Peanuts' Parents

MORE PHOTOS!

2012-01-23T11:29:00.000-06:00

On the list of things to do during the break was take pictures with my friend Meghan. She is an amazing photographer and an amazing individual, so I was so happy to get some time with her.

Shooting Pictures with Grandma

2012-01-23T11:26:00.000-06:00

For part of Peanut's special day, we went on a short hike with Grandma and took pictures. I got to play with my camera. Peanut got to play with hers as well!

Ravioli

2012-01-22T20:01:00.000-06:00

One of the things we did over the break was make ravioli. It was pretty much a disaster. It turns out that it is a lot easier to make when no one is there to help you. We did end up getting some made, but most of our dinner ended up being home made spaghetti, which surprisingly, is a lot easier to make when your 3 year old is helping than one would think it is. The boy putting flour on the pasta actually made the past not stick together. What a clever lad!

Peanut making the ravioli insides

BabyP making the sauce

workstation after BabyP helped me make the spaghetti

Spaghetti!

Peanut's Birthday

2012-01-18T11:30:00.000-06:00

I am a mean mom. Peanut did not have a birthday party this year. I would like to only have parties every other year, but we will see how it goes.

I feel like this year it was the right thing to do because she doesn't really like to exclude people. When she has to pick someone to sit with her at the "special table" at lunch, she finds it stressful.

So we did a bunch of different things to celebrate her birthday, and this is a photo dump from my phone.

Ice Skating was the big thing she wanted to do. She really wanted her brother to go skating with her. Her brother hated it. I loved the determination she felt while trying. She would fall, but get right back up.

My neighbor may be one of the best neighbors in the world. She always remembers our birthdays. This year, she gave Peanut a bouquet of balloons and gift card to the local store. We promptly bought more Egytian books.

We also rode our bikes and scooters down by the River. Peanut got a camera, that she loves. Her brother was feeling a bit down so I let him play with mine a bit.

This is the cake! or at least kind of what the cake looked like. I did clean up the tray a bit. She wanted an Egyptian Cake.

Happy Birthday Girl with her Birthday Hat.

We went to Chuck-E-Cheese for evening fun. I thought it was interesting that you could sign up for the mouse to send you parenting advice. I gather the mouse is an expert on attachment parenting.

TICKETS!!!! and her new dress she got from her aunty. She loved them both.

This little guy is really into racing cars, which is what he was doing here. I did the pedals and he drove the car.

We opened presents early in the morning. Here she is posing with the dress her auntie bought her.

Peanut's Camera.

2012-01-07T11:56:00.000-06:00

Peanut got a camera for her 6th Birthday. Here are some of our favorites.

Downtown!

2012-01-07T11:54:00.000-06:00

One of the things we did over the break was spend some time downtown with my camera!

Lego exhibit at the Clinton Library. This man's sculptures were with Legos!

Playing with my new fish eye!

and distorting the picture

This is how I spend most of my days - holding hands with sweet BabyP

The world is truly hers

Resolutions 2012

2012-01-03T21:33:00.000-06:00

Send birthday cards.

That is all I think I can handle this year. I expect it to be chock a block full of stuff.

I have other things that are already in the works. I want to get a majority of the project I am working on at work finished. I want to do a cool road trip and camp with the family. I want to go to England. I want to run the LR marathon.

Resolutions Update-2011

2012-01-03T21:28:00.000-06:00

1. I want to get better at my camera.
I did get better. I never took a class, but I spent some time trying to Learn a bit more about my camera. I may buy a book and try to work through it at some pace.

2. Run. I need to get back in some sort of shape. I signed up for the Little Rock Half. I also plan on doing something in the November December time frame.

Hey I did that!!!!! I did that!!!! I did the 67 miles ride with my friend Lisa. I also signed up for the marathon.

3. Finish the bathroom. Once we finish the main bathroom upstairs, we are pretty much done with the remodel. We need to finish this house because it is really nice to live in a house where things have a place and a purpose.

Uh.... Ya.... No where near close. It isn't even started, but I rocked a lot of stuff over the break.

Christmas Eve and Morning

2011-12-30T14:51:00.000-06:00

Santa showed up! He brought a pyramid for Peanut and a leapster for BabyP. He also brought lots of chocolate. If you ask BabyP what he got for Christmas, his answer is chocolate.

Santa is also just a little naughty. This year he drew on the fireplace with icing and left his beer bottle knocked over with the reindeer oats and things all spread about. He is so naughty. Peanut made sure that each of the reindeer got a carrot.

BabyP's stuff

Peanut's stuff

Captain Underpants

Anything Egyptian

Mommy's present from daddy.

tractor tire eyes

She had already made a head band before the trash was even cleared away.

Trampoline!!!

2011-12-30T11:00:00.000-06:00

We got the kids a trampoline, and someone bought me a fish eye for my camera. The fish eye is SO MUCH FUN. And the trampoline seems fun too. All three kids (Mr. T. included!) seem to love it.

Her smile makes me insanely happy!

on her way up!

This is the "I am concentrating face." He always opens his mouth for it.

I swear no one has a better time than her!

Try not to kiss me!

BabyP's Party

2011-12-27T23:25:00.001-06:00

These are a few of the pictures that I took of BabyP's Christmas party. Does it not look like they are having a party? The reason is because I MISSED IT AGAIN. Seriously?! I make jokes about him being the second child and me not loving him that much, but I can see that some people may believe that since I can't make it to his party.

But we got lots of pictures of Ms. Jannis. WE LOVE HER. I want to take her home with me so we can do crafts together. See these Santas? The kids made them. They make some crazy cool art. BabyP likes to color now and he LOVES to write letters. It is so cute.

Look other kids in the class...

And Santa! Isn't he cute?

Cookies!

2011-12-27T23:21:00.000-06:00

On Christmas Eve, we got around to making our Christmas cookies. I usually bake a lot before Christmas, but this year I was a little obsessed with getting a ton of other stuff done so not much got done at all. In fact, we didn't do salt dough ornaments this year.

The little flecks are oatmeal. I use an oatmeal cookie recipe that is formulated for cutting. I love it and the cookies always taste so yummy. I like them much more than sugar cookies.

this is a somewhat cleaned up mess left after two kids do a bit of icing. I totally cheated and got canned icing and frosting because I was lazy and bit gun shy after the weird icing incident with the not so buttercream icing.

They were super tasty, even though they look the the collection spot for the worlds longest poo. That is how three year olds decorate. Then they giggle madly when you say poo.

Ginger Bread Houses

2011-12-27T23:17:00.000-06:00

Every year we make ginger bread houses. Previously, I thought the houses didn't work well because of the icing we used. This year, we used melted chocolate, which worked wonders.

BUT, the houses still didn't work well. So next year, we will buy them at the grocery store and put them together. I will buy additional candy that is fun, but I am not rolling those stupid things out again. It is so frustrating for the cookies to expand in the oven and not work well.

Peanut (literally LOL) eats this kind of thing up! She loves it. It is two of her favorite things, cooking and art. She also agrees that making them homemade is a hassle, and that we are just going to buy them from the grocery store next year.

It was nice to see him get into it this year.

See his house? That has some of the NOT buttercream frosting that turned out NOT well.

I think that I somehow managed to not get pictures of the finished product. OH WELL. next year...

Christmas Time

2011-12-22T15:41:00.000-06:00

Ohh Yay! it is Christmas Time. I would officially like to thank Amazon for making my life tolerable during these last couple of weeks. The thought of having to go out and find presents for people makes me want to shove small sticks into my eyes. Our hope was that our Christmas was going to small this year, and I think Mr. T. and I did a pretty good job. This year I got him a bunch of small things he needed, and he got me something I have wanted for millions of months. This year, the kids are getting 1 present from santa and a few presents from us. I think it will be a nice Christmas on that end.

I am taking about 2.5 weeks off over the break. I am actually off as long as Peanut is out of school, but I sent her to the daycare center this first week so I can finally get some things done around the house that we have needed to do for a while. I am doing things like recaulking the bathtub and cleaning the oven, as well as big projects like staining and installing the cabinets and painting our bedroom. I have made incredible headway these last four days. I also realized that I can easily spend a day or 4 alone and not really notice the time is passing. The only complaint I have is that I have been fighting a cold the whole break. I know... poor me.

The kids have been really funny this year. Peanut's request from Santa is that he just surprise her. BabyP, however, wants all these imaginary and/or impossible things to get. He wants a SkyTruck which is a truck that is black and has fire that shoots out of it when he zooms into the sky. He also wants a vehicle. A monster truck will work in this instance. Actually, a monster truck will work in any instance. I can't think of any problem that BabyP may have that a monster truck is not the answer for.

It is the 22nd and I have yet to wrap a present to put under the tree. Peanut is starting to wonder if I am ever going to do it. I have been busy with other things, and she can see that she has presents. It has really worked out well though because I don't have to constantly tell the kids to get away from the tree. The dog on the other hand, she has been eating the old salt dough ornaments. I love our salt dough ornaments because the kids helped me make them. Our dog has had some "issues". She is 14, and her health is starting to give her some issues. She is going out with style though. She is just getting a little "crazy in the head".

So the threat of Santa Clause does not really work that well with BabyP. He told me, "I don't care. I don't want Santa to come see me." Well okay. I don't really have a come back for that. That kid kills me because he can be such a turd, but then he can also be the sweetest little boy around. When he gets in trouble at school, it KILLS him. He is mortified. At home, he would throw me the bird with both hands if he could. (Lord, I am not looking forward to that.)

Peanut is sure to keep me straight with the advent calendar. I came so close to buying one of those "Elf on a Shelf" things, but then I realized that I can't remember to put things in the advent calendar. How am I ever going to remember to do an Elf on the Shelf? My kids will be in tears because they will think that their elf is not reporting like he should. Personally, I think the Elf on the Shelf will be more fun when they don't believe in Santa anymore. Then he can just be naughty. It would be a fun family gag.

Speaking of "believing" Peanut is starting to question Santa. She asked me if Santa was real. I told her to leave me alone because I was peeing. That was the one instance where I didn't mind her barging in on me while I was.. well... (What is up with that? Seriously... you are 6! How many times do I have to tell you?) We watched some TV shows where kids didn't believe and that seemed to scare he back into believing in Santa. Actually... she told me. "You know how I know there is a Santa Clause?" me: "how?" " because last year, a little bit of his jacket got caught on our fireplace on his way up the chimney. That is how I know there is a Santa Clause." Last year, I put some cotton on the surround to the fire place and told her Santa must have snagged his jacket. It is funny that she remembers that. I will need to think of something else to do this year to keep her believing.

Uncle Bubble Head

2011-12-20T14:53:00.000-06:00

This is one of those posts that was started and never made it to completion. I made a list of things to do while I was on break and finishing this post was one of them!

BabyP has an imaginary uncle that comes up from time to time. His name is Uncle Bubble Head. Uncle Bubble Head or the UBH is not very nice.

Uncle Bobble head drives a monster truck.

My brother died, and so did UBH. We miss him.

He was going to take BabyP to the baseball game, but I can't remember what he was doing there. But there was something about jumping and having fun.

He is generally pretty mean. BabyP threw oranges at his butt for being a meany. BabyP also has to punch UBH from time to time, but I never really can figure out why.

Thanksgiving

2011-12-20T14:49:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving came and went without much fanfare. It was just us and my parents this year, but we still had a really nice time. I know I have said this a million times, but Thanksgiving is really my favorite Holiday. I just enjoy cooking, eating, and relaxing with my friends and family.

Handsome Little Devil

I LOVE Brussel Sprouts. Amazingly enough, Peanut loves them too.

Proof that we don't say grace often at our house. Dad is trying to get BabyP to settle it down.

Always in the kitchen. Check out that PIE. I love it!

I love letting the kids use wine glasses. They think they are such big kids!

Sweet Girl. She melts my heart.

And we were actually able to get the Christmas Tree up. Thankfully, Peanut kept reminding me because you know I would have forgotten.

Christmas Photos that never were

2011-12-20T10:54:00.000-06:00

So, every year we try to do a Christmas Photo Shoot. This year, with everyone running this way and that, it seemed to get way too complicated. So, I decided to try to do it myself. NONE of these pictures made it onto the Christmas Card because NO ONE was in the mood to have their picture taken. The take home lesson from this is that we need to start organizing our Christmas shoot in July.

Look I have Pine Cones that are so Jazzy

NO Don't take my Picture

I said NO Don't take my picture.

Did I mention that I have Pine Cones?

I actually like this picture.

This is a good one too!

It is important to always pose.

Fixing the Candy Cane

See! Not interested at all.

Lovely mantel. No Children.

Oh Family Shots.

Whit People in front of a Tan Wall does not work for me.

The only picture where Mr. T. looks like he may be smiling.

"I love you" "I feel like poop"

Christmas Card

2011-12-13T21:19:00.001-06:00

Photo Card

View the entire collection of cards.

It may not show up by Christmas, but it is done!

Random Photos of Stuff

2011-12-06T07:29:00.000-06:00

These have been sitting in my box for a while, so instead of waiting to write the story, I am just going to push them.

They were really into collecting bamboo.

We took a short cut where the grasses ended up over their heads. Note to self: Short cut is more adventure then we bargained for.

We made lip gloss the other day. It didn't turn out so great, but the color was really nice.

Random Video

2011-11-25T07:27:00.000-06:00

BabyP doing some jumps. Of course, I didn't manage to capture the cool ones.

How to write A and B.

BabyP Sings Brick House

Recital Video

2011-11-24T19:58:00.008-06:00

This video was shot off of my DSLR, so the quality is not as good as say... well something that is edited.

Thanksgiving recital

2011-11-24T19:55:00.000-06:00

The BIG news in Kindergarten last week was the run up to the big Thanksgiving program. Peanut's class had a feast and a short program where they sang songs and did poems. She did really well. She was super pumped about the program and I could hear her practicing with her brother. I had to be sworn to secrecy before I could hear any part of it.

Notice that she is in the back. She is in for a lifetime of being on the back row. It never really mattered what I wore to school programs since no one could see it anyway.

The little boy on her left (ride side of the screen) is her buddy. She talks about what a nice boy he is. Evidently, he is one of the only boys she will pick to do stuff with. She is right. He really is a nice boy. She is always super excited to see her, which makes me so very happy.

She was Pocahontas, which I thought was funny since for Halloween she was Saqutewia. (i am just going to assume I butchered those names.)

Oh look, it is our feast!

Big smiles!

And this is sweet Ms. Kelly (and some dude who is checking her out.) She was the student teacher in Peanut's class this first semester. We will miss her. She was pretty awesome.

Camping

2011-11-20T10:18:00.000-06:00

We were finally able to make it camping. Lucky for us, our sweet friend's Bill and Liz came along for the journey.

Of course we got there late and set the tent up in the dark. The campsite we picked was really nice, but the power didn't work.

But the kids brought their bike and scooter and had a great time.

We were approximately 9 miles from our house. Honestly, i don't even know if we were outside of the city limits. It is times like this that I feel lucky to be living the life we do.

It is nice to just go camping on a warm November day.

And hang out with friends that we haven't seen in a long time.

And point at monkeys!!!

Nice family and random interloper.

We went for a little hike afterwards. The whole thing was a nice get away.

Halloween Proper!

2011-11-20T10:12:00.000-06:00

So, the lesson learned from this Halloween season is even two weeks on the porch in 80 degree heat is too much for our pumpkins. Although, the heat did give them the added benefit of looking really scary. Like totally scary if you are scared of toothless old men.

This year we had batman and batgirl. Batman accidently peed on his costume at school so not all of the pieces made it home. But he seemed pretty happy with it anyway. It was funny that he was so insistent on batman. He never waivered from it. It was weird because he had never really mentioned batman before. Alison wanted to match, and it just so happens the bat girl costume is adorable.

That girl has got some style!

and this is batman showing his muscles. He isn't as into it as his sister, but at least he is letting us take his picture.

This is our neighbors with their creepy doll out front.

This was a little earlier in the day when babyP was trying to figure out how to get the witches cauldron to work properly.

And their haul. When I see a picture like this of babyP, it is almost like I can see exactly what he is going to look like when he gets older. Or maybe it is just that he looks like my dad.

I wore this costume. BabyP picked it out for me. I took that mask off about 10 minutes into trick or treating because it is made for a kid much smaller than me. It was fun walking around in some random get-up because people would guess what I was. I got that I was a butterfly, a unicorn and even a mosquito!

The candy fairy came around just shortly after Halloween. The candy fairy opted to not bring the toys that were requested. Instead, she brought some legos, which caused a panic and an uproar. Once I got sweet Peanut calmed down, the legos just caused a mess.

This picture is for my dad. As I step on these, I hear his voice saying "Pay BACKS!"

The Carnival

2011-11-08T20:18:00.000-06:00

So in my effort to not be the mom who walks around with a camera in her hands to take pictures of her lovely kids, I managed to not get a picture of all of us in our carnival costumes together. We had a horse back performer, a bearded later, a magician, and a strong man. I also managed to not get a picture of sweet peanuts exposed outfit, which is really too bad. It happens to be a hand me down from a friend's daughter who got it from her sister. It is multigenerational!!

Community Picnic

2011-11-08T07:23:00.000-06:00

It is a village ritual that every weekend before Halloween, we take our grills for a walk. Not really, but I couldn't help but take a picture of my neighbor bringing his grill to the annual picnic.

It was a weird time to have a picnic, but it was a lot of fun. The weather was perfect. The area that I live in is a hold out from the bigger city. I live in an unincoperated part of town, which is hard to explain because we literally live in the area called mid-town. It is often called The Village. I can see that because it has a real small town feel. When we went out of town for a month, I didn't tell my neighbor accross the street. (I had told her husband but not her.) She was so concerned and kept asking the fellow above where we were, and when we would get back. Not only that, but because the school district is good, we have a lot of kids in our neighborhood. And we have our own police force, which is a force to be reckoned with. Do NOT run the stopsigns in the Village!

Since we were not able to get batman to wear his costume, we had a good stand in.

And Carla!!! She was my neighbor when we lived in the OLD house. She has since moved up towards our neighborhood. Her grand daughter is almost the same age as BabyP.

Shrek!

2011-11-03T22:21:00.000-05:00

To conclude our weekend of Halloween festivities, my mom and I took the kids to see Shrek! It was so good. We had seats near the front, which was helpful so the kids could tell what was real and what was a puppet. I am constantly amazed at how cool these productions are.

Peanut loves them, but BabyP had some issues. He enjoyed it, but the magic was a bit lost on him.

Him: I want to go outside
Me: We can't. I want to watch this.
Him: I can go outside by myself.
Me: That is a great idea!
Him: (smiling but apprehensive.) really?
Me: No

Just put that on the list of items that he will see a counselor for.

They both loved looking at the instruments. When the conductor asked BabyP what he liked the most, it was the "rock and roll guitar." As if there was any other kind.

The Tooth Fairy Sucks

2011-11-03T21:56:00.000-05:00

I just want to take the time to issue a group complaint on behalf of all parents to whoever it is that invented the tooth fairy and all of those other types of fairies that require parents to remember multiple steps.

We hate you.

Because when you are about to leave for work and are feeling kind of pumped because you are going to be on time, it sucks to see your kid looking really sad at the kitchen table holding the little tooth box her grandfather carved for her that holds her tooth. "The tooth fairy forgot me."

It is about that time that shards of glass go straight through your heart. It is horrible enough to see your little girl feel rejected, it is the WORST to see your little girl feel rejected by an imaginary creature that is really you.

Bad Momma.
Bad Momma.

Luckily, we recovered. I had attended a school function that required me to have about 1 kazillion dollar bills. I fished a couple out of my wallet while I woke up Mr. T. I asked Peanut if she looked at all of her pillows. I slipped some money into a pillow case and handed it to her, while I looked through the other ones. I explained that tooth fairy is busy and she forgot to get her tooth.

or that maybe she was waking up and the tooth fairy got scared.

She said that maybe the tooth fairy would leave her another two dollars.

The tooth fairy will likely leave her another dollar.

because the tooth fairy stills feels guilty.

Fairly good week!

2011-11-03T21:34:00.000-05:00

thank god for deep fried battered bacon on a stick with chocolate!

The weekend before the weekend before Halloween seems to be just as busy as the weekend before Halloween. And that is good because there are a lot of fun things to do. Although, my family seems to be on "cram as much crap into your week" spree, which again, is good, but can be a little difficult.

kids petting a cow. no really, i took a picture of it.

We made our yearly trip to the state fair where we walked through the livestock barns and looked for the prize blue ribbon bird. We didn't find her, but we did find, some calves that had been born earlier that day. We made sure to eat lots of junk food. We don't really get much outside our box as far as food goes, but we still manage to feel EXTREMELY thirsty from all of the salt and grease.

baby calves

There were lots of cool rides that I am thankful that Peanut is too small to ride. She wanted to ride on the "fun" ones. Fun = spinning upside down. It also seems that fun also means free fall, which I am NOT a fan of. I dread the day that she is big enough for these rides, but mostly, I dread the day she realizes we have been fibbing about how old you have to be to ride them, which I plan to do until I no longer can.

two handsome men

yep, that is what we do for the camera.

"Let's ride the monster truck. It is a vehicle"

We also had the school's carnival the next night. It was super fun. Again, the kids had junk food. I honestly think Peanut ate nachos for two nights in a row. And not proper nachos, but the ones with the cheese made from petrol. yuck!! The school carnival was fun. The kids are at a great age where they can just run around with minimal involvement from us. BabyP has a tendency to stay pretty close, but Peanut loves to run with her friends.

Something that has occurred to me more and more as she gets older is that I don't really have a lot of knowledge of what goes on in her life. I am pretty involved, but random kids come up to her and hug her. It is so strange because I have NO IDEA where she knows these kids from. It is a strange thing to have this little baby whose poops you count to having this little girl who has a completely different world from yours. I thought I would have at least 10 years before I felt like this.

She was so proud of her mom Tattoo.

Lastly, we had the annual pumpkin carving party. There are two parties that I really look forward to each year, and they both occur right around Halloween. I never really figured myself to be a Halloween person, but it looks like I may officially be turning that way!

ohhh scary!

The Itchy Doctor.

2011-10-24T21:54:00.000-05:00

We tested poor sweet BabyP for allergies. Mr. T. was trying to explain to him what he was allergist was, so he told BabyP it was the itchy doctor. I thought that was cute. I really love our itchy doctor, but I am glad we don't have to see her very often.

I thought he was allergic to milk, but he isn't. The doctor said that milk does cause more mucous, so staying off of it is a good idea. She also said that he wasn't allergic to anything.

anything.

not pollen or environmental allergies

just slightly to dogs.

and that was it. That poor bug has been suffering from viruses since his wee years. Hopefully, he has caught all he can and will remain strong as an ox.

He cried the whole time he was getting tested. He hates having his shirt taken off. He hates having sticky stuff on him. He hates to lay still. Pretty much everything about the process, he hates. He just wanted to lay on my hands and watch Thomas the Tank Engine on my phone, which is complicated, because someone has to hold the phone up. It was awful to look at those big wet brown eyes. It broke my heart.

Sadness.

And just when he was feeling better.
Just when he was not crying.

We gave him his flu shot.
which started it all over again for him.

He was crying when I took him out of the office. He was literally sobbing the whole time. He said "I don't like to have holes in me, mommy." Poor bug.

And when I went to put him in the car, he said "You do up my safety belt. I don't want to hurt my shot."

It was then that I called my boss and told him I wasn't coming in the rest of the day. My favorite little man had a rough morning, and momma needed to hug on him.

On the flip side, he got cookies. Evidently vegan cookies from Boulevard make everything better.
For me, Boulevard makes everything better, so I get it.

I totally do.

Pre-Party Party

2011-10-18T21:05:00.000-05:00

It's He Haw!

Who's there?

The kids and I spent a long weekend together. Peanut's school was out on Thursday and Friday. Mom took both kids Thursday, and I took off Friday to hang out. We had a whole lot of things planned for the Friday. We were going to hit the pumpkin patch and go the fair. We were going to hit the gym and get all sorts of things done. We were going to ROCK THE FRIDAY.

We didn't get really any of it done, but that is okay. We had a great time anyway. We just piddled around for a little bit. We did hit the gym and then we did some other things. We tried to go to the pumpkin patch, but it was closed. We watched movies instead.

Okay! Everyone hug the giant wooden pumpkin!

The one picture where we are all looking in the same direction looks like I am clawing my son's heart out. I just can't control my man hands!

Movies that we got at the library. With the kids new library cards! I can't believe it never occurred to me before to let the kids get cards. They are SO excited about them. Well, I guess I should say they liked the cards but they were really excited about getting a receipt. Yes, you read that right. "MY VERY OWN RECEIPT. DAD, I GOT A RECEIPT. MOM, WHERE IS MY RECEIPT?" That was not what I expected. At all. The cards.... eh.... A receipt.... HELL YA!

Even though Friday was a bit of a bomb as far as all the cool stuff we were going to do, the kids and I both agreed that it was a pretty perfect day. We agreed that even if we don't get everything done that we were happy. So we ate a lot of junk food, because that is how we roll on Friday's.

Saturday was a bit of a wash too. We just did stuff and stuff.

"How come I am in a cow and not on a Tractor?"

"I am not happy about this cow ride thing."

On Sunday, we were finally able to make it to the pumpkin patch. I realize that I really don't like the pumpkin patch. It is dusty and all the animals make my allergies irritated. I think I was also irritated because I drank too much coffee and didn't get enough rest. The kids were kind of cranky, which was making me even more cranky. They seemed to have a nice time, but I was just happy to get them home and in bed. It was the end of the weekend after all. I shouldn't have to answer a million times that we are not buying a giant pumpkin, and we do not need a wagon. I will continue to go because I know the kids like it, but next time, I am forcing Mr. T. to go with me. It is a family tradition that we both need to be miserable so then we can argue about it.

When we got home, we carved the pumpkins that I bought at Kroger for about 1/4 the price they are at the pumpkin patch. I made pumpkin pies out of the pumpkins from the patch. It was the first time I have ever made pumpkin pie with real pumpkin. I have some lessons learned.

"I am tired, thirsty and hungry."

Who is that Walking on my Bridge?

2011-10-14T08:49:00.000-05:00

Weekend! Hurray!

2011-10-09T20:41:00.000-05:00

What a great weekend this has turned out to be!

Earlier in the week, sweet Peanut was sick. Mr. T. picked her up from school on Tuesday with a fever. She had a low grade fever and a runny bum for about two days. I knew on Thursday she was feeling better when she was getting into everything and ignoring what I said. It is awful to say, but there is part of me that loves it when she is sick. She never wants to lay around and cuddle with me anymore. But when she is sick, she wants to be with her momma. Sick kids get to eat lots of popcorn and popsicles at our house. They also get to watch as much TV as they like AND they get to 'pick' what to watch. Picking is a very big deal, and something that is NOT taken lightly.

On Saturday, my bike ride fell through because my friend's water pipe burst in her house. Man, my dear friend can't seem to catch a break this year. It sucks!

Anyway, Mr. T. and I decided to go for a nice hike around Pinnacle Mountain State Park. It is a big deal to get all the way to the top. I didn't really feel like dealing with negotiating kids on the rocks, so I thought it might be nice to just do the base trail. You know, something short and relatively flat. Boy, was I mistaken. IN MY DEFENSE, if you want to call it that, I didn't look at the map, so I didn't know how long the trail was. When Mr. T. was asking me about the cut off, I totally blew him off, but I also said I didn't know how long the trail was. I made my sweet 5 (andahalf) year old daughter hike 3.5 miles. Most of the time, she was carrying her own bag. The trail isn't flat either. It is pretty undulating with lots of rocks to pick your way over and through. There was a lot of falling. But there was also a lot of getting up and running on. We had a great time. Peanut told said, "What's today?"
Me: "It's Saturday"
her: "Okay, so every Saturday we have to go on a hike."
She really loves hiking, and I really love her for it.

There was some complaining in the last half a mile. Mr. T. did a good job not fussing at me too much, although, I could tell he was irritated. We both carried BabyP, but really, he walked most of the way. My kids are tough, and I am really proud of them.

Saturday night, the kids went to grandma and papa's house so Mr. T. and I could go to an 80's party. It was fun. I saw a lot of people that I haven't seen in a long time. I was glad that Mr. T. got to go with me so people could meet him or at least get to know him just a little bit better. We thought about going to a bar, but since we are officially old, it seemed too smokey when we got there. We curled up on the couch and watched Saturday Night Live, because that is what old married people do. At least old married people whose highlight of their weekend is taking a bike ride together, which is what we did the next morning. I love riding with my husband.

I finished the weekend out by posting a bunch of stuff on Craig's List and literally laying around the park with a friend and chatting while the kids raised cane. Man, I have a really good life.

About a Boy

2011-10-04T20:15:00.000-05:00

This little boy melts my heart with his sweetness, pickiness, and little boyness. He is cuddly and sweet and just about perfect in every way, until he is not.
And then he really isn't.
and will tell you about it.

He HATES having his picture taken. These are pictures of him running away from it. He LOVES to take my picture. Unfortunately, he is only 3 feet tall, so we don't get a lot of pictures of my head.

So, on our vacation, he was pumped about seeing these tanks. He told me what the tanks were for. They were to kill people. Jesus! Out of the mouths of babes. I guess I had never really thought about it that way, but he is exactly right. They are to kill people. In fact, the ones we were posing next to likely killed people. It made the whole thing feel so morbid. It made me feel awful for how nonchalant he was about it. I tried to talk a bit about it, but he was busy figuring out how they all worked.

Back on the guns again, BabyP picked up the guns in the gift shop and TOTALLY KNEW WHAT TO DO WITH IT. I was shocked. I guess it is something he picked up at daycare. I can't think of anything he has seen at home where they have guns, and we haven't bought him a gun. At daycare they are not allowed to even play fake guns.

I don't know how I feel about him and guns. It is a toy afterall, and I am not opposed to guns. The problem I have with toy guns is that they are naturally going to be turned on a person. It just feels wrong to let him play death games with his sister. On the flip side, I am sure I played guns with my brother, and I am fine, right? (please nod your head since I don't have one)

He had a great time in the ocean. He is starting to get more brave. The great thing about BabyP is that he doesn't generally do things that will kill him. I find this to be a big plus after parenting his sister. He seems to think through things a little more. Not that he isn't impulsive, he is three, but he knows that if he jumps into the pool and can't swim, it is going to suck. He was not a fan of being smacked in the face with a wave or being pushed down, but as long as someone held his hand, he was fine with being smacked in the face with a wave or being pushed down. He just needed to know that someone was there to help. I think that says a lot about him.

He says all of these really wonderful and creative things. He finally has enough of a vocabulary that he can tell us exactly what is in that little head. Oh my, there is so much. He walked into the room with his brow furrowed the other day and told his granny. "There are no zombies in here."
Granny, looking quizically at him: "no. I should hope not."
BP: "If there was a zombie here, I would punch him in the booty."
Granny nods her head.
BP "There are no zombies here. We have to go to the zombie park to see the zombies."
uh.... okay.... maybe he has been watching too much scooby doo.

But when this little boy decided to be difficult. Oh dear. Thankfully, he has grown out of hitting and kicking and that short bit where he was spitting. He is much more vocal about his feelings. His 'thing' is to tell us he can't do something. For example, he needs to go to bed. "I can't. My legs are broken." He needs to apologize to his sister. "I can't. I don't know how to talk." He didn't take a nap "I don't know how to sleep."

He is really into "boy" things, which makes me laugh. He told me the other day "My dad is awesome. He has a race car." He loves to figure out how things work and is always coming up with creative solutions to whatever problem we may have. There was a story on NPR about a guy who won a Nobel prize for revolutionizing medicine. Later than man needed the treatment he came up with. I explained this to BabyP, who said, "I can make medicine. You just get some gummy bears and put them in a big thing with some stuff and you smash them." uh yay.... that is what I was thinking.

He took a map to school for show and tell. I think that is pretty cool, because I really like maps.

This sweet boy gives the best hugs. It always warms my heart to see him running towards me with his skinny arms waving. "momma" He grabs me and pulls me tight around the neck. He always looks so happy to see me. I don't think anyone could be happier to see me. He is so sweet.

Family Shots

2011-10-03T22:08:00.000-05:00

Because I finally did a bit of editing.

On being 5

2011-10-02T21:16:00.000-05:00

Oh to be 5. She is a very confident little girl. She will go up and talk to everyone. For example, on the beach, a guy had a metal detector and he was looking for coins. Peanut asked him, "when you find the coins, are you going to give the money back?" Awkward silence.... "Peanut we are leaving now."

I do enjoy her being so outgoing, but I do worry about it too. I got a bit creeped out by the attention one man was giving her. I am used to men speaking to me, but he was really into Peanut. It grossed me out. I was telling Mr. T. about it, and he agreed that we needed to watchful. Peanut, however, thought it was great that someone older was more interested in her than me. We had to quickly explain that it was wrong. Very wrong. Thank god she didn't ask the guy about it. He was a security guard, so we saw him a lot. I can just imagine her saying "My mom says you are more interested in me than her." How embarrassing on so many levels that would have been!

She does have a way of calling it as she sees it, which she is working on. She said at dinner one night, "this place is nicer than it looks." I was so glad we could please her.

She is constantly talking. She is very tactile and likes to explore, and then bring you along for the exploration with her. It is really great and I am really happy that she does it, except that I also need to pay attention to her brother and her father and oh.... me. So sometimes, more times than I will admit, I am guilty of just saying "ya" "that is great" "that is exciting" "uh-hu". I was doing this to her the other day and she said, "you don't sound like you are really what I am showing you." Ouch. Parenting fail. But it was true. I didn't really like what she was showing me. I just didn't want to tell her.

I think this child might be part mermaid. She loves the water, and she is really good at things in the water. She is really good at taking a wave in the face, getting up and smiling about it. She really loves to boogie board and body surf. She is at the age, now, where I can really start to think about all of the cool things we are going to get to do together. I want to take her to Hawaii to surf. I want her to take lessons in Australia. I want to learn how to scuba dive with her. There are so many cool things we can do, and I really think she wants to do them.

The next thing we are going to do together is the Little Rock Marathon. There is a group called the "Little Rockers" where she will run a marathon over a series of months. She really likes to run on trails so I asked her if she would be interested in doing it. The first thing out of her mouth was "would I be doing the whole or the half?" LOL. I told her we could be training partners and tell one another about our runs. She sees me leave for my runs, so I thought it might be a fun way to bond. Maybe we can run together a little bit.

She is also a crazy ham for the camera. It is funny that she thinks that putting things in her mouth is really cute. I really can't seem to convince her otherwise. I don't really know what put that in her mind, but it is there. She thinks she looks cute with her mouth open.

She is growing out her bangs. I am happy. It does annoy me when her hair is in her eyes, but most of the time, we can get her to put it back. I really like seeing her pretty face. She looks so different with bangs. She looks much more like a little girl now that they are growing out.

Man... She is growing up so fast. She wants to dance all the time and dress up. She is starting to read. She knows her site words and will point them out to us. She also has, can you believe this, homework. It doesn't take more than 5 minutes to do, but man... homework. Honestly, I don't remember having a lot of homework as a kid. I am sure there is some reason for it, but I can't honestly tell you I know what it is. She is writing letters, something she has been doing since she was her brother's age.

And she is still a sweat hearted little girl. It is fun to see how her personalities molds and responds to the her changing life. She is so sweet with her brother. She helps him out when he is being a booger. She loves to help out around the house, when it suits her. She is so proud of herself when she cleans her room or makes her bed. She is spunky and outgoing, and I just lover her to pieces.

The Redneck Rivieria

2011-10-02T13:51:00.001-05:00

My MIL was around for three weeks. Hurray! As I have gone on and on about, work has been hectic this summer, so we took the opportunity to take a beach vacation while MIL was here. The closest beach that is nice is in Alabama, so we rolled on down.

We drove about half way on Friday so we could get there at a decent hour on Saturday. Along the way, we stopped by some ship whose name I can't remember, so I am just going to call it the USS Alabama. I am pretty sure that is why it was parked in Alabama, if not, it is a pretty good guess, so we are going with it.

We didn't pay to go on the ship, but we did walk around on this giant expanse of asphalt. It was about then that I was glad that it was September and not July. I can't imagine how hot it gets here when it decides to be really hot.

So we have some ironic T-Shirts going on here. Have I ever blogged about Mr. T.'s T-Shirt Problem? I won't, but I am just going to put that out there. So, we are at military thing where in the gift shop they sell automatic weapons to kids, you know, just for fun. Mr. T. is where a T-Shirt that says "license to Il" and it has a picture of Kim Joung Il on it. It was so funny. BabyP has the much more appropriate "Cool your jets". I am wearing my car racing T-shirt to better fit in with the locals. When in Alabama....

So here is one of the big difference between the kids. This is babyP running away from me because he does not want his picture taken, where Sweet Peanut can't help but posing when you answer for phone because, you know, your phone has a camera in it and you might secretly take her picture without her knowing. It is always important to look fabulous.

Most pictures of me are taken by the kids and there are only so many pictures of yourself looking hunched over that one can really stand. I am impressed, really, that the kids were able to get my head in the picture. This does not generally happen.

So the beach was great. We rented a condo over looking the beach. It was great. Really really great. At our last beach vacation, we stayed in a hotel room. Our lesson learned was that we want to be able to shut the door on the kids. (which sounds awful to write, but it isn't meant to) The condo worked out great. We could self cater. We had lots of room. We could stay up after the kids went to bed. We could overlook the ocean. The condo also had a swimming pool that the kids could play in. ALERT!!! I DID NOT HAVE TO GET IN THE POOL WITH THEM. It was the first time ever that I could just lay around while the kids went swimming. It was GREAT!!

Oh, I really really can't wait until Peanut is old enough to surf. One day the surf was really rough. Mr. T. didn't even want to get out in it. She said "The ocean is really angry and that means that it is perfect for doing the boogie board." She cracks me up. She is such a dynamo. The thing is, that she is right. She is so right. It is perfect for boogie boarding if you are not 5.

It was fun because she loves to body surf. When I was able to break free from "BabyP the hand holder", her and I went body surfing. She is strong enough and brave enough in the water that if it knocks her down, and it does, she just jumps back up and doesn't worry about it.

This guy was a bit more timid, but he was braver than he was in March. He is also a lot younger than his sister. I expect by the time he is 5, he will be a lot braver. He won't be as reckless, but that is good. I really only need one reckless kid around at a time.

The weather was amazing. It was 60's at night and 80's during the day. We even got a couple of thunderstorms, which was really neat. We were only on the second floor, but we had a great view of the ocean. The community we were in, Gulf Shores, wasn't walkable, which I found odd. We had to drive everywhere. When I ran in the morning, I had to run along the side of the road because there were no sidewalks. I thought that was odd, but because we didn't have to drive 2 days to get there, I am fine with it.

A typical day included breakfast, beach, lunch, nap, beach, dinner, walk, sleep. It was pretty perfect. It was a difficult adjustment to come back home. Although, I have to admit, with my MIL being here, life was pretty easy. That woman can really straighten out a house. Not that mine needs it (snicker snicker snicker)

A beach photo shoot

2011-10-01T08:18:00.000-05:00

Here are a few pictures from when we went to the beach last month. My MIL has been here, so I have not been blogging. Excuses. Excuses.

Butterflies in the Garden

2011-09-23T18:50:00.000-05:00

I had a good time the other day playing in the garden. Peanut and I planted some flowers a couple of years back that keep coming up. They attract some amazing butterflies.

A long weekend

2011-09-05T20:44:00.000-05:00

It is Labor Day. Somehow 4 days flew by without even so much as a nod from me. I could really get used to this life of leisure. Perhaps I should play the lottery more.

The kids have been saying some amazing things lately. I think to myself, 'I am going to write that down.' and promptly forget about it. (I wonder how many times I have said that on this blog)

Peanut is funny in her likeness to me. She just says what comes into her mind. We were walking down a posh street near out house the other day. A man in a half shirt was walking the other direction. It really was a weird sight to see these beautiful houses set far back from the street and man who looked like an 80's flashback. I was holding my breath at what Peanut was going to say. She said "That man's shirt is too small for him. Doesn't he know that!" uh... ya... everyone knows it know. BUT, she is a joy.

BabyP told me today that Santa Clause was not going to give my any presents because I ate his pop corn. I am pretty sure Santa Clause is okay with me eating pop corn.

BabyP told Iain "I am going to fix your race car. I just need one battery. ONE BATTERY. Your race car will be fixed." He also said to me, "I am going to fix that car. I am going to take the carburater and throw it out the window."

I used to think that he was "the quiet one." I think that was an incorrect assumption. That boy can talk. He talks on and on and is LOUD about it. He was yelling at me in the grocery store and there was NO MAKING him quiet. Perhaps we just didn't get lucky. Perhaps we don't have a "quiet one."

Peanut seems to continue to really like her school. She goes to a specialized art class. One of her drawings was featured on the wall next to the library along with drawings from a selection of other kids throughout her school. She drew a picture of me. I, of course, think she is an excellent artist. I am glad the art teacher recognizes that too.

She is a funny kid. She gets wrapped up in her own world very easily. It seems almost worse now than when she was smaller. She is really into showing out and performing for people. Again, as someone who really loves attention, I know where she gets it from. It is difficult to stay that focused on her all the time, though. I think I need to read up a bit on 5 year olds to see what is going on in her head right now.

The funny thing about the attention is that when I sit down to talk to her about her day, she completely clams up. She doesn't want to talk about it. She would rather talk about some movie or do some sort of dance than let me into that little head of hers. Every once in a while, I get a glance. We talked through some issues she was having with a girl that was taunting her. We talked about strategies to handle it.

But everything seems pretty hunky dory around here. We are waiting for the arrival of granny, which will lend a bit of excitement. We have a busy couple of weeks planned with her!

Diamond Miners

2011-09-03T20:47:00.001-05:00

Moonscape

Peanut is really into anthropology. We recently read a book about the trail of tears. (and this is where I have to go on a tangent) I could NOT believe the amount of White Washing in that book. The book said that Thomas Jefferson wanted the Indians to be safe, which is why he had them moved. Uh... I am not a historian, but I am pretty sure that isn't why the Indians moved. Peanut goes to Thomas Jefferson Elementary, so I felt it was really important for her to know the truth. We talked about how people at the time felt. We also talked a bit about white washing. We talked about how people don't always want the truth to be known so they "tweak" history to fit their perceptions. Grrr..... That type of thing makes me crazy.

Anyway, so.... I wanted to take her to the Toltec Mounds State Park, but it didn't open until 1in the afternoon on Sunday. Since it was 8 in the morning and the kids were already running laps around the table, I knew that waiting was out of the question.

Knows how to work that shovel

So... I have always wanted to go to the Crater of Diamond's State Park, so we went. It was so much fun. It was also VERY HOT. We dug around for diamonds. We didn't find any, but we founds some excellent rocks. They have a place where you can clean the rocks to see what they look like. There are actually people who have tents and things out there. I guess they are really into it.

Tiny Geologists

See all of this stuff? I carried it all. Initially, I was not going to bring my cooler, but the lady at the counter told me I really needed to bring something for the kids to drink out there. I rented a "kit" from the park, so I was lugging around a full cooler and a bucket full of shovels. In case you are wondering, it is hard to lug around a bucket full of shovels because it doesn't want to stay up.

hmmm Cheese and fig newton Sandwich

In the end, I was really glad I brought the shovels for the kids to minimize the fighting. I am super happy I brought the cooler, because the park has some shaded picnic tables to eat at. Man... it was hot in the sun. In the shade, it was nice, but digging in the sun..... We were all drenched in sweat and covered in dirt. We only really dug for about 20 minutes. The ground was really hard and did I mention that it was really hot?

It is important to attack your mom when she is trying to take your picture

BabyP and I went for a short walk while Peanut stayed in the shade. We saw an old mine house where the original underground mind (?) was constructed. BabyP told me that was where the monsters and the soldiers were. He continued on with some imaginative story about how we didn't need to be scared, but the monster wanted to eat us. That kid can come up with some crazy stuff.

And I guess, I was done taking pictures, so I didn't get a picture of second part of our trip. I will gladly steal one from the state park website.

Can you believe how cool their water park was there? It was so neat. You can't see the slides and the waterfalls that flow into it. You can see in the back the fountains. It was a great way to end the day. Too bad I forgot to bring an extra set of clothes, though. It was really gross putting my dirty sweaty clothes back on for the 2 hour drive home. Blah.

I will go again, but next time, I am going to find some diamonds and get rich!

Absentee Mommeeeee

2011-08-29T20:41:00.000-05:00

I have been gone. The hours at work have been really hectic. So if I am here, I am not here. Or at least not acting myself. It has been difficult. There is guilt, but then I wonder why I feel guilty. And I feel guilty for that too.

I firmly believe that children are born into a family. Just by the nature of being part of a family, they are not always going to be number one. I work, and sometimes my job is more important than reading stories or taking baths. It sounds callous to articulate it. I can almost feel myself recoil when I read the words. Sometimes my work is more important than my kids. Sometimes, I get so into my work, that I would rather do that than hang out with my kids. Sometimes, work gets me so stressed out that I don't want to be with my kids.

And I think that is okay. I think it is important for them to see me doing something that I feel passionately about. I think it is important for them to see that I don't have it under control. I think that it is important for them to see that I work really really hard at things. Complete them. Enjoy the victory. And rest. I really want them to understand that it is important to rest, because I don't think everyone does.

I am lucky enough to have a very supportive partner. The first part of last week saw me working 12 hour days. Just by chance, it was a slow week for Mr. T. He took the kids to school and picked them up. He made dinner and cleaned up afterwards. I felt guilty and kept thanking him. He told me it was okay. He wanted to help, and he wanted me to feel good. Just by having him there and knowing that the kids were taken care of, and he wasn't stressed, helped me about 1 million times over. I so easily could have been a basket case.

But instead, I walked into my presentation on Wednesday morning with all of my wits about me. I did a great job on the presentation. The team and I received rave reviews. I felt really proud. All of that work had paid off.

And that afternoon, my kids still loved me. We played and played. He had dinner and acted goofy. On Thursday, I explained to all the teachers that I have been busy and I needed more time to get acquainted with what was going on in the classroom. On Friday, I rested. I read, got a pedicure, shopped, and ate Korean. It was a good day. Followed by a good weekend with two little kids, who know I love them. And are part of my family.

2011-08-21T09:52:00.000-05:00

Just some skinny little boy legs. They are all scraped up and bruised.
I think he might also be my little photographer. I don't know if he likes taking pictures, or if he likes playing with cameras. Either way, I will encourage it.

New Class for him too!

2011-08-21T09:50:00.000-05:00

I love this picture, so I figured I would start off with it. I know I already posted it. I know it is mean to post it again. I just think it is so stinking cute though.

So, BabyP is with kids a totally different group of kids than he has been with for the last three years.. Ms. Jannis, his new teacher, was Peanut's teacher a few years ago. Peanut did some amazing art work and learned to really enjoy other cultures.

I asked the center, if Ms. Jannis should happen to have an opening, if BabyP could move to her class. It happened much faster than I originally anticipated. When I was told that he was going to be Jannis's class, I was nervous and excited all at the same time. I was sad and anxious that he isn't going to be with his friends, but I really really love Ms. Jannis. She is wonderful.

This was his sister's cubby when she was in Ms. Jannis's class. I thought it was really cute.

This is us trying to get BabyP to take a picture with Ms. Jannis. He wouldn't let us.

So, here is BabyP taking our picture. I love her so much. Is it just me, or do I look tall there?

He is doing really well in Ms. Jannis's class. I was worried because he is the youngest in the class, but Ms. Jannis told me that she couldn't tell he was the youngest. She went on and on about how wonderful he has been. She said that he was her little helper. He always wants to help. She turns to him to help her pass things out or to get things for her. I was beaming. I find him to be an incredibly sweet and articulate boy. It makes me so happy that others think he is too. I know I did the right thing by having him moved. I think he will really get the opportunity to grow.

He hasn't been in trouble and has kept his stormy little temper in check. I think that his temper is something that he reserves for home, which is good. I am glad he feels comfortable to let out with me but smart enough to know to keep it together in front of other people.

This week they are working on the letter A. He came home with a paper where he was starting to write the letter A, and they were really really good. I don't know how much help he got, but it was really good. I am so proud of him. I can't believe my baby is learning to write.

He tells me all the time that he is a big boy. He doesn't like to be called my baby. His sister told him Bob the Builder was for babies, so he didn't want to watch it. He wants to put his own safety belt on. He will still swim in the little pool, but if we call it the baby pool, all bets are off. He corrects me when I call him my baby. He tells me "I am big." Although, sometimes, when he is all snuggled in bed, I still ask him who my baby is, and he still points to himself with a smile on his face.

First Day of Kindergarten

2011-08-20T20:45:00.000-05:00

She looks so big here. This is the first day of Kindergarten. She picked her outfit out herself. The t-shirt has some sort of shiny vest sewn onto it and the skirt is very Chanel 2001. I guess wearing matching shoes and socks was not in the cards for her. Both my mom and I suggested changing her shoes and removing the scarf, but the scarf matches the shoes and that is what she wanted to wear. And really, how many times do you have a first day of kindergarten. Who am I to make her choose not to look like a crazy bag lady? She has years of conformity ahead.

Grandma and Grandpa showed up to make the long slog to school. We ran into a friend of hers from the previous year on the way. It was all very exciting!

She has a student teacher in her class this year, which is pretty cool. I think the student is about my age, which is even better. She has a kindergartner too, but he attends another school.

Peanut was a little nervous attending this year. Not many of her friends are in her class. I think she knew only a handful of kids. She had a specific teacher that she wanted, and she didn't get her. Her class is also separated from the other classes.

There is a little boy sitting in the chair at the top of the picture. He kept telling peanut how excited he was to see her and kept going on and on. I think he calmed her down a lot, but she was still apprehensive when I left.

When I picked her up, she bounded toward me jumping practically out of her skin with excitement. It made me so happy that I smiled for the rest of the day. Of course, she couldn't tell me about her day nor could she tell me who was in her class, but she did say that she really liked her teacher a lot.

I really hope she has a good year. I never remember being apprehensive about going to school myself. I was a ball of nerves on the days leading up to her first day. She is such a special little girl who is so full of spirit and life. I want everyone around her to know and I worry that she will be misunderstood or labeled one way or another. She is truly the freest person I know. I want her to be around people who encourage that.

So far, I have heard that the centers are really good in her classroom, and that they aren't allowed to play with the science centers yet, but if they ask, they can play with the math ones. The math is her favorite (YAY)! I don't know if she just says that to please me, but it makes me really happy.

Family Photo Time

2011-08-20T14:33:00.000-05:00

He looks like he is doing some awesome trick here, right?

Nope. He fell. And he is mad. I am such a bad mom for always taking pictures of BabyP crying. I just think it is so funny (and constant). You can always tell when we are leaving the gym because someone is having a complete melt down.

This one wasn't so bad, but I like how Mr. T. is gripping BabyP's head behind me and Peanut is still in a shocked pose.

Okay, everyone close your eyes. Peanut still hasn't moved.

This one is my favorite though. Well, it would be my favorite except I don't have a top to my head and I am palming my son's head like a basketball. Peanut and Mr. T. look great though.

And by the end we are all pretty tired.

Last Day of Summer

2011-08-20T14:27:00.000-05:00

Both kids went to the daycare center over the summer. I really didn't take the days off with them this summer that I had originally envisioned. In June, it seemed like we had endless weeks of wondering ahead of us, but now, the summer is done and we are back to the grindstone.

We had a break in the weather. For those that aren't avid Arkansas weather watchers, we have had an unusually hot and dry summer. At one point, it was 114 degrees. I think the heat index that day was about 120, which very well may be hot enough to fry an egg. We spent a good part of the summer at the pool or inside. I can probably count on one hand the number of times we ventured across the street to the park. The weather has just been too dangerous for much outside exposure. I am sure my laziness has nothing to do with it.

For a last hurrah, I took the kids out to Pinnacle Mountain State Park to do a quick hike. We didn't hike up the mountain, which is what they both wanted to do, we hiked near the visitor's center. The path was nice, wide and shaded. The weather was pretty perfect and their was minimal complaining on our little two mile hike. All in all, it was great.

Peanut packed us some snacks, as she is prone to do. This little girl has the busiest hands of anyone I have ever seen. Our biggest fight right now is keep her out of the refrigerator and freezer. We have the kind of freezer that is a pull out on the bottom. She doesn't always manage to get it closed all the way, which results in our food getting the opportunity to warm up again. It makes me BONKERS!

She is sweet, though. She takes good care of her family and friends. She is constantly babying her brother, which can be a bit of a concern for someone who doesn't want him to grow up thinking he can get what he wants if he cries for it. She is growing her bangs out. At first, I wasn't such a fan of the idea, but once I pulled her hair out of her face, I realized how sweet and fresh she looks. I absolutely love it. Now, if I can only get her to cut her hair off to a manageable length.

So, obviously, I don't have a particular item that little boys have that I don't want to name on the blog because I don't want it to show up on some sort of word search. So, I swear BabyP took about 5 minutes trying to figure out what he wanted to pee on. At first it was going to be a rock, then it was going to be another rock. I warned him against rocks because I didn't want to splash on his feet and make him freak out because his feet were wet. The last thing I really wanted to deal with was carrying a pee footed little boy a mile up a hill.

Notice that he only uses his hands to be sure he doesn't get pee on shirt. He doesn't use it for any kind of direction. This is another thing that makes me bonkers. If he gets a little bit of water on his shirt, he freaks out. Evidently, getting pee on your pants is fine though.

He gets really mad about me taking his picture. I don't know why.

He really likes guitars. He puts this shirt on and runs around pretending to play it. He tells us stories about his electric guitar. "I have an electric guitar. It is red. My kids play with it." just random stuff.

I just added this for myself. It makes me want to touch it. (I just don't understand why peanut is so tactile)

Daisy

2011-08-19T19:38:00.000-05:00

Remember this girl, she still has a hairy butt.

She must be about 14 now. She moves slow but still likes to be outside ignoring us.

Bed Time

2011-08-02T21:23:00.002-05:00

I think I should spend more time documenting things that are less big. Because these are the things I really want to remember.

How does he manage to get toothpaste between his eyes? We have a little game at our house where the kids show me their teeth and scream like it is hurting my eyes. BabyP, "Momma! Momma! Look!" and he grins really big at me. Me, "NO! Don't do that! It hurts my eyes." and I turn away and act overwhelmed. He erupts into giggles and starts again "momma!...."

We also do stories on our bed. I guess we started that when we moved into our house. Generally we wrestle and cuddle a bit before settling down into stories. As a punishment at our house, the kids get stories taken away. It used to be a very good deterrent, but yesterday BabyP told me, "I don't care. Take 5 stories away. I am BAD." It was true too, but I would never tell him. I tell him "you aren't bad, but you are making bad choices." Can you tell I read a lot of touchy feeling parenting books? Right after I tell him that I swaddle him, put him in the special sling I knitted for him out of yak's fur, and rock him until the crying stops. I don't care if it takes all night. It is the only way I can show my motherly love.

This girl was almost impossible to get a picture of. She keeps wanting to pose for the camera. The problem is that 5 year old poses are stupid. She has been a really good kid lately. I have tried to take some time for just her and I to do things. Even something as mundane as going to the grocery store makes her happy.

She amazes me with her curiosity of the world. I would not be surprised if she became an anthropologist or something. I took her to the Heifer Museum. It was WAY above BabyP's head, but she was really into it. She was upset when we left. I hope to steal out of work early this week and take her back.

uhmmmmm

2011-08-02T20:50:00.000-05:00

Work has had me a headlock the last couple of months. This week will be okay, but after that, it will be about 3 weeks of hell. My posting will be sporadic at best, but I am still here.

With the increased workload has been the increased anxiety. I lost 10 pounds. YAY! I don't guess it will stay off because as I type this, I am busy eating as many chips as humanly possible.

Losing the weight was a bit of a wake up call to me. It made me think that I needed to work a bit harder at being centered. I needed to unplug more and really focus on myself and my family. For a while I was forcing myself to eat. I increased my exercise, which seems to have helped both increase my appetite and reduce my anxiety.

The kids have been pretty resilient. Mr. T. had done more than his fair share of housework with minimal complaining. Since I have been working on the evenings, he has had plenty of opportunity for alone time. I think my sweet introverted husband may be a little tired of alone time. He has been asking for me to sit next to him while I work.

For his part, he has been busy finishing little jobs around the house and preparing for his mother's arrival. (have I mentioned how thankful I am that she comes so we are forced to actually finish some of our projects?) (pictures to follow soon!)

There is a guilt associated with the hours and the preoccupation with my job. If things are stressful, I bring it home. I think that is a normal reaction to stress. I get tired and can't put on my happy face. Add to that, Peanut being overwhelmed at her care place, and for once, the girls are the crazies in the tallgirl house. I think it has worn on us all. We have spent a good part of this week just being with one another.

It isn't all doom and gloom. The stuff that I am working on at work really matters. We are working to do some very big stuff that will help people, directly. In doing so, we may be able to chart a new path for the organization I work for. It is really exciting to be where I am right now. I know my bad mothering is a temporary thing, so I try not to beat myself up too bad. I give myself my parenting fails.

A summer break

2011-07-31T18:41:00.000-05:00

About 1 million years ago, I took the kids to see my cousins in Dallas. Somehow, I managed to only get about 4 pictures of them, but conversely, I managed to get about 10 pictures of a giraffe's tongue. Go figure. We will just pretend that it has nothing to do with mental state. Keep it klassy, tallgirl.

It was a great visit. This is the third time we have seen David and Tracey in the last year. I remarked to Tracy the other day that I think that might be the most I have ever seen them. I think David and Tracy have been together for about 15 years, which shows how often we saw them.

It was fun and slightly stressful, as can be expected when traveling with kids. My kids are really great travelers, but they are also kids. The Texas heat made it damn near impossible to get outside, which made life hard on everyone.

Flowers Make me Happy.

2011-07-31T18:06:00.000-05:00

and so do my lens extenders.

A whole Lot of Nothing

2011-07-19T20:44:00.002-05:00

This post was started about 2 weeks ago, I wanted to post it before it got too much more out of date...
Sorry it is so incomplete.

**************************************

Schools out and things keep moving faster and faster. I feel little like I am caught in an escalator that keeps speeding up and speeding up. Part of it is being busy and part of it is seeing the kids change. I don't think I would know how old I was if I didn't have kids. They mark the time for me. I can only imagine that one day I will look up, and it will be only Mr. T. and I again. It makes me want to hold onto those two little kids and never let them go.

But I would be lying if I said I didn't sometime fantasize about it only being us again.

We are back in swim lessons again. BabyP is doing them as well as Peanut. He is doing marvelous. He has more to learn. He is getting brave and will go down slides by himself. He will jump into the water. He will put his face in, and he will instantly tell you he doesn't like it. I think Peanut is showing off a bit. She is interested in talking to her friends and doing flips. She is swimming by herself now. She can do the crawl, but she chooses to goof around instead. She has a friend that is older in her class. She always wants me to call her a mermaid.

We spend most days at the pool, because it is so hot right now. I have been running in the morning on the weekends, but in ways, that seems like the hottest part of the day because the humidity is so high. The relatively cool temperatures of 83 degrees Fahrenheit just don't seem to cut it these days.

It is fun to see how grown up the kids are. Parts of me really like the age they are in now. My only hesitation is that Peanut is starting to turn into a little bit of diva, which makes me bonkers. She corrects me constantly and treats me like I am a moron. I thought I had another 8 years or so before this set in. BabyP is prone to huge bouts of grumpiness. When Peanut starts acting like a diva, it really spins my world out of orbit.

Peanut is interesting because she is becoming a very complicated little person. I guess I never really realized how complicated human beings are. She can be stormy and emotional. We talk through the things that are bothering her. I try to tune into if she is too tired or too hungry. I try to find answers for her moods. Somehow, in the last 6 months, it quit being easy with her. It is almost like I looked up one day and didn't really know who she was anymore. I still feel like she is my sweet little girl, but it seems like she grew some more layers that I just haven't figured out yet.

BabyP is turning into a little charmer. He is goofy and funny as well as his temperamental old self. He gets mad at me and yells things are STUPID. "I don't want to go home. Home is stupid!" He pushes the boundaries. I have to stay firm with him, but secretly I am proud that he is so strong. I want him to be strong young man who is unwaivering in his support of something. With that being said, I realize that I need to help him learn to listen to himself and others.

Teenagers

2011-07-06T19:52:00.000-05:00

The last two weeks we have spent everyday at the pool. The kids have swim lessons at different times, so I alternate between working out and watching lessons. While I am sitting there watching the kids my eyes always wander to the middle of the pool where the teenagers are. These humans are like aliens to me. They are like a dangerous hybrid of grown up bodies and 5 year old minds. They scare the hell out of me.

Mind you, the kids at our pool are really good kids. They are always very polite. I am old enough now that they call me ma'am. They smile politely to the kids. What I think has me so freaked out is that someday, my kids will be one of these aliens. I think it will happen before I get a chance to put down my beer. Peanut will be rubbing up on some boy, and my sweet BabyP will be picking some screaming girl up and tossing her into the pool. Even worse, either one of them is bound to use the diving board for showing out. Gross!

I guess I will grow into parenting one of these aliens, but I hope I realize when I have one on my hands. That is the part that scares me the most, what if one day I look up and forgot to "do the right thing" or "say the right thing" and it leaves my kid in a straight. I do not see myself sleeping at all during their adolescence.

Happy Independence Day!

2011-07-04T21:09:00.001-05:00

Our Sweet friend Rhonda invited us over on Saturday evening for a fourth of July party.

This was the first time the kids have ever had sparklers. They both enjoyed them.

One particular kid, who will not be named, decided to throw HER sparkler into the air and try to catch it. Evidently, she is into doing tricks with fire. Which, also make her into someone who is into going home immediately.

For our Fourth of July Parade, we went to the neighborhood we used to live in for a parade. It was really nice to see old friends and neighbors.

Peanut really wanted to be in a parade, but I wasn't too crazy about the thought. Once we got about halfway down the hill to start of the parade, Peanut wasn't too into it either. Unfortunately, there were a lot of hills to conquer before the end.

This is sweet Steve from work who offered to help me take care of my kids since, evidently, I can not do that on my own. They kept crashing into one another and falling down and generally just making me sweat through my shirt prior to me being able to make it to the first hill. They even managed to crash into a car about 100 feet into the parade.

This is Steve's wife, who evidently can handle her two kids leaving her husband to help me with mine. I did not account for the hills when I put the kids on their bike. I also did not account for Peanut not being able to ride her bike anymore. I am getting rid of that bike at our next garage sale.

And a fire truck. What family festival/parade/neighborhood thingy is complete without a fire truck?

They read the declaration of independence. Everyone booed at the appropriate parts.

And of course a family shot with two kids that were really really tired.

just because

2011-07-04T08:17:00.000-05:00

They make me smile every day.

Warshin' the Caaaa

2011-07-03T20:58:00.000-05:00

So, I have been busy. I have been working most nights, which is why I haven't picked up my camera to take pictures of my pretty babies OR to even see what pictures were on it.

Mr. T., as you may have guessed, is pretty crafty and mean with the dollar. That means, that a good part of the weekends are spent doing things that normal people a. Don't do. or b. pay someone to do. Since he loves him some cars, car washing is usually something that he does at home because he can water the lawn and wash the car at the same time. BONUS!

BabyP is of the age, where he really wants to help. If you ask him to do something he will listen, then do it. Washing the car turns out to be a perfect chore for a three year old boy to do with his dad. It is also much safer than having him help change the oil.

Notice below that he has a sword that he is going to clean the car with. Somehow, that got passed Mr. T., who has a strict 'don't do stuff that will scratch the car' policy.

And, of course, if brother does it, sissy wants to do it. I think this scene ended with everyone being sprayed down by the hose because Peanut can not help herself.

Happy Morning

2011-07-03T20:43:00.000-05:00

I was getting ready for work the other morning, and I heard Mr. T. calling for me. I went outside and say this.

I don't think I have ever seen a hot air balloon over my house. I guess it crashed later that morning into the river, but it sure made my day to see it before it did.

cute things BabyP says

2011-07-01T16:57:00.000-05:00

"did you go swimming today?" says mr. T. to BabyP
"Yes. Well, no. I got in the water and some lady held me like this." BabyP says while he acts like he is holding someone under their arms.

******************
me to him "you are a very special little boy."
him to me "you are a very special mama, and nothing is stupid."

things I say

2011-06-19T21:23:00.000-05:00

Me to BabyP when he is peeing "could you hold your p#### please? This is no time to go hands free. Hold your p####, not your T#######, your P###. Please. Please. You are making a mess."

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-19T18:23:00.000-05:00

we had a nice father's day. We started out with dinner at the old Smokehouse with my dad. Mr. T. stayed up SUPER late, so I am happy that he went with us. He went straight to bed when we got home.

In honor of father's day, I installed 2 ceiling fans with Peanut. I showed her the correct tools to use and taught her about things like wire nuts and philip's head screw drivers. He was interested and helped me put the blades on the fan for her room. Mr. T. played on the computer and watched.

It is a father's day honor because my dad taught me how to work on electric stuff when I was really young. In California, we lived near a radio shack. We would walk over there and get little bits and pieces to put circuits together. It was fun. AND useful in engineering school. I was light years ahead of the boys. I was under 10 and putting together a crystal radio. It was really hard and made my head hurt really bad. I remember not being able to get it to work, and my dad helping me.

He still helps me, mind you. Two weeks ago, he came over to fix my washer. He has put new panels in our house and helped us redo the electricity. And he is a good grand-dad to our kids. It is actually perfect that he is a little hard of hearing because I think he can tolerate some of the chatter better.

Well, anyway, it was a great day. I am pretty sure Mr. T. had a nice day. The kids and I had a nice relaxing day. And my dad, well, he worked.

chaos again

2011-06-19T18:09:00.000-05:00

Man... I would like to report that life is under control but perhaps that is never going to happen.

So it is bullet points again!

BabyP
He is getting into trouble for playing guns as school. Sweet! We don't have guns and he doesn't watch TV with guns, so...

He tells us, when we ask how he is, "I'm perfectly fine"

He says in a robot voice "i am a robot. i am a robot. i am not a little boy. i am a robot"

He seems to be a 30 year old in a little boy body. He is fun loving and sweet, but he can be so grumpy and particular.

He put his face in the water today. He hated it, but he did it twice. One time was on accident, though. He was so proud of himself when I made a big deal about being proud of him.

Peanut -
Is a shark. Her teeth are coming in before she loses them. (who is that old person holding her lip? When did my hands get so old)

She is NOT into listening what I have to tell her, which causes her some general trouble all around.

She likes her summer program. I am glad. I love the staff at the CDC.

She is such a good swimmer. I am so proud of her.

She didn't say anything mean about my hair. I am so proud of her. I thought, for sure, she would tell me that she didn't like it. She calls it like she sees it, and she likes long hair.

My hair

2011-06-19T17:56:00.000-05:00

I cut my hair off. Again. I had short hair for a long time after I got married. I prefer it, but I thought I wanted something just a little different, so I grew it long.

Then i was tired of it. I wore it in a pony tail all of the time. With the time I was putting in at the pool, it was getting to be a hassle to always need to wash it. So, I cut it all off.

Here is the before picture. Nice cowlick, huh? Funny story that sounds morbid. (i am sure i have said this before) When my brother died, we saw him after he was all fixed up. He also had the same cowlick that forced his hair to stick up. You can tell the coroner tried like crazy to make his hair stay down, but it wouldn't. It was the perfect bit of laughter that we all need. That was so my brother with his hair sticking up in the back.

And it turned into this. (I need to get a better photo taken, but for now, this will do. Although, I think it is kind of weird to be taking a photo in your bathroom.)

I like it well enough. Next time, I am getting more taken off the back. I get the weird "flippies" that drive me crazy.

things I say

2011-06-18T16:11:00.002-05:00

Please take the forks out of your socks. There is no reason to ever have forks in your socks.

Last Day of Pre-K

2011-06-12T18:54:00.000-05:00

Because of the weather earlier this year, school went on for a lot longer than anyone originally anticipated. Peanut's last day of school was June 10th.

I think overall, she had a really great year. I am so glad we decided to send her to Pre-K at the school because she was able to learn the routines of going to elementary school but she still had a preschool type atmosphere with centers and circle time and the like.

I am a little nervous about kindergarten. It seems that most kids are expected to be reading by then. I think she will be there, but I don't want her to feel a lot of pressure to do so. I bought her some easy readers for us to work on over the summer. She does really well sounding out words, but it is hard for her to hear all of the sounds together to form a word. She says all of the sounds but not fast enough for her to understand the word she is reading.

The thing that I have noticed the most about this year is the crazy science things she comes home and talks about. She knows the difference between a moth and a butterfly. She can also tell you how a wasp and bee are different. I think just the exposure she has had in pre-k has made her interested in other things like American History and Egyptians. There has been times that Mr. T. and I were wondering about something and she gave us the answer. Who knew that would start so early!

She is also really into Math. She constantly asks me what 4+ 6 is or something along those lines. She is pretty good at her addition. We have worked through adding 100 and base 10 numbers to other digits. All of this stuff is stuff she brings up. I wonder if she sits around and does math in her head. We started talking today about multiplication, but she was completely not interested. She is so proud of the fact that she can count to 100. Sometimes, I hear her just counting to herself. She told me the other day that she counted all the way to 140! (the only reason there is an exclamation point there is because she was so proud) Do you think it is too early to talk about linear algebra?

Well, I rambled on more than I had anticipated, but I hope to do a year wrap up post every year to highlight was learned in the school year.

Here is a beginning of the year shot. In the first shot she looks fine, but you can see the worry in her face on the third shot. She was apprehensive about starting school

Here she is with her long flowing locks the last day of school. She had to wear her PJ's to school and bring a lunch that can be thrown away. She was so happy and so excited about bringing her teacher the rubbing of the leaves she did for her card. (which didn't turn out that great, but was a really awesome idea)

Since copying is the sincerest form of flattery, I copied this from a friend.

Favorite Teacher: Coach and Ms. Moore and Ms. Cooper

Favorite Spot in the Class Room: Drawing and Coloring

Favorite Book: Princess Books

Favorite Thing to do in school: Play School with Carson and Steele

Best Friends: Carson, Steele, Tess, and Sophia

Best Boy Friends: Brock, Christian, and BabyP

What did you learn this year? how to read

What was the hardest thing you did this year? Not using easy readers (evidently she doesn't have them at her school and she really likes doing them here)

What was your favorite field trip? Going to the zoo.

What do you want to be when you grow up? a Doctor and an artist.

What was your favorite thing you did not in school? being with my momma and going to Australia

What is your favorite thing to do at home? watch TV and eat macaroni.

Sleep Over

2011-06-11T21:43:00.000-05:00

We hosted our first sleep over. I was very pleased with how well it turned out. I am always a little baffled by what goes on in Peanut's social world at school. Peanut seems to talk about two particular girls a lot, so I invited both of them over. As the week progressed, I think some of the other little girl's feelings were hurt because these three talked non stop about the sleep over at school.

sigh...

We started off by going to the club to swim where we promptly ran into a girl that is in their grade. The thing I really like about our neighborhood is that we all go to the same park, school, club and church. We all played in "the little kid pool" until they asked to go home. We ordered pizza and watched TV. It is funny to see the dynamic between all of the girls. Peanut and Big Sis both have strong personalities, while the other little girl has the personality of a laid back surfer chick. The funny part is, that the laid back surfer girl seemed to initiate a lot of the change in activities. It wasn't anything that she decided, but more that she just sort of floated away and the others eventually followed.

Big Sis and Peanut were still awake when I went to bed. The little surfer girl had gone to sleep right around 9:30 or so. She was getting upset with the other girls for not being quiet so she could go to sleep. It was funny to hear the two rowdy kids in Peanut's room "whispering" while not trying to wake up surfer girl. At least they were polite about it all.

There was some being grumpy and some tears the next day, but once my kids got naps, they were all better. Peanut is at a really fun age right now where she is developing her own social network. She has this whole other world that I am not part of. It makes me excited for her, but it also makes me a little bit sad. I want to know everything about her all the time, but I can't.

Pre-K Graduation

2011-05-30T20:56:00.000-05:00

Someone graduated from Pre-K. Now before, I beam about how cute it all was, let me tell you that I am not one for these types of things. Yes, I want to see my kid perform. and YES, it is important to go to all of these things, but... I think Pre-K graduation is a bit much. Luckily, it wasn't what I was expecting.

It started out with them walking down the aisle with their cute graduation hats on. Peanut was so excited about it. I think she loved seeing all of those people there.

Then they sang some songs for us, which was really cute. It was a mystery to me what those songs were going to be prior to the show. Peanut wouldn't let me in on the secret.

I love this picture because a. peanut is looking right at me. b. none of the kids are looking the same way c. none of the kids are doing the same thing. d. Peanut has gusto!

During the presentations, the teachers handed out certificates. Ms. Moore is on the far left and Ms. Cooper is in the middle.

Each kid got a certificate, but most important, they told us what the kid learned and what they wanted to be when they grew up. Some of them were adorable. One little girl wanted to be a fairy because they have wings and can jump high. Another girl wanted to be a policeman because her mom wanted her to. Another wanted to be a big sister. (she is a little sister) Our dear sweet girl wanted to be a doctor, just like half of her class.

It was a really good year. I think it really got Peanut prepared for going to elementary school. She won't have to learn a new place or a new system. She will be familiar with her surroundings and will already have friends in her class. I worry about kindergarten and the switch from play based learning to more intensive curriculum. I hope she continues to have to keep the spark she has for school. I want her always to enjoy learning.

A little bit of this and that.

2011-05-30T20:50:00.001-05:00

Peanut has been really particular lately. She corrects us on things. About half the time she is right. It is annoying. Today she corrected Mr. T. for saying Mizz-a-zippy, instead of Mississippi. I hope she can learn to let things go a bit more, or my home life will be taking a spiral downward.
***************
BabyP continues to find ways to annoy us. Today he was kicking me. I told him I didn't want to be kicked and hit.
"but you are being kicked and hit."
"but I don't want to be."
"But I don't want to be."
"I am serious. Stop it."
"I am serious. Stop it."
"You need to talk nice to me." by this time I am struggling to contain my grin.
"You need to talk nice to me. " thinking he is getting the best of me.
He went straight to bed without stories. (well straight is a lie. There was a lot of getting up and being put back in his room. There was also a lot of yelling by sissy to come and read Romona to her.)
*******************
Time outs with him are a chore too. He won't stay in them. He screams and yells. I force myself to stick with it because in the end, he needs to know that I will follow through. And generally, when he gets a timeout it is for something completely worthy of it like throwing the ladder off of his truck at his father's head.
*******************
We are also adjusting to eating at the table. I don't know when it started, but babyP gets up instead of eating dinner. for a few nights, we gave him a snack. But now we are dealing with the growing pains from us not doing that. We have a time to eat, and he needs to be there eating with us.
*******************
A conversation that I had with him in the car went like this.
him to me. "My kids all drive trucks."
"They do? What color?"
"Green. My kids all drive green trucks. We are going to get them later."
"you are?"
"Ya, at the store." Changing subject "I don't want to get sissy. I want to go home."
We have a similar conversation like this every day on our way home from daycare.
*********************
I took Peanut to see Beauty and the Beast. We loved it. I think I loved it more than her though. She got really antsy and kept telling me she was hungry even though we had stopped to get a BIG cookie from Boulevard before going.
*********************
Peanut is a rock and roll swimmer now. She did so good in the pool at her lesson last week. This weekend she jumped off the diving board and went down the bit slide at the pool. When we go to the waterpark this summer, we will have to do some big rides. I think my little thrill seeker will love them. I can tell she feels very proud of herself for swimming, and she keeps wanting to try more. I thought I might sign her up for swim team, but they practice when I am at work. Oh well... It is probably for the best as I want her to do a soccer camp this summer.

Memorial Weekend

2011-05-30T20:17:00.000-05:00

This weekend was Memorial Day weekend, which gave us a three day weekend. Even though Mr. T., doesn't officially get it off, he took it off anyway. Rightfully, he wants to be off when everyone else in the world is.

We didn't do much this weekend. My girlfriend Janet came into town with her adorable kids. We did some playing at the park and some swimming. We tried to go to Riverfest, which is a local music festival, but we were misled in some of our information.

We did make it to Riverfest on Sunday night to see some "rock stars". We were also able to do some crafts and watch some dancers and fireworks. (side bar, has anyone ever noticed how hard it is to watch Irish dancers. They always look so pissed. I know they are supposed to, but it is hard to watch people dance when they don't look like they are having a good time.)

Monday we did more swimming and playing. I actually ran some errands that day (thanks Mom!)

Next week will be hectic. I have a big work week, and I am making a short work week shorter by leaving Thursday night for CA. My sweet cousin's husband died in his sleep. My trip will be quick, but I really want her to know how much I care for her. I realized when my brother died, that grief can be overwhelming. She doesn't have the opportunity for it to overwhelm her with work, grandkid and a son Alison's age. I hope to make her life easy, if only for a few days.

I feel like things have been non stop. I can't seem to catch a break at work or at home. I told Mr. T. that I couldn't get motivated to exercise, and I was tired all the time. I told him that I wondered if I was starting to get depressed. He seemed to think that I just needed to slow down and get some rest. I agree, but June isn't looking like a good month for that. July doesn't appear to be shaking out too well either. I feel like my little balance beam is cocked to one side. I need to figure out some ways to make my life easier.

Jail

2011-05-30T14:02:00.002-05:00

"Your going to JAIL" is what babyP screams at us if he doesn't get his way. It was funny the first time we heard it, but now, it just needs to stop.

I SWEAR this is the last(ish) birthday post

2011-05-22T13:30:00.000-05:00

Last Day as a Two year old. He was pretty excited. Notice the stickies on the tree? That is from the kids sneaking into my office.

We put his bike outside his door. He rode his bike to see his other presents.

A play mobile dump truck that now stays in his bed.

Books about Maisie from Aunty.

The present that he kept asking about. This is what he really really wanted.

My little musician.

3- year Old Party

2011-05-22T09:11:00.001-05:00

We had a pirate themed party. My new favorite way to make cakes is to buy a toy and stick it on the cake. I generally like to take the cake out of the pan, but I forgot to do so while my cake was still warm. It was too sticky to get out of the pan once it was cold. Oh well....

I made cupcakes because I am a firm believer that they make life super easy at a kid's party. I made the cake from scratch, but I didn't like the recipe. I learned that when making cupcakes, that you really need to watch the time. They are much more sensitive then cakes. I think I overcooked them, but my guests were all too polite to say anything.

This is my girlfriend from work and the most serious but chill baby ever.

Here is a little brother and sister pirate action. Just about every picture where you see the boy, you will see his sister following closely. It is so sweet.

We had a scavenger hunt to look for the piñata. In hind site, the bigger kids liked it more. At about clue 3 the little kids got sidetracked, but the big kids kept going.

The goal of the hunt was to find the pirate treasure. They found it before I could get to them.

Overview of some guests. I want to be better at taking pictures of people. You can kind of see the hats the kids made as a craft sitting on the table.

BabyP refused to go play with the other kids until this little girl got there. She is one of two girls in his class. Don't let those chubby cheeks and halo of curls fool you, she can hold her own with even the rowdiest of boys. I am really proud of her.

Sweet girl watching her classmate. This boy cracks me up. You may remember him from Mr. T's Party.

And a little bit more just because we can't enough.

A little boy with our family birthday hat.

Oh look... I showed up at the party.

Comfort

2011-05-21T22:31:00.000-05:00

I have been gone for a couple of weeks, so I was not able to make it to Peanut's swim lessons. Last week, she started telling me she didn't want to go to swim lessons. I was completely shocked. My super girl was wanting to quit swimming. I have countless pictures of her doing stylish jumps into the pool. She should not be scared of the pool.

But she was. I told her about how I did a triathlon once where I was so scared because I had to swim in the open ocean. I started panicking, but I got better and got through it. Now I am not as scared to swim in the ocean. Her father pointed out that I still was. I pointed out that I wasn't, and he wasn't making things better. (As a side note, I still am scared, but not AS scared so my story is still valid.) (As a side note vs2.0, I don't live anywhere near the ocean.) We negotiated (I told her) that she needed to go to swim lessons 4 more times. She finally agreed.

When we got to the swim lessons, Peanut did NOT want to get into the pool. I asked her teacher if she remembers her being scared. She said she did not. Come to find out peanut did not like being in the deep end, which her teacher was maker her swim in because she did not want Peanut to stand in the bottom of the pool.

There were other complications, but eventually, one by one, we were able to work them all out. Long story short, Peanut can swim. I watched her swim half the length of the pool before she got panicked. She can swim, but we can't convince her that she can swim. She doesn't feel comfortable with it.

I feel like I am pressuring her because swimming is a very important skill to have. I won't let her quit, but I want her to have that love again. I want her to have the love she had early this season when she asked constantly if this was swim lesson day. I want her to have her confidence back.

I wonder if she is going through a development phase right now. She is just on the verge of learning to ride her bike without training wheels. She can do it, but when she realizes that I have let go of the back of her seat, she panics and crashes. She is just on the verge of learning to read. She has a lot of skills that are just beyond her reach. I wonder if she is having a hard time with that and is afraid to fail.

Sleep Hole

2011-05-20T22:27:00.000-05:00

Have I talked much about how babyP used to go to sleep really well, but then one day I gave all this great advice to a friend of his mom, and as punishment for knowing something about raising a kid, now he struggles to stay awake each night, and we fight each night, and sometimes even when it is 9 and I give him Benedryl to make him really sleepy, he is still awake? Have I talked about that?

Have I talked about how I think this might contribute to some of the C-R-A-Z-Y, and how I try to avoid that C-R-A-Z-Y at all cost because arguing with a then 2 now 3 year old makes no sense in the world, but I just don't know how to stress to him that staying in bed is important, and no, he doesn't need another drink, and yes, I am sorry that you are hungry, but there is this little thing called dinner that we all ate while you were pushing your food around your plate and saying no and getting down and hitting your sister, and that maybe we wouldn't have so much C-R-A-Z-Y if you 1. ate 2. went to bed?

Because bed time is prime time for 'SCREAMING AT MOM FOR NO REASON', so it was no surprise when 'screaming at your mom for no reason' started the other night. Peanut was reading us all a story, but BabyP was screaming something about something. I generally let him get it out of his system until he calms down enough to talk. When 'calm enough to talk' time came around, I still couldn't make sense of what he was saying. It was something about his Sleep hole. He wanted his sleep hole. He was still agitated, but he was comfortable enough to let me pick him up. He pointed to my left side that I was laying down on, and where his sister happened to be laying. That is his sleep hole. He wanted to lay his head against my chest while laying right next to me. He wanted my arm wrapped about him. He wanted to cuddle.

See, that wasn't so bad. I just wish he would have said he wanted to cuddle rather than spending 5 minutes screaming at me about his sleep hole. In case someone needed proof that newly minted three year olds weren't good communicators...

He was happy after that, though. See, I told you momma's cuddles make it better.

New guitar

2011-05-18T20:37:00.000-05:00

This is the kind of prebed entertainment I get at my house.

Love Letter to a 3- Year Old

2011-05-15T21:59:00.000-05:00

Dear BabyP,

My sweet boy, you turned 3 over the weekend. We had a great weekend spent doing things you like to do, eating things you like to eat, and cuddling.

You are a hard little boy to describe to people. You can be so thoughtful and sweet, but you can also be a little tyrant. You are adjusting your nap schedule, which means your mood swings rule the house. You are blunt and prone to hitting when you don't get your way.

But the thing is, I understand that. I understand wanting to pull your sister's hair when she isn't listening to me. I understand being so mad that you didn't get what you want that you kick the wall or throw your toys. What I don't understand is how you will go to great lengths to prove your point. If I tell you that if you don't do X then you won't get Y, you don't care. If you don't want to do X, then you will tell me directly that you don't want Y. For example, if you don't clean your mess, then you can't have a special treat. You will take your punishment as a badge of honor because there is no way you are going to clean up your mess. You are stubborn in ways I could only imagine a child could be stubborn.

But you are also so loving. You give the biggest hugs. You tell me that I am beautiful. You tell me "I like you all the time." And you look at me with your big brown eyes. You tell me "I just want my momma." You make me feel like a super hero because I feel like my hugs can wash away any hurt. I feel invincible.

I know I am your number one, but you make other people feel the way you make me feel. There is a teacher at school that worked with you when you had the skin infection. She changed your bandage every day. You told me that she always makes you feel better. She told me you were a huggy boy. One day, she was wearing a new shirt and you told her "you look beautiful." I wish I could bottle the smile she gave you. I hope you always remember the power of words.

One of the things I think that is so interesting about you is that you really bond with people. You are a sweet boy who just climbs inside people's souls. People are more likely to notice your sister, because she is always talking and acting out. You just sit quietly and observe. You answer questions when they are asked. You aren't shy, but you aren't likely to initiate conversation with anyone. People who have the fortune of being in contact with you, really like you.

I think in that way, you are the perfect little brother to your sister. You care about her feelings, but comfortably let her shine. She is also good for you in that she drags you along and stretches you beyond your limit. Luckily, you are also strong enough to tell her when you have had enough.

I have been on the road the last couple of weeks. So there have been nights when your father was your only caregiver. A couple of nights, you crawled into bed with him and slept. It is nice to see how your relationship with him has changed over the last few weeks. You are still mean to him, "I don't want you, daddy. Go away. I don't want to cuddle you." But, I can tell that the meanness is only half hearted because when he cuddles you, you don't scream. When he isn't around, you ask about him constantly. "Where is my daddy? I want my daddy." I think a perfect day for you would be to be with me, him and sissy all day.

You love to run and ride your bike, but you also like to read or play dress up with sissy. You are big into trucks and tractors, but you still need your mom to tuck you in at night. You are rough and rowdy, but you need lots of kisses and hugs. When you see your sister after you wake up, you always give her hug, but you NEVER want to pick her up from school. "Let's not get sissy today, momma. I want to go home."

You love music. You love singing. For your birthday, all you wanted was a guitar. You now sleep with the guitar and play it constantly. When we are in the car, you ask about it. I hope that you write in the liner notes of your first album. "thanks mom and dad for that great guitar you gave me when I was three." Your favorite song is "Brick House", and you sing it constantly. You are strongly loyal to that song, because you will not admit to liking any other song. " Did you like that song?" "No, I like 'Brick House'

Other things of note. You say NO all the time. You don't like stickers. When you teacher gives you stamps at tumble and play, you accept them, but then ask me to wash them off. You don't really like to do crafts, but your drawing is improving. You like play-doh.

You are all little boy, with lots of sweetness and sugar thrown in too. You can be a total mess to deal with, but you can also pull it together when you need to. You are sweet, handsome, and perfect. I wouldn't want you any other way.

With Love,

Your mum.

3 years in pictures

2011-05-15T21:56:00.000-05:00

3rd birthday

2nd Birthday

First Birthday

Birth day

Special Day

2011-05-15T20:59:00.000-05:00

Where do you take a little boy on his special day? What can do you always want to do with a 3 year old, but you never get a chance to? It is hard to know. It is hard to figure out.

As we were walking out the door to take sissy to school, he said, "I want to go to work with, daddy." So, we shipped our sweet boy off to work with Daddy while I took sissy to school. When I got back home at about 8:00:45, the phone was ringing asking when I was going to pick him up. When I got to him, BabyP was yelling "Mom, I got candy!" He also managed to score a button that sound like a burp when you push it. He affectionately calls it his "burby".

After some pastries and juice, we went to the firehouse.

The fire engine went over a little like shots at the doctor's office. It didn't make him scream, but he did want to leave. I don't really get it. He REALLY LOVES firetrucks. He yelled at the fire people "Hi, FIREMAN." When one of them asked his name, he answered. He also answered questions, but when it came to getting in the truck. "no." "I want to leave." It was very anticlimactic. The only thing he really wanted to do was see the lights.

I looked up big trucks on the internet and found out there was a semi dealer who also sold dump trucks and garbage trucks. We headed down to the port, a big industrial area that I have NEVER been to. They didn't seem to care that I brought my 3 year old there to climb on their trucks. I had one HAPPY three year old on my hands.

Normally, he won't pose for him. This time, he was super excited about seeing his picture. He even asked me to take his picture.

Lastly, he headed down to the Caterpillar store. There are a couple out front that people can climb on. They also have a store inside that sells lots of caterpillar toys and shirts and knick knacks. I think they see boys William's age often because they all smiled and were nice. One man told me that last week someone had brought their 9 year old there to climb on logging equipment. (He looks so much like my brother in this picture.)

He was super excited about climbing on the tractors. This stuff is really like crack to him.

For lunch we went to Chick-fil-a with grandma. Then we got a haircut and cuddled in momma's bed while watching TV before we went and got sissy. I thought initially we would all go to the movies, but it didn't work out. We did end up catching it the next day though.

I think he had a good day. I hope so. He is such a special little boy.

Mother's Day

2011-05-08T20:05:00.000-05:00

Oh Mother's Day.... What a great day.

I have been on the road the last two weeks with another trip scheduled for next week. Mr. T. and I's anniversary was last week, while I was away. My mom ended up taking the kids for us Saturday night so we could go out, which, consequently, means that we woke up with no kids around.

That was pretty amazing.

And not to be dissing on my kids because I really felt like I should have spent more time with them because I have been gone so much but man.... I was tired. It isn't very relaxing to travel for work. Especially when I do a conference like I did this week. It is fun. I enjoy myself, but I have be ON for a lot of days. When I get back, everyone has a lot of needs that need fulfilling. It is hard to even catch my breath.

So this morning, I slept until 8. Got out of bed around 8:30. Was greeted with a card and some flowers. While Mr. T. went back to bed, I made myself some breakfast and coffee. I read the paper in absolute quiet for about an hour before putting on my running shoes and going for a 6 mile run. When I was done, I showered and headed out for Dim Sum. The rest of the day, we all just piddled around the house. It was as close to a perfect day that you can get.

I am so thankful for my family. My mom and dad go out of their way to make our lives easy. My sweet Peanut was so concerned about not bringing me breakfast in bed on Sunday, that she tried to wake her dad up (DANGER) on Saturday morning to make up for it. She really wanted mother's day to be special for me. She kept asking about it. BabyP, well... he is just his own sweet not ever napping self. And my husband, he is good. Very good.

Thanks for a great day! (PS, It didn't even rain!)

It was a dark and stormy night

2011-04-26T18:24:00.000-05:00

We had some storms. Between sirens, i thought i might go upstairs and make some popcorn. I heard this crazy noise that sounded like metal ripping. I RAN downstairs to get in the basement and proceeded to shake for the next half hour. When everything had settled down and I was putting Peanut to sleep. I realized what that noise was. It was my tree out front splitting in two.

This is what the front of my house looked like. Luckily for us, nothing was hit.

I just thought this picture was neat. This is outside my house because trees fell on the street. I am about sick of this weather.

A little photo shoot

2011-04-24T19:45:00.000-05:00

Because it is Easter, I decided to do a little photo shoot with the kids. The kids wore clothes from Meghan's wedding in December, and somehow i managed to not get a picture of them together. I did not want to repeat that same mistake.

I think this swing may be my favorite thing to take pictures in front of. It makes a perfect picture backdrop.

So serious. She asked if I was going to shoot an advertisement. She is so photogenic. She could easily be in a advertisement.

Another awesome family picture. I like it. I like the side eye BabyP is giving everyone. BTW, he wore that tie the and pants the rest of the day. I was able to get him to change his shirt. He wore the tie clipped onto his T-shirt.

I am SO HAPPY with the way these turned out with my mom.

He was trying to be grumping, but dang that grandma, she was making everything better.

BabyP took this of me. I only get to have half of the top of my head.

Peanut took this one. I REALLY LIKE IT!

Big Surprise, he is still grumpy.

But not for long!

2011-04-24T19:32:00.000-05:00

And our pretty old church. The courtyard was full of eggs. Generally we have 2 egg hunts, but we decided this go around to have everyone together. I am glad we did as we would have NEVER made it to church. We were almost late as it was!

I thought this photo pretty much summed up our family. Complete with Raspberry. The only thing missing is BabyP throwing a temper tantrum.

I am going through this phase where I don't use my flash at all. I think I am about to come out of it. I have to learn how to use it better. I also need to learn to use my camera better. I say all of this because a lot of my pictures are dark or blurry because the light wasn't very even.

My girlfriend gave us these heals. She loves them so much. In fact, BabyP had a temper tantrum this morning because he wanted to wear high heels. It was a hard one to handle because I don't want to push boys roles and girl's roles on him. I tried to make it sound like fun that he could look like his father. He wasn't buying it. The argument that eventually one him over was that we didn't have any heels in his size. He might be a hot head, but at least his is practical.

Every year, we do a picture with all of the kids in the church. There were more in church today, but these are the regulars.

Here we are, again!

Egg Home - home style

2011-04-24T19:23:00.000-05:00

My kids colored eggs twice but somehow, i managed to not take a picture of it at all. That is fine though. There are millions of pictures to be had of kids coloring eggs. Here the kids are laying out the eggs for the Easter bunny to hide. They also gave the Easter bunny some carrots. We hoped if we gave him the carrots in the Peter Rabbit bowls, we could get something Peter Rabbit related. The bunny did not disappoint.

Here is my mom hunting eggs with Peanut. I am not going to name names, but someone fell as he was leaving the house which put him in a very cross mood. He decided he was NOT going to be hunting eggs that morning at all.

Nor was he going to stand while he had his picture taken. Someone else would though. Someone else that is a lot easier to deal with. Someone who is NOT 2.

Later, he got out the chairs for him and his sister along with their sun glasses. I guess he figures, if you can't beat 'em. Join 'em.

Local Egg Hunt

2011-04-24T19:15:00.000-05:00

Every year in our neighborhood, we have egg hunt in our neighborhood. Every year it is fun. I guess the city council puts money aside for buying candy and prizes for the event. It is yet another one of the reasons I love my little community. These are the CV Easter Bunnies. We were supposed to be there at 9. I showed up at 8:30 and this much was done already.

BabyP was in a particularly foul mood this trip. He wasn't too big on having picking up eggs, but he was pretty big on his sister dragging him around.

I love this little boy in the picture with BabyP. He is hopefully going to Peanut's school next year. He took tennis lesson's with Peanut last year and was about as sweet as they come. He was always VERY excited to see her.

The only picture I got of her hunting eggs was her WAY in the distance. Once the horn went off, I only saw glimpses of her from across the park.

Peanut's buddy Big Sis. These two are funny together. They are very different in personality but very similar in interests. I hope they stay friends for a very long time.

Big Week

2011-04-23T23:20:00.000-05:00

The next couple of weeks are going to be very hectic around here; so I spent a lot of time this week trying to get all of those "things" that need to get done.

I saw a doctor 5 times this week. Once for me and twice for BabyP. Then both Peanut and I had dentist appointments. That is a lot of "errands" on top of an already busy week.

BabyP has impetigo or something like that. The doctor didn't tell me specifically the name, but he did say it was a skin infection of some sort. It seemed to get bigger, so i took him back. the physician looked concerned, but said to give the medicine some time to work. She assured me it wasn't MRSA. I didn't think it was MRSA, but I was concerned that it was staff. It may be. Who knows! It seems better; so hopefully, it will get better soon.

In other news, Peanut lost a tooth. I have been a crap mom and didn't really take any pictures of it. I did snap this one picture. She got two dollars under the pillow. Her grandfather gave her a beautiful little box that he turned in his shop, but she would not use it. She was INSISTENT that it go under her pillow. She had it under her pillow way before bedtime. She was up at 5 to tell me about her two dollars, which I am pretty sure she has lost by now.

I am going to be on the road for 3 weeks. I won't be away for three weeks, but it seems like even if I travel once during the week that the whole week is complete chaos. Some of the travel will be pretty exciting, so maybe, I might blog about it.