Kevin & Lauren

Belated Resoutions...er Dreams

2012-01-24T17:35:00.000-05:00

To all of my adoring fans (all, right..my grandma and my mother) I offer a sincere apology. I have lots of excuses. And I would love to make lots of promises, but Ive learned I can only promise today. Because tomorrow? I might be swamped in a ton of other things I said yes to. Ahh... sounds like resoution number one.

1. Stop saying YES. I really only say yes to myself. But I do it because I enjoy lots of things. And I WANT to do them. Its just the doing them *all* part that is getting me in trouble. eBay, working nearly full time, staying organized at home, being creative in the kitchen, reading, scrapbooking, blogging. Well... you get the picture.

2. Keep better family records. I've done a shoddy job of documenting our life this year (via scrapbooks and blog) and that bothers me, particularly because my memory for the details is pretty bad. Call it dememtia, call it mommy brain, I dont know.. its a crying shame that I might forget that Liam says abagato for "elevator" and says "thank you door!" when an automatic door opens for us at the grocery store or that he is potty training pretty specatcularly after Nana potty training boot camp in Kansas City over Christmas. Or that I might forget Natalie's shocking correct answer to 10 + 10 the other day or her excitement about school or her ability to do some chores around the house unaided. I mean, to think that I might forget that both kids are playing in the next room and I can hear that Natalie is "Strawberry Shortcake" and Liam is "Honey Pie Pony"! (haha...you're never gonna live that one down kid!)

3. Work on contentment. I've struggled with this one forever. It started out with "if only I was popular" and has morphed into "if only I had this" or "if only I was more this way". Its true women struggle with this all the time, but if you think about it, life is too short to wish for something else. I have a quote on my desk that says this:

If you're always racing to the next moment, what happens to the one you're in?

So true.

I would love to be content with what I have accomplished, with what my house looks like, with how I spend my time, with where God has brought me. Its no secret now that we're looking to sell our house and I see my daughter following in my footsteps when I hear her say "I dont want this house anymore. I want a new house." YIKES. How do I curb this before she lives a life of discontentment?

I'm reading a book right now called 1000 Gifts. Its actually arrived in the mail today and I blasted through the first two chapters in no time flat. And I really dont have the time or desire to just sit down and read. But this was good. I need to remember what's really important in life. That the kind of things we have, the job we work at, the things we create or the experiences we have (i.e. lamenting I never got to see more of the world) is irrelevant. Its WHO we impact and the relationships we develop and the time we spend following Jesus and seeking Him that's so important. So in the moment I'm cuddling my daughter, that nagging feeling that the dishes need put away is irrelevant. It *will* get done. I just need to stop and cherish the moment.

Okay, so in response to resolution #2, I'm posting a couple of pictures. I know its terrible that I am only offering two pictures when its been eons since I've posted any, but I'll see what else I can come up with.

Cheese!

Thankful

2011-11-22T17:17:00.000-05:00

Is it Thanksgiving already?? The leaves have pretty much fallen, the dreary weather has set in, Thanksgiving dinner is upon us and my waist is expanding at the thought of it.

Seriously... I've gained 5 lbs since the half marathon and my self discipline (in all areas) is out the door! Cookies? I'll have 3. Pecan pie bars? I'll have one today, three tomorrow and then polish the last one off the next day. Running? I'm too tired. Time with the Lord? Ummm....

I keep making resolutions, but really life is a day to day, moment to moment roller coaster and I can't look much farther than that. Hence the tardiness in blogging. Meh.

I just got back from the library with two self help books on organizing my house and losing weight. I'm trying not to get too "big picture" about either one of those things because then I tend to lose sight of the little victories along the way.

But what is this post about anyway?

Thankfulness... right.

I AM thankful. Thankful for the little girl who is calling me to watch Veggietales in the next room. Thankful for the little boy who has halted all desire to potty train and wakes up each morning at o dark thrity to tell me that his diaper is indeed poopy. Thankful for the husband who encourages me when I'm moody about my lack of success in all of my many goals. Thankful for a house to call our own. Thankful for the pantries that are busting with food (that is probably going to be off limits next week).

I AM thankful. And its in the quietness of that moment that I remember what life is really all about.

Now.... I can take a deep breath and enjoy the moment, with my 4 year old and some God-fearing veggies.

2011 Fall

(you dont want to know how many we had to take to get anything remotely this good)

I AM thankful.

Back... Sort of

2011-11-03T14:27:00.000-04:00

I know its been awhile. My lack of blogging hasn't been for lack of wanting to... and then it has been a bit. I've been monumentally busy. I find I *love* and hate "busy" all at once. I like accomplishing stuff, but I walk a fine line of "super mom excellence" and "basket case meltdown" when I pile too much stuff on. Theres been a lot of basket case meltdown recently. I just can't seem to juggle all the balls I've thrown in the air and all of them are getting dropped - like a hot potato.

I just got off a whirlwind trip to New Mexico for work followed by a trip to Pittsburgh for my grandfathers goodbye (he passed away in September). I guess the free moments I *have* had I didnt feel like I had much to say of interest...

i.e. got up early, ran, havent read my Bible in a while, went to work, broke up numerous fights between my kids, watched my husband make dinner while I listed some stuff on ebay, didnt really play with my kids at all today will do better tomorrow, stayed up too late, laundry pile is going to eat me but I dont have time for it, the house is a wreck but it will have to wait, rinse, repeat

um...yeah... supermom I aint!

I've been rejuvinated though, and am in the process of developing a mission statement for my life to help me weed out the crap I pile on so I can focus on what really matters. I got the idea from this e-book: http://www.bloggerbehave.com/. This woman seems to really have a lot of balance in her life that I find attractive. Granted she doesnt work out of the home, but I know she stays busy with homeschooling and such, so she's got my attention.

So yeah, this post doesnt have cute pictures of the kids (I havent really taken any) or anecdotes about Liam and the potty (we've seen a LOT of public restrooms these days), but I'm re-evaulating. I may have to go to NM again next week, but stay tuned. God's stirring up something in my heart regarding crazy schedules, family, career goals, cooking and more and I would like to share the journey as things unfold.

This is a small thing, but I heard this song on the radio just now and really stopped to think about how much the words rang true for me as a parent. If you can get past the "wings" part (I know.. I'm thinking Bette Middler here) it's my deepest desire for my kids. I pray this for them all the time...

It's only for a moment you are mine to hold
The plans that heaven has for you
Will all too soon unfold

So many different prayers I'll pray
For all that you might do

But most of all I'll want to know
You're walking in the truth

And If I never told you
I want you to know

As I watch you grow

Chorus:
I pray that God would fill your heart with dreams
And that faith gives you the courage
To dare to do great things
I'm here for you whatever this life brings
So let my love give you roots
And help you find your wings

May passion be the wind
That leads you through your days
And may conviction keep you strong
Guide you on your way

May there be many moments
That make your life so sweet
Oh, but more than memories

Chorus

It's not living if you don't reach for the sky
I'll have tears as you take off
But I'll cheer as you fly

I've Gotta Remember This

2011-10-12T22:22:00.000-04:00

It's about 9:45 pm here and the kids have been tucked in for a good hour and fifteen minutes. All the sudden I here a faint "POOPIE!" coming from upstairs.

He's STILL awake?!!?

Trudging up the stairs I walk in his room and he starts laughing excitedly (that I responded) and says "Poopie, Mama!". Flipping on the light I see the sight before me. He's sitting in his bed with his pants off and his diaper unsecured to his bum. I ask... did you take off your diaper? His smile gets somber and he says "NO" very decidedly. True enough, the diaper is still technically on although the tape has been unlatched from either side. He's stayed JUST within the rules (and he knows it).

Me: Do you HAVE poopie?
Liam: No. Gas. (We just taught him this one recently) Poopie oah bobby ("Poopie on the potty"), Mama.
Me: You want to go potty?
Liam: Yes (laughing excitedly that he was getting what he wanted)

We proceed in the bathroom (he runs... clearly not tired!) and he plants himself down on the little potty and says satisfactorily, "OK! Read A Books, Mama!" And proceeds to hand me one by one all of the books in the bathroom for me to read aloud.

After about 25 minutes on the potty we have a little pee, a glowingly happy boy and a tired Mama. He is quite an energizer bunny and never ceases to make me laugh. Though it does pain me to know he'll be up at the crack-o-dawn tomorrow morning ready to hit the ground running again!

My First Piece of "Old"

2011-09-29T00:11:00.000-04:00

I'm not a very good decorator. You'd realize I don't have a cohesive "style" if you walked in my house. I have a little bit of La Z Boy, a little bit of Roomstore and a little bit of Ikea. And I'm not really in love with any of it. In the past year I've been combing through catalogs to circle/cut out/dog ear pages of things that I really love so I can try to replicate it in future purchases I make. Its always hard taking the first step because I usually look at something I like and say "yeah... I really like that, but it doesnt go with ANYTHING I have at home right now".

But hey... I guess I have a hodge podge already, so what the heck!

So the style I like is a mix of "old and new". Its Ballard Design-esque (when they're not being all frou frou). This was my first purchase of something I really liked but didnt think would "go" in my kitchen. I picked it up at Goodwill for cheap and while it's not in perfect shape, I really like it. My plan is to get rid of all of the boring stuff I have and accumulate some fun pieces like this vintage pyrex. Now I've just got to find some good thrifting haunts to make that happen!

School News

2011-09-29T00:00:00.000-04:00

Natalie requested "rainbow cake" for her birthday celebration at school. Nevermind that it was the DAY after we returned from camping and I had a pile of laundry a million miles high and several sold items on eBay I needed to ship. Rainbow cupcakes were the priority.

I got the idea from this blog. Highly, highly recommend EVERY ONE of her recipies. I've tried several and that girl has a good palate.

They were a hit at school. I was glad because I felt all this pressure from the previous parent to "have the right birthday treat". (It was all self-induced, of course.)

In other news... remember that kid Noah at school? Well, Natalie came home on her third day and told me she'd kissed him. Lord have mercy... this was NOT what I was prepared for. Well, maybe I shouldnt have been THAT surprised. She likes to act out Sleeping Beauty here at home and loves dressing up as a princess and likes acting out all of the various prince/princess roles with us. But kissing a boy??!?! I stressed. I called his mother. I emailed the teachers. I pulled the princess movies off of the shelf at home. Maybe an overreaction? I dunno. Perhaps. Especially after I found out the kiss may have been a quick peck on the chest rather than on the lips.

Regardless, I dont think my reaction really hurt anything. I have noticed her talking more about getting married, asking when, who, etc. And not really interested in watching other kinds of movies. So, for now the princess books and movies have "gone to play at another little girls house".

And boys have cooties. Lots of them.

I Have A Problem

2011-09-28T23:44:00.002-04:00

I can't fit this weekends yard sale finds in my office.

Hahaha... Its official! I'm addicted to the whole resale adventure on eBay and Craigslist. I started doing it out of curiosity and now I'm really gung-ho about doing it to save for vacation. So far I've banked about $700 (and I'm getting more efficient). Not bad for something I just started about 10 weeks ago. I have to admit, though, that certain things have suffered as a result:

cooking (why cook when you could be listing items on eBay!?!?!)
ironing (we'll just wear the knit stuff for now)
blogging (I haven't take a picture of my son in over a month, but I've got picture of plenty of toys, coats, bikes and baby gear!)
sleep (I've adopted the mantra "I'll sleep when I'm dead")
scrapbooking/other hobbies

I suppose it DOES take time and everyone I talk to about it gets this perplexed look on their face and wonders aloud "how I have time for all that?". I guess we make time for what we want to make time for. It certainly is something I'm interested in for now. I mean, its just SO exciting to see my bids increase on an auction or have someone email me about something I have on craigslist. I mean I bought a stroller at a yardsale recently for $20 and sold it within a couple days for $75.

As my grandmother says "You can't beat that with a stick!!"

I recently have been selling more baby items on craigslist. Having gotten rid of my own things fairly recently I knew what things were hot. I was selling a Bumbo baby seat on Craigstlist and had arranged to meet an interested buyer at a local grocery store parking lot. When we met, he got out of the car with his wife to inspect the seat and I asked how old their little one was. He said... "oh we dont have kids, we have a business!"

Oh...

Then he and his wife proceed to try to talk me down because "they had just sold one of these on eBay last week for such and such amount and weren't going to make enough profit on this one".

Not my problem, buddy.

I politely informed them that I sold on ebay also and I was firm on the price. They left empty handed.

Its highly annoying when someone waits until they're face to face with you to try to talk you down.

Jerks

Well, the next Saturday I started out at an upscale neighborhood yardsale promptly at 7am. Who should roll in behind me but Mr. Bumbo himself. He and I played cat and mouse throughout that entire community sale. He'd run to one sale and beat me out of a stroller I wanted. I'd run to the next and save a whole bunch of things I wanted and ask if I could go to the one across the street and come right back. Seriously one of the most stressful experiences of my life! I was trying to avoid "buying it all" because of the hype, but was having to make quick decisions and couldnt look anything up to double check prices. All in all I was extremely happy with what I came home with (I packed Kevin's car to the brim!).

I did overhear Mr. Bumbo telling one deflated homeowner that "he didnt have kids he had a business" after just wheedling him down to $10 for 3 carseats. I couldn't BELIEVE he hadn't learned his lesson and felt pretty sorry for the guy who'd just been duped. Ah well.. I guess no one twisted the guys arm to MAKE him sell his carseats. Its just got to be a rotten feeling.

So, yes, something I laugh at. I hope I dont have to contend with Mr. Bumbo at any sales in the near future, but figure I haven't seen the last of him.

The Order of Things

2011-09-28T22:57:00.000-04:00

I'm an arbitrary putter-offer of particular "milestones" for my kids. Here's a list of the milestones that I've come up with on the fly. Some make sense... some just are, well... arbitrary!

6 = the age you have to be to chew gum
8 = the age you have to be for us to even consider pierced ears
10 = the age you have to be to learn how to use a knife in the kitchen (and thereby cook me dinner!)
10 = the age you'll be when you can have soda on a more regular basis than "on airplanes only"
14 = the age you have to be to start wearing some makeup
25 = the age you have to be to get married

I find that things keep getting added to the list. Did you have any "rules" like that growing up?

1st Day of School

2011-09-28T22:38:00.000-04:00

My baby *sniff* started school this month. Okay, its just preschool, but it just made her seem all grown up. I'm sure when Liam starts it will be old hat. Poor kid!

I got to go along for her gradual entry day. It was just four days after her fourth birthday! We left Liam with Grandma and Natalie picked a "special" place for lunch. Natalie picked Arby's.

Curly fries = special!

I took this picture right before she looked at me with her big brown eyes and told me: "I love you forever, Mom".

I was just kind of speechless and stammered out a "I'll love you forever too, Natalie". Seriously... my newly minted 4 year old was already blowing me out of the water with how old she seemed. This is the sort of stuff that just makes you beam inside as a parent. Kind of amazing and surreal when it happens...

She really didn't "need" me there during class. She's so social (even though she likes to pretend she's shy at the outset). She quickly made friends with a little guy named Noah and spent a good amount of time playing princess and knight with him during free-play time. I found myself cringing when she'd run around in the princess dress and say "I need to find a prince so I can get married!" Oh dear... maybe one too many Disney movies???

First day of school!

Roll call (It was cute watching them learn how to raise their hand and say "here!")

Learning the songs!

Storytime (she had two kids arguing over who was going to sit next to her)

the end of class (she was ready to go back!)

There's a Four Year Old in the House!

2011-09-12T22:40:00.033-04:00

Natalie's birthday falls on my company's annual Six Flags picnic. I debated a bit about having an actual party for her, but then I decided that Six Flags was PLENTY of celebration and I was going to heed the warning from a friend that throwing a party for 4 year olds was a lot more work than perhaps it was worth.

Noted.

So Six Flags it was and it did not disappoint. Natalie, fortuntely, was tall enough to ride the 42" rides this year. We talked importantly about how she was able to ride those rides because she'd eaten her vegetables and gotten taller and that Liam would have to eat more vegetables for next year. I think it worked because she's all excited about the really "BIG" rollercoasters that she'll be able to grow into provided she continues to down those green beans. I'm just hoping we can branch out from the canned variety at some point.

We took Liam with us to Six Flags (something we were a little fearful of) but it worked out rather well. He's tall and fortunately had a good time on several things his height. And of course there was plenty of food. So, he was in his element! I dont have any pictures from the day, but we had a blast and closed the park! The most fun was had at the water park. I think its genetic, because water parks happen to be my favorite too!

The next day, Sunday, we went to church and then we celebrated Natalie's birthday at home with our immediate family. Liam didnt even make the pictures because he was doing some hardcore napping to play catch-up from the previous day! Here's a few pics from the festivities:

Notice the cake in the background (strawberry cake with white/pink icing)- Natalie and I picked it out and decorated it ourselves. She was ecstatic with it (nevermind the pink border falling off the side of the cake!)

The pink suitcase (it has princesses on the front of it) was certainly the star of the show. She had requested it months prior and I searched high and low for one in my resale adventures. God totally dropped one in my lap the Sunday before her birthday for a rock bottom price of $2. I know she doesnt care that it was used and it was in great shape! I just LOVE it that God cares about the little things in life that matter to us and is continually doing things to build my faith.

Baby Emma - thanks Mommo & Poppo!

Strawberry Shortcake dolls. You know they market these to the parents, really. My fourth birthday I had a Strawberry Shortcake birthday cake. Oh the memories!!

No birthday is complete without a princess card!

She was rather insistent that we have a #4 on the cake though. Too cute!

A Marylander Born and Bred

2011-09-03T23:17:00.001-04:00

Well, its official. She can stay.

What Happens When You Have An Older Sister

2011-09-02T09:29:00.000-04:00

Natalie:    Mommy you saved me from the dragon! (as she jumps into my lap)
Me:          Ha ha ha! But what you dont know is that I'm the dragon (I start to nibble on her head)
Natalie:    No I want Liam to be the dragon!
Liam:        No!
Natalie:    Yes!
Liam:        NO!
Me:           Liam, you dont want to be the dragon?
Liam:        NO!
Me:          What do you want to be, Liam?
Liam:        (without a pause) Rehreh
Me:          You want to be Cinderella?
Liam:        YEAH!

Oh dear.

August?

2011-08-31T22:54:00.001-04:00

A friend called today and asked me how I was and I told her that I'd fallen into a black hole. This summer has been, in a word... C..R..A..Z..Y. And I wish that were the good kind.

I worked 50 hours a week for the entire thing and Kevin coordinated an entire office move and all of the hullabaloo that transpired afterward. He lived at the office (literally) in one pair of underwear for 4 days straight. And then another pair for another two days.

Fun times.

We are beyond the point of "I need a vacation".

Last week when I finally got back to my normal work schedule (thank you LORD!) it was like I was waking up after having been in a coma. I had PILES and CLUTTER and my bathrooms hadnt been cleaned in 2 months!! (Okay, I may have cleaned a toilet once in there and wiped down the sink, but the shower? Ick...)

So I know I know.. a lot of excuses, but seriously, if you wondered if I fell of the face of the earth... well... I did.

I've been so so remiss in taking pictures of my kids this summer. I *finally* took some a few days ago while we were outside ~~getting eaten alive by mosquitos~~ enjoying an evening stroll. Well, for Natalie it was an evening skate.

Last week, in the process of slowing down, I was noticing how much the kids (namely Liam) had changed over the summer. Three months is a long time for a 2 year old and he seemed to be so much more pleasant on errands and able to understand and communicate so much more readily. How had this happened right under my nose? In fact... both kids seem to be working on their expressiveness.

I'm loving the trout pout in the middle. And the "I just got picked for the Price is Right!" face next to it. Seriously... what a ham!

Liams "funny" face. "Sad" and "mad" are pretty amusing too.

In the middle of "CHEESE!"

On a rather exciting note, Liam has started potty training in full force! And his dad and I are doing quite the jig at the thought of no more diapers!!! I'm using Pull-ups for now, but I've already resolved that the box of actual diapers I have will be my last. Ahhh... that feels SO good to say that.

So because things aren't quite chaotic enough in my life, I've recently gotten interested in buying/reselling kids toys on ebay and craigslist. Here's what got me started...

Bought for $3. Sold for $89.99.

You can't tell me that's not addicting.

Well, so not everything is that ridiculously great of a profit and its been a little bit of trial and error. But, its been a fun way to bank up a little extra cash toward a vacation at some point or just a night out with my husband. Hey... and if it gives me another reason to yardsale (did I need another one?!?) then its worth it!

Birthday Musings...

2011-07-29T22:35:00.000-04:00

Dear Liam,

Today you're 2. Its hard to believe you made your debut into our lives just 2 years ago. And what an empty world that was comparatively. I am awed by that everytime I walk in the door and you act like you just won the MegaMillions. I hope you never stop acting the fool when I'm around. It's kinda nice to have a fan club. I realize that it probably wont last, though, and you'll be lecturing me on how not to embarrass you in front of your friends in few short years. I guess that means I need to soak this up now.

You're so enthusiastic about the things you love: Mommy, food, Dora, Mommy, blocks, toys, slides, Ms. Jody, Mommy, snacks, music, Mommy. You notice a few repeats? Yeah, you REALLY like those things. =) And when you're talking about them you like you're leading a pep rally with a megaphone.

SNACKS!!!! YEAH!!!!

Unfortunately haven't taken quite the shine to Dad as you have to me. Let me tell ya, buddy, I know he's not me, but he's still a good guy. (Natalie and I think so!). Plus, he's the one thats going to be taking you hunting and fishing and teach you how to pee standing up. And you'll soon find out...I dont know a thing about any of that.

You are getting so big so fast, it seems. You can also almost count to 20 and can recognize a handful of letters. Just this week you started putting two words together. Light on, hi Natalie, fan off. And of course, "more snack". You're too cute.

You're dramatic to the core. I've ripped your little world apart with the announcement that, in fact, we would not be turning the TV on or that it, indeed, was not time to get out of bed. I have a feeling that this is going to be a part of who you are - a feeler. And the real question is, how could you come out of this family and not be a feeler? Should I be surprised? My prayer for you is that your learn not to put too much stock in your feelings as they can change so often. And also that despite your deep reactions to the world you remain an optimist. I'm hopeful. =)

Tonight we celebrated your birthday with Grandma, Grandpa and Meme. I cooked a big meal - not much of it you ate. But that's okay, because you reveled in the fact that we fed you ice cream cake and juice at the end. You should really be thankful. Your sister got diabetic cookies for her 2nd birthday. So I guess you could say we've relaxed a little.

Buddy, your loud, kinda messy, and smelly at times, but you are a light in our family. A loud, smelly, messy and wonderfully cuddly light. One that loves to sing, dance, blow kisses, dress up in your sisters dress up stuff, play blocks and help us make breakfast by dumping Cheerios on the kitchen floor.

We love you through and through. Don't grow up too fast.

- Your Mama

The Way You WISHED You'd Spent Your 32nd Birthday...

2011-07-08T17:14:00.000-04:00

Today was Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-fil-A. "What does that excatly mean?", you ask?

Well, it involves getting dressed up like a cow in order to get free food.

And if you know me (like, really AT ALL) you know I LOVE a bargain.

And apparently have no shame.

I mean who else marches their 32 year old butt into Chick-fil-a in black spandex with printer paper cow spots duct taped to them and orders a spicy chicken sandwich, extra pickles?

Let me just say, that might have been the best chicken sandwich of my entire life.

Moo!

Oh, and yes, for those of you that are wondering, Natalie IS wearing pants here (despite the appearance that we might be prepping her for a bovine-inspired streetwalker career in the future). Liam's outfit could double for the angel this Christmas. Ha! This is repurposing at its best folks!

Sunday Best

2011-06-28T11:32:00.000-04:00

On Sunday we actually had time to put a dress on Natalie AND do something with her hair. This is coming from the family who is usually late to church AND who's children arrive already with stains on their shirts.

Hey... it's hard to keep a 1 and 3 year old clean for ANY amount of time.

So, after straightening Natalie's hair and befitting it with a headband, I decided to take a picture so I could look back years from now (forgetting all of the mayhem) and think "wow... we really had it together back then!"

The dress (hard to see in my overexposed pic) is a cute one we picked up at a yardsale a few weeks ago for 50 cents! Yellow with white polka dots. I'm going to have to stop telling Natalie where I find her clothes, though. She's already begun to tell people where they're from. While it's not a terrible thing in and of itself, school-age girls can be merciless. My mom made all of my clothes (and what a wonderful job she did!) but my pride in where my clothes came from turned out to be great ammunition for making fun of me. All those girls in their Hypercolor t-shirts, Guess jeans and Reebok high-tops. They were so lame. I SO wish I had a chance to go back and live my life over again with the confidence God's given me now. I'd care less about trying to be liked by that lame crowd and be content to just be myself. Ahh... the things I wish I could protect my daughter from...

It's Gone!

2011-06-17T17:24:00.000-04:00

Last weekend Kevin and I tackled a project we'd been thinking about for quite some time. But it involved wallpaper removal - lots of it. And if that isnt enough to stop you dead in your tracks I don't know what is. Last time we did this was in 2004 when we moved into the house - so alas we had been dragging our feet A LONG TIME.

Anyway, the impetus for any change in the kitchen was this:

Notice the countertop split in front of the sink.

These counters (even though they're laminate) were brand spankin new when we moved in. Apparently the sink wasn't sealed properly though, so fun times all around.

I guess I'm not complaining though... we thought we'd just replace the counters with postform laminate to cut down on cost, but when running the numbers, granite wasn't a ton more (provided we do a little legwork ahead of time).

Jackpot!

That part should be done in a month or so - I just wanted to show you the beginning stages of our project.

BEFORE:

Can you believe I'm showing you how messy my kitchen is? I really can't either.

But it really was pretty clean in comparison to how it looked once the wallpaper started coming down.

DURING:

Be forewarned: Wallpaper removal is a messy job. You will find little pieces of glue backed paper for WEEKS.

So, we really could use some feedback though on the wall color. We are not redoing the floors, so we matched the gray/blue floor to a medium gray counter. Should we follow the gray theme and do a light gray wall (as seen in the middle swatch of wall color? Or do I try to tie in some of the yellow undertones of the cabinets? I was originally thinking white walls but they're pretty white now and the trim and the walls just kind of blend into each other. Obviously I dont want it to be too dark, though. I was also debating a chalkboard paint on the wall with the two closets (by the kitchen table) although I'm not sure how chalkboard paint "wears". Does it erase well? Can you paint over it easily? Advice please!!!

Carnival of '11

2011-06-08T20:38:00.000-04:00

When they're in their 80's, they'll be looking back and telling their grandkids about how when THEY were little, they used to ride on metal carnival equipment that was probably 30 years old and there were REAL germs on all of the rides. And that you'd get whiplash from the roller coasters - the kind that knocks your head around a metal seat like a ping pong ball.

They'd mention how the safety harnesses were easily slipped out of and there were high voltage wires between all the rides that you could trip on. And that all the carnies looked like they had worn the same filthy shirt since last year and maybe belonged on America's Most Wanted.

And then their grandkids would wonder if their parents had been crazy taking them to such an establishment.

And I think the answer might be yes.

But hey, it was fun!

Homemade Tortillas

2011-05-31T18:23:00.000-04:00

I was catching up on all the blogs I follow the other day and stumbled across this recipe. When I was in high school I was a hostess at a mexican restaurant in Springfield, MO.

"How much authentic mexican food is there in Springfield, MO", you ask.

Not much.

But we DID have a really cool tortilla maker in the lobby of the restaurant and would make tortillas for the restaurant and for the waiting patrons, topping them with salsa, whipped cream, honey or butter and cinnamon and sugar.

So this reminded me of that.

Turns out making tortillas is SUPER easy. So Sunday morning we whipped up about 12 of these and went to town making homemade breakfast burritos (fried egg, onion, tomato, cilantro, cheese....mmmmm)

Let me just say we may never buy store bought tortillas again.

There is no contest.

Feelin' Crafty

2011-05-31T18:15:00.000-04:00

Last week I was in an organizing frenzy. This week, you might not know it because I have junk piled up all over my house, but it really is in an effort to purge and declutter.

You may see it as messy, I see it as progress!

Anyway, my jewelry was in dire need of reorganizing and purging. I spent about 3 hours cleaning off the top of my dresser (it has so much bare space now!), purging my jewelry I never wear and cleaning the silver I have. I was all ready to shove all of my dangly earrings back into my small jewelry caddy when I remembered a really pretty storage solution I'd seen at a friends house. A little googling, 45 minutes with the staple gun and I arrived at this!

Isn't it pretty? I was so proud of myself!

Introspection

2011-05-27T16:06:00.001-04:00

Life has been hectic (as I've said before here, here, here and here). Obviously with two little ones at home, a household to take care of and 30 hours of work a week, things get crazy.

I've been underwater recently - as I'm sure you've seen in my blog. And I've found myself to be irritable, longing for something different and just generally unhappy.

What?!?!

I'm sure many of you are wondering how that could possibly happen. How could a girl with two healthy kids, a PART-TIME job and a generally great life be unhappy? The 2005 me would have DIED to have been in these shoes right now. But alas... Here I am. And I find myself wanting something different. Something freer. Because this stage of life can feel like monotony. The kind of monotony that has you waking up at 40 and wondering what happened to your 30's.

It feels like I come home from work to someone whining and pulling on my legs and then I make dinner, clean up, feel guilty about using TV as a babysitter, put the kids to bed and rejoice that I have a few hours to spend the way I want to spend them. Then I waste the time I have to myself, stay up too late and get up at the absolute last minute the next morning dog tired and wonder when I'll ever get the motivation to wake up early and exercise. Sometimes I do, but its rare.

Do I sound like I'm complaining?

Well it sure isn't great.

Is this honest?

Yeah.

Does this make me a bad person.

I dunno.

I have friends that are endless fountains of patience and so attentive with their children. I read blogs written by women with large families that home school and have spotless houses because they follow a detailed household playbook. I read other blogs written by women that save thousands of dollars on groceries because they feed their families using coupons. I'm finding that I do a lot of things, wear a lot of hats, but that I am mediocre at them all. Scraping by for appearances sake, but not happy with where I'm at.

I admitted this to an older friend in my Bible study earlier this week and she had a lot of wisdom to share.  She encouraged me that thinking of myself first sometimes was not all that bad.

Okay, I've heard this one. But what does that really mean?

Well for the night owl in me, it means that I need some "me time" at the beginning of my day and it's going to involve getting up early - before the kids get up. I needed the "one up" on them, not to be simply reacting to them as soon as my feet hit the ground. I needed to be planned, put together, in control.

This also involves my time with the Lord.   I've always gotten to reading the Bible "when I had time" (which didn't happen very often at all). I'd shove it til the kids took naps or right before bed because that was the only time I had to myself. But inevitably laundry, hanging out with Kevin or just general "downtime" would take precedence and I'd find myself in a state of the "ought to's" that quickly turned to guilt.

Not the sort of Christian life I wanted to live or model for my kids. Where's the joy in that?

Then my friend made a statement that really hit me. She said she didn't NEED God to move her right before she went to bed because it wouldn't impact her as much come morning time. She NEEDED Him first thing in the morning so that she'd be impacted when she interacted with her husband, her kids and people at her job.

I'd never thought about it this way. I had always heard morning devotions were better, but I didn't really realize why. It may seem like a "duh" thing to the rest of you, but for me, it was revolutionary. A completely new way of thinking.

Since we've met I've had a new energy that's not forced, canned or guilt-based. Amazingly, I've actually gotten up at 5:45 and run, had devotions and planned my day prior to the kids getting up - all with the desire to do so.  It's incredible to see what change has been affected in only 4 days time. I've been more patient with my kids, intentional in the time I spend with them, on projects around the house and with friends. And generally, I've been a lot happier and a lot less stressed out. I think I finally feel like I'm headed in a direction I want to go and I'm excited to see what God's going to do with that.

I also started reading Andy Stanley's Principle of the Path: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be. The idea is that you ARE headed in a direction. The question is: is it where you want to go? It has me looking at my life from an aerial view as opposed to seeing it as a collection of individual, unrelated decisions.  I've yet to figure out exactly where God wants to take me, but I think I might be one step closer to finding out!

Disclaimer: Yeah I know there were no pictures of my kids in this post or funny anecdotes. To be honest, I haven't taken any pictures. Poor parenting, I know. =) I'll fix that this weekend. Just wanted to share what's been on my heart of late.

May, So Far

2011-05-18T16:24:00.001-04:00

I thought I wouldn't say it, but I flew with the kids again, and it wasn't that bad! I think I had convinced enough people to pray for us this time under the pretenses we may actually get booted off the plane midway to Kansas City. Based on the flight I had with them in August, this could have been a very real possibility.

This time, though, was MUCH better - largely due to the love for television that we've worked on instilling in our 1.5 year old. (The former me just died I think) I have a huge love/hate relationship with the TV. I really hate the fact that my kids are in front of it at all. But I've come to learn that my sanity is on the line and if it keeps me from blowing a gasket or allows me to get dinner made without stabbing myself in the eyeballs then it's probably worth it. How DID those pioneer women do it?

Liam (quite on his own) has developed a love for all things Dora. I've never been a fan of the triangle headed kid, who, my friend Beth pointed out, does not have a shirt that covers her stomach. But, I've welcomed her warmly into my home because for some reason or other Liam adores the ground she walks on, along with Map, Backpack, Boots and the rest of the gang. I know the songs, I've read the predictable books and have purchased the gear that goes along with being a Dora fan just for Liam because I figure it makes him so darned happy. It IS cute. I also was figuring it would help make the plane ride a more pleasant experience. And I was right!

Getting out to KC was perfect. I had an extra seat next to me so we could all have our own (Liam was a lap child). Coming back, however, we sat in the very last row next to the bathrooms and I was sandwiched between Natalie's carseat and a broad shouldered guy with Liam on my lap. I swear the last row has even LESS leg room than the rest of the seats on the plane. Lets just say I was thankful for deodorant and the lollipops I'd brought to bribe my children that day.

We stayed a week in Kansas City this time and it was lovely. I got LOTS of time to myself, to shop, to hang out with my sister, to see my grandparents and long lost relatives and to just relax. I was so bummed to come home to a house where no one does my laundry (my mom rocks at laundry) and I had to go back to work. =( I guess it wasnt only the grandkids who got spoiled at Nana and Papas house!

My freshman roommate, Beth, came for a playdate with her daughter Mylie. Natalie had fun bossing her around. Heck, she has fun when she can boss anyone around!

Poppo, Cousin Steven and Uncle Mike

SO thankful that they made the trip to come see us!

My cousin Steven is graduating from medical school this coming weekend and starting his residency in OB/GYN. We got a chance to go out and I got to pick his brain about all of his crazy stories thus far involving women, babies, etc. He's got a real passion for medicine and a heart for womens health. I'm excited for him and what he's accomplished so far. I know he'll make a terrific doctor.

My Great Aunt Hazel. She looks exactly the same as I always remembered her growing up (maybe just a bit shorter). Such a bright spirit and positive person. I love her!

Left: Liam wearing Nana's "dress up" beads, 2011.

Right: Natalie wearing Nana's "dress up" beads, 2008.

Aunt Lib reading to Natalie. I love the expression on Natalie's face. This book was particularly long and had lots of nonsensical words. I think its ironic that even at 3 1/2 she's like "seriously???".

A sweet picture of Mommo reading to Natalie.

Liam giving hugs to Poppo. I love that they get a chance to see each other, even if it is much too infrequent.

Dinner with the family

When we got back into town we found a tricycle that fits Liam perfectly. Craigslist, of course!

We did lots of shopping in Kansas City. It was nice to buy clothing in stores other than Target and Costco (the main stores I frequent at home with the kids). This little number is from the Osh Kosh outlet. I do think the bunny slippers were a nice addition.

Liam started talking up a storm after we got back from Kansas City: "egg", "Natalie", "Banana", "balloon", "heart", "shoes", "up we go"... And the list goes on. Next it will be "pink purse".

In other news, we also got rid of the pacifier, Liam had his first dentist appointment and Natalie told me that we were going to be "friends forever". Gosh, I hope so.

Oh Right... The Blog.

2011-05-18T15:28:00.000-04:00

When things get crazy around here, the blog is (unfortunately) one of the first things to slip. And apparently it's been mighty crazy around this joint for the last month and a half. Here's a quick catchup for April....

4/17 Liam started saying "No". It was cute for a week. Now he's screaming it. That became not so cute real fast.
4/22 Natalie brought me flowers (i.e. dandelions) from a walk with Grandma. She ran into my office and gave them to me and said "These are for you, Mom. I love you mom." Okay... you live for these moments as a parent.

We finally decided to dedicate Liam at a mass dedication service at our church. Funny, we had Natalie dedicated at 3 months. For Liam we waited until 20 months. Oh well, we actually had brain cells back then. Life with one three month old? A piece of cake! We could actually go out to eat when she was that age. We'd just put the whole carseat under the table at the restaurant and let her sleep away. These days? They pay us NOT to come to restaurants.

It was a nice dedication service, albeit a little long. Granted, we DID arrive much too early and the kids were fit to be tied even before the service started. The professional pictures taken there were hilarious. I did NOT order one. Let's just say that I was reminded why I get my kid's pictures done only once a year and with a great amount of planning, toys, bribery and assistance.

A sweet moment with Grandma.

Thank you, God, for pacifiers!

Easter came and went and we spent it with our good friends the Lewis' and their family. What a nice time! You'll identify our kids by the rather disheveled hair and Larry the Cable Guy man tank. Boy we sure know how to dress our kids up for a nice time!

Sequoia, Helga (er... Natalie), Cheyenne and Bubba (er... Liam)

Liam's first egg hunt (where he actually participated). I didnt have a basket for him so guess who got to use the pink bag? He's so metro!

Liam hadn't had candy before this day. I had to do some clever slight of hand to make a good portion of his jellybeans disappear because he was shoving them hand over fist into his mouth. Something tells me he's got his Nana's sweet tooth.

Note the lack of candy here in his Easter basket. I know... we're such Easter Scrooge's. But, I mean, who needs candy when you can have a Dora & Diego toothbrush??? =P

Natalie got a "reading is fun" Easter basket. Did I mention we're a little dorky around here?

The result of allowing your already hyper 3.5 year old to eat Easter candy.

All right, all right... It IS a cute smile. =)

Grocery Budget Update

2011-04-08T16:57:00.000-04:00

Drum roll please....

For March my grocery spending (including diapers and household products) was 498.36.

I have enough left over for a pack of gum!!!!

Granted we DID spend exceed our eating out budget that month.... but BABY STEPS, people, BABY STEPS!

Things are looking up!

Cosmetology In Her Future?

2011-04-08T16:46:00.000-04:00

Last week, Natalie cut Liam's hair.

And I had just been thinking that we should let it grow a little. /cry!

I was not home to witness the event, but Kevin swears it all happened in the span of 5 minutes as the kids played upstairs. I guess my makeup bag was the draw as there was makeup littering the floor as and the tiny (very POINTY) eyebrow scissors were missing. Thank GOODNESS there was no major harm in the making of this haircut. And to her credit, she did try to do an even job! Unfortunately the millimeter long hair on top and back of his head will just have to grow out to match the rest of his hair.

She desperately wanted a haircut herself, so I just decided to get them both taken care of when we went in to get Liam's head fixed in case she got any more wild ideas!

Could It Be...

2011-04-08T16:33:00.000-04:00

that my 20 month old is going to potty train early?

Or was that just a one time teaser?
One can only hope!

Intervention Update

2011-03-25T16:52:00.000-04:00

So about a month ago I came clean about my love affair with grocery shopping and the exhorbitant amount of money I spent on consumable goods.

During the month of February I realized that I'd already spent $661 at grocery stores, Costco and Target by the 21st and was determined not to do anymore shopping until March. However, I found myself needing to stock up on meats and produce before month's end as my husband decided to join me on the Atkins diet. The total for the month? $961.

/fail

I knew I could do better.

This month isnt over yet, but I'm on target to do MUCH better. My mantra this month is "only the essentials". I'm not stocking up on anything (since I have such a stockpile anyway) and I'm barely looking at the grocery ads. For a long time I'd tried to do the "extreme couponing" that you read about on so many "mommy blogs". People can really cut their expenditures in HALF by playing the coupon games at local grocery stores and places like CVS and Rite Aid. However, I found that I was spending MORE money by attempting to do that. I would get a good deal, but then I might buy too much of something and then not plan a meal utilizing it. It ends up sitting on my shelf not getting used and then just adding to the food budget for the month. So my new approach is just STAY AWAY FROM THE GROCERY STORE.

It's working pretty well. Currently I've spent about $450 on groceries for the month. Can you believe it?!?! I think I deserve a gold star or a smiley face by my name or SOMETHING!

Lauren =)

So I'm definitely improving. The only temptation could be the fact that I would like to make a trip to Costco before the end of the month and I rarely get out of there for less than $100. But I'm determined to be able to go with a SHORT list and get out unscathed. I think I can, I think I can....

So stay tuned and keep the encouragement coming my way!

Gymnastics

2011-03-25T16:12:00.000-04:00

I wish Natalie had gymnastics every day. I'm not sure how a person so petite (who isnt allowed any sugar on a normal day) and who also doesnt nap can have SO much energy. The childs feet barely touch the ground during the waking hours for all the hopping, dancing, jumping, running and diverolling off of the furniture she does.

Kevin and I got to attend the last session of her winter gymnastics class and see her in action.

her class

Natalie doing a flip.

Natalie and Dad

Note: This is what happens when you tell her to laugh so she'll give a genuine smile. I'll just say she takes after her mother.

Nat and Mom

Yeah for gymnastics! I just hope she'll be able to keep it up next year with the addition of preschool to the mix. (more on that to come)

19.5 Months

2011-03-13T18:58:00.000-04:00

So I'm a little behind on updates. But who has time for that between all the chaos of two kids, work, housework and life in general? How do those Duggars do it?

Anyway, Liam is getting big. He understands EVERYTHING, has slendered out and very tall for his age. He doesnt say a lot, but here's what he does say:

Ma! (It means "Map" or "Dora") Go ahead and yell that one to get an idea of what it sounds like and then imagine it like 50 times a day. He loves Dora, but especially the Map, and will stand 10 inches from the TV and not move for 30 minutes if Dora is on.
"Ah Dah!" (all done) Also yell this very loudly, waiting two seconds between each word, right after rubbing spaghetti sauce in your hair and throwing any remaining food from your plate on the floor
kitakitakita (kitty cat). He's very affectionate toward her.
Yeah! Again, yelling at the top of your lungs, throw your hands up in the air in touchdown mode as a response to "Do you want to eat?" "Do you want your pacifier?" "Do you want to go outside?" Conversely if there's something you don't want to do, fall on the floor and writhe around like you're favorite dog just died.
Mama Um... yes, he's a mama's boy.
Da-dee (Daddy) Its a recent progression from Dada to Daddy. Super cute.
Raaaar (Roar) This is what a lion says (as well as what a bird, cat, dog and hyena say, according to Liam).
Uh oh Usually something to worry about and means you've got Cheerios/Vinegar/Peppercorns/etc spilled all over the floor.
Ta Too (Thank you) He says this without being prompted - something I attribute to our nanny, Jody. She's so on the ball with teaching manners to the kids. It's wonderful!
Woo Woo Woo (Siren or "Mom... you're getting pulled over")

He also does sign language for milk, more, please, help and wash hands. He doesnt try to say any of these words since he can sign them, but he'll be happy to throw his cup on the floor (or his entire tray of food, for that matter) to get your attention so you can serve his signed requests.

And just the other day he walked over to the diaper bag, pulled out a diaper and a wipe and laid down and began mock wiping his bottom. Turns out his diaper was, indeed, dirty. All right kid... if you can tell me it's dirty then you can surely tell me you need to use the potty!

He's a fun kid who makes us laugh every day. We're all looking forward to seeing how his personality develops and hoping he figures out that there's no need to talk at 500 decibels for the rest of his life. =)

Happy Half Birthday!

2011-03-13T18:35:00.000-04:00

We introduced Natalie to the concept of half birthday's this year. It's a tradition that my family practiced when I was growing up because a whole year is an awful long time to wait when you're a kid. We celebrated with a Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich (I called it an ice cream cake...) and a new Play-doh set. And now she proudly announces that she's 3 and a HALF.

Such a fun tradition to re-live with them as I've stopped really celebrating my own half birthdays! Something about 31 and a half just doesn't seem quite as special.

Free Shipping?

2011-03-13T18:28:00.000-04:00

How much do you think it would cost to send them to Nana and Papa's house?

Someone's Gotta Take One for the Team

2011-03-13T18:25:00.001-04:00

It's a little hard to see but this is salmon topped with crab dip. It's on the Atkins diet and oooooh-so-yummy. Hey, without the carbs to keep her company, a girl's gotta have SOME little luxuries! So far I've been low-carb for 3 weeks now and have lost 4-5lbs. Definitely not what I THOUGHT I would lose and I've seen no progress over the last week. I'm giving it another week to see if my body is just being stubborn at a set point and then I might re-evaluate my plan. There's only SO much passing up cereal, pizza and potatoes that a girl can do.

Okay, So This May Be Harder Than I Thought...

2011-02-27T11:09:00.001-05:00

I started a low carb diet (more on that later) a week ago and realized I didnt have enough fresh veggies and quick low carb meal components to help me be successful this coming week (it's going to be a really crazy week work-wise for me).

So I spent an additional $300 at the store on groceries.

/fail

My new goal is that what we have needs to last us 2 weeks (except for milk and toothpaste, for the kids). After that, I really have enough meats in the freezer so I'm hoping I can just buy fruits and vegetables for a week or two.

I also am planning on trying out e-mealz.com, as recommended, but I've got to wait until I deplete my stash a bit.

Hi, my name is Lauren. And I'm addicted to groceries.

I Need an Intervention!!!

2011-02-21T12:47:00.001-05:00

So I recently joined mint.com. It's an online budgeting tool that integrated in with all of your various financial accounts so you can see how much you're spending where and on what. If you haven't checked it out - I highly recommend it.

Unless you like burying your head in the sand...

Ahem...

like me.

I started doing this officially at the beginning of the year but I hadn't updated all of my transactions by categorizing them until today. And that's when I realized that I spent a whopping

*drum roll please*

THOUSAND DOLLARS on groceries in January.

All of the couponers out there are cringing at this admission, I know.

Yes, I coupon and I usually get great deals, but maybe, just maybe, I buy too much, or the wrong stuff, or too many exotic things for new recipes I make. Who knows? I certainly don't because it doesnt FEEL like we eat wagyu beef every night sprinkled with truffle oil. But we might as well!

So, I'm on a mission. I'm not going grocery shopping the rest of this month (as I've already reached $661) and I'm determined to spend less than $500 next month. That still may be exhorbitant for a family of four, but I've got to start somewhere and I figure that even $500 will take some getting used to.

It's odd to me that I'm having this problem. I clip coupons, I follow several deal websites and I buy a lot at discount stores like Target, etc. I dont feel like I have the time to be an extreme couponer, but I do pretty well. Apparently, though, I'm missing the key element of sticking to a certain amount each week and then monitoring what I'm spending on a more regular basis.

So here I am. I'm coming clean. I'm a grocery over-spender. Join me as I try to figure out the best way to feed my family (as well as buy them household cleaners, laundry detergent, paper products, foils, etc) for half of what I'm currently spending while also not spending lots of time at the store, eating ramen or more than 15 minutes a day clipping coupons. We'll see how this goes....

**If any of you have any tips and tricks for making this work for a family that likes to eat things other than chicken and rice casserole 5 nights a week, please let me know. We're foodies and I like to buy a lot of fresh fruits and veggies for the kids. I'm hoping I can still maintain a level of excitement about our meals while eating on a budget. I need all the help I can get!**

A Sad Farewell

2011-02-17T22:09:00.000-05:00

After a lot of thinking and praying we made the hard decision to discontinue the homeschool preschool group we were a part of two days a week. It just got to be too much with all of the errands I needed to run for the rest of the week plus work plus quality time with the kids at home plus chores around the house, yada yada yada. I was stressed when we got home, Natalie was distracted while we were there and Liam spent his time at preschool running around the playroom emptying toys and puzzles left and right.

Regardless, it was a hard decision as we'd made a lot of good friends there and the kids really did have fun each week. I'm thinking the Fall might be good for another try as they'll both be a little older. We'll see...

Abel

Camden

Making muffins with Ms Erin. I love Abel's face! This is right before he dumped half the can of baking powder in the bowl. It's a wonder those things turned out - but, MAN, were they good!

Liam

Peyton

Rory - eating a donut for Sequoia's birthday.

Sequoia (celebrating her 4th birthday at preschool!)

We'll definitely miss the preschool bunch, but hope to develop a routine of educational play/activities and scripture memory here at home. If anything, being a part of the preschool group helped me to gain more confidence with my role as an educator at home.

It also helped me realize that I'm probably not cut out to homeschool my kids. Of course I could change my mind, but I think I realized how BIG of an undertaking that truly is. I'm missing some of the creativity and patience factors that I think you'd have to have to do this well. I'm also missing all of the science and math skills I used to once posess (where DOES all that information go?).

Ah well, your kids thinking you dont know anything comes with the territory of being a parent I guess. I better just accept it now.

That and mom jeans.

Okay... sorry, Mom, but I'm going to be fighting that one til the day I die.

Fanny Pack

2011-02-17T21:41:00.000-05:00

You may think this is cool now...

but you're going to be burning pictures like this here in about 12 years. (Note the drool drenched shirt to top off the look!)

Too bad I've got a backup of the digital copy!!!!

Say Cheese!

2011-02-17T21:36:00.002-05:00

Natalie got a camera for Christmas. Granted it takes .3 megapixel pictures so the quality isnt that good.

.3 megapixels!??!!?? I mean my GRANDMA has more megapixels than that!!!

I digress.

The big selling point on the camera was not the quality but it's ability to be dropped, stomped on, thrown and used as a club for your brothers head. We were sold! (Actually Nana and Papa were sold... but I digress again.)

So here are some pictures that Natalie has taken with it. Yes, they're all pretty fuzzy and these really are the best out of all 400 she took. I just thought it was interesting to see what life looks like through the lens of a 3 year old.

Seeping Gooty (thats how she pronounces it)

Kevin...aka Dad

Ms. Jody

Stinky Pants

Me (bending down, of course, because otherwise you would have just seen my crotch...and this is a family blog, people!)

Nana and Papa at Christmas

Self Portrait!

We are Pull-Up Free!!!

2011-01-30T20:21:00.000-05:00

Natalie acheived a HUGE milestone this past week and went 7 nights in a row without wearing a pull-up to bed. Whooo Hooo!!

To celebrate we got her a demonic Disney movie.

Okay, so let me just say that I had no idea that Disney was THAT bad, but The Princess and the Frog just creeped me out. Demons, tarot cards, palm readings!

WHAT?!?!?

Princess Tiana was nice, but they could have left out all of the Shadow Man and his accomplices and still would have had a decent movie. I was truly disappointed with it and fortunately we were able to take it back.

After evaluating all of the Disney movies Natalie owns, I'm thinking that perhaps we'll try to go another route with future movie purchases. Snow White deals with murder, attempted murder and death. There's a line in Sleeping Beauty where Queen Maleficent calls on "all the powers of hell!" and there's a lot of the use of "idiot" and "stupid" in several of the Pixar movies. That might all be okay when she gets a little older and we can talk through all this stuff, but I'm uncomfortable letting Disney dictate what's okay for my kid to be privy to right now. I'm in the process of trying to find some VeggieTale movies to feature more often at home and may well be getting rid of some of the more offensive Disney flicks we have. So disappointing, really, as the stories, themselves, are so good.

Ahh... and so it's starting. I can already see us fighting about short skirts and bikinis!!

Snow Day

2011-01-30T20:07:00.000-05:00

This was our first foray into the snow this winter. I can attest that it *might* be our last. Anyone out there ever try to dress a 1 year old and 3 year old in winter gear all by oneself? I can tell you it took almost 45 minutes (well that included me as well). Ridiculous!

Okay, so that DOES seem a bit of a downer, but we DID have a good time playing in the white stuff. Well, Liam was a bit tentative and not particularly interested. Hmmm... I seem to remember a certain someone feeling quite the same way when they were his age...

We are not amused.

Yes, his pants are pink. Perhaps that's what he was so unhappy about!

I had to bribe with a treat to get Natalie to look at me for this photo! We ended up doing hot chocolate when we came inside which she announced she didnt much care for. Must run in the family because I've never been a fan either!

Natalie was sledding down our tiny hill right into the neighbors fence and thought it was the most hilarious thing ever. Hopefully next year Liam will be a good enough sport to try a better hill.

Standing in our picture window admiring the snow. I love this photo because you can kind of see pictures of her on the window sill when she was 14 months old. Sniff... they grow up so fast!

Thats all for now folks!

A State of Chaos

2011-01-21T21:35:00.000-05:00

I keep reminding myself that my house will be clean... one day.

Granted I can clean it, but the kids and I spend one day at home and the house could be mistaken for a burglary scene. Couch cushions are on the floor, clothes drawers are emptied, bookshelves completely swept of all their books, refrigerator magnets littering the floor. Natalie can definitely be to blame for her fair share of messes, but really it's Liam who's the prime culprit.

Just today, I cleaned his room three times. He's climbing the steps to his room all the time now and loves to go in and close the door to his room and turn on his music.

Funny... I have a feeling he'll be doing this in about 13 years too.

This morning, while I was stealing a few moments to apply my makeup, he went into his room and shut the door and redecorated his pad with the bag of wet diapers hanging off of his changing table.

Let's hope THAT isn't being repeated in 13 years.

The kids are playing together a lot more - and that's fun to see. However, one unfortunate side effect is that we hear a lot of screaming coming from Liam these days. Usually it's in response to Natalie "mothering" him by trying to pick him up or shuttle him into the position she wants him in. Sometimes it's indignation that he doesn't have the toy he wants or she's taken it away from him. I can imagine it will just be replaced by "No!" and "Back you evil fiend!" in no time.

Just the other day I walked past the playroom door and did a double take. Both kids are in a little drawer enclosure we use to store the play food. The drawers have been cast aside and the whole thing is upside down. Not sure what the faces are saying but they definitely look guilty!

Recently, to my amusement Liam's taken quite a liking for Dora and her map. Well, okay, its really just the map. Cartography in his future? Not sure, but he'll go ballistic for the map when it comes on TV and listened rather intently to me read a Dora book Natalie had brought home from the library, insisting that we turn back to the "MA!" (map). This is the first book of any length he's listened to. What hold does Dora and her triangle-shaped head have on kids? Seriously, what do the creators of the Dora empire understand about kids that I don't?

While I've never been fond of introducing my kids to TV, I DO see a need for Liam to be able to sit in one spot for an extended period of time so that we can travel to Kansas City to see my parents this spring. Maybe Dora will help forge the way! My last plane trip with him in August was a living nightmare and I'm determined not to repeat it. So we'll see...

I walked into the living room in the middle of preparing dinner the other night to see this...

Notice the couch cushion missing? I think my husband removed it this time. Geez I can't win!!!

Realizing he's caught looking so grown up. Now I just need to put him to work so he can pay for a maid.

Holy Stuffed Peppers, Batman!!

2011-01-21T21:01:00.000-05:00

I love stuffed peppers! But it had been forever since I'd made them. I recently resurrected this recipe from the tried and true family favorites cookbook (a 3 ring binder of all our favorite recipes) and realized I need to make these on a more regular basis. Can I just say... YUM!

Notes: I changed a few things...I substituted tomato sauce in lieu of tomato soup/water. I seasoned my ground beef with all sorts of things (steak seasoning, SeasonAll, pepper). I also halved my peppers and used red peppers instead of green. If you do this, you'll need to increase the meat mixture so you dont run out.

Knock Knock

2011-01-21T20:30:00.000-05:00

We have entered the world of knock knock jokes. "Poopy" and "Pee Pee" have been struck from the acceptable list of punchlines and we've recently had to strike "toots" as well. Toots, it seems, is the funniest thing in the world to a three year old.

For instance...

Knock knock!

Who's There?

A bunch of toots under the bed!!!

Something tells me that's always going to be funny.

Take Two

2011-01-04T10:57:00.000-05:00

Started diet yesterday. Bypassed chocolate cupcakes on our counter and went straight for the All Bran. Tried to overlook souring milk but caved halfway through bowl and opted for 2 cheese sticks and a diet soda instead.

For lunch had tuna fish (only a little mayo) and half a sheath of saltine crackers. Not QUITE a diet at half a sheath but a step in the right direction.

Opted not to workout since I'd been to the chiro that day, but resolved it was going to happen tomorrow.

Kevin called to say he would be home late. Call happened to coincide with kids crying, dinner being late to go in the oven and sinus headache. Instantly shoved fistfuls of sugared almonds and chocolate covered pretzels in my face. Followed by the kid's macaroni and cheese, chicken, some ribs, the rest of a box of Nilla Wafers, and two hard ciders.

Um... apparently I'm an emotional eater.

Today is Tuesday. Take two.

Old

2011-01-04T10:23:00.000-05:00

So last week I was sitting at my desk minding my own business when I noticed a strange neck stiffness all of the sudden. Turning my head was so painful, in fact, that I was unable to fully move my head from side to side (envision someone with a neck brace that requires turning the entire torso to look side). Figuring it would just "go away" as it easily as it had come I carried on as usual. Granted my neck has gotten a bit "better" but the whole thing has kinda migrated down my back and I wake up in a good deal of pain in the morning now. Yesterday I caved and went to the chiropractor and, while it helped some, I'll be back again tomorrow.

If this is the way that 2011 is starting I'd like to call a timeout. When did 31 become old? I at least thought I had a decade or so more before I got strange pains from sitting in an office chair.

This might be retribution from my body for taking a month off of working out and then stuffing my face through the holidays. You just watch out, body, because when I get back to it I am SO going to kick you in the butt.

Off to take some ibuprofen now...

So I'm Noticing a Trend Here...

2010-12-30T16:47:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I have moments of blogging prolificness followed by long periods of blogging ineptitude. You could blame it on my kids, my experimenting with couponing (no I am not of of those Extreme Couponers on the TLC show) or all the online shopping I did for Christmas (New Years resolutions related to budgeting money more effectively will follow). However, it really was that I didnt put it as a priority. And for that, well, I'm sorry. So I'm back, for now. Let's see if I can make this work this time.

Christmas was a whirlwind of eating, going (see eating), entertaining (see eating again) and present giving followed by a little more eating (New Years resolution related to not eating so much and such indulgent foods to follow).

We got together with my in-laws the week before Christmas to exchange gifts and have a traditional Christmas dinner (homemade hot rolls, scalloped potatoes, ham, green beans and pecan bars).

Christmas with the in-laws!

Lion House rolls - the best rolls I've ever made from scratch!

Pecan Bars - better than pecan pie, oh yeah.

It was loads of fun and we enjoyed opening and giving lots of gifts.

The Wednesday before Christmas my parents and sister came to town as did several members of my dad's side of the family for a Christmas party. We had hors d'oeuvres (think mini crab cakes, bites of filet with paremesan cheese and horseradish sauce, cocktail shrimp, homemade mini quiches, homemade jalapeno poppers, meatballs, spinach artichoke dip, more pecan bars, etc).

Deer Ol' Grandpa Frank (ha ha ha!)

Natalie sporting her "Jesse" hat (from Toy Story)

Aunt Kathi and Grandpa Frank

Dad with Aunt Kathi and Uncle Wendell

My Deer Ol' Husband (I know, but I cant help myself!) and Uncle Dave

Me and Uncle Dave (who, btw, is a chef - love of food runs in the family!)

Aunt Jennifer, Cousins Kate and Justin and Grandpa Frank

It was so great to see the family. Its been 5 years since we've all gotten together on that side and we all agreed it had been WAY too long.

The next day my mom, sister, dad and Kevin and I hit the bus for a day trip to New York City to do a food tour in the Central Village/Soho neighborhood. My WORD, it was a good time! We went to 6 restaurants on the tour and then hit up 2 more afterward. We saw Bob Dylans old house and had a sighting of James Gandolfini (i.e. Tony Soprano)! Such a neat way to tour a place you're unfamiliar with and an interesting view into the culture there. The Duck Confit macaroni at MacBar (a place we visited after the tour) was among one of the favorites of the day!

Christmas day was fun - as it usually is. I knew what all my gifts were this year as we all made lists. I'd even bought a few things for myself and wrapped them up under the tree. Hey...when you're an adult you get to do things like that. We ate breakfast casserole in the morning and then had rosemary bread, baked potato soup and salad for dinner (followed by pumpkin spice muffins with cream cheese frosting - for Jesus' birthday and all).

Mom got a Kindle!

Liam just LOVES play-doh!

Homemade Pear Honey in the stockings

I stood outside at 3:30am sick as a dog for this Toy Story dvd. Ahh what we won't do for our kids and a good sale!

It was a princess Christmas this year!

In case you can't tell this is Kevins "oooh... so COOL" face.

My sister rounded their visit with a pork cassoulet, thyme roasted carrots, green beans and salad with homemade vinaigrette and rosemary bread followed by peanut butter ice cream with homemade peanut butter sauce.

Um, I know we had homemade pizza in there one night too.

So, /urp..., all in all it was a super Christmas with all the different members of the family. I actually got my Christmas cards out on time AND had time to crochet a few Christmas presents ahead of time AND do some Christmas baking (see here and here).

Dad and Lib

Papa and Natalie

Nana and Natalie looking at old photos of me with buck teeth

Me (looking tired from all that eating!), Mom, Lib

I *will* be going on a diet after this weekend to atone for all of my gross indulgences in culinary delights, but OH what fun I've had doing so. Stay tuned for my grumpy, hungry, self to return to blog land with tales of chicken, brown rice and vegetables. All right, I'll find something more interesting to talk about. Liam and his pink purse perhaps.

Preschool Update

2010-12-12T15:28:00.000-05:00

Preschool has been such a blessing this year. It always feels like a marathon when we're there. Me chasing Liam, Natalie struggling to focus and general chaos as 5 women try to herd 7 preschoolers and 3 toddlers through a lesson plan. I generally leave totally wiped out, mentally and physically and wonder what, if anything, Natalie learned that day. However, it's been good for me as it's made me a better educator at home. For instance, Natalie now recognizes the "W" in Walmart and the "M" in McDonalds. (Classy, I know.) In fact, she's recognizing more letters, memorizing Bible verses, making good friends and going on some great field trips.

Our last field trip we went on was to a dairy and ajoining ice cream shop. We got to see all things cow and see how the ice cream was made. Here are some highlights:

Lets just say that cows must not be able to smell, because they'd have keeled over from the stench! Glad this room was well ventilated!

The ice cream they make doesn't get any fresher than this...

The entourage

Not sure what the cow was thinking here, but I like to imagine something like "man these kids smell!"

The preschoolers LOVED seeing the pigs. The farmer tossed a pumpkin in the pen and it broke into pieces for the pigs to chow down on.

Ice cream at 10:30am... Sweet!

Grandma, You Left Your Glasses Here

2010-11-18T10:40:00.000-05:00

Cha Ching!

2010-11-16T15:45:00.002-05:00

Okay...so I've got to share this deal. I just got on the Ebates wagon and I just got my first $9 check in the mail for the normal online shopping I do (within the past month). Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, there's no weird homepage, annoying toolbar or spam emails. All you have to do is go to the Ebates.com website to make an online purchase and then click on the link for the store you want to visit (i.e. Old Navy, Lands End, Toys R Us, etc). I seriously don't know how I've not known about this until now.

You get the cash just for going through the Ebates website and you get $5 for creating an account. Really the only store I've found that they're lacking is Amazon...but I've made plenty of other purchases from their affiliates.

If you decide to give it a try, please use my referral link.

Saving a Buck Here and There

2010-11-01T08:29:00.000-04:00

So we recently got done with austerity month - just really trying to pinch some pennies to see how frugal we could actually be. It was a good lesson for us non-budgeters and I think we'll probably revisit that month a few times a year to put some things in perspective.

During that month I learned a lot of things about how to leverage coupons so I wasn't just walking away having saved 50 cents here or $1 there. I actually was saving a LOT. I don't always hunt for coupons now (as it doesn't matter with certain purchases) but I've found a lot of resources that are SUPER handy.

Living Rich With Coupons (get on their mailing list. SUPER helpful stuff! I also subscribe via rss feed on Google Reader)
Coupon Mom (they have a grocery coupon database, grocery store sale to coupon matchup with shopping list creator, and coupons for Target, CVS, etc. They also have video tutorials on how to get started in couponing. And the best part??? You DON'T have to spend hours clipping coupons anymore!)
The Coupon High (always really good deals! I subscribe to this one on my Google Reader rss feed)
Ebates (you simply use this site to search for items you want to buy on the sites you already use (i.e. Old Navy, Groupon, Target, etc. I just got 8% cash back on a purchase from Old Navy. I believe they actually mail you a check!!!)

Here's some of the one's I'm still testing out but look promising:

Swagbucks (Still testing this one out, but apparently you can get $$ back just for searching the web. I've always liked Google as my homepage, but I'm testing using Swagbucks as my homepage to see how much $$ I can make in my normal web searching. Apparently it takes 450 Swagbucks (SB) to get a $5 gift card from Amazon. I joined on Friday (Fridays are Mega SB day) and I've already got 68 (SB). I read someone's blog who said she bought a laptop with her SB's. There are other ways to earn SB other than searching (taking surveys, looking for hidden clues, etc). I'm not all that interested in that as I don't usually have the time. We'll see how this goes.
Redemption Unlimited (A blog by a couple of gals that talks about everything from grocery store deals and coupons to menu planning, etc. I subscribe to this in Google Reader)
The Krazy Coupon Lady (I subscribe to this in Google Reader)
Money Saving Mom (I subscribe to this in Google Reader)
Coupon Geek (I subscribe to this in Google Reader)
Moms Need To Know (I subscribe to this in Google Reader)

Anyway, I just wanted to share with you some of the proof that couponing DOES work. Recently on a trip to Office Depot I picked up a labeler (something I had reallyreallyreally wanted for a while). It was normally $50 marked down to $15. Good deal, huh? Well I actually got this whole mess for $15!!!

Labeler $15

Printer Paper $1 each

Camera Case $10 on clearance

Post-It Label Pads (made $5 using a coupon!).

And a $10 off $20 Office Depot coupon.

Now I can label my house to my little hearts desire! So fun. I'd love hear about any couponing/meal planning sites that you couldn't live without.

Say Cheese!

2010-10-31T22:47:00.000-04:00

This afternoon we put ourselves through the trial of trying to get a decent picture of all four of us at once. Have you EVER tried to get a picture with a 3 year old and 1 year old smiling (much less looking!) at a camera?!??! It's right up there with the ease of spotting the Lock Ness Monster.

Fortunately, our friends Dave and Jill donned a puppet and gave it a shot (no pun intended). I'd say we have SOMETHING to use for our Christmas list. Any favorites?

Mine is #2 for it's subtle glimpse into the craziness of our lives. Hint: note Liam's shoes....

Hanging out after all of their hard work in front of the camera. Liam: doing what he does best - filling his hollow leg with crackers. Natalie: doing a spontaneous jig. Mind you, this is BEFORE candy.

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T22:37:00.000-04:00

We had two fun nights of trick or treating this weekend. Last night we did Trunk or Treat at our church and tonight we did Trunk or Treat at another church PLUS a little neighborhood trick or treating. Natalie was ALL smiles as that was the MOST candy she's ever seen. Enjoy it kid, because that's all the candy you'll see until next year. Bwahahahahaha! *cue evil laugh and music*

No, seriously.

Trunk or Treat!

Lil' Chef

2010-10-30T11:35:00.000-04:00

This little girl loves to dress up. We pulled a chef's outfit out of the closet that we got from her cousins last Christmas and tried it on (it was HUGE last year). It fits perfectly now!

I really hope she's the sort of girl that will want to bake 5 different versions of the same dish with me to find the "best" one. I LOVE spending time in the kitchen and hope she does too!

Nastics

2010-10-29T15:34:00.001-04:00

So she might not quite have the prounounciation correct, but Natalie is LOVING gymnastics.

I took my camera a couple times to get some shots of my fledgling Olympian. (Okay...she'll probably be too tall to be a gymnast and won't be a star at ANY sport if she's got her mother's athletic prowress.)

her class... so cute!

pike!

Tada!

Oh, the teeth!

Bouncing on the trampoline.

Our thought for gymnastics is that:
A. She's got a TON of energy and needs to run it off.
B. She falls down a fair amount and loves to climb on things, so learning to fall with flair could be a benefit.
C. This is a good predecessor to ballet (Lauren) or martial arts (Kevin). Can I get a HI-YA?

Side note: I mentioned recently that Liam couldn't wait to join the gymnastics class and Kevin about choked on what he was eating. Then he grunted something about "his son wasnt going to be in gymnastics!" There are two boys in Natalie's class of 5 kids now though and it's really more of a tumbling class to be honest. And tumbling can be totally manly! I think as long as I put him in some sort of manly camo shorts and shirt (ala Rocky Balboa) then Kevin will get used to the idea. Ha!

Let's See, Where Were We?

2010-10-29T15:19:00.001-04:00

How can it have been so LONG? I feel like I've fallen into a black hole of "busy-ness". We've started preschool (as you've seen in my previous post) and it's been a terrific success. However, I find myself with MUCH less free time than before and I'm wondering if I'll ever get it back!

About 6 weeks ago now I broke my camera lens so I haven't taken many pictures since the incident. We were in the midst of an austerity month (a month where we just buy the essentials and pinch the extra spending). I was busy selling stuff on craigslist to earn a little slush fund and was resigned to pay for the new lens from the sale of one of my scrapbooking gadgets. Side note:I actually thought the whole camera was broken - so finding out that it was just the lens was a huge relief.

I had another lens (50mm fixed, for those of you that care) that was pinch hitting for me, but it was far from effective for day-to-day shooting. It's a portrait lens so a lot of my pictures were VERY close to their subjects.

Case in point:

I was across the room. I mean ALL THE WAY ACROSS and trying to get a photo of my closet's state of disarray so you could see the transformation (I've been on an organizing streak). I think you get the picture, but REALLY!
So I finally found a lens I wanted for half price on Craigslist and I asked Kevin to research buying a used lens for me so I wouldn't be shistered - especially since this money was coming from the hard-earned Craigslist sales I'd made. Apparently the site he was reading told him to turn the end of the lens to make sure it moved freely and noticed that our broken one did not. Deciding to man-handle it, as it was already broken, he twisted it much harder than normal and it popped back into action!

This is me when I realized (15 minutes before we're to buy the "new" lens) what had happened.

It's the "you've got to be kidding me" face.

We went ahead an got the other lens... just because it's SO much nicer (and apparently I need a backup). Its a Canon 28-135mm IS - a nice step up from my 18-55mm. I mean, it was pretty impressive that I could now take a picture like this from the back of the parking lot in the dark and STILL read the letters.

So now I just need to learn how to use it and all of it's nifty features. I'll just be working on that in my spare time. =P

I'm Getting Really Excited About Halloween This Year

2010-10-21T15:33:00.000-04:00

Where We've Been

2010-10-11T14:48:00.001-04:00

Aaackkk! I know it's been forever. And I constantly feel like I'm behind on this blog. I haven't a moment to post today, but I do have a cross-post to offer to show what we've been up to these past few weeks.

Natalie started preschool - but not the traditional kind. Its a co-op with other women that are interested in homeschooling for preschool (at least) and possibly continue for elementary school. I have to say I'm the least experienced in the group as far as teaching goes, but I'm happy to help and do when directed. I know this is going to be a great group of little friends/classmates for Natalie (and Liam too as he grows up around it). It's all very exciting to see it unfold.

Take a look -->
The First Day of Preschool as blogged by my friend Erin: http://onemiracleandcounting.blogspot.com/2010/09/first-day-of-preschool.html
The Second Day of School: http://onemiracleandcounting.blogspot.com/2010/10/pre-school-day-2.html

Three

2010-09-24T08:08:00.000-04:00

Dear Natalie,

Earlier this month you turned three. It felt like a natural progression until I sat down to show you videos of yourself when you were Liam's age. Just two short years ago we were oohing and ahhing over first steps, communicating with you in baby sign language and chasing you around the house trying to keep you from playing in toilets.

Now you're almost fully potty-trained, like to say "Actually" and dance with your father around the house calling him "Prince Phillip".

/sigh

I suppose it DOES give me hope on Liam's extra cranky days. That this too shall pass. But then, maybe I shouldn't WANT them to pass. Maybe I should be cherishing every single minute rather than thinking about where we NEED TO BE or if LAUNDRY NEEDS DONE or if you're not EATING YOUR DINNER or if you're RIDING YOUR BROTHER AROUND LIKE A HORSE.

Your little birthday cookout was a fun time. We had a couple of your friends over and you shared the limelight with your brother, since he hadn't had an official party, per se. You were cool with it. Perhaps since you didnt know yet, but really I hope you're always cool with sharing things with him.

We started out the day giving you your big birthday present: a dollhouse. It was an instant hit. Thankfully - As your Nana and Mom had driven all over creation a few months ago trying to find it. Yes, I bought it off Craigslist, but its in near new condition and I got it for a steal! I think you'll probably appreciate stuff like that when you get bigger. I've already heard you walking around the house saying "I bought it on sale!". Ha!

You played with this all morning. I do think it was the best birthday present money I've ever spent on you thus far! Liam even liked it!!

Liam played King Kong

I'm not sure what this face means, but I'm sure it was something about how girls are stinky.

Later that day we went to Toys R Us for you to spend some birthday money from Mommo and Poppo. I'm not sure WHAT you're doing in this photo, but kid, you're too funny.

I've since come to think that Toys R Us is a black hole. We spent about an hour and a half there and while we DID have a good time, we were all about spent by the time we left. And this is what we left with...

Mommo and Poppo's money was put to good use!

Natalie, before you were born, your father and I SWORE we'd never push the princess thing. But I think we've come to realize that you absolutely LOVE princesses and there's not really much pushing we've done about it on our end. We also have realized that the whole "being polite and kind to puppies and woodland animals (to include your brother)" portion of the princess gig is a pretty nice quality and corrects our original thinking that all princesses were "divas". Sorry kid, no room for a diva in this house, but if Aurora or Ariel or Cinderella will get you to clean your room, be nice to your brother, go pee pee on the potty and any other such things, then bring on the princesses. They can march in my house and throw up all over everything if that helps! Well okay, I have to put my foot down at princess decor, but then again, I was never very much for "character-themed" decor. But I digress...

So the party was a "royal barbeque". Well, it was really a barbeque, but I figured you'd like to dress up with your friends so that's why we threw that in there. After having the party - which was so informal really - I think I realized that I'm never going to be one of those "party" moms. Don't get me wrong. I'm DEFINITLEY in to birthdays and celebration, but something about herding even a few 2 and 3 year olds along with their infant siblings was a little crazy. You seemed to love it though - so really that's all that counts.

Sequoia and Natalie

Combating the mosquitos out back.

Liam celebrating 1!

You blowing out three candles. Your (and Liam's) crowns were made by my friend Heidi who I think bleeds craft glue or something. She's a crafting queen!

So you're growing up so fast. It's hard for me to believe that you're in gymnastics and going to be starting preschool next week. It also shocks me that you can seemingly remember everything that happens to you - like the comments I get about you falling down in the CVS 6 months ago EVERYTIME WE PASS IT. Sheesh! With that sort of memory I've gotta watch what comes out of my mouth!

You're a pretty special part of our every day, Natalie. Your dad and I think you are just the best little girl we've ever known and are SO thankful we get to call you ours. I believe your dad's also said that it's okay with him if you live at home until you're thirty. Hmmm... I'm a little divided on that, especially if you still keep such a messy room, but I'd be totally fine with next door.

Love,
Mom and Dad

Organizational Frenzy

2010-09-16T11:00:00.005-04:00

So I've written recently that I've been on an organizational frenzy. While I havent had as much time as I've wanted to devote to projects, I've noticed that I've become very AWARE of what a mess certain spaces are in my house. I'm going to try to photograph my progress to either inspire you or show you how much of a nut I am.

Last week I attacked the cabinet under my kitchen sink. After causing an avalanche (see below) in searching for ONE item, I decided I'd had enough. I had these wire racks (purchased from Walmart) in my craft room and I ripped them out of their current location to organize this space. Yes, the craft room is in shambles at the moment and I'm in limbo about the whole space because I don't really use the room to craft in per-se. However, it does hold all of my clothes (in the closets) and store all of my crafty things. I'm sure you'll see a craft room reorganization down the road.

But I digress... Here's the after. Ahh.... Something about organization that just makes me take a sigh of relief.

Yes, yes, I'm well aware that I'm remiss in posting 3rd birthday pictures. Stay posted next week for pictures of that as well as some recent camping stories.

Liams Mad Walking Skills

2010-09-15T21:08:00.004-04:00

Yeah, my kid is a walking genius. I'm not partial or anything. Feel free to take a look for yourself. Cringe with me toward the end when I debut my singing voice for YouTube. /groan

Freecycling

2010-09-07T15:50:00.004-04:00

So I'm in this mode of cleaning stuff out of my house and selling it on Craigslist. It's liberating getting rid of all the stuff we have sitting around that just collects dust. It's also nice seeing the little bit of cash that comes in as a result. I'm currently up to $110 and I do a little jig everytime I add another $10 or so to the total. In fact the other day I found out I had a $10 library fine and just about broke down in tears as I realized that was the same amount as the carseat I had just worked so hard to sell.

This is all very ironic for us because up until recently we've been in "spending mode" and even $100 didn't seem like a lot. We both realized how sad this was because we've both had points in our lives where we sweated hard for a mere $7/hr and $10/hour seemed like we were rolling in it. We also were wondering where exactly all of our money was going! So I've taken to the task of saving money in the everyday expenditures by just NOT spending and reading a lot of blogs on couponing and such (you may have noticed a lot of new blogs to the right under "blogs I follow"). I'm learning a lot of new things and MAY venture into the extremes like making my own laundry detergent, etc. We'll see if I become THAT adventurous. There's something a little weird about that in my mind still. Like I need to have hair down to my rear end and have 10 kids or something. But, I'm trying to remain open!

Anyway, back to the title of this post, I got a freecycle update this morning alerting me to some items someone was GIVING away. I emailed the woman and she told me I could have them BOTH!! So exciting!

Four wire bins with dust covers. Not sure what I'm going to use these for yet, but they should come in handy with all the organizing I've done recently!

I've wanted a sand and water table for a while and ALMOST spent $40 on one at the beginning of the summer. Now I'm cringing at the idea of that. I'm so glad I didnt and can't believe that I'm getting one free... Wooohooo!!

So this "new perspective" is good. It's kind of a reassessment of what's really important and trying to be a good steward of what we've been given. I hope this isnt a phase for us. It feels good to save the cash we'd normally spend on eating out, unecessary consumer items and such and it doesnt feel like THAT much of a sacrifice.

If you are interested in making a change to your family's budget, check out a great book I just happened across called "Be Centsable" or one of the thrifty blogs I've linked to on the right. I'd also love to hear about ways you cut your family's budget without sacrificing all the fun.

Home Again, Home Again Jiggity Jog!

2010-09-01T14:24:00.022-04:00

A couple weeks ago I made the brave venture to my home state of Missouri. It was brave only because it involved me traveling with a one and two year old BY MYSELF on a plane for 2 1/2 hours. I know people who have done more. But this was my Everest. Let's just say... I survived.

Barely.

Well, the trip TO Kansas City was the WORST I've ever experienced with kids thus far. I opted to give Liam Benadryl, as authorized by my pediatrician. I had given it to him a few days prior as a dry run and he seemed to sleep much longer during his nap. So it seemed like a good idea.

Famous last words!

Liam doesn't ever get rocked to sleep or held to lull him to bed so he's pretty used to being left alone and stretching out in his crib. Since he couldn't do this on the plane we had one unhappy baby on our hands. He kicked and screamed and screamed some more. (Imagine that ear piercing scream that makes you want to hit the snooze button really hard)

Let's just say that I didn't have many friends on the flight.

The lady in front of his car seat (with seat reclined) turned around and asked if I could get him to stop kicking her seat. Oh yes, let me just ask a 1 year old to please stop having a meltdown and refrain from bothering others around him! Why hadn't I thought of that??? Maybe if your seat wasn't reclined he wouldn't be able to reach it to kick it? She claimed later that her seat was broken. Perhaps it was. It would have fit nicely with the kind of trip I was having so far.

Toward the end of our flight Natalie informed me that she needed to use the bathroom very urgently. I acquiesced and carted her and her slobbering, cranky brother up to the front and asked the flight attendant if she'd hold Liam while I took Natalie to the potty. The attendant looked less than thrilled to hold a wet, sticky one year old with graham cracker all over his shirt, but she agreed. The look she shot me when I retrieved Liam from her and commented that they should offer a babysitting service was priceless. Let's just say that she's good on birth control for another 5 years.

I arrived in Kansas City only to discover that the airline had lost my bag (on a DIRECT flight). The belts in Baltimore were broken when we left so it would appear that my bag never made it on the plane. LOVELY. The airline rep was less than helpful and I left the airport thoroughly annoyed.

Alas, my trip gets SO much better from there.

We celebrated Natalie and my mom's birthday, complete with pink cake and pink icing (Natalie's request)!

The kids played with Nana and Papa's array of fun toys (a lot of vintage stuff from when my sister and I were growing up).

Natalie got a princess dress from Nana and Papa (her favorite things are princesses these days). You'll probably see this dress again at Halloween!

(Taking a break with Aunt Lib from all of the dancing she was doing in her dress)

The kids and I drove down to my hometown (Springfield, MO) to stay with my friend Miriam and spend time with my other friend Angie and their little girls. The kids got along like old friends and it was so nice seeing them play together. I know that if I lived there still the girls would all be great friends!

Natalie, Addison, Reese, Jasmine

Miriam's twins Jasmine (back) & Addison (front)

Miriam's Stella

Angie's Reese (sister Aubrey not pictured)

Natalie making herself right at home at Miriam's house

Dress-up photo op!

Angie, Miriam and I got a night out on the town one night sans kids. What a luxury! It reminded me of when Miriam and I were new friends and we were trying to get into the 21 and over hot spots in Springfield. It wasn't so much that we wanted to drink - it just that in a town of 125,000 people there isn't much to do and most of those places had a band or SOMETHING going on. Springfield has grown up a LOT since then with fun, swanky restaurants and cool gourmet grocery stores. We ended up hopping around to three of those restaurants in the downtown area. It was a fun opportunity to see how much has changed.

Miriam and Me at Kai

Miriam, Me and Angie

Flaming Sushi at Kai. I wasn't sure what to expect with small town sushi, but I was actually impressed!

Miriam, Angie and Me at Maria's (we also went to Flame *not pictured*)

I guess I really ate my way through Springfield (I mean, what's a vacation without food?) I also stopped at Pineapple Whip and my favorite Springfield Chinese, Lucy's.

Doing the hula at Pineapple Whip!

After getting back from Springfield I still had a few more days to hang out in Kansas City. I got together with my friend Rachel and her kids Lucy and Asher for a playdate.

Lucy

Asher

We made pizza from scratch at home one night: Margherita (pictured), BBQ chicken with bacon, and white pizza with spinach, sausage and mushrooms. YUM!

Then my sister and I went out for tapas and gourmet ice cream (we're talking goat cheese, Thai curry, spiced chocolate, salted pretzel). So bizarre and fun!

All in all my trip to Missouri & Kansas was SO fun. The flight back was MUCH better too. Thanks to all of you who were praying for us. I was convinced I was going to arrive in a straight jacket or they were going to kick us off the plane in Ohio - but alas the screaming was kept to a minimum and we avoided a major meltdown. I'm sure we annoyed a FEW folks sitting around us with a bit more noise than they'd care for, but if they would have said anything I was all ready with "Honey, you should be thankful. This is NOTHING!"

We Have a Walker!!!

2010-08-28T11:03:00.004-04:00

379 Days

2010-08-12T06:45:00.002-04:00

My Dear Liam,
I'm late writing this letter. But please know that it wasn't because I didn't want to write it or just forgot. I've been busy chasing you around the house and keeping your sister from ending your life. You'll thank me when you're older.

A couple weeks ago you turned one. I really dont know where the year has gone - can it really have been that long? We celebrated by taking you out for a picnic in the park, giving you a gift from Nana and Papa (thanks for the bath toys!) and swinging you on the swings. You loved it.

The next day we rolled out and took you camping with Grandma and Grandpa. This was your second camping trip. I'd say you loved, it, but I know that you were thoroughly annoyed at the fact that you couldnt get down and crawl around like you usually do at home. You DID seem to love getting someone up at 6am and enticing them to walk you around the campground so everyone else could sleep. Stinker!

I'm envisioning you enjoying camp trips much more next year and even the next although I'm sure we'll be uttering things like "Where's Liam?" and "Liam don't touch that!" and "Liam take that poisonous spider out of your sister's hair!".

The awesome pool at Jellystone Campground in PA.
We celebrated your birthday at the campground and had mini chocolate cupcakes with vanilla frosting and sprinkles. You made short work of that cupcake and had no question what to do with it. I think you've got your Mama's sweet tooth!

You also appear to be our picky eater. We still haven't been able to get you to eat eggs and you're not too keen on whole veggies so we've had to stick to baby food veggies. I believe you could practically survive on fresh fruit though. You follow in the family tradition of getting very excited about food in general. Its a very primordial sort of response. There's usually shrieking involved (well, THAT happens all the time). This sort of excitement is really a good thing, because, around here, we love to eat! I'm just wondering what you'll be saying when you start to talk!

It's really hard for me to imagine you as a walking, talking little guy. I'm interested to see how your personality manifests itself. Especially in relation to your sister. I'm sorry for all of the hard times you've had to endure at her hand. Just the other day she was delighted to be the one to greet you after your nap so I agreed to let her climb into your crib with you and play for a few minutes while I finished a few things in the next room. I'm sorry she decided to put you in a choke hold with her thighs and your face had the misfortune of being wedged in her crotch. It didn't look pleasant and I imagined the future-you dying of embarrassement that such an event ever took place.

I also have to apologize for the general shoving, pushing and holding down that she puts you through on a daily basis. You really are a good-natured kid and I notice that you try not to out her too readily (although she thoroughly deserves it). You seem all to happy that she would play with you, even if you are on the receiving end of her evil schemes. Oh what a good playmate you'll be! I must confess, though, that I'm looking forward to when you can defend yourself a little bit more (for your sake, that is).

Buddy, you are such a smiley kid. I hope this always is the case. This world has lots of things that can bring you down, cause you heartache and generally steal your joy. I pray that this never happens to you and your infectious smile continues with you throughout your entire life. Besides, that, it has the effect of melting my heart.

Ms Jody giving Liam his birthday present

Bubbies, I can't imagine my life without you. And I'm so entirely grateful for the opportunity to be your Mama. Please promise me now that you won't grow up to be a thrill-seeker/dare devil/stunt rider or any such thing? Okay, well I'm also hoping not to raise a 30 year old mama's boy either (although, you will need to call me at least once a week). Somewhere in the middle would do. Perhaps an accountant or maybe an IT guy? (because all know how normal THEY are!) =)

No, really, I'm excited to see the man God wants you to be. Let's just hope that just doesn't happen too fast.

Love,
Mama

Grilled Chicken and Artichoke Braid with Homemade Pesto

2010-08-04T19:57:00.005-04:00

Hmmm... what to do with a bunch o' chicken breast I'd thawed out for dinner tonight? No time to marinate and not interested in just grilling and eating with vegetables.

This recipe really came together out of a need to use a bunch of ingredients I had on hand. Fun that it came together even in the midst of kids crying, etc. Ahh... dinner time is always such a LOVELY time at our household. *rolling my eyes*

I used this recipe as inspiration.

And then made my own pesto using this recipe. It seemed to need a lot more olive oil though. Maybe I used too much basil? I DID follow the recipe. Who knows?

I roasted artichokes (from the can) while I cooked the chicken (coated in Penzey's Pizza Seasoning) on the grill.

I built my braid first with the chopped up chicken, roasted artichokes, then dollops of pizza sauce, dollops of pesto, mozzerella and feta cheese, slivered red onion, and topped it with sliced roma tomatoes (from Kevin's garden) before folding it all up.

It probably could be a prettier braid, but, hey, I've never made one before, so it just had to do.

Brush with egg wash and throw it in the oven at 375 for about 25 minutes.

Kevin groaned the whole meal. (The good kind of groaning when one eats food!)

Cruel and Unusual Punishment

2010-08-03T23:30:00.000-04:00

Downyoceanhon!

2010-07-28T11:04:00.011-04:00

You have to read the title of this post all together and hold your nose while saying it. Then you'll be on your way to a true Bawlmer (Baltimore) accent.

A couple weeks ago we went to the ocean (Ocean City, MD to be exact). We always have a good time, but we've decided that going with little ones is more of a "trip" rather than a vacation. A vacation has to involve me taking a nap on the beach or by a pool without kids to watch. Will it ever happen again?!?!!

Liam decided that 530am was the appropriate time to rise in the morning whilst at the beach. I disagreed but didn't have much say in the matter since all four of us were sharing a tiny bedroom. Needless to say we got a lot of naps!

We shared a condo with Kevin's parents that literally was 25 feet from the beach. For all of the hassle it is to get two little ones out TO the beach, I'm so thankful that it wasn't that far to go. Kevin's brother's family was in the condo right next to us so it made it nice that the cousins could all play together. It helped our sanity many a time as Natalie rarely got bored.

We had crabs, went to the boardwalk one evening, biked the boardwalk one morning, toured the bay on a pontoon boat, hung out at the beach and did putt putt. Such a fun week!

Grandma reading to Natalie. Natalie put up such a fit everytime Grandma put on her reading glasses (wanting her to TAKE THEM OFF) that Grandma bought Natalie a pair just for her when they read together. That fixed that and the result is too cute.

We went out to eat a couple times and lemons kept Liam from screaming (happily) through the entire event. He LOVES lemons, but you'd never be able to tell from the faces he makes!
To top it all off we had several friends who were staying downyoceanhon the same week we were so we got a chance to meet up with them twice to hang out and go swimming in their pool.

Oh My Word...

2010-07-23T14:53:00.003-04:00

I started out with SUCH a good attitude today. And perhaps that should have been my first clue. Like maybe that's akin to asking God... "Hey, give me a little lesson in patience today. I'm READY!"

So we get up at 730 and are on a mission to get ready and get out the door by 930. Hey, those of you WITHOUT kids may think, "TWO HOURS?!". But when you have yourself, a 1 year old and an almost 3 yr old to get dressed, feed and get out the door (while trying to clean up after yourself and pack for the days necessities) then, yes, it really does take that long.

Here's a run-down of what happened after that...
1. Within the first hour of being up I had to tell Natalie to stop pulling or pushing Liam three times. By the third or fourth time I'd had it and I punished her for pulling him down the hallway by one arm. Seriously!

2. I put Liam in his carseat only to realize that the bananas he'd had for breakfast were stuck to his pants and low and behold they were now completely smashed into the side of MY shirt as well. Roll the car windows down, run in the house, throw on a new shirt, run out the door.

3. At our first stop, Target, I ALMOST locked the keys in the car. Thank the Lord I did not. I did spend 5 minutes in the parking lot digging in the depths of my purse for them though. Sweating commenced.

4. In Target the items on my list were not advertised on sale (as the circular had mentioned). Spent 5 minutes in the diaper aisle looking for coupons and calculating price per diaper on my cell phone calculator. Liam screams (not upset but just being REALLY REALLY vocal). Because that's just what he does.

5. Realized, after 5 minutes, that the diapers weren't THAT good of a deal. Decided not to get them. Shoved coupons back in purse while trying to get out of the way of other customers.

6. Realize I've lost my list. Spent 10 minutes looking for list. So far there's NOTHING in my cart and I've already been there for 15 minutes. Grrrr.

7. After praying FOUND my list (thank you, Lord).

8. Broke up fights between my kids for taking things from one another and "He's touching this", etc. Quarantined Natalie to the back of the cart.

9. Hightailed it to the checkout to find that one item I'd bought was the wrong one. Left my groceries with the cashier and ran to the socks (of all things) to get different ones and then back. After all that decided I didn't like the socks on sale. /sigh

10. Raced to the library, 15 minutes late, for a playdate with a friend who's got a son Liam's age. Realized she was late too. /Sigh of relief

11. Chased Liam all over children's area of library while trying to look for books for Natalie and keep an eye on her too.

12. Apologized to the ladies checking us out at the counter because Liam was screaming so shrilly (it literally hurts your ears so much that one of them was plugging her ears).

13. Left the library and went to Chick fil A.

14. Had Natalie use the car potty first in a VERY crowded parking lot (I wonder what people think when they see my preschooler peeing in the back of our SUV?)

15. Fielded two kids eating lunch while grabbing things away from Liam within his reach that he couldn't have. Cut up food for both kids, blow on it to cool it off, throw food in my mouth, hold cup for Liam, shove more food in my my mouth, try to hold a conversation with my friend, stop Natalie from tipping up her cup to drink it (it had a straw in it). I swear its an Olympic event feeding both kids, cutting up food, throwing food in my mouth, making sure Liam doesnt throw everything on the floor, etc, etc.

16. I miss Natalie tipping her cup up again and she gets a deluge of milk in her lap. My cup leaks tea all over my lap. I go get a refill and Liam grabs my straw shooting tea all down my shirt and inside my bra. We could all officially use a bath.

17. We play at the Chick-Fil-A playground and then head off to the car for another round of potty in the car and de-germing from all of the crawling around on the playplace floor. And then it's homeward bound.

It's only 1:30 and I already feel like I've run a marathon!!! Looking forward to a little downtime this afternoon before craziness commences again!

Summer Bounty

2010-07-20T20:40:00.005-04:00

Kevin's the gardener in the family. I wont even pretend that I've got a green bone in my body. I have trouble keeping any plant alive. Although I have been known to grow a mean weed (that's the "pest" kind... not the DEA-knock-down-your-door kind, mind you).

Anyway, last year was our first year at the garden and while I helped out more then, I was really just the cheerleader. I mean... how much help can a fully pregnant woman really be in the whole gardening arena? I can imagine if we lived in the plains in the old days being pregnant wouldn't have gotten me out of much. Oh well... thank the LORD for modernization (and air conditioning)!

We made some mistakes last year (i.e. planting too early and getting hit by a couple frosts) and suffered garden envy as our neighbor across the street would constantly yield exponentially more tomatoes and cucumbers than we ever did. Yet we decided to try again.

Well, to be exact I decided to WATCH THE KIDS while Kevin did the gardening, but that's beside the point. Come on, you can't really have a 1 year old crawling around in the dirt with the bugs and pesticides now can you? What did those frontier women do in the good ole' days? Strap the kid to their back? With no sunscreen? And bugs? And that whole natural childbirth thing? With the doctor in the next town and maternal death rates what they were? Let's just say God knew what He was doing when he chose for me to be born with all of the comforts of microwave ovens, the internet, a grocery store 5 minutes down the road and Kotex.

Because you dont even want to THINK about THAT aspect of life as a woman on the frontier. YUCK!

Anyway, I digress. We got back from the beach on Sunday and Kevin's vegetable garden was busting with growth. We had gotten so much rain while we were gone (a blessing as everything was pretty brown) that the zucchini and the melons literally took off!

Natalie had a good time helping pick all of the ripe produce and did a better job than last year at refraining from plucking the green tomatoes from their place on the vine. (Last year you might have thought she was color blind!)

We were hoping that by picking things like eggplant and zucchini and fresh green beans she'd be more likely to eat them. Alas, that has not yet proved to be true, but we'll keep trying.

The broccoli was a hit though. It was more on par with broccolini (if you've ever seen that). A bit smaller than regular broccoli and every bit as tasty (especially smothered in cheese). Okay, you could probably smother an old tire in cheese and it would taste good, but that's not the point.

This is the picture of the harvest we brought in. It's exciting as it's the first major harvest this year. Our tomatoes are still pretty green as we planted kinda late this year (perhaps we were gun shy after last year). But if you look at the garden now, you can tell that there's going to be lots to come. Hooray!

Of course the neighbor across the street STILL has better looking plants and we're envisioning some sort of National Lampoon style sabotage going on. If you come over to our house and notice the motion detecting camera set up on the garden, you'll know what's up!

Playing Catch Up

2010-07-19T23:53:00.007-04:00

I know, I've fallen off the face of the planet. Bear with me. It's been more than a little crazy and I've got lots of pictures I need to go through to post.

We've been enjoying the summer as it's now in full swing. For the 4th, we celebrated with some friends (Dave and Jill) that live close to us (on Rumsey Island) with a cookout and fireworks over their cove (their townhome backs to water).

Jill and Sequoia

Stud Muffin Deluxe

We had a blast that night except for all of the bug bites Natalie sustained from rolling around in the grass. That part was NOT so fun to deal with the week following and we went through a LOT of cortizone cream. =)

The pool is now open for business and quite the backyard hotspot. The plastic slide support broke at the end of last season so Kevin rigged up a log and a couple paving stones to support the slide in it's stead. It's right next to the extra commode and broken washing machine we have in our backyard (just kidding!). Feel free to stop by if you need to take a dip though. It will really cool down your ankle!

Well it's late and I'm signing off. I'm planning more posts tomorrow... I promise!

Kevin Doesn't Like It

2010-06-17T20:15:00.006-04:00

because he thinks that it's a 17 year-old's haircut.

But I dig it!

There's No Place Like Home!

2010-06-14T06:46:00.000-04:00

Well a couple weeks ago I mentioned the kids and I were flying to Kansas City to visit my parents. The thought of the flight with a fairly mobile 10 mos old and a 2.5 year old who is working her way through potty training was frankly pretty worrisome, but I'm proud to say we made it. The trip TO Kansas City was a little dicey. I borrowed a portable DVD player from a friend and went to start "promised movie" for Natalie on the flight and realized I had A)not charged the dvd player and B)not brought the power cord with me.

?!@!?@!@?

After some quick back-pedaling, we had a very interesting flight in which I had to be rather creative to entertain both kids. Natalie played with ice cubes, we had a jar of play-doh and we stuck stickers to our bodies. Fun times.

But we made it. And fortunately Radio Shack had a car charger adapter that I could purchase for $11. I think my sigh of relief could be heard all the way back to Baltimore.

To say we had fun in Kansas City is an understatement. I went shopping, I went to Schitterbahn, we went to the pool, I got to spend time with my sister and see her new place, my dad and I went on a 25 mile bike ride on his tandem bicycle, we went to see my grandparents and someone watched my kids practically the WHOLE time we were there. /sigh It was so relaxing. (Okay, the 25 mile bike ride wasn't exactly relaxing, but it was some GREAT bonding time with my dad!)

I took lots of pictures so you could see some of the highlights...

Liam chillin-like-a-villian with Poppo

Natalie LOVED Mommo's dollhouse

I love the A&W in Boonville, MO. It has so many good memories for me. Especially the icy cold glass mugs that they serve the rootbeer in. There's just something special about rootbeer in an icy cold mug.

Rootbeer Buddies

Me, Liam and Poppo

Papa (my dad) and Liam

Nana and Natalie

I was trying to figure out a way to fit them (my parents) in my luggage so I could bring them back home with me.

I used to ride a tandem with my dad when I was in high school. This brought back the memories!

Spandex is so flattering... =P

Natalie went to the pool a lot in KS

My sister, Elizabeth, showed me her new place. It's SO neat inside and so close to the Plaza and all sorts of restaurants.

My sister made this awesome scallop and orzo dish with a red pepper cream sauce and my dad grilled super thick steaks to go with it. I've been eating ready-made heat and eat stuff for the past 10 months. I was in heaven!!!

Memorial Day... A Little Late

2010-06-14T06:30:00.002-04:00

The past couple years we've had a carnival come to town on Memorial Day weekend. Last year was Natalie's first year at the carnival and while she had a good time, she also was a little young. In fact, one of my favorite pictures of her last year was in the moon bounce (for the first time ever).

I know it seems strange to love a picture of your kid where they are crying, but it was a funny situation and she was not hurt but was a little freaked out by the whole thing. Okay... you can think I'm a sadist and a bad mom. But you had to be there. You'd be laughing too.

Anyway, this year was a compeltely different story. She had a BLAST. And I was kicking myself for not getting discount tickets to Dutch Wonderland for this summer as I hadn't realized she'd be so gung-ho about the whole ride situation.

Oh well.

So she rode ALL the rides she could feasibly ride this year, being only 36" and not 42. Fortunately for her, tall is in her genes so she should be able to ride the "big rides" next year. We went this year with our friends Dave and Jill and their daughter, Sequoia. Natalie and "Squeeze" are only 7 mos apart so they really enjoy each others company. I have to constantly remind Natalie that Sequoia doesn't want to be pulled on, pushed on or constantly hugged, but otherwise, the friendship is shaping up nicely. I haven't figured out if touch is Natalie's love language or if it's just the age. If she's still like this when boys start to be of interest we may have to move to the middle-of-nowhere Wyoming.

Liam thought it was a riot. So much so that he passed out in the backpack carrier. I'm imagining it will be a different story next year!

The rest of the weekend was stellar. Super weather, lots of good cookouts - just the way Memorial Day SHOULD be every year. I made ribs for the first time with this recipe. They turned out amazing and really didn't require much effort on my part. I was pretty impressed with the recipe and will definitely be making again. All-in-all a super fun weekend and a GREAT start to the summer.

Top Left: Natalie's favorite church dress!
Top Right: My in-laws and Kevin at our rib/chicken feast on the patio.
Bottom Left: Liam chillin in the walker... no steps without holding on to anything yet!
Bottom Right: Natalie trying out the pool for the first time this year.
I LOVE summer time!!

Girls Night Out

2010-06-14T06:25:00.000-04:00

Once a quarter I venture out of the house sans kids for a night on the town with two girlfriends I've had ever since I moved to Baltimore nearly 9 years ago, Kera and Melissa. They are the wives of two of my husband's best friends from middle and high school and we've been blessed to hit it off as well. The six of us have been through some pretty crazy times together and definitely have some stories to tell (although perhaps not all to the kids)!

Kera, Me, Melissa
So we girls have made it a priority to get out on our own and try to find some sort of respite from the chaos we have waiting for us at home. We always take care to make sure that we pick a place that has a fun and interesting menu, an exciting wine list and is free from little ones throwing grilled cheese sandwiches on the floor.

This past quarter, we went to Pazo, a somewhat over-priced, but fun, tapas restaurant in Fells Point (a historic, waterfront and culinary-rich neighborhood in downtown Baltimore). The ambiance there makes you feel like you've stepped out of the everyday and the food makes you feel more sophisticated just by eating it. Granted, the whole tapas thing is really misleading as a $7 "small plate" may only consist of 3 bites. The whole affair, as you can imagine, can add up quickly. But, regardless, we had a good time. We dined on homemade empanadas, lobster pintxo (on a stick), duck with papas frites (french fries), bread with warm cheese fonduta and more.

After enjoying a terrific meal we met up with the guys at DuClaw to cap off the evening and compare dinner stories. Duclaw is one of our favorite after-dinner spots to kick it until it comes time to go relieve the babysitter. It's nights like these that allow me to regain SOME of my sanity I've lost from wading through the "valley of the diapers".

Slog, slog, slog...

It's also great to have the time to connect with good friends and share this time of life together.

Guys-only camping!

2010-06-07T10:02:00.003-04:00

Kevin here - with Lauren and the kids out to visit Nana and Papa, there was a definitely opportunity for some male bonding time in the woods. My friend Devon and I ran off to Harpers Ferry, WV to a new campground that is all waterfront, right on the potomac river! Took the new camper for its second trip now, and it was a blast! The campsite was on the only deep water section of the potomac, and about 100yds downstream starts more rapids. We hooked up with River Riders on Saturday and went white-water tubing for a few hours. That was awesome. The water was 70 deg and swimming was great.

At one point we had two fires going (just because we could) because there was so much firewood laying around. Good times.

Ready or Not... Here We Come!

2010-06-02T14:37:00.002-04:00

It starts out as a wonderful idea (taking a trip to visit Nana and Papa). But as the actual day arrives and the reality of the impending mayhem hits me I rethink my decision. Who thought that flying halfway across the country with two kids under 3 by oneself was a good idea? What if I'm THAT person on the plane (the one with the screaming children). What if Natalie has to get up and go to the bathroom 10 bazillion times? What if I have to breastfeed in public? What if I have to change Liam in the teeny tiny plane bathroom? What if?

*BREATHE*

I've thought through all the scenarios. It's a crap shoot every time. Usually they're good, but there have been moments and even a full plane ride of anguish. Let's hope that's not the story today.

Southwest sent me some free drink coupons. I'm guessing it's not socially acceptable to partake myself in the company of my kids so I've considered offering them to people sitting around me as a peace offering should things get ugly.

Hopefully I have enough.

If I can just make it through the next 5 hours unscathed, I should be set. Good things await me in Kansas City. Lots of doting on the kids (and subsequent relaxation for me), a waterpark (YEAH, Schlitterbahn!) and, of course, some good quality time with my parents, sister and grandparents. Stay tuned next week for pictures from our ~~mis~~adventure. Let's just pray that the plane doesn't decide to kick us off in Tennessee. I don't know anyone there.

10 Months Old

2010-05-24T06:04:00.004-04:00

Well we've all been sick this weekend. Not much fun. But in the chaos, we did manage to find a little bit of time for fun. Kodakgallery.com has a cute baby photo contest and I found myself trying to take some pictures my little guy. I just can't believe he's going to be 10 months old this week. He's pulling up, saying "Mama" and starting to cruise the furniture. I also recently discovered that I can take his 9 mos old jeans (that don't fit him anymore) and roll up the cuffs to make shorts for Natalie. I am not even joking.

Next week, the kids and I are off to Kansas City to visit my family. I'm SO excited, but incredibly nervous, about the plane ride with both of them by myself. Natalie's out of diapers now and Liam is crawling. Should make for an interesting trip and blog post....stay tuned!

We Made It

2010-05-20T00:07:00.009-04:00

Well, we made it! I would have posted pictures earlier, but I was too busy with a 24 hour stomach bug and then taking care of 2 kids with upper respiratory infections + fevers. Fortunately we didn't start feeling poorly until AFTER we got back from camping. THANKFULLY.

Bouncing

Hayride around the campground

This is actually TWO sites right next to each other. We had about 15ft between us and the next camper. Ridiculously small!

I'll have to say it was more fun than I anticipated. The KOA we stayed at in Harpers Ferry, WV has A LOT of amenities: heated pool, big bouncy blob-style thing for kids and adults alike to bounce on, tons of coordinated activities on the weekends, movies, a museum, etc, etc. We were a little concerned when we arrived because the sites were so super small. That was the only drawback, though, and fortunately we had nice neighbors.

Our camper... I think she needs a name!
Camping with a camper is a completely new experience and I have to admit - it doesn't feel much like the old way of camping at all. However, its SUPER comfy for sleeping and housing a couple little ones. The first night we slept with the A/C on and then the next night we used the heat. You don't even have to trudge to the bath house in the middle of the night for a midnight pee! How exciting is that?!?!

We went on the trip with two other couples (Mario/Simone and Dave/Jill) with five kids between us and a dog. We definitely stayed busy corralling all of the kids and enjoying all of the activities. Both Liam (9.5 mos) and Cheyenne (10.5 mos) aren't walking yet and were fairly content to stay in their screened in playroom (except for the occasional breakout for a snack of small rocks and dirt). However, I'm envisioning camping with them in the fall is going to bring a whole new level of baby-proofing. I'm imagining a giant gate around the fire.

We ate GREAT on the trip (no hot dogs and beans here!) and took turns preparing the meals. I think our only regret was not being able to stay longer. It's really a bit comical to think that we prepared ALL week for a trip that was really only one full day and two half days.

Nice.

Brave? Or Just Plain Crazy?

2010-05-12T07:27:00.004-04:00

Kevin and I used to be avid campers. Okay... maybe avid is an overstatement. We did LOVE to camp as a family. But that was before kids. Since then, Kevin has been camping for hunting trips and such, but I've stayed behind, glad to have a whole house to spread out with the kids and not have to worry about keeping little ones out of a fire pit. How did those cave women do it?

Every year my friends (with kids around the same ages) have asked if we'd go. They're much braver than I and seem to have a good time. But I've remained the weenie - until now.

For some unknown reason (maybe because Natalie is potty trained [YES!] or because there's another family with a kid Liam's age going) I've decided to take the plunge and sleep in a tent with a 9 mos old and 2.5 year old because "Doesnt that just sound like so much fun?" "Wont this be the start of so many fun family memories?" and "You'll enjoy it once you get there!".

Since making the decision to go, though, we found a pop-up camper that we liked on Craigslist (my favorite site!) and we'll be taking it with us. Kevin's especially excited as it will be a nice upgrade to cold tent camping he does during hunting season (the camper has heating AND air conditioning!). While this might seem like it would be a huge relief... I'm not sure I'm feeling it yet.

Lately, Liam's been waking up at 5am in the morning and just chatting away for two hours until we get up. Might be interesting in the close quarters of a camper. He's also kicked his second nap the past couple days. I'd like to attribute this to teething (he's been very, very fussy) and am really hopeful that it's a temporary thing.

In preparing for the trip this morning I hit up the local Wal-mart Supercenter, determined to get a bit of one-stop shopping done. Liam ended up having a breakdown in the middle of the trip needing to be held the ENTIRE time. Imagine this with a 2 1/2 yr old itching to get out of a cart that is packed TO THE BRIM with supplies and plenty of cold stuff thawing out. I believe I was sweating from pulling the cart around the store too.

Then Natalie started commenting (rather loudly) about all of the "yucky people". I swear I've never said anything of the like for her to repeat... I'm not sure what struck her eye about the Walmart clientele. Perhaps she's seen this site. She's very interested in expressing what she likes and doesn't like these days.) Let's see, I dropped my phone on the floor AND really had to go the bathroom the entire hour and a half that I was there too (but what can one do with a cart full of stuff and at least one cart-bound kid?).

After all the unpacking and arranging back at home, I'm still short a few things on my list and still have laundry to do to get us ready to go - not to mention all of the packing.

So, at this point... I'm convinced I'll be enjoying myself once I make it to the campsite, put the kids in bed, put up my feet and make myself a cold drink.

Let the countdown begin!

Teeth!

2010-05-12T07:25:00.003-04:00

Guess who's teeth have been coming in on top?

Guess who's been fussed AT for the past week!

Because 3 Weeks is Just Too Dad Gum Long!

2010-05-03T21:32:00.006-04:00

It's been FOREVER and a day since I've posted it seems. Sorry for falling off the grid. I'm not going to write much as I'm a bit pressed for time. But I did have a few pictures of what we've been up to...

We ordered a new swimsuit for Natalie from Sears/Lands End and it came in the mail. She's been asking to swim all winter and now it actually might be warm enough to dig out the pool from it's hiding spot underneath the deck. Of COURSE we had to try on the swimsuit to make sure a 3T was the right size. She decided it was exactly the fashion statement she wanted to make for the rest of the night... over her clothes.

Natalie's quite the little mommy. And that would be cute if she were helpful. Unfortunately, a 2.5 year old's idea of help is more frustrating than anything as she ends up tipping Liam over, hitting him instead of patting, shoving items in his mouth, etc, etc. We've resorted to just telling her "DONT TOUCH HIM" after a series of "gentle!", "dont pull on his head!" "dont put that in his mouth!" Sheesh...2.5 and we are already promoting the idea that her little brother has cooties!

A couple weekends ago Kevin went turkey hunting with his buddy and my mom came to help out with the kids. I think I would have gone postal in the 5 days alone with them, so I was very thankful for the company! (Especially because I came down with a mild form of food poisoning and was weak and nauseous for a couple days.) We had a great time with Nana and did all the usual stuff once I felt better... garage sales, grocery shopping and the park. I even picked up a doll house off of Craigslist for Natalie's birthday (in September)! Its always fun for her to see just how crazy it is around here on a day-to-day basis.

Okay that's it for now. I've got some thoughts in my head for the next post and it shouldn't take me three weeks to get them written down this time. Stay tuned!

Stream of Consciousness

2010-04-12T22:01:00.002-04:00

Do you ever have a lot going on in your head but are unable to formulate the thoughts about what it all means so that you could actually put some words to it? That's what's going on with me lately. Lots and lots of random thoughts. Here's a tidbit from my stream of consciousness...

I envy those people who have an intelligent stream of consciousness all the time. They seem "with it". They'd be able to defend themselves in an argument on the spot or think of something witty to say at the perfect moment or talk intelligently about something that they know little about. I always wanted the quick comeback - especially on the playground in elementary school. I know some people who always seemed quick on the draw. I think they went on to become lawyers.

Yeah, I envy THOSE people.

Like radio announcers, for instance. They are able to talk about absolutely NOTHING and yet we are TRANSFIXED. We laugh along with them, we call into their shows. Strange... because what (if not a news program) are they talking about anyway?

I mean, have you ever listened to home-grown radio station - like on college radio? It's PAINFUL. And we find ourselves thinking who let THAT person on the radio? And the funny thing is that I think that most of us associate ourselves (in our mind) with the good radio announcers but probably would be tripping over our words and saying "UMMMM" a million times just like the college announcers.

Pat on the back to you if you're still with me. Formulating a cohesive point is like herding cats tonight.

Speaking of tonight...I almost got pulled over. On my way to church... ha!
Actually, the car in front of me did get pulled over. Its on a road that I always speed on too.

Note to self: "can't speed on way to church anymore".

I had JUST been frustrated at a car that was driving slowing in front of me not 5 minutes prior. I did say a little "thank you" prayer when I realized I was one person away from getting pulled over.

Snoring yet? This should wake you up:

Natalie's doing well with the whole potty thing - another blessing. Although she still poops her pants at "nap time" every day. This past weekend she pooped and then wanted me to put it in the toilet. I agreed thinking that this sort of visual association might get things rolling on the #2 front. Not really thinking about the whole physics involved I leaned over the toilet and dumped the contents of her diaper in. Suddenly, it was as if a tsunami erupted in the toilet and leaped out at me. We're talking toilet water in the eye, mouth and hair. Totally immobilizing.

DISGUSTING

On a positive note she did poop on the potty today before nap. Sorry, Liam... I'm not repeating this stunt with you even if you have to be in diapers until you're 5.

Liam said "Mama" for the first time on Sunday. He'd said it about 5 times in a row before I realized he was saying my name (I hear it about 5 billion times from Natalie). Poor kid...already getting the shaft because he's not the first born.

Other firsts for him this weekend: creamed spinach, cheerios, rotisserie chicken, cheese and crackers. It's a whole new culinary world out there for him. He get's excited about good food (the non-jarred kind) and wiggles his hands around and grunts a whole bunch. Hopefully he grows out of that before he get's to school or we're going to have some problems in the social department.

I love Craigslist. I've said this before... but I'm addicted to and love the hunt. Presently, I'm shopping for furniture to transform our dining room into a playroom. We're moving our dining room furniture into our eat-in kitchen and then I'm looking for a sideboard or something to fit all of our "fancy" dishes. Okay...we don't have fancy dishes. They're from Ikea and then we have a matched set of wine glasses from Walmart. But we keep them in a cabinet out of the kitchen so that at least we'll have a full set when we have guests over. Regardless, I've got my eye on some end tables and a sideboard right now to reclaim our living room for an adult space (once the toys are out of there). Kevin made the comment that he didn't know what we'd use the room for once the toys were gone and I said that I didn't really care. At least I'd have a space on the main floor that was devoid of toys. And if all I could do is sit in there and stare at the toyless floor, then that is what I'd do. Thankyouverymuch.

Have you ever realized that the things we value most in this world don't come easily? And sometimes you second guess whether they're worth it? But in the moment you realize just how "worth it" it truly is, that's what makes life worth living? Wouldn't it be nice if we could hold on to those moments and get rid of all the rest of the red tape? The crap. The stuff that keeps everything and everyone from working well together. Nice and vague I know.... kinda like my stream of consciousness. I guess it can be applied to anything you care about really.

Thanks for playing "what's going on in Lauren's head". Tune in next time for hopefully more defined thoughts and (hopefully) less toilet water in the face.

Natalie Reads, Liam Crawls... well sort of.

2010-04-07T18:54:00.004-04:00

Okay...this is long. But there are a few of you out there who will watch it. You KNOW who you are.

Driveway Picnic

2010-03-30T21:12:00.003-04:00

Dear 65 degree weather that we had this weekend,

You're such a tease. Please come back and stay this time and bring the sun with you. I'm tired of all this cold rain. Besides, it might finally get rid of all of the excuses I have not to prepare for that 5K I said I'd run this summer. And then the kids wouldn't be so whiny because they'd have gotten to play outside. And maybe Natalie would actually start napping again. You know they say that playing outside and being in the sun wears you out more. Yeah, that would be cool.

- Lauren

Guess Who Went Poopy on the Potty?

2010-03-24T17:14:00.002-04:00

Dude... imagine how much bling Kevin would have if we rewarded like this every time!

The Perfect Weekend for a Birthday!

2010-03-23T06:50:00.001-04:00

This past weekend Kevin turned the big three three. I told him next time he was a palindrome, he'd be 44. I think the scarier fact here is that Natalie will be 13!

Birthday's before kids were so much more adventurous. I'd arrange with Kevin's boss for him to have the day off of work and then I'd surprise him with a day of stuff planned that I thought he'd like. We've had some fun birthday dates over the years - from a helicopter flight lesson, to cooking lessons, to a surprise paintball party. This year, though, the it became more of a family affair. Kevin treated himself the week before to his present this year: his very own brewers kit. He's taken his love for all things gourmet to a whole new level and is starting to make his own beer. A friend of his got him started and I have to say, the result blows the stuff at the liquor store out of the water. As the kids start to play together more, I hope for his brewing times to be a time when I can crack open some of my cookbooks and try some new recipes too. A new way to spend time in the kitchen! As long as he doesn't start LOOKING like some of the guys I saw at the home-brew store. Imagine Grizzly Adams, turned biker.

For his birthday this year we visited a brewers store in the area for Kevin to stock up on some extra supplies and then headed to a trail to take the kids for a stroll. Natalie put on a good show and wore underwear (instead of diapers) out of the house for the first time (and had NO accidents)! Then Kevin and I went to one of our new favorite Baltimore restaurants, The Chameleon Cafe. Its a French-inspired restaurant that specializes in using local produce and meats on its ever-changing menu. Sooooo... delicious. I mean, I didnt know food could taste so good. I feel like my attempts at gourmet at home are like Chef Boyardee in comparison.

The rest of the weekend we pulled out the shorts and the short-sleeve-shirts and did LOTS of playing outside. It was in the 70s! It feels like we've been cooped up FOREVER this winter with all the snow we've had and it was fun to actually say "YES" when Natalie asked to ride her bike outside for a change.

Liam chillin in the grass. Still no teeth (I was wrong in my ealier post.) He drools like he's sprung a leak though. Not a problem now, but in 15 years it might be! =P

Oh the bike, the beloved bike, that she would probably like to cuddle up to at night if given the chance.
Natalie's friend, Sequoia, has a Barbie Hot Wheels that the girls had a good time taking a spin in. I'm imagining Natalie's face hurt from all the smiling she did while riding around in that thing.

Happy St. Patricks Day!

2010-03-17T20:48:00.005-04:00

In the spirit of St. Patricks Day we tried a new recipe - Irish Chicken and Dumplings. Mmmm... It was pretty yummy stuff! Not sure what exactly makes it Irish (the green peas maybe?). I also tried green beer for the first time. A little strange, and feels like I'm drinking Draino... minus the call to poison control. It remindes me of the green ketchup thing Burger King did for a while in 2000. Although, I never really could get used to that one!

Liam got in the spirit with some green beans for dinner.

BGB (Before green beans)

AGB (After green beans)
And since it's been forever since I posted (Mom) I'll leave you with an extra snapshot of the kids!

She Didn't Want to Sit in the Cart Until She Saw This Thing...

2010-03-15T15:15:00.003-04:00

Flowers in Your Absence

2010-03-03T13:45:00.002-05:00

Kevin is in Phoenix until tomorrow and left me with these in his absence. Thanks, hon! I miss you lots!!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Heaven

2010-03-03T13:40:00.002-05:00

Made these cookies last night. Let's just say that I had to give away MOST of the leftovers. And after having some for breakfast this morning decided the rest had to be sequestered to the freezer. These things are DANGEROUS!

Playing Together

2010-03-01T06:31:00.000-05:00

As Liam has gotten a little bit more sturdy, the kids have been playing together more frequently. He truly ADORES Natalie and I often hear them giggling in unison. This morning I put him in her crib to see what would happen. Natalie is such a good big sister and was happy to show him her book. I have a feeling Liam will want to play dress-up with Natalie and push the baby doll around in a stroller here in a year or two.

Yesterday I just discovered that Liam is getting his first tooth! He's been such a trooper if he's been in pain. At least we have something blame the constant drooling on! He's had one haircut already and looks like he could already use another. Bizarre, as he's only 7 months old! As long as he doesn't start sprouting chest or back hair next month. =)

Mmm...Carnitas!

2010-03-01T06:24:00.000-05:00

Last week, Kevin made the BEST carnitas. Now I know I'm a Missourian living in Maryland so I may not hold as much weight as someone from California or even Mexico. But, I AM a foodie. This recipe, folks, is the REAL deal.

Note: we DID add green chiles to the crockpot and then browned up the shredded meat in a cast iron skillet while reducing a lot of the yummy juices to further infuse the flavors in the meat. We'll DEFINITELY make this one again.

A Nice Respite

2010-02-23T13:34:00.002-05:00

I've recently made a fabulous discovery - one that gives me back a sense of "me" in the midst of the laundry, poopy diapers, work, meals to make, etc. I haven't had time at all to read much since having Liam. And I really didn't have all that much time with just Natalie. However, I DO have a lot of time to LISTEN and I've started listening to audiobooks on my iPod. I am in LOVE.

If you're interested, there's a site called Audible (owned by Amazon) that offers a monthly subscription to audiobooks. I came across an offer for a free two week Platinum membership to try it out. You get to KEEP the two books you download during that time and can even transfer them to two different computers and two different devices (other iPods) or burn them to CD. It's really a fabulous freebie even if you don't decide to keep the membership.

I'm also discovering that my local library system has a TON of audiobooks in iPod format available for free - so I may not end up keeping my Audible membership...we'll see. Just thought I'd share my new find with you in case you, too, are searching for the "grownup reprieve" in the sea of mommy tasks.

A Quick Update...

2010-02-20T17:22:00.005-05:00

We've been sick around here for about a week. I took a good amount of time off work this week just to try to recouperate. I'm sure many of you know, there's no rest for the weary when you're a mom of young kids. Especially one that has just QUIT HER NAP!

I decided to devote this post to a quick update with pictures so I could start a clean slate for the week. Besides, most of my musings this week have been in the neighborhood of "Where is all this snot coming from?" and "What cold medicines can I take as a nursing mom?" and "How do you keep a sick 2 year old interested in playing with toys that she's played with for the last week and half because we've had two major snowstorms and now become housebound again with a family cold." Not that I couldn't put a spin on those, but you've got to admit that none of them are really exciting conversation fodder.
Anyway, here are some pictures of the kids in the snow. I should mention that they lasted all of 20 minutes on this particular day. Kevin was back at work and I was on my own with 3 feet of snow and the kids. I'm also not nearly as much fun as he is with the whole playing in the snow bit.

Valentines Day around here was pretty sad, with snot freely flowing and all. Kevin and I canceled our dinner plans due to illness and just decided to lay low. Instead we went out last night to a new Houlihans in Baltimore. Mmmm... one of our FAVORITE chain restaurants. Panko breaded stuffed mushrooms, thai chile wings, seared ahi tuna bites, long island iced tea... definitely a fun night out!

Blizzard

2010-02-06T16:16:00.005-05:00

Well, we've been snowed in... COMPLETELY. We're talking like TWO AND A HALF FEET of snow. And drifts of like 4 feet. Internet is out on the street, but fortunately, this super-cool, geeky husband o-mine has rigged up his iPhone to provide internet for our home computer - so that we don't have to be completely prehistoric. We're also one of the only people on our street who don't have the local cable provider (Comcast) - which is down. Our DirectTV is working and we may end up being party central come the SuperBowl tomorrow night for all of our neighbors. Wasn't planning on that. Not sure what I can dig out of the freezer, but surely we'll find something. Frozen breastmilk anyone? Ok, ok... I'm just kidding!

Last weekend we had snow too, although, it wasnt anything near this much. We got a pic of the kids out in the snow. This is quite a change from last years picture. Natalie was on the sled screaming bloody murder in our front yard. I'm glad she's got a different perspective this year. I don't know if I can handle one of those kids that doesnt like to get cold/messy/dirty/etc.

Speaking of being "dirty" this past week has presented some challenges regarding the Natalie's nap time. She's officially given up the nap (today is the fifth day in a row). What's this have to do with dirty? Well... she's occasionally decided that taking off a poopy diaper and smearing it throughout the crib (and her body) is the best way to spend time while not napping. I, however, have tended to disagree.

Uggg... it's totally disgusting and hopefully NOT TO BE REPEATED UNDER FEAR OF HANGING BY TOENAILS UNTIL AGE THIRTY. A friend of mine suggested its merely a sensory thing and some finger paints would help to scratch the creative itch my daughter apparently has. I'll definitely be trying that, as duct tape, onesies and the FEAR OF GOD are all apparently not working.

So I'll leave you with a zoomed out picture of the first (taken today). Notice the accumulation on the trashcan. They STILL haven't plowed our street, but hopefully they'll get to it soon. I think I might go nuts if I can't get out at all tomorrow. That or I might have to make myself a "Mommy Igloo" in the backyard. NO KIDS ALLOWED!

What's the Word, Yo?

2010-01-28T06:27:00.001-05:00

I know I've been distant recently. I've been head down in a lot of other stuff. Trying to get my blog into book format as a family keepsake, trying to get our family videos to DVD and trying to get caught up on my scrapbooking. I don't really have a TON of free time so any and all has gone to those things.

Life here has been pretty normal - chaos, chaos and more chaos! Natalie has decided herself that she'd like to potty train. I think she's more ready than I am. I still am leery of doing potty training on the go so we're mainly trying to do it at home. Something appeals to her about wearing big girl underwear (rather than a diaper). Hey... I had previously tried EVERYTHING I could think of to coerce her to use the potty, so if it's HER idea, that's perfectly fine with me. I better just get used to this sort of "reverse psychology" for the rest of her growing up years. =)

Liam can sit up by himself for short periods of time if you prop him just so. He also got his first haircut the other day (thanks for the great job, Debbie!). Natalie was TWO before she had a haircut. He was quite the trooper and was happy to slobber all over the smock. What a kid!

5 1/2 Months

2010-01-11T22:17:00.003-05:00

Liam,
I can hardly believe that you're 5 1/2 months. Can you slow it down already? People stop me all the time and ask how old you are. They're shocked to hear you're only 5 months as you look much older with all your hair. It doesnt help that you're much bigger than other babies your age. Just today I weighed you in at a whopping 19lbs!

You're a good kid, but you've gotten much louder than you used to be. Sometimes I wake up to hear you "talking" to yourself in your bed. You're not mad - just awake and interested in making lots of noise as you entertain yourself in your crib. This should be interesting because your sister's quite vocal. I'm sure between the two of you I won't be able to get a word in edge-wise.

I love your bashful grin when you see me walk into a room. The way you are GLUED to your sister (and the TV?!?!) and how you LOVE it when I sing (I think you're the ONLY one). And then there's the way you get all excited when you realize you're getting fed.

You're quite reserved with your giggles and dole them out one at a time (mostly for your sister). Bath time is your favorite and you're getting better at standing in your Johnny Jump Up. Hey, I know it takes a lot to hoist up all your chub. You're doing a good job!

Buddy Bear, I love you SO much. It was hard for me to believe that it was possible for me to love someone as much as I loved your sister. But incredibly, I do.

I look forward to taking you to your soccer games, helping you with your homework, comforting you when the first girl breaks your heart (and every one thereafter) and watching you graduate from high school. But until then, I hope that time passes by a little more slowly. Because I dont want to rush through the spit-up and the exploding poopy diapers and miss this face that makes getting up everyday absolutely WORTH IT.

I love you kiddo,
Mama

Would You, Could You In A Box?

2010-01-11T22:12:00.002-05:00

We bought a generator on Black Friday and had this box lying around waiting to be recycled. I thought we could put it to good use and have Natalie play in it. Jody helped her decorate it and it became quite the toy. I LOVE imaginative toys!

Liam is always fixed on what Natalie is doing and we know it's just a matter of time before he's tagging right along. He seemed rather content to hang out with her in her new digs. I can imagine she won't like that for long. I can already hear it..."Mom! He's touching my stuff!!!"

Christmas in Pictures

2010-01-11T17:40:00.009-05:00

Things have gotten away from me recently and I find myself overwhelmed at trying to sum up the past couple weeks. So, pictures it is...

Christmas morning was so fun this year. Natalie got the present thing a little more this year and we really had a good time with it. Kevin knew what he was getting for Christmas, so I sent him on a scavenger hunt for everything. We have three levels so he was hoofing it from upstairs to the basement and then back again!

He worked up an appetite for this little concoction that I came up with mid-day...

Roasted Red Peppers, Red Onions, Eggs, Italian Sausage, Provolone, Mozzerella, crescent rolls (on the bottom) and Rosemary Olive Oil bread toasted on top. A veritable "Party in your Mouth"
A few days after Christmas we all got on a plane (not a small feat with 2 small kids) and headed to Kansas. Natalie decided to have a meltdown of epic proportions as the plane pulled away from the gate. Liam showed his excitement by pooping through his clothing as the plane took off. Good times.

While in Kansas we saw my grandparents (Mommo and Poppo), my Uncle Mike, my parents and my sister. It was nice having some extra hands for the kids for the week.

Poppo and Liam

Uncle Mike and Liam

Mommo and Natalie

Dad and Liam
All in all it was a good trip. And all of us (and our 7 bags) made it home safely.

Flip!

2009-12-26T22:40:00.002-05:00

Kevin surprised me with a Flip video camera for Christmas this year - SO exciting! It's a pocket-sized digital video camera that plugs easily into the computer for quick video uploads. Our old video camera uses tapes and has a lot more steps to get videos online.

My parents are equally as thrilled because it means that they'll be able to see videos of the grandbabies from afar.

So here's my maiden voyage with the camera. While, it's super easy to use, I've still got a bit to learn about taking good video and the editing process. Let's just say you're not going to see any of my work at the film festivals this year!

I am Dumb

2009-12-23T15:04:00.004-05:00

I took a 5 month old and a 2 year old to a craft store.

And I let the 2 year old walk (as opposed to making her ride in the cart).

Then I had to wrangle her into the cart because she kept running off.

Then when I left I realized I'd forgotten to pay with my gift card that I had (all $13 of it).

So I went back in.

And waited in line for 5 minutes holding a kicking 2 year old who was trying to rip buttons off of my coat and do backflips out of my arms. I arrive at the front of the line only to be told by the clerk that I'd have to return everything I bought (not just a few items) and did I really think my two year old would stand for that?

I inform her I have been standing in line for FIVE MINUTES just for that express purpose.

She moves me to a different clerk and I wait patiently with my daughter rolling around on a dirty floor walked on by who knows how many thousands of people as the new clerk returns my items and re-rings them for me. People in line behind me scoff and move out of line.

I then make a bargain with my toddler to go to Chik-Fil-A in the middle of the last-minute Christmas shopping hustle and bustle in the surrounding shopping area.

We leave the craft store after about a 20 minute return ordeal and head on to the mayhem at Chik-Fil-A and then to the grocery store.

/sigh

I'm a glutton for punishment.