ok so once upon a time, i told you i would be giving free lessons on how to play with cars and then i gave one lesson and i stopped {and yes, i realize i sound very educated in the art of car playing. i can assure you, i’m not.}

so without further adieu, lesson numero dos of playing cars 101!

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step #1 : find a long piece of junky pvc pipe in the ditch your kids run through everyday after school. tell them they can bring it home and then cram it into your van sweet ride.

step #2 : let your kids take badass pictures of you with the sawzall.

step #3 : saw off sharp ends of junky pvc pipe.

step #4 : let your kids perch precariously on the stairs as they zip cars down the newly adapted car-pipe-tunnel-zoomy-track thingy.

step #5 : watch as they start to think of new ways to use the newly dedicated car-pipe-tunnel-zoomy-track thingy. relish the joy on their smiling faces.

step #6 : thank the ditch for holding onto that junky pvc pipe, so that you didn’t have to sit on the floor and drive cars around and around and around and around….

boom.

is it weird that i’ve always wanted a “word?” you know, one word that i could slip to lover when i thought he needed to be more patient with the kids or less get-after-em or whatever.

you know, like in “meet the fockers.” do you remember that movie? {i have to ask that because i looked it up and do you know that movie was released in 2004?! almost TEN years ago. geesh time, where you goin’?}

i always loved that her mom had a word to say to her husband when he was getting a little out of line, or impatient, or whatever,

“muskrat.”

being the creative soul that i am, i couldn’t bring myself to simply swipe their word. after all, if we’re going to have a “word,” i think it’s important to make it our own, don’t you? {nods head in agreement}

well my friends, after NINE years of deliberation {baha, it sounds like i mull on this daily…which is SO not true}, i’ve finally found THE WORD. OUR WORD.

and since it took me SO very long to find it, i thought i would share it with you {which makes it not very secret or sly, but whatever, i’m to excited not to share} our word is {drumroll please} :

“umbrella party.”

ok, you caught me. so that’s actually two words, but it fits the bill.

lover hates umbrellas. let me say that again:

lover. hates. umbrellas.

there’s not much hatred in this man of mine, but you pull out an umbrella and suddenly, it’s no-holds-barred. bust out an umbrella and it’s like pourin’ yourself a hot cup of instant anger. which i find…well…HILARIOUS. because seriously, who doesn’t like umbrellas? seriously, lover? seriously? umbrellas make the world a more funner place {bad grammar is free. and fun. write that down.}

we had a bit of a rough weekend with the kiddos. lots of bickering between the boys, a whiny little girl, throw an umbrella into the mix well…it’s throwdown time in lover’s mind.

i like to get after lover a bit when he’s at the end of his rope. which i’m sure sounds not very nice, but he does the same to me and it’s always in a loving way in the hope of cheering the other up. that being said, post-umbrella incident when patience was at its thinnest, i offered to throw him an umbrella party. you know, to cheer him up. baha! it was so absurd i actually did get a smile and a laugh.

followed by my epiphany that i had FOUND OUR WORD{S} {virtual high-five. fist bump. boom baby.}

“umbrella party.”

i love it. will i use it? probably not, but it’s nice to know if i need it, it’s in my back pocket now. a real “word” ready and waiting to be whipped out for a little comedic relief in times of stress or impatience.

do you have a “word”? please share below, so i know i’m not the only dorky person out there who’s waited nine years to discover our “word.”

you better share.

do it.

or i’ll be throwin’ you an umbrella party too.

peace ouuuuuut *

dear sunshine,

happy birthday big boy! i’m both shocked that you are turning 4 and at the same time feeling like you’ve been 4 for awhile now. you surprised us by arriving today 4 years ago. you were supposed to greet the world on the 20th, but you had your own plans in mind before you were even in our arms: breech, my one and only c-section, an early arrival, your own schedule…

all characteristics that still ring true today: your own way of doing things, your own agenda, at the speed that makes you the most comfortable which is typically slow and steady. after all, it does win the race.

it’s been so fun to watch you grow and develop into your own little person. with an older brother, i worried you’d take longer to find your own identity, striving to be as much like turbo as possible. much to my surprise, it’s been exactly the opposite. don’t get me wrong, you still love to be like your big brother, you certainly do look up to him, but you are also quite the decision maker. making your own choices and standing strong by them, an attribute i hope you never lose. in this crazy world we live in, it’s not always easy to stand up for the decisions and choices you’ll have to make throughout your lifetime, so i’m grateful to know that when sunshine’s mind is made up…then it’s a done deal {as i type this, i have a feeling that could come back and kick me in the seat of the pants…}

you tend to have the heart of a lion, fierce one moment {“angry elf” mode} typically, it’s to stand up for yourself, and extremely compassionate the next. you don’t like when people are sad and do your best to make sure whatever it is that’s making them feel that way exits the premisis immediately. these are two more characteristics that will be worth holding onto throughout your lifetime: the ability to stand up for yourself in the face of criticism and adversity, and a compassionate heart for others. win. win.

yes, my sweet sunshine, i do believe you will grow into a fine young man if we continue to nurture your personality and the attributes you’ve already established. i’m blessed to be your mama, and i’m not gonna lie, you are definitely still a mama’s boy. a fact that i treasure because as with all things small, that too will fall away much to fast as you grow older.

for posterity, let’s look at sunshine in a nutshell. a brand new, 4 year old nut

• you still love. cars. perhaps more than ever? 
• you prefer your hot dogs cold, with no bun, extra ketchup
• you’re on your 1st teeball team : the quad city river bandits
• you love monster trucks too. gravedigger’s your favorite
• you pick your nose. and you like it. {gross}
• you are not very brave when it comes to heights
• you know your whole alphabet and the sounds each letter makes
• you can write your name
• there’s a GOOD chance you’re going to be taller/bigger than turbo {shhhh, don’t tell}

so sunshine? happy, happy day little man! i am SO looking forward to watching you grow into the young man you’re going to be! and most importantly, i pray you will become a child of God, a lover of Jesus and a light to the world. because if you have that…then all the traits from above will be a piece of cake.

much love my sunshine. you truly make me happy when skies are gray *