Weeks 42 & 43, A Breath of Fresh Air

It feels good to breathe again...nice, relaxing breaths!  I feel like my head is above water now, and I'm not struggling to stay afloat anymore!  It was a really good couple of weeks.  It's the ebb and flow of parenting, but the boys have been extremely cooperative and well-behaved lately, so that has obviously made things less stressful.  It just feels like we got into a good family "groove".  Don't get me wrong though--like I said, things can change quickly, so I'm just appreciating it while it's here!!  We did have one night that was kind of rough where I allowed a first in the Catchings house.  Ethan woke up around midnight one night just going nuts--I mean, screaming that heart-wrenching scream where you're immediately like, "OMG, what is wrong with him--he's got to be hurt to be screaming like that!"  So, I went upstairs, and I just grabbed him and brought him downstairs because he was just going crazy, and I didn't want him to wake Tommy up.  Now, as an aside, I think we all know that my big guy Tommy is typically our "quirky" kid, and we absolutely love him for it!  Ethan is typically fairly laid-back, to the point that we call him "Honey Badger" since he is rarely rattled.  Well, to the best of my knowledge, this extreme freak-out was caused by.....drum roll....his football pillow falling through the slats in his crib!!  Terrifying...I know...0_0...wow Ethan, wow!  He has always had to have his crib just so, with ONLY his Monkey, Woody, and 4 sports pillows in there.  I'm not kidding--nothing can be missing, and nothing can be added...but, only at our house--doesn't care at Grandma's and Goggi's thankfully!  Sorry this is so drawn out, but I wanted to remember that!  ANYWAY, I let Ethan sleep in our bed that night, and let me tell you--that little stinker was soooo endearing and soooo annoying all at the same time!!  He was all snuggled up close to me, with his GIANT CATCHINGS HEAD cutting off the circulation in my arm, and he would NOT let me move...at all...seriously.  I tried to move my arm just to adjust it since it went numb in about 20 seconds, and he literally would keep throwing his head back to burrow in further--me moving (or sleeping well that night), was clearly not an option!  But, on the endearing side, I got to snuggle with my typically non-snuggly Ethy-bear for 7 hours...and, I kind of loved that he felt so safe in my arms <3

I am writing this blog so late that it's hard for me to remember the sequence of events and all of that jazz, but there were some more memorable moments from these 2 weeks that come to mind.  Tommy has been doing so well in his therapies lately, and both Emily and Kelly have been so impressed with his progress.  That said, he still is not a very accomplished "drawer", but I can at least say he has some artistic skills anyway!  Lately, he has been biting his sandwiches and graham crackers into "pictures"--like an elephant, drill, and choo choo train!  Another thing I got a kick out of was when Tommy and I were stopped at a stoplight, and he's like, "Mommy, look it's the letter sounds store--let's go in there!"  Of course, I have no idea what he is talking about, so I look to my right, and there is the ABC store!!  Sorry buddy--too young for that one!

We did get to head over to Grandma and Grandaddy's house to play outside one day and enjoy the beautiful fall weather and scenery :)

My little Ron Weasley--so adorable!

Ethy got a little adventuresome before we left and had this shiner to show for it!

The boys liked looking at all the different color leaves on the ground :)

Uncle NoNo got you!!

I could just eat his little face up!!

They liked running around, but they wouldn't jump in the pile of leaves Grandaddy made for them--maybe next year :)

Ethan is also a lefty we think--check out that great form!!

Meanwhile, we're pretty sure Tommy is left-handed, but he has always thrown/shot right-handed!  

We've been working with Tommy some on fine motor skills to try to strengthen his hand muscles, so here he is putting "candles" in 12 "cakes" that he made in honor of Mrs. Kelly's birthday!  Daddy got to have some fun doing some pre-math with Tommy too--as you can see from the picture below, he was pretty impressed!

Happy 12th birthday Mrs. Kelly--bahahahaha!!

Daddy was so impressed with Tommy's counting skills :)

Meanwhile, in Honey Badger land....

Ethan just likes to wear his monkey hat around the house because he's cool like that!

Daddy and Ethan snuggle-bugging!

Again...he is so stinkin' cute...I know, I'm biased!

Thank God I take pictures, or I would seriously not remember anything from more than 2 weeks ago!!  So, seeing this next set of pictures reminded me to give you guys a Paleo update!  I can honestly say that I feel great eating like this--I am NEVER bloated anymore, and I have more energy.  Davey says he can't tell a huge difference yet, except for the obviously decreased coughing, but he adds in, "it can't be bad for me--everything you're making is super nutritious!"  Not to mention, we've both lost 9 pounds without working out and eating as much as we want of our acceptable foods!  Several of you have messaged or talked to me personally to find out more information on what we actually eat, so I thought I'd just take pictures of what I was making when I remembered.  I feel like this first picture needs a little more explanation than the rest--it is beef marrow bone broth.  After you make the broth, you let it cool.  The more gelatinous the cooled broth is, the better it is for you.  My first batch didn't even really set up or gel, but this is a picture of my second batch, and that stuff set up exactly like jello!!

Beef Marrow Jello anyone?!   Seriously though, we use this as a base for an amazing beef stew!

Pulled Pork Fajitas...no tortilla or cheese, BUT....

AS MUCH GUACAMOLE AS YOU WANT!!!!

Egg, sausage, and mushroom casserole topped with cherry tomato, avocado, red pepper, and olive mixture

Davey's favorite dish--Asian Pork Stir fry (pork tenderloin, mushrooms, zucchini, asparagus, broccoli slaw, napa cabbage, and coconut aminos (Paleo's version of soy sauce)!

The infamous "salmon salad" (roasted salmon, smoked salmon, celery, mushrooms and onions--binded together with avocado, balsamic vinegar, lime juice, and...gasp...liverwurst!!!)

This is what Davey's lunch looks like everyday--a salmon salad salad :)  I made homemade balsamic vinegar for him to use as dressing.

Davey's breakfast everyday--a HUGE smoothie (coconut milk, 2 cups of frozen organic berries, 2 cups leafy greens, 1 banana, and a splash of OJ)

This actually gets packed with Davey's lunch everyday:  3 sheets of nori seaweed, carrot sticks, dill pickles, and 10,000 IUs of Vitamin D!

Add an apple or a pear, and Davey's lunch is complete!

Oh yeah, and 5 strips of bacon for Davey with his smoothie in the morning--yuummmmyyyy!!

Homemade Chicken Broth to make....

Delicious homemade chicken soup, sans noodles but not flavor or comfort :)

So, there's a look at what we ate that week--I won't lie, it's pretty luxurious sometimes (it better be for the cost!)!  And, here's a few more fine motor games we came up with (with some help from Pinterest!) to play with the boys.  I wrote 100 sight words on clothespins, and then had the boys kind of play a game to see who could shout out the word first.  Whoever wins gets to pin it on their plate :)  Tommy, who is left handed, can pin them on correctly with his right hand, but not his left--arrgghh!!  Oh well, we'll just keep working on it :)

Tommy didn't like the paparazzi! 

Let's just say Ethan was a little quicker on the trigger than Tommy!

Who would've thought there were so many options with play dough and cut up plastic straws?!  Tommy decided to host a "tea party" for himself and Ethan :)  YES--they love British things just like their 'mum'!
In addition to his little tea party, he also came out of the bathroom that same day with his PJ bottoms trailing behind him (he had on a sleeper and didn't put his legs back in).  He proceeded to run back into the kitchen delightfully calling out, "Look Mom, I'm a little princess!".....my reaction..."Greeeaaattttttt....<_<"

Tommy having a spot of tea  :)

Tommy giving everyone a sneak peak into Halloween :)

Too bad the boots were a little too big to wear out and about!

"Whatchu lookin' at?!"  Tommy said he was being "Granddaddy with his baseball hat on" <3

Life Lesson:  Encouragement

I have always been a big fan of encouragement.  I like to give it, and I like to get it.  I'm not sure if it's because of my athletic background, but I enjoy motivating others, pushing them to do their best, and then recognizing their efforts--and, I work best under those same conditions.  I don't know anyone who doesn't like to be recognized for a job well done.  It just feels good--it is validating.  The smallest and simplest words of encouragement or appreciation can keep me ticking for months.  Also, remember to encourage and motivate when times are tough.  Just knowing that someone is rooting for you and is on  your team is many times enough to turn the tide.  So, be that person who notices when someone has done something really well, or has pushed themselves outside of their comfort zone, and give them a sincere pat on the back!  Likewise, become the coach and motivator for someone who is struggling--let them know you believe in them.  And, finally, when someone is kind enough to encourage you, be sure to thank them for their uplifting words.  Many of you have mentioned how much you enjoy reading the blog and looking at the pictures of the boys when you see me, and I so appreciate that!  Maybe I shouldn't need the "boost", but a few of you make me feel so encouraged nearly every week simply by commenting on this little blog--thank you very much Donna Howard, Laura Hinson, and Linda Hinson for encouraging me on a weekly basis <3