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Costumed Cuties

1 Nov

Cutie Patooties

 

Halloween Bliss

It’s so funny to think that just 10 minutes before these pictures were taken, Nate was having a meltdown because he did not want to be “Dumbo.”  We tried on both the Flounder costume and the Dumbo costume a week or so ago and he hated the fish and loved the elephant.  Tonight though was a whole different thing.  Nia said, “I think he just wants to be in my story Momma.”  I think she was 100% correct.  Sure Flounder was his costume last year and sure it was a tad too small – it didn’t matter. It was perfect!

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Total ‘Tude Change

26 Oct

I was feeling pretty blah over these past few weeks but after some yoga, a long, uninterrupted shower and two powdered donuts I have a whole new outlook!

I really don’t know what was making me feel so yuck.  I think it may have been because I wasn’t going to the Y to workout because I was having a pain in my chest and thought I had pulled a muscle or something.  That lead to me feeling sleepy during the day (even sometimes falling asleep for seconds at a time while I tried to play blocks or puzzles with the kids) and I also felt really cranky.  I had zero patience when it came to dealing with tantrums or non-listening little girls.  It’s amazing how much I’ve come to depend on exercising and how great I feel after getting my workout fix.

It’s not even like I go to the Y every day.  I only go like 3 to 4 times a week but those times hold me over and keep my moods/feelings in check.  I was thinking about how much it will stink when I have to choose between my workouts and work!  I feel so spoiled and blessed to be able to do this and I hope I wouldn’t quit going once I started working again – it’s just you know how that can be – it can be hard to fit it all in and if I’m working away from the kids then the last thing I’m going to want to do is be away from them even longer so I can listen to my MP3, read People magazine, watch pointless talk shows and burn a few calories on the treadmill!  I shouldn’t worry about that now though – I’ll worry about that when the time comes – right now I just know how much I need my visits to the gym.  I will never let a pulled muscle or pain come between us again!

 

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If it’s not one thing, it’s the dog

22 Oct

It never fails –

  • Just when I’ve put Nate in his crib for his nap, the dog barks ridiculously at nothing.  And it’s not just a “Woof” bark – no this bark is like “I’m going to rip your head off for coming near my door BARK.”  A bark so loud and so ferocious you would actually think there was someone trying to get into our house.  I don’t even bother looking out of the window anymore – I just run straight at the dog and tell him in my loudest whisper, “BE QUIET!”  (Usually followed by other comments that I say under my breath while still glaring at the dog.)
  • I find all the pieces to six different puzzles.  I put all the pieces in their place.  I neatly stack the puzzles and slide them under the couch so they will stay neat for, hopefully, a day.  I walk out of the room for a few seconds.  I come back in the room and see all the puzzles and their pieces scattered across the floor. When will I learn?  I do not know why there is something in me that insists on cleaning up while the destroyer (as we loving call Nate) is still awake.  It happens every day and every day it makes me shake my head and sigh and ask, “Why do I bother?”
  • I finally think of something new to cook for the kids that I think they will like – I serve it up for them – Nate yells “NO!” at me and Nia says, “But I haven’t tried this before.”  Translation: I just wasted food and time and energy and now have to do it all over again as I come up with something they will eat.
  • I successfully sneak the blankey that never leaves Nate’s sight away from him to give it a much needed bath.  Before it even makes it into his bed that night, it already has spaghetti sauce on it, some dog hair, a few crumbs from his graham cracker and I’m pretty sure there’s got to be some pee or trace amounts of poo on it since he insists on holding it as I change his diaper.  (I really hope not but I can’t help but think it – the blankey is a bio-hazard.)
  • I think I’ve talked about this before but it is just a constant source of annoyance that it warrants another mention. It’s the reason that I seriously do feel like, if it’s not one thing, it’s the dog.  It’s because just when I get a break for 5 seconds to, oh I don’t know, go to the bathroom by myself, there’s the dog.  Panting.  Starring.  Yawning at me.  It seems whenever I’m trying to do anything – he’s there.  I try to cook dinner.  He blocks the refrigerator.  I try to run the dishwasher.  He positions himself so I can’t open the thing.  I step backward – I trip on him.  I love that big ball of fur so much but it seems he’s usually the thing that pushes me over the top.  (The boy usually has me right on the edge, then Joey takes it over for him.)

 

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Keeping Up with the Milestones

19 Oct

Sure, I see the good in Nate accomplishing something new.  I rejoice in it for a few seconds as I watch him tackle something he’s never done before – but then those seconds quickly pass and the smile of delight turns to a smile of fear as I think about what this new “thing” is going to mean for me.

How selfish right?  Well, I can’t help it.  When you’re already continually telling the little man to stop standing on the tall chairs, stop turning on the bathtub faucet while I’m trying to dry my hair, stop diving off the couch without any pillows on the floor, stop standing on the gate that’s keeping you from falling down the stairs…  I just had all of those constants kind of under control (I mean, as far as keeping my sanity while having to worry about the usual dangerous stuff he’s up to).  Now though, I have to add him climbing into the crib and flipping over the top of it and him opening doors to the list.

The door thing is pretty manageable because we have those baby proof door knob covers and locks on the doors – it’s just Nia can’t open them and one of the doors that has to be secured is for her bathroom.  Now, every time she has to make a quick run for the potty she needs to scream for me and I have to drop whatever it is I’m doing to get the little key and unlock the door.

What’s so sweet about the whole door opening thing is that he is still so tiny.  He has to stand on his tiptoes and kind of turn the knob back and forth until he finally turns it just enough so it opens.  The first time he did it Nia and I were in her room and all of a sudden – there’s Nate busting in!  He was laughing and we were screaming and scrambling to pick up all her little toys – it was a really fun moment but like I said – soon after it passed I began to think of a way to keep this new thing from being more stress for me.  We’ll see – if it’s not that it will be something else!  I mean, wait until he can open the gate to the stairs!  Then, I’ll really be running around!
 

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I’m Gonna Copy Too!

4 Oct

After reading Anna’s and Ginger’s 8 Things – I couldn’t pass this up – it just makes me think and that’s good sometimes.

8 Things I’m passionate about

1. My little family unit (Andrew, Nia and Nate)
2. The rest of our family
3. My friends
4. Joe-Boy (even though he drives me crazy sometimes!)
5. Movies/TV
6. Music
7. This blog (what can I say?)
8. Pathetic celebrity gossip

8 Things I want to do before I die
1. Celebrate 50 years of marriage with Andrew
2. Watch my kids grow up without struggling/suffering
3. Pay off our debt!
4. Own fun toys like a Harley, a boat and a Winnebago (Andrew and I will need something to do as we reach our 50th!)
5. Venture overseas – Italy, Ireland and Greece are on the top of my list
6. Get a tattoo  (why?  I have no idea – maybe just to be brave enough to do it.)
7. Get published for real (and actually make money off of it!)
8. Write a love story (I’m a sap what can I say?) or maybe some erotica (hey sex sells right? We’re gonna need some way to pay for the stuff on this list!)

8 things I say often
1. “Be careful.”
2. “I love you.”
3. “Nathan!  Stop screaming/fighting/pushing/hitting/whatever he’s doing wrong!”
4. “Nia! Share with your brother!”
5. “He’s all mine.” (Usually said after Andrew burps, farts or is caught doing some other yuck.)
6. “What do you want for dinner/lunch/breakfast?”
7. “I’m sorry.” (I say this too much!)
8. “Joey!  BE QUIET!”

8 shows I’ve recently watched
1. Heroes
2. House
3. Chuck
4. The Bachelor (don’t judge me – there’s just something about it that makes me laugh)
5. Dancing with the Stars (I don’t know why I watch this- I usually end up fast forwarding through most of it)
6. Sponge Bob (laughed out loud to it!)
7. Back to You
8. The Contender (I like boxing)

8 songs I could listen to over and over
1. “Say Goodbye” – Dave Matthews Band
2. “This Ain’t a Scene…” – Fall Out Boy
3. “U + Ur Hand” – Pink
4. “This Woman’s Work” – Kate Bush
5. “Lovestoned” –  Justin Timberlake
6. “Precious Things” – Tori Amos
7. “Song for the Dumped” – Ben Folds Five
8. “Jessie’s Girl” Rick Springfield

8 things that attract me to my best friends
1. We mesh without effort
2. I can really laugh with them
3. They are ALWAYS there for me and never make me feel like I owe them something in return
4. They truly care – when I cry they want to cry too – when I’m mad they’re mad too
5. We like to do the same kinds of things
6. They never judge me
7. They have respect for themselves and others
8. They like me!  They really like me!

8 things I’ve learned this past year
1. I can be a full time mom!  I can do it!
2. Exercise is awesome. It’s helped me to lose weight I never thought I could and feel worlds better
3. It’s really hard/stressful finding good doctors.
4. We can survive without an SUV
5. When looking to buy a house – note where the chicken feed plants are.  (Or any stinky plants.)
6. Earwigs are awful, nasty things that make me want to lose it but roaches are far worse.
7. I’m slowly going gray.
8. I’m okay with not working in TV news.

8 things I’m thankful for (I added this one)
1. Andrew
2. Our beautiful children
3. That I’m able to stay at home with the kids
4. Our wonderful families
5. Great friends
6. Good TV
7. White Russians
8. Laptop computers with wireless internet!

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A Funeral, Family and a 3 Day Trip

3 Oct

We’re home.  The funeral service was beautiful and sad (Andrew’s dad gave the eulogy) and so many people came to say goodbye to Grandma over the two days she was shown – she was such a social butterfly and touched many lives with her personality.  I just wish she could have seen the kids one last time.

Speaking of the kids, Nia was a sweetie during it all.  There were 3 different showings over two days and then the funeral on the third day and she was so awesomely behaved I couldn’t believe it!  I mean, the whole thing is hard on us grown ups so I thought for sure it would be terrible for her – especially since she was pretty sleep deprived.  She told us she touched Grandma’s hand and that it wasn’t soft like it used to be and that she was very careful when she touched it.  She said it was her way of showing Grandma that she loved her.  How in the world does a 4 year old know that?  I asked her if anyone told her that and she said no.  She also told me that Grandma will wake up when Jesus comes to get her.  Amazing.  All I can do sometimes is look at her in shock.  She even did great in the car.  Sleeping for much of the way and never complaining.  She’s our angel.

As for Nate – well, he had his moments. Looking back on it, he was as well behaved as I could have hoped.  At the time though, it felt like I was running in circles.  The car rides and being quiet at the funeral service were hard things for him.  I had to take him outside for much of it.  Part of me felt sad that I didn’t get to properly mourn but then I thought that might be a good thing too.  He helped me keep my mind of the sadness of death and instead focus on the beauty and happiness of life.  That little boy – he might actually be an angel in disguise.

While the trip home was for Grandma’s funeral –  it did give us a chance to see family we haven’t seen in a really long time.  I’m so happy that my sister drove in from Ohio.  Even though we didn’t get to spend a ton of time together – it was so wonderful to see her and my nieces.  I needed a family fix.  I’m so thankful she came home and I can’t wait to see her, my brother-in-law (who was missed!) and the girls again soon!  We also got to see Andrew’s cousins that we haven’t seen since our wedding.  One of them is now getting married and she wants Nia to be a flower girl!  I’m so excited!

Other than all of that – here’s a few other things to note about our trip-

  • Spending 20 hours in the car within 3 days with two kids
  • 1 screaming baby boy who made sure we all knew how miserable he was being stuck in his car seat for those 20 hours. (We only really made one pit stop each way because we were driving through the night and if we let him out of the seat too many times – he wouldn’t want to get back in.)
  • Too many tears to count – crying over Grandma’s death, crying over struggling with the boy, crying over missing family
  • 1 strong White Russian that made me pass out in the chair of my living room while watching tv with my sister and devouring a bag full of those cheddar sour cream chips (not one of my best moments during the trip).
  • Tons of smiles and laughs watching the kids play with their cousins/Aunt/Uncles/Grandparents (my niece Gabbie and Nia had found some foot cushions at my house and had them on their faces!  Then they grabbed my mom’s shoes and purses and said they were “going to the doctor.”  Too cute!)
  • Several bittersweet reunions – we got to see family and people we haven’t seen in super a long time but it feels weird being happy to see them when your loved one is in the next room being mourned.
  • 1 warning from the West Virginia State Police for going 10 over the speed limit.  Andrew is like the luckiest person when it comes to tickets.  He always knows what to say – somehow he only spoke maybe 5 sentences to the officer but he managed to slip in “grandma’s funeral,” “used to be in the Army,” “when I was deployed to Iraq” and an appropriate amount of “sirs.”  Hey…he gave it a shot and it paid off!  I know it wouldn’t have worked for me!
  • Laughing hysterically at the boy and Andrew on the way home from WV.  Nate would go from screaming like a madman to calm just by Andrew saying very smoothly to him, “Nate, okay, okaaayyyy?”  Nate would say very softly back, “kay.”  I don’t know what it was but it was so funny!  Andrew had just asked him, “Nate, where’s your blankey?” to which Nate would scream, “NO!”  Andrew, “Where’s your thumb?”  Nate, “NO!”  Andrew, “Nate, okay, okaaayyy?”  Nate, “kay.”

Well, that’s it for now, okay?  Kay.
 

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Messy Milestone

27 Sep

You’d think I’d learn.  I’ve done much better in the past – why did I let this time get the best of me?  All I had to do was put him down or face him away from me – I almost made it to the sink – but no – I froze.

It’s so weird how parents can sense when their children are about to erupt from the mouth.  Nate had been fine all day.  Playing, eating and drinking like usual when all of a sudden he started to whine and kind of squirm in his seat (he had just finished lunch).  I immediately freed him from his booster, hugged him and began slowing walking over to the kitchen sink.  (The closest, non-carpeted place I could think of.)  I was only inches away when my brain said, “Don’t awkwardly hang him over the sink – this is the first time he’s ever thrown up (besides baby spit up) – you need to just hold him.  He’s scared.”  So I sacrificed my body for the sake of my baby’s feelings.  Well, the first time anyway!

I don’t know why I decided it was time to hold him over the sink for the second round – he and I were already covered in the yuck.  Oh well. I shouldn’t have strayed from my past responses of “get to the nearest sink/toilet/bathtub/thing that washes easily.”

Poor baby.  I don’t know why he got sick.  He doesn’t have a fever or anything.  After it seemed like we were in the clear and no more yuck was coming up, I gave him a bath and as the water was draining he laid on his belly with his one cheek pressed against the tub.  He looked exhausted.  I just hope he got it all out of him.  He’s napping now but I’m still worried I’ll hear him crying at any second.

It’s such a sad sight – to see a small child sick like that.  I mean, it’s awful for adults – I can’t even imagine what it’s like for the little sweeties. They don’t understand what’s happening and it’s just so nasty – all we can do is try to stay calm and help soothe them through it – even if it scares us (or gags us) too.

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The GPS made me do it…

18 Sep

The other day Andrew let me borrow his GPS thinger-ma-jig so it could “guide” me to a doctor’s office in Athens.  I had used it once before – to take my mom to the Atlanta airport – but I am no where near comfortable with aimlessly following it’s directions.  (That airport trip was especially nerve-wracking but more because of all the traffic!)

I’ve witnessed how it can lead you astray from time to time but Andrew will defend it until the end.  One time we asked it to find us a Kroger.  We obeyed its commands until it said “Arriving at Kroger on right.”  Um.  No.  Nope.  No Kroger there. “That’s just because I need to update its mapping software,” he argued, “It probably was here at one time.”

Besides an occasional “software” issue, it’s really just the idea of putting all my trust in a little box with a voice that sometimes sounds condescending and irritated if we accidentally go off the course.  “Recalculating.”  “Continue .5 miles then make a u-turn.”  “Make a u-turn.” “Recalculating.”

She had to “recalculate” several times with me on the day I took her along to the doctor’s.  For the most part, I did ok because I had a general idea of where I was going. It was on the way home that I had to turn around after misunderstanding her instructions.  Fortunately for me, she really didn’t let me down.  Turns out, the place were I had to turn around just happened to be where Starbucks is.

I called Andrew from the drive-thru and told him – “The GPS made me do it.”  I mean, come on – she led me right to my drinky!  After that, I didn’t care if she got me lost or scolded me – I will never doubt her again!
 

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Busted!

17 Sep

At first I thought it would just be our little secret.  Nia would never have to know that Nate and I entered her sanctuary while she was at school.  He just gets so happy when the door is left open so he can run in and look wide-eyed at everything he never gets to play with – then go to town with a huge smile on his face.  I thought, if I just put all the toys he’s enjoying back before we go to pick her up, she’ll never know that her precious princess room had been invaded. How could I forget that Nia is very special and has a genius brain and awesome memory?

We were only back in the house for like 5 minutes when she walked over to me holding a ball and had a look on her face like she knew something was fishy.

“Momma.  Why is this ball out of my room?”

BUSTED!  I smile at her not really knowing what to say.  Should I lie?  “I don’t know why that’s out of your room.  How would I know how it got out of your room?”  Should I fall on the floor and beg for forgiveness for allowing her little brother – the one she always slams the door on as she scurries off in her room – to touch all the toys that she freaks out when he has?  WHAT?  First of all, what kind of example would I be if I lied to my child?  (Plus, I can’t lie for my life.) Second, she’s 4!  Why in the world am I worried that a 4-year-old will be mad at me?  Who’s the adult here?  What’s my deal?

I look at her and smile and say, “Nate brought it out here.”

“How did Nate get it?”
“I let him in your room while I was putting your clean clothes away.”  (NOT A LIE – This is the true reason why we were in there in the first place – I just thought it would be a shame to kick him out after I was finished – he was having so much fun!)
“Mommmmmaaaaa” she says with her head to the side and a look of disappointment on her face.

Phew.  I got away with it this time!  I’ll have to be more careful next time!

 

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Partying Like It’s 1998 (but without the hangover)

11 Sep

WOW

2 of 50,000

The pictures don’t even half capture what it looked like at Saturday’s Dave Matthews Band concert at Piedmont Park in Atlanta.  It was INSANE!  Something like 50,000 tickets were sold.  That pretty much equals a crap load of drunk people and a thick cloud of smoke from a whole lotta pot.  Andrew and I were not part of either club.  We actually only shared 3 beers between us and I think it was best that way.  I think it was far more entertaining to watch the others than be one of them.  (I did enough of that during my pre-kid days anyway.)

Andrew and I were so excited to get to go to this concert.  We love DMB and the last time we saw them in concert was in 1998.  (Yes, at that concert I was one of the drunk club.)  This time was special because we did it for ourselves.  Not to go with a group of friends or drink until we were silly –  just to be together – by ourselves.  I had a blast with my hubby – rockin’ out to the music – people watching – riding the city’s public transportation (it was a “Go Green” concert and they made it so you couldn’t park anywhere near the event).  It didn’t matter what we did – I was just so happy to have that night with him.

DMB Dorks

It’s funny how even though we didn’t have the kids with us – we still had the kids with us. My mom stayed at home with them so her kid could go out and play but since Nia was sick, Andrew and I kept calling home to check on her and wondering if we should leave the concert.  My mom assured us Nia was ok and we decided to stay but it still felt wrong to have too much fun while our little girl was yucky.  It turns out though that she and her “Honey” (what she calls my mom) had a little slumber party of sorts.  Honey let her stay up late watching “Beauty and the Beast” and when we came home, Nia was fast asleep in her princess bed and Honey was crashed out on the couch.  It was a sweet sight after an evening of the usual crazy concert ones (I’ll have to write about my observations another time) and I’m so grateful for my mom and the chance to rock out again.

Concert Couple

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