Enjoying the crazy

Life is so busy with little ones, especially without Warren around to help much. I sometimes define myself as a "temporary single-mother." With only 68 more days until graduation (YAY!) I know that this trying period is but a brief moment. In all the craziness, I am still trying to find time to enjoy the tender moments with the boys that make me smile. A friend of my recently shared a quote with me that went something like this,

"The days are long, but the years are fast."

I don't think it could be put more eloquently. With that being said, I thought I'd share a few of those snapshot moments, so that when the crazy dies down (if it ever does) we'll be able to look back and smile.

Clayton was very sad the other morning and requested to watch Bob the Builder. I snuggled him down on the bed with his FAVORITE kitty and blanket. As soon as Blake heard the theme song, he came running in, jumped on the bed, and started snuggling his little brother. I love it when I hear Blake talking in a sweet voice to Clayton. Claydog will do nearly anything Blake asks when it is in that sweet voice. Blake of course has learned this and I've caught him saying, "Clayton, do you want to eat a spider?" or "Claydog? Do you want me to cut your head off?" (Imagine my shock upon hearing that one!) Clayton's response to both questions was of course an enthusiastic, "YEAH!"

Big Brothers!

Does it honestly get cuter than this picture? The boys had just survived haircut #2 by Mom and were so happy after their m&m reward that they were glad to play for a few minutes before bed. Blake likes to match pajamas as often as possible so after I got the shot, I was happy that they happened to match that night.

This is such a rare event lately that I had to document it. Sweet Daddy made it home in time for bedtime stories and the boys were so happy to have his attention. Even though Warren is so busy, he often amazes me by how much attention, affection, and love he is able to give the kids. They both adore him so much.

I walked into my closet the other day and at first didn't even see Hobie snuggled in Warren's old backpack. The kids thought it was pretty funny when I called them in to come as see.

Silly Hobie.

I try to get the kids down by 8:30 or so, so when Warren has his "early" days he often comes home in the middle of the bedtime process. It often lengthens the entire procedure, but the snuggles and Daddy time are totally worth it.

Last Saturday, Blake finished the last game of his second soccer season. Eight a.m. games make for a crazy morning dash out the door. I laughed when I turned around and saw Clayton chowing on a bagel, lookin' like a homey, happy as can be on the way to soccer.

Blake played his best game ever, scoring a total of 7 goals for the Volcanoes! He has become quite the little soccer star. His coach actually had to make him sit out for a while to give the other kids a chance to score some goals...we're working on the idea of team work, but we're glad that he is gaining confidence.

Coach Porter put on a cute little award/trophy ceremony after the game. Blake received the "Best Defender" award because for the first half of the season he spent most of his time in the goal ready to stop that ball. After he realized the glory of actually scoring a goal, he was a lot more proactive about offense.

Notice how Clayton couldn't take his eyes off of the trophy... Well, he got his unsupervised little hands on it within an hour of being home. It is now in four pieces in a ziploc bag, awaiting a new bottle of superglue. Blake handled the disappointment well.

And that's why trophies are meant to be placed on a high shelf!