Things I've recently realized about myself, and also some cute things the kids have said

I will start with the story that is foremost in my mind because, as of late, things do not remain there long and once they are gone they are gone for good. As most of you know I am on facebook which keeps me in touch and up to date on friends and family both near and far, past and present. There are several "apps" in facebook where you can share different information; websites, videos, movies you like, and music you are listening to. What I have discovered about myself is that, well, I seem to be stuck in a musical rutt. My friends and family are posting songs from people I have never heard of! I am feeling very out of the loop at the moment. When I stopped and tried to figure out why I am so behind in music (my ipod has Third Eye Blind and Oasis on it, not to mention Frank Sinatra) I came to a few conclusions. The first conclusion was that I spend way too much time listening to talk radio than music radio, and when I do listen to music it is either my much outdated ipod or country music. Another conclusion was I just don't have the time. Keeping up with new artists and songs could be a full time job, and is for some people!!! I go to iTunes and just about pop a blood vessel when I try to navigate through new artists, artists that artists suggest, celebrity playlists, and the list goes on and on. And it is just as time consuming keeping up with artists my friends and family are suggesting. So, for now I will continue to be a country girl who occasionally puts on her "stuck in the 90's" ipod when she needs a change. Maybe when the kids are in college I will have time to catch up.

Ok, on to cute things the kids are saying. Well, the most recent was cute and sweet, at least to me. I took Nico and Dom to an indoor play-place for an hour so they could get some energy out. It is a place where you must wear socks and leave your shoes at the door. So, upon leaving I had the boys sit on the bench to put their shoes back on and there was a little girl sitting there. She was not happy about sharing "her" bench and kept saying, very loudly "my side, my side" to Nicolas, who was sitting closest to her. Dom looked over after he had put on his shoes and got in her face and said "that's my baby brother, you don't yell at him!" After I told him it wasn't nice to yell back either and to say sorry, I smiled to myself secretly. The warm fuzzies of brotherly love are still tingling in my chest and there is a tear in my eye. Dom loves Nico afterall.

The big boys started karate this week. Let me just say this blanket statement; karate has changed our lives. How you may ask? Well, let me tell you. For one thing, they are taking their classes at the YMCA, which still stresses community, Christian values, and self confidence in all their activities. So we get to their first lesson and immediately the instructor is asking them to "stand strong" (straight with hands behind backs and feet slightly apart) and say "yes sir" and "thank you" when the instructor asks them to do something or gives them something. The boys were LOVING it!!!! They had no idea what they were doing, but they were so excited to be just like the other kids who were listening and being respectful. The best part is that in this class, the first belt they earn, the white belt, is given to them my us, the parents. To receive it the boys must exhibit the tenants of Tai Kwon Do which include respect, kindness, helpfulness, love, patience, and being polite. They have a list of things they must do for an amount of time the parents choose, and then they can receive their first belt. In order to make this process easier to follow for them, and fun too, I went online and found a site that makes online goal charts for kids. So, they both made their charts with all the things they have to do in a given day, like brushing teeth, cleaning their room, not fighting, etc, AND all the things they must do to earn their belts. This has been an amazing challenge for them and they are doing so great!!!! They are being kind to each other, more helpful around the house, not throwing tantrums at the drop of a hat, and learning how to control themselves. I realize it is only the first week, but they are catching on to how much better life is when you live this way. So, thank you YMCA, thank you!!!

More cuteness, if I may. Nicolas is chattering away even as I write. He likes to go through his entire repertoire occasionally saying all the words and phrases he knows. Some of his favorites are "baby Jesus", "applesauce", "whoa, cool", "whoa", "see dat?". It is so fun to watch and listen to him pick things up. He is imitating his brothers all the time now and it just makes me smile. There is nothing cuter than a two year old imitating a 4 year old who is imitating a 6 year old. Ahh, the circle of life.