I should charge admission for this...

because everyone just thinks those Rutledge boys are sooooo entertaining.  I guess I can see that.  If I were not their mother, I would find them hilarious.  However, as their mother - their wild and crazy antics are just a teensy bit embarrassing from time to time.  Take this past Sunday for example...

Both boys spent each evening last week at Vacation Bible School.  They had a great time (except Brooks on the first three nights, who spent each night begging everyone who walked passed the nursery to help him escape).  Will loved it.  I was a little worried that he would be shy or a little clingy when I dropped him off, but none of that happened and I was greatly relieved.

So Sunday was the final VBS Celebration - a little musical production put on my the children in front of the whole sanctuary full of proud and eager parents and grandparents.  Yayyyyyyyy.  NOT.  Will refused to get up on the stage, and I was fine with that.  Except that he really did want to stand on the stage, he just didn't want to sing, clap his hands or any other behavior that would have been acceptable.  Nope.  He wanted to climb up and down the stairs, grab the microphone stands, try to get the teacher's attention and a lot of other nonsense.  So after about 10 minutes of going up and down the stage, I pulled him down to my lap and made him sit.  That induced a minor tantrum that got him dragged out of the sanctuary and got him a nice little warning about behaving in church.  On the way back into the sanctuary, he began pitching a MAJOR tantrum about where he wanted to sit, so we didn't even sit - we just kept walking out of the church.  The whole way down the aisle, mothers were smiling that "I know exactly what you're dealing with and I'm so thankful it's not mine this time", grandmothers were nodding with approval, and my aunt even said "he's just like you."

3 minutes later, I'm back in the pew on the first row watching little Brooks sit so sweetly on the first step to the stage.  He's so cute - just sucking his little paci while all the older children sing and dance around him.  Welp - he decides to get up.  No big deal, he gets up and comes to see me.  Then he decides that the stage was much more interesting, so he head back up on the stage.  He waddles up the stairs to the stage and is so proud of himself.  But then I see the look in his eye - the I'm coming back down look.  I see him look around for something to hold onto as he makes his way down the stairs and the rest happens in slow motion - Brooks grabs a curtain that's draped over the piano (making the piano look like a field of bamboo) and before I can get to him, the curtain is slowly falling off.  I know better than to try and grab it or fix it - more than likely making it worse and thus making my presence on stage that much more noticeable, so I just grab the kid and back off the stage.  Yep.  Before I get back to my seat, I hear the swoooooosh of bamboo sticks falling left and right and finally, a huge cardboard panda falls right off the piano onto the stage.

I just covered my face with my hands and prayed one of those prayers you pray when you're lying in the bathroom floor with a stomach bug - "Lord please take me out of here.  Just zap me up right now."  But he didn't answer that prayer - instead I was left to hear the whole congregation burst into laughter and my sweet Brooks of course began laughing too, if only because he thinks he needs to when others do.  Needless to say, the Rutledge boys made quite the impression on Vacation Bible School.  I did manage to get a few good pics of the boys last week.  I guess that's a good thing since we may never be invited back....

This is Will at the VBS kickoff - this shyness wore off pretty quickly. 

Building birdhouses

Brooks figured out where the sweets were and he kept coming back all week...

Brownie face

Koolaid shirt - this shirt may never be the same.

Slip and Slide!

One Lucky Girl

I celebrated my 27th birthday yesterday.  I am another year older and much much wiser.  Ok - probably not that much wiser, but I can pretend.  It was an amazing birthday weekend, complete with much-loved downtime with my friends and family, cupcakes, and a present or two ;)

I actually had Saturday off and it was kind of a dreary day, so the boys and I (Brandon had to work) spent the morning doing what I never feel like I get to do enough of - the every day things that many of you stay at home mommies get to enjoy.  We made breakfast at home, played in our pjs and then I loaded them up for a drive to "look for trains."  This is where we ride around town, stalking the train tracks until we hear the glorious whistle of a choo-choo.  When the train storms by, Will and I talk about what kind of train cars the train has - freight cars, fuel cars, boxcars, etc.... and then dream up a fun place that he might be headed.  We also name the engine (although 90% of the time, Will names them "Thomas").  This is also a great opportunity to pay bills.  I usually park in the downtown area and write checks while Will is scouting out trains.  HA!  So then of course, after we found a train, we went to the post office and back home.  I guess I just love doing these things with my babies because it's the one tiny little glimpse of the stay-at-home mommy life that I get.

Anyhoo - After Brandon returned home from work, I went out to meet my mom for a little birthday shopping.  Believe it or not, my mom and I never ever get to spend time together.  In fact, the last time that we did anything together was Christmas shopping in 2010.  Still don't believe it??  I mean, we see each other, and we definitely talk at least once per day, but we're usually running in opposite directions as we chatter on the phone.

Later Saturday evening, Brandon took me to see the new Harry Potter movie.  It was good.  We've seen all of them, so of course we had to go to the final movie.  It was a great end, but kind of humorous at the very end (at least I thought they looked ridiculous as middle-aged adults).

Because I had to work Monday + take the boys to Vacation Bible School in the evening, Brandon decided to give me my birthday present on Sunday evening.  He knew exactly what to get me and I am so happy to be the proud new owner of a Nook Color -

I love it!  I love to read and I'm super excited about all the possibilities of my little gadget.  PLUS - I won't have all these books lying around that I've bought, read once, and will probably never read again!  I've already downloaded my first read -

I accidentally read the third book in this series first, so now I'm backtracking to the first.  It's pretty good so far, albeit a little scandalous.  Think maid-of-honor is having an affair with the groom-to-be.  I know - good quality material.  A real thinker.  Oh well - after I read this, plus it's sequel, I'll read something a little more in-depth.  (Probably not, but it's a nice thought.)

I am so blessed to be another year older.  I'm not going to lie - 26 was rough.  I went through some of life's hardest blows that year.  I'm happy to welcome 27 with open arms, an open mind, and an open heart.  So thank you to everyone who made my birthday special - from the phone calls to the Facebook messages.  I'm so blessed.  Cheers!

Nothing Major - But That's Just How I Like It :)

Hi friends!  I feel like it's been forever :)  Just a week I guess.  I have no excuses - except that I'm kind of on a book binge.  I do this sometimes.  I'll go months and not pick up a book and then when I finally do, I get sooooo consumed with my books that I can't do anything BUT read.  I'll read an entire novel in two days and then I sincerely miss the characters when the book is over.  Nerd - I know.

Anyhoo - we haven't had much going on lately and to be honest, that's music to my ears :)))  A few weeks ago, in the middle of Brandon's chemo treatments, I called my mom one night crying and I told her "I just want a normal week.  One in which I go to work, I come home and play with my crazy babies, cook, clean and go to bed!"  Well, that's the kind of week we've had and I'm praising God for that!!

I did cut 13 inches of my hair off on a whim.  I really loved my long hair, but I just felt so "Duggar family."  (No offense - I think they're sweet people - I just don't want their hair).  It took at least 30 mins just to dry it, not to mention style it, so I wanted something new.  Brandon was all for it me cutting my hair.  My coworker said "nooooo - men love long hair."  I replied that the only man I needed to please was Brandon and he gave me the go.  So on Friday I cut my hair.  Here is the before:

And here is the after:

I love my new do and Brandon does too!  The hair was donated to the American Cancer Society - a philanthropy especially close to our hearts these days.  A few people thought that I darkened it, but I didn't.  It's probably the absence of all those split ends that makes it look darker - and healthier :)  I did have to go home and change clothes.  I had hair everywhere!!  I didn't even have makeup on, but I definitely think the new do brightened my face.

What else??  We spent most of our weekend at church.  We're getting ready for Vacation Bible School next week, so I tried to help with the decorating.  VBS is such a fun time for the kiddos and I remember attending every single VBS in the county as a child.  I think my mother thought of it as Christian babysitters.  Our boys will be going this year (Brooks will be in the nursery, but this will be Will's first year in a class).  I've volunteered to stay and take pictures of the activities throughout the week, so it should be a fun time of fellowship for our little family.  I'm looking forward to it!

Happy Birthday America!

We had a fun and relaxing (if you can use that word with two little boys) 4th of July weekend.  I love this holiday and everything that it stands for.  Like most Americans, when I think of Independence Day, I think of little hometown parades with children waving tiny flags, glistening swimming pools, hotdogs, bug spray and fireworks.  But I also think its important to remember how we came to our freedom and what America stands for today.  I love that I live in a country where I am free to believe, free to dream and free to live.  OK - enough of the serious....

We spent our holiday with our friends and family at my parent's house.  This is an annual tradition and it never disappoints.  Brandon and I arrived with the boys around 1:00 in the afternoon and attempted to get a little swim time in.  Two things hindered this attempt:  1.  Will's belligerent fear of the swimming pool and 2.  The reoccurring 10-minute torrential downpours.

Isn't it funny how we as parents try to get our children to succumb to peer pressure in so many ways, and then pray to God that they don't as teenagers??  All afternoon I tried to reassure Will by telling him "Look at Dane!  Look at how big Dane is!!  See Dane swimming??"  Yeah - no such luck.  Will was jut not having it, so after about 30-40 minutes of clinging to my neck for dear life, I let him out to play in the sand box.  He was a happy camper after that.  Brooks continues to love the water, and has no fear whatsoever.  He doesn't like the confinement of the baby floats, but he pushes my hands away when I'm holding him.  He puts his face in the water and "jumps" (walks) off the side to anyone who's willing to catch.  If I had about 3-4 more months with him, he would probably be fine in arm floaties.

After swimming, our crew of about 35 piled into the house for hamburgers and hot dogs.  And these fun treats -

We had such a time laughing at our crazy kids (mine mostly - everyone else's kids can behave).  Between Brooks finding a plunger and Will's smart mouth, they certainly kept us entertained.  Will has finally found a friend that likes to rough-house with him - his little buddy Dane held his own like a real pro! Although the fireworks were rained out, we had such a fun day and I can't wait to do it all again next year :)

(Thanks Michelle for the pictures!)