Did I ever tell you about the time...

Did I ever tell you about the time... Jake ran to the sliding door with his hands up (a la "stop in the name of the law") expecting to crash into the screen door... but the screen door was open so he just fell face first onto the kitchen floor?

That one still makes me laugh.  *I'm reading this over again before I hit post and I'm laughing all over again!*

Did I ever tell you about the time... Katie kept saying "Stop!  In the name of the law" and would pull a pretend ticket book out of her non-existant hip pocket so she could write me a pretend ticket when I started to laugh.  And I laughed harder when she glared at me.  So she wrote me another ticket and another and another.  I finally got my laughter under control and she took off with a very stern look.

Did I ever tell you about the time... I decided to use the salad dressing shaker* to mix up gravy?  If you plan to do this, make sure you're not mixing hot liquid in a sealed plastic container.  It made a big mess, and...  ouch.  Same goes for pancake mix... even if it's not warm.

I mean, if you want to have an excuse to clean cabinets, countertops, and kids, then seal it tight.  If not, leave it a little bit open so air can escape.  Because one small mess can turn into multiple messes.  (I can usually hold one kid back with one hand while wiping the mess up with the other hand BUT once kid #2 comes into the area, kid #1 wants to roam free too.  This means I usually clean up the original mess and then a bunch of foot-shaped messes because kids like to walk in stuff they know mommy will have fun cleaning up.  And kids also like to walk on a freshly wiped floor.  And sometimes I'm not great about picking up all of the water.  And sometimes kids aren't great with balance.  And sometimes water is slippery and kids fall and bump their heads on the floor.  And there are tears and cuddles and hugs and quiet time with mommy.  And then they're fine and we're back to the circus that is our lives.

Ah, my kids.  I love these two goofballs.

Just yesterday I was telling Katie that she could not grow up any more.  I wanted her to forever stay 4 years old.  She disagreed because God made her to grow up and be a mommy some day.  But added that I could still call her "Gooberbutt."  (I started calling her gooberbutt when she was a baby.  It kinda stuck and to this day I use it.  And she answers to it.  Everywhere... even when it slipped out at Target. And yes, I know it's weird but I can't help using it.)

Jake doesn't really have a nickname.  I mean, I call him Jakeybakey but that's just because nothing else ever seemed "right."

And I think sometimes I used most of my creativity on Katie (first child) and by the time Jake came along, everything had been done before.  The fact that she realized that the gooberbutt thing was special to me made my heart a little mushy.

I made up a lullabye for Katie, and reused it for Jake by substituting his name for hers.  It works great, unless she hears me singing it to him and demands that I sing "her" song.  In which case I just sing it with her name and hope he doesn't notice.

We painted her room pink with hanging butterflies.  Jake had to share her room and his blue sheets and blanket don't quite "go" with the decor.

Katie got brand name diapers, wipes, and formula and I washed her clothes in Dreft till she was 2. Jake gets Kirkland everything and his stuff goes in the wash like everyone elses.

Sometimes I feel like Jakey gets the shaft.  But then I realize that he's such a lucky boy to have a big sister that loves him as much as Katie loves him.  (Also, I'm a little more relaxed with his adventurous side than I would have been if he had been first.  He's lucky I don't make him wear a helmet and pad his clothes with bubble wrap.  He's that crazy.)

And I'm such a lucky mom to have them both as my babies. 

Gooberbutt and Jakeybakey, Mommy loves you!

* Hey, if you want to use the salad dressing shaker more than once a year, give it to the kids (minus the little lid - that's gotta be a choking hazard right up there with batteries) and let them entertain themselves with the running water from the kitchen sink for an hour or so while you look at mail or tidy up.  This really works!  They might even wash dishes (or each other!) if you provide soap and a washcloth...