Hooligans

   The adventures never stop. A few nights ago I pulled into the drive after a closing shift. When I opened the garage door I discovered a nice little surprise. A toilet. Not a new one, in a box, no. Our toilet. I sighed and left the van in the driveway, came in the house, and asked Rob if I even wanted to know what happened.

    He decided I did, and told me before I could run away.

   I guess the boys got together with the brilliant idea to flush a diaper. It was genius, really! Who wouldn't think that's a great idea?? The sound of the first flush alerted Rob to foul play. By the time he made it to the hallway to see the debacle, Connor was running for the hills and Max was desperately trying to hold the toilet seat down and the water in. Before Rob could make it to the bathroom for damage control, Max decided the wisest thing to do was really get rid of the evidence by flushing again. Rob said it was like watching a movie in slow motion. The water erupted out of the toilet like a fountain! It took him 6 bath towels to clean it up.

   The diaper was stuck in the gooseneck of the toilet and the only solution was to take the toilet out altogether. He would have been able to put it back in, but when he set it in the garage, it busted a bit. So. Brand new toilet!

   We needed one I guess. Thanks boys, for making home improvement immediate. At least they learned how to put in a new toilet.

  In other news! We took the boys bowling for the first time the other night! Connor absolutely loved it. Max liked it for a minute before he was bored out of his mind. We got one game in before we had to leave and make room for a league coming in. But one was enough for Max!

 

Max bumped his eye on a cart in Target and now has a black eye to go with his mushed fingers. The fingers are looking much better now!

 

 

 

This morning Connor came running into the living room. I was at the sink in the kitchen with my back to him, but he yelled, "MOM!! COMMENCE OPERATION I LOVE YOU!!" (They are a little obsessed with the Power Rangers) It was so sweet! So I turned around to give him a kiss, but this is what I saw.

 

 

    This is one of those days I'm incredibly thankful my father is down at the farm and not drinking coffee in my living room.

    So let's just wash all this down with a little cuteness, shall we? I find it helps.
    
            I'm sorry Bobbi, we've officially stolen B's sunglasses...

   Cheesing for the camera. She's actually saying cheeeeeeeeee!

   Really getting into it.

     Cow says moooooooooo.

 

 

She gets it from her mother.

    The cuteness, I mean. The perfection.

 

I'm pretty sure she's the most adorable girl in the world.

 

 

 

Aksolutely yes.

   Sometimes when the boys ask if they can do something particularly harmful to their safety or mental health, my answer is ABSOLUTELY NOT. (Note the beginning of that sentence was sometimes) Usually it involves climbing, or fire, or watching Barney.
   Well, Max has taken to using the word absolutely, with a three year old's twist to it. Aksolutely. And it's always in conjunction with the word yes. He's a defiant little thing. So the thing I've been hearing a lot lately is "Aksolutely yes, Con-noh." Those words cause panic and I run to wherever they are, or at least wherever I can spy on them. Most of the time it's harmless. Con-noh got the answers to Max's interrogation correct. Or he picked the right toy to play with that wouldn't interfere with Max's own toys. Or he's agreeing with Con-noh on how mean I am.
   But now and then I find Connor perched precariously on the top of a dresser, or at the top of the ladder on the swing set, where the only landing he'd find is a cemented border of large rocks. Or in mid-swing with a pvc pipe in the basement.
    That's the thing about being married to a very handy man. Pvc pipes become children's toys. And they're all over the place.
   The six of you will be very relieved to know the kitchen knives are usually out of reach.
  
  Here he is, in all his bed-headed glory. (By the way, the wiggling accompanies every conversation we have.)