Nothing new...just normal chaos

Well, I'm definitely overdue for an update...but there isn't any major new happenings. Just the normal chaos of the McCleese house. I will share a few "day in the life..." stories, just for those interested.

First of all, last week we had one of those nights that I'm sure those of you with older or grown kids remember still to this day. You know those nights when you are sure "the inmates have taken over the prison?" Only the "inmates" are under 4 feet tall and 5 yrs of age. I think it'll be enough of a summary to say for 45 minutes, our two children had at least 10 temper tantrums, got three spankings between them, screamed in a murderous rage, and while Owen was flailing in a fit he managed to headbutt me in my mouth and bust my lip (imagine explaining that to the public at large..."yes, my almost 2 yr old busted my lip."). In 45 minutes. The true humor of it was that after those 45 minutes, Wes and I were completely strung out with red faces and eyes bulging out of our heads...and the kids were...fine. Chasing each other around the house laughing. Leaping from the couch onto pillows below. Just fine.

Next note of the day...Will is all of a sudden growing UP. Well, not all of a sudden, but it's grabbing at my heart more these days. He's looking more like a big boy instead of a little boy, and he is developing the funniest sense of humor and mannerisms. He's one sharp cookie...and his imagination is something else. Oh, and the questions the kid asks. "Why did God make wasps, skunks, trees green?" "Why can't we see the air?" "What does heaven look like and do you have to be really old to go there?" I mean, I thought a few questions might hold out until he was at least in the first grade, but he's on a mission to knock them all out as quickly as possible. The true "kicker" of the week was "how does my body move the way it moves? My elbow bends the other way than my knee. How do they do that?" (did I mention he notices everything too?) Now, bringing that stuff to a 4 yr old level is interesting enough...so I started with the "b/c God made our bodies super awesome and able to to really cool things like that." But for the son of Wes McCleese...that's not thorough enough...so Will answered for me (get this!)..." I think God put strings in our bodies to hold the bones and muscles together." WHAT? I guess he was listening during all of the leg breaks and orthopedic doctor visits. So I explained ligaments and tendons as best I could...and defaulted the rest to our "doctor friend" who will get hammered with questions soon.

Last story of the day. "Mr. I Do It" (Owen) insisted on carrying his school bag in today (it's big and has his lunch, clothes, diapers, etc in it...the kid is strong)...and would not under any circumstances let me help him. He went down the outside stairs, into preschool with his big bag bumping against the ground and his legs...with the proudest grin on his face. He hugged Will's teacher, tackled the director and was headed up the stairs to his room before I could even get Will out to the playground. He walked right into his class, took his bear out of the bag and tried to hang it on the hook (which is easily a foot over his head). He finally admitted defeat, handed the bag to his teacher, took his jacket off and handed it to her, then said "come on, bear" and dove into the toys. Um, excuse me, but he didn't ask MY permission to act so grown up all of a sudden. Here are a few pics...