During dinner, while Javi was telling me about his day, he switched gears and asked me, "Mommy, did you know your birthday is in 12 days?" I thought about it for a second and said, "Yep, it sure is. Wow, you're keeping track?" He said, "Yeah, and I already know what I'm getting you for your birthday. I'm getting you princess hair like I got Veronica for Christmas so you can go to work and to other places and you can wear it and pretend it's your real hair." "Oh wow, that's so nice!" I told him, wondering if Veronica is wearing her hair to work and to other places pretending it's her real hair.  (Of course, she is; she's the best sister ever!) Dominic whispered in my ear that he was going to get me a new notebook (I love notebooks!). Santi told me he's getting me cupcakes (yum!). Adrian very proudly announced either that he's getting me a baby pig *and* a dress or maybe it was a baby pig *in* a dress. I didn't ask him which one since I'm a girl that likes surprises.  #staytuned

Dominic: "Mommy, burping doesn't mean you're disgusting, it means you enjoyed your meal. I read that in my 100 Most Disgusting Things on the Planet book." 

​#nothisdoesnotgiveyouabelchingpassathetable

This. A full 20 minutes before we have to leave for school and EVERYONE is ready, coloring pictures, and COLLABORATING and stuff. This is what dreams are made of...
​

 I remember a couple years ago when Javi made my heart swell telling us he wanted to be a "Prizer" when he grew up. A Prizer, he explained, hands out prizes to people, and he always wanted to make people feel happy. This past year, he traded in his Prizer ambitions for a career as a "Candy Thief". I thought, "Oh man, is this how it starts? One day he'll be sitting in jail for B&E, and we will be beating ourselves up over the Candy Thief aspirations he expressed as a 6-7 year old, which was CLEARLY a red flag?" (I'm exaggerating a bit 😉). Lately, the boys have been so into creating treasures from things they find in our recycling bag and from miscellaneous odds and ends around the house. They have brought me some of the coolest, most interesting and creative items that came straight from their imaginations, and everyone that knows me well knows how I love nerdy behavior. This evening, as I was making dinner, Javi brought me his latest creation. As he set it on the counter and told me I should put it on my bedroom nightstand, he repaired the tiny fracture in my heart when he said, "I don't want to be a Candy Thief anymore. I'm going to be a scientist." And just like that, we are back to honorable goals again!
#mylittleeinstein #talknerdytome

Santi, in his sweetest voice, while snuggling up to me earlier: "Mommy, I lub you. You're my dirl."

​#HeHasTroubleWithHisG's 😂❤

"Mommy, I have a LOT OF IT boogers in my tummy."
#PretendingIDontKnowWhatThatImplies

When you're 3 and someone who doesn't know you asks your name and gives you a nametag #Sanchi 😂👍🏼 #SoundsLikeSanti #CloseEnough

Dress like a super hero day for them. Dress as quickly in 5 minutes as you can for me. Sorry for anyone who runs into me today... these guys are my excuse...
​

Today was a beating, and, as I pulled into my driveway at 5:45pm, I took a deep breath and made a concentrated effort to will myself into a second wind. I made dinner, unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher, instructed a certain boy to redo his messy homework, broke up fights, had to insist every 2 minutes that 2 of them stay in the playroom and clean up their mess, and then, when we were eating, as usually happens, one boy (it's usually more of them) informed me that "I hate this dinner so much"... and even when it was going on 8pm and Jose still wasn't home, and I was cycling boys in and out of the shower while cleaning up the kitchen and breaking up more fights, I still have this ever present feeling of being fortunate and I just. keep. breathing. in. and. out. Because what else can you do?

​One day this calamity will be a memory. And it'll be so quiet. Much too quiet.

I see Dominic walking by on my left with a handful of quarters on his way to his personal treasure chest (where all manner of amazing boy finds, including spare change, are kept). I ask him where he got those, and he says, "I sold some of my jelly beans." "To whom?" I ask, and he says, "To Adrian and Santi." I have to ask him, "So how many jelly beans did you give them?" And he tells me, "a handful." I take a closer look at his quarters and see at least $4 worth and stare blankly at him for long enough that he says, "What? I just wanted to make some extra money." So with my face all screwed up with confusion, I look over to my right at Adrian and Santi, who are wearing the biggest shit-eating grins I've seen in a while, and I say, "Lesson #1: comparative pricing is important, boys. Do it to avoid being scammed or ripped off. Do you know how many jelly beans you could have gotten at the store for $4?" They look at each other and back at me, so I tell them. "You could have bought a bag *this big*." They say, "Well, we wanted them now, and we can't go to the store." So that was their lesson to me on paying for convenience, I suppose.
Dominic puts away his earnings and stands there thinking for a bit while I get back to what I was doing before witnessing possibly the greatest example of swindling that I've seen under this roof. Then, deep in thought, he asks me, "Mommy, how much dollars would people pay if we sold Max to them?"

The boys always like to tell me what kinds of things they're going to do for and with us when we are old. Javi, for instance, tells me he will come over and put together puzzles with me while we drink coffee. Adrian tells me he will take us out for Bubble Tea and cuddle with us. Santi says he will bring us kitty cats. Dominic? Well, Dominic says he will take us shopping and cook us dinner and make us yummy snacks.  All of these things sound wonderful. ❤

I'd like to suggest that should you pay us a visit or maybe see us at bingo in 30-40 years, and we are looking a little more sassy and fancy... and a little more... colorful... and... very, very bright... then I think it's possible you'll know which one is dressing us then too.

Dominic: "Mommy, I want to buy my lunch at school today."
Me: "We only buy lunch at school once per week, and you already bought yesterday."
Dominic: "But they're having hotdogs, and I really want a hotdog!"
Javier: "Dominic. You do NOT want a school hotdog. They're skin wrapped around plastic rubber. It's disgusting."

Well, when you put it like that... 
​

During dinner tonight... "MOMMY! I had SOOOO much fun at school today!", exclaims Dominic. "Great!" I answer back. "What did you do that was so fun?" Dominic says, "We learned about "Ah- Ah- Ameeee - um Ameeeeya Earheart." Surprised and impressed, I ask, "You did?!" Dominic is nodding his head up and down in an exaggerated manner, and, as his chin goes back down for the 3rd of 4th time, he says, "Yeah!" And then in a calmer, more matter of fact manner he adds, "She was a nice woman." So I ask him, "What did you learn about her?" Dominic thinks for a second and says, "That. Sheeee. Um. You should call Mrs. Taylor. She had a lot of nice things to say about her."

And then, "I love Mrs. Taylor." Pause. "Hey, Mommy. Can you take a picture of me like this so she knows I'm thinking about her?" So I do. And here you go, Mrs. Taylor . Side note: he wanted to save half of his dessert, which he'd already been manhandling, to take to you tomorrow because, "Mrs. Taylor LOOOOVES chocolate. SO much." I told him it wouldn't still be good tomorrow (you're welcome, Mrs. Taylor!). Lol
​

The twins got in some trouble at home this week, so ONE of their punishments is the ol' writing sentences. Javi gave an impressively well-spoken and self-righteous speech just before starting, declaring that "What Daddy is making us do is wasting paper. It's wasting paper, and it's messing up our Earth. So when the Earth is full of trash, it's not my fault. It's Daddy's fault for making me do it. I didn't want to do it." #okbutstartwriting

One of my favorite sounds in the world is Javi's laugh. We watched Diary of a Wimpy kid this past weekend for family movie night, and hearing his hysterical cackle has stayed with me ever since, popping into my head at random moments and making me smile. It makes me want to watch all of the Wimpy Kid movies with them.

​
Today, Adrian thought of a funny part of the movie and asked everyone if they remembered the scene on "Diarrhea of a Wimpy Kid". So now I have two reasons to love that movie. 😂