How to V.I.P. Like a Boss.

So my kiddos got to experience the circus for the first time on Friday.  What's even better is that we went V.I.P. for the day.  I understand that there are possibly some people out there that haven't ever had the full V.I.P. circus experience, so I've outlined some simple steps below so everyone can join in on the fun.

7. Make a fancy breakfast. With lots of sugar.  Because you need to ease their blood sugar into the upcoming snacks of cotton candy and snow cones.  Otherwise, it may be a shock to their system.

 

  

6. Hire a driver with a giant SUV to take your whole posse.  Or let your husband take you and your crew in your own giant SUV - whatever's most convenient.

 

5. Get V.I.P. parking that's close to the venue.  If that means using your monthly parking at work, well, then that's just a bonus.  Elevators earn you bonus points with 2-year-olds.

4. Bring your sugar daddy.  Not only because he's cute, but because it's hard to show multiple children what's going on beyond all the flashy/distracting lights on your own.  

 

3. Sit in the V.I.P. section, of course.  Yes, they have a V.I.P. section at the circus.   It's the best way to get the best views of the animals and their human pooper scoopers that shuffle behind them as they perform (seriously, can you imagine that being your job?!?).  Also, you can smell the animals from that close.  V.I.P. = the full effect.

 

2. Eat lunch somewhere classy.  Not on the floor.  And DEFINITELY not in the corner of the arena that's sponsored by cheap beer.  Because that would be inappropriate during a children's event.

 

 

1. Bring grandparents.  Because who else would pay for the V.I.P. section at the circus?!?!  Their love and generosity for the little ones in their lives is precious.

 

One of my girlfriends recently wrote a blog post about grandparent detox.  It seemed to be a fantastic post with some helpful steps, but she had no advice for people like me that have grandparents right up the street.  I'm waiting for a follow-up from her so I can figure out how to ensure my children aren't spoiled rotten before the age of 5.  Until then, I've decided to embrace the fact that my children will regularly be indulged by grandparents.  And enjoy the indulgence myself by V.I.P.ing it all the way to The Greatest Show on Earth. 

Temper, temper.

Walter has been such a joy since his arrival.  Each child is a complete surprise, and you never know what little personality is showing up.  But we fell in love with him immediately, and he was a wonderful baby.  He slept (the most important quality in young children, I've decided), he smiled, he cuddled, and was content to just be.  

We got a glimpse of his little temper every now and then, but we couldn't be completely confident how strong it would be once he reached toddlerhood.  Well, it's here in full-bloom, and it is impressive.  While he continues to be happy and content 95% of the time, as soon as Walter decides he's angry, frustrated, or he doesn't get exactly what he wants at exactly the right time, then prepare yourself for the most epic temper tantrum of all time.  I'm talking face on the floor, kicking, arms flailing, and immediate and impressive crocodile tears.  And he can turn in on and off in approximately 0.25 seconds.  

A recent example, and my favorite temper tantrum to date,  occurred over July 4th weekend at our farm in Mississippi.  Walter fell in love with the tractors and 4-wheelers, and believed it was always his turn.  When his turn was over and Dad took Henry for a ride, this was the show we all received from the front porch.

Please note that he's rolling around amidst some seriously prickly pine cones.  I'm sure it only spurred the anger (since, like his mother, he gets really really angry when he gets injured).

When no one came to his rescue, but instead sat on the front porch and laughed and photographed this ridiculousness, he started aiming his screams at us.  Since I refuse to acknowledge or encourage such behavior, he doesn't get a lot of sympathy from our crew.

But the second he realized the sounds of the 4-wheeler were getting closer, the tears and screaming stopped and he popped up on his feet.  He then chased the 4-wheeler down, demanding another ride (note his brother happily leaving the 4-wheeler while little brother takes a turn).

There are some battles I refuse to fight.  Like when he wants the entire container of puffs when we're all trapped in a car where there's serious concern for eardrums.  Just give the baby his puffs - who cares?!?! Clearly, this is not my first child - never would have allowed such with Henry...

And then there are some special people in his life that will let him get away with almost anything to avoid that little temper.  Like his Gigi, who will squeeze him on her lap with his older brother for a ride.

 And his Aunt Lauren ("Lo Lo"), who has incredible patience with him.

But all-in-all, I'll cut the kid some slack.  All he really wants is to be a big boy and do a lot of things by himself.  Unfortunately,  he doesn't have many words yet, so I think this is the root of a lot of his frustration.  He's trying really hard to talk, but as of right now, everything sounds the same.  Unless he's roaring - that, he's mastered. :)

So if he wants to wear the teething necklaces around the house, why not?

And if he wants to spend 30 minutes practicing going up and down on the fireplace ledge, knock yourself out kid. [This is also a bizarre thing about his little personality - he's so careful about everything.  Careful in the water, careful about bumping his head, etc.  And in the past month, he's spent hours learning how to go up and down on this ledge without needing to bend over and also use his hands.  Complete and total opposite from Henry.]

 Make a horrendous mess by learning to use a spoon on your own? Fine with me!!!

And let your big brother teach you what to do with all these giant colored pieces of chalk while the big kids ignore you?  Precious.

So should you see us in public in the midst of a giant meltdown, please note it's not common.  But feel free to stick around for a minute because it can be quite entertaining.  Paul and I know the next few years are going to be a complete challenge as we try to mold this little personality without breaking any of his spirit.  But we'll do the best we can, and continue our fervent prayers for guidance.

I hereby dedicate this post to Paul.

I had grand intentions to write a post about Superdad Paul on Father's Day. Didn't happen. I had even better intentions of writing a post about both his Superdad and Amazing Husband abilities on our wedding anniversary last month. Also didn't happen.  I finally decided to make time to sit down and write this post after coming home from a 3-day work trip to a clean house and happy kids. 

Paul and I always laugh about us feeling like we have reverse roles in the suburban stereotype, at least when it comes to our work lives.  Paul's the teacher, I'm the lawyer.  He gets summers home with the kids, I don't.  Sometimes I have to travel for work, while he rarely does.  He drops off and picks up from daycare, I pick them up when I can (average once a month).  Many times, I'm rushing home, hoping traffic doesn't prevent me from missing dinner time, bath time, etc. The situation is a result of us loving what we do, even though I have been known to regularly shed a tear or two million over feelings of guilt about the lack of time I spend with my little ones.

Despite regular feelings of guilt, I cannot be thankful enough for Paul.  I know I'm lucky to have him, but sometimes the business and exhaustion of everyday life strips away my ability to step back and really and truly be grateful.  But the more time I spend with other people with small children, the more I realize how naturally fatherhood came for him.  Paul never thinks twice about bearing the brunt end with our little crazies  He entertains, feeds, disciplines, and deals with every other complication that comes with parenting toddlers.  And while he does all of it without complaint, I'm fairly certain he has a mental countdown until it's time to head back to school. :)

This summer, he has his hands full with two toddlers.  Part of their routine has been to expel energy first thing in the morning.  This typically requires a visit to a park.

 

Or the zoo.

The afternoons are trickier, however, because it's just too hot for outdoor activities.  This requires creativity because you have to find locations that are kid-friendly and not overly crowded.  They typically end up at the mall, Chick-Fil-A, or Jumpstreet.  The major downside to these locations is being confined indoors with poorly behaved children [Note: I could spend days blogging about the mother who refuses to parent her child in public so she can play on her iPhone.  Instead, I will say this: Parents (especially moms), quit letting your kids act like hoodlums and pay attention to them.  I'm tired (and so is Paul) of yelling at them when they push my kids and act like total brats.  Facebook isn't THAT interesting.]

 

The boys love getting to spend time with Dad because they get to do lots of special Dad stuff. Like go to the donut store.

I, personally, love having Paul home for the summer because he can take care of the stuff that's slipped through the cracks, like making sure Henry has shoes that can fit when he goes through yet another growth spurt.

But for those of you that are wondering, there are a few things Paul does not do.  He has drawn a line on a few things which he claims are "Mom" things.  The first is fingernails - the man has NEVER clipped a single fingernail on either child.  I hate cutting fingernails more than anything, so if you see my children and wonder why their nails are so long, this is why.  

Additionally, he leaves the hair cutting up to me.  I usually don't think too much about their hair until I suddenly look at them and realize they look like a girl.  Or Doc Brown (yes, Walter got a hair cut after documenting the wild-ness).

 

All in all, I'm a lucky girl.  I wish I could say that when I fell for this man more than a decade ago, I knew what a great father he would be... but that would be untrue.  Ultimately, I knew he was an amazing man and my best friend, but that didn't mean he'd be there for the tough parts of parenting (which I knew nothing of at the time).  And he is not only there for the tough parts, but he's there with patience that constantly amazes me. For that, I'm so very grateful. Thanks, Superdad.  You are truly the best.

Lucky.

I am just plain lucky.  Lucky to have met the man I married, who devotes himself wholly to me and my boys. 

Lucky to have given birth to two happy, joyful little boys.

When I think back to the excitement we felt as we drove to the hospital to have Henry, there were so many unknowns.  Every day is still filled with unknowns with this one; specifically, what in the world is about to come out of his mouth now?!?  This child keeps us on our toes constantly, and Paul and I constantly catch ourselves making eye contact and trying not to laugh out loud at his antics, imagination, and never-ending chatter.  Our house gets eerily quiet at 7:00 p.m. when this one goes to bed, and while it is a total relief at this stage in our lives, I am already in total denial that this one will ever enter the teenage years where he's too cool to talk to me.

 

And this one, the one that I spend half my time "chasing" because he thinks it's a game, is already working to break my heart daily as he begins to refuse my help and is determined to learn his way around life on his own.  This age will forever be imprinted in my mind as the era when Walter looked over his shoulder, daring me to come chase him across the room.  All chases were completed by tickling him until he laughed so hard his giggles went silent.  Afterwards, he'd roll on his tummy, get his chubby cankles under him, jog ten feet away, and then start the entire process over again.  Precious.

We are lucky these boys love each other.  I suspect there will be moments where they don't like each other, and moments they may even question whether they actually love each other.  But their foundation is strong, and they won't have much of a choice from their Mama when it comes to how they treat each other.

 

We are lucky to have grandparents that love every ounce of these boys. 

We got luckier by having one set of them nine houses up the street.



 

We are also lucky to have each other.  I foresee lots and lots of fun in our future, and pray our house is filled with warmth, love, and memories that make these babies want to come home when they're grown and on their own.

As always, a giant thanks to Jeremy Schmucker for his beautiful photos.  His sweet family is getting ready to move to Pennsylvania, and while we are selfishly bummed, we are so excited for them and their new adventure!!  Little does he know, we very well may try to catch up with him and get him to photograph us when we're up visiting the other set of grandparents, who don't live far from his new town.  If you think about it, say a quick prayer for this family as they get ready to embark on a church-planting mission.  Hope we get to visit their new church sometime soon!