Not really evesdropping

I was within a mile radius of Barrett while he was talking (he talks very loudly) to his grandparents on the phone tonight so I was able to hear his side of this conversation:
"Mommy has a baby in her tummy and her tummy is getting so BIG! My friend, Liam has an idea to name the baby something that I don't like but I can't remember what it was. Papa, do you know how to play hockey? I am building a spaceship. There's a new boy in my class and his name is Jack. "
There was no pausing between these sentences so I am pretty sure Papa wasn't asking questions to bring about such randomness.
By the way after Barrett said the name Jack, I heard Kyle in the background saying, "Jack-in-the-box, Jackpot..." Oh, that is SO what I do in my head all the time! He is so much like me it's scary sometimes.
Funny boys!
Meanwhile, I have gone through my 6th box of cereal since finding out I am pregnant. For me, cereal is the bomb when I am pregnant! I am currently really enjoying Berry Berry Kix. Before that, I was in a Honey Bunches of Oats phase.
Speaking of baby, the other day the boys had a little discussion (argument) about which one of them would get to keep the baby. They decided that whichever one sees her first gets to keep her. Thank goodness they won't be in the room when she's born that way Cody can I can stake our claim! They both think this is THEIR baby, saying,"When is my baby going to get here?" Kyle's teacher tells me that he has pretended a couple of times that a doll in the classroom is his baby sister and he is taking care of her. I hope they always are this excited about having a little sister.

Legos

I didn't know it was possible, but I do believe I love Legos more now than I did when I was a kid. Cody's mom saved all of his Legos from when he was a kid and my mom actually did the same, so Barrett and Kyle have inherited about a million tiny little pieces to build to their heart's delight. They love 'em and so do I. They will play nicely with very little fighting for a really long time. It has been great for me because I haven't been sleeping well at night and those tiny blocks keep the boys entertained well enough for me to lay down on the sofa for a few minutes while they play. There are rules: They have to play at the coffee table and they have to pick up every single piece when they are finished. So far they have followed the rules (although I did step on a legoman toupee with my bare foot the other day...ouch!)
Here's a picture of the boys digging for just the right piece.

Sledding!

Wanting to take every advantage of this great snow, we made a trek out to our biggest slope...a much longer trek when in the snow with two boys, but we finally made it and tried out our makeshift sled. Like probably most Texans, a cardboard box is the closest thing we have to a sled. Maybe we should have gone Clark Griswold style and sprayed some Pam on the bottom, but we didn't want to end up at Wal-Mart. I went along to take pictures but I did not do any sledding. The boys (all three of them) had a great time! I hope it's something they remember; I know I will never forget.

Snow Fun

We woke up this morning to a beautiful covering of fluffy white snow. The boys couldn't wait to go outside and decimate the pristine blanket, uh, I mean they couldn't wait to go play in it. Once we had them bundled up like the kid in A Christmas Story, they went outside. Aparently Kyle was hungry because he thought the snow was breakfast. Snow angels were made, but they would get up too fast for me to take the picture, I guess that white stuff is cold or something. Then, I made a snowman as they pelted me with snowballs. I don't see how anyone can work in such deplorable conditions. Kyle, still starving, ate the poor snowman's carrot nose. Luckily, I was able to do a nose transplant. Note to self: next time feed the poor children before sending them out in the cold. They did get a big mug of hot cocoa when they came in.





Later, the boys got all their warm gear back on and anxiously waited for daddy's car to come up the driveway. They He built a bigger snowman and they had a great time throwing snow at each other.

Wanna see a miracle?

Watch this video. They asked to do this and who are we to refuse?

Somebody call the fashion police!

I often ask myself, "What's the worst that could happen if I let the boys dress themselves?" Then I usually imagine something very similar to the ensemble Kyle put together today. I must say that this outfit evolved over time and didn't take full form until just before bathtime. Thank goodness! When I checked on him during his nap, he had removed every morsel of the perfectly handsome digs I had put him in this morning, and was wearing this striped onesie. When he got up from his nap, I noticed he had paired some pajama pants with the top. I noted to myself at that point that I needed to talk to him about matching. After dinner I caught a glimpse of him running past me in the full get-up and I went running for my camera.

"A boy is noise with dirt on it"

I can't remember where I read that quote or who said it but it couldn't be more true about Barrett and Kyle right now! I can't believe I used to be worried that Barrett would never talk. These boys are never at a loss for words these days! And I am always amazed at how comfortable and confident they are talking to adults and people they don't know. It must be from Cody's side because when I was their age, I whispered in public so only my mom could hear me.
Today, Kyle proudly told the table of ladies eating their lunch behind us, "I just went poo poo on the potty!" nice. Then we picked up Barrett from school and his teachers asked me if I had something to tell them. I said no. I was afraid to ask why, but I did and winced in anticipation of their answer. Yup. Barrett had told them I had a baby in my tummy! For the record, I do not.
On the way home, I prayed that Kyle would fall asleep in the car because that's the only way I can get him to fall asleep and take a nap these days...And he really needs a nap! But, they were so loud that while we were sitting at a light the people in the car next to us looked over. I'm pretty sure they wondered what all the ruckus was. It was just two boys being boys and telling jokes (most of which involve poo poo and diapers) that make no sense to me but are "hilarious" to them. Therefore, no nap today and the loudest "quiet time" you've EVER heard!
So yeah, my boys are definitely noise with dirt. By the way, if anybody has a book recommendation or suggestion about how to approach the issue of Stranger Danger without making them afraid of being their little outgoing selves, I'd love to hear it!
(Papa, sorry that I went so long without a post. Here's some pictures of Christmas at your house that I should have posted already.)