Life with boys

Although raising girls (especially 2 that are 14 months apart) comes with it's own issues, like emotional drama, an overload of accessories and an abundance of irrational tears, the issues don't compare to those of boys.

Jonah is only 13 months old and comes with habits of putting things in his mouth. I'm not just talking about little choking hazards that most kids enjoy trying to eat (although that can be included in our list). I'm talking about finding him roaming the house with a cigar in his mouth...handfuls of fireplace soot, dirty diapers from the garbage, a RAZOR, and urine soaked toilet paper. Seriously! Nothing stops this kid. Ok, to be honest, the toilet paper wasn't in his mouth (that we know of) but it was definitely being played with.

Unfortunately, we have resolved to having EVERY door in our house shut at all times. Jonah can only be in 2 rooms unattended.

What's wrong with this picture?

The wife, working ever so hard, trenching a yard for an irrigation line while the husband sits back, drinks a beer, and takes selfie.

We are both fans

We have been working with Jocelyn on not eating her dinner with her fingers, but rather with a fork.

I had already reminded her a few times when I caught her snatch a piece of feta cheese with her fingers while eating her salad.

She looked up at me while in action and saw that she was caught.

"Sorry mom, I'm just a feta fan...more of a Seahawks fan, but I AM a feta fan."

The way her little brain works continuously amazes me. She is the most quick-witted little girl and even if she has bad manners at the dinner table, I am a fan of Jocelyn!

Jonah Analogy

I have a bit of a fear of spiders. Some may call it irrational, but I beg to differ. I find it quite possible for a spider to bite through the paper towels (I usually use about 14) to kill them, or even jump around the shoe I try to squish them with, only to attack my face. If they are high on a wall, I will keep my eye on them until they are close enough for me to dispose of, or better yet, until Sam is home to do the dirty work for me. But the darn things can be so fast!

Jonah has recently been reminding me of a spider. 

One minute he is happily sitting and playing with his toys.

I look away for a split second, like to add salt to my boiling pasta water and when I look back, he's gone!

And the same, very rational fear goes through my body. The fear of the spider suddenly hanging in front of my face ready to suck my blood is similar to the fear of Jonah getting ready to play in the dirty toilet water, eat the fish food, or knock the glass end table over.

But I suppose to be fair in my comparison, I should note that Jonah is WAY cuter and lovable than any spider!

Summer of 2014

I hope you're ready for some pictures. Here was our summer...

We spent a couple weekends on Loon Lake. The girls enjoyed playing on the beach and knee boarding!

 

We spent a  few days in Leavenworth, enjoying swimming, hiking, and relaxing

Jocelyn celebrated her 7th birthday

I competed in a Sprint Triathlon, placing 3rd in my age group. I also ran my 4th half marathon!

Jonah celebrated his first birthday with a very fitting "Whale" theme

And of course the summer wrapped up with the girls starting another year of school

Sayin' it as it is...

The girls were recently asking about my wedding. They had heard that cousin Juliana was my flower girl, that my sister Amy was my maid of honor and that Sam's brother Jon was his best man. Jocelyn commented on how rude it was of us not to have Jonah as the best man. I laughed and told her that if Jonah had been born before our wedding, that it wouldn't have been a good thing.
Jenna said, "Oh! I know why! That means they would have...whisper whisper whisper."
Appalled that she knows that I'm referring to I question what she is thinking.
Very embarrassed she admits, "You would have broken up."
"What?" I ask. "What does that even mean?"
She shakes her head, "You'll learn about it one day."

You think that's good? Listen to this one!

While out running a few errands as a family, we were in a hurry because we were supposed to pick my niece Mikayla up at a certain time to spend the night. My sister called and said that plans changed and she would bring Mikayla over later. Since we were suddenly in less of a hurry, Sam mentioned that he was going to run into PetSmart to return an item that we happened to have in the car with us. That made me remember that I also had a return to make to JCPenny's which happens to be directly across the street from PetSmart so I mentioned that I also would make a return.
"Well now you're just complicating things" Sam told me, clearly trying to be difficult.
I questioned him, "What?! It's right across the street and I'll run in really quick. Besides, if you can do your returns while we're out, I should do mine too!"
*Side Note: Sam and I are not ones to argue, so please make sure you read this in the funny, joking way it was actually being said*
Sam continued his "argument, "I was only doing it because we had an extra second, now your adding things to the list!"
Being the good husband that he is though, he turned first into the JCPenny's parking lot and made his way to the front to drop me off. As I grabbed my bag and got ready to go in Jocelyn asked from the back seat, "What are you doing mom?"
Without any hesitation, and as matter of fact as can be, Jenna pipes up, "She's complicating dads life."

McCoy kid updates

Genevieve Grace

My oldest daughter, at 8, is my rule follower and people-pleaser. I love this about her! She recently got glasses and I don't think she could be any cuter in them! She is currently playing in a year round soccer academy and also plays tennis. She would swim every day if I'd let her. Jenna is the biggest helper with Jonah and is truly his "2nd mother." She is very much a nurturer.

Jocelyn Hope

My spunky little Jocelyn is 7 (in 1 more week) and keeps us hopping. The girl has lots of energy. She doesn't walk anywhere. She runs. And she always has a smile. She is our goofy child and loves to pick on people in a fun way and is the queen of winking at people.  She is also playing in a year round soccer academy, plays tennis and loves to swim. Her smile is contagious!

Jonah Timothy

My little guy is 10 months old now! The boy loves to sleep! And of course his mommy and daddy love that. He also enjoys the water, whether it is swimming or taking a bath. He is not a fan of being on his stomach and because of this, he has yet to start crawling! He loves when his sisters play with him and make him laugh.

Could I possibly ask for anything else?!