Check out our latest photo shoot w/ Lisa :)

http://www.elitephotodesign.com/belgianoboys/
Granted the boys are adorable subjects, but the photographer is a genius!

Soccer

The boys have been playing soccer every Tuesday. A friend came up with the idea to get all our kids together to play soccer for fun. It was a great test run for us to see how Trey would do with other kids and whether or not he would participate before we sign him up for a league. The first time we went to play he did not run out there like he had stated he would. He told me all about how many goals he would score and how fast he would be. Then we went and he stood next to me and watched the entire time. He claimed he needed to see how fast the other kids were before he could play. O.K. The next time we showed up he played for the last half. He was extremely frustrated that some of the kids were faster than him. A number of them are older but that was unacceptable to him. So we practiced at home running, dribbling, and scoring (passing is not something he is fond of). When we went again he played the whole time and loved it. He really enjoys soccer and tells everyone that he scores lots of goals and is the fastest (not really). The only thing that disappoints him now is that nobody wins in the end and he doesn't get a trophy like Chick Hicks from Lighting McQueen:) Again it is so fun to see him get out there and really enjoy himself and the other kids playing soccer. Taatjes gets in on the action every now and then.

Look Who I Found Waking Up His Brother

Yummy Pretzels

Taatjes did great at the dentist yesterday. They said that for his age he handled everything very well. His teeth get to stay in, yeah. Both teeth are dead from falling out but will stay put hopefully until he gets his permanent teeth. The nerves that are supposed to be attached to his teeth are obviously not anymore which is good and bad. Good- he can't feel any pain in those teeth. Bad- they have left open cavities which have been filling up with an infection. So he had to have 2 holes drilled into his teeth to allow all that stuff to drain out. One more trip back to the dentist in August to have them filled with antibiotic and capped. All in all he is just really happy to finally get to eat some Pretzels:) Oh and while exiting the car today he feel strait on his face thankfully (as odd as that sounds) only his forehead hit the ground. Oh yes, for you Moms and Dads out there, the dentist told me that if I had not come in within the hour of the accident he would not have been able to keep his teeth. Another proud moment in my life...overcoming my own vanity to rush to the dentist with stained smelly clothes from the day before with a sick baby, no deodorant had been applied yet for the day, and clay under my finger nails (which looked as if I hadn't washed my hands in days). I admit that I was thinking I should go back in the house to put on deodorant once I had the kids all strapped in their car seats:)

"IT WON'T HURT MY TEETH"

Poor Taatjes, he is so tired of hearing us say he will not get to eat things because he might hurt his teeth. Taatjes- "can I have a pretzel? It won't hurt my teeth!" - is what comes raging out of Taatjes' mouth as his attempt to bypass the response from Dad and myself that he has heard all to often in the last couple days. Today he has gotten so desperate to have a piece of candy or a cracker that he will say; "can I just hold that cracker I'm not going to eat it". (Yeah right a 2 year old just holding a yummy, delicious, cheesy cracker.) Tomorrow is his big day. We have already laid out the bribe of an ice cream sundae to follow his brave act of visiting the dentist one more time. Went to bed smiling lets see if it sticks around when it is time to leave.

"Daddy I Was So Brave."

"Daddy I was so brave..." is all a proud little 2 year old wants to say after the most traumatic day in his life thus far. As some of you have heard Taatjes knocked out 2 of his teeth:( Yes they can put them back in and you can't see in the picture that they are being held in place by a wire glued to the other teeth around them.
Things to share from this experience.
1) Mouths bleed a lot.
2) Not helpful to have Trey repeatedly tell Taatjes that we will not go back home until the dentist fixes his teeth. This will always be followed by loud screams of no, no, no, I don't want to see the dentist, I don't want to see the dentist the whole time we walk him back to the dentist.
3) Having your baby sick at the same time just doesn't work. I had to hold Taatjes' legs to the table with one hand while propping Teague up with my other arm on my hip to stop him from screaming as well. The whole event put Teague into shock. He cried the entire time as well.
4) Having your child scream I want my mom, where is my mom while he is being held down to a table having painful work done to him will make anyone tear up now matter how much you tell your self to hold it together for your kids.
5) What a challenge it is to have a 2 year old "take it easy and play lightly" which were part of my instructions for caring for him. Right after we got home Taatjes threw the Frisbee they gave him, ran to pick it up, and stepped on it which sent him flying backwards hitting his head into the ground. Not a good start.
6) Taatjes loves taking his medicine for this injury. He thinks he is so grown up just like "mommy and daddy take medicine".
7) If your child thinks he was brave even though he screamed and kicked the whole time, just go with it and hope he will remember that thought the next time.
8) Being told he can eat ice cream and yogurt for the next couple days will put an instant smile on any 2 year old face:)

Taatjes has to go back to the dentist on Monday and have some of his damaged nerves removed. The dentist told me that this visit will be worse than what he already did for Taatjes' teeth. They will also see if his teeth took to being placed back in. I'll post the update. Until then its all; "slow down Taatjes, no you can't ride your bike, and Trey do not touch him", etc.

Tiger Stadium

No, the giant tiger did not scare them in the least. But, if you are a very tiny bug crossing their path they may run from your sight. Actually, just Trey. Taatjes is still in the no fear zone. He caught a garter snake while he was out for a hike with dad a couple weeks ago and brought it home to show me. One of Taatjes' favorite things to do is put his hands through spider webs. We walk along the docks by the lake and every web he comes across, between the docks, he screams (with delight) "spider web" and thrusts his hands into it. I have tried to teach him that this is the spiders home and he needs it to live and eat....but I think he is hearing my Charlie Brown mommy voice (WAH WAH WAH WAH WAH) during this lesson in life and continues to cover his hands in web. I love the 2 year old adventurous spirit!

O' the boys:)