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Because of the Kids…

5 May

I hardly ever get to venture out by myself.

I don’t know how to act when I do get to venture out by myself.

I hardly ever have a moment (second?) of silence.

I usually have to clean up a big mess or pull a choking hazard out of the boy’s hand when I do get a moment of silence.

I have to pick up the stuff (toys/hangers/clean clothes/breakable objects) I just picked up.  (And then pick them up again.)

I’ve lost weight from having to chase them and clean up after them all day.

I gained weight because I needed to keep them (and me) happy when they were in my belly.

My hair is super dark brown now and the grays are popping out like crazy.  (Who/what else can I blame? My hair wasn’t this way before the kids!)

I “look like a mom.”  At least that’s what a former high school classmate told me the night before our 10 year reunion.

I look like a mom and wonder “what’s wrong with that?!”

I cannot take a shower, go potty, talk on the phone or sit down for a meal in peace.

My showers, potty times, phone conversations and meals are more entertaining/interesting.

I do things I haven’t done since I was a kid – color, play Candyland and Memory, do cartwheels, blow bubbles, swing.

I realize I shouldn’t do half of the the things I hadn’t done since I was a kid.

I laugh and smile every day.

I rub my head and sigh every day.

I get the best good night kisses and sweetest hugs.

I get slapped in the face and tortured by tantrums.

My days are NEVER boring.

I couldn’t tell you what’s happening in the world but I could tell you what SpongeBob did or the words to the third Cinderella movie.

I couldn’t imagine life without them – because of them, I am me.

Whee!

“Put Down the Toilet Bowl Brush!” and other things I find myself saying to a busy baby boy

1 May

Some days I can’t even believe these things are coming out of my mouth.  What’s even more sanity damaging is how many times I have to say them to our 16-month-old boy – plus it’s not like he even understands.

“Get out of the doggy’s water bowl!” (After he’s already put his hands in the water and rubbed it on his face – bleh.)

“Don’t stand on that box/basket/toy! Danger!” (Said while he’s usually wobbling on a super flimsy thing he felt the need to stand on.)

“No hitting mommy!”  (Painfully said after I’ve been slapped on the cheek or the leg.)

“Please stop turning on the bath tub water faucet!”  (I cannot even begin to describe how annoying this is!  He turns the water on full force then puts his hand in it so the water goes everywhere or if I’m not fast enough he’ll toss our scale in tub, drenching it.)

“No eating the crayon/barbie head/dog bone!” (Self-explanatory.)

“No calling China on mommy’s cell phone!”  (Prying the cell phone from his tiny fingers requires great strength and determination.)

“Give me that soy sauce!”  (The thing he ALWAYS grabs and puts to his lips when I open the fridge door. I keep telling him to lay off the sauce but he doesn’t listen to that either.)
 

Big Aspiration

29 Apr

Conversation overheard at Nia’s 4th birthday party:

Andrew – “Nia, what do you want to be when you grow up?”

Nia – “5 years old.”


Too Cute for Words

27 Apr

What Nia said after seeing Nate in his dinosaur print footed pajamas:
“Ah Momma, (giggle) he’s so ‘dorable.”

What Nia said when I asked her if she loved Nate:
“Uh-huh.  I don’t want another brother.”

What Nia said after Joey scared the breath out of all us after barking at NOTHING:
“That was not necessary.”

What Nia said when we asked her if she knew what that meant:
“It means stop doing it.  It’s Spanish.”

Baby Sometimes, Action Star Always

22 Apr

“He’s only 20 pounds!”  That’s what Andrew tells me when I cry to him about how Nate pushes me around the kitchen as I’m trying to cook or do the dishes.  He may only be 20 pounds but – that boy is STRONG.  He actually has made me lose my balance a few times.  Pushing isn’t the only way he likes to show he’s a tough guy – he also loves to slap my face – not with just one hand – nope, I’m so special that I get the double slap. He does it in a sort of sneak attack way – he’ll be all loving, even giving me a few kisses, when all of a sudden – WHAM on both sides of my face.

He’s just such a little tough guy.  He’s constantly climbing things and he will fall ALL of the time but he never gets discouraged or afraid…he just goes back for more!   Andrew and I have tried to keep his feet on the ground but he always finds a way to put them where they shouldn’t go!  Just watch the movie below to get a small idea of what I’m talking about…(and please don’t worry, I would have sacrificed the camera for my son – I just wanted to capture his craziness so he’d know what a heart-stopping child he was)

If this is what he’s like now at only 16 months – I am so not looking forward to the skateboarding and bike stunt years.  Ugh…

My Antonia

11 Apr

She came into the world with her daddy a world away in Iraq.

Mommy Loves You

Now, almost four years later, her daddy is cuddling with her on the couch watching “Mulan” again.

Safe in Daddy's Arms

Our little Nia is only a few weeks away from becoming a four-year-old. Watching her grow up has been a blessing and blast.  Her birth made me feel love like I could never have imagined.  She spoiled me while she was in my belly (I LOVED being pregnant with her), she spoiled me by deciding to leave my belly on her due date (she must have known how much of a planner I am), she spoiled us by sleeping through the night, taking her naps and hardly ever making a fuss (I can totally brag about this now since her babyhood is over – she was such an easy baby! I know this especially after having Nate – I guess it’s what we get huh?!?!),  every day she amazes us with her intelligence and humor and touches our hearts with her super sweet personality.

Silly Nia

I’m not going to say it’s been all happiness and joy – there have been plenty of times when she’s tested our patience and won but really when I think about it those times weren’t as bad as they could have been.  Whether she brought rough times or easy times, she is the most incredible adventure I have ever been a part of and I am so excited to begin the next part of our growing up journey.

So Much Fun

Our Little Comedian

31 Mar

Ever hear a 4-year-old tell a joke?  It goes a little something like this…

“Momma I have a joke.”
“Ok sweetie what is it?”
(These are all delivered with perfect inflection.)
“There was a spoon and it fell in the sink and then it was yucky!”
“The doggy laid down and then he sneezed!”
“Nate has a diaper on!”
(I was told several more “jokes” during the day but I think you get the point – they all pretty much state the obvious…)

What makes the super-sweet jokes even more funny is how Andrew laughs at them.  He lets out the loudest, craziest laugh – it’s so ridiculous that is is HILARIOUS. I hope she always wants to make others laugh.  Our little comedian.
 

Our Little Reader

17 Mar

This is one of Nia’s favorite books.

Momma Did It

16 Mar

Still a Cutie to Me

I don’t know why I continue to attempt to cut Nia’s bangs. I had been doing ok – the past few trims were successful – I had cut the bangs just enough so they were out of her eyes but not enough for anyone to say “Whoa!  Did Nia get her hands on the scissors?!?!”  This time though I’m sorry to say I failed but I still mostly blame the scissors…

The last time I massacred her hair this badly she was still going to day care and when people would ask her about it she would just say, “Momma did it.”

Well sweets, I did it again but please know, to me, it doesn’t matter what your hair looks like – you will always be the most adorable little thing I’ve ever seen.  Oh yeah – and I promise never to attempt to “trim” your bangs again.

When Parents (Want to) Sleep In

12 Mar

This is what Andrew and I woke up to on Saturday morning:

Crib or Toy Box?

We all heard Nate wake up – Nia was just quicker than lazy old mom and dad who decided we didn’t need to really rush in to him since he wasn’t screaming his head off.  It turns out that that morning he probably wouldn’t scream his head off since Nia brought toy after toy to him, filling up his bed until mom and dad finally came in.  We just had to know what was causing all that giggling.

No Room for Nate

Thank heavens for big sisters.  Because of her, everyone woke up in a good mood.