Vocabulary Fail

OK. So Curt and I had a mirror held up to us this weekend and we recognize we REALLY need to watch our language.  I know I have probably mentioned that the driver's here in Doha are RIDICULOUS, and from time to time they really get under our skin (understatement of the year) when they do things like: turn left from the far right lane, don't let people merge, cut people off all the way up to the line at the round about, drive far faster than necessary or they have the skills for, ride your bumper, flash their lights for you to get over when there is nowhere for you to go, and so on . . .

On Saturday morning Curt was in the kitchen, and the boys were playing and just doing whatever in the play area.  I was clearing the table and I hear Brady saying something (over and over again) that vaguely sounds like "F&*^ing Idiot".  I look to see he is sitting inside one of the drawers that stores toys and i walk over and say "Hey Brady, whatcha doing?" and he says "Driving a car."  I about DIED.  He proceeds to say it a few more times - with EXACTLY the right amount of anger and under his breath tone that we may or may not have used from time to time :).  I say, "are you talking about those CRAZY DRIVERS?!" trying DESPERATELY to sink something else in his sharp little brain.  and he says "yes".  I then walk in the kitchen to tell Curt what has happened.  we both have a look of dread on our faces as we can still hear him saying it (again, still under his breath) over and over in the other room.  Trying not to bring too much attention to it, but still trying to implant other phrases, I head back in the play area for some re-training. :)

So tonight, we go to get the boys haircuts in the mall.  They are all being VERY good so Curt would take two of them to play and walk around while I would stay with whomever was getting cut.  Curt asks me when we are in the car on the way home if Brady had shown me his favorite car to "ride" in in the toy store when I had gone in with him.  I say "yes, the red one" (like a ferrari for kids).  Then Curt says "Did you hear what he was saying while he was 'driving' it?"  My eyes must have been as big as saucers because since the weekend we have BOTH been sure to keep it clean 100%.  So yes, apparently he associates driving with what has been an oft used phrase by Curt or I.  OUCH.  Kids truly do reflect your  best and worst don't they?

You can probably guess that Curt and I debated over whether to share this story or not in this venue.  I said it was 1) the truth and 2) maybe we needed some additional public shaming to make sure we clean it up around the kids.  Curt sort of felt like it might be truthful, but the painful kind.  I still really feel like this blog is more for me and the boys eventually than anything else, so I figure when they get old enough to read it and understand, they will have a good laugh at mom and dad's expense. :)

In other news we have made the switch to the big boy beds!  Friday morning the boys found that we had put them together in the guest room and were SO EXCITED they wanted them in their rooms with all of the beds made up RIGHT THEN!  So before breakfast we move the beds into their room with the cribs still in place and the beds next to the cribs.  They practiced laying in them and checking out the new sheets and covers and are SO PUMPED.  We also got a clock for their room with numbers so we could give them clues about when they are allowed to get out of bed, etc.  For nap time, all went down and were SO EXCITED to be in big boy beds.  We had told them if they didn't stay in the beds we would have to put them back in their cribs to sleep and after Aidan made himself known to be running around the room after an hour, that is just what happened.  Curt gave him a warning and 5 minutes later he was up and running around again.  Curt goes in and plops him in his crib and he proceeds to CRY.  He eventually falls asleep and Brady and Gavin DO NOT BUDGE from their beds. :) They do a great job for that nap, for bed time and even getting up in the mornings - we can hear them chattering but not running around until we go in at 630.  Until this morning.

Gavin had been singing by 550 AM, but otherwise was pretty quiet.  When my alarm wet off at 615AM i thought i heard pounding little feet (when they are hobbit feet, that's just what it sounds like).  I crack their door to see Gavin IN bed with Aidan and they are just giggling like crazy.  Brady is still in his bed like a good boy.  I open the door wider and give the meanest face I can even though my heart is just MELTING at the sight of these boys, I point at Gavin, then point at his bed.  He slowly gets out of Aidan's bed and then jumps in his bed.  15 mins later, I go back in to get them up and Gavin is still laying in bed with his feet hanging over the edge and Aidan and Brady have also stayed in bed.  So hysterical. :)  We did hear that Gavin and Aidan had to be put back in cribs for nap today.  Hopefully we can get the good habits to sink in this week - there is a woman here who is having twins in early July and she plans to buy them! :)  YEAH!

Evolution of a Black Eye

Aidan's Black Eye - 2 days in

Day 3

Day 4

No black eye - Brady and puppy didn't want to be left out of having pictures taken. :)

Daddy tickles Gavin - if only you could have heard the giggles from both of them.  :)

Day 5 of the black eye.  Stitches come out tomorrow!

Table Edge:1, Aidan:0

Well, this is one of those days where I count reason number 452 as to why i'm happy about being a SAHM in 3 weeks (from today BTW).  SO, after a LONG ASS week of work (including 1 trip to the ER for brady - no stitches in his lip, but a nasty cut and a follow up with a dentist, curt taking 2 trips to try to get his Qatari ID replaced after he lost it, 2 vaccinations for each the 3 boys (BTW it SUCKS to have to hold people still for 6 shots) and trying to wind up the last 4 years of work so I can leave with a clear conscience) we didn't have ANYTHING for dinner.  Sure, we could have probably done pasta and red sauce, but that jsut didn't sound good.  So we decide to play it loose and drive to mega mart to see if we could get the "good" fish sticks LuLu has quit carrying.  TH eboys were in a great mood, helping out with the shopping and we hit the mother load on fish sticks.

Of course they take awhile to cook, so while I was cutting up watermelon and curt was readying gavn's breathign treatment, they were getting squirrely.  Curt sees that Gavin has DRENCHED his t-shirt by drinkign water and then spitting it on himself, but did not notice that it was also on the tile floor by the couch.  Brady and Aidan had begun chasing each other around the room with oven mitts and I thought to myself, "Maybe we should just put them in their chairs and get the veggies and watermelon for them to start eating since we still have another 10 minutes."  But i didn't.  Curt began gavin's breathing treatment and the next thing I know i hear THE CRY.  Curt calls me in as I am already halfway out of the kitchen to see Aidan laying completely still on the ground, having slipped on the water Gavin had spit on the floor.  OUCH on the back of the head.  Then I see he is bleeding from JUST below his left eye (where he had hit the corner of the coffee table on the way down) and I kind of freak out. 

Long story short, I am entirely short tempered with Brady who is yelling things like "He's not bleeding!" (just after I say to Curt "He's bleeding near his eye") or "He doesn't want to lay there!" (as I lay him on the couch). We are applying pressure and after a minute or so has gone by i check it and see that it is pretty deep and is almost 100% likely in need of stitches.  Because i'm becoming a little unglued, Curt offers to take him to the ER, and I let him.  Brady is VERY sad to see dad and Aidan go and it only takes about 20 minutes for him to settle down.  The 3 of us have some dinner (though no one is really in the mood) and talk about what happened.  Curt calls about a half hour later and shares that Aidan got stitches.  WE talk with him on speaker phone with Brady sweetly repeating "I love you Aidan! I hope you feel better Aidan!, etc" and Gavin dancing around in the background with his shirt off (b/c it was soaked).

I get the boys up to bed and they are being SOOO good!  B/c gavin's breathing treatment was interrupted, once he is in PJs i have him wear the nebulizer while he reads a book and I change Brady.  Then we read a couple of books and when I ask "Are you boys ready for bed?" Brady says, "Yes." with a sigh.  Off to bed they go and they are SACKED Out by the tiem Aidan and dad get home.  Aidan eats a decent dinner and then gets to bed nearly 2 hours after bed time. Curt and I feel like we have been through the ringer.  In my mind, were we not BOTH so completely exhausted with work, we would have had plans for dinner at the usual time and the boys wouldn't have been trying to entertain themselves leading to the slip and slide of death . . . Of course, there are lots of what if's and if only's when stuff like this happens.  I'm sure there will be pictures to follow this post once we get the bandage off . . .

Brady's Laugh

OK, so I haven't done any video in FAR TOO LONG, but i thought this one really captures Brady.  He has developed this mischievous Dr. Evil laugh that makes me laugh out loud every time . . .  Enjoy. :)

Maldives trip and more!

Well, things have really been picking up around our place!  Curt and I took a LONG AWAITED trip to the Maldives together SANS KIDS!  And while, yes, of course, we missed them, we had a FANTASTIC time, the boys were just fine staying with Tess and Ariana and it helps us feel like we can do this again! :)  Yippee!  We called the boys each night while we were gone and got to "talk" with them on the phone.  They sounded so happy and didn't even freak out when we were like "OK, we need to go, we love you, etc".  After our lovely 3 days in paradise, we had a tricky day getting home, that nearly removed all traces of relaxation (Qatar Airways wins "Company with no logic or heart" competition), we got home around 11PM (should have been home around noon) and sweet Gavin was laying in his crib with his eyes open.  I truly think he was waiting up for us.  He got up and we all had some snuggles, then Aidan woke up and we had some snuggles, then Brady woke up, some snuggles and then they all went back to bed.  just delightful.  They DID wake up and were sweetly calling for us at 530 AM that next morning - not quite ocean waves, but we will take it . . . :)

Islands on the way from Male to our resort - love how the circles  dotted the water!

RAINBOW!

More rainbow! :)

As for our trip, curt and I got to take naps, snorkel, read, eat when WE wanted to, TALK . . . goof around, it was great.  after the last few months (ok, like 7 months) curt has had with work, he REALLY needed the time away.  Kuramathi resort was just BEAUTIFUL - with bats and snails and sharks and fish and birds and crabs, etc.  even though it rained 2 of the afternoons we were there, it was perfect for napping, and ensuring we didn't get sunburned. :)

The happy couple

snorkeling off of our deck . . .

i was hunting this shark like it was my JOB!  SUCCESS!

This past weekend, we spent it with the boys just hanging out.  Friday morning we brought out the pools and chilled in the backyard while the boys played and ran around.  Brady came up with a new game - i was sitting on a chair and he walks over to me with his yogurt bucket full of water and proceeds to POUR IT ON ME!  Then the fun began!  We basically had a water fight with the boys using their buckets and curt or I using the hose.  It was so much fun!  As you can see from the pictures Brady was on a TEAR with these buckets of water.  The boys looked through our pictures from our trip and loved seeing dad and I doing different things and talking about the animals and different things we saw.  Then this morning we took them to play in what will be the nursery school at the student center - they have all of these slides and indoor climbing things - it's clean and has AC!  AMAZING!  they were bonkers over all of the stuff to run and play on.  There must have been like 15 different slides and i think they went on everyone of them in the first 10 minutes we were there. :)

Brady's black eye - a few days in (corner of coffee table hit JUST on brow bone - LUCKY).  He looks like he has eye shadow from 1984 on . . .

Aidan put these three pairs of sunglasses on himself and went around growling at us b/c he was a "monster" (said in scary monster voice)

Gavin was just chilling out and reading one morning . . .

The boys are loving alternating between Curt being a giant and the big bad wolf.  I think he was "blowing their house down" on this one. :) ( B and A)

Then we took them to buy big boy beds.  We have been avoiding this for several reasons.  1) we aren't sure we want them to be "free" to get up/out of bed whenever they want.  they are good sleepers in general, however they are beginning to outgrow their cribs and we think the reason they might be good sleepers is because they are trapped there and have to be. :) 2) it's one more step to them growing up. (gulp back tears).  of COURSE we want them to grow up and are delighted at all of the things that come along with that, but it seems like it is just zooming by us . ..  3) we weren't super jazzed about buying furniture when we are only going to be here for another year, but at least they were on sale. :)  the boys haven't yet been asking to get new beds, though when we come to get them in the morning brady and gavin will sometimes throw a leg over the rail like they want to climb out.  i think both of their falls have made them cautious enough we don't quite have to worry about them trying to get out though. :)

Sheriff Aidan

Gavin's first popcorn - YUMMY!

Our day at the beach with Chris Silva (G, B, A)

A,B,G chilling out and having lunch at Fuwairit beach in Qatar

Playing along to some music - Aidan was intent on his guitar playing, Gavin was being an elephant, and Brady said puppy wanted to dance. :)

After getting the beds we took them for their first experience of eating AT A McDONALD'S!  it was pure laziness for curt and i, but still exciting for them even though it didn't have any of the cool stuff like the ones in the US usually have.  The funniest part was brady asked me a few times where "Mickey was" and where "Donald was" and I was sort of lost as to why he was asking that.  All of a sudden i realize it's the name "McDonald's" he is referring to and his closest reference is mickey mouse and donald duck and they were nowhere to be seen . . .  i wonder if ronald mcdonald will be fun or scary when we are in the US?

Water fight day - Aidan figured out the hose and LOVED the power that came with it!

oh my goodness, i just LOVE this shot.

Brady really getting into the water fight :)

you can see where he first soaked me!  But I got him back!

OK, so i didn't quite mean to aim so well . . . but he took it all in good fun!

Then this afternoon we went to our friend Juliette's 3rd b-day party!  the boys had lots of fun playing with her toys, eating food off of adult plates, eating pizza and playing on their trampoline.  They weren't so good about sharing her little car, or taking turns climbing up the ladder, but they were having so much fun that a few head bonks on the trampoline and a bloody lip (gavin) didn't really even cause a bump in their fun!

why do we buy toys?  who needs a jungle gym when you have chairs you can turn over? (B, G, A)

Gavin: our tree lover/climber :)

now he has TWO buckets!  Look out!

isn't this expression of joy just wonderful?

A few fun stories:
A couple of weeks ago after bath, Gavin noticed that his fingers looked different when he was getting lotioned up.  It sort of made him freak out and cry b/c he didn't like how they looked, but having us explain to him why they looked like that (though i don't understand exactly WHY your skin does that - anyone?) must have been good enough for him.  After the next bath, he got out and as i was putting lotion on him he kept saying "Fingers Angry!".  Apparently that was how he translated 1) "wrinkly fingers" and 2) what we were trying to tell him about why his fingers looked like that.  very funny . ..

Brady and Aidan are both regularly saying things like "Play with me" "walk with me", etc.  I just love how they will grab our fingers and take us wherever they would like for us to go and show us how they want us to play with them.  It's pretty magical taking on a two year old's perspective.  While we were gone, friends Heidi and Dave (Alexandra and Johanna) had invited the boys and tess and ariana over to play.  they came back with a huge pop-up play thing that looks like a bus.  Over the weekend Brady pretty much camped out in there - bringing in books, pillows, blankets, etc.  He would ask us to come play in the bus and most of the time it would be to "sleep" with him.  adorable.  I'm guessing he will be our camper - i can't WAIT!

Dad reads to Aidan and Brady (sigh)

You may have remember from previous posts that Aidan is our hobo - always trying to carry around as much as he can.  well he is now using the giant yogurt buckets to carry around about 20 trucks and cars and whatever else he decides to bring with him.  He likes to bring this bucket upstairs before bed and for awhile curt and i would dutifully bring it downstairs and put stuff away.  Every morning when they would get up, before getting diapers changed Aidan would say "i'm going to get trucks" and would scamper downstairs for about 10 minutes then come up with his bucket full of treasure.  So funny.  The other night I just decided to leave it outside their door since he was just going to go down and get it anyway first thing in the morning.  He was like a kid at christmas when I told him i left him a surprise outside their door and he went to see what was there.

FIRST McDONALD'S RESTAURANT EXPERIENCE

Aidan is now into wearing the engineer's hat everywhere.  He liked eating like a big boy too. :)

Gavin got into his juice. :)  he would eat his hamburger without picking it up and just trying to rip off bun and meat.  drove curt crazy. :)

Brady really got into eating his hamburger like a big boy :)

Because i just can't get enough pics of these funny kids :)

Gavin's first cup.  He does this often and thinks it's hilarious.  so do we :)

a little light reading with Brady and Gavin and a little light strolling for Aidan.

Look closely - Brady is giving a squeeze at the same time the book is talking about giving a hug.  adorable. :)

Just dad and his middle boy hanging out.

Where the boys like to sit and watch the world go by . . . (B, A, G)

Another shot of the carnival - before Brady decided the boat was the worst thing ever.

Brady would only ride the train if mom would ride with him. (and dad later)  Gavin and Aidan were chillin' in back.

Happy Mother's Day! (#3)

Breakfast of champions, Brady, his pink bowl, cheerios and mom's flowers!

Well, on my 3rd Mother's Day, I've definitely been reflective.  My boys are healthy and happy and HILARIOUS - who could ask for anything more?  My day began yesterday with lovely tulips Curt brought home from my folks and the boys.  They were so bright and cheery it made me feel like it was spring!  Then this morning, i got some nice warm snuggles from the boys as they were getting up.  After everyone had been changed and we were heading down stairs, Aidan says "I want to hold Brady's hand!" (they've started doing this when we are in parking lots and walking down the stairs together just for fun)  As soon as he says this, Gavin says "I want to hold Brady's hand" as well and goes for Brady's other hand.  Brady does as any 2YO would do and says "No!" and proceeds to get everyone crying as they clamor to hold his hand.  Finally Aidan grabs ahold of it and they head down the stairs together.  Poor sweet Gavin didn't have anyone want to hold his hand and mom and dad's hands just weren't good enough.  This broke my heart into 100 pieces.  He is standing at the top of the stairs SOBBING and throws his ducks down the stairs and just WILL NOT come down the stairs.  Curt says to Brady and Aidan when they get down stairs "Boys, you hurt your brother's feelings.  He wanted to hold someone's hand to walk downstairs and you wouldn't hold his hand.  Brady, would you go upstairs and hep him feel better and hold his hand to walk downstairs?"  Sure enough, Brady rounds the corner at the bottom of the stairs and says "Hey Gavin, come here!  Come here, honey!" and begins to walk upstairs to get Gavin.  Gavin immediately picks up his ducks and begins coming down the stairs and he and Brady hold hands giggling the whole way.  Mended my heart up as good as new.

Cool glasses I bought at a yard sale for 1QR.  worth all $0.27.  Isn't Gavin SMASHING?

We had a lovely breakfast of the boys telling me they loved me and wishing me "Happy Mother's Day, Mom!" (is there anything better in a 2YO voice?)  then off to work counting down my last SIX WEEKS OF WORK!  WOOHOO!  Curt took me out for a mother's day lunch - it was fun to get his sweet card and it still get to be just the two of us - is that ironic on mother's day?  Then we got home from work, had friend's over for dinner and the boys went down surprisingly well after having ICE CREAM and friends over! :)  It always makes for a more energetic night.  As curt was getting ready to read a book to the boys, Aidan and Brady decide they want to put EVERY blanket and stuffed animal on his lap in the rocking chair and then climb in to sit with him and all of their stuff.  He finally convinces Brady this is not a good plan and is able to move stuff and get Brady in his lap.  Aidan is still persistent and finally Curt tells him "No. You may not put all of this stuff in my lap and try to sit here, you won't all fit."  Well, this just sets Aidan OFF.  He starts to cry and then decides to be angry when crying gets him nowhere.  He takes his pacifier and violently THROWS it onto the ground and then looks at Curt.  he then picks it up again and THROWS it a little further on the ground again and looks at curt with WILD EYES.  Then he starts picking up the blankets and throwing them up in the air (i'm laughing as I type this b/c we both had to hold it in for this little spectacle) without really making any sound at all.  He then grabs his little rabbit (which he has seen get taken from Brady for a whole night when Brady used it to hit Curt) and walks over to Curt and hold the rabbit up and move like he is going to hit Curt with it.  Then do the same movement again.  All the while - silent.  hilarious.  He then settles down after his show and gets on curt's lap for his books.  As Curt said, "he WANTS to let it all loose like Brady does, but he has clearly learned that when that happens, things happen he doesn't want, whereas Brady is like "i'm a good boy! I'm a good boy!" after he has been really naughty."

Brady wanted Puppy to be able to wear sunglasses too.

Easter cupcakes from Lindsay Coco - Aidan likey.

Brady can't believe his luck - CUPCAKES!

Gavin and his creeper mustache from Lindsay Coco's cupcakes.  adorable as always.

 I must say I can not believe how incredibly lucky we are with these kids.  Sure, they give us a run for our money some days, but for the most part they are pretty well behaved, they are already showing some signs of altruism toward their brothers, they are learning and developing something new and fantastic nearly every day it seems.  Gavin is catching up in the speech department.  He does a lot of mimicking his brothers (which is so cute) and I truly think he will be our first reader.  He is able to pick out quite a few letters and has associated them with his brother's names/his name/animals etc.  He definitely knows A, B, G, E and W by sight. (at least upper case) and is close on S, C and D.  Gavin got up a bit earlier than his brother's from his nap on Saturday (so that's what it would be like with just one . . .) and he and I spent some time reading Baby bear, Baby bear.  He was clearly trying to annunciate better (we practiced Mountain Goat and Striped Skunk A LOT!) and he was pointing to the words as we would turn each page to announce the next animal.  he was on a tear . . .

Aidan thought it was HILARIOUS he could pull his PJ pants up so high.  So did we. :)

 Brady is by far our most sensitive.  It sometimes comes out in bursts of anger, screeches, etc that are not so fun, but he truly wants to make his brothers and mom and dad happy.  He has started saying things like "Play with me mom/dad" and he'll ask a question and then answer it with "Maybe Later" (i guess we say that a lot).  He regularly brings his brother's their stuffed animals when they are getting changed and says "here you go honey".  He also likes to insist that his BROTHER'S bring him his stuffed animals when he is on the changing table.  I think he is truly surprised they haven't already thought of it themselves.  Gavin is probably his go-to-guy in terms of actually doing it, but he gives them both equal opportunities. :)

At the QF sponsored carnival at Gondolania in Villagio.  Gavin was ALL ABOUT getting his tattoo/face paint.  Brady was content to be held most of the time (loud roller coasters)

I can't get over how grown up Aidan looks here.  He loved running around the trampolines.

Aidan is our hobo child.  He ALWAYS needs to have his pockets full of trucks (he doesn't like wearing shorts without pockets), carrying just about as much stuff as he can get in his hands if he is going to "go" somewhere (upstairs, outside, etc).  He has even started filling the large yogurt buckets (see helmet/hats he likes to wear) with trucks, men, you name it, to carry around with him.  He has also really taken to my dish washing gloves and likes to put those on as he pushes his trucks around in the little stroller.  It is a sight to see.  This weekend at the grocery store, I look down to see Aidan folding himself in half to fit UNDER the basket (where you would put flats of soda) with one of his feet dragging along in front of him and his head on his knee.  I lean down and say "Aidan, honey, we have a few aisles to go, do you want to get out from under there?"  he looks up at me with a big grin and whispers "no." and tries to shake his head from side to side.  Giggling to myself, I push him across 5 or so aisles with Gavin riding on the side "like a garbage truck"(that always gives us looks in the store when they say that) and then stop to get whatever it was I needed.  Curt and Brady come from another part of the store  I look to see Gavin trying to get under the basket with Aidan, where of course there is no room.  I then tell Curt to look at Aidan.  It was quite probably the funniest and most shocked face I have ever seen Curt have with our kids.  He literally stood there for like 10 seconds with his mouth open.  After a few minutes, Aidan decides to unfold himself and crawls out to ride on the side of the cart like a garbage truck with his brothers.  Good thing he is made of rubber.

The carousel was pretty sweet too.

Gavin digging everything he did that day. :)

Brady was finally convinced to be put down and do something on his own.  He looks delighted, yes?