Girls Weekend

Yesterday, I made my way back across the country - coming off the tale-end of a much needed girl's weekend in Cleveland, OH where my youngest sister Ashley lives. My middle sister Lorie flew up from Tennessee and we all met for 3 1/2 days of non-stop fun. Matt graciously agreed to play single dad for a few days to offer me some get away time to recollect, rejuvenate and have the opportunity to act like I am 25 again.

Lots of things have changed since having kids and that is most evident when you hang out with your ultra cool, uber hip, just married, urban dwelling sister and her awesome husband. But even with all the changes there are some things that will always remain the same and those were very evident this weekend. Here is a run down:

Same Ol' Same Ol'

*The Collier girls are notorious for a good laugh. There isn't a time or place that is too sacred for a belly laugh that has the potential to wet your pants. Luckily we had many of these moments this weekend. I am pretty sure that there were at least five times that Lorie, who has the weakest bladder of the three, had to turn and run away with legs crossed to the closest ladies room. I could try and provide a few examples but from previous experience I find that we laugh at things that others don't necessarily think are funny - you know, it becomes like an inside joke that we repeat over and over and over. We laugh and no one else understands. Honestly, that is what makes it all the more fun!

*Being involved in a conversation with the three of us is a challenge in itself. We have the tendency to talk over each other and have 3 separate, distinct conversations going at one time. Most people who witness this often feel like their head is going to implode - outsiders are even more freaked out when they realize that we are active participants in all 3 of the conversation and are able keep up each other without much effort.

*The three of us can still do some real damage in a shopping mall. We have the capacity to shop from dawn to dusk on very little rest or food. Although we each contribute our fair share to the economy, we have just as much fun browsing and dreaming.

*Even with all of our "growing up" and engaging in "adult" lives, we are never too good to have a good old fashioned slumber party. Ashley has one bed in her apartment so we kicked her husband to the couch and the three of us slept 3 deep in her queen size bed.

We are looking forward to Girl's Weekend 2009 already. Next year we have promised to take photos since neither of us thought about snapping any still frames to savor the memories. Who knows maybe we will even get crazy and make matching t-shirts for next year's big event.

Puke on Demand

Have you ever met anyone with a sensitive gag reflux? You know those people that smell something weird and start gagging and then throw up? Or they eat something that is less than desirable and instead of inconspicuously removing it from their mouth, they just barf? Before having Collier I was convinced that people who claimed to have this issue were up in the night. I thought is was an exaggerated way of getting some attention. But, like my change of heart that occurred during my pregnancy regarding carpal tunnel, I have become a believer of "puking on demand" as well. I have become so close to the issue that I could start a support group or 12 step program.

First off, you must know that Collier is like a Hoover vacuum cleaner without any sort of bag filter. He takes in a great deal of things that are not necessarily edible. In addition, he also has asthma so he is preconditioned to bouts of excessive coughing. Those two activities alone are a land mine for someone who has a sensitive gag reflux. There is probably not a day that goes by that one of these activities goes a bit too far and we are chanting to Collier "stop gagging you are going to make yourself throw up." We have done this so often that we have even heard Harper coaching Collier from another room when he sees it coming. You just learn when you see certain facial expressions paired with disproportionate coughing to stand clear or you might become a victim to the after effect.

Interestingly enough, Collier now plays games with us and when we start our chanting of "please don't puke", he will intentionally make himself cough more and even throw in fake coughs for dramatic effect. He is learning early that having a twisted sense of humor can often put you in the spotlight - and trust me, our little Collier is starting to feel right at home in the spotlight!

Steering Wheel Plinko

A new thing has started to happen since Harper turned 3. He has always been a curious kid, but now his curiosity often leads him to test the limits of things and experiment with the concept of cause and effect. For instance, he will sometimes drop things to see what happens when they land - often full drinking cups of water or things that are made of glass - neither of which are easy to clean up.

Yesterday we were sitting in the parking lot waiting on something and we allowed the kids to get out of their car seats to move around a bit. Matt actually got out of the car to stretch so Harper made his way to the driver's seat.

Beyond his curiosity for how things work, he has also convinced himself that he knows how to drive. He has even found an old set of keys and a wallet that he has claimed as his own which makes him feel more grown up and for some reason he tries to rationalize that these two things will somehow make us think he is now ready to drive. A picture from school serves as his "driver's license". For those of you who are thinking, "oh dear I'm worried that they are encouraging his behavior" - no worries I promise we will never leave him alone in the car and we always lock the car doors when we get out (even when the cars are inside the garage). Trust me, I am fully aware that Harper's confidence level is such that trying to crank the car and back it out of the driveway is not beneath him.

Anyway, back to my original story. Harper was sitting in the driver's seat yesterday doing his normal "song and dance" of pretending that we are driving to Disney World. He then begins to get a couple of coins out of the ashtray for gas money. This is where the story gets a little foggy because I was obviously not paying as close of attention as I should have been. All of a sudden I hear a coin drop and it doesn't sound like it hits the ground. I look over and Harper is laughing and reaching for another coin so he can repeat his fun. I realized right way that he had dropped a coin in the steering wheel - he had managed to slide a penny in the crack where the horn cover meets the edge of the steering wheel. Luckily I was able to impede any additonal mishaps but we have been unfortunate in trying to release the coin and daddy is not happy with either of us.

Now when you turn the steering wheel it sounds like the game of Plinko from the Price is Right. Every turn is a clink, clink, clink of the penny moving from one side of the steering wheel to the other. Too bad that each turn doesn't produce the opportunity to win a prize. Something tells me that this is one that we are going to have to shell out some good money to repair rather than having the potential of winning a boat load of cash from Mr. Bob Barker himself.

America's Got Talent

Oh there is never a dull moment in the Brace household. These days Harper likes to sing and Collier likes to dance. This is a skill that neither of them have inherited from their sperm and egg donor. Maybe it is just a mother's pride, but I do think Harper can carry a tune and Collier has rhythm. Matt and I can only hope that one day we will be able to capatilize on our budding performers. If there is one career change that I am confident that I could wear the shoes comfortably, it is that of STAGE MOM! As pathetic as it sounds, I think I would make a good one. Enough about me and on with the videos of the 2020 American Idol winner and the 2022 Dancing with the Stars winner.

Harper's Video - he overheard me singing "Life is a Highway" remake by Rascal Flatts the other day - but I promise it was not in the shower.





Collier's Video - Matt's brother Jake bought this singing dog for the kids and you find Collier randomly in rooms by himself making the dog sing "I Feel Good" just so he can bust a move. You go boy!

Goodbye Summer!

With the passing of Labor Day, it feels that summer is coming to a quick close. As hard as it is to say goodbye, the ending of summer almost always brings a rekindled spirit and a need to get our internal flames burning to warm us for winter. I have not been as active in writing on the blog as I would have hoped during the summer, but trust me it is not because of lack of content. Like most of you, we have been crazy busy and can only wonder where all those beautiful warm days went - along with all of the outdoor summer house projects that we had planned. I hope the old saying that "good intentions pave the road to hell" is not necessarily true because trust me, I'm in real trouble if it turns out to be the gospel. The Brace summer has been consumed with potty training, teething, play dates, diapers full of sand, fingernails and toenails filled with dirt, bouts of illness, visits from family, new jobs (Matt), trips to the doctor, high gas prices and an over consumption of election news.

As a matter of update, Harper has fully recovered from his strep and scarlet fever and he has hit 3 years old head on. Here is a quick and dirty of the latest:

1. He is now potty trained and has moved to his new class at school. It just so happens that the next class is the Tigers which is his favorite animal mainly because they are ORANGE. So, this alone was his motivation for potty training. The deadline for being potty trained to move to the Tigers was the Tuesday after Labor Day. He made it by the skin of his teeth - and mainly because my mom was here for a whole week and really got to reinforce the message that he could either go to the Tigers if he decided to pee and poo on the potty or he could go to the slow Turtles if he wanted to continue to wear diapers. Harper is truly a child that can make miraculous things happen when he puts his mind to it. Honestly, I had my doubts but he has proven us all wrong....all in the name of Orange.

2. He still loves orange and the color practically rules every decision he makes everyday - from the clothes that he wears to the food that he eats. Mom, Lorie and Ashley have all visited this summer and I 'm sure they thought we were exaggerrating the fascination that he has with this color until they each spent a few days in the Brace household. Each of them have commented that they will never be able to look at anything orange without thinking that Harper would love owning it.

3. Harper is still wearing his Halloween costume from last year. It has now been 10 months and the costume is starting to feel the strain of a growing boy who still longs to be Tyrone from the Backyardigans. The butt of the costume has a gaping hole and there are at least 10 other tears in various places. As we begin thinking about this year's costume, I have no problem investing a little extra since we defintely got our money's worth out of this costume.




As for Collier, he has grown up over the summer. He took his first steps in May and has run ever since. His budding personality as a performer and daredevil - yet a kid who can melt your heart is more evident than ever. As a mater of update, here is what's new:

1. Collier loves dirt. He loves playing in it, he loves throwing it and most of all, he loves eating it. You can't turn your head for one second when we are outside because he heads straight for the garden. I'm surprised our vegetables have been able to thrive in Collier's presence. Not even a little fence has been able to keep him out. With his small frame, he found a way to crawl right through every time - at this point he can wiggle through the gate faster than Willow and Riley who are at least 1/2 his size.

2. Collier is a little tease at school. The teachers have been telling us that he likes to sneak and take people's blankies and binkies and taunt them when they want it back. We are also entering the much loathed time of biting that we experienced with Harper. We have already had to fill out several incident reports for both biting and hair pulling. From experience though, this too shall pass.

3. He is starting to say a good number of words - although he continually refers to anyone who in his presence as mama if he needs something. His favorite thing to say is "mine" and according to Codge, everything is his.

4. He knows no stranger and has to make sure anyone new knows every trick that he can do. He is by far, the performer of the family and really enjoys the spotlight. As you can see from the photos below, he can easily draw a laugh when he wants.





5. Earlier in the summer, he learned to hug and kiss and he loves sharing his affection - especially if he thinks it will avoid him getting into trouble. He has the concept of trading affection to avoid time out down to a science.

6. In addition to the performer, he has also proven to be the daredevil as well. What 16 month old do you know who has no fear of launching off the couch or bed with no one there to catch him. He can scale most anything in a matter of seconds. Both Matt and I have had to be more diligent than ever to not let him out of your sight. Harper has picked up on his bravery and has started convincing Collier to do things that he is too scared to do himself.

Harper and Collier are now playing together fairly well but recently they have started to fight over toys and have occasionally become a bit aggressive. Our pediatrician has advised that we should allow them to figure things out as much as possible - yet try to teach them that hurting one another is not acceptable. I have to say this one is hard because boys seem to go from disagreeing to slugging it out in a matter of 2 seconds. Collier doesn't seem to let age or size alter the way he tries to seek resolution. Getting a toy out of his hand is like trying to pry an object out of a vice grip. He is proving to be tough competition for his older brother. I keep saying to them "it is okay to disagree but it is not okay to hurt each other". For some reason it hasn't resonated yet but maybe repetition will bring understanding - at least that is what I am hoping.

I have several great stories from the summer that I am dying to share in the coming weeks as a matter of rekindling the blog. My short hiatus is over and I promise to get serious again about sharing the nuances of raising 2 VERY active boys. I assume that you guys enjoy reading it for one of two reasons - 1. You love to see that another mom is going through the very same things you are going through (or have been through) OR 2. You need a constant reminder of the importance of taking your birth control pills faithfully every day.