What a nice weekend!! Yesterday we had lunch w/ Dean’s parents and niece and afterward they took Bo and Caleb with them for an afternoon at the county fair.  So we headed home to give Zeke a nap and get some chores done and rest ourselves before friends came over for a small game night.  Later on Dean’s brother and his wife came over to join in on a game and the kids came home to go to bed. so we got a really nice break from the kids yesterday, which was awesome, and unexpected so that made it even better!
Today we went to church then came home and Bo and Zeke napped so I took Caleb and Laura (our niece) to the store to get some things we need for an outreach they’ll be working on this week w/ our church. Last month Mel came and attended the teen camp at our church called SOS, summer of service.  this week the K-5th graders are going to have something similar. In the evenings they and their parents will attend in the evening for worship and service projects. we signed up our niece and nephew since they”ll be w/ us then so we’ll have all of our kids and the two of them so it’s going to be fun. Caleb’s looking forward to giving out water again!
At around 5 this evening Dean talked to his parents who told us that there was a Todd Agnew concert, for free, about 30 minutes away, it started at 6 so we got there a few minutes late but to me it was worth it. The kids were grouchy, all but Zeke of course, he loves music. The concert was outside and it was a beautiful evening. So I sat there enjoying the cool breeze, the warm sun on my skin and awesome music. I LOVE the sound of Todd Agnew’s music and his voice. despite the kids crankiness I came home more relaxed then ever. we had a late dinner of grilled cheese and tomato soup and just sat together enjoying it. I started talking to the boys about our trip to the zoo tomorrow w/ the moms group from church. I asked Bo what kind of animals we might see and his first answer was monkey. He said it as clear as ever.  His next answer was elephant, not very clear but I know how he says elephant so I understood. He continued w/ some great ideas for his age and speech ability.
Zeke is also getting vocal. His newest word that amazes me is shoes. he will play w/ anyone’s shoes if he finds them laying around and repeatedly say “shoes” he also say dog, woof, Ginger (our dog’s name) Bo and of course Momma and Dadda. I think he has a few other words, he’s into that phase of imitation. So earlier Bo yelled hey at a neighbor and Zeke echoed clearly back ‘HEY”
Caleb on the other hand is not so vocal, unless of course he’s arguing with us.  but he’s really into reading things, everything. every sign on the road, in the car, on papers he finds. Just about anything.
So tonight I’m in a good place. I’ve been able to enjoy my boys and think back on the weekend and know despite some issues we’re having, we’re in a good place overall.  the boys are growing in so many ways, good and bad! Zeke’s got a strong independent personality like his brothers, he seems to be more aggressive and loud then the other two were at this age. Caleb’s dealing w/ a lot of things, his biggest thing is that he is having a hard time accepting he cant do and get everything he wants.  I guess we did spoil him and now he hates us telling him no even to little things like snacks that he wants 5 minutes before dinner time.  not that he used to get snacks all of the time, he’s just having a hard adjustment lately now that our finances are thinning back out and his brother are getting more attention the more vocal they get as well.   Bo is doing amazing. I cant really think of anything negative except we cant get him potty trained! he’s just not interested right now. other than that he’s doing amazingly well and better than ever. his speech grows daily as does his abilities due to the changes in his speech. its awesome to watch he and Zeke discover their voice and to see how smart they are now that they are communicating.
we’re blessed despite the difficulties and trials. despite my own pain and fatigue our boys are doing ok. could be better but no parent’s perfect and considering our challenges I think they are turning out just fine, for now.
it’s been a nice much needed relaxing weekend.  off to cuddle w/ my hubby and watch something on tivo…no better way to end the weekend then w/ a episode of Psych, Dr. Who or Eureka !! ok maybe, but those shows arent on during the summer! 😉
