Well, it happened. Eric and I disagreed on something in terms of parenting, some things were said, I cried, and after a few hours I realized Eric was right. Kind of.  This morning Henrik asked his dad if they could have a Daddy Date to see Planes and get a new toy car. Eric of course said he'd love to take Henrik to the movies but instead of getting a car, how about they get a bike helmet. When I walked downstairs, Eric told me about their conversation (in that way that you talk so you can include the child in an adult conversation) and then said, "And after we get the helmet, I'll take you to the park to ride your bike on a mountain"(really he meant on a rock-ish mountain, not up Pike's Peak). Henrik quickly agreed that it would be the coolest thing ever and before the conversation could finish, I got huge eyes and said, "I don't think that's a good idea" in a low, quieter voice. Eric said something, I replied, "He's three, remember?...

Thornado is a beast in every sense. He can walk into a freshly cleaned room and within a nano second he has destroyed it. I'm not talking about a pillow out of place, I'm talking, pillowS off the couches, the couch cushions are on the floor, every blanket is taken out and thrown across the room, toys and balls and crumbs and whatever else you can think of, he's done in that small amount of time. Thornado is the opposite of his brother in every way. As a 19 month old, Hank-o-Saurus was calm, studied everything, and reserved, cautious if you will. Thornado is the exact opposite. He's an aggressive (not in a bad way all the time) physical, tactile learner who has to be knee deep in something to learn it. He's in the 99th percentile for height and in the 90th percentile for weight and he's learned that there is only a three pound difference between him and his brother and thus has discovered the arm bar, the choke hold and how to tackle and check. I swear we are NOT...

I knew it was bound to happen, I knew that one day, my sweet boys would want to stop snuggling and start getting rough. I knew that they'd push me away and insist that I stop kissing them in public and stop making them do baby things, but I didn't know that it would happen so fast. I didn't know that I'd soon be replaced by Dad. I guess not replaced  but not favored? Not always needed? Maybe it's because we were gone for six months away from Eric and they are making up the time, maybe it's because they are at an age where they will start to identify with men or maybe it's because Henrik is "big now" and Theodor desperately wants to be like his big brother, whatever it is, it's starting to change our family dynamic. More and more the boys are interested in what Eric is doing. They've been fascinated with him showering, to shaving, to using the bathroom. They are interested in what he wears, what he does and who he talks to. They mimic ev...

When Henrik walked into our room this morning after spending the whole night in his bed (happy dance) I knew it was going to be a good day. Eric and I both made a big deal about how grown up he was for sleeping in his own bed (it's been a challenge since we moved to CO) and how he must be ready for school since he was acting so grown up. Henrik looked at us and just said, "yep". To him it wasn't really a big deal, at least not at 6 AM. Here's the thing. I didn't want to make a big deal (even though, oh my God, it is a big deal) about school, but I wanted to address it like it was normal, we didn't have a lot of lead in time since we had to enroll so quickly, so instead, I dropped it into conversations; like when he couldn't pull up his pants after he went to the bathroom he started to cry, I casually mentioned that he could do it if he calmed down and took a breath, and said, "kids who go to school have to do it by themselves". He did ...

It's official. My three year old is now old enough (and potty trained) to make his mark in the world one discovery at a time. Whether it be learning how to sit in a circle and follow directions, or learning how to be in a social setting with other kids (including how to NOT stand awkwardly close to another human and stare without saying a word), or figuring out how to cope and manage without me and in the arms of another trusted adult, or even how to write, read and do simple math on his own, my son, my baby, has been proving to me that he's ready to start his long journey in fleeing the nest. Just like a baby bird, Henrik has been flapping his three year old wings and pushing us to let him do more. He wants more chores, he wants more order, he wants more responsibility. He lit up when we taught him how to properly retrieve his brother as Theo raced down the street to the park on his own. Henrik was thrilled when we took him on a bike ride and let him go a few houses ahead...

Eric and I have had a long distance relationship for several years throughout our almost 12 year relationship. I think it's been a blessing and a curse depending on when is happening in our life at that time. While we chose to spend the last six months apart for a variety of reasons, we didn't really think about what would happen when we were able to live together again. And like I said in my previous post , we didn't really talk to the boys about what would happen to the people we left behind in Michigan. In the last week, Eric and I have hurt one another, we've nitpicked at each other for little things, we've loved one another immensely and intensely and we've tried to regain our connections to one another. Rest assured, it's not like our marriage is in jeopardy. Not even close. We just have to figure out how to to be around one another in this whole new life we've been given. First, we're a family again. Eric isn't "single" and I...

H: Mom? Why are you sniffing? Are you a little bit sick? A: Oh, no. I'm just crying a little bit because I'm going to miss everyone when we move to Colorado. H: Oh. Yeah. I'll miss them too. [Pause] H: But Mom? I think I'm happy. A: Yeah? Why? H: Because I get to see my Daddy. A: I know! I'm very excited to see Daddy too. [Pause] H: Three more wake ups! This particular conversation happened as we pulled out of my Dad's neighborhood as we left his house and our neighbors for the last time. For weeks I dreaded the three days I'd say goodbye to each family here in Michigan, again. The first time I did it was when I moved to Colorado in college to be closer to Eric in 2005. The second time was in 2008 after we both graduated and got married (we lived at home for 60 days while we waited for Eric's next assignment) and when the time came, we drove off to California to start our new life together. We did it a third time in 2011 when our home was flo...