Daddy drinks because you cry

I've had a taste of single motherhood for the past week and a half while My Husband has been out of town for work--blech! That's not a cry for help; things have really been okay, just relentless, you know? I bow to any single parents out there and to My Husband, who is a really big help. It must be my current circumstances that got me thinking of this list of "rejected children's books," originally sent to me by a co-worker several years ago (and not real, by the way). My favorites:

1. Daddy Drinks Because You Cry
2. You Are Different and That's Bad
3. Fun four-letter Words to Know and Share
4. Hammers, Screwdrivers and Scissors: An I-Can-Do-It Book
5. Julie Was So Bad Her Mom Stopped Loving Her
6. Curious George and the High-Voltage Fence
7. The Pop-Up Book of Human Anatomy
8. Things Rich Kids Have, But You Never Will
9. Why Can't Mr. Fork and Ms. Electrical Outlet Be Friends?

Pull Aparts

Speaking of birthdays, it's a tradition in my family to have cinnamon pull aparts for birthday breakfasts and for just about any other reason. It's possible that every Mormon in the western United States has some version of this recipe, and with good reason as they are off-the-hook delicious:

-24 frozen rolls (Rhodes, etc.)
-1 small pkg Cook 'N' Serve butterscotch pudding (NOT instant; that's important)
-1 cube butter or margarine
-1 cup packed brown sugar
-1 tsp. cinnamon

Grease a bundt pan with cooking spray and place the frozen rolls in it. Sprinkle the pudding powder over the rolls. Melt the butter and mix in the brown sugar and cinnamon. Pour the mixture over the rolls. Cover with a dish towel and let rise over night or for 8 hours. Put bundt pan on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. Flip over onto a serving plate and enjoy.

Four big ones

1st Brother turned 4 in mid-August--hooray! The day of he did a morning treasure hunt for presents and we spent time with friends at the Discovery Museum. We shared one of those single pieces of cake from Safeway and had ice cream in the evening.

A few days later, we had a week day morning Chuck E. Cheese party where we provided pizza, cupcakes, and tokens and let the kids go nuts. This worked pretty well, especially for me since I don't have a love for party planning, and making cute cakes and decorating things stresses me out. I don't think I "stood in that line" [in heaven] as My Husband likes to say; my talents lie elsewhere.

The favorite gift this year has to be Transformers. In the past 6 weeks, he's told a number of acquaintances and strangers, "I just turned 4. And I have Transformers."

4 months

Don't his legs look so much chunkier when they're bent?:

At 4 months, 2nd Brother is blowing lots of spit bubbles, grabs toys placed near his chest and chews on them (he especially likes to slime up his silky rainbow scarf), and kicks a lot while lying on his back, especially when excited.

Morning nap is 2+ hours but afternoon and evening are only about 45 minutes each (too bad since 1st Brother is in afternoon preschool and I don't have the free time I imagined). He sleeps at night from about 7:00pm-8:30am but is usually up twice to nurse. This makes me sleepy since I stay up too late expecting him to wake for that 1st feeding any minute. Must develop self-discipline soon and go to bed before midnight.

Several people have noted 2nd Brother has his own look, and I agree. Here's the same-outfit evidence with 1st Brother on the left:

2nd Brother has less forehead, smaller eyes and nose, and ears that are closer to his head I think.