Brotherly Love

It’s hard to believe that it’s the end of March with the weather as hot as it’s been. I’m not complaining too much, this weather has been awesome for my sanity. They boys are able to run wild and free in the back yard and unleash their crazy energy. But seriously, it was 93 at my house on Wednesday and I was in shorts and a tank top. It made me think of how ungodly hot and humid this summer will be, when I will dream of moving to Antarctica to beat the heat.

The boys love being outside and there’s plenty of activities for them to choose from -- playing in the sandbox, riding their cars and tractor, playing in their cabin, sliding, the water table, bubbles -- the possibilities are endless. Every time we take a step out into the backyard, I can’t help but thinking about my carefree days as a child, running around barefoot and staying outside until it was dark.

The water table brings Luke so much joy! He loves splashing in the water, drinking from it like a puppy and throwing it all over the place. Sometimes I catch him getting even more water out of the dog bowl and drinking it. Oh well, I look at it this way -- he’s boosting his immune system. The other day, the boys had a water fight and every single drop of the water was either on them, or our deck. Tyler loves swinging, it’s good for his sensory integration dysfunction which most autistics have issues with. Swinging helps to calm him and settles his body down. The problem now is that the boys have become too heavy for our swing set, so over the weekend I hope to hang at least one, if not two swings from one of our beautiful oak trees.

Another thing I love about outdoor time is the interactions I see from the boys. They are best friends! This makes me incredibly happy and brings me back to the moment when we brought Luke home from the hospital and Tyler had a grin from ear to ear. He could not contain his excitement! He walked around saying “happy” which told me that he loved the precious, little new addition to our family. It also gave me a preview to the brotherly love that I am now witnessing. Of course we have our moments, when they are beating the fire out of each other, but that is also normal brotherly behavior. The funny thing is the more aggressive of the two is Luke. Tyler may be bigger, but Luke is a dirty cage fighter. I’m kind of nervous about the teenage years and really dread bringing blood into the mix.

Yesterday, the boys had me in stitches! Tyler was driving his tractor and Luke was driving the big red car. All of a sudden Tyler tells Luke, “Come on Luke. Let’s go to Hobby Lobby.” It made me laugh and realize that maybe we go there a little too much. Then came, “Hey Luke, let’s go to HEB and get some ice cream.” Life imitates art, I guess. This morning was no different, I woke to the sweet sounds of the boys playing before 6 am. Then, I heard them head into their bathroom and Tyler was telling Luke, “Come on Luke, it’s time to go potty. You need to pull down your shorts and pull up and sit on the potty.” Holy cow, will it be this easy with Luke? Will he follow his big brother’s lead? One can hope.

I love the great outdoors, but even more, watching big smiles on the boys faces as they run like the wind in the yard. They get filthy and always have little boy essence on them when they come into the house. In my eyes, these are the best times and the moments I will remember always, my crazy little monkeys.

Quacking Ducks and Big Boys

Spring Break was so much fun this year! I’m not going to lie, I dreaded it. After my horrible Christmas Break with Tyler and his tantrums from being out of routine, I had no idea what to expect. But sometimes when you prepare yourself for the worst, a nice surprise awaits you.

We started our Spring Break with a trip to Northeast Texas to visit my family. I long to be in the Piney woods -- I love the smell, feel, the slow-paced life and the friendly, down-home people. Tyler gets car sick, so we stopped every couple of hours to let him get out, walk around and go to the bathroom. I am proud to say that we made our trip without the pukefest that I had envisioned. I think the best investment I have made in a long time is a portable DVD player! This kept the boys entertained throughout our six hour drive (12 hours round trip) and also kept them out of trouble. We had a wonderful visit and now that I know that the boys can handle the drive, we are planning to go back and visit soon.

After our little trip, we stayed in town and enjoyed the perfect, spring-like weather. Every day, we went to the park and took advantage of the time we had together to play wild and free, without the constraints of having to go to bed early. The boys stayed up late, we watched movies and also munched on lots of popcorn. Lunch dates with friends, bubbly fun play time in our back yard and hours of hopscotch fun were also a big highlight of our week off.

During Spring Break, I decided to put Tyler in big boy underwear. For weeks he was staying clean and dry at school and at home, he was going to the bathroom regularly and rarely had an accident. I am proud to say that he stayed clean and dry all week long. He also told me on our trip when I needed to pull over so he could use the bathroom. He has been back at school for two days and has stayed clean and dry. I am so proud of Tyler! This is a HUGE step toward independence and one that we have struggled with for years.

Perhaps the most memorable experience was on Friday evening, when we fed the ducks at Lindshire Park. This would have been tough to do a year ago, when Tyler was terrified of birds and their erratic motions. It was fun to feed the ducks and watch the sunset over the water. It’s funny how different my boys are, one more serious and precise and my other, wild, rambunctious and carefree. I also enjoyed some wonderful “me” time with friends -- margaritas, coffee and one of the best massages I have had in a while. I live for happy moments like this, they make me smile and give me even more laugh lines, but I wouldn’t change a thing.

The Little Fire Hose

It was an almost typical Friday night, the boys and I were celebrating Tyler’s awesome day staying clean and dry in big boy underwear at school. We made homemade pizza and the boys helped me add the toppings, cheese and pepperoni. The celebration continued with ice cream sundaes. After dinner, Tyler wanted to go upstairs and play games on the computer; Luke did too, but I vetoed that. He was filthy from head to toe in pizza sauce, ice cream and chocolate, an interesting combination. After bath was when the fun would begin.

While Luke bathed, Tyler played games on pbskids.org. As soon as bath time was over, Luke ran into the office, wrapped in his froggy towel to join in on the fun. Geoff and I were talking and Luke decided to rid himself of his towel and run naked. He did his little wild dance, which I call the “flash dance” and it made us laugh. Lord help me when he’s older, I think he’s gonna be a streaker. I can totally envision him invoking the Will Ferrell gods and saying, “Let’s go streaking!”

I thought Luke would enjoy a little naked freedom time, so I let him run around without any clothes or diaper. I was in the playroom, cleaning up the mess from Hurricane Luke and hanging up some new posters. Then I decided to check on the boys, so I went into the office. All of a sudden, I see Luke peeing on the floor next to Tyler and then Tyler tells me, “Mommy, there’s smoke.” I stood there, in disbelief, as I watched the smoke come up from the surge protector, which Luke had sprayed with his fire hose. I evacuated the boys from the room and called for back-up. We put the fire out, and I could no longer contain my uproarious laughter. Geoff was not amused and looked like he may blow a fuse himself. After all was calm, I immediately sent out a text message to my friends and sisters; this is what it said:

“Was letting Luke run naked & free after his bath. He peed on our surge protector and caused an electrical fire. I should be pissed, but can’t stop laughing. Then Tyler says, ‘Lukie peed on the fire alarm.’ So glad I have a sense of humor. Never a dull moment.”

Then the funny messages began and made my hilarious evening even more entertaining:

Tony: At least he didn’t get electrocuted, thank God, haha!

Maria: Of all the things he could pee on and that was it! Yikes!! But funny as hell!!

Amber: Jesus! Hahaha! That’s like a slapstick comedy.

Ryan: That one is definitely going in the blog!

Sharisse: Gosh that is funny! Tyler is so smart! He’s gonna b an Einstein.

V: Ha!! That’s the best way to handle it. Can’t change it but you sure can laugh!! Love ya!

Holy cow, I am still laughing! Seriously, the surge protector! Ryan later texted me and told me to keep Luke away from electrical fences. I think that’s an excellent idea! As I write this, our internet and wireless network are down, due to Luke’s peefest. Did I mention he also drenched the wall with his Forrest Gump-like freedom pee? The burning smell kept Tyler out of the office the rest of the night. He is sensitive to smells, so I sprayed the room with air freshener. I am hoping the burn smell will go away soon.

I never know what to expect with my two little men, it is always entertaining and never typical in our house. I am thankful for that! All I have to say is, Luke happens.

Bubblepalooza and Birthday Fun!

The weather has been delightful lately! The boys and I enjoy lazy afternoons in our yard when Tyler gets home from school, blowing bubbles, coloring with sidewalk chalk and playing hopscotch. We had a busy, fun-filled, exhausting week and even more fun over the weekend at a friend’s birthday party. The joys and wonder of little boys bring big smiles to my world.

Bubbles take us away to a happy, carefree place. It is so peaceful to blow bubbles and watch them take flight, especially on a windy day -- hundreds and hundreds of bubbles, spiraling up and spiraling down, filling our yard with magical goodness. I had forgotten we had a large bubble wand that dips into a shallow pan, so I got it out and the boys were mesmerized by the gigantic bubbles that were created. It didn’t take long for the fight to begin, over who would hold the wand. Turn taking did not work very well. I guess this means I need to get another one. Luckily for me I found our big bubble wand in the dollar area at Target. The cool thing about this wand is when it’s windy, we don’t even have to blow the bubbles; they just form and blow away. This windy weather is making me look forward to getting a kite and and flying it high through the park with the boys.

We had a birthday party today for Luke’s sweet friend Ben. I was hesitant if we would all go, or just Luke and I. Sometimes birthday parties are difficult for us with Tyler, he gets over-stimulated and upset and can easily have a meltdown. This is unusually frustrating and embarrassing, especially when you don’t really know someone that well. Ben’s mom approached me in the hallway at school and asked if we would be able to go to his 3rd birthday party. I told her we would be there if I was able to find a sitter for Tyler. She told me to go ahead and bring him. I hesitated, and then explained my situation to her -- that Tyler had autism and birthdays were hard for us. She smiled, looked at me and reassured me that this would be fine. She also told me that she used to work with autistic children, so it eased my mind. I am so glad Susan and I talked -- we had the most wonderful time at Ben’s birthday party today, bouncing in the bouncy house, running around in their backyard and swinging. Luke also enjoyed playing in the sandbox and baptized their dog, Pete, in sand. I was embarrassed, but she thought it was hilarious and took a picture.

Today was a testament to how well Tyler is doing, to be able to go into an unfamiliar environment, be at ease and have fun and not tantrum or get over-stimulated. This also helped me to relax and enjoy myself. I have not felt this way at a birthday party, ever! Thanks so much Susan. I am always on guard, ever the watchful parent, following Tyler around to make sure that he is behaving appropriately. I think I can get used to this! Another beautiful thing about today is that Tyler stayed clean and dry in his big boy underwear. Potty training has been an uphill battle, but finally, things are working out. Hip hip hurray, Tyler!

I am looking forward to more birthday parties and beautiful days, with big blue skies and the sun glistening on the boys’ precious faces. I am also looking forward to the happy times that come from taking chances. I need to be more fearless! Today taught me that, and boy did it feel good.