Bowling in the House!

I've mentioned in the past that C is bowling obsessed.  Lately, bowling has been pushed to the side for Mario love...until N picked up the slack!  We now hear him walk around the house saying "mmmbow ball".  How do we know he's saying bowling ball?

Most conversations are as followed:
N walking around the house with a ball in his hand "mmmbow ball"
Hubby or I: "Is that a ball?"
N looking at us like we have three heads: "Nooooooo"
Hubby or I: "Is that a bowling ball?"
N looking like we have three heads and no IQ whatsoever: "Yeah"

C got a really cool bowling arcade-type game for Christmas and we heard it come on the other day, but C was sitting on the couch, so I went in to explore....and this is what I found...

Can bowling love be in the genes?

Talking Death

Hubby and I had the unpleasant task of talking to C about death recently.  My grandmother, who has always been a huge part of my life, passed away unexpectedly.  I was very lucky to have both my grandparents living right up the street from me growing up, and to have both of them live well into their 80's (my grandfather is still alive and going strong!)  Having my grandparents so close meant that they were at all of our family functions, birthdays, holidays, random dinners...you name it, they were there.

This meant that when she passed away in December, we had to figure out how to talk to our 3 year old about what happened and why he would still see grandpa but not grandma.  How in the world do you talk to a 3 year old about death without giving too much or too little information?  We wanted him to understand what happened, but without fear.  We wanted him to know what was going on, but without sugar-coating it.

If you know anything about C's medical history, you know he knows doctors.  Because he does go see doctors fairly often, we didn't want to scare him so we had to be very careful about how we phrased her being at the hospital and the part the doctors played.  For a little help, I turned to one of my favorite sites when dealing with kid issues, KidsHealth.  They had a section on talking to your kids about death, it went through what words to use, how to help them through any questions they had, and where to go for professional help if needed.

Since C is only 3, it was hard to find language that he understood (doctor, hospital, ouchy), without scaring him.  We sat him on the couch and talked about how grandma had been in the hospital (he knew she was there), but the doctors couldn't help fix her ouchies because they were so big.  The hard part was saying that we were not going to see her anymore because she died.  He repeated the word a few times, then said "We no see Grandma anymore."  Then I think he asked to watch TV.  So, that was that for then.

He's asked a few times for Grandma when we've been to see my Grandpa, or he's been to my parents house when we were there, but we just remind him that she died and we won't be seeing her anymore.  Did we talk to him correctly?  Did we use the correct language?  Did we scare him?  I'm not sure.  I do know that when he gets sick he asks if it's a really big ouchy, and it breaks my heart.  I know that we did the best we could, and will be here if he needs to talk anymore.

Grandma is greatly missed everyday, and I am so happy and proud to have known her.

Wordless Wednesday: First Hair Cut

Video: Ramblings After A Long Break

Supposed to be an apology, but more of a rambling of words after work today...with my make up worn off...and a paint spot on my throat (don't worry, I pointed it out for you to see)...so, yeah, enjoy!

(Excuse the weird bug-eyes and swallowing I seem to randomly do.)

1 Year Photo Shoot

So.....yeah....it's been a long time.  I promise to have an apologize post up soon, but until then, enjoy pictures from N's first birthday photo shoot!

Wordless Wednesday: Trip to Mema's

This chair is over 100 years old!

Tailgating Fun

It's football season, and that means college football in this house.  We do watch pro also, but college is definitely the priority.  Specifically...the Virginia Tech Hokies.  Hubby's parents are nice enough to give us season tickets every year, but with the addition of the boys, it's harder for both of us to attend the games.  Usually, we try to sell my ticket (I hangout at the tailgate with the boys and another mom friend of mine), or just eat the cost.  However, this year, we decided it was time for something super special and exciting....time to take C to his first college football game!

So, we picked a game where it (wasn't supposed to be) too hot, and was early enough in the day that we thought he could make it at least half the game.

Excited to head into the game!  

Cooling down with a snow cone cup.  (Orange of course.)

Asleep before half time!

We think C had a good time.  It ended up being so hot, that Hubby and his parents spent most of the time trying to make sure he had enough sunscreen on and stayed cool enough!  C did say he liked watching them kick the ball!  

Some other random tailgating pictures...

No tailgate is complete without the food!

N had a great time crawling in the grass!  (And maybe eating a little of it, too!)

Of course, we played a little cornhole.

This face...I just love it!

N with the Hokie Bird.

N hanging out in the his brothers carseat while I packed a little...he thought it was hilarious!

Of course, C wanted to sit somewhere silly.

And, not even 2 miles down the road!