The welcome home..........

I had such a great trip a week ago to see my friends.......there was tons of laughing and talking going on. We shared ideas on how to raise kids and "what gets through to them" its so fun and relaxing.

My friend Noelle never yells at her kids, she is super mom that puts my skills to shame. She is always smiling and her kids are so well behaved. She just knows her kids, so it gave me something to aspire to.Then I came home. I arrived late that night so my boys were asleep in bed and I would not see them until the morning. I was hoping for a great big hug from them when I saw them. Expectations are often set to high, Garrett the first one up he said hi, but would NOT let go of his dad who had gotten him out of his bed. He cried and screamed when Brad tried to put him down. He just wanted his juice. Oh well I thought maybe Brady would surprise me? Um, again you think I would have learned about expectations with Garrett but it seems that things have to happen twice before I get the point. Brady saw me and I said, "Come give me a hug!" He became very shy and said, "No I don't want to." And ran back to his bed room. Brad had to bring him to see me. That is OK I told my calm self they will come around.

Two hours later Brad was off to take his mother to the airport and then to work, so I was alone with the boys. I had showed them what I brought them from Mexico and they loved the toys. I was helping Brady in the bathroom and saw Garrett go into Brady's closet. When I came out and got Garrett, who also needed a diaper change, Garrett was in the closet with a RED DRY ERASE MARKER! His art work was on three of the walls! And it wasn't a small masterpiece. Brady took a look and said," Oh mom he did what I did." Yes I know, did I ever mention that last month Brady wrote X's all over his bedroom walls with a PEN? Yeah, he was being a pirate and X marks the spot for the treasure he had informed me. Welcome home I thought to myself.