Heard...

Cousin days aren't a very frequent occurrence for us, even though 100% of our first cousins live within a 5 mile radius of our house. Why? I don't know... it is a lot of work... I am lazy... we are too busy... and if we aren't busy the thought of entertaining even my own kids is exhausting (have a mentioned I need a nap). My sister is expecting her 3rd baby, she deserves a combat medal this trimester... they are in the process of buying a house, selling, a house, moving, she works full-time, she volunteers at school and Junior League in her spare time, and her first 2 children are both boys that are full of energy, and if that wasn't enough she has been put on "house arrest" by her doctor. That is when big sister steps in with help. The boys are here today and these are the things that are seen around the house. "The Bounty Hunter is going to attack Puppyland." It was a brutal battle of the Clones vs. LPS... LPS was victorious because of their secret weapon... Prince Eric! "Aunt Rachel, can we play Legos?" at least a million times. "I want Macaroni and Cheese for lunch."... 10 minutes later... "I don't like Mac and Cheese." "Does your mom have Iron Man song on her iPod? You have to listen to this song Patrick, it is one of the greatest. Do you like Black Sabbath?" Yes, we have already introduced our children to the wonderful world of Heavy Metal- I know! Bad Mommy! "Keith, what's on your butt? Turn around. What is on your butt?" I wish I had a picture of this because what it looked like was going to require Keith to strip in the driveway and undergo a through hose down. Luckily, it was only a grass stain. 3 o'clock faster than I thought it would, the kids had funny and I am ready for a beer. See you soon boys!

Our Cousin Patrick and his brother... (aka- That Keith...)

Have you met my nephew Keith? He has got to be one of the funniest kids around (or at least Lindsay and I think so). Abby has determined that Cousin Patrick's brother is "weird"!

A few weeks ago Keith spent the night for the first time, it was his preggo mom's birthday present. The kid can't help but to make you laugh. The evening started with Jack's room being locked from the inside to keep Keith from bringing 10,000 LEGOs into the rest of the house and all the kids being thrown outside. Banishment did not hinder Keith desire for those precious LEGOs, he returned to the house no less then 20 times with request of "I need just 1 (index finger up) more LEGO" and "excuse me , please, I need one more". NO GO! After dinner, the older kids swam in the hot tub while Keith attempted to drink the entire thing. Resulting in a hot tub full of barf, and the other kids running for the hills, declaring Keith "disgusting!" Bottomline is that Keith gets blamed for everything. I guess that is the curse of being the youngest cousin.

The latest conversation with Abby about Keith:

Abby- Keith is gross.

Mom- Why?

Abby- Keith eats dog food. (With a look of repulse on her face.)

Mom- Keith is 3, that is what 3 year olds do.

Abby- When I was three I didn't eat dog food.

Mom- (At a loss for words) Abby- Keith sat in the sand and ate dog food like this... (demonstrating Keith enjoying a tasty bowl of kibble) Mom- Do you think he does it to get a reaction out of you? (I realize that at 4.5 she is not going to understand that her cousin is a comedian and he is looking for her to react to his crazy behavior)

Abby- *SIGH* That is still no reason to eat dog food.

Mom- (She had me there) So what do you want for lunch? (I decided that changing the subject was my best bet for winning this argument.)

This week Keith officially turned THREE. What did we get him? A box FULL of LEGO men and his own dog food dish. :)

WE LOVE...

SWEET CORN!!!

That is for our Iowa Peeps! The trip to the Fresno State Market was not a total bust.

Keith was not crazy about it, but that is ok.