I took some picture of the three kids together. In the over two hundred pictures I took I got ONE of them all three looking at the camera.  And lots of them not looking at the camera. 

I love Olivia's finger in this one.  I feel like she should be saying, "Um num num num."

Also I wanted them to try and kiss her on the cheek but they couldn't quite figure out how to do that.  Or maybe the wagon being too small just made it difficult.  But we had to take pictures in the wagon because the ground was soaking wet.

She is trying to see if she can get her whole fist in her mouth I think.  She comes pretty close.

And in this one I had said, "Jace lift her chin a little."  And then Cameron made a beeline for the top of her head so I had to rush to the rescue.  

So I thought the first one, with them all three looking at the camera, was cute enough to call it successful. 

Cameron had to have some cavities filled.  He had three cavities.  It makes me feel like a bad mom even saying that.  But in my defense, Jace has us as parents too and he had no cavities.  Poor little Cam.  I think we are going to struggle with his teeth.  Anyway the dentist said the only way he fills cavities on such little guys is if they're sedated.  So Cam took a swig of something and then we had to wait an hour for it to fully kick in.  So while we were waiting he got to watch Rio and play with the Kindle. 

I kept thinking, hmmmmm it doesn't seem like this stuff is working at all.  But then he started rubbing his nose a lot.  And then we took this picture.

And then about two minutes later poor Cam puked.  Although it was basically nothing since he wasn't allowed to eat anything that morning.  And then he was out.

They let me go back in the room with him while they gave him a little oxygen and got him ready.  He wasn't all the way asleep but he was being very cooperative.  So when the hygienist said, "Okay, now just close your eyes and relax," he gladly obeyed.  When they made me go back to the waiting room I could hear him snoring.  

Then afterwards he was really groggy and puked a little again when I was checking out.  Poor baby.  But he was really sweet and cute and saying the cutest stuff.  All the nurses thought he was "darling".  Which is he.  Except for not today.  Because he is sick again with the same old cold/cough/fever gunk.  I swear the receptionist at the dentist jinxed us because she asked me like five times that Monday when I checked in if he had been sick at all.  To which I replied, "Nope, healthy healthy."  And then two days later he's miserable.  And I'm miserable.  

Also it finally feels like real summer.  Today we made a "water table".

Cameron's face as he shot Andy is one of pure joy.  

Oh Andy.  Don't think I'm a horrible person for saying this out loud, but sometimes I wonder how long Andy is going to live.  And sometimes I think maybe it would be okay if death came for him.  A nice peaceful dying in his sleep old dog kind of death.  I know that's bad.

But I just think about how nice it would be to just go out and play in the yard without having to scoop up dog poop.  And how much prettier our lawn could potentially be.  But we do love Andy.  And we'll all be sad when he dies.  Even me.  

He is getting old though.  I feel like since we made him be a completely outside dog he has aged like ten years.  The other day some neighborhood kids were throwing his ball for him (he brings it to the fence and nudges it under a hole he dug for that reason).  He chased it for like an hour and then for the next few days he limped around like an old man who thinks he can keep up with the young guys on the basketball court (and yes, I am thinking of you, Dad). 

Check out Jace's devious look.  I had just said for him not to spray his brother in the face. 

He is obviously great at obeying.

Cameron was not in the best mood anyway since he wasn't feeling good.

So we had some tears mixed in with the water.

But then once he got the hang of it, he quickly retaliated and fired at his big brother.

And for some reason I just love this picture of Jace.  

He went into the house to get some random toys and of course he tries to carry as many as he can in one trip.

And is wearing the old power ranger shirt that he seems to always be wearing.

And obviously went to the bathroom while he was inside and had his short all crooked.

And didn't care about it at all.

He also didn't care about stripping all of his clothes off when I said, "Just take your shirt off so you won't be cold."

But I did make him put the shorts back on.

I do get a kick out of these two boys.  Even though they make me crazy.  

I know the picture of that book is blurry, but do you remember it?  I really wish I had it so that I could read it to Jace and Cameron today.  Because today had been Jace and Cameron's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

I think it all started with our video game detox.  Which has been going on strong for two days.  Just two days.  The  beginning of any detox program is the worst right?  Please?  Maybe?

  My boys are obsessed with video games.  I just read on another friends blog about how her little boy is, too.  Maybe it's a boy thing.  The DS, the Leapster, the Kindle, the iPad.  It doesn't help that there are soooo many gaming devices.  And while I'm so glad and grateful that we have them all. . . I only just recently started to realize how bad the boys were getting.  It hit me two days ago when I threatened to ground Jace from his DS and he responded with, "I don't care."

My first instinct was to march over there and slap his little mouth.  I know that sounds harsh.  Don't judge me.  But the way he said it, so haughty, so arrogant, so ENTITLED really just infuriated me.  I took all the games immediately and put them in the locked filing cabinet in our bedroom.  Then sat and started furiously texting Brice about the monsters we've created and what we're going to do about them (I know--on the phone.  One of the devices.  Great example, huh?)

So for now I've decided that we'll do a simple "minute" system.  The boys can earn minutes to play games and they can cash them in only at certain times.  Like Jace can cash in minutes when Cameron is napping.  Or they can cash them in while I'm cooking dinner.  And minutes can be taken away.  Or added.  I put a mini whiteboard up in the kitchen for us to keep track of their minutes and I'm just using tally marks.  Nothing fancy.  

Jace earned 15 minutes of game time yesterday so that's all he got to play.  First he only had ten, and then when it was up I told him he could earn 5 more by cleaning the living room.  I have never seen him move so quickly.  For his video game fix.

Cameron's naptime was a struggle yesterday for me and Jace, who usually plays games through the ENTIRE time.  Finally the whining stopped when he got out the play-dough.  And even though he made a terrible mess I was proud of myself for holding out through the relentless begging.

He made nests for his angry birds. Video game toys.  Seriously we have problems.

Today is day 2 of the lock down on the video games.  When I got out of the shower Jace and Cameron were missing.  I knew they were missing because I could no longer hear them yelling and fighting in their room.  I found them in the living room huddled behind the rocking chair.  Hunched over the Kindle.  Like little junkies.  So I took it away and erased the mere 7 minutes Jace had earned that day.  Which resulted in screams and tears and cries and yells and basically a two hour melt down. The start of our terrible very bad day.

So when it finally stopped raining for a few minutes I sent them outside to jump on the wet trampoline.  

So here's to hoping they'll remember me as a mom who lets them make a huge mess with play-dough and play outside in rain rather than the mom who grabs their arm and leads them (not so gently) to their bed as they scream and cry.

After I took some pictures of them Livvy woke up so we sat and looked out the window as the boys played until it started raining hard again.  

I wonder if she'll love video games as much as her brothers. I'm glad I don't have to worry about that for a while.  For now she is my sweet cuddly little girl.   

Today it was nice enough to go outside.  So we went to the park.  If anything just to break up the monotony of dishes, yelling, laundry, yelling, eating, and then more yelling.  And since we were going I figured I might as well take the camera and take some pictures of Olivia.  And also the boys of course wanted me to take some of them.  But then they wouldn't hold still.  Naturally.  

Little Livvy was a happy camper but she was a little unsure of being OUTSIDE.  She really hasn't been outside much at all, and when she is she's usually just in her carseat or stroller, covered from the sunlight and any breeze.  But this time I just carried her, no car seat or stroller.  A lot of the pictures I got looked kind of like this:

She couldn't quite open her eyes all the way and when she finally did get them open they were watery.  And also she had red blotchiness around them.  But then she got used to the OUTSIDE.  And enjoyed it, I think.

She still loves, loves her tongues.  Loves love loves it.  She always has it out.  And it's incredibly long and pointy.

 If this picture is not proof enough then how about this one:

She still is not a huge fan of being on her tummy.  Maybe because I give her naps on her tummy and so when I put her like that she thinks it's nap time.  But she is getting better at holding her head up.  

So I think it's fine that she still doesn't like tummy time.  I'm not in any huge hurry for her to start moving around anyway.  I still want to hold and cuddle her for a long time.

Another tongue shot.  Silly girl.

Then I looked up and noticed the sky looked like this.

So we packed up and hurried home just before it started to poor.  

We have not been up to much of anything lately. Cameron just got over throwing a massive fit because he wanted his blankies that were in the dryer.  Because he peed on them.  And also because he is so tired today that he even wanted to take a nap but I wouldn't let him because 1) his bed was completely unmade because he peed in it last night and 2) Brice is working late tonight and I want him to go to bed early.  But now I am paying the price.  He is making sure of that. On a brighter note it has been a little nicer weather lately.  Popsicle weather.  Well, except not today.  Bleh, the weather today.  

 I just can't get enough pictures of this little miss Livvy.  She is 4 months old now.  I wanted to take some cute 4 month pictures of her outside.  So I'm waiting for a nice day.  We'll see if that happens any time soon.  She has her 4 month appointment on Thursday.   

Also today the boys were making me crazy so I banished them to their room (for no specific reason) and then I snuck this oreo cheesecake out of the freezer and ate some.  Secretly.  And then I felt ready for them to come out again.

Serious jumpers.

I hate being on hold. I've been trying to get Cameron's mail order medicine figured out, plus a one month supply since the mail order got messed up and I feel like I've been on hold for most of the day yesterday and then now again today.  I'm on hold right now.  And listening to the music from Forrest Gump.  

This boy is so goofy.

(Also I'm finally done with the phone.  Yay.  The last lady I talked to at Express Scripts was so nice she almost made me cry.  I'm glad once in a while you run into phone people like her.)

I'm always trying to get nice pictures of Jace the Space.

Very rarely he cooperates.  Also you may notice that in the one of him on the bike, his shirt doesn't really match his shorts and he is wearing one black sock and once blue sock. The socks also had like three beads in them each because apparently that makes you a Power Ranger.

Also he threw his bike off the porch edge at GG and Papa's.  He got a stern talking to by his dad.

"Um, I don't know why I did that."

"Uuuuuuuuuugh"

Air being blown out of mouth.

"Okay."