Swimming in Shaving Cream

After seeing an inspiring picture on Facebook of my friend's kids swimming in shaving cream with their nanny, I decided it looked so much fun I had to do it too! We were pretty excited. There was a pretty nasty looking cloud hanging out not far away, threatening to ruin our day. "Don't even think about it cloud!" Adam would say. With his hands on his hips. And that cloud vanished and out came the sun. Your welcome.

Ok… So maybe I didn't actually swim in the shaving cream… but my kids did and so did 8 other kids while us moms watched and hung out taking pictures and vines. Do you Vine?

If you look closely, you'll see that my kids, in true Andy Dokulil (The Dad) form, refused to get too dirty. Remind me to tell you about the time Andy's preschool teacher gave him a certificate when he finally agreed to dip his pristine index finger into a death trap container full of bio hazardous nuclear waste called finger paint. And then if that wasn't horrible enough, SMEAR it on a dead tree called paper. 

(I'm done. See? I did it. Can you please get this off me so I can go play with the windex?)

(Glad I'm only one so mom won't force me to swim in this unsanitary facial cream utilized in barbaric hair removal.)

So maybe this kid won't get down and dirty in a homemade shaving cream slip and slide, but he will eat sand. Matthew spent most of his morning eating sand at the sand and water table. At least it was clean sand.

Over the course of the day we used 3 different sprinkler heads. It was a great way to let the kids clean up!

(There's Adam in the bottom left corner. In his apron. A true chef is always on the clock.)

The Parachute was a big hit. For about 25 seconds. But an amazing, really fun 25 seconds and made it totally worth buying it at a garage sale! I hope we can do this again!

(If I pretend that I cooked this real cookie that is as big as my head, I can eat it, right?)

I had an amazing morning with some new and old friends. There were yummy snacks too. 

I hope to do it again REALLY soon!

If you really want to laugh or are related to any of these kids check out these Vines I snagged too! Each one is 6 seconds. The longest 6 seconds of your life. Unless you love cute kids like mine. 

Future Nobel Peace Prize Winner and Mensa Card Carrier…

Adam knows his letters. He's been singing the alphabet for awhile. But on a whim today, I held up his letter flash cards that we never work on and he knew the letters. How did that happen? Should I thank PBS? Sesame street? Curious George? Caillou? Did I do it? Was it the side walk chalk? Maybe it was his favorite girlie, Jocie, who taught him. Maybe he's just a genius. Probably the latter.

He's only 2! Ok - almost 3.

I'm impressed! I think he's the smartest kid in the world. You know, I may be a tad biased.

Look out, world. This kid is on a roll! I was tempted to ask him to recite Pi or the Preamble to the Constitution. Wisely, I decided to take things slow. You know, I don't want to make the world mad with envy by bombarding them with videos of my brilliant two year old. Baby steps.

15 months. 2 weeks. 1 day.

You know the really organized, hyper moms who blog on the most important milestones of their children? Like the first birthday?

Well, I am not one of them.

Happy 15 month 2 week and 1 day birthday, Matthew!

Today, Matthew did a face plant on the wood floors and was really sad. Adam and I rushed over and picked him up and sat at the piano together and sang and played Twinkle, Twinkle… Soon, Matthew was singing along and things were fine. Not too long afterwards, Matthew did another face plant on the carpet. (Hey! Walking is hard! Plus, these are MY children. Walking is never going to be the easiest thing for them. Not with all those doors to run in to.)

Anyway, Matthew started to cry again, frustrated that his mother's genetics was slowing him down in the walking department. Adam ran over to him, wrapped his arms around him and sang him Twinkle, Twinkle.

I about died. THIS was my moment of the day. THIS is why I'm home with them. I don't want to miss this stuff.

Recently, we had Matthew's pictures taken by the fabulous DeEtte Rustermier. Rather than be so predictable and mainstream - I decided to have the 15 month 2 week and 1 day pictures taken rather than the one year pics. (Either that or I just forgot. But I'd never admit to that.)

Matthew is in the 3% for weight now which is UP from the last visit. He's also pretty short and is in the 18% for height. He's just shy of 19 pounds. He's walking everywhere now. He growls like a tiger. He does everything Adam does. He sings Twinkle, Twinkle. He's sneaky. Mysterious. A conspirator. Shy. He loves his mommy. Every night when I tuck him in before I got to bed, he stirs and sits up, reaching his hands out for me. I pick him up, give him a hug and kiss and lay him back down. We're pretty sure he's allergic to strawberries as he tends to look like one after he eats them. He loves to splash. He pitches the ball to his brother. He's not afraid of his big brother with a bat. He also loves his Aunt Goat and only wants her to hold him. He's a good eater. A good food thrower. A good sleeper. He loves to brush his teeth. He's just about the greatest kid you may ever meet.

Here are some pictures that DeEtte took. These kids are cute!

Don't Forget.

"Be a whore, Mommy."

My two year old has recently learned how to say the endings to his words...  So now instead of asking everyone who comes over to be a whore - he simply says, "Beep your Horn."

Here's a 6 second clip of my day.

I've been dressing the kids a like lately because 1) I'm THAT mom. 2) Its easy to find them when one goes missing. Which tends to happen more and more.


Matthew is talking up a storm. He's 15 months now. But for the last few months has said and signed: More, Milk, All Done. He says: Hold me, Here, Good, Baby, Nana, Mama, Dada, Adam, etc. Sometimes, Matthew asks me about my views on global climate change, if organic food is really better for you than conventional, if all contemporary Christian praise and worship songs need a key change at the bridge… He's pretty advanced for his age.

Adam is speaking in paragraphs. He has a story for everyone. He's very polite, saying 'thank you' all the time, holding doors and gates open. He especially likes to help his brother by holding the baby gates by the stairs open.

He loves to be outside and to push his mower wherever we go. He's pushed it all over downtown, at the mall, up and down the sidewalk with or without pants.


Adam is such a good big brother. I love seeing the two of them play. Adam loves to hold out his arms while Matthew walks to him. He also likes to push him down and steal his toys. 

Pants are apparently optional at our house if you are a boy. Chores are not. 


Adam is very fond of school and school buses. And trains and airplanes. In fact sometimes we have to sing a 14 minute spontaneous song about airplanes, trains, and school buses before he can promise he will go to bed.

Matthew is very fond of kisses. He's decided that at 15 and 1/2 months old, maybe now is a good time to start walking. He's also a comedian. Only he's the only one who gets his jokes.


Everyday that goes by I think: "I have to write this moment down so I never forget it."  And then, without warning, Matthew is choking on my lap and I'm flipping him over on his stomach, driving the palm of my hand in between his shoulder blades in an attempt to dislodge the huge paste of Annie's Cheddar Bunnies that I gave him for a snack. After that a school bus drives by and Adam starts to squeal and of course we have to talk about why it didn't stop and where is it going and why is it going there and why can't he ride it and why I don't know.

Speaking of why, "Why you have your 'chooz"on?" Adam is horrified when guests come over with their shoes on. He'll ask you why until you take them off. "Silly Nana! You don't wear 'chooz' in the house!"


"Ye-ah" Says Adam. Quickly followed by, "Connie says, 'Ye-ah' all the time."

Did I mention the time I took Adam to the hair salon to get a summer cut. It was the same day that someone punched me in the gut and I cried because I saw how big he's getting.

Andy had turned every Saturday morning into a boys only trip to the bakery where they get "appa sah dough-doughs". Adam is in charge of the white bag that the donuts come in and also distributes the proper donut to the proper person. Matthew is ok with this as long as he gets his donut immediately.


Matthew has finally turned a corner in the sleep department. As long as he gets his political debate in, he's ready for a story, a milk nightcap, and a song at 7:30 every night.  Both boys are really good sleepers and I try not to hold it over Matthew's head that he didn't sleep until he was 9 months old while his big brother had it down at 9 weeks.

Adam may or not be in his bed when I go to tuck him in before locking up for the night. Sometimes he's between the wall and his curtains. Sometimes he's in his closet. Sometimes he's sleeping directly in front of his bedroom door that you accidentally step on him when you run frantically to his bedside looking for signs of where he could have gone.

And I try not to hold it over Adam's head that Matthew eats his food. And I try not to dwell on the fact that Matthew also likes to throw his food.

They are quite the artists and neither child seems that interested in eating the paint anymore.

Anyway, all of this to say, I forget to write the moments down. And no, I'm not forced to give Matthew the Heimlich Manuever everyday. But its one moment after and another. And quickly the moments slip away and are replaced by new ones and you're sitting in front of your computer screen trying to write a blog about the moments that you've already forgotten that is so clever and witty that surely one day Good Morning America will read it and think, "HEY! GET THIS GIRL ON OUR SHOW!"




Don't forget.

Happy Mother's Day to me.

"I wouldn't change it for the world, and I wouldn't wish it on anyone, either." Says my husband, Andy, about being a parent. Oh he's so dramatic. And clever.

This is my life.