Surviving Motherhood One Day At A Time

Future Photographer

2010-04-16T13:53:00.003-04:00

Last night, Miss V. discovered an ancient digital camera that was given to T. years ago. It works, when it has batteries, but he hasn't used it in probably 2 years. V. pulled it out of hiding and started to "snap" our pictures.
"Say cheese momma! Oh look. You a princess!"
And so on and so on. She then took the camera to the bathroom while she did her business. Mike, T. and I were in the other room, when we heard: "Tada! I did it. I take picture of my poop!"
Oh my. Maybe she's going to have a gallery of art someday only of her excrement.

A possible career?

2010-03-22T13:55:00.004-04:00

Little Miss V. was given a pair of light up costume shoes as a hand-me-down a few months ago. She immediately fell in love with them and proceeded to put them on. Now these are the Disney shoes that have the light up heel, are made of plastic, and clear. Now I have always thought they looked a little stripperish, and thought nothing more about them. As soon as she put them I, I decided right there she was only allowed to wear them in the house. She hasn't fought me on that (thank god!)and puts them on any chance she gets. Unfortunately her favorite way to wear them, is when she isn't wearing anything else BUT the shoes. She then proceeds to dance around in her "Princess" shoes. I don't know what I'm going to do with this child!

Where I've been...

2010-03-22T12:46:00.003-04:00

I've been a crappy blogger. I can't believe I haven't posted any type of update since Novemember. No Halloween pics, no Christmas, no nothing. None of the great sassy stories little Miss V. has been providing us with. None of the great leaps and bounds T. has made this year. None of my own fantastic accomplishments... lol...
I'm going to try to do better. I'm not going to attempt to catch up with the old stuff. It is too daunting of a task and frankly I just won't do it and it will keep me from blogging. So, that being said, I'll try to post new things soon.

Quattro

2009-11-29T15:51:00.002-05:00

I just discovered recently that my little girl counts to 10 in Spanish. I was very excited by this and so we count everything we see these days. The other morning I was attempting to get her dressed, myself dressed, T. dressed and everyone out the door, when I walked into her room half dressed (I was in my bra and underwear). I was helping her get into her clothes, when she looked at my chest and started to count in Spanish: "Uno, duos, tres, quattro..." I apparently have 4 ta-tas, instead of the usually 2. Hhhmmm.....

The Best Part Of My Day...

2009-11-29T15:47:00.001-05:00

Every night when we put the kids down we have the same conversation: Tell me, what was the best part of the day? We get varying answers. Last Wednesday night, Grandma was spending the night. Mike was putting T. down and asked him our nightly question. T. answered: "Nothing was good." "What do you mean nothing?"
"Daddy, the best part hasn't happened yet."
"What is the best part T?
"The best part is when Grandma has a sleep over with me, and she hasn't come to bed yet."
I love how sweet he is!

Being Thankful

2009-11-29T15:44:00.001-05:00

When asked at school last week, what he was thankful for, T. replied, "My women."
After we got home I asked him just who is women are, to which he replied, "My mommy, Grandma, V., and Mrs. Welty (his teacher).
Well, at least he knows who we are!

Pre Halloween Pics

2009-10-30T13:14:00.002-04:00

There will be more to come, this being just a preview!

All Things Lead To The Ocean

2009-10-08T11:44:00.002-04:00

Little Girl started toilet training this week. She's doing surprising well with it at school too. Regardless, accidents happen, especially of the poop variety. Normally I would ask her wonderful teachers to toss the really nasty soiled ones. However on Tuesday V. was wearing her ONLY pair of Ariel (Little Mermaid) panties. When you buy the pack of princess panties it is the ONLY one in the bunch and she is not too interested in the other princesses at this point. So I asked her teachers to please save that pair for me if she had an accident. Well, pooped she did. We got them home and I put them in the toilet to clean them. I turn my back for half of a second and V. has flushed them down. I start yelling: "NO! Damn it the pipes are going to be clogged and this toilet will probably be broken like the other one!"
V. just looked at me and walked away. It didn't phase her in the least that Ariel was gone. T. on the other hand starts wailing: "Mommy! Ariel is going back to the ocean. She's going to be stuck in the pipes. Daddy needs to get her out!" He went on for 5 minutes or so, just inconsolable. I had to work at not laughing.. after all, Ariel going back to ocean isn't such a far fetched idea!

Liar liar pants on fire

2009-09-17T20:06:00.002-04:00

While trying to get the kids upstairs and ready for bed this evening after dinner, I happened to go into the powder room with V. There was toilet paper shredded all over the bathroom. "What the hell happened here?"
V. starts yelling over and over "T., T., T., T.,......"
"T. did you rip all this toilet paper?"
His initial response was to close his eyes, and look at me under his lashes, only to respond back with a shrug.
"T. did you DO this?"
"No Mommy, a ghost did it."
WTF?!?!?!
I tried so hard not to laugh and smirk, because frankly, it was funny and clever. HOWEVER, I don't want to start a precedent in his young life, where lying to his momma is ok.
I didn't think this would start so young...
I'm in for it. Imagine how much more creative his lies can/will become with age.....

Summer Fun

2009-08-12T15:09:00.002-04:00

From grandma, T. recieved an easel for his birthday. We've been getting some good use out of it as well as the sprinkler!

A pirate says aaarrrrahhh!

2009-08-12T15:04:00.003-04:00

At least that's what we were singing at T's 4th birthday party on Saturday. We had lots of fun games, including a treasure hunt filled with booty, and a Jolly Rodger cake to boot. Not to go overboard or anything, but I even made 2 flavors of homemade ice cream. Rear Admiral Mike, even shared a great pirate story for all of those scurvy dogs! I'm hoping some of the others will send me a few decent photos, because I was too busy hosting to take pictures!

A new arrival

2009-08-12T14:59:00.006-04:00

Our nephew was born in July as well! He is such a cute little peanut. He weighed in at 6.3 lbs at birth. We know that all the cousins will be the best of friends as they grow up together!

July in Pictures

2009-08-12T14:48:00.003-04:00

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Since I JUST got my photos downloaded from the camera I thought I'd post our lakehouse trip. I think our other camera has the pictures from the time with my dad. I really hope we took some!

Growing up

2009-08-12T14:24:00.002-04:00

V. is growing up in leaps and bounds. She saw me chewing a piece of gum the other day and asked for a piece. Now neither of my kids have had gum as of yet, so she shouldn't have been surprised when I told her no. Her response: "Oh man!"
Now where did that come from?

Spelling

2009-08-12T14:19:00.002-04:00

This summer, T. has become especially interested in the way words are spelled. I get asked several times a day to spell words for him. Being the preschool teacher I am, I take full advantage of this and sound out the words for him to give me the letter name.
That being said, last week, T. and I were having a conversation, and he asked me to spell "bottom". I sounded it out and he gave me the letter names. Next, he asked me to spell "penis". Trying not to laugh, I sounded out the word and gave me the letter names. Once we spelled penis, I asked him if he should ask his teacher to spell these words for him when school starts up again. He responded with: "Oh no Mommy. We don't talk about bottoms, penis', poop, or pee at school."
Great, as long as we've got that clear.

Summer Trips

2009-07-22T14:40:00.002-04:00

We just got back from a whirlwind trip to Nana's, Grandpa & Grandma's, and Mike's family reunion in WVA. Also while we were gone, the latest addition to our clan arrived. My new nephew joined us on the 16th! We finally got to see him last night. When I've had a chance to download and edit I'll post pictures from vacation and of our new family member.

Bad Words

2009-07-22T14:34:00.002-04:00

I've got T. all to myself these days, since he is not in camp/daycare and Little girl is. On the way to go pick up my daughter yesterday, T. and I had quite the conversation. He was explaining to me that per a previous conversation we'd had, that when he is a grown up, he can say bad words. "Mommy, when I'm a daddy, and I hurt myself, I can say 'sh*t"." Being motheroftheyear, I of course couldn't help myself from laughing. "Mommy, are you laughing at me?" "Yes, honey I am." "You're laughing because I said 'sh*t', right?" (Laughing harder at this point!)"Yes, I am!"
I'm going to pay for this later I'm sure.

Favorite Pictures of the Day

2009-06-26T20:23:00.002-04:00

Bubbles...

2009-06-26T20:19:00.002-04:00

$1 worth of bubbles and an $8 bubble machine, another 30 minutes of fun!

Tom Sawyer has nothing on me

2009-06-26T20:11:00.003-04:00

Now if only I could give them real paint and have them work on all my projects.

For those of you who are so inclined. Giving your little ones real paint brushes with buckets of water and letting them have at it on your backyard fence, equals 30 minutes to an hour of good fun!

Little Girl

2009-06-23T13:10:00.002-04:00

My darlin daughter is now a sassy two year old. Then again, she was always sassy, now she's verbally sassy!
She got in trouble at school 2 weeks ago and was brought to me for a talking to. She had thrown a toy at a friend and wouldn't apologize. Now I don't believe in making a barely 2 year old say "Sorry", however, I do think she should be a little remorseful and at least try to make it up to the other child with a hug or such.
When I was speaking to her, I said in my most menacing mommy voice, "V. look at me."
Do you know what that little stinker did? She lift her chin up and kept her eyes squeezed shut! I tried again, "V. look at me!" I got the same response. I gave her a whack on her rump and brought her to the child she hurt and told her friend to tell V. "No!" The look of joy on this little girl's face when I told her to tell V. no was priceless.
I tend to feel sorry for my little bit. Other kids don't get in trouble until the afternoon when they get picked up. Both of my kids get in trouble on the spot. I guess that's what happens when your mother works in your school!
I've said it before, and I'll say it again.... that little girl is going to give me a run for my money.

The right one

2009-06-23T13:02:00.002-04:00

Now that summer is here, I'm going to get to spend a lot more one on one time with T. Last week, T. was with me running errands and we got to talking about marriage. (Now please remember my child is 3 3/4) He asked me why Mike and I got married, and I told him that we loved each other and were ready to start a family so we got married. "But Mommy, WHY did you marry Daddy?" "Well, T. because Daddy was the right one."
This answer seemed to suffice for the time being. During the course of the day, T. was talking about a time when he will be a daddy and all the grown up things he'll do, like drink coffee and wine, and use tools. I then asked him, "T. if you're going to be a daddy, who are you going to marry?"
Bless his heart, he replied with "You Mommy. I'm going to marry you."
"Oh, honey, you can't marry me, I'm your mommy."
"But, Mommy, you're the right one."
Oh how that melted my heart.
I need to keep this story close by and remember what a sweetheart he was at 3, when he becomes a pain-in-the-ass teenager.

Wow, where has the time gone?

2009-06-23T12:57:00.003-04:00

Is what I've been asking myself daily. I have been completely remiss in any posting attempts this year. Frankly, my only excuse is that I've been absolutely exhausted. Mike is forever out of town, and working full time, raising two children, and running a house have consummed my time, well that and Facebook!
Now that summer is here and I've found my camera battery, I hope to start posting alot. We've had some much happen! We went to Disney in April, Vivi turned 2 in May, Grandma has come to live in the area for a year for work. All good and wonderful things. On my honor, I will try my best to keep up with posting over the summer. We'll see how it goes!

Wild Thing

2009-04-15T15:59:00.003-04:00

This week at school we are hosting the week of the young child and the theme is Where The Wild Things Are. Yesterday afternoon we dressed as wild things and held our own "wild rumpus". My boy had SO much fun! He is such a character and gets so involved in dress up and make believe. Baby girl was not apart of the rumpus due to nap time. I must say, I had a great time fixing his hair and making his face "wild"! Enjoy Little Bear's costume!

The Nutcracker

2009-03-24T18:49:00.003-04:00

My darlin' son had an accident this afternoon on his way to the bathroom. He very quickly took off all his clothes and placed them into the washing machine per mommy's instructions. Well, when you are 3 nothing is better than being naked. T. proceeded to dance around and enjoy the breeze. I looked over and he had found an old nutcracker in the drawer.
"Mommy, what's this?"
(laughing from the sheer irony of it all) "It's a nutcracker honey."
"A nutcracker! What's that for?"
(still giggling) "Well, it's to crack nuts. Do you want to crack some nuts?"
"Yeah! Nutcracker, nutcracker, nutcracker.." That's when the full booty shaking dance started, right in front of my sliding glass door, where no drapes were pulled. My neighbors must think I'm a fabulous mother.
Oh, and that's when my daughter insisted she take off her shirt and dance with T.
Perfect.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2009-03-17T17:37:00.003-04:00

Have a Happy St. Patty's Day!
Looks like my daughter's had one too many green beers this afternoon!

What I want to be when I grow up

2009-02-25T13:52:00.003-05:00

T. has been studying community helpers this month at school. Today, his teacher asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up, a job description, and how much he would be paid.
My darling son's response:
Job: I want to be a grown up.
Description: I can use bad words.
Compensation: I want to get paid 2 moneys.

Hmm, I guess he was really listening last night after I said GD and explained that, yes I had used a bad word, and when you're a grown up, you can use bad words too.
I am mother of the year.

A family of rock stars?

2009-02-24T18:51:00.003-05:00

Look what my husband's been up too. I wonder if they'll make enough money to pay for college? We could be like the Partridge Family and even have a super groovy bus. Uncle Jason would be so proud!

A striped bow tie

2009-02-24T18:45:00.002-05:00

That is all T. has been asking for since November. The reason is, he got very upset one day when V. was wearing a bow in her hair. He asked for one and Mike wasn't too keen on the idea.
"Boy's don't wear bows in their hair."
T.'s reply, "But I want a bow!", said through screams and tears.
Mommy to the rescue! "Boy's do wear bows. They were bow ties." So my little man since then has been adamant that he wants a bow tie, a STRIPED bow tie.
Fast forward to this past Saturday night. We were in Barnes and Noble and my son was again adamant that he buy a bow tie. After realizing there was none to be had, he looked a Mike and said: "I'll go ask someone where they are!" Sure enough he walked right over to an employee and said: "Excuse me. Where are the striped bow ties?"
I was dying! I couldn't keep a straight face. Luckily the sales clerk there was a very nice guy and let my boy down easy. I was so impressed with how well he maneuvered the situation. He even used his manners! I must be doing something right.

Himself's new job

2009-01-31T15:54:00.002-05:00

T. was looking at a picture of our new Commander in Chief.
"T. who is that?"
"That's Obama."
"What's his job?"
"To clean up the trash."
Out of the mouth of babes.

Oops!

2009-01-30T19:09:00.004-05:00

I've been meaning to write this down for well over a month now. One late afternoon, as Mike and I were attempting to get the kids in coats and out the door, we were gently ribbing each other. At this point I have NO idea what brought me to say this under my breath to Mike, but I mutter to him "Yeah, Butt Pirates."
Guess who heard me? You got it! T! He then started yelling, "Yeah Daddy! Let's be Butt Pirates! Let's hide in the closet and be Butt Pirates!"
I was laughing so hard I about peed myself. Mike didn't find this so amusing. Especially after I went outside and came back in and low and behold, they were in the closet. Mike came out and said with his all too patronizing tone: "Look Mommy, we're in the closet just like T. wanted and we're Butt Pirates."

I wonder how much therapy my kids are going to need?

Girly Girl

2009-01-27T10:57:00.003-05:00

I have a feeling Little Miss V. is going to be far girlier than I ever was. She is already into fashion, princesses, and Tinkerbell.
But, she adores her brother and emulates him.
Right now, when she tries to use her potty, she stands in front of it and lifts her shirt. Just like T. I wonder if I'm going to have to inform her that she doesn't have a penis???????

Fashionistas

2009-01-27T10:22:00.003-05:00

Both my children have become fashionistas. My darlin daughter now chooses her own shoes. My darlin son has a shoe fetish. He tends to prefer crocs, but also has a thing for boots.
Check out my the new foot wear they both chose two weekends ago!

Magina

2009-01-27T10:14:00.002-05:00

What is a magina you ask? I'll tell you. It's what my son was SCREAMING that he wanted the other night, after I told him he'll never have one because he's a boy.

Little girl is interested in potty training right now. The way our bathrooms work up stairs is that they are all connected. So T. was sitting on his toilet, V. on her potty, and Mommy on the other. We got into a conversation about penis's. When he realized that neither his sister nor his mother has one he asked the name of our parts.
"T. all girls have a vagina, and all boys have a penis."
"I want a magina!"
Then the tears ensued and I had to call Mike to calm him down. How proud was my husband when he had to talk to his only son about being proud of his penis.

SNOW!

2009-01-27T10:05:00.004-05:00

Finally we got the white stuff! Can you believe they canceled school for the possiblity of 2 to 4 inches! Gotta love the Midatlantic Region!

T. got to make a snow angel and attempt a snowman. Unfortunalty it was not good packing snow, so no luck there. V. was completely unhappy in the snow, until we broke out the sled. Then it was all smiles and giggles!
Enjoy the pics.

Out of the mouth of babes

2008-12-20T19:42:00.002-05:00

Mike just walked out the door, and T. asked "Mommy, where's daddy going?"
"To the ABC store."
"Is he going to buy some letters?"

"Yes, T. he sure is!"
(For those who live out of state, the ABC store is the liquor store!)

A Thanksgiving Story

2008-12-12T13:47:00.003-05:00

I've been remiss in updating. I've got several things and pictures I've wanted to blog about but the time just seems to leave me! Here is a story from Thanksgiving I've been meaning to post for a while!

Little Bear made a turkey headband at school the week before Thanksgiving. On it was pictures of Pilgrims, Native Americans, the Mayflower, corn, berries, you get the idea. This is the precursor to the rest of the story... T. was running around the house telling Mike he wanted to be a princess. Mike feeling very upset that his little boy wanted to be a princess informed him that he had to be a prince. Well, this set off tears and protests from my boy. "I want to be a princess!" So, being the ingenious mommy that I am, suggested that he be a King, the King of Thanksgiving and wear his afore mentioned crown. That seemed to pacify both parties.
The next thing that I hear as he is marching around the house wearing his "King Hat", is: "You go to MY CHURCH!" It took me a few minutes to realize what in the hell he was talking about. He was acting out the Thanksgiving story. He then recited: "And the Pilgrims said "NO WAY!".
Whenever I get frustrated with earning NO money these days, I just remember him reciting the Thanksgiving story in his own way and realize that it is money well spent.

Soccer Star

2008-11-23T20:27:00.003-05:00

My boy has been enjoying soccer at school. According to his teacher, he's doing really well with all the skills she's taught him thus far!

A long time coming...

2008-11-23T20:15:00.005-05:00

Pictures from Halloween..
My Dad and Linda were here for the big day. Little Miss V. had pink eye and had an allergic reaction to the eye drops. No sulfer for my little girl. Unfortunatly we did not have the ointment so her poor eyes look puffy and red. The kids had a wonderful time trick or treating. I spent most of the time running after my daughter. She loved going door to door to knock and yell "Trick or Treat".. or something like it!

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Cutie Girl

2008-11-23T20:13:00.000-05:00

I adore this coat. Especially with the hat!

Picture of the Day

2008-11-23T20:10:00.002-05:00

He is such the little man. Takes after his father and grandfather.

My favorite photo from this weekend

2008-11-03T20:41:00.003-05:00

Our First Kid Party!

2008-10-26T12:57:00.005-04:00

We threw our first party for the kids this weekend to celebrate Halloween. Mike had suggested we do this a month of so ago and I agreed with the stipulation that we actually had to PLAN activities. Gone are the days of drinking beer and watching them play the ENTIRE time! So we put on our creative thinking caps and planned activites suitable for 3 year olds and younger. Parents and kids were to come in costume. We had a lot of pirates, a baby horse (3 months), a baby cow (3 months), and a baby cat (2 weeks!), a Buzz Lightyear, a Cinderella, a ladybug, and some farmers. I even Martha'ed out with some Monster Treats, a Pumpkin Cake, and some Mummy dogs. The kids had some arts and crafts, freeze dance, Pin the Tail/Nose on the Cat/Pumpkin, feely buckets, a scavenger hunt, and a treasure hunt to find Mike the Pirate's missing treasure bag! I think we did quite well! Especially since this was the rain plan. Almost all the activities were orginally planned for the great outdoors, the most important of which was the treasure hunt! Alas, the kids could have cared less, they were just having fun. It's just the preschool teacher coming out in me, that's all!! Enjoy the pics.

Mommy in Time Out

2008-10-23T11:56:00.003-04:00

Ok, I admit, I have a mouth like a sailor. Most of you who have known me for eons, or just five minutes know that. I have my particular favorite expressions and have not been good about cleaning in up in front of my kids. Well, about two weeks ago, my darling son started to utter one of my favorites in front of his father. You know, F***. How proud am I???? Anyhow, when he said it again the next day, I happened to be home and Mike made sure he repeated it to me. I laughed. I know, wrong response. I sat there giggling as I said, Oh T. that makes mommy very sad. Please don't say it again, he he he.
Well he hadn't said it in a week, when I was on the phone and dropped it again. He says, "Mommy you said f***. Mommy, we don't say f***. You in time out!"
Yep, I got schooled by my three year old.
Then the next day, I wasn't even TALKING and he says to me, "Mommy we don't say f***."
How proud am I?
At least he's only said it to me and Mike at this point!!!!

Fall Festival

2008-10-20T18:31:00.002-04:00

This past weekend, we had our annual fall festival at school. Nana and her finace Doug happened to be visiting as well. Fun was had by all!

The Five Yucky Things

2008-10-19T10:42:00.004-04:00

Mike started a list of things that are yucky with T. a while back. He kept expanding the list and it now consists of five items. Here is the order in which he lists them, counting them off on his fingers:
1. Bath water is yucky (to drink)
2. Drugs are yucky (can't start them on just say no, too early according to Mike)
3. Garbage is yucky (self explainitory)
4. Boogers are yucky (duh! and he says this AFTER he gets his fingers out of his nose and into his mouth)
5. Poopy is yucky (no kidding!)

Yesterday, T. was stomping in the kitchen in his rain boots (long story for another time) and he accidently stepped on V.'s woobie (security blanket). I asked him to please not step on it with his boots, because they had been outside and they had yucky stuff on them from the backyard. With the wheels turning in his little head, he looks at me and says: "Are there drugs out there mommy?"
I about peed myself laughing.
At least he is listening!

Pure Crazy

2008-09-27T21:18:00.003-04:00

Work, school, preschool, toilet training, scheduling, planning Halloween, balancing home and work, snakes, pirates, learning how to cook a night in advance, FlyLady, baby steps, wine.
Such is my life these days....
I've got lots of stories and pictures saved up... just haven't had the time to share.

First Day of Preschool

2008-09-02T20:22:00.002-04:00

I can't believe it! LB started preschool today! He looks so grown up. When I asked him what his favorite part of the day was, he mentioned his friend that he hadn't seen since June. That was his favorite part. How sweet is that????

Aarrr!

2008-09-02T20:13:00.002-04:00

My boy's new favorite thing is to act like a pirate. Of course, it all stems from Backyardigans! His new favorite song to sing is "What do you do with a Scurvy Pirate" (think drunken sailor and change the words!).
LB was able to participate in one week of camp before school started this week. They made a pirate hat on one of those days. Guess who was in heaven? Whatever LB has, BB wants these days. I just happen to have a pirate hat that fits her head from one of LB's costumes from a few years ago.

They've been having a blast pretending to be pirates and singing about being Scurvy Pirates!

Imagination

2008-08-27T19:48:00.001-04:00

Tonight as I was getting the kids ready for bed, LB looked at me and said.. "Mommy your ears are dirty. There's spiders in there."
"T. how did the spiders get in my ears?"
"They biting you mommy."
Huh.. I guess I better improve my hygiene!

Another penis story

2008-08-21T11:24:00.003-04:00

I wrote awhile back about my sons predilection towards singing about his manhood. Well, he's discovered something new. Yesterday afternoon he says "Mommy, look! I made my penis pointy." Sure enough, it was. What do you say to that? Well, being the Mother of the Year that I am at times, I simply said "It is pointy."
He then started to run after his sister, which I then had to say: "T. we don't put our pointy penis on anyone and you should only make it pointy while you are by yourself."
I thought we had taken care of that. Nope. At dinner Little Bear informs me: "Mommy, I touch my penis!"
Yep, he sure was. What do you say to that? "We don't touch our penis during dinner."
Who would have thought that this would have become a topic of conversation at dinner?

Petrified

2008-08-21T11:18:00.003-04:00

My poor sweet boy had been sick last week. 104 fevers in the morning and such. We took him to the lab for a strep test, negative. He woke up again with a 104 fever on Saturday morning and Mike took him in to after hours care. They sent him to the lab again for blood work. My poor poor baby is now deathly afraid of going back to the doctors. We get in the car and he cries: "Thems peoples cut me mommy. THems peoples are mean. Thems peoples hurt me." It breaks my heart. I keep correcting him and reassuring him, that the LAB, not the DOCTOR, wasn't mean on purpose, they needed to find out what was making him sick. It's Thursday, and he still cries when we get in the car, for fear we are on our way back to the doctor. I hate to break it him, but we will be going back to the doctor on the 15th for his 3 year old check up. Ice cream works as a bribe every time!

Three! Already????

2008-08-10T20:50:00.008-04:00

Happy Birthday to my boy (technically it's Tuesday, but hey a party is a party!) We kept it small this year, just family. We even got to video chat with Grandma, so she could see LB open up his presents from her. This year I was requested to make a a Pablo cake by my son. Pablo is one of the characters from Backyardigans (his favorite show of late). Uncle Matt and Poppa introduced my boy to Monster Trucks and remote control dump trucks. Let's just say, that my son is having a ball with them!

Aren't those boys adoreable in their masks?

My daughter's new favorite place for her paci. She loves to throw it in whatever I'm drinking (appropriate or not, swirl the paci in it and then plop it back in her mouth with a huge grin.

How pitiful is my daughter???

What a wonderful time we all had together.

My birthday present

2008-08-07T19:42:00.003-04:00

I am having a hard time believing that in a months time I turn 35. I don't feel 35. Hell I don't feel 30! Most days I forget how old I am until I actually have to tell someone or think about it, and then it takes a few moments for me to remember. I guess that's the first sign of my old age, memory! Well, in honor of my 35th birthday, I am having my very first mammogram tomorrow morning. Go me! And as I am having my first mammogram, I just want to remind all of my friends and family to either schedule theirs or remember to do your monthly exams! My mom says that this is my present to myself. I agree.

Favorite Picture

2008-07-31T14:32:00.002-04:00

This is my favorite picture of Mike and the kids. My Dad purchased this way cool swing in Indiana. HHmmmm, I wonder if I can get him to bring it to my house???????

Last stop, West Virgina

2008-07-31T14:25:00.002-04:00

Every year for years, Mike's mom's family gets together on the 4th Sunday of July at the same park, in the same pavillion to catch up and visit and eat some good southern cooking. We go every year (at least when I'm not 8 months pregnant!) and some of Mike's cousins have kids that are our kids ages. LB ran around with Cousin A. and enjoyed the bubbles! We also got to see Uncle Matt, Aunt Chrissy, and K. We hope to get together with our cousins sooner that next July.

Sandy Pines

2008-07-31T14:04:00.008-04:00

Wow is there a lot to do where Dad and L. summer their RV. There are pools, a water park, a beach, boating, fishing, miniature golf, an adult Wii bowling league, a workout room, just to name a few things. The kids and I (& later Mike) stayed in a cabin that was not far from the RV. I've never seen so many golf carts in one place. It has a HUGE golf cart culture. Being that I was alone in the cabin with the kids, and carting them back and forth, my dad rigged the kids car seats to the back of the golf cart so I could safely get them from one place to the next. It was hysterical. The kids loved riding in the back.

We had a lot of firsts on this trip. First golf cart ride, boat ride, fishing, water park, water slide, and swimming with daddy (with a life jacket) and letting go! We even went blueberry picking, were BB ate her weight in berries. LB enjoyed the picking of the berries, but not so much the tasting. We made yummy blueberry crisp for dessert that night!
WOW, what a week!

Thanks for a great week Dad and L.! We loved every minute of it and can't wait to do it again.

Lakehouse

2008-07-31T13:48:00.007-04:00

The house we stayed at with Nana was GORGEOUS! What a view. What a walk to the beach. After the first day of walking the stairs and the dunes holding BB, one might think my legs hurt. Nope, you'll never guess what was sore. My ABS! Of all things, my abdomenals hurt! What a work out that was holding an extra 22lbs in front of me going back and forth, sometimes up to 6 times a day. We loved every minute of being there. It was quiet, peaceful, and I got some much needed relaxation. The kids worshiped the beach. We were there sometimes twice a day for almost the entire week. The one thing we did differently this beach trip was we bought life jackets for the kids. When we were in Charleston, there were lifeguards and there wasn't a drop off in the water before hitting the sandbar. To feel more comfortable we had the kids wear life jackets. As you will see from the pictures, LB had no trouble adjusting to his; BB however took a LONG time to adjust. Frankly it took a week.

Thanks Nana for a wonderful visit! We can't wait to do it again. We love you!

We're Baaacccckkk!

2008-07-31T13:42:00.002-04:00

What a fun and whirl wind of a vacation Mike, the kids, and I have all had.
We left on the 10th of July for Western MI, where we spent a lovely week with Nana. Next, we spent another wonderful week with Dad and L. where they summer, lastly on the way home we stopped in Beckly WVA for Mike's annual family reunion. I've got tons of stories and pictures to share. I guess I best get to it!

Off we go again

2008-07-09T20:51:00.001-04:00

We'll be leaving for a bit to visit Nana and then Grandpa and Grandma. I won't have an Internet connection for at least one week of our vacation. I'll be sure to take plenty of pictures of my bears frolicking in the Midwest.
I'm looking forward to a little more R & R!

Success!

2008-07-09T20:47:00.002-04:00

Last night before bed, LB told Mike he needed to poop! No prompting, no bribing, he just did it! He was so proud of himself. He looked at it and said to Mike, "Daddy, it looks like snakes." "Yes it does. If you poop on the potty all the time, it will look like snakes." "Oh, I like snakes!"
Today when asked if he pooped at school, he announced, "No mommy, I didn't make a snake."
God love him.

Birthday Party

2008-07-05T21:07:00.003-04:00

We attended a birthday party today for some of LB's friends. LB enjoyed the playground and of course the cake. My kiddo knows his priorities. On the way, he got very excited about the party, mainly the cake!

BB had her fun as well. Sidewalk chalk apparently tastes great.

She ran with this balloon for about an hour.

We had a great time!

Yesterday's Picture of the Day

2008-07-05T21:04:00.002-04:00

Her first time wearing a headband and keeping it on!

Mr. Handyman

2008-07-05T20:55:00.003-04:00

A few months ago, I broke our kitchen faucet. We have this gorgeous bamboo cutting board that is very heavy and very round. One night after dinner I was cleaning up, of course this was one of those nights when there was a little wine for the food and a little wine for the chef and I accidentally knocked into the fixture. Now it worked just fine, but it was no longer attached to the counter. So last weekend Mike completed one of the top 3 on his Honey Do list and replaced the faucet. Go Mike!

As you can see Baby Bear wanted to get in on the action.

LB wanted to play with the tools.

Ta Da! The finished project! I love it!

A new art medium

2008-07-04T21:21:00.002-04:00

My darling son was sent to nap this afternoon with the intent that he at least rest before we headed out to friends to celebrate the 4th. I wandered upstairs to switch over some laundry when I looked at him flipping through a coloring book. I noticed that part of his floor (wood) had a dull sheen. I took a longer look at him. I wanted to laugh, to cry, to spank him senseless. His window, his carpet, the guest bed, his new toy box, the bedspread, his shirt, his legs, his hands, were all covered in fecal matter. Yes, fecal matter. Shit. ALL OVER HIS ROOM. He finger painted his room with feces. What a joy that was to clean up. I didn't take any pictures, although I wanted too, just to blackmail him when he is older. It took a good 30 minutes to clean up. I hope this doesn't happen again.

Tractors

2008-06-26T14:54:00.002-04:00

My son is currently big on farm equipment or anything that he precieves to be farm equipment. Case in point, Poppa W.'s riding lawn mower is a tractor and just had to get on it! Thank goodness Poppa W. need to mow the lawn while we were there so he could get a ride.

The Beach

2008-06-26T14:47:00.005-04:00

My kiddos LOVED the beach! LB was happy running in and out of the surf, playing with his sand toys. BB had a blast in the sand. It was EVERYWHERE when we took off her suit. She rolled in it, laid in it, and ate it. I can't wait to get them back to the beach soon. We'll be heading to Lake MI in a few short weeks and we'll spend a lot of time there with Nana and then with Grandpa and Grandma. We're traveling a lot this summer!

Bathing Beauty

2008-06-26T14:44:00.003-04:00

Look at Lady Godiva all spread out on the carpet! My oh-so-cute daughter fell in love with grandma's full length mirror. We don't have any of those in our house! I love her in this bikini! Enjoy it while you can kiddo. In another few years you'll be dressed head to toe in a sack.

Grandma's!

2008-06-26T14:38:00.003-04:00

We just got back from my mom's on Sunday. We had a wonderful relaxing visit. We got to see Uncle Jay and have lunch at his restaurant. We spent a great deal of time at the park. We went to the pool and the beach. And we even got to see Uncle Dutch and Aunt Di! So much packed into 6 days.

The Ring Bearer

2008-06-10T20:07:00.003-04:00

LB did a wonderful job! Isn't he handsome? He walked down the aisle with his flower girl, danced with her, was introduced during the reception with her, and ran with the big boys during the reception. What a busy night!

My gardner

2008-06-07T10:23:00.002-04:00

LB enjoys "Making the grass happy." Especially if he is wearing his new rain boots.

ROAR!

2008-06-07T10:02:00.005-04:00

As of late, my son is obsessed with dinosaurs. His favorite song happens to be We Are The Dinosaurs. If you 're not familiar with Laurie Berkner and you have young ones, get familiar. She's a lot of fun! But I digress. Over Memorial Day weekend, we took the kids to the Natural History Museum. LB LOVED IT! I think his favorite part was the hands on section of museum where he was able to use magnifing glasses and touch an alligator head. So cool! We'll definatly be back soon.

Schools out for summer!

2008-06-07T09:58:00.002-04:00

Yeah! My biggest stressor as of late is finished. At least my time with my students. It's always bittersweet. But I'm happy to have this summer to recharge, spend time with my family, and get myself ORGANIZED before school starts on Sept. 2. I've got lots of pictures from the past month. We've been to see the Dinosaurs, the pool, and LB is a ring bearer in a wedding today. I'll post pictures as I can.

Enjoy BB's 1st Birthday!

2008-05-13T12:31:00.000-04:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

1st Birthday Party!

2008-05-13T11:49:00.004-04:00

We had so much fun celebrating with family and friends for Little Miss V's 1st birthday. When LB had his party, and the whole crowd started singing, he cried and got scared. Not my daughter. No, she clapped and grinned and thought it was WONDERFUL! She didn't really care too much for her first taste of cake. The icing however was probably her favorite part! I think I'll use smilebox to finish up her party pics!

New news

2008-05-13T11:46:00.003-04:00

On Friday, LB took her first tentative steps! She's taking 2 to 3 steps before she stops, drops and crawls to what she was after. And to what was she trying to get to? Not her Momma, not her Daddy, but her brother. She is so interested in whatever he has and whatever he is doing! I love watching them together!

Martha Who???

2008-05-11T13:53:00.004-04:00

For LB's 2nd birthday I attempetd to "Martha it out" with his Elmo cake.
I have offically out done myself with BB's cupcakes. Check it out! I'm so proud of myself!

Crazy Days of May

2008-05-08T13:39:00.002-04:00

Is how my May has begun.
No Mike, planning BB's 1st Birthday, LB was ill, trying to get my house in order, have consumed my days. Not to mention the craziness at work. I really can't divulge to much information there, let's just say, June can't come too soon.
Mom and Nana are arriving tomorrow to celebrate BB's big day. I can't wait. I'm going to try and go all Martha'ed out and do cupcakes for the event.
I'll take plenty of pictures!

Finally! Another way to enjoy my april pics!

2008-04-25T17:23:00.000-04:00

Make a slideshow - it's easy!

Blue Bottoms

2008-04-25T09:41:00.001-04:00

Guess who had a stained blue ass this morning????

April in Pictures Part III

2008-04-23T19:28:00.002-04:00

Our new favorite pasttime is rough housing with each other. My delicate, petite little flower loves to be rough and tumble with her brother. It actually can be a bit frightening when she takes a fall, but she rolls over laughing. I'll just have to get used to it!

April in pictures take two

2008-04-23T17:45:00.003-04:00

Yeah! I got the pictures to load. It's planting season, which happens to be LB's favorite spring time chore. He's named the garden "Sunny Patch", after Miss Spider's home. Mike brought out sunflower seeds for them to plant and as soon as he saw the picture, he said.. "Ooohhh, Sunny Patch, Daddy!"
As you can see, he loves yard work right now. I wonder if he'll still love it in the next few years when it becomes his actual chore???

April in Pictures II

2008-04-22T20:09:00.002-04:00

Blogger is being a pain in the rump.. it won't let me upload the rest of my april in pictures series.. I'll try again tomorrow night.

April in Pictures

2008-04-22T19:53:00.003-04:00

Many new and exciting things have occured this April... I just show the pictures and narrate as necessary!

BB started using a sippy to drink her water.. as you can see she likes it!

BB is showing 1 of her new top teeth here.. she now has both.. but this was taken at the beginning of the month!

Little Bear got new shoes.. quite stylish.. and the best news.. when we had him sized at Stride Rite his foot is no longer the WIDEST foot in the world, it is now just a regular wide foot.. this means CHEAP shoes here I come!

Little girl also got her first pair on the same day. Guess what? She now has the widest, fatest feet in the world and can only wear Stride Rite. Can I get a break??????????
My two bears playing away so nicely together. It just makes me melt.

I'm here!

2008-04-08T15:50:00.002-04:00

It's been a hectic few weeks. I've had Grandma in town, sick kiddos, I was sick, Mike is forever out of town, and I've had report cards due. Next up this month, Nana's visit, Grandpa & Grandma L.'s visit, no Mike for awhile. I've got tons of pictures and a few fun stories to share as soon as I have a few minutes to myself!!!!

OMG something naturally green?

2008-03-22T20:34:00.003-04:00

Tonight for dinner, my son, the one who won't eat a damn thing unless it is yogurt, pasta, or McD's, actually ate BROCCOLI! Yes, I said BROCCOLI! I didn't even have to sneak it into anything, like I've been doing! Holy of holies! Keep your fingers crossed for me that he keeps it up!

Egg Hunt

2008-03-22T20:23:00.003-04:00

LB had an egg hunt at school yesterday, which he proceeded to miss because he was Mr. Cranky McSpanky, and did not take a nap when he was supposed to. We thought we would have a little egg hunt here at home for him today. He loved it! He found all 12 eggs and even shared some with his little sister. Of course he ate all the jelly beans and candy corn in them. He then proceeded to run around the living room on a sugar high. Mike and I began to question our judgement. Maybe a jellybean in every other egg? Hhhhhmmmm. At least there was no major meltdown after all the candy had been consumed. Afterwards, he wanted to go on a second egg hunt. We obliged, but this time no candy was given!

BB found the first egg!

Counting eggs together. BB wanted to be in on the action!

LB was very excited about the jellybeans!

Easter Eggs

2008-03-22T20:12:00.008-04:00

We dyed eggs this afternoon. I was helping LB put a few eggs into the bowls, when the entire egg carton fell off the table and on to the floor, scattering and cracking all but 2 of the 9 eggs left. My thoughts were echoed through my son's mouth, when he proclaimed "Oh shit!". He did have a wonderful time using his hands to dye his eggs. I wonder how long it will take to get it all off?

Her new favorite spot

2008-03-22T20:08:00.004-04:00

BB new fav spot in the house...

I believe she just likes it because she can lick the glass, and of course see outside!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2008-03-17T20:01:00.002-04:00

My wee lad and lass wanted to wish all a safe and Happy St. Patty's Day. We celebrated our Irish heritage yesterday with the traditional corn beef and cabbage, which my son promptly turned his nose up at. My wee lass has no teeth yet to participate!

Let's Go Fly A Kite

2008-03-16T20:00:00.003-04:00

March is known for its blustery days. Today was no exception. Uncle Matt bought LB a kite a few weeks ago, and this afternoon we broke it out! I don't know who taught him the word kite or even what one was. He certainly knew what you are supposed to do with one! He had the best time running with it and trying to get it up in the air, and then yelling about how it was up "too high!" BB had her first experience sitting in the grass. From her facial expressions, I don't think she cared too much for it!

Spring has sprung

2008-03-15T19:53:00.004-04:00

We spent some time enjoying the gorgeous weather today. I finally got a picture of BB in a swing. She has got quite the belly laugh! She doesn't laugh like that very often, but when she does, holy cow! She sounds like me!

A few pictures

2008-03-15T19:50:00.003-04:00

I've been meaning to post some of these pictures for awhile, I just haven't had the time. Imagine that, me with no time?

Body Parts

2008-03-10T20:04:00.002-04:00

Mike and I believe in using actual words and not nicknames, to name body parts. Since he began speaking, LB has been very interested in labeling every nook and crannie on his body. We taught LB the word "penis" awhile ago. He pronounces it "pena". About a week or so ago, he was running around the house singing sounds and making up words, at least that it was I thought he was doing, until I REALLY listened to him. "Pena, pena, pppppeeeeeennnnnaaaa!" Great new song isn't it? Pretty catchy too. Mike and I just looked at each other and lost it. How proud my husband was. At least he's fairly normal. Afterall, aren't most men obsessed with their "pena's"?

Out of the mouth of babes

2008-02-28T12:46:00.004-05:00

Yesterday, on the way to school, I pulled out of our parking lot and this huge SUV came barreling down the road. I hit the brakes hard and fast. LB looked at me and said "Oh Shit." I had to turn around so he wouldn't see me laugh, and said "Oh no!" He then changed his phrasing to the G rated version. I've really got to clean up my mouth on the road.

He did it!

2008-02-28T12:40:00.003-05:00

He pooped on the potty that is. Well it was once and I forced him to sit as he stood there and squeezed his cheeks so hard that poop just fell on the floor. Little Bear was not happy about the prospect of sitting to poop. I dare say that it freaked him out a bit. He let out a little bit and was excited about flushing it down, so we did. Then he decided himself, that it wasn't so scary, parked himself on his "little potty" and finished up. Very exciting indeed. I was hoping for a repeat performance yesterday. Nope. I brought home 2 pairs of dirty undies and then he pooped again when we got home. I was hoping again today. But as we were walking out the door to go to school, I got another present. At least he no longer sits down in it and it's easier to clean up. Keep your fingers crossed for me that he gets over his fear soon!

Grandpa's visit

2008-02-25T20:06:00.003-05:00

My dad came to visit this past weekend. This is the first time LB has differentiated between his grandfather's and refered to my dad as Grandpa, instead of calling him and every man of a certain age Poppa. It was so sweet to hear LB call my dad Grandpa. They had a lovely time reading books, going to the playground, visiting a nature center, and going out for lunch. BB was all smiles for Grandpa. Last visit, she was ill and screamed and cried almost the entire time Dad and L. were here.

LB got to touch his first lizard!

LB's new favorite book, Green Eggs And Ham.

Baby Bear was very talkative with her grandpa!

We're so glad Grandpa came to visit! We can't wait to see you again soon.

Behind Bars

2008-02-25T20:04:00.001-05:00

She better not get used to this!

Art Gallery

2008-02-18T16:28:00.002-05:00

How do you hide a scrapped up wall? I suppose you could paint it, but not in my household. No instead the wall in question becomes an artist's gallery. I should charge admission!

Happy Valentine's Day

2008-02-14T20:38:00.005-05:00

As you can see from the pictures, the aftermath from all the sugar has LB in a state tonight. BB was having a grand ole time reading her Valentine's cards. I hope everyone else has had a lovely day/evening. Mike and I exchanged gifts a few weeks ago. We bought a brand new hot water heater. Nothing quite says love like a hot shower on a cold day!