Where's Momma?

You're Two!

2010-08-27T10:25:00.002-04:00

If you ask her how old she is she says, "CUPCAKES!" I guess I know what kind of birthday treat she wants.

Nature's Calling

2010-08-25T14:17:00.002-04:00

Our household has entered the world of potty training yet again. The Girl decided that it was time for the training to begin last week. Yes, she decided and now dictates everyone's bathroom visits including her baby dolls habits. I will say she is very reassuring while you are doing you business, even if the door is closed. It will go something like this...

Are you a big girl/boy, mommy or Elliot (baby #1) or Daddy or Jacob (Amish baby doll) or The Boy or Stella (baby #2), etc. Have to pee pee? Do you need help? Good job, insert name here. You are such a big girl/boy. Now flush.

I guess she is just mimicking what I say. Maybe I need to back off a little. Things so far are going well with the training. We are down to only wearing diapers at bed time. It is so crazy how the switch just turns. The Girl showed no interest and is now going full force. Let it be know that her preferences are different than The Boy's were. She doesn't want to use the training potty, only the big potty. And, of course, she can do it without any help. She won't go if you don't make it seem like it was her idea. And, she has to visit EVERY public bathroom we pass. Here's hoping the novelty goes quickly and that she is trained within the next few weeks.

Kindergarten Is Here

2010-08-18T21:58:00.006-04:00

The Boy started Kindergarten this week. The Girl has decided that it is time for her to be potty trained. They grow up so fast and often on their own time schedule. This week has been a sort of evolution of emotions for me. I cannot believe my Little Girl is old enough to be out of diapers, let alone that my Baby Boy is old enough to be a kindergartner.

This summer was one of freedom for me and it went by way too fast. I was just getting used to staying at home and everything has gone and changed on me again. I also didn't think that I would struggle so much with The Boy's journey into elementary school. Up until this summer, he has been in the care of someone else on a daily basis because I worked. How is him going to school all day any different?

All I can say is that I miss him more than I ever thought I would. He is already changing. I am all about gaining independence, but I still like the thought of him wanting to hold my hand and kiss me goodbye. I have a feeling those days may be close to disappearing. I now have to adjust to spending my day with a little one who talks, but often in code and often to her babies and not to me. I wait for 3:45 to come around so I can have a two sided conversation with a five year old. Boy, I need a hobby.

The Great Smokies

2010-08-11T20:23:00.004-04:00

The Husband and I were fortunate enough to be able to get away for our first adult only vacation in almost seven years. We went to Asheville, NC and I highly recommend it. It was a great way to celebrate our 10th anniversary. We had so much fun despite missing The Kids soooooooooooooo much. We were gone for four whole days. The highlight of the trip outside of out accommodations (check out the Beaufort House) was our day hike at Mount Mitchell. We were on the top of the highest point East of the Mississippi.

When we showed The Boy the pictures, he said, "You must have been high enough to touch God." I think He touched us.

The Boy also asked The Husband if this rock was heavy. Hee hee!

25 Days, but Whose Counting?

2010-07-23T15:16:00.006-04:00

The summer is almost over according to the school system here. The Boy starts Kindergarten in 25 days! I cannot believe five and a half years have passed since God put him in our lives. This week we have turned in paperwork, bought school supplies and have timed the drive to place where The Boy will be going.

Our journey to this point has not been easy. Unlike most school systems, your don't get to attend the public school closest to your house. Instead, you pick two school close to you end of town and two schools in the opposite end of town and the school system assigns you to a school. All in an effort to diversify the schools. Crazy, I know. We were initially assigned to a school 25 miles from our house. Hey, I am all for diversity, but 1 1/2 hours on a bus each way is TOO LONG for a five year old. We went through three different appeals processes prior to being granted a transfer to a school closer our house. We were lucky to get the transfer. Very lucky and relieved.

The Boy couldn't be more excited about being a Kindergartner. We have even made a "Countdown to Kindergarten" poster. Thinking about my little boy going to school makes me happy and unsettled. School is a GIANT life step. So many new influences in his life will appear. He will start making more and more decisions for himself on a daily basis that we as parents aren't aware. Next thing you know, he will be calling from Stanford asking us to put more money in his account so he can study aboard in Fiji.

Yesterday on the way home from somewhere (I honestly can't remember where we were...hmm), this was The Boyism.

"Momma, now that I am using a wallet (this is a velcro "Cars" wallet that he got in his stocking this year or last)will you treat me like an adult."

All in good time kiddo, take it a little slower please.

The Boy and Thoughts

2010-07-14T13:07:00.004-04:00

Boy thoughts for the week...

Said while thowing water out of the blown up pool.

"I am just giving the earth a healthy drink of water, it needs it to survive you know."

Said after I mopped the bathroom floors.

"I wish we had a wet floor sign like they do in stores so then I would know when my feet are going to get wet."

Freezer Humor

2010-07-13T14:10:00.004-04:00

Now that I have been staying home, I have had more time (to my delight)to try out new recipes. Imagine my surprise as I pulled out pork for meals over the last few weeks.

(These say oink and wee wee wee, just in case you can't decipher)

We often buy food in bulk because we think it is cheaper. It is The Husband's job to separate meat products because, let's be honest, who really wants to do that? Not me. I am glad he does. His humor makes my day. This one particularly hit my funny bone.

(Kermit did it with a knife in the study)
Sorry about the poor picture quality, photographer I am not.

Long Time No Post

2010-07-09T08:21:00.004-04:00

I don't know where the summer has gone. It has flown by and I haven't taken the time to sit down and write much about how life is going. It is going swell, just swell. The Family spend the holiday weekend at a family reunion for my mother's side of the family. We also got to spend some time with my favorite Aunt from my dad's side. I just love her and this was the first time the kids have met her and everyone else. It was nice to see that.

The Boy went fishing all day at the reunion. He caught a total of 14 fish. He was very excited.

The Girl was completely fascinated by the fishing worms. She spent a great deal of time looking at them and taking them to see various family members. I just love the fact that she is rough and tumble as well as interested in wearing dresses. I think it will be a great combination.

Having spent a great majority of my life away from my extended family. I have only recently started to understand the value of knowing them better. I have been learning so much about our family history and where my family comes from and I hope to pass this along to my kiddos when the time comes.

Living It and Loving It

2010-06-23T14:33:00.004-04:00

Can I just say I was skeptical? Skeptical that I would be able to stay home all day, everyday with the Kiddos without going crazy. Well, I know I am only a month in, but I am loving it and am feeling incredibly blessed that our family was able to do this. It has been such a treat and now that we are in a definite routine, it has worked out better than I expected it would. Now if this heat wave would break...yowsah it is hot.

Couple a things I have learned in my month as a non-"working" mom (as I have said before ALL moms work, location doesn't matter). . .

1. No One, and I mean NO ONE, grocery shops at 8:45 in the morning on a Wednesday...loving the 45 minute weekly shopping with the kiddos. I have never grocery shopped so fast. So excited about that.

2. The Kiddos eat A LOT! I mean A LOT. They are always hungry. I know that when they were at daycare and Preschool, they had set meal times, but they must have been able to eat as much as they requested at those times. It doesn't matter what is on the menu, they still want more. Oh, love this website by the way.... http://www.superhealthykids.com/

3. My kids really, really love each other. I knew this to be a truth prior to my leaving my job, but being able to see in every day never gets old. They hug and kiss each other. They share. They are sweet to each other. The teach each other. It is so nice. I know the day may come when they scream and slam doors at each other, but until then I will live in the sibling utopia that is our house.

4. It sucks not being about to go outside due to heat advisory warnings...damn global warming.

5. The Husband believes in women's lib and supports the working woman, but man does he like that the kids are happy, the house is clean, and that dinner is pretty much ready by 6 PM everyday without him having to fold laundry and cut veggies. I may need to rethink this one.

Do I miss work? No, but that had a lot to do with the job I was in when I decided to make the transition. I do miss interacting with other adult people on a daily basis. There are some days when I only talk to my 5 and 2 year olds. I know other moms that stay at home, but they don't seem to do play groups or outings. Maybe I can convince them. Goal #1 for next month.

Hot Fun in the Summer!

2010-06-14T21:21:00.002-04:00

It is H-O-T...hot, hot, hot. It is June and the temperature is already 95 to 100 degrees, not counting the heat index. Crazy. I picked the hottest summer we have had in three years to choose to stay home and run around with the kiddos.

So far, things have been great. I often find myself wondering what I did before I stayed home. My day is so full, every day...full to the max! Wait, I know, I worked ALL the time! I was looking back at my schedule from last year and I worked every weekend, in addition to every regular work day, for three months straight last year. RIDICULOUS! No wonder my kids are so glad to see me stay home with them.

Pictures to come soon. I am having technical difficulties.

Staying Home - Week One

2010-06-03T15:33:00.002-04:00

The first week as a stay at home mom has gone by quickly. Granted, day one was Memorial Day and The Husband was home. I tried on Monday to work the schedule as I would if he were off at work, his day free of giggles and screams; mine full of dirty hands and art projects gone awry.

It is funny, when I was a teen and even into my early twenties, I wasn't even sure I would ever want to have children. Now, here I am blessed twice over and I have given up my career to stay at home, filling my days with child-like play and raspberries on tummies. The Boy is so ecstatic that I am home with him. He wants to stay busy every minute of the day. So, I have planned them weeks for his enjoyment. The great thing is that The Girl has jumped on board. We have mini-preschool every morning. Since The Boy is WAY beyond learning his letter, I am sure to plan something special for him to do in the afternoon while The Girl naps.

While I don't miss working "yet," I now have a better understanding of how hard stay at home moms work (I have worked harder this week than I did most weeks at any job I have EVER had, and I am sure it is just the tip of the iceberg) and of how blessed we were to have had a daycare/preschool that took such good care of our children while I was working. If you have a childcare provider, give them a little extra treat this week, they deserve it!

With Honors

2010-05-30T16:28:00.004-04:00

Aren't these caps and gowns cute?

The Boy with his teacher Ms. Ashley

The Boy graduated from Pre-K last Friday. He was very excited. He received an award (all the kids got some kind of award) for outstanding reading skills. He was so proud. So were we. We are waiting on Harvard to call.

Meet Fineas

2010-05-19T10:08:00.003-04:00

We have a new member of the family. Meet Fineas, The Boy's new Beta fish. He is blue. We had some spare time yesterday before meeting The Husband for dinner and stopped at a local pet store. Thank goodness they didn't have any puppies at the store. They did have kittens. The girl proclaimed as soon as she saw one of the little gray tabby cats, "That is my kitty." Too bad The Husband is allergic.
The Boy is very excited about a pet that just sits there. Last night, we had this conversation.

The Boy: I think Fineas is cold.
Momma: He isn't cold, fish don't really get cold.
The Boy: Well, my feet are cold right now, what if he gets cold.
Momma: As long as his water stays at room temperature, he will be fine. He won't get too hot or too cold.
The Boy: That's good, it would be really hard to put a blanket on him

Taking the Plunge

2010-05-18T09:44:00.000-04:00

I am making a switch, one that I am very nervous about. This working momma is getting ready to become a stay at home momma in about 10 days. This is a decision I have been wrestling with for about 6 months. When The Husband landed his new job in December, we were finally in a place where my working wasn’t a necessity. We took a minute to thank God for our blessings and then began discussions about what this might mean for our family.

I have not, by choice, been unemployed since I turned 16 years old. I have ALWAYS had to work and most of the time, have WANTED to work. I worked in high school so I could pay for my co-curricular activities and clothes for school. I worked in college to pay for groceries and housing, every day necessities. I worked during Grad School to pay for my wedding and life. I worked while The Husband was attending Law School, remaining the sole means of income for three years. I have worked and loved being an independent, well educated, hardworking woman.

When our children entered the picture five years ago, I did question my employment initially, but never too seriously because I needed to work. I can honestly say that I never thought I would ever want to be a full-time, stay at home mom. I wanted to show my children that a woman can do both and do both well. I think I have done both well, but when things started to get less than fun in my job, I started taking a harder look a why I was working. The benefits of working for me at this point were just a few extra hundred dollars in the bank a month. SO NOT WORTH IT!

The Boy is extremely excited about the change. He cannot wait and has already planned out the entire summer. We are booked until he starts kindergarten (we still don’t know where, yikes!) in August. Yesterday, I had a minor panic moment about staying home. I really thought I would never be able to do this or have the opportunity to, and yet here it is before me. My emotions are mixed. For my sanity, I couldn’t stay working where I was and I know my kiddos are going to benefit immensely from me being home, but what if I lose myself in the process of taking care of them.

I am sure there is more to come when the transition actually begins. Until then, I need a new title for the Blog.

She's a Wild One, He's a Thinker

2010-05-17T08:38:00.005-04:00

The Girl bouncing on a balloon.

People say that once you have two children, you realize how different they will be. It couldn't be more true for my two kiddos. The Boy is laid back, usually quite, enjoys one on one time, has only thrown two tantrums in his life and often times doesn't understand why The Girl has to be so loud. The Girl is rambunctious, she likes to make her presence known, enjoys being the center of the universe and throws at least one tantrum a day. Polar opposites.

The great thing is the love they have for each other. They may be completely different, but they are inseparable. They are concerned about each other. The Boy is the first thing The Girl asks about when she wakes up. If The Girl starts fussy, The Boy is the first one to comfort her. It is so sweet.

Surprise

2010-05-11T15:18:00.003-04:00

The Husband has been scouring Craig's List for months hoping to find a piano for The Boy. The Boy has been taking piano lessons for a year, still loves it, so we decided to try to find him a way to practice that didn't involve a keyboard propped up on a table from Pottery Barn Kids.

The scouring finally paid off. The Husband found an almost new piano for FREE! We surprised The Boy with it this weekend and every free moment is spent playing and making up his own songs. LOVE IT!

Is it wrong for me to hope that The Boy and The Girl will one day play and sing duets????

Deep Thoughts

2010-05-05T09:23:00.002-04:00

Every so often, I turn to look at The Boy and he is in serious deep thought. Last night was one of those nights. The kids and I were having dinner and The Boy was quieter than usual.

Momma: Whatcha thinking about?
The Boy: Did you know that one day, my great Grandma and Grandpa will be in Heaven?
Momma: Why do you think that?
The Boy: They will die one day, right?
Momma: Yes, buddy, everyone dies one day, when God decides it's time.
The Boy: They will like it in Heaven because God and Jesus are there. Well, God is everywhere, but he lives in Heaven.
Momma: That's true.
I decided to keep the conversation going because I don't want my kids to be fearful of death, boy am I glad I did.
Momma: Heaven will be a nice place.
The Boy: Why?
Momma: Because, you never get sad or hungry and you never feel pain.
The Boy: That's because God has lots of Neosporin and Band-Aids. Plus, if you fall down, you won't get hurt because you will fall on all the clouds.

Oh, the thoughts of children. Gotta love that childlike faith.

Bring It

2010-05-03T10:23:00.003-04:00

The Husband and I have decided to punish ourselves...we started the infamous P90X series this weekend. I don't think I have ever hurt so much in my life. Not even after I did the Avon Breast Cancer 60 miles walk in hot, hot Dallas. We are two days in and are both as sore as can be. I told The Husband that I will be very disappointed if we don't see results.

The kiddos have loved watching our antics. They have taken part in some of the exercise.

It is sad when your 5 year old can do more dive bomber pushups than you can.

Ready to Pee Pee

2010-04-26T10:15:00.004-04:00

I think The Girl is trying to subtly hint something...
Every time we turn around she is lying on the floor on her diaper changing pad. Crazy! Maybe it is time to put the potty training into high gear.

Don't Glare at Me!

2010-04-15T09:34:00.005-04:00

Monday was a fun day. I got three phone calls from the kids' school. Call one went like this...

"Hi it's The Girl's teacher, everything is okay, but I didn't want you to be shocked when you pick The Girl up. She has a black eye. She was running, tripped over the rug and hit the bookshelf."

Call Two:

"It's The Girl's teacher again. She was half sitting in the chair, leaned over to grab something and pinched her thigh in between the table and where she was sitting."

For both of these injuries, The Girl didn't even cry. She is tough.

Call Three:

"It's The Boy's teacher. Everything is fine, for the most part, but he woke up from his nap with very swollen eyes. We are afraid his eyes might swell shut. You might want to take him to see the doctor."

Damn pollen!

I picked them both up, took them to the doctor's office. The Boy's allergies are just on high alert because this is the highest the pollen count has been in 10 years! The suggestion was to continue the allergy medicine regiment and put cold compresses on his eyes when they get really swollen. The Boy was the third child that the Dr. had seen per the request of daycare directors. He was cleared to go back to preschool, compresses in hand.

So, both my children had at least one swollen eye. The Girl's eye was also purple. I had strangers asking me what happened to you kids, how did that happen, what did you do? Not what did she do, what did YOU do? Not all the looks were judging. And, I am thankful for the mom at the store who said, my girls do stuff like that all the time.

Thankfully, The Girl's eye is fading fast and it is supposed to rain tomorrow...maybe that will end the pollen issues.

Does Everything Have an Expiration Date?

2010-04-08T08:46:00.002-04:00

'Tis the season of allergy mania for The Boy. He didn't have allergies until we moved to the Ohio Valley. Lucky for him, as soon as spring sprung this year, BOOM! itchy eyes, runny/itchy nose, and phlegm, phlegm, phlegm! I don't know where he gets it. Neither the Husband nor I have allergies. I won't talk about The Girl, I don't want to jinx it.

The good thing (silver lining) is that for The Boy, allergy season really only lasts about two months, mid-March-mid-May. But, throughout this time he is on an allergy medicine regiment. We have general over the counter allergy relief like Claritin and then two prescriptions...one for nasal spray and the other for eye drops. He never uses an entire prescription...the duration of need is too short.

Well, we have been using the remainder of his last filled scripts since the itchy, sniffling mess started this year. Last night I called the pharmacy to refill his eye drops. He is almost out and we can't risk not having them. His eyes may swell shut. The last time the pediatrician wrote the scripts, she made sure to put 20 refills on each. I guess that doesn't matter. The pharmacy told me that since it has been a year since the prescription was filled, we would have to have the doctor REWRITE a NEW prescription. The window of opportunity had passed. I wonder, if I had called two days ago (the exact date the script was filled last year), would I have made it in under the wire. It is EYE DROPS for the love of Pete, not Vicodin. Well, I am off to call the pediatrician...

I'm Calling it the Party Bus

2010-03-31T12:07:00.004-04:00

We embarked on a step toward truly being defined by our parenthood this week. We are officially the owners of, wait for it, a dun...dun...dun... minivan. I know, so cliche, but it has happened. I am following in the footsteps of all my mommy friends who have already taken this leap, the one that says, "Look at me, I do nothing else but cart my kids to their over scheduled lives." No more pretending that I can escape Mommyhood for a small time by just getting in the car.

I have to say, I love it. The kids love it. Heck, even the Husbands likes it. The decision was a good one. All the room. The prospect of being able to fit more than just my kiddos in the van makes me giddy with excitement. The ability to take family trips with the grandparents has me overjoyed. We can all fit in ONE vehicle. Yay! I am happy to be partially defined by this hunk of metal and plastic. I hope that it is still okay to fantasize about that sporty convertible...it is only 18 years away.

She's a Talker

2010-03-25T08:34:00.002-04:00

The girl has been talking non-stop since she could udder a noise. But this morning she woke me up by saying "I love my momma" as she bent down to give me a kiss. What a great way to wake up. And, what a great first four word sentence.

Daylights Savings

2010-03-16T08:56:00.003-04:00

The Girl is a mess. She will not sleep in her bed, by herself through the night. Last night was particularly difficult. The Husband usually gets up with her. I know, I am lucky, but he also knows that I am a bear when I haven't slept. I got up with The Girl last night. I volunteered thinking it would be sweet to cuddle with her on the couch in the family room while we both drifted back into a peaceful slumber.

I couldn't have been more wrong. Between her crying out, the constant tossing and turning and wanting to play name all of momma's body parts at 2 AM, we may have gotten a collective 2 hours of sleep the whole night. We moved into my bedroom at around 4:30 AM, only to be joined by The Boy. Our bed is not a family bed...for just the shear reason that it is not big enough to hold two adults and two kids, with the kids sleeping sideways. All parents out there know that kids don't sleep with their heads at the top of the bed and their feet at the bottom. They sleep sideways or diagonal or on top of you with their feet in your face. That is just the way it is.

When The Girl finally decided that enough was enough at 5:45 AM and catapulted out of the bed, I gave in and let (or forced) The Husband to take over. *thank you, onewhocanliveonlittlesleep* I wanted to stay grumpy at her, but just look at that sweet face. I blame Daylight Savings instead.

When I Grow Up...

2010-03-03T23:15:00.001-05:00

The Boy: Momma, do you know what?
Momma: No, what?
The Boy: When I grow up, I want to be a golfer, a spy and a cheerleader.
Momma: A cheerleader?
The Boy: Yeah, those boy ones on tv always get to pick up the girls. That would be cool.

Whirlwind of a Month

2010-02-18T14:22:00.004-05:00

This month has been super busy for our little familia. With the continuing travel for The Husband's new job, travel for me, piano lessons, birthday parties, work, work and more work, it is amazing that we have spent any time together at all. While I am seriously done with snow for the year, it has been a bit of a blessing because I have gotten to spend some quality time with the kiddos. Our city shuts down at the mere inkling of snow. So far this year, I have had four snow days that I can remember, all filled with cuddles and naps and tickle fests.

The first time The Girl went out in the snow, she was a little weary, this last time, she wanted to stay out in it forever. Snow angels were made, snowballs were thrown, a good time was had by all. She got particular pleasure out of walking through the 9 inches. I guess she liked the crunchiness. I think The Boy would have stayed out in the freezing temperatures forever, but the prospect of hot chocolate helped to reign him in without issue. He got to build his first snow man last week. He was so proud. And, because we haven't had above freezing temps until today, the snowman is still standing although various forms of wildlife have taken off with the carrot nose and the Twizzler mouth.

I was away this weekend for a conference in Boston. The trip was most enjoyable even though it was for work. I spent Valentine's Day on a plane. I don't really buy into all the hype for the big V day. I think The Husband is probably thankful for that. I don't really need one day a year to remember that I am loved or vice versa. I truly think everyday should be Valentine's Day in a way (hey, I am Dr. Suess). I would be lying if I didn't say it wasn't nice to walk into this when I arrived home on Sunday night.

The Husband cut out all the hearts and wrote things from our 11 years together that make him smile. You know, the little inside jokes and fun memories that have been made. They were everywhere. He accompanied the hearts with a heartfelt (pun intended) letter and a homemade card from the kiddos. I tell you what, that is much better than a dozen roses in my book!

What's Wrong?

2010-02-08T07:40:00.002-05:00

The Boy had a fever of 102.8 last night. The Husband finally got home at 10 pm, YAY! The fever this morning is a little lower 101.3.

The Husband: What feels bad, baby?
The Boy: My ears hurt, my throat hurts. I have a virus and there are microbes everywhere.

There you have it. Thanks to Beth and Jonathan and the girls for giving us that science kit...we have been invaded by microbes. What can I say other than you're right kiddo?

No Fair

2010-02-04T10:08:00.002-05:00

I am stuck at home while The Husband lives it up here for a work retreat. Must be nice to have a glamorous job.

4 Year Check Up Lingers

2010-02-02T14:36:00.002-05:00

Today I took The Boy in for his 5-year check up. Can I just say, I don't think he will ever forget his four-year check up. Four shots, finger stick and peeing in a cup, major trauma. Every time we have been to the doctor's office since last year, The Boy has made sure to tell me that he doesn't get anymore shots until he is 11 years old.

I really thought that today would be better. No shots, just peeing in a cup. Lo and behold, a finger prick was part of the protocol. As soon as the doctor mentioned it, The Boy lost it. It took us a good 30 minutes to get him calm and restrained enough to prick his finger. After being pricked, he said, "You're right, it doesn't really hurt." Stinker!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR BO-OY!

2010-01-29T09:31:00.007-05:00

The Boy

Born 1/29/05 @ 7:05 AM

7 lbs. 13.8 oz 19 inches

The Boy at One

The Boy at Two

The Boy at Three

The Boy at Four

FIVE YEARS OLD!

I have been weepy and sentimental all week. Five years ago today, joy like no other entered my life. I know it is only his fifth birthday, but I feel like it is a huge milestone. The Boy has gone from being so helpless and small, to being independent and so big. Where did the time go?

Hey Momma

2010-01-28T08:03:00.002-05:00

The Boy: Guess what?
Momma: What buddy?
The Boy: Chicken butt. (so glad I taught him that) No, really, guess what.
Momma: Um, what?
The Boy: I am going to turn five in my sleep tonight.

Literally, at this moment, it is 24 hours until my boy officially turns 5!

A Milestone

2010-01-26T08:55:00.004-05:00

The Boy at 2 Years Old

My baby Boy turns FIVE YEARS OLD this week. I can't believe it. I have a little man running around. The first light of my life is turning five! I can't imagine him getting any older. He already acts like a 14 year old most days. I keep telling myself to savor his cuddles. He may end up cuddling for the rest of his life, but I believe it will wane before I know it.

Last night, The Boy was having a bad dream. I went in to comfort him and he said, "Momma, I am so glad it is you, I love you, will you lay with me?" I cuddled up next to him and he went back to sleep instantly. Looking so peaceful, he reached for my hand and mumbled something and all I could think was you used to be in my belly. I used to be able to nuzzle you to my chest and smell your little baby soft head. Now, you are so big. You are so tall. You are so smart. You are so funny. I have a hard time believing you were ever so small. I love you little man!

Football Knowledge

2010-01-25T08:25:00.002-05:00

As you may be aware, last night hosted two NFL playoff games which determined the teams to play in this year's Superbowl. I am excited about the match up between the Colts and the Saints, should be a good game. At our house, football was on both TVs, just in case you had to go to the basement whilst the game was on and didn't want to miss anything. I like football, but the level to which The Husband enjoys the game rivals that of those guys who paint their faces yellow and wear cheese on their heads.

Last night I was informed of a very important rule in football (not sure if it is NFL specific). The Saints were going for a touchdown and seemingly crossed the goal line, but looked to be out of bounds. At first, the refs did not say touchdown. The Husband immediately said, "Bad call, that was a touchdown. His body was in bounds and crossed the goal line. It doesn't matter where the ball is and theoretically, everyone knows, that the goal line stretches all the way around the world, as long as he is in bounds, it doesn't matter where the ball is." After being reviewed, the play was ruled a touchdown.

So, be aware, a goal line could possible be be in your backyard, you better keep an eye on it.

Momma of a Different Animal

2010-01-20T13:51:00.002-05:00

Isn't it always the case that your children need you to do something for them at the exact same time? Yesterday afternoon, I was in the process of taking off The Girl's pink converse high top tennis shoes (so cute) and The Boy came up to me in a frenzy.

The Boy: Momma, unbutton my pants, I have to pee.
(The Boy usually has no trouble unbuttoning his own pants, but this particular pair of khaki's aren't even conducive to my fingers.)
Momma: Hang on a second, I am taking off your sister's shoes.
The Boy: (hear sarcasm, which he clearly gets from his father) I guess, it's not like you have more than two hands.
Momma: That's true, smarty pants, I only have two hands.
The Boy: Wouldn't it be great if you were an octopus mom, then you would have eight hands and could do some many more things at once, and then I wouldn't have to wait.
Momma: You have no idea.

Fun in the Shower

2010-01-19T10:29:00.001-05:00

A sign that you have kids...toys in your shower. This morning I showered with a variety of animals...zebra, giraffe, cheetah or leopard (I get them confused) and a penguin. So much for spending some quality time alone. At least they were silent but, I did feel like they were staring.

Time to Drop Kick the Cold Weather

2010-01-13T08:14:00.003-05:00

Are anybody else's kiddos going stir crazy. I don't know how stay at home moms are doing it right now. The kids are so wound up by the time we get home at night due to not being able to go outside at school, I cannot imagine what it would be like at home all day. At least at school they have gross motor areas where they can run and jump into ball pits, foam slides, etc.

The below is a typical conversation in our house daily:

Momma, I want to go outside.
You can't it is too cold.
Other people are outside with their daddies.
Who?
Other people.
Well, they will get really cold.
How cold is it?
12 degrees.
That isn't that cold.
(This conversation will repeat itself over and over instead of self destructing as wished.)

The Boy has massive amounts of energy in the evening no matter how long of a day he has had. Last night, to ward off some of the constant chatter and question asking, The Husband had him play a relay game that was described as AWESOME. This is how you know it doesn't take much to amuse kids. The Husband had The Boy running suicides, you know like they do in football practice. He would run a few feet pick something off the ground, run back to where he started and put the item in a box. Then, he would run to the next item and back. He had to pick up five items spread throughout our basement. The Boy did this for 30 minutes. And, while he did break a sweat, he did not waste any energy. Where does it all go as an adult?

Here is a picture of The Boy dressed up for Wacky Wednesday. It is theme week at school. He is worried that everyone will touch his hair.

Hair Sylist

2010-01-12T12:10:00.001-05:00

The Boy asked me last night if he could do my hair. I said sure, what's the harm in that. Luckily, the comb only got stuck once. The Husband had to help get it out of my curly, tangled mane. A few sentences that escaped The Boy's lips whilst he was styling...

I don't have enough barettes.
It is like I am brushing your brain.
Your hair is so shimmery.

Gifts That Keep on Giving

2010-01-08T11:24:00.002-05:00

The Glee soundtrack....Love it! And, look at my girl...she looks like Rainbow Brite.

Big Girl Steps

2010-01-05T12:55:00.002-05:00

Ding, ding, ding. The Girl utilized her very practical Christmas present for the first time this morning. She peed in the potty! YAY! She has been sitting on it since she made us open the box on Christmas morning, but this morning was a break through. One step closer to being diaper free. Woo Hoo!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-04T11:32:00.002-05:00

The hiatus is over. I am back on line after the break. I am so blessed and thankful for the great two weeks I had off with the family. It was a great breather and a great reminder of how wonderful my kids and husband are.

The Boy and I had a date last night to end the holidays. We went to see "The Princess and the Frog." The movie was amazing. Disney hasn't had a movie like this in a while, simple and sweet. The message was about understanding what you need versus what you want. The Boy understood that and I thought to myself, sometimes I forget that. It is good to get back to the simpleness of basic needs. I am hoping to remember that this year. When I asked The Boy what his favorite part was he told me it was the part where they got married. And, his favorite character was the Princess. He is so sweet.

I am working on getting some new pictures on the site today. The family had a great Christmas. The new year is bringing lots of fun as well. Stay tuned for some good stories I hope.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-25T07:16:00.001-05:00

The Boy (from the bathroom): No one can go downstairs (where the tree is) until we have breakfast.

What kind of kid says that? I guess a hungry one.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

I Have Figured it Out

2009-12-21T09:30:00.003-05:00

I have finally had an epiphany. The reason it has been so hard for me to get into the spirit this year has been because I don't see a lot of the spirit out there. Maybe I am not looking hard enough. I have avoided shopping this year because so many folks out there are too focused on giving the best, most significant gift to their son/daughter/mother/friend/partner/..... and unfortunately are rude to everyone around them in the process. I have to go out today to finish up some small tasks and I am dreading it with all my being.

I am struggling because I want to be sure I am teaching The Boy and The Girl the spirit behind giving and to sound cliche, the real Reason for the Season. They are no doubt enjoying the holidays. I am making the most of it for them. The Boy and I have talked about Jesus and the real meaning of Christmas for our family. The highlight of my week last week was finally purchasing a nativity set for the family. My face light up as The Boy shouted, 'Look Momma, it is the Angel of the Lord." I guess they are getting it. The Girl likes to carry Baby Jesus around in her mouth. I will take it anyway I can get it.

How blessed we are to have the miracle of Christmas. Whether you believe or not, I hope each and everyone reading this (the few of you out there anyway), remembers that it is not what you get, but what you give (and I'm not talking presents.) Merry Christmas!

Spreading Cheer

2009-12-18T14:31:00.002-05:00

The Christmas Spirit has nipped at me a bit since about a week ago. Just in the "nick" of time I guess. What helped it along was the fact that a friend of mine surprised me by sending me a little Christmas cheer! I love that we have friends all over this great country of ours! And, who doesn't like to get flowers, so unexpectedly. The great thing about this gesture of kindness is that the arrangement was dropped off at our neighbors house because we weren't home. So, Barbara, our neighbor, brought the arrangement over and said she was glad that the flowers could help her with her Christmas spirit for a day as well. So, thanks Theresa for making two houses more Christmasy this week!

Letters to Santa

2009-12-15T16:30:00.004-05:00

The Boy and The Girl each wrote a letter to Santa this year. I will say that The Girl was more interested in eating the marker than writing the letter, but The Boy was all about it and did it with virtually no help this year!

All ready to go!

Finished Products

The Grinch

2009-12-12T19:31:00.002-05:00

The Boy: Can we watch the Grinch tonight?
Momma: We just watched that, let's see if there is something else Christmasy on tonight and we will watch that.
The Boy: Do you know what a crime is?
Momma: Um hum
The Boy: Stealing Christmas was the Grinch's crime...but it didn't matter, Christmas came anyway.
Momma: That is true.
The Boy: He's lucky he didn't go to jail.
Momma: He learned about the spirit of Christmas instead.
The Boy: That's better than jail.
Momma: It sure is.

Ho, Ho, Ho

2009-12-10T09:03:00.002-05:00

If you haven't been able to tell, I haven't been feeling blogosphere land lately. I think I began this blog as a way to feel better about being a working mom. It was my way of journaling all the things I am not missing out on as I sit at work day in and day out. It is a catharsis of sorts, it makes me feel better...most of the time. I know I am a happier person when I work outside they home, but sometimes I wonder what it would be like if I really was able to stay home.

Another reason for the lack of posts is that I am having a hard time getting into the Christmas Spirit. This is not cool, especially since both kiddos are really into it this year. Help, someone send me something that will change my attitude.

Don't get me wrong, I put on the Christmas face for my kiddos. I hope they haven't noticed a difference. We put up decorations, we are doing the infamous advent calendar that I have talked about here and here again this year and it is even Christmasy outside this year. What is my problem?

Hopefully tomorrow, I will be able to post some fun pictures of the Advent Calendar events and a video of Nicholas' rectial performance. He did great by the way!

Is That a Hint?

2009-12-01T08:40:00.001-05:00

I pass two churches with billboards on the way to work most mornings and today they both said "count your blessings and give thanks to the Lord." I think God is trying to tell me something.

Listening to the Oldies Station

2009-11-15T21:14:00.002-05:00

It is official, The Husband and I are getting old. We now have a station programmed into our car radios called "Gen-X Radio." This station plays songs from our growin' up years. It is often found playing old Bon Jovi, Depeche Mode, the Fresh Prince, etc. We love it. Today it was fun to hear a little Snap..."I've Got the Power." It was gettin' a little hectic in the car. Then we realized the song is a million minutes long and changed the station to NPR. Over the last couple of weeks, The Boy has had to endure our singing to the songs on this station. It's fun, we sing at the top of our lungs and he rolls his eyes at us as if to say, 'How uncool are you two?'

Yesterday, I ran into the Kroger to get some mozzerella cheese for mini pizzas. When I came back out, The Husband was jamming to "Can't Touch This." Who doesn't like a little MC Hammer? So, naturally, I got in the car and started to jam out with him. We were both bouncing and singing and turning around in the car (we were still parked) to see the reaction of the kiddos. The Girl loves anything with a beat, so she was rockin' out too. The Boy on the other hand looked like he was dying. He was melting into his car seat, trying to escape the crazy parents in the front seat.

We started to pull out of the parking space and I turned back to look at The Boy again, while I still singing. He seemed to finally understand how awesome the song was. He was saying can't touch this over and over. Then, his face got real serious and he said to me, "there are things The Girl and I can't touch in our house...like the stove or the oven." I think he was really wondering what MC Hammer couldn't touch. It must be really hot.

Practice

2009-11-13T14:21:00.003-05:00

The Boy is gearing up for his first piano recital. He will be playing "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" on December 5th. Here's a little teaser.

Change of Plans?

2009-11-10T08:23:00.002-05:00

It may be time to rethink this whole extended nursing plan. While I was getting dressed the morning, The Girl looked up at me and said Bobie (her word for breast), mine.

We're Off to See the Wizard

2009-11-02T10:35:00.002-05:00

Weekend Fun

2009-10-26T14:19:00.004-04:00

Goofy Pumpkin

The tire swing was a big hit.

She only had one bite. She loved it.

Gooey.

The tire swing was her favorite thing this weekend.

Our weekend was jam packed full of fun adventures. Hayrides, s'mores, tailgating treats at church, and fun the the park. Have I told you that I love fall?

A Boy's Noise

2009-10-23T13:16:00.002-04:00

Last night, The Boy was feeling a little under the weather. Nothing serious...he is just a little congested in his head. I really think allergies are still a factor here. He told me he couldn't hear very well. This has been happening over the last few days. I told him to pop his ears, something that we just taught him recently. It has been working. Well, he was on his stomach in his bed. He held his nose and then added the presssure of holding his breath. His nose didn't pop, but a whole bunch of air came out from his other end. He paused for a moment, looked at me and said, "Well, that was unexpected!" Then, he fell into fits of laughter...so did I. That moment, was the highlight of my day.

To Vaccinate or Not To Vaccinate

2009-10-22T09:22:00.002-04:00

This is indeed the question of the hour. The Husband has already decided that he will opt out of the H1N1 aka swine flu vaccine. According to our local paper, he does not fit the "at-risk groups" profile. Just in case you don't know what the groups are:

Children and young adults 6 months to 24 years old, especially those with chronic health issues.
Pregnant women
People who live with or care for children younger than 6 months old
People 25-64 with chronic health problems
Health care workers

The Husband's profession, doesn't really put him around any of the risk groups either. I on the other hand work daily with gross, germy college students. But, I still don't think I am going to get the vaccine. We are generally a healthy family. Our kids are sick maybe once or twice a year. In my mind, I am trying to figure out the risks of the vaccination (which hasn't been thoroughly tested) versus the risks/chance of getting the flu. Plus, on NPR this morning, they were saying that they estimated having 120 million doses ready by the end of October, but not all the vaccine took, so it looks like there will only by 30 million. By me taking the vaccine, I am taking away one from an asthmatic child who is clearly more at risk than I am. What to do, what to do?

Time For Some Pictures

2009-10-13T09:37:00.003-04:00

BEEP! BEEP! Here I come!

No, Momma, I am really sick.

His pumpkin looks a little like the Joker.

Training him early.

Restful Weekend

2009-10-12T08:39:00.002-04:00

I really love the weekends when there isn't anything going on except quality time at home with the family. This weekend was one of those weekends, nothing but rolling around on the floor with the kiddos tickling, reading books and watching football (maybe too much football).

Fall has finally touched down here. The leaves are changing and the temperature hasn't been above 65 degrees in about a week. There is a crispness in the air...fall is my favorite time of year. It is host to trick or treating, bonfires, hikes, camping and of course Thanksgiving. My goal is to make some great memories this year. The Boy is at the age where he remembers everything, so I am hoping to make the most of it. For The Girl, we will just document, document, document.

The Girl's personality continues to grow. I say this a million times a day, but she is completely different from her brother. She is moody, outspoken, and loud. I love it! She is sassy and wants things her way. The Husband told me yesterday that he thinks I treat her a little different from the boy. I guess I baby her too much. I like to rock her before she goes to sleep. I don't like to let her cry too much...etc., etc. I don't think it is true, but she is my last baby (unless God has other plans) and a little excessive cuddling isn't going to hurt her or me. And, try as I may to rock her to sleep, she only lets me do so until she pushes me away because she is ready to stretch out in her crib. She is already so big, it is only a matter of time before she crawls in her bed without help. Tears...

The Bug Has Moved On

2009-10-05T06:44:00.001-04:00

To another member of the family. The Boy now has "the fever", and I pray to God that this fall/winter isn't going to be a steady progression of rotating illness. The Boy has now been sick since late Friday night. If he follows the same pattern as the girl, his fever should break this afternoon. What are the chances that one of us adults will be out with "the fever" next?

What a Week!

2009-10-02T10:03:00.002-04:00

This week has been crazy. I have spent all week except today at home with The Girl...some nasty virus. I thank God everyday for having healthy children most of the time. I did not enjoy seeing her get tested for everything under the sun. I am also thankful that we have a very through pediatricians office. She is back at daycare today and I am missing her snuggles. She was very cuddly all week. She is usually too busy to cuddle much.

In different events, The Boy got in trouble this week at school. As luck would have it, I think he is bored out of his mind. If anyone has an answer to this problem, let me know. We are already supplementing him at home and his teacher is giving him advanced work. And so it continues...

How did he get in trouble you might ask? He told me he made a bad choice to say butt over and over during circle time, sometime touching his butt. He was telling me the story and it took everything I had not to laugh out loud. He also told me that next time he will say buttocks because that is the correct name for your butt. He also apologized to his teacher the next day and was very well behaved. His teacher told me that the "butt incident" was a direct result of peer pressure....yikes...he isn't even in regular school yet. So on top of a discussion about appropriate classroom behavior, we had to have a discussion about peer pressure. Man, parenting is hard.

New Pictures

2009-09-23T13:25:00.003-04:00

Our Little Ragamuffin

The Boy and the Neuron

Brain Science

2009-09-16T15:19:00.002-04:00

I try on a daily basis not to be too stunned by The Boy. His quest for knowledge just amazes me. My parents tell me I was the same way, but I don't remember it being quite like he is. I do remember being six years old and checking out every book in the library on the solar system and then requesting to build a model of it without being required to, but I was six. The Boy has already done this...he was three.

Last night at dinner, The Boy shared with us that he already knows everything being taught in his Pre-K class. This is indeed true. He has been writing his name since he was two and that is what his class is learning right now. He is reading and his class is learning the sounds of the letters. When we decided to keep him in a standard Pre-K class (as if we had a different option), we knew this was going to be a problem, but I don't think we thought he would be so blatantly outspoken about it in the classroom. He is blatantly outspoken about it in the classroom. I have worked with his teacher to make sure he has other things to do that are more challenging. He has his own binder of activities to do during "work" time. But, he has now made it abundantly clear that this is not enough.

My struggle is not that he is a bright kid...I get that, I feel comfortable with working with that. My struggle is that I don't want him to get too big too fast. I want him to enjoy being a kid. I think The Husband and I are doing well to balance his drive for learning with the need for fun and thankfully he likes to be silly. I thank God everyday that, as of now, he seems to be balancing brains with fun. But, I do worry that will change. It is hard to say let's go play freeze tag or make believe we are dragons when all he really wants to do is learn about how his brain works.

Seriously. I have spent a few hours looking up activities he can do that will help him learn about the nervous system per his request. This came about after a short lesson in Pre-K about the senses. Apparently his teacher indicated in passing that the brain runs our senses. True. It does. But, now, The Boy wants to learn about the brain and what else it does. So, we are going to learn about that. Stop by our house tonight if you would like to diagram a neuron out of Playdoh. It is going to be big fun!

Childlike Living

2009-09-14T10:34:00.002-04:00

This is a reminder to me on how to approach every day, no matter how taxing things might seem. Look how much fun she is having thanks to those around her.

I KNOW You Know

2009-09-09T11:12:00.004-04:00

There is a time in every kid's life where they figure out what it means to be independent. We have already dealt with the "I can do it myself" syndrome at our house for The Boy. I know The Girl is rapidly approaching this stage. She already seems to think she can put her socks on by herself. Before you think, wow that is advanced, understand that for her putting on her socks means laying them on her feet. She is very proud after she does this, but gets even more excited when we finish the job.

With The Boy, we have moved on from the "I can do it myself" stage to the "Mama, did you know that I know..." stage. Every single conversation we have lately seems to start like this...

The Boy: Mama, can I tell you something?
Mama: Yes, sweetie, you can tell me anything.
The Boy: Let me whisper it in your ear.
Mama: You don't have to whisper it, not everything is a secret.
The Boy: Please, let me whisper it.
Mama: Okay (wincing because the whisper will not be a whisper and sometimes includes accidental spitting in the ear).
The Boy: Did you know I know...

And then the conversation starts over again with a different topic. Most of the time he is telling me that he knows what the small intestine does, or what a word means...but every now and then what he knows has to do with poop. Boys, I have found, in general, like to talk about poop and more specifically their own poop. I can't wait until The Girl starts talking in sentences.

Words Make Me Sleepy

2009-09-01T15:00:00.003-04:00

The Boy has gotten my love for reading. This is how we find him most nights after we have put him to bed and turn off all his lights. So sweet. He will be reading Dickens before we know it. I never really liked Dickens, but I had to think of a big, important author on the spot.

It Was a Party!

2009-08-31T09:36:00.003-04:00

The family celebrated The Girl's 1st birthday this weekend with a party for family and close friends. It was a lot of fun, but it sure did wear me out. The Girl had a blast. We are so thankful for those who are a part of our lives. It is nice to have folks to share her life moments with on days like the one we had this weekend.

Then and Now

2009-08-28T08:24:00.003-04:00

Happy Birthday!

2009-08-27T08:56:00.002-04:00

MY LITTLE GIRL TURNS ONE YEAR OLD TODAY AT 11:22 AM!!

I cannot believe how fast a year has gone by. The Girl is so big and she knows it. She is walking a little, talking a lot and has as much sass as one can handle. It seems like yesterday that I was yelling at the nurse to get the doctor because if she didn't the baby would be on the floor. And now, I have a toddler, officially, a toddler. No more baby girl. As I write this I feel a little sad, but I am so looking forward to hair ribbons and uncontrollable laughter. I love being a mom.

After a Long Hiatus

2009-08-24T12:38:00.002-04:00

Man has life been busy. Work has been crazy and with fitting family in with that, I haven't had much time to post. I promise to update more over the next few days/weeks. I hope all is well with everyone out there.

Questions From The Boy in the Last 24 Hours

2009-08-04T12:32:00.002-04:00

Momma, what is the difference between the promise land in the Bible and in the Underground Railroad.

Why do I have to brush my teeth when I am just going to get new ones?

The Amazing Reappearing Turtle

2009-08-03T08:32:00.002-04:00

Miraculous news...On Saturday afternoon our neighbor two doors down rang our doorbell. I peeked out the window to see who it was and lo and behold she was standing there holding Belle! I opened the door, thanked her profusely and called for The Boy to come and see who was at the door. The Boy was beside himself with excitement. Not as much as Belle though. As soon as I picked her up, she peed all over me and the floor. We are so glad to have her back.

LOST

2009-07-27T13:23:00.000-04:00

One turtle. Green with brown eyes and a hard shell. Doesn't answer to the name of Belle. Please return if found!

Change in Gender

2009-07-22T09:13:00.001-04:00

After further investigation, we have determined that Leo is actually a girl...her name is now Belle.

We Have a New Pet

2009-07-20T15:36:00.003-04:00

Our friends have made The Boy's day, maybe even year. We have a new member of the family, an Eastern Box Turtle who has been named Leo. We really hope we were correct in its identification as a male. Here are some pictures of The Boy and his beloved pet, who, much to The Boy's dismay, was not able to sleep in his bed with him last night.

Venomous Snakes

2009-07-08T09:13:00.002-04:00

Part two of the reptile and amphibian saga...

One of the posters we received from our generous friends gave an overview of the venomous snakes in our state. There are four of them. I asked The Boy if he knew what venomous meant and of course he did. That means poisonous Momma, he said in a tone asking how come you don't know that, you are the adult in this conversation.

On the back of the poster it has the does and don't of handling a venomous snake bite. There are a long list of don'ts including 'don't take any drugs or drink any alcohol after being bitten,' don't cut the bite to remove the venom,' 'don't run after the snake that bite you,' etc. The list of dos is much shorter to include calling 911 and getting help. The Boy asked me to help him read the entire lists. After we were finished he said, "they forgot to say use a band aid, that would be a do."

Snake, Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

2009-07-04T09:08:00.004-04:00

I know I have mentioned recently that The Boy continues to loose that total sweet demeanor more and more everyday. It continues to be true. He is still a sweet kid to me and his sister. He still cares about people's feelings and whether or not they are fitting in with the group. He hates to see people lonely, especially his peers. I think this is a great quality as long as it is balanced. Throughout the summer, I have seen the balance come in full force. My little boy officially loves everything slinky and slimy and covered in scales. It is GREAT!

A few weeks ago, The Boy told me that he wanted a pet. After our crazy dog fiascoes (one my fault, the other The Husband's), I am a little shy to warm up to the idea of another pet. I really thought The Boy was going to tell me, per his father's direction, that he wanted a puppy. I was going to have to break his little heart by telling him that it isn't going to happen. We are not going to be a dog family, even as much as we would like to think that we are, we are not at this time even going to go down that road. I like dogs. I will play with dogs that are not a part of my family. But, now is not the time for us to introduce another in need of training being into our already chaotic family. Talk to me again in 5-7 years, maybe.

I was worried about the wrong kind of animal. The Boy indicated that he would like a reptile or an amphibian. This is a whole different ball game, but in my mind I am thinking we could do this. We could get a little frog or a turtle, put in in a little aquarium. It might be fun. So, I told The Boy we would have to do some research. Luckily for us, we have two family friends who are into this kind of thing. One is an environmental consultant/ecologist/biologist, etc. and the other is a soil scientist. Both know a lot about reptiles and amphibians among other things. Check out Mark's website. Every moment in our house has the potential to be a learning moment, this was no exception.

So, The Boy wrote a letter to Mark. It was very simple..."Dear Mark, What kind of reptile or amphibian should I get? Nicholas" The response was amazing. I expected Mark to write back and suggest something, but instead, he and his lovely wife, the soil scientist, send back a note with some homework (gotta love that) and pamphlets on snakes. Plus, The Boy got a poster tube with four different posters outlining snakes, salamanders, turtles and frogs native to our state. The Boy couldn't have been more excited. More stories related to these gifts and pictures to come. Stay tuned.

No, Really, I Don't Mind

2009-07-02T08:27:00.002-04:00

I don't know if I am more cognizant of certain things now that I have turned another year older, making my way quickly toward the "scary" mid-30s, but it seems to me that other folks are thinking hey she is getting older shouldn't she be worried, offended by certain things, etc. I realize I am getting older, but I really don't think it is another person's job to remind me of that. I don't mind, seriously. I wouldn't like to go back to when I was 16, or 21. Those years were fine, but my life now is so much better. So much fuller. Why would I want to subject myself to mean highschool girls or the awkwardness of teenage dating again. Yuck!

What brings all this on is one silly word, Ma'am. To all you nice Southerners out there. It is okay that you call me Ma'am. I don't mind. It is polite. You don't have to apologize. I like it. I am teaching my four year old son to use it along with sir. Please don't worry, I am not offended. It doesn't make me feel old, especially since the same day you apologized for calling me ma'am was the same day I got carded when ordering a glass of wine. It's all good. Keep it up. Your momma would be proud!

So Big

2009-06-25T08:32:00.002-04:00

My 4 1/2 year old is so grown up. This morning The Husband and I woke to the soft cooing of The Girl as she hung out in the state between asleep and awake and realized it was 6:15 AM. My first thought was, wow this can't happen on the weekend? Then, I wondered where is The Boy. Much to my interest, he was in the Family room watching cartoons. He had gotten up, let us sleep and turned on the tv to "his" channel. He was as quiet as a mouse snuggled on the couch. It was so sweet and such a sign that he is no longer dependent. Bittersweet.

Biography of Dad

2009-06-18T08:27:00.003-04:00

The Boy got to fill out a worksheet at school titled "All About My Dad." Here are his answers:

My dad is 32 years old.
His favorite thing to do is play with me.
His favorite movie/tv show is basketball.
His favorite food is asparagus.
The coolest thing about my dad is running.
My favorite thing to do with my dad is play boat.

Some of these are right on the money like the age, the basketball thing. Some of them are just funny. Asparagus is not The Husband's favorite food, but The Boy doesn't like asparagus so The Husband talks about it all the time. You know, how good it is, how it makes you strong, etc. I guess that makes it seem like it is The Husband's favorite food. We weren't real sure what playing boat was at first, but then realized that his teacher misunderstood him...it should be playing "Bolt" as in the movie. Apparently, they pretended to be Bolt downstairs on Monday night...must have been a great game.

My Big Girl

2009-06-15T08:53:00.002-04:00

The Girl is 42 weeks or 9 1/2 months old already and I am not ready for some of the changes that have arrived. In the last three weeks, she has crawled, pulled herself up, said up, bye-bye and uh-oh and clapped her hands...these changes I like. It is good to see them. It shows her personality, etc. On top of that, she has dismissed pureed baby food, has seemingly started to self wean and has started with the separation anxiety. Those make me sad, especially the self weaning portion of things. She is too little to do that already. I keep telling myself that she is just taking a break from nursing and will be ready to start it up full force again tomorrow. I can hope, right!? Before I know it, she will be asking for the car keys so she can go meet some ya-hoo at the movie theatre because guys don't pick girls up anymore when they go on dates. I'm a little scared.

Celebrations

2009-06-10T08:24:00.002-04:00

Late spring is full of celebrations for our family. We have my birthday, my dad's birthday, Mother's day, The Husband's birthday and Father's day. There are four other extended family birthdays mixed in there as well. Crazy! Today is The Husband's birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY HUSBAND. I am a mere 15 days older than The Husband, but in my house, that makes me old, older than everyone, the oldest person in the world according to The Boy.

I will have to say, I love being over thirty. It isn't bad. I don't feel old. I am sure that will change as time continues to pass, but right now, I am in a good place. My kids keep me feeling young. Today, I have a spiderman cell phone in my purse. It was a nice surprise to know that I can call spiderman anytime I need to. I think I might walk around the office with it attached to my ear.

Going to the Chapel...

2009-06-04T09:13:00.002-04:00

The Boy has been at his new school less than a week and he is already getting married. Her name is Taylor and not only are The Husband and I are invited to nuptials, we get to sit in the first row of the church. We are SO lucky!

Crazy Tantrum

2009-06-02T08:51:00.002-04:00

My child was replaced by another at approximately 6 PM yesterday. We have been very blessed to have two children who are pretty well behaved. The Boy listens and is respectful and The Girl is just laid back. But, last night, The Boy had a tantrum of the highest caliber while we were sitting at the dinner table. I made something new for dinner, hominy. This is not a typical dinner item at my house these days, but it was when I was growing up, so I thought I would see if my family would like it.

We have a rule at our house...whenever a new food item is introduced, everyone has to at least try it. Trying it means you have to put it in your mouth, chew it and swallow it. I know, I am a dictator. But, I will say this has worked out for our family so far. My kid eats more things than any other kid I know. He likes artichokes for heaven's sake. When I put the hominy on his plate and introduced it, he made a face. I reminded him of the rule and he begrudgingly put a piece of hominy in his mouth and followed that up by spitting it out in his hand. This was followed by a little bit of a melt down and inappropriate behavior for which he was sent to his room. He continued to scream for approximately five minutes, I DON"T LIKE IT, I DON'T LIKE IT, etc. etc. When that didn't get a reaction, the mantra turned to I DON'T LIKE MOMMA, I DON'T LIKE MOMMA. I knew this would eventually happen, I would become the world's most notorious evil-doer, but it didn't hurt my feelings too much. Comes with the territory I guess.

The Husband finally went in to talk to The Boy after a few more minutes of screaming. It was suddenly quiet and the stomping of little feet was heard in the hallway. The Boy sat back in his seat, whole heartedly apologized for his tantrum and then took a bit of the hominy. He looks up at me and says...

I don't know why I had a silly tantrum, this is really good, can I have some more?

Back to Reality

2009-06-01T13:07:00.004-04:00

The family made it to and back from our cross country journey without a hitch. I will say that it was very hard to get up for work this morning. I cannot believe the time went by so fast. But the first family vacation was awesome and I am looking forward to the next one. We will start planning now!

The Boy had such a great time. he changes his mind time and time again regarding his favorite part of the trip. He loved train town. He loved the beach. He loved meeting his great grandparents. He loved staying in a hotel one night. He loved seeing San Francisco. Let's just say he loved it.

The Girl had a big week too. She finally crawled. She said her first word, "up", and she pulled herself up to a standing position. Whew, lots of milestones out of the way. The first thing we did when we got home on Sunday was baby proof the basement. She is on the move folks.

For me, I think I have finally realized that vacation is supposed to be vacation. When you have kids that have to have naps and down time, it is virtually impossible to go, go, go. This vacation was exactly what I needed to see that you don't have to see everything and do everything all day long to get the full effect. It is great to lounge and rest and just be. The vacation was fabulous, I was relaxed. I didn't check my work email once. It was Fab-U-lous.

Pictures from our trip are to the side!

Don't These People Have Jobs

2009-05-20T09:34:00.002-04:00

I am having one of those "want to stay at home" moments today. The weather is getting nicer and my babies are so hard to leave at daycare/school. They are so much fun and full of life and excitement. They have their bad days just like anyone else, but I just want to eat them up most of the time. They don't seem to be missing out on anything, they are healthy, well adjusted and excited to see The Husband or me when we pick them up at the end of the day. It is just hard 8 to 5ing it everyday. It makes me really cherish the time I do have with them. I savor their kisses, laughs and questions (with The Boy anyway).

Yesterday, out of the blue, The Boy asked me how Santa Claus gets his mail. I explained that the mailman gets it to him. "No our mailman," he clarified. Of course it has to be a different mailman with a plane or helicopter or some other flying device. We were talking out the postal process regarding Santa and then with all seriousness he asks, "Santa doesn't really have a mailbox does he?" I said, "Of course not, he has a big chute for all those bags of mail." That made sense to him. End of discussion.

These are the conversations I love. On the way to and from school, we get to the heart of those mind wrenching questions like does Santa have mailbox. What I don't understand is how this is the time I have with my kids and then on the way to school I can see all these people (many with kiddos), running, getting Starbucks, riding bikes, and just hanging out. Some of these adults do this everyday. I see them every day. In my mind, I ask myself, don't they work? Are all these people independently wealthy? Aren't we in a recession? How can these moms and dads drop their kids off at school in running clothes and talk about going to get coffee after drop off EVERY DAY, yet still afford to send their child(ren) to private preschool? Where do I sign up for that lifestyle? What do you mean you only work two days a week? What do you do exactly?

I know, it is a lot to be contemplating. Don't get me wrong, we are very blessed. And, I thank God everyday that The Husband and I have fairly stable jobs. Our kids have clothes, food, good health and toys (not a neccesity). We can make our mortgage payment every month. But, I still can't help but wonder how those folks do it.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

2009-05-19T10:03:00.003-04:00

The family is getting ready to embark on a cross country journey to California. We are flying with two children under the age of five. Yikes! The Boy couldn't be more excited. He gets to fly on a plane and see the old people (that is what he calls his great grandparents). We leave in a few days and although I have made lists and been shopping, etc. I still feel unprepared. It must be all the anxiety of flying with a baby. I really am not that worried about The Boy. He can entertain himself a lot of the time. The Girl, however is in that stage where she has to be in constant motion. She isn't crawling yet, but will be any day. I can't really imagine what it is going to be like with her on my lap for four hours.

In preparation for our trip, The Boy has been reading and or watching anything to do with the ocean. We are headed to Northern California. For those of you that don't know, the Pacific Ocean is cold. I learned the hard way on my first trip thanks to The Husband. The Boy still thinks it is going to be okay for him to get in the water. I guess we will let him try it once. He watched to episodes of "The Magic School Bus" yesterday, one on mussels and the other on the corral reef. He has been reading his puzzle book about ocean animals. He keeps talking about sand castles and seashells. It is going to be an adventure.

I Stand Corrected

2009-05-13T08:47:00.001-04:00

I was mistaken regarding the "tea pee" quote from yesterday. It was in fact my husband that said that phrase causing my son to laugh hysterically. It just goes to show you and prove what I say...men never move past the age of 12.

What Kind Is It?

2009-05-12T08:22:00.002-04:00

Last night, the family booked it home from our walk because The Boy had to pee. It took us about 10 minutes to walk from our neighbors house down the street to our house. At this point, as most moms can imagine, everyone, including The Boy forgot why we tried to get home so fast in the first place. As I was taking The Girl out of her stroller, The Boy looked at me and said, "I have to go and I can't wait for you to unlock the door."

So, over he trots to the side of the yard, pulls down his pants and pees right there on our next door neighbor's fence before I have a chance to respond. This is his commentary:

"Oh, that is a lot of pee. It is water pee. Do you know why it is water pee? (He doesn't wait for us to respond...we think he is breathing in between sentences.) Because I had water for dinner. There are other kinds of pee. There is milk pee, juice pee and sometimes if it is a special night there is kool-aid pee. (He has had kool-aid once!)"

He finishes his business and we all walk into the house. As I walk to the bathroom to take care of my business, he yells, "Momma, you are going to have tea pee." And then he laughs hysterically because, my pee rhymes.

The End of the School Year

2009-04-30T09:10:00.004-04:00

The Husband and I decided back in January that The Boy will no longer be going to his Montessori preschool after this year. While the Montessori method has served him well, it is time for him to move on. Communication and leadership at the school have been less than ideal and we are taking The Girl to a completely different location across town...sometimes you just need to simplify. The Boy isn't at all phased by this upcoming change. He cannot wait to be at the same place as his little sister. Thick as thieves the two of them. In honor of the lack of communication, here is The Boy singing at his Black History Month Performance last week, in April, not February when Black History Month actually takes place. This is a song entitled "May All Children." Aren't they cute, even if they are a little off key.

Please ignore the sideways video...not sure how to fix that.

Earth Day Adventures

2009-04-23T08:25:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, The Boy's school hosted an animal expert with animals in tow for Earth Day. When I picked him up yesterday, I was sure to ask him about the presentation.

Momma: What did you do for Earth Day today?
The Boy: I don't remember.
Momma: Did you have someone bring animals to school?
The Boy: Oh, yes, that is what happened. How did you know that?
Momma: There was a sign on the door that told me.
The Boy: Signs don't talk.
Momma (ignoring the smart remark): What animals did you get to see?
The Boy: We saw a lot of animals. We saw an alligator, but it was a baby so it couldn't eat us.
Momma: That is good.
The Boy: We also saw tree frogs. They are poisonous and almost stinct.
Momma: They are almost what?
The Boy: Stinct...it means they are dying and won't be around anymore.
Momma: Oh, you mean EXTINCT.
The Boy: Yes, stinct. Did you know that you could die from an alligator and a tree frog. The alligator eats you and if you lick a tree frog, you could die.
Momma: Really?
The Boy: Yes, and even if the alligator spits you back out, you will still be dead.

What are they teaching The Boy at school? This is generally how our afternoon conversations run. I love having a preschooler.

They Love Each Other

2009-04-22T10:02:00.003-04:00

The Girl is absolutely fascinated by The Boy. Any time he is in her line of vision, she laughs or yells or lunges for him. It is the cutest thing ever. I know there are destined to be times when they won't be able to stand each other, but I hope they always care for and love each other as much as they do right now. The Boy is still getting used to her kisses, but at least he has started to tolerate the slobber. I keep telling him, they won't be like this for long.

A Bee's Diet

2009-04-21T10:26:00.002-04:00

Yesterday while waiting out "the fever," The Boy and I had some fun spelling words and then using those words in a sentence. I know, sounds like fun, right? He loves it...my children are destined to be somewhat nerdy, but they're cute, so it is a good balance. The word was bee. Here is The Boy's sentence.

The bee is sucking the flower's blood.

I promise, he hasn't been reading Twilight, not yet anyway.

Sick AGAIN!

2009-04-20T10:21:00.001-04:00

I really thought that once we made it out of March, we would be safe from the traditional Winter illnesses. The Boy has been home sick since Friday. Yucky, nasty, antibiotic resistant ear infection. He has been on one antibiotic since Friday...it hasn't worked. He has had a fever all weekend. The doctor is calling in a new antibiotic. If that doesn't work within 48 hours we have to consider shots. Yikes. Anyone have any suggestions on how to get the miserable ear infection to go away?

Easter Destination

2009-04-12T19:21:00.002-04:00

Daddy: If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
The Boy: Candyland.
Daddy: Okay, if you could go anywhere in the world that was real, where would you go?
The Boy: Hmmmm.
Daddy: It starts with a z.
The Boy: I'd go where the zebras are.
Daddy: Close enough, let's go to the zoo.

Movies

2009-04-11T08:11:00.001-04:00

I took The Boy to see "Monsters vs. Aliens", the IMAX 3D adventure. According to The Boy 3D is totally AWESOME Mom!

The movie was only 1 1/2 hours and very funny. I enjoyed it just as much as he did.

Random Question of the Day

2009-04-07T08:35:00.003-04:00

At the dinner table last night...prior to this question, we were talking about practicing the piano.

The Boy: Momma, how does the Easter Bunny get into the house?
Momma: That is a great question...Daddy, how does the Easter Bunny get into the house? (The Husband is better at thinking on his feet.)
The Boy: Ya, Daddy, how does the Easter Bunny get into the house?

The Husband went into this semi-long explanation about how the Easter Bunny is really good friends with Santa Claus and how Santa Claus has shared his secret way into the house with the Bunny. It seemed to work. The Boy responded by saying, 'I don't really like the middle of an egg.'

We better get our act together for when the really hard questions come out of his mouth.

Cookie Monster

2009-04-06T08:55:00.004-04:00

Like many working mommas, I live for the weekends. I often feel like my whole being revolves around making the most of the time I get to spend with the kiddos when I am not working. The concentrated amount of time on weekends is worth its weight in gold to me. Recently, I have been working at least 3 hours on any given weekend. This throws a major wrench in my theory of spending as much time as I can with The Boy and The Girl (The Husband, too), making memories. Keep repeating quality of time, not quantity of time. All in all, I think we do a pretty good job. We watched a softball game, went to the zoo and baked cookies this weekend. Not too shabby.

The Boy loves to bake cookies. I think this is due to the fact that he likes to eat the ingredients as we make the cookies. Last night we made oatmeal raisin cookies. The Husband's favorite. We made them after dinner. The Boy took a bath while they were cooking. I put The Girl to bed, cleaned the kitchen, etc., etc. By this time the cookies were out of the oven and cool enough to eat. I handed The Boy a cookie on the smaller side. I have to say, it wasn't perfectly round. Boy, did he notice. He told me he didn't want to eat half a cookie, he wanted the whole one. The one on the right is the whole cookie.

Spring Break

2009-04-02T11:01:00.002-04:00

The Boy has been on Spring Break all week and The Husband and I have been splitting the days/week to take care of him. Let me just say that at this point, The Boy has a great work ethic. He helped The Husband mow the lawn and trim bushes on Monday and Wednesday. He helped me clean bathrooms on Tuesday. Today he is flipping the flower beds...he has loved it.

I hope he always enjoys cleaning and yard work. Probably not going to happen, but we can dream.

Finally

2009-03-27T14:58:00.002-04:00

PICTURES!

Doctor's Office = Time Warp

2009-03-26T08:47:00.002-04:00

Yesterday The Girl finally had her six month check-up just one day shy of becoming 7 months old. Her appointment was at 9:20 AM and I didn't get to work until after 11 AM. I really feel like once you pull into the parking lot of a doctor's office time starts to go incredible slow in you mind, but like the speed of light in real life. I was there for what seemed like forever.

The good news is, the pediatrician thinks my daughter is perfect. I couldn't agree more. She is truly the happiest baby in the world. We are very blessed. She does still have fluid on her ears from her last ear infection, but the doc said let's wait it out, no sense in giving her more antibiotics yet. I agree....a lot of parents fall victim to over medicating their kiddos these days.

The Girl did get her shots yesterday. For some reason, I am more freaked out this go round about the shots than I was with The Boy. I need to quit reading articles about possible side effects. The Girl's doc is one of the most granola-y people I have ever met and she is an advocate for following the regular shot schedule. She has no worries, so that puts me a little more at ease. This time, The Girl didn't even cry when she was stuck with the needles. She actually smiled and laughed at the nurse administering the shots. I don't think that is real normal, but like I said, she is a happy baby. She did get pink camo band-aids, too cute.

I secretly love seeing The Girl's doc. She makes me feel good about myself and my work as a mom. She praises the fact that I work and still exclusively breast feed. I need to hear that. It is hard work. She told me yesterday that she wanted to put up a poster with a picture of The Girl and me saying..."It can be done!" I just keep telling myself seven months down...only five to go, then the rest is just icing.

What's My Age Again?

2009-03-24T12:04:00.003-04:00

This won't be about the Blink 182 song. Instead it is about my little boy who tends to act like an older version of himself sometimes. He can be so serious one minute and then fall right back into the 4 year old that he is. It makes for an interesting ride. He told me last night 'you're totally freaking me out!' What four year old says that? I am sure he heard those words come out of my mouth at some time..so I thought he didn't know what it meant. He told me when I asked him that it means things are weird. So, he does know what it means and I again underestimate the brain power of my child. This morning, he was back in four-year-old mode explaining the the Dogwood flowers on the porch were all traps and I must jump over or walk inbetween them or I will be trapped forever. Don't forget, he said, forever is a long time. I love him.

I love The Girl too. I haven't really blogged about her much yet because we are still learning about her personality. She is so much quieter than The Boy ever was. She has learned to make herself scream and loves that. She gives great kisses...The Boy doesn't like them because they are still the wet, slobbier kind, but it is still sweet to see her stretch to get him. I will post pictures soon. We have them, we just have to transfer them to the computer. Soon, I promise.

So That's Why I Was Born

2009-03-18T10:28:00.003-04:00

The Boy is so sweet. I know I say time and time again that he has a kind heart, but I just cannot help but continue to repeat it, because it is so true. He was full of such sweetness this morning.

While I was getting ready this morning, The Boy came into our bedroom. We have a picture of our family (pre-The Girl) sitting on the dresser . It was taken by one of my students before my very first Mother's Day Brunch. The Boy is about 4 1/2 months old in the picture. The Boy decides that he wants to show The Girl what he looked like when he was a baby. He takes the picture and shows it to her. He reported back that she liked the picture. This is the conversation we had shortly after the picture was returned to the bedroom.

The Boy: This picture was taken when we lived in Texas.
Momma: Yes, it was.
The Boy: Why did you and Daddy live in Texas? Did you go there to get me?
Momma: No, not really, we lived in Texas for a while before you were born. But, we are glad they you came to us while we were there.
The Boy: You must have been really lonely.
Momma: Why's that?
The Boy: Because you asked God for me. I came to you when you were lonely in Texas.
Momma: I guess we were lonely in a way. You were missing in from lives. We are so happy we have you.
The Boy: God knew I was lonely too...he gave me The Girl.

SO SWEET!!

This morning when I dropped him off at school, he wanted me to stay so he could read me a book. We went over to the corner of the classroom where the reading nook is and sat down. He read me "Hop, Frog, Hop." It is a silly little phonics book about Frog hopping on different things like a sock and a hot pot. The hot pot part is funny to The Boy. He thinks the frog must be really silly to jump on a hot pot. He wondered out loud to me why the frog doesn't hop on a cold pot or why does he hop on a pot at all, does he want to be made into frog soup? The mind of a child is a wonderful place. After we finished reading, one of The Boy's teachers came up to me and said that she was so proud of The Boy. Apparently, in the mornings he will gather a small group of his little friends who aren't reading yet, take them to the reading nook and will read to them. They like it so much, they have been doing it every morning for a week.

SO SWEET!