming. They both love jumping in!

We ran at White Rock on Saturday so I could do 10 miles with water fountains at good intervals.

Sunday, I offered to make french toast or waffles for breakfast but the boys...all 3 of them...unanimously decided to go out for donuts on a "boys trip".

We went for a Father's Day run and then hung around the pool for most of the day.

Jon did opt to clean out the gutters on Father's Day. Silly man! I did make sure the life insurance was up to date.

We tried to call Grandpa but he was enjoying the day at Wrigley Field with Matt....so jealous!

I would have taken more pics but the boys are nekkid in the pool more than they are clothed...this includes the grown man. I often feel like I am living in a nudist colony in the summer here. At least the views are cute!

Happy Father's Day Jon!

My Mommy Mojo...

has been seriously lacking this week. I am one tired mama and they are very energetic maniacs....I meant angels! I am trying to figure out how to get it back but unfortunately a long weekend sans kiddos is not in our future anytime soon.

We have spent most of the week in the pool or in water of some sort. I cannot feel my arms because pushing 75+lbs of kiddo in the jogger stroller is more difficult when it is 100, but hey this is Texas and I love the heat....just not running with the stroller in the heat.

Grandma sent some new books by one of our favorite authors...Kevin Henkes. She also sent a ton of Lincoln Logs since this is Evan's new fascination. The boys love playing with each other for 5 minute intervals and then the fighting starts! I am inclined to let them duke it out but considering they are 2.5 years apart and one is always above the 100the percentile weight wise and one is in the 30th, I have to be careful.

Yesterday, I let Luke nap in his swimsuit and shoes just to keep the peace and get him to sleep for a bit...it worked!;)

I am thinking a nice frosty drink by the pool may help get my mojo back this weekend...I hope! Otherwise, I better book my padded suite at the institution.

Our Weekend

Not too much to report and I am too pooped to upload photos right now. Luke has had a cold/allergies for an eternity....though we have been assured by the ped all is well. He made stops in our bed both Friday ans Saturday night so I am slightly sleep deprived. Good thing I am not going to have any more newborns!

Evan made a breakthrough this weekend with swimming. Jon finally relented on his "no water wings" rule and Evan got some over the weekend. He swam for hours both Saturday and Sunday and made good progress and wants to know when he can take them off and swim for real!

Now Evan has Luke's cold and cough so the Hutcheson cold/flu season continues on....

Luke had an "exciting" pool day!

We had Holly and Henry over today to play, swim and have lunch...no pics because the mommies were busy chatting!;) They played in the little pool and made toddler small talk...well mostly Henry talked.

After they left and we went to get Evan at school, the boys wanted to go in the big pool for a swim. It is a bit hard since Evan still doesn't swim on his own...don't get me started on that...but I just stay within arm's reach of both swim with both of them. Well, while I was no more than 2 feet from the wall and the boys were sitting on the edge, Luke gets up, counts 1,2 and jumps in....ON HIS OWN! I grabbed him right after he went in. The scariest part about it was not so much that it happened because I was right there, it was that the child was totally unfazed and wanted to do it again.

SO GLAD we had the safety fence installed for my little daredevil who seems to not be afraid of much at all!

A Monkey and A Frog

This was my favorite scene from bedtime tonight.

The boys wear me out all day but bedtime is like a 3 ring circus, especially when Jon is out of town!

I love being a mama but it really is an all consuming job..one which I wouldn't trade, but man do they tire me out!

Luke Loves Elmo

When Luke gets up before Evan, he devours breakfast.....and quickly requests an Elmo video or Sesame Street. Evan is sort of over Elmo so Luke takes ever opportunity he can to get his voice heard!;)

Lots of Ladybugs

We planted some new flowers (some lovely purple asters) in pots to be with my thriving snapdragons. Evan and Luke got a tub of ladybugs at the nursery....with the intention of also putting them into the veggie garden. They got to put a few in the bug habitat that Grandma got them. Gotta love boys and their love of bugs!

Chera pics!

I posted the link to all of the pics for the photo session but I figured I would post a few of my favorites here!

Ice Cream Smiles

There is an endless supply of ice cream love at this house and the summer is the perfect time to exploit it!

My boys love all types of frozen treats! My washing machine has been working overtime on all the stains.;)

Luke's Baby Feet

One of my favorite parts of babyhood is tiny baby feet. I would have a dozen kids to see tiny baby feet if it didn't also involve poop, diapers, sleepless nights, tantrums, etc. Here is a picture of tiny Luke feet before they become stinky boy feet! Not the best pic but hard to get an 18 month old to stand still.;)