a few things to note when watching our kids

This week Christian and I are off to New York to celebrate our 10-year anniversary (just a little early). Christian's parents are coming to watch the kids for a whole week. You can't believe the excitement that has been running through the veins of our children for the past two months. We got so tired of answering the question, "How many days until Grandma and Grandpa come?" that we finally made a chain for their room. A countdown to Grandma and Grandpa. Or rather, a countdown to eating McDonald's every day for a week. That is really what they believe is going to happen. Maybe because Grandpa Layne said so.

We've typed up a thorough list of instructions, schedules, maps, activities, phone numbers, etc. to help them make it through the week. But here are a few additional things they should know before taking on this challenge that is the Brothers Sybrowsky.


1. Bath time is kind of like going to see Shamu at Sea World. There are various tricks and shows you'll have to watch (blowing bubbles under water, making various toys squirt water, etc.), and of course the big finale splash: Beef. What is "Beef"? It's a forbidden game where they slide down the back of the tub, splashing into the water and soaking the crowd while screaming, "BEEEEF!" Like I said, it's forbidden, but Addy will try to get away with it every time.



2. These shoes may look like Crocs, but in Addy's universe they go by a different name. If you want him to put them on, you'll have to refer to them by their "real" name: Cockroaches. He insists that's what they're called, and no, he does not think they are on the wrong feet. Just let it go.


3. If Addy comes in from playing outside and says he wants a drink of water, don't buy it. He's really coming in to get water to make mud in the backyard. He'll usually admit it, but only after you catch him trying to balance three or more cups of water in his arms while opening the front door.

4. Breakfast is the craziest meal of the day. The boys are alternately crazy-silly or super-grouchy in the morning--I never know what I'm going to get. The one thing you must remember: let them each choose their own spoon. This is the key to a peaceful breakfast. If you don't let Addy choose it, he will FREAK OUT. He may not notice that you gave him the spoon of your choice until he's a few bites into the meal, but when he does, watch out.

5. The carpet spot-cleaner is under the kitchen sink. Enough said.

6. There will be urine some place it shouldn't be during the week. Addy is not afraid to drop trou in the backyard, outside James' school, at the park, you get the idea. It makes no difference that the bathroom is just 30 feet away. But sometimes we get really lucky and we find him doing it somewhere more creative, i.e. the bathtub, the garbage can, or the middle of my bedroom carpet. If this occurs, refer to #5 for cleaning instructions. And then put him in a really long time out.

I think I better stop now. Otherwise, Jody and Layne may change their mind and decide to go stay at the Marriott instead. Good luck, guys!

new crafty endeavors

I have so many fun pictures and memories to post, but not enough time! I'll get to them, but this is just a quick note to let you know about a couple of my new time-suckers.

I am the new "Craft Shows" blogger for craftgossip.com. Five days a week I'll be blogging about craft events around the world. Check it out!



My other blog, littlebirdiesecrets.com, is current hosting a week of great giveaways for our Reader Appreciation week. There are so many cute things to win! We have almost $700 in prizes to give away, and all you have to do is leave us a comment to be entered. And yes, my friends and family members are eligible. It's my blog and I can do what I want! So go enter. Good luck!

i have a new nephew!

Sawyer Jordan Boogaard was born March 31 to Ereka and Jordan. Isn't he adorable? I wish I wasn't so far away--I need to snuggle him! This awesome picture was taken by his amazing aunt Haylee. She has more cute pictures of him on her blog.

Ereka spent some time in the hospital after his birth due to a mysterious infection (Layne said waiting for the doctors to figure it out was like watching an episode of 'House'), but she's home now and doing better. That's the last thing you need after all the changes of a new baby! We're so thankful she's okay. We sure love you Boogaards--hope everyone is getting some sleep!

killing easter eggs

James: "Mom, is that the stuff we use to kill the eggs?"

Me: "Huh?"

James: "The stuff to kill the Easter eggs."

Me: (Pause) "Huh?"

James: "That thing we're doing tonight."

Me: "Ahh, you mean the stuff we use to 'dye' the eggs. Uh, that's actually a different word than the 'die' you're thinking of. But yes."

I shouldn't be surprised that James is finding a way to make even Easter a spooky holiday. Killing Easter eggs. Check out this cracked egg he dyed. He loved it because it looked like a creepy spider web.

And I wasn't at all surprised when he came home from school with this one-eyed, fang-baring Easter bunny. Sadly, neither was his teacher. It seems he turns almost every art project into some kind of monster.

Despite trying to give this sacred holiday a Halloween spin, James was actually very interested in the meaning of Easter. He learned quite a bit about the Savior's death and resurrection in school last week, and came home with some good questions. After a long discussion about why Jesus had to die, his response was, "Mom, how come when I ask you questions you talk for such a long time?" Oops. Apparently I bored him. Hopefully something sunk in.

He was most excited about the Easter egg hunts and the surprises he was expecting from the Easter bunny. We had a fun Primary egg hunt on Saturday at the church. The boys had so much fun, but James was "super mad" that Addy found more eggs than he did. He thought it was "so not fair." But it was still the "best day ever."



Christian was on call today (third Easter in a row, poor fellow), but he made it home in time for our egg hunt. James loved his new sunglasses (he's been eying them for about a month at WalMart).

Grandma Holly got them each a book and we read them several times today. I love good kids books! These are both winners.

It's so nice to have this Earth book as a reference. James has been asking me how whirlpools, volcanoes, and lightning work, and my answers until today have not been sufficient. Now we have all the details he needs. Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa!

Of course 95% of the candy was consumed today. Here's James' candy sandwich, made from two Laffy Taffys and four jelly beans. Needless to say, the sugar high lasted most of the day.

But it really was a wonderful day. We are so thankful for our Savior and the chance we had to think about him and celebrate the wonderful gift he's given us. We hope you all had a wonderful day, too!

sybrowsky quote of the week - rhetoric

Mr. Crazy Pants here has developed quite an interesting use of language as of late.

Me: grumbling under my breath about the construction workers on our street and their never-ending traffic stops.

Adam: "Suck it up, Mom!"

Me: "What? Where did you learn that, Adam?"

Adam: "From Grandma."

Me: "Uh, I highly doubt that. Did you maybe hear it on Sponge Bob?"

Adam: "Yeah, I learned it from Sponge Bob."

Really, my three-year-old is telling me to "suck it up?" Maybe we need to limit the Sponge Bob watching for a while. Or Grandma's visits. (Although I'm pretty sure I've never heard my mom say "suck it up", but you never know, I guess.) He also responded with, "Blah, blah, blah" the other day when I was getting after him for something. However, he has spouted a few nice statements lately, too, such as "Great job cleaning the kitchen, Mama!" and "You're a genius, Mom!" So I guess that evens it out.

world's best house guest

This last week Grandma Holly came for a visit. Hooray! For the third year in a row, Christian was gone for my birthday (someday I'm sure he'll make up for it!), so my mom came up again to keep me company. It was so fun to go out to lunch and shopping with her, two things I almost never get to do anymore. And the kids were so excited they could hardly stand it! Maybe that's why they had to go to the bathroom FOUR TIMES while we were at the mall, or why Adam thought it was a good idea to take off his underwear, throw it on the floor, and then pee on it. And maybe that's why James thought it was a good idea to join him. Sheesh! I'm raising a couple of hooligans up here!

Grandma also took us to Jump Planet, the inflatable party center of the universe (their words, not mine)! We had to drag the boys out of the place. It was a blast.



I couldn't get a clear photo of Addy--he was constantly in motion, as per usual.

Not only did Grandma take us to Jump Planet to play, to lunch at Nordstrom's Bistro, to Walmart to pick out a movie, and to Costco to pick out a book, but she was the most incredible house guest in the universe (those are my words). It was like having a personal maid for a week! She watched the boys so I could sleep in on my birthday, she was doing the dishes every time I turned around, she vacuumed the house while I was picking up Christian, she fed and put the boys to bed while I went to an HOA meeting, she cleaned up urine-soaked carpet while I was doing some "secret shopping", and she cleaned her bathroom and washed her sheets and towels before we left for the airport. Not much of a vacation for her, you think? Hopefully these sweet faces and a few slobbery kisses made up for all her hard work.






We love you, Mom! Thanks for coming and making my birthday so special. We hope you can take us to St. George on your private jet, soon! After you learn how to fly it, of course. And James says, "Bring Grandpa Brent with you!"

sybrowsky quote of the week - noses and elbows

For a while James had a strange obsession with smelling everything he put his hands on. He smelled each fruit snack before he ate it; he'd put his pajama top to his nose before putting it on; he'd even stop to sniff out his Hot Wheels car during the middle of a big race. I thought it was weird, and I didn't want him wiping his nose on everything, but I didn't think it was that big of a deal. Jessica's son who is about the same age was doing the exact same thing, and we would watch them do it and giggle.

Christian, however, got very frustrated with all the smelling and was constantly asking James to stop. My favorite quote from Christian (and this demonstrates his parenting method) is, "James, you may not smell anything ever again!" To which James replied, "I'll never stop smelling." Kid one, Parent zero.

He's mostly stopped with the sniffing game, but he's become very vocal about the various odors he encounters. He has a super-sniffer, which he inherited from either his father or Grandma Holly. Either way, he's not stingy with his super-smelling abilities and is always willing to share with whoever will listen what odors are perturbing his senses. For instance, when we walk into a public restroom, he'll very loudly comment, "It smells stinky in here! Like diarrhea!" Once he went with Christian into Harborview Medical Center on a quick errand, and when they returned to the car, all he could talk about was how stinky the hospital was. So one day while he was talking about how he is going to be a bone doctor just like daddy,

I asked him this:

Me: James, how are you going to work at the hospital if it's too stinky?"

James (without missing a beat): I'll just have to plug my nose and do it with my elbows."

Apparently he'd already thought it through and decided, yes, this is something I can work around.