The Boy Who Cried Bug...

So there is this creepy bug that climbed onto our front window screen a while ago. I don't know what kind of bug it is but apparently it shed it's outer shell, legs and all, and flew away. The outer shell, legs and all, still remain on the outside screen. The kids are obsessed with the bug. They obviously think it's real and don't realize that it hasn't moved in over a month. We don't want to flick it off the screen because I already did that with one shell (don't know why they like to take up residence on that window) and the kids kept asking about the bug for days. Luckily another one appeared. The point is, we talk about bugs a lot now...especially Zachary. Zachary claims to have a bug somewhere on his body at least once a day. The most popular place is his diaper. "diapy, bug, diapy" is what he says so we check his diaper for him and reassure that there are indeed no bugs hanging around in there.

He also claims they are in his hair and this has rubbed off on Caleb.  As a result, they both start rubbing their hair furiously and yelling 'bug!'  Often times during dinner Zachary points and yells 'bug, bug, bug!' and there never is one. I just think he's trying to avoid eating. So the whole bug thing has been overused. I don't look anymore.

Until a few days ago.

Zachary was yelling 'bug' while we were in his room playing with the blocks. I assured him there was no bug on him and all the sudden a GIANT cockroach comes crawling across the carpet! Ew, ew, ew, ew. HATE THEM. So I freak which makes the kids freak and eventually I killed it with the block bucket.

AND THEN...

a few days later Zachary cried 'bug' and he had spotted another cockroach! This time in the living room corner behind the blanket basket. Luckily Clark was here to save the day. Do we have a cockroach problem? Maybe. :) But with Zachary at my heels always keeping his eye out, I never have to worry about one creeping up on me. Looks like we'll have to take his 'bug' spotting seriously from now on.

So besides the creepy creepy bugs, we have another serious problem on our hands...

the HEAT!  What to do with three two year olds in 100-degree weather is always the question of the day.  They aren't quite old enough for arts and crafts or to sit through a movie or to enjoy any activity for more than 30-45 minutes; however, they want to be entertained ALL.DAY.LONG.  On the day Zachary spotted the cockroach in his room, we were actually going through a box in his closet.  My sister (who has six daughters) gave me this box over Thanksgiving with some Halloween costumes she had made over the years.  So we opened it up and there were the cutest dresses in there!  They fit Leah perfectly too.

Now this was the first time she'd ever played dress up.  She took it VERY seriously.  She walked very slow and cautiously, not to ruffle her dress too much.  She didn't move her arms too much and was a very well-mannered princess. 

Then I got her the mirror.  She was in awe of herself.  It was hilarious and so adorable at the same time.  She just stood there and stared at how pretty she looked.  I was dying.  She takes her princessing very seriously.  Princess books at our library are VERY hard to get your hands on so I have a half dozen on request right now to see if she is interested in the world of princesses yet.

Of course the boys had to get in on all the fun.  Again, there were NO boy costumes so we made do with what we had.  I'll be scouring the after-Halloween sales this year for some super heros or animals for the boys.  Zachary certainly has the figure for this dress...

Unfortunately I'm not sure pink is very becoming on Caleb's fair skin. He'll probably look better in a crimson Ironman costume.  :)  He played his princess part well though.  Wore his crown with honor and spent just as much time as Leah in front of the mirror admiring himself.

The kids are rarely clothed by the time dinner rolls around because they play hard and work up a sweat, especially with the humidity here! That makes dinner messes a little less stressful I guess when I don't have to worry about clothes getting stained. Clark wanted them to eat with their summer shades on this night... 

Clark thought it was hilarious for some reason but so did the kids.  Except Zachary...he wouldn't wear them so only Leah and Caleb are pictured.

I'll end with this little gem I caught one morning.  Caleb was heading this up (first time activity ever) and wanted to hold hands with the other two and run up and down the kitchen.  So cute...and weird...but more cute than weird.  :)  These three fight like crazy but this picture is too precious. 

I guess summer isn't so bad after all. 

This Fourth of July...

was H.O.T.

It's not like it's nice in the morning than hot in the afternoon. No. It's 90 degrees by 8:30am. Alas, we decided to brave the city parade anyway. We figured we'd see some fire trucks and cars that would entertain the kids. Before the parade though, we stopped at our church for a flag raising ceremony and pancake breakfast.

So we enjoyed some conversation, got covered in syrup, changed some diapers, and loaded up the choo-choo wagon. We walked along the parade route to find a spot and felt like such a spectacle because people were already seated and they were pointing, laughing, and ahhing. Unfortunately we couldn't walk on the sidewalk out of view because people were blocking it.

The parade was uneventful to say the least. We probably won't do it again because of the heat and the fact that it was majorly boring, even for two year olds. I guess I've just been spoiled with parades where I grew up where the weather is perfect in July and there are dozens of handmade floats. There are dance teams, bands, and cheerleading squads who increase the excitement level a little bit. Parades where you get chocolate milk, dr. pepper, or awesome coupons. Anyway, I digress but basically what I'm saying is the heat wasn't worth it although we're glad we went so that now we know. :)

Our friend took this family picture. Caleb was having a meltdown so he wasn't cooperating but he's there behind Zachary. I think the heat was getting to him and he was just over it.

Leah was having a GREAT time with the tiny flags that had been handed out. She was sure showing off her American pride!

The kids were in heaven when they saw their first fire truck...

We spent the rest of the day napping, playing out in the pool, and making a small trip to Ikea. Oh and I can't forget driving all over to find a Sonic for Clark's happy-hour slushie. The original Sonic we stopped at had a broken slushie machine. Thus began our search. We prevailed though and boy was it worth it! Clark always says, "If I stayed home with the kids, I'd hit up happy hour at Sonic everyday!" :)

A couple days before the fourth we decided to try out a local pool. I've been wanting to do it but needed reinforcement just in case things went south. It's a zero-entry pool that is only about one foot deep in the center and it's in a gated area. Perfect right?

Well the kids were totally freaked about the whole situation. Zachary was VERY apprehensive and was taking the tiniest steps into the water. It seemed he was afraid it was going to drop off at any point. The uncertainty of it all took away the fun for him. He's also a pretty skinny guy and the water was chilly so he was shivering away! Poor thing. Here we are with our buckets. The kids stayed together in this spot for a while. Then Caleb decided to make a move...

 

 Caleb's great in that way. He's pretty adventurous after he warms up to something. He climbed right up the steps of the water structure and watched as all the big kids ran by. He never cried or anything and loved pouring buckets of water all over himself. Leah on the other hand...

As we already know, she's not much of a water baby. She VERY cautious and risk-averse and this particular activity was far beyond her comfort level. She got her toes wet and stayed at the very very edge of the pool while playing with her bucket. Then she found some letters and decided that was more fun anyway. She identified those letters over and over and was having a blast. Whatever girl!

Leah has been a little bugger lately. She doesn't really engage in any of our toys anymore and basically revolves her day around making the boys miserable. She obviously prefers human interaction rather than sitting isolated in a corner to play with something. Even if that interaction comes by her stealing something and getting someone to chase her. She LOVES to get a rise out of her brothers and it drives me crazy. She's so smart and sweet but seriously, she is always up in someone's business looking for a good time. We're not sure what the next step is for her. She is starting to pretend more and sometimes has a good time when I give her some measuring cups to pretend she's cooking with. Maybe an interactive doll, barbie, kitchen stuff, or a challenging learning toy. Not sure. But we are definitely on the search for something that will keep her attention and focus away from her innocent brothers.

We had a great Fourth of July week with Clark around. Never a dull moment! Maybe next year we'll let them stay up for fireworks...

probably not. :)