Eight!!

My goodness Bryson is EIGHT YEARS OLD!!! Let me just tell you a little about this crazy kid. For the past 3 weeks he got up every morning at 5:45 - set his own alarm, got dressed and his clubs ready - woke his dad up to hit some balls or play a practice round before school. Then he would come home from school and practice sometimes too! All in preparation for the Monterey Challenge. He got invited and spent his birthday weekend in Monterey with his dad and grandparents (and his aunt and Don and Don's parents went too!) and got to play all kinds of golf and eat all kinds of seafood (his favorite- the kid ordered mussels(!) what? ) and play with his new bey blades and basically have an awesome time.

His birthday celebrations actually lasted almost a week starting last Wednesday at Farmer's Market with our other November baby friends - cupcakes and snacks and plenty of friends to kick soccer balls around with, or hunt for crabs on the rocks with - we live in a pretty amazing little community and what a special time it ws to be with other awesome November babies!

Then on Thursday I took my baby out to (his pick) Sushi for a birthday lunch. I was feeling a little sad that I would not be with him on his actual birthday (first time EVER) and wanted to have a little alone time with him. I gave him an Angry Birds watch and he was sooooo excited. he tells me what time it is now approximately every 10 minutes.

Then he left early Friday morning to drive up to Monterey to play a practice round before the big tournament. He played really well - placed 10th (out of 16), which earned him an invite to Pinehurst, which before Monterey Bryson told us was his "life's dream" to be invited to Pinehurst. I think a lot of people may think my husband is driving this crazy golf train, but let me just point to exhibit A - his bedroom wall. The boy is obsessed. He is so self motivated and has worked so hard - I am beyond proud...I know I complain a lot about golf, but really - what a great sport for Bryson - it teaches integrity, patience, self-composure, good sportsmanship...really just a good fit for his temperament I believe. 

The party didn't stop there - since Bryson had a party last year, this year he got to go somewhere special with a friend, so on Monday Bryan took Asher and Bryson deep sea fishing! Again - bryson's idea. He caught a big surf perch and ate it up as soon as they got home. I had a bite and it was delicious! So fresh - not fishy at all! And now...exhale...and listen to the boys fight over the bey blades...I overheard Bryan saying something anti-bey blades and I just reminded him, "This too shall pass"...hopefully sooner rather than later! 

Happy Eighth Birthday Bryson! I have big hopes for you this year! And I can't wait to see what new thing you dive head first into next! Your spirit is contagious and your ambition is inspiring - we love you to pieces!
Love, Mom and Dad

Barnes Boys - Where They At?

September - the weather is cooling down, school has started (for all three!!) and dinners are being cooked during breakfast (my favorite). We are still adjusting to the new schedule of weekday school/sporting practices and weekend sporting games. I am enjoying the (somewhat) cooler weather, the earlier mornings and the two mornings the little ones are in school- i get soooooooo much done- its amazing!

Bodie O - Soccer star! I missed his first game, but the second one last weekend - he played so well! 4 goals!!! he was unstoppable - i asked him how he got so good, he replied,"because i was zigging and zagging" and bryson walked over and said, "yeah - i taught him how to do that" -so stinkin cute! and bryson was cheering him on the sidelines...it was so sweet - ah brothers...my brother would never have gone to a dance competition and cheered for me...but maybe that is just my brother and not indicative of sibling relationships as a whole...at any rate - bryson was super proud of bodie too - and bodie is just LOVING soccer. he asks me every day if he has practice (he doesn't during the week) but wishes it were every night. Bodie is also playing with Bobby more...which is the good thing...the bad thing is that if Bobby does not wish to play whatever game with Bodie it turns ugly...Bodie feels strong emotions about that.

Bodie also started pre-school again. This is his third (and final) year. He and Bobby go 2 mornings a week for 3 hours. He has Bryson's old teacher and she is finding out how different the two boys are first hand. It's cute!  

Bryson - here he is with his golf coach - Mr. Mike Krantz - eyeing his putting line...or something...Krantz is great for Bryson - very patient and only tells him a couple of things at a time. We have noticed a lot of improvement. Bryson is in soccer and golf - in fact last weekend and this weekend is soccer games on Saturdays, golf tournament on Sunday. Bryan has been super patient with him as well - I don't know how he does it so well - 5 minutes with Bryson and homework and I'm ready to lose it! But Bryson has been doing great in both sports. He wrote in his class little introduce yourself project that when he grows up he wants to be a professional golfer. Speaking of which, he started the second grade...which is weird for me to even write that down. His teacher seems really great - and although he had a rough few weeks in the beginning -he told me the other day that he is actually starting to like school - so yay! that made me happy because my heart was breaking to see him so defeated every morning. 

Every night before bed I have been reading The Magician's Nephew to the boys. Bryson is at the perfect age for this. He gets mad every single night when I finish the chapter because C.S. Lewis does a great job at ending every chapter in some cliff hanger fashion. It has been great to see the correlations he is making on his own about the Bible and the story and it is a great springboard for conversations about big moral questions, biblical questions and also literary devices (i.e. cliff hangers). The last time I read this was 5 years ago and I only know that because I remembered blogging about it way back when. It is just as much fun for me to read it as it is for him to listen, I'm sure!

Bobby - First day of pre-school. He has Bodie's teacher from a few years ago and she is seeing what how different the last two are - ha! understatement of the year. She told us this morning, wow...that Bobby...he can sure...play! i think she was trying to find a nice way to say how exhausting he is? We are in the throes of potty training right now. yesterday he wore underwear out for the first time. I had to change him 4 times, then just put a pull up on him before his nap and never changed him out of it. He pooped in the potty 3 different times that morning and then pooped in his pull up before bed. It seems like every step forward we make, we take a step back...I know he will get there - just wasn't expecting him to be our toughest to potty train! I mean...come on...he has 3 teachers! It is hard to stay mad at that face for long. Its pretty pointless actually...he lights up our world!

Bryson's 7th Olympic Party

Olympic Birthday Sandwich Bar

Bodie demonstrating the paper airplane portion, the Nerf target is in the background

The Hula Hoopla game

The party people

Bodie and his olympic torch cupcake

The only picture of Bryson that was taken...boo

The gold medal winners

The (very necessary) pinata...I was told it wasn't a party without one...so i filled it with their Halloween candy! ha!

The greedy bunch

(I am pre-dating this since I am a month late - FYI)  Bryson's 7th Birthday party. We had so much fun this year watching the olympics and seeing the amazing athletes. I told Bryson about this idea a while ago and he was all on board...then when I realized I would be having 2 big parties on the same day, both at our house, I was re-thinking my decision...but I put aside the pinterest boards and put aside trying to make it what I wanted...and focused on what would be fun for him. and it truly was. I kept it super simple and I did the majority of the decorations weeks before so I wouldn't be overwhelmed.

There were 6 events: The hula hoopla, Nerf Terf, Putt Putt Challenge, Paper Airplane Long Jump, Paper Plate Discus Throw, and The Ball Bounce. Since we had friends from out of town there with their little ones - i clumped them along with my little ones and split it up into "Jr. Olympics" and "Sr. Olympics" and picked 2 winners in each category. No one seemed to care what they won, as long as they got a gold medal...so it worked out for everyone

This was the first real party I threw for Bryson. For the most part it was a drop-off party, but I am so thankful I had so many people there to help me with all the stations. I couldn't have done it by myself! Next time though, I think 1 1/2 - 2 hours is the perfect amount of time. I had it for 3 hours and we were done in 2...oops!

I love home-spun parties like this, but after throwing Bobby's big she-bang and now Bryson's (and you know Bodie is already telling me about his monster truck birthday party he is having) I am thinking next year will be a lot more simple for all 3...like take a friend somewhere special, or family party at home...I need a year off :)

The Barnes Boys - An Update

Brotherly Love-ish

Bryson chipping at his second tournament

Bryson - 5th Place at his third tournament

First Grader!

Bryson started First Grade last week. He has an amazing teacher and we are so excited...in fact, at back to school night she was getting me so pumped up i signed up to volunteer for like a hundred things because i wanted to be in her class so bad...then i came home to my piles of work/laundry/dishes/ etc and was like, "what was i thinking?" but i do want to make volunteering in the classroom a priority because i know how much it would mean to him (and seriously...i want to be in her class...for reals).

Bryson LOVES school. i am so grateful. but, he does have a problem with homework...and practicing golf. turns out he would rather play than do either of those things, what? crazy kid, huh? i know...i am trying to find our rhythm now of longer school hours and homework and balancing play and practice...and cooking dinner. that cooking dinner part is seriously the most challenging part of my day. my options are to throw them all outside and listen for screams and fights to ensue, or put a show on and listen for screams and fights to ensue. or do nothing and let them crawl all over me and try to steal knives i leave on the counter. so much fun! it works best when both bryan and i are here together, but that is not always the norm! i havent figured it out yet...maybe the week before school ends i will finally find my rhythm like last year.

Bryson is still doing golf tournaments. His next one coming up will be his 5th one. He is also doing the Heartwell progam (fun fact - Tiger Woods did this same program at Heartwell when he was a wee one too!) and we are very excited for him to play with other kids his age in a non-competitive way. He apparently loves golf - i make sure to ask him all the time, because it makes no sense to me...but i am grateful he is clinging to a sport that won't wind him up in the ER...it just will only bankrupt us...just kidding...kind of...not really, but it really is not a cheap sport...

This is his serious face

This is his cheese face

Bobby! I mean, look at that face - what a CHEESE BALL! he is so goofy...i feel like i just updated you all when i wrote about his second birthday, so maybe i can just update how he interacts with his brothers. With Bryson - he just adores bryson - the other day i locked him in the kitchen with me because bryson was practicing golf and he took a chair - scooted it all the way over to the door leading out of the kitchen to the backyard and climbed up and just screamed "FY-SHEN, FY-SHEN" for like, 5 minutes. It was both simultaneously hilarious and annoying. With Bodie, they are still trying to figure out how to interact without meltdowns on both ends. Bodie does not understand the art of distraction and manipulation like Bryson has mastered - "Here Bobby - take this car - its plain black, but soooo much cooler than that hot rod car you have!" so Bodie resorts to just grabbing whatever from Bobby...which Bobby is not okay with...at all. My day with them when Bryson is at school is teaching them how to not kill each other. which is absolutely fine as long as i have absolutely nothing else to do at all. which is the case for me for probably an hour a day. But I can see improvement and everyone keeps telling me how great this short age distance will be in a little bit...just have to get through this part. i have hope, friends! 

Bodie is a cheese as well

My boy!

Bodie is really starting to come out of his shell. He is starting to talk a lot more and it is always entertaining to know what has been going on in that curly head of his...he tells me about a lot of inventions that he could make. He tells me about all kinds of different skateboard ramps we could make - he makes up songs - he tells me made up stories. It is so fun to see his little imagination coming to life. For the first time on their own doing, bryson and him played an imaginary game Pirates for like an hour. it was brilliant and not mama-inspired at all! Bodie is still such a sweet heart and his placement in the family couldn't have been more perfect...imagine if i had bryson and bobby back to back! oh dear...there might not have ever been a third ;)

Big brother of the year!

Playing pirates together.

Bryson's Second Golf Tournament

Bryson's second golf tournament was last month in Downey...I forget the name of the course...I will need to ask Bryan and edit this...I was able to go to this one and was so impressed. I haven't seen Bryson play on the course for a while now...over a year I am sure. He is like a mini-pro! i was so amazed. My dad came to this tournament and when I told Bryson his Grandpa Craig was going to come, he said, "Mom, I am going to blow Grandpa Craig's mind" - well if he didnt blow his mind, he certainly blew mine!

my favorite moment though was when the little Asian boy from the first picture hit this amazing chip shot from below the green up to a couple feet from the pin...all the adults watching clapped and he just raised one hand up like a little PGA player. so cute!

Bryson played awesome and showed such restraint when he hit a couple putts too long, etc. I was also exceptionally impressed with his caddy (Bryan) who also showed restraint and was such an encouragement. Bryson came in 6th place, with only 3 strokes off of first. there was a three way tie for first. It showed him how important his short game (that is putting for you non-golf folks) is. He was a little disappointed that he didn't get a medal (they are given to the top 4 players) but not disappointed enough to keep him from wanting to sign up for the championships (which are this Sunday, eeek!). Wish him luck!

Birthdays

newborn bryson...was he ever that small???

my birthday and bryson's birthdays are only 5 days apart. i will always remember my birthday 6 years ago...so over being pregnant...i was so big...and dreaming about my baby boy...

6 years later...here we are! my birthday was pretty low key. my sweet husband stayed up until 1 in the morning the night before finishing his work so that we could spend the afternoon together as a family...which we did...at disneyland - and it was amazing - no lines...10 minute wait on space mountain (bryson went for his first time...and then went again since we got the baby swap pass) he also went on star tours twice.  That evening we went to dinner with friends (at Tavern on 2 - had the burger...sweet potato fries and brussel sprouts...all were loved well...and eaten completely). i got to hang out a little with my girlfriend the next day...but not long enough...but that is what happens when you have 3 kids i guess. this weekend there will be a girls party and i am quite looking forward to it!

For bryson's birthday...i just realized...i have NO pictures of the celebrations.  i think this is also a part of having 3 kids...i do not have enough free hands or time to document things as they happen. i had asked bryson if he wanted a party, or wanted to go somewhere special with a friend...he chose somewhere special with a firend...so the weekend before he took a friend to Camelot/Golf Land...we went miniature golfing...ate nasty cheesy pizza (they loved it) and played arcade games and traded in tickets for cheap-o breakable toys. bryson picked out the handcuffs and a slinky and his buddy got a slinky and a red jet :) then we went out for ice cream and opened some presents.

on his actual birthday we picked him up from school and went to disneyland again! this time California Land and bryson went on Soaring over California for his first time. i tried to get him to go on tower of terror, but he wasnt having it..our passes expire in the beginning of december and we decided not to renew them and i am all kinds of broken up about it. i know its a smart decision- i cant take all 3 by myself and we would have to pay for 4 passes next year and bryson is in school now...so its kind of like the end of this era for me. i know - so sad huh? i bet you totally pity me :) its more sad that my play-date school-free days are over...and these are very special times to me.

anyway - back to my super long birthday post. this should have been broken up...i apologize. rashelle - this is for you...its killing like 10 minutes for you...so you are welcome...okay okay...now i am really going to go back to the post...

so after disneyland we came back to the house. i had spent the entire morning setting up for bryson - i hung decorations, blew up balloons went last minute shopping...spent a super quick 20 minutes making up a scavenger hunt for him to find his *new* bike! PS...my drawings were so bad...i have not improved since kindergarten...he had to ask me on like every picture what it was...struggle...on one - i was like - thats a fridge! really? i cant even draw a fridge...

he was very excited and helped me make his own cake. he also got to pick his dinner (waffles). oh...yeah...for my birthday bryan got me a waffle maker...but more than that - he promised to make saturdays waffle saturdays...we are gunna get all kinds of good at waffles...bryan even made me some waffle sandwiches on the night of bryson's bday - prosciutto, brie, arugula and pepperjack sandwiches..yummmmmmmm...bruxie style...

we were absolutely exhausted at the end of the day...but it was good. bryan was a little peeved because it seemed like bryson didnt care much for the bike since he rode it all of 10 seconds...but every day since he has come home from school i have heard him exclaim, "oh man i love my bike". i need to get a pic of him on it soon! sorry about the lack of pictures and poor quality pictures...the rest are on various phones...but i had to document (rather lengthily i might add again) the festivities. 6 is gunna be awesome!

as a little aside...and just to make it a wee bit longer...i asked bryson the night before his birthday to make some "5" lists...since it was the last time he would ever be 5...here they are...

What were your 5 favorite memories from being 5 years old:
1. going miniature golfing with asher
2. spending the night at asher's house
3. going to colorado
4. going golfing with daddy
5. kindergarten

Name 5 things you are thankful for:
1. this food
2. this house
3. this family
4. God
5. golf

Name 5 friends:
1. asher
2. maverick
3. bodie
4. max acuff
5. bobby

Name 5 things you love doing:
1. soccer
2. golfing
3. baseball
4. going to disneyland
5. going to meemas house

Name 5 of your favorite foods:
1. spaghetti (daddy's spaghetti...i should add)
2. burritos
3. pancakes
4. waffles
5. birthday cake

Bryson's First Soccer Game

bryson loooooves soccer. he loves most sports, but currently soccer is, like, the best. he got home from his first practice and had like super energy - it was nuts. i thought he had mixed up red bull with his gatorade or something...

he told me "mom, my coach said its okay to swipe the ball from someone. normally you shouldn't swipe things, like in dora - swiper dont swipe me - but its okay in soccer. so thats what i did mom. i swiped the ball mom. if someone had the ball i would just swipe it"

i hope he swiped it from someone on the opposite team.

he is on the team with his best friend (see him and asher in the last picture) and i think that is pretty neat. they also look pretty cute in their little uniforms. they also run a lot. for an hour they run. in the sun. so bryson was a little ruined afterward. so the lesson for me is to have rest time after the games. enforced rest time. indeed. and the sugary snacks can be a reward for AFTER rest time. because i believe that also added to the drama. 

i feel like i am navigating in this sports world like a little alien. its all very new to me. it seems like most parents care very deeply and loudly about the games...and they just don't have that effect on me quite yet. i mean, i cheer for him and all, but the yelling and up off the seat going nuts isn't quite where i am at...maybe in a year or two after my feet get wet? i just dont know any rules to any sports either - i am finding out. i never played anything except for in P.E. and when i got to High School i just danced from then on and did nothing else. i am lucky bryan knows his way around and thinks to correct them on how to hold the bat, how to kick the ball, etc. and i believe it will come eventually...so i am not too hard on myself. and of course, i always have a little hope that one of them will want to dance...although its not looking that way so far...but still...hope...it costs nothing to do that! 

bryson - an udpate

i wanted to give a little update on bryson and his tics. back in january of this year we learned that bryson has chronic tic disorder...and the doctor warned us that if he started developing OCD tendencies it could develop into Tourette's, but she didn't see that with Bryson. only the tics and behaviors peak around 9/10 years old...so i am not completely counting it out, but trying to remain hopeful.

luckily bryson stopped his head tic and scrunching up the face tic before kindergarten started. right now he does these spins...with his whole body. sometimes obsessively (in the car before he gets in his car seat, in his bed before he lays down, by the couch before he sits, if he is walking a long way...etc) it doesnt bother us at all, but i feared that it may become a distraction to the teacher and the other children if he stands up and does it during class (which he does all the time at home)

i tried to explain all of this to Bryson as best i could. we had this funny conversation about how some people say things that aren't nice. we asked him what he would say if someone made fun of his rat tail - he said, "I'd say So! its just a rat tail. i like it!"  - best. answer. ever. love that kid! so i tried explaining that his spinning might interrupt class. i think he got it. i dont really know what he thinks about it at this point or how much it affects him. his friends never say anything and i think bryan and i are the most sensitive to it all.

i know that bryan and i had an amazing talk about it the other night and i believe we are on the same page as far as bryson goes - we both want to give him skills to control them if he can (breathing techniques, behavior therapy, etc) and also let him know that he is fully accepted and loved. i know he is still young, but i also know how kids can be on the playground.

so far he is doing great in kindergarten. yesterday he told me his favorite part is the science lab and his least favorite part was all the sitting, "it makes me feel like i am in time out, mom" - ohhh..sad day! i told him that is how his daddy felt too, which made him feel better...

in other news, i am developing a kid-sized hamster wheel for bryson to enter every morning before kindergarten. so far everyone i have talked to is behind my new invention as long as it is made of rubber or something...

kindergarten

i have been a bit of a cliche mess this last week with kindergarten starting for bryson. i have so many conflicting emotions and thoughts on this subject and just needed to jot them all down...a part of my process...if you will...

its not surprising to you, if you know me, that i dont believe in public schooling. its all very political and boring and i dont want to write an essay about that, but the idea of public schooling as an idea - i am opposed to and i think what is happening now in California schools is such a result of that. so here i am about to put my own child in a public school and i feel super hypocritical about it in many ways. my husband and i talked about our alternative options and the two main ones being private school and homeschooling. one we can't afford with money and the second with time.

also - with homeschooling - i love it...bryan was homeschooled for a period and we have an amazing support system with our church and i know a grip of moms who do it and do it amazingly and were i the type of mom who could juggle teaching and working and somehow getting two kids three and five years younger than my kindergartener out of the way...i would totally do it. i still haven't ruled out the idea and it is definitely something i think we will revisit at some point, but for now it would be too much.

so anyway...here we are. and the saving grace in all of this is that bryson's school is just about the best thing you could ask for in a public elementary school. i have been blown away by the office staff, teachers and principal (who goes to our church as well).

one of the reasons this is hard for me is that the weeks leading up to kindergarten were so wonderful. we had hit our stride as a family and bryson has been doing really well and was calming down and just super fun and amazing. the other boys have been really easy too and it was just these couple weeks of an amazing end to a summer. so part of me sending him off was feeling like its all the end. its the end of the summer, but also the end of playdates and our own schedule. for the past 6 years i have taken my boys and had to answer to no one (last year bryson was in pre-school, but only 3 days a week) - and now - if i drop him off late to school he gets a tardy slip...totally forgot about those!

so it all kinda hit me dropping him off - sending him off to class - that this is the rest of his childhood. here. at this school (if we choose not to homeschool) and it was all very hard hitting. i have realized too that our normal routine of leaving the house after breakfast and running around like crazy to get bryson's energy out is disrupted, so that means he is out of control in the afternoon. i need to buy a treadmill for him or figure something out where he can get out his energy in a positive way....because right now - its not so positive.

so i guess my thoughts are a lot more jumbled than i realized...i have this guilt about putting him in a system i dont believe in whole-heartedly...i have this guilt that he is sitting down for 3 hours instead of doing what a little boy should do in my mind and run like mad and learn as he goes....i have this sadness that my little playmate is gone...i have this conviction that now his character will be put to test and all the "work" bryan and i have done to strengthen that character will also be put to test...and above all i have this hope that he will thrive in this environment because bryson tends to surprise me pleasantly in situations where i question his resolve.

and through it all i realize that these feelings are indeed not one of a kind...that moms all over the world have gone through and felt a lot of these same feelings and i look over as i am dropping him off and see a mom trying to hold back tears and it comforts me a bit. i see another mom's look of horror when they tell us that they don't check on who is picking our kid up from school. i see a child's nervous smile as mom is taking his picture on the first day and i realize how very normal it all is...whatever that means.

our angels date

bryson didnt know where we were going...i made him wear a red shirt, but the tie was his idea. he was very sure he needed a tie on our date...which is funny because he sees bryan and i go on dates all the time and bryan NEVER wears ties...whatever...its cute and he is funny..

we thought he would be so excited since he finished his first year playing t-ball and all...and we even got great seats (thanks ruthie) but he didnt really follow too well...but he DID enjoy the cotton candy and cracker jacks and hot dog and licorice...it was a date after all :) 

we joined up with ruthie and her friend - it was so fun to spend some time with our little man two on one..reminded us a little of life before the other 2 b's...and how life may be a little easier when those little b's are a little bigger ;)

we didnt last the whole game...it was angels vs. dodgers and there were probably more dodger fans there than angels and they were a little intimidating...not gunna lie...they were up by 5 when we left and bryson was more than ready for bed...he fell asleep on the way home...even with all that sugar in his little system!

mommy had some too!

my date with bryson

i finally did it! i got a babysitter and had her watch bodie and bobby and took my big man to his favorite place- the santa ana discovery center for a date! he loves going here and i do not like taking all 3 - it gets too crowded with all the field trips...bodie does not ever stay still...he is the one kid who can break the exhibits no matter how much they test them...(last time bryan discovered he stole balls from one of the exhibit...oops!) and bobby is not a fan of being in the ergo for long periods of time. so i have to turn him down all the time, so how fun was it for me to take him out and get to do all the things he wanted!

we got there right when they opened, which was awesome! we got to do everything we wanted and he sped through everything because he didnt have to wait for anything to open up!

we had so much fun and he was so happy to have me all to myself. he told me, "mom...its good that you only have me today. three kids is a lot of work" serious...he knows...he is 1/3 of that work!

we did this special outing because he graduated pre-school. i would love to make this a more regular thing! i want to take him to Disneyland by himself so bad...poor kid has been wanting to go on Haunted Mansion for over a year now...i keep telling him, "maybe next time!" 

of course he never played with his own Mr. Potato Head! 

oh and i must take my little mountain goat to a rock wall where he gets strapped in...we would both love it!

Slime and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails...

that should be the title of this blog! by the way...i never understood the whole puppy dog tail reference in that rhyme...after having boys i get it...that incessant wagging...that un-containable ENERGY...that is what little boys are made of...or my boys at least...so here is bryson - his new "job" is to de-snail and slug my garden. he gets a penny for every one he finds.

he is very money motivated these days so we are starting to implement more "chores" and "extra jobs". we are going to have jobs that are expected as well as jobs that earn money and jobs that earn prizes. his money jobs are the snail and slugs...taking the garbage bins in from the curb and putting them back where they belong...collecting golf balls from around the yard (also a penny for every ball)...wiping down kitchen chairs and cleaning my walls with the magic eraser. he is expected to pick up his room, help me with diapers, get my newspaper every day (he and bodie actually fight to do this), clean up any mess he makes and pick up the backyard.

i also plan on going to the dollar store and picking out some "prizes" for big jobs where money isn't bribery enough...it is so nice to think that one day all of these boys making all of these messes will actually come in handy and be productive...such a far off notion right now, but every time i bring in groceries i think about it :)