I'm pretty sure that being home with my kids all day actually lowers my real IQ, but I do learn new things almost every day. Nothing that looks good on a resume, mind you, but things I never knew before. Such as:
It doesn't matter how much or how little water you put in the tub, the amount on the floor at the end of bath time will be triple the amount that was in the tub.
Your child will choose to say the F-word for the first time in front of one of four people: his teacher, his grandmother, his Sunday school leader, or the dreaded "perfect mommy".
You can stand your child in the middle of the city dump to peel his boiled egg, but you will still end up with eggshell on your floor. Also, when trying to vacuum said eggshell, your vacuum will not suck up the shells. It will only process them into millions of tiny bits and then shoot them out the back of the vacuum. Just get the broom and save yourself the time and curse words.
No one will spill anything on your floor until the exact moment that you have put the mop away.
No matter how many cute little outfits you buy for your children, they will still look like Little Orphan Annie meets Nine Inch Nails when they come up the stairs in the morning.
Your children's teachers will be shocked to hear how they behave at home. At least you will know that they are being good in public even if they act like demon spawn the second their feet hit your home's threshold.
You will call to thank your own parents for putting up with you many times after you have your own children.
Your son will wear 4 different outfits every day while at home, but as soon as you go into public there will be nudity involved because little boys think they have to pull their pants to their knees when they decide to pee on the sidewalk. During rush hour. Or on a Saturday afternoon at the zoo.
When your house is clean (rare) no one will come over. When your house looks like a tsunami swept through and you are in your pajamas with no bra and your hair is standing on end and your child has written all over themselves with permanent marker and you haven't had enough coffee to be ready for company yet--that's when all the neighbors will decide to drop by for a visit.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Friday, October 14, 2011
Who buys this stuff?
There are so many products out there these days that are supposed to make our lives more convenient or healthy, but sometimes I can't help but be confused or entertained by them. And the commercials are hilarious! So dramatic. Sometimes they just make me say, "Why in the world would someone ever buy that thing?" So, here's a list of some products that make me go hmmm.
1. Those designer diapers that have cool prints on them. My kid is going to poop in this thing and then I'm going to throw.it.away. So, yeah, I would love to pay an extra $10 for them because they look like blue jeans. If I wanted my kid to look like he was wearing blue jeans, I would dress him in...blue jeans! Duh.
2. Disposable paper towels in my bathroom. I love how in the commercials they make that family use the same white towel for 5 months and use it for everything from changing the oil in the car to picking their noses and then hang it back up on the rack. First of all, my kids use the kitchen towels to wash the dog and secondly, they never in the history of ever, hang the towel back up in the bathroom. I walk in, find the towel on the floor or in the sink smeared with God only knows what and I put a new towel up. The end.
3. This one is even more stupider than the last one. Yes, I said more stupider. The automatic soap dispenser. Why the heck do I need a touchless soap dispenser? So I am forced to buy only your brand of soap that comes in the special bottle that fits inside the dispenser? Probably. If my filthy, dirty soap pump has some germs on it- so what? Am I not getting ready to wash my hands? Are soap bottle germs immune to washing? Questions to ponder, people.
4. Vegetable slicer-thingies. I have a mandoline. Thought it would be great! They make them look so easy and handy on TV. The reality is that in the amount of time it takes me to locate all the pieces, put the darn thing together and actually use it, I could have sliced enough potatoes by hand to feed the US Marine Corps. And the silly thing is way harder to use in real life than on TV. I can't even tell you the number of times I have cut myself using it. Well, actually I can because I've used it twice and cut myself both times. So there. A regular ol' knife is less painful. Emotionally and physically.
5. Any product whose target audience is my very impressionable and mighty persuasive children. Have you seen my kid's rooms?
6. The omelette pan or whatever they call it. Does it taste different if my goodies are tucked inside the egg rather than scrambled in? I think not.
There are so many more of these that I'm sure I'll think of more as I lay in bed tonight. Most of the time I watch my shows on the DVR so I fast forward through all the blaring insanity that is the commercial. The DVR-now there's a product I can stand behind! Because watching normal TV is sooo hard.
1. Those designer diapers that have cool prints on them. My kid is going to poop in this thing and then I'm going to throw.it.away. So, yeah, I would love to pay an extra $10 for them because they look like blue jeans. If I wanted my kid to look like he was wearing blue jeans, I would dress him in...blue jeans! Duh.
2. Disposable paper towels in my bathroom. I love how in the commercials they make that family use the same white towel for 5 months and use it for everything from changing the oil in the car to picking their noses and then hang it back up on the rack. First of all, my kids use the kitchen towels to wash the dog and secondly, they never in the history of ever, hang the towel back up in the bathroom. I walk in, find the towel on the floor or in the sink smeared with God only knows what and I put a new towel up. The end.
3. This one is even more stupider than the last one. Yes, I said more stupider. The automatic soap dispenser. Why the heck do I need a touchless soap dispenser? So I am forced to buy only your brand of soap that comes in the special bottle that fits inside the dispenser? Probably. If my filthy, dirty soap pump has some germs on it- so what? Am I not getting ready to wash my hands? Are soap bottle germs immune to washing? Questions to ponder, people.
4. Vegetable slicer-thingies. I have a mandoline. Thought it would be great! They make them look so easy and handy on TV. The reality is that in the amount of time it takes me to locate all the pieces, put the darn thing together and actually use it, I could have sliced enough potatoes by hand to feed the US Marine Corps. And the silly thing is way harder to use in real life than on TV. I can't even tell you the number of times I have cut myself using it. Well, actually I can because I've used it twice and cut myself both times. So there. A regular ol' knife is less painful. Emotionally and physically.
5. Any product whose target audience is my very impressionable and mighty persuasive children. Have you seen my kid's rooms?
6. The omelette pan or whatever they call it. Does it taste different if my goodies are tucked inside the egg rather than scrambled in? I think not.
There are so many more of these that I'm sure I'll think of more as I lay in bed tonight. Most of the time I watch my shows on the DVR so I fast forward through all the blaring insanity that is the commercial. The DVR-now there's a product I can stand behind! Because watching normal TV is sooo hard.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Roller coaster
These past few months have been a little busier than usual. We've been up and we've been down. The kids and I survived without Vince around for 3 months. We were extremely happy to have him back home! The weekend that he got back, we went to Colorado on our househunting trip. We really needed to do that since we were moving 2short weeks later. There were no rental houses in the town where we wanted to be so we were kind of forced to purchase a house instead. We found one that we liked, made an offer and started the process. We knew we would have to stay in a hotel for a while until we could close, but it would only be a few weeks. Moving day came quickly. Luckily the movers were very efficient and had us out of there in 2 days time. One day to pack, one to load and our stuff was in storage the next day in Denver. We still had no offers on our old house, so we had to use the relocation company program, which means that there are a lot of hoops to jump through before you can get the house off of your hands. One market analysis, 3 appraisals, 2 inspections, 1 fallen tree, several small improvements, 2.5 months, and one ton of stress later the relo company made us a low ball offer. Which we accepted. At least we're out from under it. During that time, our family was bouncing from hotel to hotel, to relative's houses and back while waiting for our new house to close. We also stayed with a co-worker of Vince's for a couple of weeks, which was extremely generous of him. The house deal just got worse and worse. Vince and I started to feel like we were backed into a corner with this house. We liked it, but it wasn't what we had first said we wanted. When we had the appraisal done, it came back under the agreed price/loan amount. Which meant the deal was dead. Back to square one. This was good news and bad news. There were still no rentals available, so we had to change tactics. We started looking in another town closer to Vince's office. It's not ideal for us because we really wanted to have the kids in smaller schools and we would prefer to be in the country with a little more space, but at least the rental we found here is huge. It's been nice to spread out a little. Okay, a lot. Just the main floor of this house is bigger than our old house. Then add the finished basement and we have more space than we know what to do with. It all worked out in the end, but boy was I losing my mind there in the middle. I'm pretty sure I worked myself up so much I earned an ulcer.
We are mostly settled in now, but it still feels weird. Like I'm staying at someone else's house. I guess it's just because we're renting. The girls start school this week. Maybe when we get into that routine it will start feeling more like home. Audrey will be in second grade and Katie will start Kindy. The schools here do a 4 day week, so that will be different. I will have some time alone with Sam, which will be good. I am still looking for a job. Keep your fingers crossed that I can find something good. It has to be straight 8-5 kind of stuff because Vince's schedule is so wonky. And since the girls will have Fridays off and Katie will only go half days, I will have to find something part time or find day care for them. So this job will have to pay well to cover day care for 3 kids. Sheesh. That should be easy, right? We are so blessed that I am able to stay home with the kids, but I'm really ready to go back to work. I need some adult interaction. It has definitely been an interesting summer. I didn't even have to go to the amusement park to take a roller coaster ride!
We've been checking out our new town a little. So far, we really like it. The weather here is more like home, except at night it cools down enough that we can turn off the A/C and open the windows. We like the desert/mountain scape, it's really beautiful. And it's nice to have new things to do and see instead of the same old stuff. The kids are digging the little amusement park by the zoo. They have carnival rides circa 1960 and a cool vintage carousel that is cheap, cheap, cheap! Every ride is 25 cents except the train and the carousel, those are 50 cents. We can spend 2 hours riding for less than $10 for the whole family.
I forgot to mention the dog. Our poor dog. He's been through a lot. The week before we moved, he got attacked by the same dog that bit Audrey a couple summers ago. He had a gash in his neck that required stitches. (Don't worry, I did report it.) When we got here, he had his stitched removed. He seemed fine. We went to my parent's house for a couple weeks during which time he proceeded to chew and lick his left legs so much that he lost all the hair and developed sores. I thought it was all the fleas there. We got rid of those, but by the time we got back here his legs were worse and he continued to lick them. We had to kennel him for a time while we stayed in different hotels, so I called them to let them know about his legs. They told me that they would keep them wrapped so that they could heal. When we got there, a tech ripped him from my arms to she could wrap them up. Then she got pissed when he snapped at her for messing with him. I could have told her he didn't like other people messing with him and to be very gentle, but she didn't give me a chance. By the time we picked him up, his legs were much worse and he was so anxious, they informed me that he was "vicious" and needed some vet treatment and possibly some anxiety medicine. This dog has never been mean a day in his life. He's protective, yes. Vicious, no. Needless to say, I will not be taking him back there. I took him to the same vet that had taken his stitches out and they declared that he was a stress chewer. They gave him one of those cone of shame things and some antibiotics. I literally had to drag him into the exam room. After everything he'd been through, he was terrified of the vet's office. He finally healed and we've since gotten into this house, so I think he's calmer. Buuuut. His story isn't finished. Last week I had to take him back to the vet. I called a different one, hoping to find one that we really like. He was chewing again, this time at his tail and rear-end. It was really bothering him. He would try to run from it and bark at himself. He was crazed with pain or itching or both. I took him in, got him looked at. Ants. Apparently he got into a fire-ant den or something. The vet said that's what it looked like. More antibiotics, more cone of shame, more creams. The good news is that Buddy did not mind this vet at all. He sat for her, did not snap at her, let her give him treats. I was amazed. He seems to be doing better and his rear is healing nicely. Let's hope his story ends here, people.
Sam has news as well. He has potty trained himself!! Yes, the boy did it. Finally. I was beginning to wonder if we would both be in diapers at the same time. I didn't push him at all. He just did it. We still have accidents, mainly with #2. But even those are few and far between. He asked for a motorcycle cake after the first whole day with no diapers. That's exactly what he got. Now we have to stop him from peeing anywhere and everywhere. The park, the neighbors yard, off the upstairs deck onto the patio below...the joys of being a boy!
Since I still have things to unpack and put away (a month later) and the kids are clamoring for attention, I'll leave for now. Hopefully I'll be able to update a little more frequently now that we have internet. As soon as I figure out how to get the pictures off of my iPhone, I'll post pictures of the house too. Ciao!
We are mostly settled in now, but it still feels weird. Like I'm staying at someone else's house. I guess it's just because we're renting. The girls start school this week. Maybe when we get into that routine it will start feeling more like home. Audrey will be in second grade and Katie will start Kindy. The schools here do a 4 day week, so that will be different. I will have some time alone with Sam, which will be good. I am still looking for a job. Keep your fingers crossed that I can find something good. It has to be straight 8-5 kind of stuff because Vince's schedule is so wonky. And since the girls will have Fridays off and Katie will only go half days, I will have to find something part time or find day care for them. So this job will have to pay well to cover day care for 3 kids. Sheesh. That should be easy, right? We are so blessed that I am able to stay home with the kids, but I'm really ready to go back to work. I need some adult interaction. It has definitely been an interesting summer. I didn't even have to go to the amusement park to take a roller coaster ride!
We've been checking out our new town a little. So far, we really like it. The weather here is more like home, except at night it cools down enough that we can turn off the A/C and open the windows. We like the desert/mountain scape, it's really beautiful. And it's nice to have new things to do and see instead of the same old stuff. The kids are digging the little amusement park by the zoo. They have carnival rides circa 1960 and a cool vintage carousel that is cheap, cheap, cheap! Every ride is 25 cents except the train and the carousel, those are 50 cents. We can spend 2 hours riding for less than $10 for the whole family.
I forgot to mention the dog. Our poor dog. He's been through a lot. The week before we moved, he got attacked by the same dog that bit Audrey a couple summers ago. He had a gash in his neck that required stitches. (Don't worry, I did report it.) When we got here, he had his stitched removed. He seemed fine. We went to my parent's house for a couple weeks during which time he proceeded to chew and lick his left legs so much that he lost all the hair and developed sores. I thought it was all the fleas there. We got rid of those, but by the time we got back here his legs were worse and he continued to lick them. We had to kennel him for a time while we stayed in different hotels, so I called them to let them know about his legs. They told me that they would keep them wrapped so that they could heal. When we got there, a tech ripped him from my arms to she could wrap them up. Then she got pissed when he snapped at her for messing with him. I could have told her he didn't like other people messing with him and to be very gentle, but she didn't give me a chance. By the time we picked him up, his legs were much worse and he was so anxious, they informed me that he was "vicious" and needed some vet treatment and possibly some anxiety medicine. This dog has never been mean a day in his life. He's protective, yes. Vicious, no. Needless to say, I will not be taking him back there. I took him to the same vet that had taken his stitches out and they declared that he was a stress chewer. They gave him one of those cone of shame things and some antibiotics. I literally had to drag him into the exam room. After everything he'd been through, he was terrified of the vet's office. He finally healed and we've since gotten into this house, so I think he's calmer. Buuuut. His story isn't finished. Last week I had to take him back to the vet. I called a different one, hoping to find one that we really like. He was chewing again, this time at his tail and rear-end. It was really bothering him. He would try to run from it and bark at himself. He was crazed with pain or itching or both. I took him in, got him looked at. Ants. Apparently he got into a fire-ant den or something. The vet said that's what it looked like. More antibiotics, more cone of shame, more creams. The good news is that Buddy did not mind this vet at all. He sat for her, did not snap at her, let her give him treats. I was amazed. He seems to be doing better and his rear is healing nicely. Let's hope his story ends here, people.
Sam has news as well. He has potty trained himself!! Yes, the boy did it. Finally. I was beginning to wonder if we would both be in diapers at the same time. I didn't push him at all. He just did it. We still have accidents, mainly with #2. But even those are few and far between. He asked for a motorcycle cake after the first whole day with no diapers. That's exactly what he got. Now we have to stop him from peeing anywhere and everywhere. The park, the neighbors yard, off the upstairs deck onto the patio below...the joys of being a boy!
Since I still have things to unpack and put away (a month later) and the kids are clamoring for attention, I'll leave for now. Hopefully I'll be able to update a little more frequently now that we have internet. As soon as I figure out how to get the pictures off of my iPhone, I'll post pictures of the house too. Ciao!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Going green
I'm all for being environentally friendly and more energy efficient, but it seems like no matter how hard I try I can't get it right. For several years I have used vinegar to clean around the house. I have one of those spray mop things and I refill the bottle with vinegar and water when it runs out. I've probably had the same bottle for 5 years. I also load it up with a small towel that I've cut in half so that I don't have to use the disposable ones. But, my children spill so much on my floor that the amount of water I have to use washing those cleaning towels is ridiculous. I'm sure it probably negates the effects of not using disposables, especially since I have an older washer that uses at least 30 gallons of water for each load. Also, I don't typically have paper plates or napkins in my house, so I should run the dishwasher more than once a day. Though I admit that I'm too lazy for that. It gets loaded when we run out of dishes to eat on. I did give in to my husband's whining about paper towels though. He refused to use the cleaning rags for things. It really annoyed him to not have a paper towel to nuke his sausage biscuit in. Go figure. When we use paper towels, it makes me feel like I just wadded up a dollar bill and threw it away.
It's the same things with those fancy, really expensive, toxic lightbulbs. They are supposed to save energy, but at the rate that my kids knock over the lamps and break them I'm thinking of switching back to normal bulbs. When one gets broken, the way some people talk, I should put on my haz-mat suit just to clean it up. And where do I throw it? In the trash, of course, where it ends up in the landfill stinking up our air and leaching who knows what into the earth.
Remember that old country song that goes, "every light in the house is on, the back yard's bright as the crack of dawn, the front walk looks like runway lights, it's kinda like noon in the dead of night..." Yeah, that's my house. I'm constantly running around turning off lights. In the morning after the girls leave for school I head downstairs and turn off no less than 9 lights. I'm not kidding. Explain to me how that can be remotely energy efficient, even with the toxic light bulbs.
While we're talking about enery efficiency, let's bring our attention to the refrigerator, shall we? If you can't find something in there, does standing in the door staring for 10 minutes make it magically appear? You know you're going to ask me where the mayo is hiding anyway, so why waste time and let out all the bought air? I distinctly remember that my children were born in hospitals and not in barns, so what's with leaving all the doors open all over the place?
I think this post is rapidly becoming a rant about things that drive me crazy, so I'll go ahead and cut it short. I can't think straight anyway because now I have Trace Adkins stuck in my head. "Every light in the house is on....."
It's the same things with those fancy, really expensive, toxic lightbulbs. They are supposed to save energy, but at the rate that my kids knock over the lamps and break them I'm thinking of switching back to normal bulbs. When one gets broken, the way some people talk, I should put on my haz-mat suit just to clean it up. And where do I throw it? In the trash, of course, where it ends up in the landfill stinking up our air and leaching who knows what into the earth.
Remember that old country song that goes, "every light in the house is on, the back yard's bright as the crack of dawn, the front walk looks like runway lights, it's kinda like noon in the dead of night..." Yeah, that's my house. I'm constantly running around turning off lights. In the morning after the girls leave for school I head downstairs and turn off no less than 9 lights. I'm not kidding. Explain to me how that can be remotely energy efficient, even with the toxic light bulbs.
While we're talking about enery efficiency, let's bring our attention to the refrigerator, shall we? If you can't find something in there, does standing in the door staring for 10 minutes make it magically appear? You know you're going to ask me where the mayo is hiding anyway, so why waste time and let out all the bought air? I distinctly remember that my children were born in hospitals and not in barns, so what's with leaving all the doors open all over the place?
I think this post is rapidly becoming a rant about things that drive me crazy, so I'll go ahead and cut it short. I can't think straight anyway because now I have Trace Adkins stuck in my head. "Every light in the house is on....."
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Sam
Oh, boy. Where do I start? This kid has been trouble from the word 'go'. He decided to make Mommy's blood pressure shoot off the charts when he was in the womb and it hasn't come down since. The doctor had to induce me and Sam decided to make his entrance quickly. So quickly that his face and eyes were purple from the bruising. The nurses had to put a note on his bassinet that said, "my face is bruised" because so many people thought he had stopped breathing.
This photo has not been retouched, that is really how he looked. Poor baby. So impatient.
I prayed for a boy, and that's definitely what I got. He is ALL boy. He's loud and busy. And loud. I can't even count the number of giant goose eggs he's gotten on his head. Black eyes, stitches, *sigh*... I'm waiting for the broken bone. Because I know it's coming. I love him, but he's hard. He has reduced me to tears more in his 2 3/4 years than his sisters combined. He has 2 modes, off (asleep) and GO (loud)! There is no in between. He loves guns, as evidenced by the 12 toy guns and millions of rounds of Nerf ammo currently residing all over my house. He loves to swing, and he loves water. Especially throwing rocks into water. And his daddy. He LOVES his Daddy! Maybe it's because Daddy has lots of guns, but don't tell him that. Oh, and he loves soldiers and anything camoflauge. If he sees a soldier, he screams, "A SOLDIER!" and then runs over to hug or shake hands and tell them, "tank you for your circus." I'm pretty sure he means "thank you for your service". At least I hope he does.
Here he is at 3 months:
He was always a happy baby. As long as he was being fed. I couldn't make enough milk for him, so we had to give him formula too. Once, after he started eating baby food, he ate 6 of those big jars of food. Six! He would have eaten more, but I cut him off. He has slowed down a little since then. I'm sure his eating will peak again in his teenage years. I'm already saving money for groceries. I have a feeling I will need it! If he lives that long. I keep saying one of us may not survive his childhood and since I'm bigger...
This is Sam eating his first birthday cake. Let's just say that he enjoyed it. A lot.
One year old at Yellowstone. He had a lot of fun with that driftwood.
His first Halloween. He was a little stinker. A mad one.
He looks like he already had a sugar coma going on! His second Halloween he was a little monster. Do you sense a theme? Yeah.
His 2 favorite things, guns and water. Age 2.
I rarely catch him sitting still. Most of his images are blurry. Don't strap this kid down! He hates strollers, car seats or any place he is required to sit for more than 20 seconds. So restaurants are out. I lose him all the time at church. Luckily most people know him there or at least recognize him enough as he blazes by them to alert me that he has escaped and can tell me the general direction in which he was headed. We have child locks on EVERYTHING. You think I'm kidding. I can't believe he's almost 3. Time flies when you're so sleepy you can't hold your eyes open. That's what they say, right?
Born to be free. Age 2 3/4. He really likes the swings.
"Mama, knock knock."
"Who's there?"
"A nudder UNDERDOG!"
"Okay, son. One more underdog."
I love this kid.
This photo has not been retouched, that is really how he looked. Poor baby. So impatient.
I prayed for a boy, and that's definitely what I got. He is ALL boy. He's loud and busy. And loud. I can't even count the number of giant goose eggs he's gotten on his head. Black eyes, stitches, *sigh*... I'm waiting for the broken bone. Because I know it's coming. I love him, but he's hard. He has reduced me to tears more in his 2 3/4 years than his sisters combined. He has 2 modes, off (asleep) and GO (loud)! There is no in between. He loves guns, as evidenced by the 12 toy guns and millions of rounds of Nerf ammo currently residing all over my house. He loves to swing, and he loves water. Especially throwing rocks into water. And his daddy. He LOVES his Daddy! Maybe it's because Daddy has lots of guns, but don't tell him that. Oh, and he loves soldiers and anything camoflauge. If he sees a soldier, he screams, "A SOLDIER!" and then runs over to hug or shake hands and tell them, "tank you for your circus." I'm pretty sure he means "thank you for your service". At least I hope he does.
Here he is at 3 months:
He was always a happy baby. As long as he was being fed. I couldn't make enough milk for him, so we had to give him formula too. Once, after he started eating baby food, he ate 6 of those big jars of food. Six! He would have eaten more, but I cut him off. He has slowed down a little since then. I'm sure his eating will peak again in his teenage years. I'm already saving money for groceries. I have a feeling I will need it! If he lives that long. I keep saying one of us may not survive his childhood and since I'm bigger...
This is Sam eating his first birthday cake. Let's just say that he enjoyed it. A lot.
One year old at Yellowstone. He had a lot of fun with that driftwood.
His first Halloween. He was a little stinker. A mad one.
He looks like he already had a sugar coma going on! His second Halloween he was a little monster. Do you sense a theme? Yeah.
His 2 favorite things, guns and water. Age 2.
I rarely catch him sitting still. Most of his images are blurry. Don't strap this kid down! He hates strollers, car seats or any place he is required to sit for more than 20 seconds. So restaurants are out. I lose him all the time at church. Luckily most people know him there or at least recognize him enough as he blazes by them to alert me that he has escaped and can tell me the general direction in which he was headed. We have child locks on EVERYTHING. You think I'm kidding. I can't believe he's almost 3. Time flies when you're so sleepy you can't hold your eyes open. That's what they say, right?
Born to be free. Age 2 3/4. He really likes the swings.
"Mama, knock knock."
"Who's there?"
"A nudder UNDERDOG!"
"Okay, son. One more underdog."
I love this kid.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Katie
Here's something I remember about being pregnant with Katie. I. Was. Terrified. Audrey was 2 and definitely a handful, as most 2 year olds are. I felt like I could barely handle her, much less another tiny baby. We were all the way in Arizona and our parents couldn't be there for the birth, so I was laboring and decided I HAD to call my mom in the middle of things. Vince looked at me like I was crazy. I needed to hear her say I could do this. Also, she said something along the lines of "it's a little late now, honey". Right.
My friend Kate sent me these funny frog socks to wear during labor so my feet wouldn't get cold, so of course I had to take a picture for her. Cue another "are you crazy?" look from Vince.
She was my smallest baby. My sweet Katie Bear. She was a snuggler from the beginning. My mom gave me a ring sling and I wore it constantly. Katie loved it. Curled up in a little ball all the time. It was pretty convenient so I could have two hands to deal with Audrey.
Home from the hospital.
Here we are at the Grand Canyon. See that lump in the sling? That would be Katie. She's still a snuggle bug. She loves to give hugs, to the point that it gets annoying. She will do the death grip around her siblings' necks until they submit to a hug whether they wanted one or not. And the girl loves a temper tantrum. I think she's a little dramatic. Not sure where she gets that from! *Ahem* Also, like her mother, she's slooooow as molasses. Seriously, I could start getting her ready for school at 5AM and she would still be late. My mom used to tell me that if I was moving any slower I'd be going backwards. See the similarity? We call it "Katie-time". My mom called it something like "Nicole, if you do not get moving right this minute, my head might explode and then I'll be forced to spank you and/or tell your father to spank you when he gets home". That's not a direct quote, because I'm sure there was some cursing involved. Hi Mom! Love ya!
Katie is a very sweet kid who will play by herself for hours. She has always been one of those easy kids that you never have to worry about. She entertains herself, goes to bed by herself (until recently), and usually doesn't have attitude. Unless she's throwing a tantrum. I'm pretty sure that God was trying to prepare me for her little brother. He was letting me have a break before Dr. Destructo came into existence. More on him in a later post. Lately she has become a little tougher to deal with though.
I love this picture! She looks so cute with her dirty face and she's so serious talking on the walkie-talkie.
Over the past year, my sweet baby girl has been taking lessons from her older sister called "how to throw attitude at mom". The tantrums have become more frequent and have less to do with the amount of sleep she didn't get and more to do with how mean I am that she didn't get her way. The good thing about this is that she's quick to apologize after and I get lots of bonus hugs. Katie is also our home-body. She would rather be at home with us and her toys than out and about. When she turned 3, all she could talk about was how much she wanted to do dance class. For her birthday all she asked for was dance stuff. Grandparents chipped in to pay for classes. I begged, cried, and pleaded to a dance instructor to enroll her in classes. She went three times. During two of which she sat in the corner and cried, refusing to participate. I apologized profusely and un-enrolled her. Did I learn my lesson? No. The next year, she did it to me again. At a different dance school. I was too embarrassed to go back to the other. She did last longer than 3 classes, but after a couple of months, she just refused to participate. This year, she decided to do gymnastics instead. I was afraid of the same thing happening, but she has lasted the whole year and has not quit once. I don't know if it has to do with age or the different structure of the classes, but I don't care as long as I don't have to slink out with my tail between my legs, never to return.
Did I mention she's kinda a girly-girl? She loves to wear dresses and twirl. But she does love to jump too. Like on the couch. And somehow managed to break her arm in the process.
Age 3.
Katie in the forest. Age 4.
Here's my Katie-Bear today. Still sweet. And a little sassy. I think she's the perfect middle child. She's like the buffer between her 2 crazy siblings. If you want a hug or 40, come on over.
My friend Kate sent me these funny frog socks to wear during labor so my feet wouldn't get cold, so of course I had to take a picture for her. Cue another "are you crazy?" look from Vince.
She was my smallest baby. My sweet Katie Bear. She was a snuggler from the beginning. My mom gave me a ring sling and I wore it constantly. Katie loved it. Curled up in a little ball all the time. It was pretty convenient so I could have two hands to deal with Audrey.
Home from the hospital.
Here we are at the Grand Canyon. See that lump in the sling? That would be Katie. She's still a snuggle bug. She loves to give hugs, to the point that it gets annoying. She will do the death grip around her siblings' necks until they submit to a hug whether they wanted one or not. And the girl loves a temper tantrum. I think she's a little dramatic. Not sure where she gets that from! *Ahem* Also, like her mother, she's slooooow as molasses. Seriously, I could start getting her ready for school at 5AM and she would still be late. My mom used to tell me that if I was moving any slower I'd be going backwards. See the similarity? We call it "Katie-time". My mom called it something like "Nicole, if you do not get moving right this minute, my head might explode and then I'll be forced to spank you and/or tell your father to spank you when he gets home". That's not a direct quote, because I'm sure there was some cursing involved. Hi Mom! Love ya!
Katie is a very sweet kid who will play by herself for hours. She has always been one of those easy kids that you never have to worry about. She entertains herself, goes to bed by herself (until recently), and usually doesn't have attitude. Unless she's throwing a tantrum. I'm pretty sure that God was trying to prepare me for her little brother. He was letting me have a break before Dr. Destructo came into existence. More on him in a later post. Lately she has become a little tougher to deal with though.
I love this picture! She looks so cute with her dirty face and she's so serious talking on the walkie-talkie.
Over the past year, my sweet baby girl has been taking lessons from her older sister called "how to throw attitude at mom". The tantrums have become more frequent and have less to do with the amount of sleep she didn't get and more to do with how mean I am that she didn't get her way. The good thing about this is that she's quick to apologize after and I get lots of bonus hugs. Katie is also our home-body. She would rather be at home with us and her toys than out and about. When she turned 3, all she could talk about was how much she wanted to do dance class. For her birthday all she asked for was dance stuff. Grandparents chipped in to pay for classes. I begged, cried, and pleaded to a dance instructor to enroll her in classes. She went three times. During two of which she sat in the corner and cried, refusing to participate. I apologized profusely and un-enrolled her. Did I learn my lesson? No. The next year, she did it to me again. At a different dance school. I was too embarrassed to go back to the other. She did last longer than 3 classes, but after a couple of months, she just refused to participate. This year, she decided to do gymnastics instead. I was afraid of the same thing happening, but she has lasted the whole year and has not quit once. I don't know if it has to do with age or the different structure of the classes, but I don't care as long as I don't have to slink out with my tail between my legs, never to return.
Did I mention she's kinda a girly-girl? She loves to wear dresses and twirl. But she does love to jump too. Like on the couch. And somehow managed to break her arm in the process.
Age 3.
Katie in the forest. Age 4.
Here's my Katie-Bear today. Still sweet. And a little sassy. I think she's the perfect middle child. She's like the buffer between her 2 crazy siblings. If you want a hug or 40, come on over.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Audrey
She made me a mom. Even though she's my big girl, she will always be my baby. I remember every detail of my labor and delivery with her. My other 2 are a little fuzzy.
Just like most new moms, my baby was the smartest, cutest thing EVER!!
Gorgeous photo courtesy of my multi-talented friend Nikki.
This girl has been to more states than most adults I know. She has always been, from the beginning, a great traveler. Whether it be by car, boat, horse or airplane, this kid can handle it. Especially the horses. She has loved horses since she first noticed them. She used to drive us crazy at my mom and dad's house. She walked around all day and the only thing she would say is "haw-see"! Over and over... She's still the same way when we visit them. From the moment she wakes up, she is bugging my parents to go feed. Literally from the minute she wakes up. Then, at any point during the day, if we can't find her we go outside and she's always out there, just looking at the horses.
As a direct result of this obsession, we have approximately 4 million stuffed, plastic, or otherwise horse-related toys littering our house. They range in size from small enough to jab you between the toes when you step on them in the middle of the night to large enough to scare the bejeesus out of you when you stumble into them in the middle of the night.
This is Audrey at the beach in Puerto Penasco, Mexico. She was almost 2. Love the chubbiness!
So proud of her little fish on the Buffalo River. Age 3.
Age 6
Audrey is the kind of kid that knows exactly what to say at the optimum moment to produce the most Mommy-guilt possible. Just the other night I was admonishing her for not reading her books for school and giving me attitude about it. The entire time she was writing something on her dry-erase board that I couldn't see and I was about to start in on how she wasn't listening when she flipped over the board and I saw what she wrote. "My mom is the best mom in the whole world." Gulp. Instant Mommy-guilt. The thing is, I knew she meant it. She wasn't just saying it to get out of trouble, she knew I needed to hear it at that moment. She's always been like that. Extremely perceptive, totally aware that her parents are suckers and that she is, most of the time, smarter than I am. She is adventurous, outgoing, funny, and can be sensitive too. She is the ultimate big sister. She mommies her siblings to DEATH. She's stubborn (like her daddy!), but sweet. Her teachers love her. She is a really good student and loves to learn. It amazes me how she can be so aggressive and so passive depending on the situation. And I'm pretty sure we will be knocking the boys off with a stick. Or a shotgun if her daddy's home. She is also a world-class pouter. See below:
Oh, yes. I have seen it many times.
This is my "baby" today. Doing what she loves second-most. Playing a computer game. Most-most is being with horses. But since we are sadly horse-less at this time, she settles for playing horse games online. The things this girl sacrifices, I tell ya!
I love you, Audrey. My spoiled rotten, lovely baby.
Just like most new moms, my baby was the smartest, cutest thing EVER!!
Gorgeous photo courtesy of my multi-talented friend Nikki.
This girl has been to more states than most adults I know. She has always been, from the beginning, a great traveler. Whether it be by car, boat, horse or airplane, this kid can handle it. Especially the horses. She has loved horses since she first noticed them. She used to drive us crazy at my mom and dad's house. She walked around all day and the only thing she would say is "haw-see"! Over and over... She's still the same way when we visit them. From the moment she wakes up, she is bugging my parents to go feed. Literally from the minute she wakes up. Then, at any point during the day, if we can't find her we go outside and she's always out there, just looking at the horses.
As a direct result of this obsession, we have approximately 4 million stuffed, plastic, or otherwise horse-related toys littering our house. They range in size from small enough to jab you between the toes when you step on them in the middle of the night to large enough to scare the bejeesus out of you when you stumble into them in the middle of the night.
This is Audrey at the beach in Puerto Penasco, Mexico. She was almost 2. Love the chubbiness!
So proud of her little fish on the Buffalo River. Age 3.
Age 6
Audrey is the kind of kid that knows exactly what to say at the optimum moment to produce the most Mommy-guilt possible. Just the other night I was admonishing her for not reading her books for school and giving me attitude about it. The entire time she was writing something on her dry-erase board that I couldn't see and I was about to start in on how she wasn't listening when she flipped over the board and I saw what she wrote. "My mom is the best mom in the whole world." Gulp. Instant Mommy-guilt. The thing is, I knew she meant it. She wasn't just saying it to get out of trouble, she knew I needed to hear it at that moment. She's always been like that. Extremely perceptive, totally aware that her parents are suckers and that she is, most of the time, smarter than I am. She is adventurous, outgoing, funny, and can be sensitive too. She is the ultimate big sister. She mommies her siblings to DEATH. She's stubborn (like her daddy!), but sweet. Her teachers love her. She is a really good student and loves to learn. It amazes me how she can be so aggressive and so passive depending on the situation. And I'm pretty sure we will be knocking the boys off with a stick. Or a shotgun if her daddy's home. She is also a world-class pouter. See below:
Oh, yes. I have seen it many times.
This is my "baby" today. Doing what she loves second-most. Playing a computer game. Most-most is being with horses. But since we are sadly horse-less at this time, she settles for playing horse games online. The things this girl sacrifices, I tell ya!
I love you, Audrey. My spoiled rotten, lovely baby.
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